Anthology Submissions

CALL FOR STORIES

CRIME WITHOUT CORPSES

No dead bodies. Not one.

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We want stories where the tension, the stakes, and the fallout hinge on crimes other than murder. Think high-stakes deception, white-collar treachery, heists gone sideways, blackmail, sabotage, cons, property crimes, revenge plots, mistaken identity, secrets traded like currency…

If your story could plausibly unfold in a world where the police blotter is dominated by “everything but homicide,” it belongs here.

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Why This Anthology?

Not every crime story needs bloodshed to deliver suspense, wit, danger, or emotional punch. This anthology welcomes both gritty crime writers and cozy authors whose worlds operate without overt violence. If you can make us laugh, make us tense, make us think—or all three—without a corpse, we want to read it.

Think of the spirit behind the movie Trading Places, where revenge, financial schemes, and social engineering collide without a murder in sight. Or imagine the thrill of watching a clever grift unfold, a power imbalance corrected, or a secret leveraged in exactly the wrong (or right) way.

What We Are Looking For

Original, unpublished crime fiction between 2,000 and 5,000 words.      

• Any subgenre welcome—traditional, noir, cozy, comic, caper, psychological, procedural, tech-crime, or something that defies labels

• High stakes without homicide

• Strong characters and compelling motivations

• Cleverness and moral ambiguity encouraged

• Humor welcome, darkness welcome—just no corpses

 

Submission Guidelines

• Font: Times New Roman, 10–12 point

• Spacing: Double-spaced

• File format: .doc, .docx, or .rtf

• Standard margins and readable formatting—no gimmicks

 

Deadline: December 31, 2026 
Projected Publication Date: Fall 2027
Anthology Editor: Gabriel Valjan

Payment: $25-50, depending on the number of stories chosen for the anthology.
Rights: For 12 months, after which the author can publish elsewhere with attribution.