Submissions
Ursa is dedicated to celebrating outstanding storytelling, with an emphasis on spotlighting underrepresented voices.
We are a podcasting company and production studio, so we are always looking to work with writers, artists, voice actors, musicians, and audio producers — as well as other book and literary magazine publishers.
We are always looking for emerging talent, so it’s just as important to us what you want to do as it is what you’ve already done.
For general inquiries and submissions, you can reach us at hello [at] ursastory.com.
First, Do This.
Listen to our podcast, Ursa Short Fiction, and check out our author conversations on Instagram to get a taste for the kind of stories, essays, and writers we feature.
Original Submission Guidelines
It is absolutely free to submit your work to Ursa.
Because we are a small team, we are unable to respond individually to story submissions unless we are able to move forward with producing or publishing them.
Because of this fact — and because we currently produce a very small number of original audio stories each year — we highly recommend that you submit your work simultaneously to other publications. A great service for finding other publications is ChillSubs.com.
For all submissions, please use the appropriate subject line, and tell us a little bit about yourself, with links to any relevant information about you and your work. Multiple story submissions are okay.
For our original audio stories, we use Submittable for submissions. You can get the most updated information there:
What Makes an Ursa Story?
Because we produce stories to be read and heard, we love stories that will work well in both formats. (Our audio stories will be produced with a single narrator — this person can be a proxy for the main character, or not.)
We are currently focused on literary fiction and satire, but we will happily make exceptions if you have a character-driven genre story. We are looking for stories that take risks, that are provocative and demonstrate a unique voice. We like stories that thrill.
Our Original Story Rates & Agreements
Ursa currently pays 8 cents per word for original short fiction, in line with the professional rate for the Science Fiction Writers of America.
We will offer a premium bonus on stories if you are interested in partnering with us on other adaptations together, but in all cases, these partnerships are limited in scope.
If Your Story Is Selected
We will work collaboratively with you on all aspects of the story — from art to voice acting.
Previously Published Stories (Ongoing)
We are currently featuring interviews with writers of both nonfiction and fiction — essays, short stories, nonfiction, and novels — for Ursa’s Instagram and TikTok reading series.
If you would like to be considered for a future author reading and interview, please send us an email at hello [at] ursastory.com, to tell us about yourself and what you’d like to read.
We regret that we can’t reply to every email, and we will get in touch if we are able to feature you.