Submission Guidelines
We'd love to read your work. Here's how to submit.
HELLO FUNNY PEOPLE!
I'm Greg, the founder and editor of Chortle.
We’re always on the lookout for sharp, focused humor pieces from new writers. We’re able to pay $40 for each piece we publish. If you’d like to submit, please continue reading until the end of this post!
To get an idea of the kind of writing we like, I highly recommend reading some of our published work before submitting. Some places to start include our most popular posts and previous guest posts.
You can also subscribe for free using the button below.
What is Chortle?
The short answer: we publish a new short humor piece every weekday. To learn more, read our About page.
Basic Submission Guidelines
600 words or less.
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.
We read every submission and generally respond within 10 days.
Please do not submit multiple pieces within the same time period.
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.
SUBMIT HERE
If you have something that fits these guidelines, I invite you to send it my way via the button below, which will take you to a Google form.
ONE LAST NOTE: Please keep in mind that comedy is highly subjective. I’ve learned this from the many, MANY times that my own writing (which is *always hilarious*) has been rejected. In other words, please don’t take a thumbs-down personally—and feel free to submit something else.
I look forward to reading your work!
Resources
If you’re looking for ways to improve your writing, here are several resources that I’ve fond helpful:
- of is a former editor of The Onion, and has written several books on humor writing—including the elegantly title How to Write Funny.
Writer
has a helpful newsletter called and also put together a great (free!) PDF called The Ultimate Humor Writing Cheat Sheet.- ’s newsletter 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.