Thanks to Alyson for passing on the post from The People's Freind she saw on Twitter (as it once was) Calling all authors! We're looking for short stories from very early spring onwards for the weekly, and from late spring onwards for the Special. Stories for the annual can be considered any time.
Alyson also tells me that TPF are looking for pocket novels. Thanks, Alyson.
Free to enter competitions
In case you missed it, and to make the links work, here's some info on free entry Christmas competitions posted as a comment by Aly Faye last week. Thanks, Aly!
I do have a couple of links to free to enter Christmas story comps though -
https://weirdchristmas.com/2026/09/27/announcing-the-ninth-annual-weird-christmas-flash-fiction-conthology/You might have had this one before, Patsy, but here's another from The Writing Club https://thewritingclubroom.com/christmas-ghost-story-competition-2026/ and https://storystreetwriters.com/ keep running micro story comps which I enter and haven't got anywhere (as yet) with :)
and for those writers living in Yorkshire there's this free sub call https://rickdanforth.wordpress.com/white-rose/
Hope some of this is helpful
And here's an email I recieved, updating info I posted previously - Hello Patsy,
Thank you for mentioning Hiraeth Publishing’s Untold Tales of the Round Table anthology. The information in the August 1 post appears to reflect earlier terms. Would you please correct it to:
- Submission deadline: January 1, 2027
- Standard story length: 2,000–3,500 words; the limit is firm
- Payment: eight cents per word, maximum $280
- One specially commissioned King Arthur story may run up to 6,000 words under separately negotiated terms; this is not the general word range
The current official guidelines are at https://www.hiraethsffh.com/untold-tales-guidelines.
21 comments:
Thanks, Patsy.
In addition to those competitions, On The Premise have opened a new short story comp. Details on their website: https://onthepremises.com/current-contest/
And my news for the week is that WW took another story from the 'holding on file' bin - so don't give up hope if have any there. That's two in two weeks for me.
Alyson
Thank you, Patsy.
I haven’t been on for a while - dealing with 'stuff'.
Congratulations on WW, Alyson. Good to hear.
Does anyone have entry details for the Best Christmas comp?
Thanks
HB
Thanks for the info and well done to all with positive news.
Micro romance want a story and I had a poem published on TPF letters page. Success for me now, is on a different scale.
I asked last week but no- one responded - does anyone know what's happened to the hooded journal at crowvus? It was supposed to open on 1 October.
Just wanted to pass on this - if you have a TPF PN accepted, it no longer means automatic permission to join the closed MW list.
Thanks Patsy, Alyson & Ally for all the updates. I haven't been writing much recently but this blog keeps me going in between & encourages me back to it. 😍
Sorry, I've been really busy and often without internet recently, so this post wasn't quite finished. I've just added another competition which Sharon kindly sent me the details of several days ago.
I've added another competition now!
Firstly, a congratulations to Helen who posted last week about being a runner up in Best — a great story! Christmas is: Christmas fiction 2026 (in the subject line) to bestfiction@hearst.co.uk up to 1200 words. Include: story, name, email, phone by 1/12/26 midnight. Let's hope it's someone on here.
Thank you, Alyson, Sharon, Aly and Patsy for the opportunities and congrats to Alyson and Sharon.
I am eagerly awaiting (today) outcome of Crowvus ghost story comp and keeping my eye on the website for the Hooded which I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. I then looked up on their facebook (the bits I can see, anyway) and they said they were pausing while they judged the ghost story... hopefully, watch this space :)
Meanwhile, another sale with BOWW, and a Christmas one at that. Always thrilled to have a Christmas input :)
BTW, Weird Christmas used to write the most delightful rejection emails!
Thanks Sharon for details of another competition even if it doesn't apply to me. Well done Alyson, Sharon & Marguerite on your various sales, always heartening to hear. Quiet time for me right now - I need to get on with the writing!
Thank you everyone for the information, and congratulations to Sharon and Alyson!
Sharon/Marguerite– just noticed that Crowvus have posted details of their next ‘Hooded’ submission – it is to be in the genre of Ancient Historical Fiction, closing date end January.
Dee
Wonderful, congratulations Marguerite!
Dee
Marguerite, thanks for your comment! Much appreciated. Well done on your BOWW sale.
Many thanks for the info about crowvus. After all the waiting, I haven't got anything suitable for their theme, so that's me out.
I have 3 Xmas ones out at BOWW. If they're buying Xmas stories, that's me out there as well. Ah well, onwards and upwards!
Congratulations Marguerite and thanks for the info.
HB
Thank you, Dee, Helen, HB and Sheelagh.☺️ Even after a few, it still gives a massive confidence boost. And I know I don't come anywhere near the hundreds that some people in this blog have clocked up!
Sorry to pile on today, but only just learnt:
https://dowhatyouloveforlife.com/product/winter-writing-sanctuary-dec2026/ which we've mentioned on here before. Beth Kempton runs a perfectly free 'sanctuary' for a week, fresh material, references to great resources and a good reset/refresh for your writing. My take on it would be, you'd never ever have writers' block or even think about it ever again.
Er, that was in the gap between my coming downstairs and making a coffee! Thank you for being so vigilant, Dee! Of course, ancient historical fiction right up my street. 🤣 I gave up history at a very young age to do the sciences, so that's not happening!
@ Alyson - Thanks for mentioning the competition. That was another email I overlooked! Well done on your WW success. It's good to know that 'on file' stories are looked at and sometimes used.
@ HB - Ah, yes stuff. Takes up time, doesn't it?
I don't think Best's next competition has been announced yet.
@ Sheelagh - You calling me a nag???? ;-)
@ Marguerite - Thanks for the details of the Best competition. I'd totally missed that one. I'm missing a lot - but also seeing and experiencing a lot on my travels.
Congratulations on your success.
I recall rejections from weird Christmas saying 'stay weird'. I can see they probably put that on them all, but it felt personal, and I've acted on the advice.
@ Dee - Oooh, interesting gnre.
I've never written a PN, but one of the pluses for writers was that getting one published by TPF got you on the MW closed list. Given the very low fee, the fact that Ulverscroft no longer pay a separate fee for a large print edition, and now the lack of an entree to MW, I should think writing a PN appeals to a decreasing number of writers.
I expect that's why they have put out appeals for them, anon. Sheelagh, I haven't had a sale, so need for any congrats. Micro romance don't pay.
You had a poem published in TPF, Sharon so that is definitely something to celebrate, I love reading those poems as they are always so accesssible
I'd like to clarify a few points about pocket novels. I've had five published (four with TPF and one with MW) and have never managed to get on the MW closed list. However, there are other benefits. In addition to the initial fee, you can claim ALCS on a pocket novel. If your PN is then accepted by Ulverscroft for LInford Romance (which isn't guaranteed), as well as the royalties you may receive, you can register for Public Lending Right which has proved worthwhile for me. Another benefit for writers if you're thinking of trying a full-length novel after writing short stories is that pocket novels are a chance to write something longer and you don't need an agent to submit your manuscript to either TPF or Ulverscroft. I don't think TPF is appealing for PNs because there's any shortage. It's more that the new PN editor is open to submissions which should be something to celebrate.
Absolutely agree @Suzan. Definitely a stepping stone to writing something longer and ALCS and PLR are definitely worth having especially for me, who can't be bothered to go down the self publishing route.
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