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Fiction on the Web

About

Fiction on the Web is a labour of love. Every single story on here is hand-picked and carefully copyedited by me. Any money I make from donations is ploughed back into the site and related projects. I do this because I want to give authors a chance to get their work out there, and I love sharing great stories with the world.

Fiction on the Web has been online and continuously publishing since July 1996, which makes it the longest-running short stories website on the Internet. Thousands of stories have been enjoyed by millions of readers. It will always remain free to read, free to submit.

Voluntary Fees: This project accepts voluntary fees.
Important: Patreon members can submit anytime.
Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United Kingdom
Established in 1996

Publication Media & Frequency

Audio Publication Audio Publication
Published 12 x per year
Electronic Publication Electronic Publication
Published 104 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

Statistics Synopsis

Faster
Fiction on the Web's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
Normal Acceptance
Fiction on the Web's overall acceptance rate is within a normal range for magazines.
More Responsive
Fiction on the Web's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Fiction Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Open to all/most Genres, including:
General
Fantasy Open to all/most Subgenres
Horror Open to all/most Subgenres
Mystery/Crime Open to all/most Subgenres
Science Fiction Open to all/most Subgenres

Lengths:

Short Story: 1,000 - 7,500 words.
Novelette: 7,500 - 10,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Humorous, Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) to Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) Pay ranges from Token payment to Semi-pro payment. Details: GBP £15 or USD $15.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

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

Fiction on the Web 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:
Accuracy
We have received 188 reports from 140 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 | 4.1 mean avg | 2.0 median | 53 max days (7.8 std dev)
Responses
98.41 %
Acceptances:
10.64 % of submissions accepted (16.1 avg. days per acceptance) | 13.57 % of submitters accepted Rejections are often underreported, which skews the statistics in favor of acceptances. Most publishers have a lower acceptance rate than indicated here.
Rejections:
87.77 % (2.9 avg. days per rejection) | 63.0 % personal, 22.4 % form, 14.6 % unspecified | 1.1 % rewrite requests
Non-Responses
0.00 %
Lost/Returned:
-
Never Responded:
-
Withdrawals
1.60 % (3.0 avg. days per withdrawal)
Pending
15 responses are pending (0 min | 11.8 mean avg | 6.5 median | 77 max days waiting | 37.0 std dev) from 14 different members This only includes pending reports from people who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 30 days. (1.6 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 30 days.)
Do not query on the status of your submission before 30 days have passed.
The most common submission tip paid: GBP £5.00. (4.1 % reported giving a tip.)
Most submissions are acknowledged within one day.
Most recent response reported was received on 09 Sep 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 08 Sep 2026.
Date compiled: 09 Sep 2026 23:58 UTC (37 minutes ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

Work submitted here was also submitted to...

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Your Submissions

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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: 01 Sep 2026

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

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