Fiction
Overtime (Workers Write!)
Overtime, the one-story chapbook series from Workers Write!, pays $40 to $60 per story, depending on length and rights available. It wants stories of 5,000 to 10,000 words with work as a central theme, and will consider serialising novels about the workplace by query first. Send a query or the full story to overtime@workerswritejournal.com or by post; the page refuses work generated or co-written by AI, and states no submission fee.
🟢 Currently accepting Verified 2026-10
The docket
The nine things that decide whether a pitch is worth sending. Every answer below is either taken from the publication’s own guideline or computed by BRYME from the 300-publication desk. Where the publication does not say, the docket says so instead of filling the gap in.
- Payment
- $40-$60 per story, depending on length and rights availableOf the other 50 records based in the United States that state a flat-fee figure, 15 state less, 34 state more, 1 state exactly this.
- Length
- Stories of 5,000 to 10,000 words with work as a central theme; novels about the workplace by query first.
- Who can submit
- Not statedNo stated country restriction on the guidelines page.
- Reading period
- Not yet assessedBRYME has not recorded a reading period for this market from its guideline page. That is our gap rather than the publication's silence: it does not mean the window is open, and it does not mean there is none. Read the guideline linked on this page before you send.
- Response time
- Not statedNo response time recorded. A follow-up after two to three weeks is reasonable; silence past that is a soft no, not a rejection.
- Simultaneous submissions
- Not statedThe guideline does not address simultaneous submissions. BRYME records that as silence rather than assuming a yes: if you are sending the same piece to several publications, say so in your cover letter and withdraw it everywhere the moment it is taken.
- AI policy
- AI-assisted work is prohibitedThe guideline forbids AI-generated or AI-assisted writing.
- Rights
- Not statedBRYME records that 159 of the 300 publications on this desk state their terms. This one does not. Ask what rights you are assigning, for how long and for what territory, before you sign anything.
- Experience
- Not statedThe guideline sets no experience requirement. BRYME records that as silence, not as a welcome — a first-time writer is not excluded, but nor are they invited.
What this record does not tell you
This publication leaves 6 of the nine questions unanswered. BRYME publishes that gap instead of filling it — a generated answer would look complete and cost you a pitch.
- Who can submit — the guideline leaves this open, so ask before you spend an evening on the pitch rather than assuming a yes.
- Reading period — no window recorded yet, so check the guideline before you pitch rather than assuming it is open.
- Response time — expect to wait blind, and keep other pitches live.
- Simultaneous submissions — the guideline leaves this open, so declare it in your cover letter rather than assuming.
- Rights — you may be asked to assign more than you expect. Get the terms in writing.
- Experience — look at what kind of writer this publication normally publishes before you pitch; its guideline does not say.
Record last human-checked 2026-10-02. Sources listed at the foot of this page. Figures are compared only against other records based in the United States quoted the same way, so a per-word rate is never ranked against a flat fee.
Quick facts
- Payment
- $40-$60 per story, depending on length and rights available
- Word count
- Stories of 5,000 to 10,000 words with work as a central theme; novels about the workplace by query first.
- Submission
- Email a query or the full story to overtime@workerswritejournal.com, or post it to P.O. Box 250382, Plano, TX 75025-0382.
- International writers
- Yes
- Status
- 🟢 Currently accepting
- Last verified
- 2026-10
What this publication wants
This is BRYME's summary of the publication's focus — not a copy of their website. Type of writing: Fiction. Official guideline: Overtime (Workers Write!) guidelines.
Topics, themes and styles they look for
- Stories of 5,000 to 10,000 words where work is a central theme.
- Stories too long for the Workers Write! series but worthy of publication.
- Queries about serialising novels about the workplace.
Subjects they avoid
- Pieces shorter than 5,000 words or longer than 10,000, unless querying about a novel serialisation.
- Stories in which work is not central to the plot.
- Work generated or co-written by artificial intelligence.
Key requirements
- Read the Overtime page at https://www.workerswritejournal.com/overtime.html before sending.
- Email a query or the full story to overtime@workerswritejournal.com, or post it to P.O. Box 250382, Plano, TX 75025-0382.
- Keep the story between 5,000 and 10,000 words with work as a central theme.
- No fee is stated on the page; subscriptions listed there are for readers.
Who can submit
No stated country restriction on the guidelines page.
Rights
Not publicly stated beyond the note that the rate depends on "length and rights available".
AI policy
Prohibited
How to write for them
Official requirement: always follow the publication's own guideline exactly.
BRYME's practical advice: write for the publication's audience, use a clear structure, keep paragraphs short, lead with a specific angle, and confirm the word count before submitting. These are practical suggestions — they are not the publication's official rules.
How to pitch
Where a pitch is required, this is the general pattern BRYME recommends — always adapt it to the publication's guideline.
- Research the publication and read several recent pieces.
- Choose a specific idea that fits their beat and audience.
- Write a concise subject line naming your idea.
- Introduce yourself in one or two lines (who you are, where you publish).
- Explain the proposed piece in a short paragraph — angle, structure, length.
- Say why it fits this publication.
- Include 2–3 relevant clips or links.
- Close professionally and thank them for their time.
- Send through the official channel only.
Accepting submissions now, with no stated closing date.
How to submit
Email a query or the full story to overtime@workerswritejournal.com, or post it to P.O. Box 250382, Plano, TX 75025-0382.
Apply through the official channel below. BRYME only records submission destinations it has verified.
- Official guideline: opens the publication guideline (new tab)
- Submission: Email a query or the full story to overtime@workerswritejournal.com, or post it to P.O. Box 250382, Plano, TX 75025-0382.
- Submission email: overtime@workerswritejournal.com
What the guideline asks you to prepare
- Read the Overtime page before sending.
- Email a query or full story to overtime@workerswritejournal.com, or send by post.
- Keep the story between 5,000 and 10,000 words, with work as a central theme.
- Query first if you want to serialise a novel about the workplace.
- Note the page refuses writing generated or co-written by AI.
What happens after submission
Expected response: Not publicly stated
If the publication does not state a response time, BRYME records that it is unknown. A follow-up is generally reasonable after a couple of weeks; if there is still no response, treat that as a likely non-acceptance rather than a rejection. Acceptance is normally communicated by the publication. If they accept, they will tell you exactly how to submit the final piece and, for most, how and when payment is made.
Check, question or correct this record
BRYME publishes its working, not just its conclusions. Last human check: 2026-10.