How to submit a short story
Every magazine publishes its own guidelines, and editors reject stories that ignore them, often without reading a word. The steps below are the same almost everywhere; the details come from the market's page.
1. Pick markets that fit the story
Match three things: genre, length and timing. A 9,000-word story can't go to a market that stops at 6,000. In the directory, type your word count into "My story's length" and tick "Open now" to see who can take it today. Then read a few stories the magazine has published. Most online magazines put issues on their site for free.
2. Check the window
Many markets read only at set times. The Threepenny Review reads January 1 to April 14; Ploughshares June 1 to November 15; Abyss & Apex only the first week of February and August. Some close early when they hit a cap: Strange Horizons stops at 1,000 stories, The Sun at a monthly limit. Stories sent outside a window are usually deleted unread.
3. Format the manuscript
Most markets ask for standard manuscript format: a readable 12-point font, double spacing, your name and contact details on the first page, the word count, and page numbers. Some say which version they want. Clarkesworld prefers the modern format and accepts the classic one; Abyss & Apex requires William Shunn's format for anything over 1,000 words. File types differ too. Clarkesworld takes .rtf or .docx, Beneath Ceaseless Skies does not open .docx, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine asks for .doc or .docx.
Some markets read blind and want your name left off the story file. Contests almost always do: the Fish Short Story Prize asks for no name or contact details on any story page.
4. Write a short cover letter
Editors want the title, the word count, a line or two about you and your best publication credits if you have any. They don't want a summary of the story. Beneath Ceaseless Skies asks for a short letter typed into the email body; PodCastle asks for your byline, the approximate word count and the story's publication history. If you have no credits, say nothing about it. A letter with just the title and word count is normal.
5. Know the two rules about sending more than once
Simultaneous submission means sending the same story to more than one market at a time. Some markets accept it if you withdraw the moment another market accepts (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Escape Pod, One Story, The Missouri Review). Others don't allow it at all (Clarkesworld, Asimov's, Analog, Nightmare, The Dark). The Dark bans writers who break the rule.
Multiple submission means sending more than one story to the same market at once. Most markets say one at a time. Escape Pod and PodCastle allow one original and one reprint together; Kaleidotrope takes several during its short windows.
The tracker checks both rules for markets in the directory and warns you when a story is out somewhere it shouldn't be.
6. Use the market's system
Many magazines use an online form, often Moksha or Submittable, and send a confirmation email with a tracking number. Others take email with the story attached, and a few still want paper with a self-addressed stamped envelope. If you don't get a confirmation within a day, check your spam folder before you resend.
Many markets now reject any work written or edited with generative AI tools, and some ban writers who send it. Clarkesworld, Interzone, Cosmic Horror Monthly and Pulp Literature all say so on their pages.
7. Wait, then query politely
Response times range from two days (Clarkesworld's stated average) to six months or more for many literary journals. The guidelines usually say when you may ask about a story's status. Don't reply to a rejection to argue or to thank the editor; several markets ask you not to.
8. If it's accepted elsewhere, withdraw at once
Write to every other market that has the story, give the title and say it has been accepted. Use their system's withdraw button if it has one. Then log the sale and the payment in your tracker.
9. After a rejection, send it out again
Most markets let you send a different story right away or after a short wait (Fantasy Magazine and The Deadlands ask for seven days). Don't resend a rejected story to the same market unless the editor asks for a rewrite.
Examples on this page come from the markets' own guidelines, read on October 31, 2026. Rules change, so check the market's page each time.