General submissions are CLOSED.
We received 376 submissions in our last open window (June 2026); we will not be able to open general submissions again until we work through these. We plan to send out most of our acceptance/rejection letters in September 2026.
There will be a special submission window in October for those who participated in Storytelling Collective’s Short Story September.
Arcanist Online publishes Fantasy of any flavor, preferably written by emerging authors at the beginning of their journey. Our online publication runs on most Fridays and is sent to our email list every week.
We accept submissions for Arcanist Online (web only). Submission guidelines for Mordschlag Sword and Sorcery Magazine can be found on the Mordschlag website. Special submission calls for our other projects will be announced on thearcanist.net and our our Writer’s Circle Newsletter (see below).
Arcanist Online is also the frontline of our serial fiction, which runs on the web before going to print. Serial chapters published to Arcanist Online are compensated as individual stories (token payment per chapter). Serials are often turned into printed books under a seperate publication agreement.
Submit Short Fiction (4,000 to 10,000 words), Serial Fiction (20,000 to 50,000 words total), or Creative Non-Fiction (700 to 5,000 words).
We only publish fantasy, or non-fiction related to fantasy. No exceptions.
Multiple submissions are not allowed.
Simultaneous submissions are allowed. Please inform us immediately if it is accepted elsewhere and accept our sincere congratulations.
Submit your work on our Submission Form. If there are technical difficulties with the form, contact us at support(at)thearcanist.net for assistance. We will not accept submissions via email. We only accept .docx, .doc, .rtf, or .odt. We will not read PDFs.
A Few Tips:
- Writer Circle. To stay up to date with all of our submission windows for every publication, special publishing calls, and writing tips, join our Writer’s Circle.
- Don’t Know Where to Start? Are you a new writer overwhelmed by the prospect of submitting your fiction? Check out Eason Blackwood’s 2026 Speculative Fiction Submissions Guide.
- Examples. Check out Editor’s Pick sidebar for prime examples of the type of stories we love.
- Ideal Word Count. We prefer running stories between 6,000 and 10,000 words.
- Study Our Serials. We have a very specific method of splitting up Serial Fiction to work for our web publication. While not required, authors who do the pre-work of formatting their serial in a way that is ready-to-publish in 3 or 6 parts will have a significant advantage.
Editorial Preferences
What We Don’t Want
- Dialogue that relies too heavily on modern slang, sarcasm, or comes off as childish.
- Curse words that wouldn’t fly on TV.
- Erotica, or anything primarily driven by graphic sexual depictions.
- Static, external stories where the character does not face significant challenges.
- Non-Fantasy Genres: Horror, Thriller, Hard Sci-Fi, Romance, Magical Realism, or any other story that isn’t a Fantasy.
- Parody or deconstructions of genre.
- Hopeless cynicism.
- Clones of Tolkien, R.E. Howard, or D&D.
- Political commentary on current events, preachy narration, or sermons.
- Anything touched by AI. Grammarly and ProWritingAid is allowed, but highly discouraged.
- Modern settings.
What We DO Want
- Sincere tone and worldview.
- Emotionally mature narration.
- Original secondary worlds.
- Excitement (or intrigue) and progressive complications that keep pages turning.
- Clear fantastic elements. At least two of the following should be overtly present: magic, monsters, quest, divine intervention, myth, historical settings, supernatural happenings, unexplainable/strange events.
- The best example of your work in Fantasy. Take pride in your work.
What We Like
- Pulp Fantasy and Weird Fiction.
- Epic Fantasy with imaginative settings.
- Steampunk and Gaslamp settings.
- Fantasy grounded in history or that is historically inspired.
- Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Medieval European settings.
- Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Medieval Non-European Settings.
- Prehistoric settings (dinosaurs = bonus points).
- Long-term romances between devoted lovers.
- Space opera with fantasy elements.
- Clever and witty absurdism with flourishes of language.
- Polished and intentional prose.
Hard Sells
- Futuristic settings that straddle the line of Sci-Fi.
- 1st Person, Present Tense.
General Guidelines
Short Fiction
- 4,000 to 10,000 words.
Serial Fiction
- 20,000 to 50,000 words.
- Submit the entire serial in one document.
- Clear break points that accommodate 3 or 6 separate sections.
- First section of 6 part serials appear in print and online, with following chapters appearing only online. Potential to be printed as paperback under separate agreement.
Creative Non-Fiction
- 700 to 5,000 words
- Essays must relate in some way to the fantasy genre.
- Only appears online.
Formatting
Fiction and Non-Fiction manuscripts should be formatted in the Modern Manuscript style as defined by William Shunn.
Poetry manuscript should be formatted similar to the style presented by William Shunn.
Submit your writing in .docx, .doc, or .odt only. No PDF’s.
Licensing
By publishing your work, we do not assume ownership over your setting, intellectual property, copyright, or your writing.
We ask for first printing rights and internet archival rights. You may republish works we have previously published six months after the release date, so long as you credit the piece: “First published by The Arcanist: Fantasy Publishing.”
Compensation
We offer a token payment of $10 for submissions accepted for publication on the web. Our print magazines offer higher pay, as do many other publications. We encourage you to shop your writing around at higher-paying markets before submitting to Arcanist Online.