The following guidelines provide an overview of the process and timing for submission of Fiction, Non-Fiction, Art and Photography, as well as Flash Fiction to Mystery Tribune.

All submissions must be in English and previously unpublished. Translations are acceptable and should be accompanied by a copy of the original text. Simultaneous submissions are also acceptable as long as we are notified immediately if the manuscript is accepted for publication elsewhere.

We strongly suggest to all who submit that they read the most recent issues of Mystery Tribune to acquaint themselves with material the magazine has published. Subscriptions and copies are available here.

General Guidelines

Please submit only one complete story at a time. Multiple submissions will not be read. Fiction submissions will be considered for both our print and online editions, unless you specifically state otherwise in your cover letter.

In addition to fiction, Mystery Tribune accepts submissions in other categories during the following periods:

Art and Photography                 All Year Round  

Non-fiction                                  All Year Round 

Daily / Flash Fiction                    All Year Round

We only publish original material, i.e. first-ever publication in our print edition. We cannot run a piece that has already appeared on the web or elsewhere in print. We can, however, publish an original translation if the work has previously appeared in another language. We have no set maximum length or minimum length, though most of our submissions are between 3,000-6,000 words.

Please include a cover letter stating where your work has been published before, if relevant. Please do not submit book manuscripts, academic essays or reviews. Please only submit work written in English. Please use double-spacing.

Please note that we are not in a position to comment on your work. We receive a significant number of submissions every day, many of which may be unsuitable for Mystery Tribune, however well written.

Return to the Mystery Tribune website here.  

The Daily 

We publish daily online non-fiction essays, stories, interviews, and reviews on the genre of mystery and suspense. We strongly suggest to all who submit that they read the Daily section of our website or our apps to acquaint themselves with our editorial voice and sensibility. Pitches or submissions are preferred to pieces written on spec; please keep submissions to under two thousand words. Unsolicited contributions to our Daily section, if accepted, are unpaid.

All submissions must be in English and previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are also acceptable, but please notify us immediately if the piece is accepted for publication elsewhere.

Flash Fiction 

We publish flash fiction with dark underlying themes or crime, mystery, noir and suspense stories on our website or mobile apps. We strongly suggest to all who submit that they read the Fiction section of our website to acquaint themselves with our editorial preference. Unsolicited flash fiction contributions to our website or apps, if accepted, are generally unpaid.

All submissions must be in English and previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are also acceptable, but please notify us immediately if the piece is accepted for publication elsewhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

How soon can I expect to hear about my submission?

We aim to respond to all submissions within three months of receipt.

How can I check the status of my submission?

You can check the status of your submissions at any time by logging in and clicking on the status of your entry. If your status is ‘Received’, it has been received. If your status is ‘In-Progress’, your piece has been assigned to a member of our editorial staff.

Will contributors receive an honorarium in case their submissions are accepted? 

Mystery Tribune will provide an honorarium to contributors of Fiction and non-fiction for its print edition. The amount of honorarium will be discussed with contributors upon acceptance of a piece and it depends on a number of criteria including profile of the author and previous collaborations with Mystery Tribune.

Mystery Tribune currently doesn't accept non-fiction submissions for its print edition with the exception of commissioned work. Unsolicited non-fiction or flash fiction contributions to our submission system are automatically considered for our website or our mobile apps, and if accepted, are unpaid.

I’m having trouble logging in to check the status of my piece.

Please contact Submittable directly if you have any trouble with the database.

I’ve revised my piece since I have submitted. Can you consider a newer version of a piece rather than the one I submitted?

If you would like us to consider a newer version of an already submitted piece, please log in, withdraw your piece and submit again as a new submission. Please do not contact us separately asking us to replace a submission. We will not receive this email.

I've sent you three pieces of photography. Some of them have been accepted elsewhere, or I want to withdraw some from consideration. How do I go about doing this?

If you want to withdraw any individual piece from consideration, please log in and add a note to your submission telling us which poems you wish to withdraw. We will see this when we read your submission and will only consider the remaining one(s).

My piece has been accepted for a different publication. How do I notify you?

If your piece is accepted elsewhere, please log in and withdraw your submission from our database.

Can I submit my piece somewhere else even if it’s still ‘In-Progress’ in your system?

Yes. If your piece gets accepted elsewhere, please withdraw your submission by logging in, clicking on your entry and following the instructions. Please do not write to Mystery Tribune asking to withdraw the piece. We will not receive this email.

Can I submit something that's shorter or longer than the 3,000-6,000 word guideline?

Yes - pieces published in Mystery Tribune are of variable length. But please refrain from submitting book manuscripts or novellas. It is unlikely that we will read more than 10,000 words of any submission.

How can I find out what the upcoming themes of the magazine will be so I may submit appropriate work?

We tend to shape our themes around the work we receive, rather than asking authors to write around our ideas. So please send us your best work – and if we like it we'll be sure to find a place for it.