Note: will not respond in the case of rejection; assume rejection after 99 days. Note: one submission per 99 days.
Note: Suggest that potential submitters read their about page: https://www.storyunlikely.com/#ourstory
CONTENT: To put it simply, we're looking for good stories, measured both by the quality of the writing and the skill in storytelling. We prefer prose that elicits emotion: make us laugh or cry, think or consider, anything on the edge or in between. - GENRE AND STYLE: Good stories don’t just come in all shapes and sizes, but in all genres, too (fiction and nonfiction). Although some genres naturally lend themselves to certain feelings, by no means do we expect authors to follow preordained paths. We like stories that cross genres, experiment, and push the boundaries of literature while maintaining the utmost quality in literary technique and storytelling, which is why we're open to just about anything.
A note on genres and what we're looking for: +There are plenty of publishers who claim they are open to any genre, but still only publish a select few. Just so you know that we're not yanking your chain, here's a list of genres we accept and are open to publishing: Action/adventure, general, fiction/narrative nonfiction, humor/comedy/satire, speculate (fantasy, sci fi, horror, magic realism, cyberpunk), memoir, western, romance, alternate history, suspense/thriller, mystery/crime, literary, and any cross/hybrid genres.
Submission window - Feb 2, 2026 thru Sep 29, 2026 (Ends 69 days from now)
Submission Window - Feb 14, 2026 thru Oct 14, 2026 (Ends 84 days from now)
Market Genres
Genres
Action/Adventure
Alternate History
Fantasy
General
Horror
Humor
Literary
Mystery/Crime
Romance
Science Fiction
Suspense/Thriller
Western
Market Types, Lengths & Pay Scale
Originals
Flash
0 to 1000 words
8 cents/word
Short Story
1000 to 4375 words
8 cents/word
Short Story
4375 to 7500 words
$350/piece
Reprints
Flash
0 to 1000 words
1 cent/word
Short Story
1000 to 7500 words
1 cent/word
Market Submission Types
AI Submissions?: Not Allowed
Electronic Submissions?: Yes
Postal Submissions?: No
Multiple Submissions?: No
Simultaneous Submissions?: Yes
Translations: Original Language Only
Estimated Response: 99 days
Market-Provided Data
The data in this section was provided directly by the publisher, not entered by Submission Grinder staff.
This statistical information is an aggregation of submission data provided by our members. The more data we have the more accurate our
numbers will be so please be sure to log all of your submissions here and not just your rejections or acceptances.
Count:
There are 87 completed reports in the past 12 months.
Averages and Boundaries:
Min: 4 | Average: 91.00 | Median: 99 | Max: 175
Responded:
19.54%
Accepted:
-
Rejected:
19.54% - avg 91 days(5.88% of rejections are personal)
Rewrites:
-
Dead Letters:
60.91%
Lost/Returned:
-
Never Responded:
60.91%
Withdrawn:
19.54%
Pending:
There are 149 pending responses.
(1 min | 70.97 average | 49 median | 842 max days waiting)
Note: pending statistics may skew high if some users neglect their data. We recommend querying after the time the market suggests to query.