We’re looking for stories you’ve poured your soul into but haven’t been able to find the right home for. We’re looking for stories that make us feel something.

Warmth, love, melancholy, rage.

We want it all. 

All genres, styles and themes will be considered and we especially love stories that are outside the box in their telling. Ambiguous endings? Non-linear storytelling? Antagonist’s point-of-view? A story told in just one scene?

We love it all.

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Quarterly Online Anthology Submission Schedule:

December 1st – 7th (Spring Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions

March 1st – 7th (Summer Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions

June 1st – 7th (Autumn Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions

September 1st – 7th (Winter Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions

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we do not have set issue themes but feel free to be inspired by the season, seasonal occasions and events. We are unlikely to publish stories with seasonal events out of season – for example a story set in the Winter isn’t likely to make it into our Summer issue even if we adore it.

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Click Here For Print Anthology Information

How to submit: Please submit via the form at the bottom of this page. If you have any problems using the form please email us for assistance.

Who should submit: Please ONLY SUBMIT IF:

• you are aged 18 or over

• you belong to an underrepresented or marginalised community.
  These include, but are not limited to: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and disabled people.
  Whilst we also love stories about diverse characters, it is not necessary that your story feature them.

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What to submit:

• Drabble (exactly 100 words)

• Flash Fiction (101 to 1000 words)

• Short Stories (1000 to 8000 words)

Minimum 100 words and maximum 8000 words are hard limits, please do not submit anything under or over these limits.

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Pay: A Coup of Owls pays flat rates to writers for selected works as follows

• Drabbles and Flash – £5

• Short Stories 1001 to 4000 words – £10

• Short Stories 4001 to 8000 words – £15

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Content Restrictions: 

• The work must be original. If retelling an existing story please ensure this is wholly your own work and that the source material is out of copyright (for example, fairy tales or The Great Gatsby)

• We welcome scrubbed fanfiction, however it must work as an original piece and not infringe on copyright (see our FAQs)

• Complete works only, no excerpts or serials

• We only accept stories aimed at an adult readership. By this we mean that we do not accept children’s stories or YA, not that the work must be explicit

• We do not accept and will not publish non-fiction, poetry or creative non-fiction submissions

• We do not accept and will not publish submissions of AI created content

Accepted authors will be asked to sign a legal contract asserting that their work meets the above criteria.

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Format: Please submit your work in a classic manuscript format, such as the Shunn format. Upload your file as either a doc or docx, with the file name [story title] by [author name]. Before submitting please check out our Style Guide. 

Exclusivity: Payments will be made subject to a signed contract which states that A Coup of Owls Press is purchasing the rights to publish your work on its website and to archive that work in its Issues archive. We ask for six months exclusivity on your work and do not accept reprints.

Simultaneous submissions: No simultaneous submissions. Please do not submit to us something that is currently under consideration elsewhere. Please do not submit the same piece you have sent us anywhere else while we are considering it.

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Multiple submissions: Yes. Please submit no more than three works during the submission period. This can be, for example three short stories, or one flash, and two short stories etc. Please submit a separate form for each piece.

Reprints and Resubmissions: No, we do not accept reprints.
Please do not resubmit a story we have previously rejected unless specifically invited to do so. 

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Rating: We accept all ratings, including and up to R/18+. However, we do not publish plotless erotica. Strong sexual content is acceptable as long as it fits within the story and is not gratuitous. 

We do accept strong violence and dark themes, depending on the context within the story. These will be considered on a case by case basis. Please feel free to query us before submitting.

Restrictions on bigotry and hate speech:

We do not accept bigotry in any form. Please do not send us stories that are, or glorify, discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age or disability. 

We may consider stories that feature these things but do not glorify them. For example, we may accept a story that features a character experiencing racism or homophobia, depending on the context within the story and its resolution. This will be considered on a case by case basis, please feel free to query us before submitting.

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Response Time: We aim to reply to all submissions within a month of the submission close date. If you have not heard from us after six weeks from the closing date, please feel free to get in touch. Where possible we will provide some feedback. 

Submissions Status: 

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SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED UNTIL 1st DECEMBER 2023

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Our submission form is only available when our submissions are open. Please do not email submissions.