Dragon Gems is our publishing program for your short fiction when a novel just won't do.
For information about the recent changes to our Dragon Gems short fiction program, please see our announcement, "Putting a New Shine on Dragon Gems".
Closed for Submissions
We are currently closed for \new submissions for our Dragon Gems short fiction program until 2025.
If you submitted a short story and have not heard back from us, that means that we are still working our way through the unexpectedly high number of the submissions that we received during the past several months. Please be patient with us. We’re reading through them as quickly as we can!
Submission Requirements (Standalone Stories)
Your story:
- should be at least 5,000 words in length and no more than about 12,000 words.
- should not contain erotica, or excessive violence or gore.
- can be part of an ongoing series you might be writing.
- can have been previously published (with proof that you hold the current publishing rights).
- may be submitted simultaneously to other markets (but please let us know when you submit your story).
Send us your complete, finished manuscripts in digital (.DOCx, .RTF, or .ODT) format using this Submission Form.
Note: While our program is called Dragon Gems, your story does not need to include a dragon.
If you're not sure if your story is something that we'd be interested in publishing, please feel free to query us at dragongems (at) waterdragonpublishing.com in advance of submitting your manuscript.
Payment
Payment will be:
- $0.02 per word
- five (5) trade paperback contributor copies
- access to ten (10) digital contributor copies
Manuscript Formats
Send us your complete, finished manuscripts in digital (.DOCx, .RTF, or .ODT) format using this Submission Form.
Please use a standard manuscript format. If you're not sure what one is, here's a good source.