Frivolous Comma is an online space intended to inspire creators of speculative writing of all kinds: science fiction, fantasy, horror, and “any other genre that puts a twist on how we perceive the world and everything in it.” They publish speculative stories and articles about speculative fiction, and they also have a podcast.
Now through January 30, Frivolous Comma is seeking submissions for an anthology of speculative mysteries, titled Shadows and Signals. They are looking for both “cosy and not-cosy” mysteries, but they don’t want “gotcha” stories. They also want the mysteries to be integrally tied to the speculative worlds in which they take place. You can read more about their idea of speculative mystery here.
For Shadows and Signals, Authors may submit speculative mysteries up to 4,000 words, and can expect a response within six weeks. Stories chosen for publication will be published at the end of 2025, both in print and in an ebook edition. Authors published in the anthology will be paid 10 cents per word.
Frivolous Comma in not accepting reprints for this anthology. They are accepting simultaneous submissions, but ask that authors withdraw writing published elsewhere. They are not accepting multiple submissions. They are accepting submissions from everyone, and they especially want to showcase writing by historically marginalized authors.
Frivolous Comma is also seeking submissions of nonfiction essays and columns for their website. They’re looking for articles about speculative fiction, including personal experiences of writing speculative fiction; opinions about developments in the genre; speculative fiction history, theory, criticism, fandom, or culture; and “Explorations of speculative fiction that address some aspect of transition and intersectionality.” Articles should be 1,000-2,500 words. They pay $125 per published piece.
Frivolous Comma accepts submissions online, not via email or by post. They do not accept writing generated or assisted by AI.
They only accept submissions that follow the guidelines they’ve posted online. Please read these guidelines in full before submitting.
If you would like to learn more or submit to Frivolous Comma, please visit their website here.
Bio: Ella Peary is the pen name for an author, editor, creative writing mentor, and submission consultant. Over the past five years, she’s written hundreds of articles for Authors Publish, and she’s also served as a copywriter and copy editor for a wide range of organizations and individuals. She is the author of The Quick Start Guide to Flash Fiction. She occasionally teaches a course on flash fiction. You can contact her at ellapeary@gmail.com.
