Epic Echoes is currently CLOSED for submissions
Thanks to the hundreds of writers who submitted work to Epic Echoes! Submissions are now closed; we anticipate opening them again in early 2025. Information about submission windows and deadlines will be posted here, and also on the following sites:
Note that we do not read or review any stories sent in while we are closed for submissions.
Please read the submission guidelines below for details about what we're looking for, how to submit, and how payment and rights work. You can also download these guidelines as a PDF, if you prefer, by clicking here: submission guidelines).
Submission Guidelines
What We're Looking For
Genres: Science fiction, fantasy, mystery, crime, adventure, horror, and everything in between. We love genre-bending stories and unique takes on classic tropes. Grounded, more realistic stories are also welcome.
Rating: Our stories should be accessible to a wide range of readers. Think PG-13—nothing gratuitously violent, explicit, or overly disturbing.
Length: We prefer stories between 1,000 and 3,000 words. However, we will consider outstanding stories outside this range with an aim toward serialization. Please note that this is a small publication with minimal payment. We encourage you to save your best work for higher-paying markets. Style: We seek stories with strong, clear storytelling and, most importantly, good characters: Compelling, diverse, heroic, flawed, larger-than-life, and iconic characters!
Submission Standards
Format: Please submit your story as a Word document (.doc or .docx) or in RTF format. Please do not send PDFs. Your submission should follow industry-standard formatting requirements for short stories and include your name, email, and word count on the first page of your story.
Cover Letter: Include a brief cover letter in the body of your email that includes your name (and pseudonym, if applicable) and a short bio (about 50 words; bios may be published in the magazine and may include links to your website and/or social media).
Editing: Your submission should be thoroughly edited and proofread. We will not accept drafts or incomplete stories.
Originality: We only accept original work that has not been previously published, either online or in print. We do accept simultaneous submissions, but please let us know immediately if your story is accepted elsewhere.
How to Submit
Send your story to epicechoesmag@gmail.com with the subject line “Submission: [Story Title] by [Your Name].”
Response Time
We aim to respond to all submissions within three weeks. If you have not heard from us after that, please feel free to send a follow-up email.
Payment and Rights
If your story is selected for publication, you will be paid a $10 honorarium* and be asked to provide, via contract, “First North American Serial Rights” (FNASR). As far as we are concerned, all copyright stays with you, the author; however, by signing your contract, you will have sold/transferred FNASR. This is the right for Epic Echoes to publish your unpublished work for the first time. You should note that some professional publications may ask for FNASR upon acceptance of your work, and you are not legally permitted to provide those for your work after it is published in Epic Echoes. You are legally permitted to publish your previously published work as a reprint, but only if that publication does not require FNASR. This is why we encourage authors to save their best and longer works for higher-paying markets.
*If your story is selected for serialization in our magazine, you will be paid an additional $5 for the subsequent issue in which your story appears (i.e., if your story appears in three issues, that would be $20 total in payment—the $10 honorarium for the initial publication, plus $5 for the next two issues in which the story is serialized). Serializing a story is rare and will be reserved only for outstanding stories.