NOTE: CHORTLE SUBMISSIONS WILL REOPEN IN FEBRUARY 2026
If you would like to be notified when they reopen, sign up for our writers list by clicking the button below. (Please note this is a different list from our regular newsletter.)
HELLO FUNNY PEOPLE!
I'm Greg, the founder and editor of Chortle.
We publish short humor pieces three times a week, including paid pieces from guest contributors. We have recently revised our submission process and now accept work on requested topics via submissions every 1-2 months.
Click the button below to receive an email update when the next submission period opens.
To get a sense of what I’m looking for, I highly recommend reading some of our previous work before submitting. We’ve published over 400 posts from 70+ writers—check out our most popular posts and previous guest posts to see what lands.
You can also subscribe for free using the button below, or help us publish more work by becoming a paid subscriber.
FAQ
What is Chortle?
I answer that question right here.
What kind of work do we publish?
Short humor.
We can only consider completed work (no pitches).
We’re unable to consider previously published work (including personal Substacks).
Comics and other multimedia are welcome.
Pieces We Like…
…have a clean comedic premise that is clear within the first paragraph.
…build and escalate throughout.
…are tightly written without extra fluff.
…show off a unique voice or perspective.
Pieces We Don’t Like…
…have no clear focus.
…do not have enough jokes.
…require extensive setup to reach the funny part.
…cover well-worn topics or points of view.
…consist mostly of dialogue and/or are written like a script.
Resources
If you’re looking for ways to improve your humor writing, here are several resources that I’ve found helpful:
Scott Dikkers of No Dikkering Around is a former editor of The Onion, and has written several books on humor writing—including the elegantly title How to Write Funny.
Writer Alex Baia has a helpful newsletter called Comedy Bizarre and also put together a great (free!) PDF called The Ultimate Humor Writing Cheat Sheet.
Julie Vick’s newsletter Humor Me is full of great advice and submission opportunities.
McSweeney’s Submission Guidelines include a good general overview of things to think about when submitting humor pieces. It also includes helpful links like this and this.
Questions? Comments?
Feel free to email me directly.