Submissions
Submit your work
Dead Ringer Press reads original short crime fiction year-round. We publish roughly twice a month. Submissions are open by email.
Email your submission →Guidelines
- Original short fiction, 2,000–5,000 words.
- Send your story as a .docx or .rtf file, no PDFs, no Google Docs links.
- Crime as a genre or a lens, noir, mystery, dark satire, crime/horror crossover. No fan fiction.
- Previously unpublished work only. We do not consider reprints.
- Simultaneous submissions are fine, just let us know promptly if your story is taken elsewhere.
- One story per submission window. Please wait for a response before sending another.
Fees
There's no submission fee during our soft launch, sending your story by email is free.
Rights
We acquire exclusive first publication rights for six months from your story's publish date, after which they revert to you in full. We also ask for a non-exclusive right to include your story in a future anthology, should we ever publish one, that's not exclusive, so it never stops you publishing or licensing the story elsewhere. Full legal language is in our Submission Terms.
Response time
We aim to respond within 12 weeks of your submission. Please be patient as we are a small team.
FAQ
- Can I submit more than one story?
- Please send one story at a time and wait to hear back before submitting again.
- Do you accept reprints?
- No, original, previously unpublished work only.
- What are you not looking for?
- Fantasy, and horror or gore without a real crime element. Crime/horror crossover is fair game, we want character-led crime fiction with a distinct voice and something fresh to offer.
- How will I hear back?
- By email, at the address you submit from, submissions@deadringerpress.com.
Ready to send it?
Attach your manuscript and send it to submissions@deadringerpress.com.