Deadline: September 29th, 2025
Payment: 8 cents per word, 2 cents per word for reprints
Theme: Action/adventure, general, fiction/narrative nonfiction, humor/comedy/satire, speculate (fantasy, sci fi, horror, magic realism, cyberpunk), memoir, western, romance, alternate history, suspense/thriller, mystery/crime, literary, and any cross/hybrid genres.
Note: Reprints Welcome
Submissions to our magazine run annually from February 2nd through September 29th
Why submit to us?
– WE PAY WRITERS FAIRLY. It’s hard work writing good stories, and you deserve to get paid. Or maybe you don’t and you’re just duping us? Regardless, we pay 8 cents a word (with a $500 cap), and 2 cents a word for reprints.
– NO SUBMISSION FEES. Nobody’s getting rich off $3 per submission, but paying money just for the privilege of receiving a form letter rejection is the worst. (Costs of running an E-zine aside) We’re going to go ahead and coin a phrase right here and now – ‘Write privilege’, get it? Of course, you do.
– GET YOUR WORK IN FRONT OF A LARGE AND GROWING AUDIENCE. Our aim is fixed on telling good stories, period, and because of that we have built a massive readership from all over the globe. Want to get your stories out to more than just dear old nana? Then you’ve come to the right place.
– REASONABLE TURN-AROUND TIME. If you haven’t heard from us within 90 days, then your story was rejected. Rejections stink – we get it – but its better than forever waiting and wondering.
– WORKABILITY. Is that the right term? Well, we’re going with it. Unlike large publishers who view authors as just a number, we actually work with you to help present the story in its best possible light. We do, however, expect reciprocity; Story Unlikely is comprised of volunteers who are by nature team players. If you’re an inflexible my way or the highway type – or even worse, an unbearable ideologue – then consider this a premature breakup. No really, it’s us, not you.
– GET ILLUSTRATED. We illustrate ALL stories we publish, and we think we’re doing a pretty bang-up job with that. You can learn more about our artists at Design Unlikely.
– GET REVIEWED. Although we’re not genre specific, since we’re a professional paying magazine, Tangent Online reviews any SF&F (loosely defined) stories we publish. Your story might even make their Annual Recommended Reading List.
– Still NOT CONVINCED? Then listen to a word from our CFO – who The Office fans may recognize – to our editor-in-chief on every writer’s bane: rejection. Yes, that’s a watchable video below, and you’ll find more of them (with other cheeky celebrities) littered throughout our site.
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For horror lovers, writers, and fans of the macabre, Ghoulish Book Festival is an annual event celebrating the dark and eerie side of literature. Taking place in San Antonio, TX, the festival brings together horror authors, industry professionals, and readers for two days of panels, workshops, live readings, and interactive events. The event offers a mix of insightful discussions, book signings, and unique activities—including a spooky spelling bee and a live ghost tour.
