Not Public Open Calls
These are not public open calls. BoT Press is invite-only by design. If a project interests you, you may request consideration using the “Request an Invitation” process on this site.
We invite writers who can deliver clean craft, sharp choices, and real consequences. No credentials required—just proof.
INK & BLOOD: 1776–2026 is an anthology marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. In celebration of President’s Day, Blood of Tyrants Press is inviting submissions of short stories and essays that examine the cost of freedom and the resolve required to maintain it.
How to participate
This mobilization is invite-only. To request an invitation, use the Contact page with:
- a short note: who you are + why this project fits you
- one writing sample (published or unpublished)
If selected, you’ll receive submission instructions.
Timeline
- Invite requests by: April 15, 2026
- Manuscripts due: May 1, 2026
- Notifications by: May 20, 2026
- Target release: Late June 2026 (ahead of July 4)
This invitation is for proud Americans—and friends of the American experiment—who aren’t embarrassed by the idea that a nation can be loved the way a family is loved: not blindly, not perfectly, but loyally—and on purpose.
We’re not looking for irony. We’re not looking for sneering “deconstructions.” We’re looking for work that can inspire proud Americans—work that treats nationalism as a commitment to a people and a heritage anchored to principles: human dignity, free expression, self-government, and earned prosperity. And yes: when those things are threatened, the tone hardens. Call it jingoism if you want. We call it the posture a free people take when the door is kicked.
What to write
Bring us stories and essays built around a hard choice—the hinge moment where someone decides whether to:
- speak or stay silent
- stand or kneel
- defend liberty or trade it for safety
- protect what they inherited or let it be quietly taken
Make it real
- Courage and sacrifice should feel earned, not staged
- Show consequences, not speeches
- Favor human truth over rhetoric and slogans
- Ordinary people matter here: founders and the forgotten, soldiers and civilians, parents and pastors, workers and wanderers—anyone who decides the line is here
Scope and Form
Historical, modern, and speculative are all welcome—especially futures where freedom is regulated, hunted, ridiculed, or priced out of reach… and someone preserves it anyway.
- Form & length: From poems to essays—microfiction to novellas.
Format
- Manuscript format: Shunn (Classic or Modern)
- File type: .docx preferred (PDF accepted)
- Include on page one: title, author/pen name, word count, and category (Short Story or Essay)
Avoid
- propaganda-by-megaphone (we want story, not sermon)
- strawman villains and cardboard saints
- contempt for the very thing you’re claiming to honor
If you can write with craft—and with conviction—this invitation is for you.
The business side
This is a mission anthology. There is no pay for accepted work. By submitting, contributors are choosing to back BoT Press on purpose: proceeds from this project are used to stand up Blood of Tyrants Press, including acquiring printing and production equipment so we can remain independent of the conventional publishing gate system.
- Print anthology: best-in-class selections
- EPUB releases: additional accepted works
- Website features: short-form and selected pieces suitable for digital publication
- Print editions: $17.76
- EPUB editions on our site: pay-what-you-want
- Rights: non-exclusive distribution only
Fine Print (Read Before You Submit)
Purpose & proceeds. All proceeds from this project go toward kick-starting BoT Press, including printing and production equipment to ensure long-term independence.
Compensation. No monetary compensation is offered. Contributors participate for the mission’s sake and to help stand up BoT Press.
Publication paths. Accepted works may appear in the printed anthology, on the BoT Press website, and/or as BoT Press EPUB releases.
Rights granted. Authors retain copyright. By accepting publication with BoT Press, you grant BoT Press non-exclusive distribution rights to publish, sell, and distribute the work in print and digital formats.
Author distribution (allowed). You may also sell and distribute your work yourself (direct to readers) and via your own accounts (e.g., personal KDP listings and/or personal POD), so long as you remain the publisher of record.
Third-party publishing (not allowed while BoT distributes). You may not place the accepted work with a third-party publisher (press, magazine, anthology publisher, or other publisher of record) during BoT’s distribution term. If you later want to do so, request removal from BoT distribution first; we will respond in good faith.
Edits. BoT Press may perform light edits for clarity, grammar, and consistency. Substantive changes will be coordinated with the author.
Promotion. BoT Press may quote brief excerpts for promotional purposes and will credit the author name/pen name provided.
Note: This summary is written for clarity, not as legal advice. If a specific edge case matters to you, ask before submitting.
Blood of Tyrants Press
BoT Press exists to publish work with a spine—and to keep it publishable even when outside pressure would rather it vanish. We welcome a wide range of stories and subjects across fiction and nonfiction, but we’re not neutral about first principles: BoT stands inside a pro-Western, pro-American frame that takes human dignity, free expression, and free enterprise seriously. We don’t run ideological compliance checks, and we don’t let gatekeepers, mobs, or institutions decide what our authors are “allowed” to say. If your work is built on contempt for those foundations, there are plenty of other homes for it—BoT isn’t one.
To request consideration for current mobilizations, use the “Request an Invitation” link above.
Read our founding principles: The Declaration of Creative Independence.