Hell Itself About There’s a bit of advice we give to writers: “Keep submitting your story until hell itself won’t have it.” (I first heard this advice associated with The Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop, but I sadly do not know its true origins). The unfortunate truth is that there are more humans out there producing great short stories than there are venues to publish them.And, thus, Hell Itself was born.Most editors will tell you that they reject far more good material than they accept. A great story may simply not be a good fit for the current issue. Or it could be great but the wrong choice for the publication’s tone and style. It might be about something that the venue’s core readers wouldn’t like to read about. Or there may just not be enough slots in the magazine to take everything the editor loved.Well, sometimes those great stories can rack up a lot of rejections, leaving the author feeling like hell itself won’t take it.We wanted to let go of those reasons why great stories don’t get published. We don’t have a fixed number of stories we can take, a proscribed tone or style for the magazine, or a core readership we need to keep happy. If it’s a great story that no one else would take, we want it.That does mean that our magazine tends to be unpredictable. The only thing consistent among our stories will be that they’re well crafted, human written, and fit broadly under the umbrella of “short speculative fiction.” Limited Demographic: Submissions are restricted to Stories that either have been rejected by a minimum of 10 paying markets or be a “market killer.”. Country of Publication & Year Established United States Established in 2025 Publication Medium & Frequency Electronic Publication Electronic PublicationPublished 52 x per year AI Policy Human-created work only; no AI use allowed Statistics Synopsis FasterHell Itself's overall average response time is faster than most magazines. Normal AcceptanceHell Itself's overall acceptance rate is within a normal range for magazines. More ResponsiveHell Itself's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines. Fiction Open Audience:Open to a broad Audience.Genres: General Fantasy Open to all/most Subgenres Horror Open to all/most Subgenres Science Fiction Open to all/most SubgenresLengths: Short Story: 1,000 - 7,500 words.Styles:Open to all/most Styles, including: Mainstream.Topics: Open to all/most Topics.Payment:Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) Token payment. Details: USD $5 per story.Submissions:Method: Moksha submission manager. Reprints: Reprints are NOT 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. Go to publication's website Report: Submission/Response Correction/Update New Cover ArtSocial Platforms:None known For the Editor(s): Request Interview Duosuma Submission Manager Link to Duotrope Hell Itself 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: Category: Group by submission Accuracy We have received 31 reports from 26 different members within the past 12 months. The more responses reported, the more accurate the information. Days Reported 0 min | 14.6 mean avg | 13.0 median | 73 max days (17.4 std dev) Responses 96.78 % Acceptances: 9.68 % of submissions accepted (17.3 avg. days per acceptance) | 11.54 % 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: 87.10 % (13.4 avg. days per rejection) | 29.6 % personal, 63.0 % form, 7.4 % unspecified | 3.2 % shortlisted Non-Responses 0.00 % Lost/Returned: - Never Responded: - Withdrawals 3.23 % (73.0 avg. days per withdrawal) Other Information Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day. Most recent response reported was received on 29 Aug 2026. Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 12 Aug 2026. Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 02:30 UTC (7 hours, 14 minutes ago). View report of recent responses from this project 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 SubmittingWe 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. 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