Just as the classic pulps continue to bring attention, praise, and droves of new readers to legendary writers such as Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Crimson Quill Quarterly wishes to bring attention to budding authors of the Sword & Sorcery, Dark Fantasy, and Grimdark subgenres of fantasy fiction.

We appreciate creativity and talent equally and would love to see well written stories driven by developed and intriguing characters and invigorating action that unfolds throughout the plot.

While we are not looking for stories that "reinvent the wheel", we appreciate originality above all else.

Original tales of nail-biting peril faced down by a fearless protagonists reliant upon their mental might as much as their physical prowess to achieve their goals and overcome their enemies in action packed tales told in no more than 10,000 words. We may be interested in serializing longer pieces in the future, but for our first issue we’re looking to keep it as simple as possible.

We are currently open for submissions and will continue to accept stories until Halloween, October 31st, 2023. Feel free to send us multiple submissions, but no more than three tales from one single author.

We hope to have our first issue out by January of 2024 and will feature five to six authors for our debut. All selections will be made by the second week of November and each chosen author will receive a payment of $25 via check or digital transaction. We will buy First Rights and will obtain aforementioned rights for six months. Should this venture prove even semi-successful, we hope to increase the amount we can pay our dedicated writers.

Notice: Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please identify it as such in the body of your email and keep us informed if you decide to go elsewhere.

Love/Romance Stories:

While we don't mind sex in small amounts, we prefer stories that end with a climax of the plot rather than a climax of the characters here at CQQ. Love stories are also well and good, but we're looking for stories that detail the winning of battles and the breaking of bones, not the winning and breaking of young hearts.

Politically Charged Stories:

We want our readers to enjoy your stories, not find themselves in firm agreement or hostile disagreement with any political views a writer may have. This world is divided enough, we would appreciate if the fantasy we publish did not stoke the flames of division by referencing political issues.

Reprints:

As much as we love to read stories that have already proven their worth and been given the honor of becoming published, we are hoping for both original and unpublished works. As such we will not be accepting any previously printed stories for our debut issue.

AI Generated Stories:

We have no system to detect AI aided stories, and rely solely upon the honor of the writer and the understanding that dedication to the craft is what injects soul into a work of fiction. To bring AI into the realm of art is far from writing and little better than programming.

Because this is our debut venture, this page shall remain blank until we compile a trove of the greatest fiction from today's undiscovered writers worthy of display.

Please send all submission queries to the below email address in the form of a Microsoft Word document. To ensure that your story does not get lost as spam, please add "Submission -" followed by the name of your story as the subject to your email. We have two editors who will work diligently to read your story and reply to you as promptly as their schedule allows.

EMAIL: crimsonquillquarterly@gmail.com