Each issue of The Drop brings a weekly piece of flash fiction right to your inbox along with press news, announcements, and a guest author interview! Each work is carefully hand-selected and workshopped with the greatest care. To submit to The Drop, please follow the instructions below.

GENRE: Fantasy or Science Fiction
WORD COUNT: 100 minimum; 1,000 maximum
PAY RATE: $5 flat and a thorough critique of your submission
SUBMISSIONS OPEN: 01 February 2021
NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE BY: 2-4 weeks from submission
PROJECTED RELEASE DATE: the first and third Monday of every month

We are looking for original works of dark speculative fiction. Character-driven stories with strong, well-designed worldbuilding, tight prose, and a good understanding of pacing are hallmarks of flash fiction we’d consider.

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While the following aren’t requirements, we are particularly interested in stories that feature strong and fresh worldbuilding, tight prose, slow burns, purposeful pacing, original or rare creatures, unusual framing devices, small-scale plots, and diverse characters. “Literary”-style stories and genre mash-ups (Science Fantasy, for example) are also of interest!

formatting guidelines

+ Complete story that is at least 100 words in length but does not exceed 1,000 in .pdf or .docx format

+ 12pt Book Antiqua or Lato font, double-spaced
+ Left-aligned paragraphs
+ One-inch margins
+ In a center-aligned header on each page, type your name (along with “writing as [Pen Name]” if you use one) and beneath it your story title in all caps
+ If you need further assistance, your end product should look similar to this: Proper Manuscript Format

to inquire

Send an eMail to  with the following information:

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SUBJECT LINE: “Query for ‘TITLE’: THE DROP” (in all caps!). Please do not put anything else in the subject line UNLESS…

    + Your story is a reprint: Your subject line should say “Query for ‘TITLE’: THE DROP (Reprint)”

    + Your story was previously serialized: “Query for ‘TITLE’: THE DROP (Serial)”

    + Your story is a translation: “Query for ‘TITLE’: THE DROP (Translation)”

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BODY: Please do not use fancy fonts, backgrounds, formatting, or add any attachments other than what we ask for to the body of your eMail.

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PARAGRAPH ONE: A brief introduction, how you found us, and why you’re querying.

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PARAGRAPH TWO: A 50-150 word story synopsis. Be thorough! Spoilers are for readers. We need to know the plot from beginning to end.

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PARAGRAPH THREE: A closing statement, the story’s total wordcount, any previous publications you’ve featured in, and any other pertinent information. The sum of your body text should not exceed 250 words.

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ATTACHMENTS: A .pdf or .docx file containing your submission and formatted according to the above guidelines. Please do not attach anything else! No artwork, secondary submissions, cover ideas, et cetera.

avoiding automatic rejection

You can easily avoid receiving an automatic rejection by following being thorough and taking your time when reading our submission guidelines before submitting your story. We promise we are not trying to trick you into making a mistake; these guidelines are here to ensure swift and complete consideration of your piece. Please only submit once you…

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+ Are sure your submission is within the bounds of the genres we’re accepting for this call (SciFi and Fantasy)

+ Have checked that your submission meets our word count limits (100 minimum; 1,000 maximum)

+ Have read our “Do Not Send” list on our submissions page and have verified that your submission does not violate it

+ Have double-checked that your submission is formatted according to our guidelines

+ Have double-checked that you did not attach anything besides your submission, and that the version you submitted is correct

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We understand that files sometimes corrupt or other electronic shenanigans happen. If we suspect something went wrong, we will contact you and ask you to resubmit.