Terms and Conditions
Our terms and conditions are pretty basic:
We reserve the right not to publish stories if they do not meet our guidelines or we do not consider them up to standard. The Editor’s decision is final, and we don't enter into discussions with authors about submitted stories. I'm afraid we can't acknowledge submissions other than through the automated receipt page. Like most publishers, we're pretty snowed under with submissions, and so the only way you'll know it's been accepted is when you see your story published on the upcoming Friday. If it's not there, it hasn't made it. We do offer a "Request for Feedback/Appeal" service for a nominal fee.
Submitting a story grants Friday Flash Fiction the non-exclusive right to publish it and in any publicity material we use to advertise Friday Flash Fiction. Writers are reminded that we generally expect only one submission each week, and that it should not be a copy-and-paste from work published elsewhere – the essential challenge of Friday Flash Fiction is to write a fresh piece of fiction in time for publication the following Friday. However each story remains the copyright of the author and you are free to submit it for publication elsewhere in addition to (although not instead of) Friday Flash Fiction. Please be aware that we don't normally remove stories at the author's request. Once they're there, they're there.
Authors are expected to complete the submissions form truthfully and without intent to deceive, and we reserve the right to perform necessary background checks to ensure that is the case. You may use a pseudonym, which we will respect, but you must supply your real name in the appropriate box. Pseudonyms must be credible names: i.e. they must have a first name (or at least initials), and surname. Submitting your story to us allows us to add you to our mailing list, which we can use to inform you of latest news and competitions. Your email address will of course not be shared with any third parties and any time you are free to unsubscribe. Should you choose to unsubscribe, or otherwise indicate that you no longer wish to hear from us, it's our general policy to delete your Author Profile, if we've published one. You'll understand that if you don't wish to be part of our community, then you shouldn't really be advertising yourself with us. For the same reason, we're unlikely to accept future submissions, although we won't remove anything already published.
Friday Flash Fiction has an associated Facebook page where regular contributors can interact with each other. We try to post one or two of the best stories there, and also post tips, advice and general observations that might be of interest to our writers. There's also a Friday Flash Fiction Wordpress blog that archives some stories as time permits. By submitting to us, you understand that your story is can be re-posted these sites. However, we have no control over that Wordpress blog. If you wish your story not to be re-posted there, please in the first instance contact its manager, Russell Conover. If you continue to have difficulties thereafter, though, please get in touch with us here. No one has the right to publish your story without your permission.
It goes without saying that the author is entirely responsible for ensuring that their submission is not illegal, actionable or offensive in any way. Friday Flash Fiction accepts no responsibility for the inappropriate actions of its individual authors. Friday Flash Fiction strongly promotes equality and stories and comments should demonstrate respect to all irrespective of race or skin colour, gender, religion or sexual orientation. Likewise, the Editors and other Friday Flash Fiction staff are entitled to work without fear of abuse. We've had to create a Content Security Unit to deal with annoying correspondents. Please be nice to us.
Submitting a story grants Friday Flash Fiction the non-exclusive right to publish it and in any publicity material we use to advertise Friday Flash Fiction. Writers are reminded that we generally expect only one submission each week, and that it should not be a copy-and-paste from work published elsewhere – the essential challenge of Friday Flash Fiction is to write a fresh piece of fiction in time for publication the following Friday. However each story remains the copyright of the author and you are free to submit it for publication elsewhere in addition to (although not instead of) Friday Flash Fiction. Please be aware that we don't normally remove stories at the author's request. Once they're there, they're there.
Authors are expected to complete the submissions form truthfully and without intent to deceive, and we reserve the right to perform necessary background checks to ensure that is the case. You may use a pseudonym, which we will respect, but you must supply your real name in the appropriate box. Pseudonyms must be credible names: i.e. they must have a first name (or at least initials), and surname. Submitting your story to us allows us to add you to our mailing list, which we can use to inform you of latest news and competitions. Your email address will of course not be shared with any third parties and any time you are free to unsubscribe. Should you choose to unsubscribe, or otherwise indicate that you no longer wish to hear from us, it's our general policy to delete your Author Profile, if we've published one. You'll understand that if you don't wish to be part of our community, then you shouldn't really be advertising yourself with us. For the same reason, we're unlikely to accept future submissions, although we won't remove anything already published.
Friday Flash Fiction has an associated Facebook page where regular contributors can interact with each other. We try to post one or two of the best stories there, and also post tips, advice and general observations that might be of interest to our writers. There's also a Friday Flash Fiction Wordpress blog that archives some stories as time permits. By submitting to us, you understand that your story is can be re-posted these sites. However, we have no control over that Wordpress blog. If you wish your story not to be re-posted there, please in the first instance contact its manager, Russell Conover. If you continue to have difficulties thereafter, though, please get in touch with us here. No one has the right to publish your story without your permission.
It goes without saying that the author is entirely responsible for ensuring that their submission is not illegal, actionable or offensive in any way. Friday Flash Fiction accepts no responsibility for the inappropriate actions of its individual authors. Friday Flash Fiction strongly promotes equality and stories and comments should demonstrate respect to all irrespective of race or skin colour, gender, religion or sexual orientation. Likewise, the Editors and other Friday Flash Fiction staff are entitled to work without fear of abuse. We've had to create a Content Security Unit to deal with annoying correspondents. Please be nice to us.
Authors for Whom English is a Second Language.
Friday Flash Fiction is an English-language site, but we welcome submissions from writers whose first language is not English. It's great practice, satisfying, and not a little fun if you're learning, too.
However, can we please remind authors for whom English is not their first language that the use of dictionaries and online translation services is not recommended? These services are good enough to communicate what you mean, but here at Friday Flash Fiction we're looking for submissions which are of a higher quality than merely "understandable". So why not get a confident English speaker to check them over first?
We don't provide any editing or translation services. We regret that any submissions written in poor English, for whatever reason, will be rejected – sorry. But we do encourage you to get help and then submit.
However, can we please remind authors for whom English is not their first language that the use of dictionaries and online translation services is not recommended? These services are good enough to communicate what you mean, but here at Friday Flash Fiction we're looking for submissions which are of a higher quality than merely "understandable". So why not get a confident English speaker to check them over first?
We don't provide any editing or translation services. We regret that any submissions written in poor English, for whatever reason, will be rejected – sorry. But we do encourage you to get help and then submit.
Our Posting Relationship with Other Sites
Our relationship with other websites is defined by its history. Friday Flash Fiction started on LinkedIn but quickly went in two different directions: this site and the Wordpress blog mentioned above. We have excellent relations with the managers of each, but a year or two ago we decided for a number of reasons that the only stories we will post here are those posted directly to this website, either via the Storybox (preferred) or in the body of an email. We never copy and paste from any other site. So if you do submit to the Wordpress blog, it won't appear here unless you also submit it to us separately.
The Friday Flash Fiction website www.fridayflashfiction.com is not cost-free to operate, but we do not charge our authors. Instead we rely on sponsorship from Comely Bank Publishing, and Dean Park Press, our sister publishers in Edinburgh, Scotland. It pays the costs of hosting our website, and it sponsors the annual Christmas Competition, but it receives nothing in return. Winning or short-listed stories are very occasionally posted there, too, on the same non-exclusive terms as Friday Flash Fiction itself.
The Friday Flash Fiction website www.fridayflashfiction.com is not cost-free to operate, but we do not charge our authors. Instead we rely on sponsorship from Comely Bank Publishing, and Dean Park Press, our sister publishers in Edinburgh, Scotland. It pays the costs of hosting our website, and it sponsors the annual Christmas Competition, but it receives nothing in return. Winning or short-listed stories are very occasionally posted there, too, on the same non-exclusive terms as Friday Flash Fiction itself.
