Editor Interview: Apex Magazine Flash Fiction Contest Go to the listing List all editor interviews Edit answers (editors only) Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.Dark speculative fictionRebecca E. Treasure, Managing Editor on 06 April 2025What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?The Dark, Skull & Laurel, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, khoréo, Diabolical Plots, NightmareRebecca E. Treasure, Managing Editor on 06 April 2025If you publish writing, who are your favorite writers? If you publish art, who are your favorite artists?I love discovering new voices that I've never read before!Rebecca E. Treasure, Managing Editor on 06 April 2025What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?Apex emphasizes strange and surreal stories, whether in the language or the character or the setting. Apex stories make you feel, make you think, and are beautifully written - we want to shock you in the best way possible.Rebecca E. Treasure, Managing Editor on 06 April 2025What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?Read the submission guidelines. We consistently get stories for the flash contest that are unthemed.Rebecca E. Treasure, Managing Editor on 06 April 2025Describe the ideal submission.Strange, surreal, shocking, beautiful, and on theme (for flash).Rebecca E. Treasure, Managing Editor on 06 April 2025What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?Not being on theme, or being insufficiently themed. If the themed element can be removed or changed in your story, it's not strong enough! The theme needs to be integral to the story.Rebecca E. Treasure, Managing Editor on 06 April 2025How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?Don't care at all.Rebecca E. Treasure, Managing Editor on 06 April 2025If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?Unless the piece is really hard to follow, we read them through to the end. That being said, I can generally tell if the piece isn't right for us within the first few paragraphs.Rebecca E. Treasure, Managing Editor on 06 April 2025What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?All Apex submissions are read by a minimum of two first readers. If both first readers say no, the piece is returned. If one says no and the other says yes, a third reader breaks the tie. If both say yes, the piece is passed up to an editor (either Lesley Conner or myself, Rebecca Treasure) for final review.Rebecca E. Treasure, Managing Editor on 06 April 2025What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?Apex is pretty transparent - there's a flow chart for both processes on our website - but in general it's first reads, second reads, tiebreakers, and editor reads. Two down votes at any stage of the process gets the story returned to the author. Lesley Conner and Rebecca Treasure have final say on short stories and flash fiction respectively.Rebecca E. Treasure, Managing Editor on 06 April 2025How much do you edit an accepted piece prior to publication?Accepted authors get an editorial pass with some developmental editing, copy editing, and proofs. Authors are sent final proofs before publication. Stories that need substantive editing would get an R&R from us, as our policy is if we buy the story it needs to be fairly close to publication ready as-is.Rebecca E. Treasure, Managing Editor on 06 April 2025Do you nominate work you've published for any national or international awards?We submit work for all the major awards that accept publisher submissions.Rebecca E. Treasure, Managing Editor on 06 April 2025 Cookie Consent: This site uses secure first-party cookies for essential, preference-setting, and statistical purposes. We do not use any marketing, advertising, or third-party cookies. Read our full cookie policy. Accept All Cookies Allow Essential Cookies Only