Submission Window: December 1st – 5th, 2025
Payment: $0.08 USD per word, 1 cent per word for reprints
Theme: Stories that offer a surprise and sense of wonder through their language, characters, plots, or all of the above
Adventitious will debut our first issue February 1, 2026. We will open to submissions for that issue December 1-5. 2025 (or until we get 200 submissions).
ad·ven·ti·tious (adj.)
- Born elsewhere, arriving uninvited. Something that comes from outside the expected order, yet somehow essential once it appears. A beautiful interruption, a surprising addition, an uninvited guest that alters the room.
- Rooted in the wrong place, thriving anyway. Emerging where it shouldn’t, at a time when it shouldn’t, and reshaping the landscape just by existing. Roots sprouting in air.
What we want:
“Surprise” doesn’t only mean twists. We want stories that offer a sense of wonder through their language, characters, plots, or all of the above. Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and all speculative/surreal will always be welcomed, but we’re also happy with stories that shock and delight right here on this plane of existence.
As with any publication, reading Adventitious is the best way to know what we want, but since we haven’t launched yet, here is a short list of some favorites:
Fiction Submission Length and Payment
Flash Fiction (including Micro): Up to 1,000 words
Fiction: 1,000 – 6,000 words
Novelette: 6,000 – 17,000 words
Pay rate: $0.08 USD per word, paid by PayPal or Venmo
We publish around 5-7 stories per issue, every other month, with occasional flash and experimental work online in between.
Rights
If accepted, we will send a Contributor Agreement that requests:
- First Digital Publication Rights: to publish your story worldwide in our online and digital issues
- Archival Rights: to keep your story online indefinitely
- Subscriber and Patreon Rights: to include your work in Patreon-exclusive or subscriber-only editions with proper credit. (Calls for these types of issues will be clearly labeled.)
- Anthology Rights: if we invite your story into a future Best of collection, we will negotiate new terms and additional payment
All other rights remain with the author. We do not ask for exclusivity beyond first publication. You can see a sample contract here. Note: you are not granting us publication rights by submitting. Only the contract can do that.
Reprints
We glad accept submissions for reprints. If accepted, Adventitious pays $.01 per word for these reprinted pieces with attribution to the original publisher.
Simultaneous Submissions
Yup! Please notify us right away (with our biggest, confetti-filled congratulations) if your story gets accepted elsewhere.
Formatting
Shunn Standard please, but…
…it’s not like we’ll refuse to read anything readable and double-spaced in a standard font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Georgia).
No bio is necessary (we’ll ask for one if your piece is accepted), but you may include a brief cover letter if you like.
Art Submissions
We need covers! Art chosen will be paid a flat rate of $100 USD. You may send individual pieces or portfolio links.
As for styles and moods, we’re looking for mid-century sci-fi, surrealism, minimalist, and other styles that might complement the Lost Astronaut mascot. You might take some inspiration from:
AI Policy
No AI or LLM tools may be used wholly or in part in the creation of your work.
Response Times
We aim to respond within 8 weeks. If you haven’t heard back by then, please feel free to query. We want to treat your time respectfully but also don’t want to rush the process. Unfortunately, most stories will not be given feedback.
How to Submit
Questions About the Submission Guidelines?
Via: Adventitious.
