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Necessary Fiction

About

Necessary Fiction publishes a new book review each Monday, a featured short story each Wednesday, our Research Notes series on Fridays, and occasional interviews, essays, and other surprises.

Important: Length requirements may vary. Please see full guidelines for current details.

Country of Publication

United States

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication
Unknown publication frequency

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

Statistics Synopsis

Regular Speed
Necessary Fiction's overall average response time is within a normal range for magazines.
More Approachable
Necessary Fiction's overall acceptance rate is higher than most magazines.
Responsive
Necessary Fiction's overall rate of non-response is within a normal range for magazines.

Collapse section Fiction Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Open to all/most Genres, including:
General

Lengths:

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

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: May vary, See guidelines.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

Query first

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Interview: No specific word count limits known.
Essay: Up to 1,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Critical, Literary.

Topics:

Literature/Books: General, Theory/Analysis/Criticism, Writing, See guidelines.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are NOT allowed.
Media: Text.

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

Necessary Fiction 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 57 reports from 55 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 | 60.8 mean avg | 57.0 median | 213 max days (45.6 std dev)
Responses
80.70 %
Acceptances:
12.28 % of submissions accepted (48.3 avg. days per acceptance) | 12.73 % 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:
68.42 % (73.7 avg. days per rejection) | 10.3 % personal, 59.0 % form, 30.8 % unspecified
Non-Responses
1.75 %
Lost/Returned:
-
Never Responded:
1.75 % (213.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)
Withdrawals
17.54 % (13.8 avg. days per withdrawal)
Pending
26 responses are pending (9 min | 49.1 mean avg | 40.0 median | 113 max days waiting | 719.5 std dev) from 25 different members This only includes pending reports from people who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 23 Aug 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 24 Jul 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 03:51 UTC (6 hours, 18 minutes ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

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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: 18 Aug 2026

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

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