Publishing for Free with StoryForge
To be published with StoryForge, you’ll need to write and develop your manuscript on the StoryForge platform—a completely free to use place to work and store all your notes. Plus, it’s also a safe space to gather early feedback, and read other authors’ work.
As you do all of this, you’ll level up your story—literally. Your story will level up along the Legendary Path to Publication, and you’ll be able to see it progress.
Submission & Approval
Think you’re up to the task? Complete the Legendary path, and we guarantee your work will be reviewed by our publishing team. We’re eager to publish a variety of stories. This final step helps us ensure quality, and that it agrees with our terms and conditions.
It is free to submit your story, and we’ll try to respond to your submission within a month—whether you’re approved or not.
What Are We Looking For?
StoryForge is open to a variety of formats and genres, though we are currently prioritizing fiction for young adult and adult audiences.
All stories should be submitted from within StoryForge, after they have completed the Legendary Path.
Our team champions under-represented voices, so we’d love to hear from authors who have trouble finding representation from traditional agents and publishers, as well as stories which shine a light on topics and places that aren’t given enough of the spotlight.
Compensation & Distribution
Authors keep 60% of the book’s net profit across digital and print sales. That’s up to 50% more than some other traditional publishing houses, who force authors to jump through hoops just to make a fraction of what the book earns.
StoryForge distributes eBooks and physical copies through a number of storefronts including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Walmart, Gardners, and many others—including on StoryForge’s website.
Getting into physical stores is another matter, even if your book is available through Barnes & Noble that doesn’t mean the bookseller will order copies for their shelves. We encourage you to reach out to local and independent booksellers, and will help where we can!
Submission Requirements
StoryForge is currently accepting submissions through the Legendary Path to Publishing, using the StoryForge platform! All of the tools to progress along the Legendary Path and submit your work once it’s completed are available for free on StoryForge.
Log in, or create an account to get started!
Publishing FAQ
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We’ll try to respond within a month. If you don’t hear from us by then, it may be that we’re getting a lot of submissions! If your manuscript is not accepted, we will make sure to inform you of that, as well as why it was rejected, and if you’re eligible to resubmit.
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Please tell us immediately so we can take it out of consideration. We devote a lot of time to reading and reviewing each submission, and we don’t want to spend that time on a story you’ve already decided to publish elsewhere.
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Sales reports and royalty payments are provided to the author quarterly. The author will receive 60% of the book’s net profit across digital and print sales. StoryForge does not offer advance payments.
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Your choice! You don’t need to hire an editor. The StoryForge community will help review your work during the Legendary Path, and we will provide one for you if your manuscript is accepted for publication. However, you certainly can get one if you would like to.
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No. StoryForge has a firm policy against using generative AI. That extends to the stories we publish as well. We will deny any story that was created with generative AI, and we will not use it during the production of a book that we accept.
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StoryForge maintains exclusive worldwide rights to all print and digital editions for five years. After five years, the contract renews annually. The author may request to cancel it at any time during the annual renewal period. The author retains audio and translation rights.
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No. There is no fee for submitting to publish your work, nor is there a fee for any of the writing and reading tools on StoryForge. If your manuscript is approved for publication, there is no cost. StoryForge takes on the financial responsibility of producing the book once it is accepted, including the editing, cover art and design, formatting, and distribution.
For any questions that aren’t answered here, you can contact us at publishing@storyforge.com.