Submission Guidelines

Divine Feminine Publishing is holding a call for submissions for a new anthology. If you are interested in submitting your short story to our new anthology, please find the details below. 

Setting: outer space or other planets (Think Cozy Space Opera)

We are seeking quirky, compelling, comforting, and humorous science fiction stories set in space and/or on other planets for an upcoming anthology, in which we are celebrating humor, wonder, and humanity in the vastness of space.

We’re looking for character-driven sci-fi adventures with heart, where curiosity, compassion, and clever problem-solving matter more than explosions. At least 50% of characters in each story must be women and/or gender diverse characters.

What do we mean by "Cozy"? We want stories that make us daydream, ask "what if?" and create a world we want to escape to. Rather than just a series of comforting events, give us compelling stakes, let bad things happen -- but end on a hopeful or optimistic note, and set your story in a captivating world we want to imagine living in. 

· Give your characters challenging, mid to high-stakes problems to solve 

· Ask interesting, unique, "what if" questions with your premise 

· Make us laugh

· End on a hopeful note 

· Eliminate all tension in an effort to make your story safer and more "cozy"

· Give us predictable, easy endings

· Include scenes with high immediate stakes that set our hearts racing with fear

· Include gore, graphic violence, or scenes depicting assault, torture, abuse of people or animals, etc.

*If your story feels like curling up with a hot cup of Earl Grey after successfully negotiating with a sentient nebula, narrowly avoiding an interstellar war based on a first-contact misunderstanding, or solving a murder mystery on a busy space station, we want to read it.*

Books, such as:

· The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

· Legends and Lattes (but Sci-Fi)

TV shows, such as:

· The Orville

· Star Trek: Deep Space Nine  

· Father Brown (but Sci-Fi)

· A murder mystery on a multigenerational spaceship

· First contact that goes adorably wrong

· An unexpected form of life discovered on an unexplored planet

· Aliens accidentally abduct a house cat… and the cat becomes the most dangerous being on the ship

· Found family among interstellar travelers with mysterious backstories

· Space stations that feel like neighborhood 

We’re looking for stories that are:

· Cozy and character-driven

· Funny, hopeful, or whimsical

· Emotionally warm (even when tension, mysteries or problems arise)

· Focused on relationships, curiosity, and discovery.  

· We want high stakes, dark humor, and compelling concepts, but the emotional tone should ultimately be comforting, optimistic, or playful.

Submission Deadline: August 1, 2026

Notification: October 1, 2026

Publication: June 2027

Payment upon acceptance: $50 per story

Length: 4,000–6,000 words

Genre: Cozy science fiction

Content: PG-13 tone preferred (minimal violence or horror)

Format: Standard manuscript format (.doc or .docx)

Original, unpublished stories only

*Stories written using AI will not be accepted. 

POLICY ON SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS & REPRINTS: We request that all stories submitted are original (not yet published anywhere else). Simultaneous submissions (submissions to our anthology and other books) are acceptable, as long as you notify us immediately via email if the story is accepted or will be printed elsewhere.

Divine Feminine Publishing is dedicated to publishing imaginative fiction that centers diverse voices and stories where at least 50% of the characters are women or gender-diverse characters.

Please email your story as an attachment in standard manuscript format (other formats or stories copied and pasted inside an email will not be considered) to Submissions@divinefeminine-publishing.com with the subject line: Your last name, Full story title, Zero Gravity Submission