Update 10/01/2024: We are OPEN to original, unpublished stories
- We will be open Oct 1-31st, or until sub cap is reached. Read the guidelines carefully!
- For speculative fiction, our sub cap will be 425 stories, and you can submit as Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror.
- For non-speculative stories our sub cap will be 350, and you can submit as Literary or Historic Fiction.
- Please do not send us Reprints. We are CLOSED to Reprints for the remainder of the year.
You can join as a free member on our Patreon >> here << where we also post news and submission opportunities.
GENERAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
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.
FORMATTING: Please format your submission in a double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman or other serif-type font (NO 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: We will 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: Please only submit one story / per month. One speculative story, or one non-speculative story. Do not submit to BOTH.
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 2024 rate is $100 for each original story.
We are unable to provide personal feedback or critiques.
We do NOT accept resubmissions of stories previously rejected by Flash Fiction Online, unless requested by the editorial team.
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.
Love what we publish? Flash Fiction Online is funded entirely through the generosity and support of our readers! Check out our Patreon here.
THEMES: This is an unthemed submission call. I've done a quick update on our What We're Looking for Page which is generalized to all of our content. In addition, we have some current hard sells (because we've seen a lot of it or because of market concerns); these include graphic war scenes, water creatures (sirens/mermaids), cannibalism, and stories about AI / robots. Elements we'd love to see more of include deep space journeys, high fantasy settings, not-cozy hauntings, and unique monsters. But surprise us, sometimes we don't know what we want until we see it.
ANONYMOUS SUBMISSIONS: 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.
MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: You get ONE submission for all of October. You have to choose between speculative and non-speculative. Do not submit for BOTH; all stories goes to the same team and we will be checking.
PAYMENT & RIGHTS FOR ORIGINAL FICTION: For original (previously unpublished) fiction, Flash Fiction Online pays $100 per story for first electronic rights with 6 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.
SCHEDULE: 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. We are moving to a seasonal unthemed submission call. The October call will be open until October 31st or until our cap of 425 speculative fiction stories is reached. We expect there to be at least two winnowing rounds -- one in November and one in December. Please allow a full 10 weeks before querying.
THEMES: This is an unthemed submission call. This form is for non-speculative fiction (i.e., historic and literary fiction). I've done a quick update on our What We're Looking for Page which is generalized to all of our content. Please especially note the high-bar for stories about suicide!! In addition, we have some current hard sells (because we've seen a lot of it or because of market concerns); these include graphic war scenes and stories about AI. Elements we'd love to see more of include cute-meets, historic settings, and stories about science and discovery. But surprise us, sometimes we don't know what we want until we see it.
ANONYMOUS SUBMISSIONS: 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.
MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: You get ONE submission for all of October. You have to choose between speculative and non-speculative. Do not submit for BOTH; all stories goes to the same team and we will be checking.
PAYMENT & RIGHTS FOR ORIGINAL FICTION: For original (previously unpublished) fiction, Flash Fiction Online pays $100 per story for first electronic rights with 6 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.
SCHEDULE: 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. We are moving to a seasonal unthemed submission call. The October call will be open until October 31st or until our cap of 350 non-speculative fiction stories is reached. We expect there to be at least two winnowing rounds -- one in November and one in December. Please allow a full 10 weeks before querying.