SmokeLong will be open for general submissions starting May 15th! From May 15th to June 30th, you’ll be able to submit work free of charge. Each of our quarterly reading periods will begin with a few weeks when submissions are free.
At present, SmokeLong receives around 12,000 submissions each year. Even with more than 20 submissions editors, this is an enormous task. We try to respond to submissions within seven days if the reply is a rejection, and we’ve generally been able to maintain this pace—but it’s becoming more and more difficult. We’ve decided that it will be good to have a period each quarter when submissions come in more slowly. This is one reason we’ll have a paid-submissions period each quarter—always a few weeks before the end of the quarterly reading period—with a small submission fee. Please see our submissions guidelines for the reading schedule. This option will come with a $10 discount coupon, which the writer can use in the SmokeLong shop.
Another reason for this decision is that we’ve learned from our paid multiple-submission form, which we introduce in November 2024, that the quality of work is generally better when the submitter pays a small fee. The paid multiple-submission option comes with a $20 discount coupon, which the writer can use in the SmokeLong shop.
Today, we’ve opened the “Dark Fantasy and Psychological Thriller” call for submissions. The deadline for this call is August 15th. Accepted author(s) will receive an honorarium of $300 and nomination for The Shirley Jackson Award.
Wishing you all lots of success as we start another general reading period. We can’t wait to read your work.
Christopher Allen
Publisher and EIC, SmokeLong
