“It almost feels like we built Story Unlikely on the ashes of the entire literary field.”
– Danny Hankner, Editor-in-chief
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Ok, so before we get to our origin story, let’s pepper you with the relevant info about who we are, what we do, and why you should totally care:
Story Unlikely is a monthly literary magazine publishing short stories all over the literary landscape. No really—we’re not concerned with genre; stay within the lines, combine a few, or invent a new one. Our goal is to publish top-tier fiction (and creative non-fiction), and we believe allowing creatives to be creative is the best way to make that happen.
Magazine Submission Guidelines:
We publish stories up to 10k in length (15k for paying Members. Quick point of clarity – we have a basic subscription which is free, and an optional Membership that comes with a boatload of perks) and pay 8 cents a word (capped at $200 per story, or $400 for paying Members). Reprints are 1 cent a word, capped at $75, or $150 for paying Members).
Our general magazine submission period runs from February 2nd through September 29th.
All stories published are illustrated.
See our submission page for more details: https://www.storyunlikely.com/#submit
Annual short story contest:
$3,000 prize package
Top 3 stories get published in our magazine and illustrated
NO entry fee
4,000 word limit (or 5,000 for Members)
No genre restrictions; open to fiction and creative non-fiction
Submission period runs from October 1st through January 31st
View contest details here: https://www.storyunlikely.com/#contest
Origin story
The divide between the masses and the elites is growing, and it’s infecting every aspect of our culture, including literature. In fact, the arena of the written word may just be its origin. How often are the stories we’ve come to love—whether on the page or in the cinema—derided by the critics, while shallow titles devoid of purpose or meaning gobble up all the awards, accolades, and praise?
I’ve experienced a taste of this, only on a much smaller scale. For years I received positive feedback from editors who eventually declined my stories because ‘it just didn’t fit the theme,’ or ‘wasn’t quite the style we had in mind’. And I always wondered: who cares? Am I the only person who just wants good stories, regardless of whatever flavor of the month is currently trending?
Meanwhile, of what words of mine did manage to make it to the public eye, I began to witness the immense power that deep, meaningful literature can provoke. Do you know how many times readers have reached out to me, moved by the words I put to paper, weeping over their keyboards over a simple story? Me, a mere stranger, a million miles away, and they just let it all come out.
You don’t forget that—as a writer, and as a human.
While this continued, the industry took a radical turn, and I watched many authors—far more talented than myself—sidelined by mediocre prose. What was once a measure of writing and storytelling had been replaced by unashamed propaganda foisted by acolytes masquerading as authors, editors, and publishers. I’m not saying stories can’t contain personal beliefs or deeper meaning, but rather the story—in spite of whatever message you’re trying to sell—better be king. But it’s not. Not anymore. And these bad actors, either frightened to death by a prospective Twitter/X mob storming their virtual gates, or themselves having sworn fealty in religious-like fervor, can no longer see past their own biases.
Somewhere along the way, an idea bubbled to the surface: what if I founded an outlet that shed all the pretense and just delivered the things I, as a reader, cared about? Forget rigid genre classifications, no more free passes to established authors coasting on past success, and to hell with the insanity of extreme politics. What would it look like if a literary magazine—for once—just published stories because they were good?
Well, we did, and it’s working. We’re only three years in, and (to my knowledge) we’ve become the fastest-growing literary magazine in the English-speaking world, with new subscribers pouring in every day from over a hundred countries. And the best part—we did it all without social media. Let that accomplishment—and its implications—sink in.
These are the fruits born of merit, and it should come as no surprise. Since our inception, Story Unlikely has become synonymous with top-tier literature—if it’s published here, you know it’s worth reading. And if you manage to get published here, it’s because you earned it—nothing more and nothing less.
While so many others have lost sight—have become themselves the distributors of the very prejudices they so vehemently despise—we’re taking a different approach, and like the American companies of yesteryear, building our foundation on a reputation that delivers quality. Every. Single. Time.
We are the underdog stepping up to the plate, David gathering stones in the river, the meteor hurtling towards the barren deserts of our literary landscape, and this is our anthem:
- Find great writers
- Publish great stories
- Build a yuuuuge audience
Welcome to Story Unlikely.
~Danny Hankner, Editor-in-chief
Danny Hankner began penning stories about himself and his idiot friends as a teenager. Now, masquerading as an adult, he lives in Davenport, Iowa with his wife and three children, working as a master electrician for his own company. In his spare time, Dan rides and builds mountain bike trails, scrapes infinitely spawning cat hurl off the basement floor, and runs Story Unlikely, an award-winning literary magazine where he floats around self-important titles like ‘Editor-in-chief’. His work has besmirched the good reputation of many a publisher, garnering tens of thousands of reads in more countries than not.