Submission Terms & Conditions

Thank you for your interest in submitting your work to Big Thinking Publishing.

We are passionate about celebrating creativity and providing opportunities for writers, artists and photographers to share their work. These Submission Terms & Conditions apply to all Big Thinking Publishing projects unless a specific project states otherwise.

By submitting your work, you agree to the following terms.

1. Ownership of Your Work

You always retain full copyright and ownership of your work. Submitting your work to Big Thinking Publishing does not transfer your intellectual property rights to us.

2. Permission to Publish

By submitting your work, you grant Big Thinking Publishing a non-exclusive licence to:

  • publish your work in print and digital formats;

  • reproduce extracts for promotional purposes;

  • display your work in exhibitions or events connected with the project;

  • use your work in marketing, social media and on our website.

As the licence is non-exclusive, you remain free to publish your work elsewhere unless the individual project specifies otherwise.

3. Original Work

By submitting your work, you confirm that:

  • it is your own original creation;

  • you own the rights to submit it;

  • it does not knowingly infringe the copyright, trademark or other rights of any third party.

4. Children's Submissions

Where a contributor is under the age of 18, submissions must be made with the permission of a parent, legal guardian or authorised educational establishment.

5. Editorial Changes

We may make minor editorial amendments including:

  • spelling;

  • punctuation;

  • grammar;

  • formatting;

  • layout.

Where significant editorial changes are considered necessary, we will seek the contributor's agreement wherever reasonably possible.

6. Selection

Submitting work does not guarantee publication.

All editorial decisions are made by Big Thinking Publishing and are final.

Unfortunately, due to the number of submissions received, we may not always be able to provide individual feedback.

7. Appropriate Content

We reserve the right to decline any submission that we believe:

  • is unlawful;

  • contains defamatory material;

  • promotes hatred, discrimination or violence;

  • infringes another person's rights;

  • contains explicit material unsuitable for the intended audience;

  • is otherwise inconsistent with the aims or values of the project.

8. Artificial Intelligence

Unless a project specifically states otherwise, submissions should represent the contributor's own creative work.

If artificial intelligence has been used to generate or substantially create text or images, this must be declared when submitting.

Big Thinking Publishing reserves the right to decline AI-generated or AI-assisted submissions where they are not appropriate for the project.

9. Artwork and Photography

If you submit artwork or photography, you confirm that:

  • you own the copyright or have permission to use the work;

  • any identifiable individuals featured have given appropriate permission where required.

10. Names and Credits

Unless requested otherwise, published work will normally be credited using the contributor's name or chosen pen name.

If you would prefer your work to appear anonymously, please let us know when submitting.

11. Withdrawal of Submissions

You may withdraw your submission at any time before the advertised submission deadline by contacting us.

Once a publication has entered the production process, it may no longer be possible to remove a contribution.

12. Project Changes

Big Thinking Publishing reserves the right to amend, postpone or cancel any project if circumstances require.

If a project does not proceed to publication, all rights remain with contributors.

13. Liability

Whilst every reasonable care will be taken with submitted material, Big Thinking Publishing cannot accept responsibility for:

  • technical issues affecting submissions;

  • loss or corruption of electronic files;

  • delays caused by circumstances beyond our control.

14. Privacy

Personal information collected during the submission process will be used solely for administering the project, communicating with contributors and fulfilling publication requirements.

Your information will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

15. No Obligation to Publish

Submitting work does not create a contract for publication.

Big Thinking Publishing reserves the right not to publish any submission, even if it has previously been acknowledged, shortlisted or accepted for consideration.

16. Acceptance of These Terms

By submitting your work to Big Thinking Publishing, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to this Submission Policy.

Questions?

If you have any questions about submitting your work, we'd be delighted to hear from you.

📧 hello@bigthinkingpublishing.co.uk