Crab Apple Literary

About

Crab Apple Literary is an independent online literary magazine that sheds a light on the strange, deformed, and forgotten. We strive to make space for the offbeat, the left field, the weird, and the wonderful. If someone’s taken a bite out of you and spit it out this is the place for you and your writing.

Voluntary Fees: This project accepts voluntary fees for "tip jar" submissions.

Country of Publication & Year Established

Canada

Established in 2022

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 3 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

17 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: Crab Apple Literary's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
Normal Acceptance: Crab Apple Literary's overall acceptance rate is within a normal range for magazines.
More Responsive: Crab Apple Literary's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 October 2026 12:00 AM EDT (in 15 days) through 01 November 2026.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Open to all/most Genres, including:
General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words; Up to 2 pieces.
Short Story: 1,000 - 3,000 words; Up to 2 pieces.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Duosuma submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 October 2026 12:00 AM EDT (in 15 days) through 01 November 2026.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Open to all/most Genres, including:
General

Lengths:

Poem: Up to 50 lines; Up to 3 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Duosuma submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Visual Art Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 October 2026 12:00 AM EDT (in 15 days) through 01 November 2026.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork: Up to 10 pieces.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Duosuma submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Image.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Recent cover image or website screenshot for Crab Apple Literary

Go to publication's website

Report:
Submission/Response
Correction/Update
New Cover Art

Social:
Bluesky @crabapplelit.bsky.social
Instagram @crabappleliterary
X (Twitter) @CrabAppleLit

Support this Publisher:
Support on Ko-fi

For the Editor(s):
Request Interview
Link to Duotrope

Crab Apple Literary Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

Filter:

Group by submission

Include outliers

Accuracy

We have received 196 reports from 170 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

0 min | 39.1 mean avg | 37.0 median | 67 max days (15.0 std dev)

Responses

93.36 %

Acceptances:

7.14 % of submissions accepted (55.2 avg. days per acceptance) | 8.24 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

86.22 % (39.9 avg. days per rejection) | 2.4 % personal, 97.6 % form, 0.0 % unspecified

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

6.63 % (12.1 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

1 response is pending (85 days waiting).

Other Information

The most common submission tip paid: CAD $3.00. (14.3 % reported giving a tip.)
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 11 Aug 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 31 Jul 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 03:10 UTC (6 hours, 36 minutes ago).

Work submitted here was also submitted to...

This section is available to subscribers only. Sign up and start your free trial today!

Members accepted here also had work accepted by...

This section is available to subscribers only. Become a member and start your free trial today!

Your Submissions

This section is available to subscribers only. Join today!

Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 03 Aug 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.