Black Library Open Submissions 2025

[Maque]

Just submitted my Black Library Open Submissions entry for this year. Looking forward to be able to share it once the competition's concluded. 

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on this year's challenge - 'clash - a meeting of two iconic characters in a situation of your choice, be that a vicious duel, a blazing argument or a cerebral debate'.

 

Which characters did you choose? Any thoughts on the limitations (setting, must be a pre-existing model)? When the time comes, feel free to share your entries too. 

[grailkeeper]

I went with Captain Tycho meeting Horus in Armageddon. Well he thinks he's meeting him. It's actually the black rage.

 

Clash is a very wide challenge. It's hard to imagine a story written for Black Library submissions that doesn't fall into this category. I think the real challenge was the geographic locations. But its not a particularly hard challenge. I think the restriction about characters who have a model was a very sensible one.

 

Overall I think they are looking to see if they can get writers who meet the brief. We had some of the stories from the last entry go on sale. I doubt stories about two random characters meeting will sell as well as ones about obscure chapters. 

[Mazer Rackham]

1 hour ago, grailkeeper said:

We had some of the stories from the last entry go on sale. I doubt stories about two random characters meeting will sell as well as ones about obscure chapters. 

 

Bah! Everyone knows about my Human-Aeldari Tau Fire Warrior Commander Shas'O Malcolm 'Knife-Ears' McTavish! It'll make a fortune, I tell you!

 

Seriously though, I agree with @grailkeeper - although the brief was challenging in it's own way, IMHO, since established characters can feel flat, and there's a lot of backstory to learn if you've never really delved into them (or been interested - then it becomes revision..!).

 

Thankfully, I have had a few dalliances with my chosen pair of crazies: Drazhar and Jain Zar, at Commorragh.

 

Spoiler

Darmok and Jihlad, at Tenegra. With whips and corsetry.

 

[wecanhaveallthree]

From the start it was always going to be Cato and Haarken on Vigilus. I just love the duality of these two: Cato has been the successor-in-waiting for the Ultramarines for so long now, but Calgar just won't die, and now he's been yoinked out to be Guilliman's equerry he's guaranteed to never be Chapter Master. He was supposed to be royalty on Talassar, he was supposed to be Chapter Master, but he just keeps getting stuck in other people's shadows. 

 

Haarken is Abaddon's hype-man, a Worldclaimer who has literally nothing to show for it. Dude has clearly spent his life looking for meaning (and gone somewhat loopy in doing so) - anyone who is looking for wisdom in Angron's clotted scrolls has, uh, possibly not got the best sense of direction. He drank Abaddon's kool-aid, the brotherhood and ambition, and now he's got essentially no agency of his own. From warband leader and Raptor Lord to effectively a mouthpiece for the Despoiler. How does he really feel about that?

 

I appreciate that the scope was narrower than previous open submissions, especially in terms of locale. Pitching zany stuff is one thing, but being able to write both established characters and within the established setting is a really good filter for prospective authors. Good training for genre fiction writing as a whole, really. I had a good time, I wrote some fun metaphors, I got a positive comparison to Tamsyn Muir (of GIdeon the Ninth fame) which is a very high compliment indeed. 

[Rain]

 

52 minutes ago, wecanhaveallthree said:

From the start it was always going to be Cato and Haarken on Vigilus. I just love the duality of these two: Cato has been the successor-in-waiting for the Ultramarines for so long now, but Calgar just won't die, and now he's been yoinked out to be Guilliman's equerry he's guaranteed to never be Chapter Master. He was supposed to be royalty on Talassar, he was supposed to be Chapter Master, but he just keeps getting stuck in other people's shadows. 

 

Haarken is Abaddon's hype-man, a Worldclaimer who has literally nothing to show for it. Dude has clearly spent his life looking for meaning (and gone somewhat loopy in doing so) - anyone who is looking for wisdom in Angron's clotted scrolls has, uh, possibly not got the best sense of direction. He drank Abaddon's kool-aid, the brotherhood and ambition, and now he's got essentially no agency of his own. From warband leader and Raptor Lord to effectively a mouthpiece for the Despoiler. How does he really feel about that?

 

I appreciate that the scope was narrower than previous open submissions, especially in terms of locale. Pitching zany stuff is one thing, but being able to write both established characters and within the established setting is a really good filter for prospective authors. Good training for genre fiction writing as a whole, really. I had a good time, I wrote some fun metaphors, I got a positive comparison to Tamsyn Muir (of GIdeon the Ninth fame) which is a very high compliment indeed. 

This is a pretty neat idea. Contrasting two “always the bridesmaid” characters that haven’t seen much development otherwise. As an aside, ADB’s portrayal of Abaddon is probably my favorite ADB character, and the implication that Abaddon may be using promises of brotherhood as a form or manipulation is one of the most interesting themes in Chaos writing, so more of that is always good.

 

PS: It’s a little known fact, but Angron is a prolific author. The Clotted Scrolls, War and War, A Tale of Two Sickles, The Slasher in the Rye, and many other classics.

 

 

[Dalmyth]

I ended up going with Shrike and Invocatus on Vigilus. Mainly because Invocatus doesn't have too much behind him, but I think World Eaters and Raven Guard would be a fun combination. A mix of ambushes and tactics with a fun little chase throughout the hive spires. Offering a fun bit of action with what seemed like a rare matchup.

[Malkydel]

I did one just as a writing exercise and ended up writing Trazyn and Creed on Vigilus.

[grailkeeper]

2 hours ago, Malkydel said:

I did one just as a writing exercise and ended up writing Trazyn and Creed on Vigilus.

Times are tough if actual BL authors also have to go through the open submissions.

[Malkydel]

2 hours ago, grailkeeper said:

Times are tough if actual BL authors also have to go through the open submissions.

As I said, just a writing exercise. Didn't actually submit it. :P

[grailkeeper]

Has anyone heard anything yet? I have not.

 

100 working days from the day submissions opened is next week- the 17th. I, and a few others here, submitted on the first day. 

 

100 working days from the last day is the 31st of this month.

 

I suspect that I was probably one of the first entries they read, and if they liked what they saw they'd probably have been in touch by now.

[byrd9999]

I haven't heard anything and I submitted near the middle of the period.

 

I guess they weren't so keen on mine either?

[Denny]

I submitted two entries in 2018.

 

I got a rejection on the first pitch within a couple of weeks, but it took a few months to get a positive response to the other pitch (I’d given up by then, so was very surprised when the message popped up).

 

No doubt the process has changed significantly since then, and I have zero insights into how it works. But I’d try and resist the urge to infer too much at this stage.

 

(Though I totally would if I was waiting)

[wecanhaveallthree]

Yeah, I wouldn't read anything into it. I'm still waiting to hear back on my submission from '23. Any day now, I'm sure - perhaps they've just been getting the movie rights in order first.

[Denny]

I had a look through my emails from 2018.

 

i sent my submission in April and got a rejection for one pitch about a week later. i got an ‘Hi Denny, let’s talk about your other pitch’ in November. 
 

No idea how long it will take now (AI submissions are, I assume, a big problem now). I know *nothing* about how the BL are processing stuff now, and it’s quite possible they have already made their selections. But it can take a while. 
 

Good luck all.

[grailkeeper]

It's now 100 days since the close of submissions.

 

Did anyone hear anything back at all?

[Mordred]

On 7/14/2025 at 12:20 PM, Denny said:

I had a look through my emails from 2018.

 

i sent my submission in April and got a rejection for one pitch about a week later. i got an ‘Hi Denny, let’s talk about your other pitch’ in November. 
 

No idea how long it will take now (AI submissions are, I assume, a big problem now). I know *nothing* about how the BL are processing stuff now, and it’s quite possible they have already made their selections. But it can take a while. 
 

Good luck all.

 Nice insight, it's sometimes helpful just to have an idea of what's going on, to stop your stress levels peaking.

 

Not that I've put a submission in, but I can liken it to waiting to finding out about a job interview, when they make you wait over the weekend - absolute killer.

[grailkeeper]

TBH having just silence feels a bit disrespectful. Even just a "Thank you very much for your entry, unfortunately BL received many entries and will not be proceeding any further with yours." would be appreciated. I'm sure they have thousands of entries, which must be harder to sift through in the era of AI. I still feel that "Take silence as a no" should be there to cover people who fell through the cracks, rather than a default. After all most of the people entering are die-hard fans and consumers of their products. 

 

I might post my entry in the fan fiction section of the website. I'd like to get feedback on it. 

[wecanhaveallthree]

In all seriousness, I got my rejection letter for '23 in mid-June (the submission window closed early Feb, iirc). The volume of entries is huge and has only increased over the years, and digging through AI guff has to add to that workload enormously. I would suggest that 'no news is good news' - you will hear back, eventually, one way or another. I'd also suggest not to stress over it. Checking your inbox twenty times a day might ensure you're follically prepared to join the Black Library, but it'll do you no good otherwise. 

 

Que sera, sera. Keep writing, keep irons in the fire elsewhere, keep improving!

[grailkeeper]

1 hour ago, wecanhaveallthree said:

 you're follically prepared to join the Black Library

The one downside to having a full, luscious, head of hair.

[Mazer Rackham]

6 hours ago, grailkeeper said:

TBH having just silence feels a bit disrespectful. Even just a "Thank you very much for your entry, unfortunately BL received many entries and will not be proceeding any further with yours." would be appreciated. I'm sure they have thousands of entries, which must be harder to sift through in the era of AI. I still feel that "Take silence as a no" should be there to cover people who fell through the cracks, rather than a default. After all most of the people entering are die-hard fans and consumers of their products. 

 

Silence is virtually industry standard, unfortunately. So much so, that Literary Agents have it on their website as preamble: 'If you don't hear in six weeks, assume we're not interested.'

 

I've got stuff out for submission now, and it's past deadline with some places. The game was rigged from the start...

 

6 hours ago, grailkeeper said:

I might post my entry in the fan fiction section of the website. I'd like to get feedback on it. 

 

Give it a couple of weeks yet, to make sure.

[grailkeeper]

Just go my PFO. I think they'll send out a whole wave of them at once .

[Mazer Rackham]

Just got my reply in today, so I reckon a slew of them will be coming out.

 

'Dear Mr Rackham,

 

Due to your incredible imaginative use of Tom Cruise in a Submarine during the battle of Armageddon, we have decided you are the perfect man for referral to an Imperial Asylum. Please note legal documentation is being forwarded to you which prevents you coming within 400 miles of GW HQ. We thank you for your interest in us, and continue to hope you will stay away.

 

Yours MOST Sincerely,

 

James Workshop, Esq.'

 

I mean, reading between the lines there a bit, but it's obvious they turned me down with great reluctance.

[grailkeeper]

28 minutes ago, Mazer Rackham said:

Just got my reply in today, so I reckon a slew of them will be coming out.

 

'Dear Mr Rackham,

 

Due to your incredible imaginative use of Tom Cruise in a Submarine during the battle of Armageddon, we have decided you are the perfect man for referral to an Imperial Asylum. Please note legal documentation is being forwarded to you which prevents you coming within 400 miles of GW HQ. We thank you for your interest in us, and continue to hope you will stay away.

 

Yours MOST Sincerely,

 

James Workshop, Esq.'

 

I mean, reading between the lines there a bit, but it's obvious they turned me down with great reluctance.

 

 

Your story has to be based on GW miniature. Tom Cruise is miniature generally but I dont think he's one of theirs. 

[101010001]

The rejection arrived today just before lunch so I assume they are sending them out now, in bulk.

 

My story? Lion and Guilliman sitting on Vigilus talking about how the Imperium got so messed up in their absence. A brother to brother talk. No action. That might have been a mistake on many levels.

 

I wish they had not released the Nachmund crusade book right before the submission deadline. That changed things a bit. Adaptation needed.

 

It was not the story I had wanted to write or had prepared for this Open. But they rug-pulled me at the end with the characters and the location. Both good limits. But it was to much to change what I had already written so I had to do something else, my other stories had to many characters or was already to long.

 

It was a bit unclear if the story was just supposed to be a scene or a passage or if you were supposed to fit an entire story into 500 words with a beginning and an end. Or if it could just be hanging. The biggest hurdle with such a limited word count is that things have to go. No fluff. No descriptions of anything. They might as well just sit in a blank room without features.

 

I wish GW had sent an email when you submitted it instead of just saying it on the page. Just so you knew they had received it, and you had typed in the right email.

 

That said. I guess I'll lurk on until 2027.

 

[The Scorpion]

On 3/9/2025 at 8:22 PM, Rain said:

 

This is a pretty neat idea. Contrasting two “always the bridesmaid” characters that haven’t seen much development otherwise. As an aside, ADB’s portrayal of Abaddon is probably my favorite ADB character, and the implication that Abaddon may be using promises of brotherhood as a form or manipulation is one of the most interesting themes in Chaos writing, so more of that is always good.

 

PS: It’s a little known fact, but Angron is a prolific author. The Clotted Scrolls, War and War, A Tale of Two Sickles, The Slasher in the Rye, and many other classics.

 

 

Not only are they the bridesmaid. Cato is also a hypeman in many ways, which makes for a very cool dynamic.

 

This pairing was top tier. I think this fella has the best chances to get past the library's dark gates