Lanternfish Press

About

Lanternfish Press, founded in Philadelphia in 2013, publishes literature of the rare and strange: fiction that crosses the boundary between literary and speculative; real or imagined tales of characters at the margins of history; essays rooted in a strong sense of place; a cabinet of curious Victorian reprints. We seek the grotesque, the alien made familiar, the “I don’t know what this is—but I love it.”
Lanternfish aims to make books and publication accessible to readers and writers who fall outside the literary mainstream, whether in race, sexuality, gender, situation, or pure individual oddity. We're a home for books that defy pigeonholes—and for the readers who love them.

Important: Some submission periods may have limited demographics; as always, check their current guidelines before submitting.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2013

Publication Media

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication
Print Publication Print Publication

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

37 members set this publisher as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Slower: Lanternfish Press's overall average response time is slower than most publishers.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Tales on the border of literary and speculative, including magical realism. Fresh takes on gothic horror. We love to see a rich variety of gothics. Midwestern, in the vein of These Bones by Kayla Chenault; southern, like The Salt Fields by Stacy D. Flood. Or tropical gothic, or Rust Belt gothic—whatever kind of luxuriant and atmospheric decay floats your boat! We all love Shirley Jackson here. Well-researched historical fiction that breathes life into its material and cultural milieu. Bonus points if that milieu would be at home in a colorful oddities shop (e.g. Victorian circuses; old-timey New Orleans apothecaries) or doesn’t see enough representation in American fiction (e.g. BIPOC-focused historical events; midcentury mental health care systems).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience. Excluding: Children, Middle grades, Young adults.

Genres:

General Subgenres: Fabulism, Gothic, Magic Realism
Fantasy Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic, Contemporary, Dark Fantasy, Fabulism, Gothic, Historical, Light Fantasy, Magic Realism, Paranormal, Retrofuturism, Science Fantasy, Supernatural, Vampire
Horror Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Dark Fantasy, Fabulism, Gothic, Historical, Horror Western, Magic Realism, Noir, Vampire
Science Fiction Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Alternate History, Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic, Contemporary/Near Future, Cyberpunk, Dystopian, Science Fantasy, Science Fiction Horror, Soft Science Fiction, Space Opera

Lengths:

Novella: 20,000 - 40,000 words.
Novel: 60,000 - 100,000 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Unknown advance + Unknown royalties Unknown advance. Unknown royalties.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

We are open to a broad range of memoir, focusing on the theme of being caught between a “here” and a “there”: immigrant stories, family sagas, experiences generating transformation. We look for strong descriptive writing that deeply roots the narrative in its setting.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience. Excluding: Children, Middle grades, Young adults.

Lengths:

Book: 60,000 - 100,000 words.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Memoir: General, See guidelines.
Society/Culture: See guidelines.

Payment:

Unknown advance + Unknown royalties Unknown advance. Unknown royalties.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Media: Text.

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

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Lanternfish Press 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.

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Accuracy

We have received 4 reports from 4 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

152 min | 259.0 mean avg | 291.5 median | 301 max days (71.5 std dev)

Pending

1 response is pending (437 days waiting).

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 120 days. (100.0 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 120 days.)
Do not query on the status of your submission before 120 days have passed.
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 03 Mar 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 25 May 2025.
Date compiled: 10 Sep 2026 00:34 UTC (8 minutes ago).

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Before Submitting

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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.
For book publishers, it is standard to submit a cover letter, synopsis, and sample instead of the full manuscript. Do this unless otherwise instructed.
Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 15 Jul 2026

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