Submission Guidelines
Word count: Keep it under 4k words. Stories under 3k words will get preference over those approaching the higher boundary.
Pay Rate: .06/wd
Deadlines & Decisions: Submit by October 31st, 2024. Historically marginalized groups (BIPOC, LGBTQ+, etc.) may submit through Nov. 30th 2024 (see this post for more info about this). Decisions, unless they’re a clear pass, will not be sent out until [at least] January 1st 2025.
Formatting & Dictionary: Use the Shunn modern manuscript format (link) and the American English dictionary.
Cover Letter: No need for anything fancy! Say hello, give your story title and word count, and include an author bio (if you have one ready) below your note. If you’re submitting after the first deadline, please include an acknowledgment that you fit into one of those groups mentioned. (If you want help with an author bio, check out this post.) If you are affiliated with the HWA or another professional organization, please note it in your letter; if you’re not, don’t worry! We are excited to include new as well as established writers.
No previously published (in any form, online / in print / audio format / etc.) work will be considered.
Simultaneous submissions are a-okay, but do tell us immediately if your story is accepted elsewhere.
Multiple submissions: please pick your best and send one.
No A.I.-produced or A.I.-assisted submissions. The legal contract you’ll sign upon acceptance will require that you agree to this stipulation, as well.
Important notes: Submitters, please understand that Whisper House Press is a highly communicative, contributor-involved press. This means you’ll hear from me every step of the way and that I hope to have your buy-in (used figuratively, of course!) for a full-court press on publicity. For our books to have any chance at success (defined here as “winning all of the awards”) we need our contributors to promote them. To wit: We’ll ask authors to help. First, we’d ask you to sit down for a virtual interview to post on our youtube page (it’s okay to do this interview with the video off, but we’d like to have at least a short convo with every contributor). We’ll also ask you to post about our anthology when we’re approaching publication. (If you don’t have social media, don’t worry about this part—but all of this is to your benefit, and we hope you’ll be on board.) If you want to know more about how the press tackled the first anthology, click here to see everything from the contract we used to plans for promotion.
If after hearing all that you still want to submit, we would love to hear from you. Use the subject line “Dread Mondays submission” so the email reaches us. Send your best-fitting single piece of fiction to editor [at] whisperhousepress [dot] com.
Did I miss anything? Email with questions and I’ll revise this page.
Want to see more about our first anthology? Here are the cover reveal and author bios.
Click here to return to the “Behind the Scenes with Whisper House Press” Headquarters.
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