The Dragon's Pen Annual Anthology
Each year we aim to publish an anthology of Dragon's Pen's members - short stories, poems and flash fiction. For the artistic members, this is your chance to submit a cover design.
The 2027 Anthology
THEME
Dragon or Dragons, interpret as you wish
PARTICIPATIONInclusion in the book is only open to Dragon’s Pen members and free for all for members. Your story should be no longer than 10,000 words. Poetry, flash fiction, and illustration submissions also welcome.
DEADLINE and rules
- Your final draft must be submitted by November 30th, 2026. Submission by email to vicky@dragonspen.com Please include a head-shot and bio with your final submission. If you want help drafting your story, please join the writers group - (online or in-person group)
- Cover illustration - final submission by November 30th, 2026. The image (illustration, painting, photogrpahy etc) will be voted on by members of the association. A gallery of all cover images will be added to this website. The chosen image creator will receive one free copy of the book. They will be credited within the book. Please do your artwork larger than published size - please send an email to debi@dragonspen.com for full specifications. This year, we are looking for designs to fit within a circle, as the base cover template is already designed.
- Illustrations - for any artists wanting to submit illustrations for the Anthology interior pages, please do you artwork larger than published size - please send an email to debi@dragonspen.com for full specifications. Illustrations will be published in black and white in the printed book, but can be colour as an original. Illustrations must be submitted digitally (photographed in high resolution or scanned greyscale at 300dpi, if not originally digital art). Again, ask Debi for technical information if needed.
- No AI is accepted to create content in any submissions, for cover, illustrations or short-form entries.
- Final cover idea chosen by December 10th, 2026 - allowing the artist/designer around 6 to 8 weeks to produce the finished image.
- Publication May/June 2027
- Our book will be released on Amazon and Kindle
Participation is open to Dragon’s Pen members only. Every member has the right to submit something to be included. It will only be rejected if it goes against KDP rules or Dragon's Pen rules. Members can submit more than one thing, but only guaranteed one inclusion, depending on space.
Theme: All stories must adhere to the theme: 'Dragons'
Submission Guidelines: Maximum word count: 10,000 words. Poetry and flash fiction are also welcome.
All submissions must be in Word (.doc/.docx). Final submissions must be accompanied by a head-shot and a short author/artist bio written in the third person. Bios may include links to websites and social media profiles.
Deadline: All submissions of final draft must be emailed to vicky@dragonspen.com by November 30th, 2026 at 23:59.
Late submissions will not be accepted.
Editing: The editorial team reserves the right to make minor edits for grammar, spelling, and formatting. Substantive changes will be discussed with the author/artist.
Design & Marketing: Everyone involved can discuss the design of the anthology, but the final decision lies with the board of directors. Dragon’s Pen may use quotes, excerpts, and promotional images from your story or bio to market the anthology and related events.
Renumeration: Each participating author/artist will receive one physical copy of the anthology. All other funds raised through sales will be used to support future Dragon’s Pen events.
Rights: Authors/artists retain full rights to their work but grant Dragon’s Pen permission to include the story in the anthology and to publish excerpts on this website and social media - full credits will be given.
Originality: All submissions must be the original work of the author/artist and must not have been previously published in any form, including but not limited to online platforms, blogs, or other anthologies. AI-generated content will not be accepted for either short-form entries , illustrations or the cover design. The author/artist is responsible for ensuring their submission does not infringe on any copyright or intellectual property rights.