We are looking for complete 500- to 1000-word stories with crisp prose, well-developed characters, compelling plots, and satisfying resolutions. We want stories that engage our minds and emotions.

We publish across many genres, including speculative (science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and horror) and literary fiction. For more information on the type of stories we enjoy, please read a few issues and check out our "What We're Looking For" page.

SUBMISSION CAP: To keep our response time as expeditious as possible, this submission form will close when we reach 300 submissions. We may raise the submission cap if we find that we are able to take in additional stories.

FORMATTING: Please format your submission in a double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman or similar font (we prefer not to read in Courier), with standard 1" margins and black font on an unadorned, white background. No PDF submissions.  No Images and no graphics.

ANONYMOUS SUBMISSIONS: Do not include your name, address, email, or other identifying information on your manuscript (header, byline, file name, etc).

SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: Yes, we accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify us and withdraw the story as soon as you learn that it has been accepted somewhere else.

MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: No. One story per author per call.

RESUBMISSIONS: For this call, we are NOT accepting resubmissions of stories previously rejected by Flash Fiction Online, unless requested by the editorial team.

REPRINTS: Not for this call.

AI-GENERATED SUBMISSIONS: We are committed to publishing stories written and edited by humans. We reserve the right to reject any submission that we suspect to be primarily generated or created by language modeling software, Chat GPT, chat bots, or any other AI apps, bots, or software. We reserve the right to ban submissions from accounts, emails, or users who we believe or suspect have submitted AI-generated content.

QUERIES: You can check on the status of your submission at any time via your Submittable account. If, after 10 weeks, your submission is still marked as "in-progress," you may email editor@flashfictiononline.com with QUERY in the subject line for an update on its status. (Submissions sent to this address will be deleted unread.)

COMPENSATION: Our 2025 rate is $100 for each original story.

We are unable to provide personal feedback or critiques.

We will NOT consider stories that promote or affirm hatred, prejudice, or violence toward any group of people based on age, race, nationality, religion, sex, gender, political affiliation, disability, neurodiversity, or other social identity.

FFO Special Call: "Regret"

Flash Fiction Online is seeking submissions for an issue exploring the theme of REGRET, scheduled for January 2026. The guest editor for this issue is award-winning author Ai Jiang. Hailing from Changle, Fujian, and currently residing in Toronto, Ontario, Ai Jiang is an Ignyte, Bram Stoker, and Nebula Award winner, as well as a Hugo, Astounding, Locus, Aurora, and BFSA Award finalist. We're happy to be welcoming her to our team for this special issue! And now for the details…

What We're Looking For:

You can't get stuck in the past forever, but too often we don't make space for moments of reflection about what could have been. How could we do better? Be better? Will knowing conclusions change our decisions? Regrets, both small and large, are what drive our self-improvement, especially at the beginning of a new year. And sometimes, it’s the lack of regrets that results in the greatest of consequences, throwing us down vicious cycles where nothing is ever learned or realized. (Some key words for inspiration: Melancholy, Reflection, Reconciliation, Realization, Reminiscence, Rememory, Vicious cycles, Guilt, Acceptance)

Stories that have the feel of what we're looking for include:

• “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang
• “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes 
• “Homecoming is Just Another Word for the Sublimation of the Self” by Isabel J. Kim
• “Bone-Eater Earth” by Emma Burnett

All stories submitted through this page must fit the theme! If you have a story that doesn’t fit this theme, please submit to one of our regular submission calls.

WORD COUNT: 500-1,000 words. Because we are focused on flash fiction, this word count is firm.

GENRES: All genres – literary or speculative – as long as the story is flash fiction and fits the theme.

SCHEDULE: 

This call will be open from July 1-31, 2025.

FFO reviews stories in two stages – a slush stage and a winnowing stage. In the slush round, first readers vote on stories to be passed forward. These top-tier stories are reviewed once a month in our "winnowing" round. If you submit later in the month, you may find yourself in the second winnowing round; however, final decisions on these second-round stories are generally made within 12 weeks from the date of submission.

Ebook release date: January 1, 2026

Each story then has its own release day on our website within the month of January.

ANONYMOUS SUBMISSIONS: YES. Do not include your name, address, email, or other identifying information on your manuscript (header, byline, file name, etc). This allows our First Readers to evaluate your story based on the work alone.

SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS – YES

MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS – NO, one story per author for this call

REPRINTS – NO

RE-SUBMISSIONS — NO, unless previously requested by the editorial staff.

PAYMENT & RIGHTS FOR ORIGINAL FICTION: For original (previously unpublished) fiction, Flash Fiction Online pays $100 per story for first electronic rights, with six months exclusivity, as well as a non-exclusive one-time right to publish the stories in an anthology. The author retains all other rights. Original stories must not have been previously published anywhere, including a blog or on Patreon. Payment is made via PayPal (preferred) or mailed as a check.