Submit to Sci-Fi Shorts

Summary

Sci-Fi Shorts is a publication that has moved to a new domain, scifishorts.co, and accepts science fiction flash fiction submissions of up to 1,000 words, with specific guidelines for style, content, and submission processes.

Abstract

Sci-Fi Shorts, now hosted at scifishorts.co, invites authors to submit concise science fiction stories, known as flash fiction, with a strict limit of 1,000 words or less. The publication emphasizes the importance of adhering to their stylistic preferences, which include clean, classy content free from erotica, graphic violence, or excessive profanity. Submissions should be standalone stories, even if they feature recurring characters, and should not be part of a serialized narrative. Authors are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the publication's aesthetic, which includes a custom drop cap for each story, and to avoid starting their stories with short words or dialogue that could interfere with this design element. The editors at Sci-Fi Shorts will provide style edits for accepted submissions and advise authors to use Medium's curation guidelines and editing tools to refine their work before submission. Authors can potentially earn money through Medium's Partner Program and are instructed to use specific tags and include a compelling subtitle. Only unpublished drafts are accepted, and authors must submit through the provided submission form or directly via Medium's platform once added as a writer.

Opinions

The publication values concise and impactful storytelling, emphasizing that 1,000 words are sufficient for a compelling sci-fi narrative.
Sci-Fi Shorts maintains a specific aesthetic and thematic consistency, expecting submissions to align with their clean and classy style guidelines.
The editors are selective and will reject poorly written pieces, suggesting that quality and clarity are paramount.
Authors are encouraged to engage with the publication beyond submission, such as following on social media and interacting with other authors' works.
The guidelines express a preference for thematic depth, with an expectation that authors can articulate the theme of their story, potentially using a line from the narrative as the subtitle.
The publication supports new and established writers by providing resources, such as tips for writing sci-fi flash fiction and advice on sharpening fiction writing skills.
Sci-Fi Shorts acknowledges the collaborative nature of the editing process and expects authors to be open to editorial suggestions and revisions.
The guidelines demonstrate a commitment to promoting accepted stories through public domain artwork pairings and tag optimization for better visibility on Medium.

Give us your Sci-Fi Flash Fiction 1,000 words or less

Image courtesy of PNGKey

WE HAVE A NEW HOME AT SCIFISHORTS.CO WHICH MEANS SUBMISSIONS TO THE MEDIUM PUB ARE NOW CLOSED. Please visit us as scifishorts.co for entertaining stories and updated submission guidelines.

1,000 words isn’t a lot, but it’s enough to craft a 5-minute escape into outer orbit, and that’s our goal.

Read a few stories on Sci-Fi Shorts. If you enjoy any, let the author(s) know and follow the publication. Help spread the word by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as we promote our published pieces there. Let us know your handle — we love tagging our authors so they can get maximum exposure.

Your submission must be SCIENCE FICTION. No rants, politics, or personal essays disguised as sci-fi. If you’re new to writing sci-fi or flash fiction in general, here are some tips. Also, please only one submission at a time. Once your story is rejected or published, feel free to submit your next piece.

We have a style we like to maintain here at Sci-Fi Shorts. We will not publish any erotica, graphic, or obscene material. Leave the harsh profanity for the other pubs. Keep it clean. Keep it classy.

Your story must be 1,000 words or fewer (not including the title and subtitle). Your story must stand alone. Using your same characters in multiple stories is fine, but a linear series is not allowed. You can find out how many words your story contains by highlighting the text. The word count will appear next to the Medium logo in the upper-left corner. Submissions over 1,000 words, serialized stories, and stories broken into multiple “parts” will be rejected.

Every accepted submission will receive a style edit before publishing. For every published story, the first word will get a custom drop cap to fit the publication, so it is best practice to avoid 2 or 3-letter first words (the, as, he, she, etc.). If you open with dialogue, your opening quotation marks will be removed to fit the drop cap. No kickers allowed. If you don’t know what a kicker is, you’re in good shape here. This is a good time to mention if you are nit-picky about an editor tweaking your work, this is probably not the pub for you.

A short bio and link is allowed. Keep it short, simple, and clean. Please put this info in italics and under Medium’s built-in section separator * * * at the end of your story.

Sci-Fi shorts provides public domain artwork for stories. If you have an idea for an image you think conveys the heart of your story, let us know. Or include an image and we will take the idea into consideration when pairing artwork with your story.

Poor writing will be rejected. It’s easier to reject a story than to waste time trying to improve poor work. Make your story clear with an entertaining takeaway for the reader. Please adhere to Medium’s curation guidelines. Before you submit, please run your story through a free editor like Hemingway, Grammarly, or ProWritingAid. Once we’ve had a chance to review, we’ll communicate with a private note on your piece regarding publication. If you need to sharpen your fiction writing skills, here’s some advice.

If you want to earn money from your story, sign up for Medium’s partner program (it’s free) and put your story is behind the paywall. You can always share your story’s friend link with non-members, and links accessed through Twitter are available to non-members.

Be sure to take advantage of all 5 tags. Tags that fit well: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Science Fiction, Sci Fi Fantasy, SciFi, Short Fiction. Be sure to use at least one tag related to a theme in your story.

Include a subtitle. Don’t waste your subtitle on something like, “A 1,000-word flash fiction story.” Make it good. The best subtitles speak to the theme of the story. In case you haven’t picked up on it, consistency, themes and styles are important to us. If you don’t know your theme, your story probably isn’t ready to be published here. If it fits, it’s always great to use a line from your story as the subtitle, but remember, subtitles (like titles) shouldn’t have punctuation.

You must have a Medium account to submit (it’s free to join). Use the submission form below to submit your draft link. We only accept unpublished drafts. Once you’ve been added as a writer, please submit directly through Medium using the 3 little dots in the upper-right corner of your story.

Guidelines updated 9/20/22