Neon & Smoke

About

Neon & Smoke is a home for bold, voice-driven fiction with emotional weight and narrative fire.
We publish stories that don’t sit quietly—tales where the plot might thrill, chill, or make you laugh, but always reveals something deeper. We crave characters who leap off the page, language that crackles, and stories that blur the line between genre and literary not for the sake of novelty, but it’s the most honest way to tell the truth.
We believe in the power of contradiction: softness and grit, humor and horror, beauty and decay. Our name is a nod to contrast—to the glow and the haze, the seen and the obscured. If your story doesn’t fit neatly into one box… good. It probably belongs here.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for some submissions. They charge fees for feedback submissions, which are open outside of regular submission periods, also optional "tip jar" submissions and expedited responses.
The fee is up to $10 (above average for magazines that charge).

Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2025

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Unknown publication frequency

AI Policy

AI use may be permitted in some circumstances (see their site for details)

160 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: Neon & Smoke's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
More Approachable: Neon & Smoke's overall acceptance rate is higher than most magazines.
More Responsive: Neon & Smoke's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open

We're looking for:
Literary stories wearing genre coats
Genre stories with literary hearts
Stories that say something without preaching
Characters who won’t shut up in your head
Fiction that feels like a punch, a prayer, or a party—sometimes all three

Dates:

Open to fiction submissions through 20 September 2026 11:59 PM CDT (in 8 days).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Open to all/most Genres, including:
General
Horror Open to all/most Subgenres
Suspense/Thriller Open to all/most Subgenres

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,000 - 1,100 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

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

Theme:

This Time Make it Smoky (21 Sep 2026 04:59 UTC)

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Pay ranges from Semi-pro payment to Professional payment. Details: USD $20 flat payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Open to all/most Genres, including:
General
Horror Open to all/most Subgenres
Suspense/Thriller Open to all/most Subgenres

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; Up to 2 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

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

Topics:

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

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 Open

Dates:

Open to visual art submissions through 01 October 2026 11:59 PM CDT (in 19 days).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork: Up to 3 pieces.

Art Media:

Digital art.
Illustration.
Mixed media.
Collage.
Photography.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

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

Theme:

Soulful Things (02 Oct 2026 04:59 UTC)

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Duosuma submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
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 Neon & Smoke

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Report:
Submission/Response
Correction/Update
New Cover Art

Social:
Bluesky @neonandsmoke.bsky.social
Instagram @neonsmokemagazine

Support this Publisher:
Buy Me a Coffee

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

Neon & Smoke 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.

This project ranks among the 25 Fastest Fiction Publishers in our database.
This project ranks among the Most Personable Fiction Publishers in our database.
This project ranks among the 25 Fastest Poetry Publishers in our database.
This project ranks among the Most Personable Poetry Publishers in our database.
This project ranks among the Most Personable Visual Art Publishers in our database.

Filter:

Group by submission

Include outliers

Accuracy

We have received 865 reports from 571 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 | 2.7 mean avg | 2.0 median | 49 max days (6.6 std dev)

Responses

97.46 %

Acceptances:

12.14 % of submissions accepted (10.4 avg. days per acceptance) | 16.11 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

85.32 % (2.0 avg. days per rejection) | 98.8 % personal, 1.1 % form, 0.1 % unspecified | 0.5 % rewrite requests | 0.2 % shortlisted

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

2.54 % (2.4 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

15 responses are pending (0 min | 8.6 mean avg | 3.0 median | 27 max days waiting | 10.2 std dev) from 15 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 56 days.
The most common submission fee paid: USD $3.00. (99.6 % of reports specified whether they paid a fee; of those, 24.2 % paid fees.)
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 11 Sep 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 11 Sep 2026.
Date compiled: 12 Sep 2026 07:03 UTC (27 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: 11 Sep 2026

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