Submission Guidelines

Submissions are OPEN.

We are always reading submissions to publish to our website. We have populated our next issue (Spring 2026) and will not accept further submissions for it.

Our complete archive of previously published submissions are available upon request. Email support(at)thearcanist.net with subject line: "Writer Access - Name" and we'll provide a link as soon as possible.

All submissions are considered for printing in an issue or publication to our website. To stay up to date with our submission windows, special publishing calls, and writing tips, join our Writer's Circle.

Licensing

By publishing your work, we do not assume ownership over your setting, intellectual property, or your writing. We do ask for first printing rights and internet archival rights. You may republish works we have previously published one week after the release date, so long as you credit the piece: "First published by The Arcanist: Fantasy Publishing."

How to Submit

All submissions should be sent through our Submission Form.

If there are technical difficulties with the form, email your submission to editors(at)thearcanist.net.

Available genres are flash fiction, short fiction, and poetry. Genre specific guidelines are described below. We also consider art and creative non-fiction for our blog.

In the body of your email include a brief cover letter, we want to get to know you! Also include a third-person bio of fifty words or less. Attach your manuscript to the email.

We only accept .docx, .doc, or .odt. We will not read PDFs.

You may submit once per genre, each submission should be a separate email. After that, please allow one month after receiving our decision(s) before submitting again. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please disclose this in the email and inform us if your piece is accepted elsewhere. We do not accept reprints. We will try to respond within a reasonable time frame.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE GUIDELINES. SUBMISSIONS THAT DO NOT FOLLOW THEM WILL BE DISREGARDED. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Fiction/Non-Fiction Manuscript

Manuscript should be formatted in the Modern Manuscript style as defined by William Shunn.
12-point font, Times New Roman or similar preferred, double spaced.
Contact info in top left corner of front page: Legal name, pronouns (if you choose to include them), email address, phone number.
Include word count in top right header.
.docx, .doc, or .odt only. No PDF's.

Poetry Manuscript

Manuscript should be formatted similar to the style presented by William Shunn.
Single-spaced, or formatted as needed for each piece.
12-point font, Times New Roman or similar preferred, double spaced.
Contact info in top left corner of front page: Legal name, pronouns (if you choose to include them), email address, phone number.
Include line count in top right header.
.docx, .doc, or .odt only. No PDF's.

Content

We want fantasy written in a literary style. To us, this means that the work is character driven, does not solely rely on genre tropes and stereotypes, is not a summary of an RPG session, and seeks to attain an artistic vision beyond violence and adventure (though these elements may be included!)

The definition of "Literary Fantasy" is flexible. If you are unsure if your submission fits, send it anyway. The worst we can say is "no thanks." Above all, we're looking for good fantasy, and that can take nearly infinite forms.

We love to publish stories set in original secondary worlds. You must own the intellectual rights to the setting your work is placed or be able to grant us permission to legally publish the setting you use. This means absolutely no fan-fiction or stories placed in existing settings such as the Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance will be considered.

We also accept works set in the real world, be it historical, weird, speculative, or completely normal so long as they are fantastic in nature.

A note about poetry: it can be difficult to parse what exactly makes a poem fantasy. A good place to start is the inclusion of fantastic/mythological elements as literary devices. Another strategy is to write poetry as though it were written in a fantastic secondary world. See the poetry in our archive for specific examples.

We read all kinds of work, and we are open to pieces depicting difficult topics.

However, we will not tolerate any of the following:

Blatantly hateful works that promote, glorify, or justify real world racism, ableism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or any other prejudice against a people group.
Works that are intended to be overtly pornographic.
Works that promote, glorify, or justify sexual assault.

The intended audience of this publication is adults. Use your best judgement, write with intention, and all will be well.

Genres

We accept flash fiction, short fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction. You may submit one of each, then please refrain from further submissions until one week after we have issued a response. Any fantasy sub-genre is welcome.

Flash Fiction

500 to 1,000 words.
You may submit up to three flash fictions.

Short Fiction

2,000 to 10,000 words
Please submit only one short fiction at a time.

Poetry

You may submit up to five poems within 10 pages. As many lines as you need within those limitations.

Creative Non-Fiction

700 to 2,500 words
In your cover letter, please pitch your article and include the manuscript if it's completed.
We are interested in book reviews, literary analysis, and craft articles.