Honest answers

A new contest that charges a fee should be able to answer these. Here's ours.

Who runs this?

I do. I'm Jonathan Fox, the editor. The Quarry Press is a literary magazine I'm building, and its contests are how it finds its stories and pays its way.

Jonathan Fox has written stories since third grade and has spent years studying how they work. Story Development is his running account of what he's learned.

I'm not a famous author. Here's what I can offer: a close read and one honest note.

You can reach me at hello@thequarry.press. I read every message.

Who reads my story?

I read every story, and I pick every winner. Judging is blind: I see an entry number, not your name. The entry form says this before you pay:

Every story is read and judged by Jonathan. Claude, an AI assistant, also reads each entry to help him write feedback. Entries are never used to train AI models, and an AI never decides who wins.

Is the prize real?

Yes. Every contest states its prize when it's announced, and once it opens we can't change its terms against the writers who've entered. The regular contest says: “The winner receives $200 or half the entry fees, whichever is more.”

The fixed amount is guaranteed: we pay it however few stories come in.

The prize goes to the winner, paid by PayPal (or by Wise, if PayPal isn't possible), within 30 days of results and usually much sooner. The details are in section 8 of the Terms of Entry.

Where does my $15 go?

$15 buys one entry credit. Part of it is the prize: in the regular contest, half the entry fees comes to $7.50 for every story entered. When few stories come in, the guaranteed amount comes out of our own pocket.

The rest pays for running the magazine: the site and its hosting, Stripe's cut of each payment, email, and the time it takes to read every story and write its feedback.

When do results and feedback arrive?

On the contest's results day, 10 days after it closes, every writer hears privately how their story placed, with a paragraph of written feedback on the one change that would most improve it. The next results day is January 24, 2027.

The winner and runners-up are published in the next issue, and their placings become public when it comes out. How a contest runs, step by step, is in the Rules.

What rights do I keep?

You keep the copyright in your story, always, and a story that doesn't place gives us nothing. A winner or runner-up gives us the right to publish it first, online, for a limited time; section 9 of the Terms of Entry sets out exactly what that means.

Can I get my money back?

Yes: an unused credit within 30 days of buying it, and a used one until its contest closes, which withdraws the story. Credits never expire, and if a contest fills up, your credit waits for the next one. See Can I get a refund? in the Rules.

Can I send my story elsewhere too?

Yes, simultaneous submissions are welcome. If it's accepted somewhere else before results, tell us and we'll withdraw it.

What's the beta?

Until the first contest opens January 1, 2027, a short beta round runs every week, on the same rules as the real contest.

• It's free. Checkout is in Stripe's test mode: pay with card 4242 4242 4242 4242, any future date and any CVC. Nothing is charged, and a real card won't work.
• Beta rounds pay no prize. Winners and runners-up are still published in that week's issue.
• Jonathan reads every story and picks the winners. Feedback isn't promised in the beta; from the first real contest, every entry gets written feedback.
• Jonathan enters some of his own stories, openly and under his own name, so every round has a few entries. They go through every step, but they never place.
• Beta credits end when the beta does. Everyone who entered a beta round gets one free entry into the first real contest.

Why should I trust a magazine this new?

You shouldn't have to take my word for it, so here's what you can check: the Rules & FAQ, the Terms of Entry and the Privacy page are public, every issue is on the site, and every winner is named in one. I post where things stand in my editor's notes.

If something here turns out not to be true, tell me at hello@thequarry.press and I'll fix it.

—Jonathan