The Literary Hatchet

About

The Literary Hatchet publishes contemporary short fiction, poetry, prose, photography, cartoons, and humor by established and emerging writers and artists from around the world. Subjects range from mystery, murder, macabre, horror, monsters, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night.

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

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2008

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 3 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

437 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Regular Speed: The Literary Hatchet's overall average response time is within a normal range for magazines.
More Approachable: The Literary Hatchet's overall acceptance rate is higher than most magazines.
Less Responsive: The Literary Hatchet's overall rate of non-response is higher than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open

We appreciate the well-written work, and acceptance is determined by whether the piece grabs the editor and holds their interest.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General Open to all/most Subgenres

Lengths:

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

Styles:

Dark, Humorous.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment to Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) Provides free copy/copies Pays occasionally, up to Semi-pro payment. Provides free copy/copies. Details: USD $10 per piece or a print copy.

Submissions:

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

Expand section Nonfiction Closed

Collapse section Poetry Open

We are looking for high-quality extraordinary poems (both serious and humorous) that explore the human condition. Personal pieces that offer a self-reflection are acceptable.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General Open to all/most Subgenres

Lengths:

Poem: Up to 100 lines.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Dark, Humorous.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (US$5-49 per poem) Provides free copy/copies Semi-pro payment. Provides free copy/copies. Details: USD $5 per poem under 100 lines or a print copy.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Visual Art Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork: Unknown number of pieces.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Token payment (under US$10 per piece) Provides free copy/copies Token payment. Provides free copy/copies. Details: USD $5 per piece or a print copy.

Submissions:

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

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

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The Literary Hatchet 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 23 reports from 22 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 | 81.3 mean avg | 86.0 median | 136 max days (203.1 std dev)

Responses

65.22 %

Acceptances:

21.74 % of submissions accepted (101.6 avg. days per acceptance) | 22.73 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

43.48 % (69.3 avg. days per rejection) | 0.0 % personal, 90.0 % form, 10.0 % unspecified

Non-Responses

8.70 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

8.70 % (129.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)

Withdrawals

26.09 % (43.2 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

7 responses are pending (23 min | 56.9 mean avg | 40.0 median | 156 max days waiting | 46.6 std dev) from 7 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 90 days. (39.1 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 90 days.)
Do not query on the status of your submission before 90 days have passed.
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 23 Jul 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 01 Apr 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 09:47 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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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: 21 Jul 2026

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