Theme: the effects of whump. So this could be escape, recovery, caretaking. But it could also be flashbacks, recapture, or even a whumpee becoming so conditioned that whumper doesn’t bother hurting them any more.
Your story should clearly fall into the whump subgenre. Half of our submissions don't feature whump, so if you're new here, we created a guide to see if your story is a good fit for us.
Whump is a subgenre that focuses on subjecting a character to severe physical, emotional, or psychological trauma. But it's not just gore; whump allows a character to test their limits and/or explore their strength and resilience.
Some mainstream examples of whump include Criminal Minds, Supernatural, The Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones. Most characters in these stories go through severe trauma that ultimately strengthens their character arcs.
Traumatic events should play a prominent part in your story. We typically auto-reject submissions that don't feature whump by the 25% mark.
We love scenes that give us a massive adrenaline rush, affectionately known as the whumperflies!
We’re looking for strong stories with a balance between whump and plot. Whump can be any genre, so while we are especially fond of sci-fi/fantasy settings, any story that fits our criteria and gives us whumperflies will be considered!
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THE WHUMP GENRE IS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR STORY.
For this anthology, we are looking for stories in the following categories:
Micro-fiction: 250 words or less
Flash fiction: 251-1,000 words
Short Story: 1,001-7,499 words
Novelette: 7,500-17,500 words
Each author can submit one story per category. So for example, you can submit a short story and a micro fiction but you can’t submit two micro fictions.
Compensation: ebook contributor’s copy, one free paperback OR $10 USD, and discounts on additional paperbacks
50% of proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to charity.
Submissions Open: July 1, 2026
Submissions Close: July 31, 2026
Expected Publication Date: October 2026
The Nitty-Gritty (aka more details about submitting)
Simultaneous submissions: Allowed, but let us know immediately if your story is accepted somewhere else.
Multiple Submissions: One per category. So for example, you can submit a short story and a micro fiction but you can’t submit two micro fictions.
Reprints: Allowed, but please indicate where your story was originally published. This includes if your story was originally posted on AO3 or Tumblr!
Rights: Nonexclusive worldwide English language electronic and print rights. All copyright remains with the author. A simple contract will be provided.
Compensation: One ebook contributor’s copy, one free paperback OR $10 USD, and discounts on additional paperbacks
Submissions are open to residents of any country.
You must be 18 or older to submit.
Absolutely no fanfiction of copyrighted works. No stories generated partly or entirely by AI.
No explicit torture of children under the age of 13, no sexual content involving characters under the age of 18, no torture or sexual content involving non-sentient animals.
Please submit your story as a Microsoft Word document, Times New Roman, 12 pt, double spaced. Please do not include your name or other identifying information in the manuscript.
To reiterate, your story MUST have whump in it. If there is no whump, it WILL be rejected.