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SUBMISSION CALL

NEXT SNAFU DETAILS

SNAFU: LEVEL UP

Submissions open on 1 December, 2025. Submissions then close on 31 March, 2026.

AUS 5c / Word: 2.5k - 9.5k words

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A NEW GENRE

LitRPG

It’s your last chance, and what you’ve got just ain’t cutting it. You need to improve, progress, to get better than you are if you want to win this battle. It’s time. It’s time to… level up!

 

SNAFU: Level Up is filled with tales of champions and heroes, villains and monsters, all fighting to beat the other into paste.

 

Our reality, alternate worlds, wherever our defenders aren’t quite good enough, watch as they raise themselves to the level they need to be, or more in some cases.

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LitRPG is the new wave in writing, thanks to series like Dungeon Crawler Carl and He Who Fights with Monsters, so we’re giving you some of the best in the genre for your pure enjoyment. And our enjoyment, too, because we love what we do.

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WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

YOUR SUBMISSION

Give us a litRPG-style story, where characters gain skills and level up their abilities during the combat WITH HORRENDOUS BEASTS (remember, this is still a SNAFU, and if you don’t know what we like, you can sign up for our mailing list and get a free copy of SNAFU: Comms. Or, you know, buy a book).

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NOTE: For this SNAFU volume, we encourage both fantasy and tech litRPG, as well as horror. So long as it's violent, we're happy. 

THE GENRE

WHAT IS LitRPG?

LitRPG stories are set with the mechanics of role-playing games (RPGs), often showing the protagonist interacting directly with or progressing within a game-like world. The inclusion of explicit game mechanics, unlike in traditional horror, is a key characteristic that will set this genre apart. And monsters. Lots of blood, combat, screaming, and monsters.

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KEY ELEMENTS OF

LitRPG STORIES

  • The story should include visible game mechanics like experience points, skills, status screens, weapon acquisition/mastery, and health bars. The way you incorporate these is up to you and what you think suits the story. Don’t allow it to get clunky, though. Integrate it as seamlessly as you can.

  • The main character is typically aware of and actively uses the game's rules to progress their abilities and succeed.

  • The path to advancement is clearly defined through systems like leveling up, acquiring new skills, gear and weapons procurement, or completing quests (A quest is a good way to outline a short story).

  • The narrative can be set in any world that has suddenly adopted game-like rules. It can be DnD-like fantasy or it can be set in our world, but it should contain elements of horror.

  • Characters often understand they are in a game or game-like system and their success depends on mastering it.

  • - Dungeon Crawler Carl

    - He Who Fights with Monsters

    - Defiance of the Fall

    - Mark of the Fool (progression fantasy)

    MORE - https://www.ign.com/articles/best-litrpg-book-series

WHAT WE WANT

ACTION-BASED HORROR

Please ensure the action is central to the story, from start to finish, and don’t forget monsters! It really should be in the style of fantasy and/or horror-based action.

RANDOM-THING

Please begin your cover email with ‘G'day Geoff (I survived the apocalypse)’. This is for two reasons. One, I hate being called Mr Brown. Two, I wanted to make sure you are reading these guidelines. No proper greeting, we won’t read your work. We will delete and not respond to your email.

 

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And to say it again, full action. Nothing less. Hoo-rah!

We actively encourage submissions from all cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, and identities. Storytelling is for everyone, and we are richer for it when all voices are heard.

WHAT WE DO NOT WANT AT ALL

RAPE AS A PLOT DEVICE/BACKSTORY
RACISM, BIGOTRY, MISOGYNY OF ANY KIND IN THE NARRATIVE VOICE
CHILD ABUSE/PAEDOPHILIA (CAN'T BELIEVE WE HAVE TO SAY THIS, BUT WE DO)
RAPE AS A PLOT DEVICE/BACKSTORY (YES, WE HAVE TO SAY THIS TWICE)
FANFICTION OR DERIVATIVES

GUIDELINES

  • Standard submission format, with minimal document formatting - www.shunn.net/format/story/

  • Courier, Palatino Linotype, or Times New Roman set at 12pt

  • Italics as they should appear, no underlining

  • Please don't use TAB or space bar to indent. Use STYLES (if you're unsure, Google is your friend)

  • NO SPACE between paragraphs unless a line-break is required. ONE SPACE after full stops

  • Please put full contact details on the first page of the manuscript (yes, I said this twice… it’s important)

  • Send your submission to Geoff Brown at editor@cohesionpress.com as an attachment (.doc/.rtf only)​

  • In the subject line of your email, please put SNAFU: [STORY TITLE] (Replace [STORY TITLE] with your actual story title. (Yes, unfortunately I do need to say this)​ Example – SNAFU: Varmint Control​

  • NO MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS, NO SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS, NO REPRINTS​

  • Please include a brief ‘hello, this is who I am’ in your email body as a cover letter. It doesn’t have to be long, and if you’re unpublished as of yet, don’t feel you will be treated differently without a list of prior publications. Just say hello.​

  • Blank emails with attachments will be deleted.

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