Black Market Fiction publishes serial fiction and feature articles for readers who want stories with teeth. We're looking for psychological thrillers, dystopian fiction, speculative work, and contemporary narratives featuring characters who go their own way--consequences be damned.
If your protagonist operates outside the system and fights for what matters to them—we want to see it.
Before submitting, review our full Submission Guidelines for formatting requirements, rights information, and editorial standards.
Currently Open
Fiction
June 2026: No Man's Land (PRINT ISSUE) The Western—or its spiritual descendants. Stories set in lawless spaces where justice is personal, survival is uncertain, and civilization is either a distant memory or a distant hope. This is our first print issue: we want fiction that earns the paper it's printed on.
September 2026: Best Served Cold Revenge—patient, calculated, and served with precision. This issue wants stories about characters who don't forgive, don't forget, and make their enemies pay. Bonus points if food, cooking, or culinary culture plays a role.
November 2026: Family Secrets & Defying Legacy The family as trap, inheritance as curse, legacy as something to escape. This issue explores characters who refuse to become what their bloodlines demand—and uncover the secrets their families buried.
View Monthly Fiction Guidelines
Nonfiction
May 2026: Surviving the Apocalypse Cultural commentary on our obsession with the end of the world—what apocalyptic fiction reveals about us and what it gets wrong about human nature.
June 2026: No Man's Land (PRINT ISSUE) Essays exploring the Western genre, frontier mythology, and the cultural meaning of lawless spaces—in fiction and in the American imagination.
July 2026: Cults & True Believers Essays examining why people believe, how groups capture minds, and what cult dynamics reveal about human psychology and social structures.
View Monthly Nonfiction Guidelines
Upcoming Themes
New theme guidelines are posted quarterly. Here's what's ahead:
- July 2026: Cults & True Believers
- August 2026: Forbidden Relationships
- September 2026: Best Served Cold (Revenge + Culinary)
- October 2026: Bargains with the Dark (Paranormal)
- November 2026: Family Secrets & Defying Legacy
- December 2026: Art of the Con — Print Issue
Check back for detailed guidelines as each quarter approaches.
How to Submit
Email staff@blackmarketfiction.com
Fiction: Subject line "FICTION SUBMISSION – [MONTH] – [Your Title]" Features: Subject line "FEATURE SUBMISSION – [MONTH] – [Your Title]"
Response time: 2–5 weeks. If you don't hear from us within 5 weeks, feel free to submit elsewhere.
Questions?
Email staff@blackmarketfiction.com with "SUBMISSION QUESTION" in the subject line.