The Drabblecast is currently *open* for short fiction, drabble, and twabble submissions.
We are not closing, at least for the foreseeable future. Just like the endless yawning void, we too wish to stretch on forever. Please submit your weirdest.
Your Submission Should:
- Be sent using the link below
- Be a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file.
- Be a Simultaneous Submissions (please let us know if someone else accepts before us) and you should send your work to many places.
- Drabblecast does NOT accept Multiple Submissions, unless specifically requested or solicited by Drabblecast editorial staff. Please wait for a response on 1 story or drabble before sending us another.
Our response time is no later than 3 months, most often sooner. In the event that you have not received a response from Drabblecast after 90 days, please feel free to inquire as to story status. Please send only one story at a time.
SUBMIT HERE
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Please send questions, comments, or follow-ups to our inbox: submissions@drabblecast.org. Submissions sent to our email will be deleted unread.
Read below for more detail about what we want, and how we want it. Deep within the non-Euclidian labyrinth halls of Casa de Sherman, the assistant editors wrote their weird wishes of stories they would like to see in the coming pile.
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Lucas would love to see a story about the practical side of running an esoteric cult: HR, coffee breaks, team-building exercise.
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Jocelyn would like to see more Eldritch horror comedy.
Jocelyn would like to see folklore-based fiction: Baba Yaga, Leshy, kelpy (Murder ponies!!), kitsune (demon foxes), Welsh knockers (gnome miners) anything having to do with Iceland and Christmas.
Jocelyn knows that the first one is an easier sell than the second.
Jocelyn has discovered that she loves speaking in the third person.
Jocelyn says, “Have a great day!”
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Piper loves an interesting world or culture almost more than she loves a good plot or character. Drop her face first into a bizarre or alien place or situation and let her feel her way around.
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Joe would love a Christmas time story that uses a lesser-known Christmas character like the Yule Lads, Befana, Gryla, etc.
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Bart wants stories about things becoming augmented until they become sentient, such as missiles, traffic lights, and squirrels.
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Tim wants more cosmic weird fantasy stories! Bizarre, alien worlds with fantastical and strange POVs! Also humor!
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Anna Rose wants stories of satanic siren vengeance.
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Wyatt wants body horror with vivid aural descriptions and a demonstrable understanding of basic anatomy; none of this Lovecraftian assignation to the unknowable, gimme the good stuff!
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Seans wants a story that sifts in between the cracks of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, and fits snugly in the nebulous realm of Weird.”
About the Drabblecast
The Drabblecast is an award-winning online speculative fiction magazine and podcast that publishes “Strange Stories for Strange Listeners,” often also classified as “Weird Fiction.”
Loosely, this encompasses any and all genres, but largely centers around those of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.
We’re looking for powerful stories that are simultaneously relatable and a good degree off the beaten path. We’re looking for stories that will work particularly well when read aloud and treated with full cast audio production. We’re looking for submissions that are humorous, bizarre, gross, disturbing, badass, interesting, and original — your favorite story that we both know would be a hit if only it found the right home.
We’ve been expecting you! Please leave your feet with the other various dismembered feet on your way in, and leave your hat with one of the hands reaching out from the pocket universe void in the hall.
What We Want
STRANGE. We love stories about the absurd that speak a human truth. We love stories with outlandish premises that have a gooey character arc hidden inside. The story that you think is too weird? We want to see it.
We explicitly want authors from backgrounds that are often underrepresented or excluded from publishing, podcasting, and short fiction markets, including but not limited to people of color, women, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, members of religious minorities, and people from outside of the United States to submit to us. Please do not self-reject.
Here are some of our recent stories and the audience’s favorites we have run to give you an idea of what awakens the many-eyed god, Norm Sherman.
“Cosmic Bowling” by Mike James Davis – Bowling alley carpet brings a new religious fervor to a father, that he gives over to his family, ultimately transforming them into nine perfect bowling pins.
“Those Who Forget and Those Who Perish” by K.W. Colyard – Horse girls. Tusk meets My Little Pony. The daughters of humans meet the sons of Ixion.
“The Little Mermaid of Innsmouth” – by Caroline M Yoachim – One of Dagon’s children doesn’t WANT to go into the deep, like at all.
“Jelly Park” by Aliya Whiteley – Our first Drabblecast People’s Choice winner. A jelly-gem of celebration.
“Teddy Bears and Tea Parties” by S. Boyd Taylor – Ravenous teddy bears, murderous kids!
What We Buy
- Short Fiction — 500 – 4,000 words
We Also Run
- Drabbles — Exactly 100 words.
- Twabbles — Exactly 100 characters.
- Episode Art — See the Art page.
Payment Considerations:
- The Drabblecast currently pays $.06/word for original fiction, with a cap of $300.00.
- The Drabblecast accepts reprint submissions at a pay rate of $.03/word, with a cap of $300.00.
- Stories under 500 words (including Drabbles and Twabbles) are published on a pro bono basis.
Rights Requested:
The Drabblecast requests first world electronic rights (text and audio), first print rights, and non-exclusive anthology rights for any print and electronic anthologies.
Drabblecast Content is protected by a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No-Derivative 2.0 License.
Diversity Statement:
The Drabblecast believes that, like great fiction, great writers come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and backgrounds. We welcome submissions from writers of every race, religion, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation.
AI Statement:
The Drabblecast will not consider submissions that are machine-generated/AI-generated. Attempting to submit machine-generated/AI-generated works may result in you being banned from submitting works in the future. We only want work from humans.