Editor Interview: Neither Fish Nor Foul

Flash fiction

So many of the flash fiction publications publish stories I love. New Flash Fiction Review, Roi Fainéant, Milk Candy spring to mind. I also read a decent amount of fantasy and love Small Wonders for the wild and poetic imaginings on there (I'm an intermittent first reader for them).

The writers and artists I publish are my favourites, of course. I've been lucky enough to publish some astonishing stories by some well known flash writers. In a wider context I have a broad palate for writers. Frances Hardinge, Jess Kidd and E Nesbit spring to mind. They create vivid worlds and have off kilter (in the best possible way) imaginations.

This is an unapologetic passion project of mine so I can suit my own, often eclectic, tastes. We are called Neither Fish Nor Foul for a reason. Each story gets read by me (without knowing the authors name or bio) and I liaise with the writers to ensure it's presented to its best advantage. I am also a writer and I think that's important - I am not sure it's unique but it is something I pride myself on.

Read past issues. Don't send me misery pieces. Do be brave and imaginative in your choices about subject. I delight in extended metaphors and in things that couldn't possibly happen in real life but speak to real emotions and situations. If you are bursting with pride about this story it will show in the writing and that's the kind of energy I like.

Within word count, with confident use of language and imagery that isn't didactic in tone and leaves room for the reader to think. That isn't scared to impress but isn't brash either.

Mostly it's not reading the brief or keeping to word count. It's fairly clear some people just send bulk submissions out to see what lands and these ones haven't yet had an acceptance from me.

I don't care about cover letters. I only read them after the decline or accept button has been pressed. They are useful for the author bio at the end of the story but I know too many people in the flash world for that level of stress before a decision is made. I don't have any rules about who can submit or how often - though I do ask for you to wait until you've heard about the first piece before submitting again (and only one piece per submission).

I read all of it and I often read it more than once.

If I really can't decide I have a few trusted second readers I ask for another opinion although they are normally asked about the 'should I decline this?' stories. I can normally tell very quickly if I want to accept a piece because it gives me goosebumps.

I tend to read in 30 minute stints. If there's a definite acceptance or decline that's easy to manage but if I am not sure I leave the story in the pile to return to at another session. Some of those stories get read at several sessions as so often my own mood and energy levels can impact my reading.

In the past there's been a lot of editing but now I am less inclined to do more than check punctuation and spelling and put it in NFNF style so the stories have a uniform appearance on the screen. I reserve the right to ask questions if a piece needs a bit more thinking about but I would always engage with the author to ensure we both agree the piece is ready before I publish. I wouldn't publish without author approval.

I haven't but I intend to in 2026. I'm still investigating which awards - likely it will be Pushcart, BOTN and Best Microfiction.

There is a tip jar that people very generously add to but other than that it's self financed.

It's an area I am working on. NFNF is active on Bluesky and Facebook, both of which have good flash fiction communities and we are trying to grow on Instagram. We are very reliant on word of mouth and the authors letting their own networks know they've been published.