Speculative fiction (or spec fic) is an umbrella term that includes genres like science fiction, fantasy, horror, magical realism, surrealism, folklore-inspired fiction, and alternate history. At Tasavvur, we welcome stories that explore the strange, the uncanny, the otherworldly, or the yet-to-come, especially through South Asian lenses.

Anyone of South Asian origin, heritage, or association can submit speculative fiction to Tasavvur. We interpret “South Asian” broadly, and we welcome diasporic, mixed-heritage, and culturally affiliated writers.
If you’re not South Asian, your speculative story must contain a clear and meaningful South Asian element, whether that’s setting, characters, folklore, language, or cultural influence.

We use an inclusive and expansive definition. This typically includes countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, and Afghanistan, but we’re open to considering writers with cultural ties to neighbouring or underrepresented regions as well.

Nope! As long as you’re a South Asian writer, your story can be set anywhere — on Earth, in the multiverse, in deep space, or in a world of your creation.

Yes, but only if your story is a work of speculative fiction deeply rooted in South Asian elements. Surface-level references aren’t enough. If your story meaningfully engages with South Asian culture, history, language, or speculative tradition, we’d be happy to consider it.

Yes!

• Fiction – We pay 5 cents per word for stories up to 5,000 words.

• Non-fiction – We pay a flat rate of $100 for commissioned pieces.

We try our best to provide some level of feedback on all submissions, especially if the piece was strongly considered or came close to being accepted.

At this time, we do not accept poetry or flash fiction, but we hope to open these categories in the future. Stay tuned!

Tasavvur asks for:
• Exclusive electronic publishing rights for 6 months
• Non-exclusive electronic rights for 1 years
This allows us to feature your work on our website and in our archives, while supporting your long-term creative ownership.

We currently only accept reprints by invitation. We’re particularly interested in stories that were originally published in print or offline platforms and haven’t yet appeared online.

Yes! Our newsletter shares submission announcements, new issue releases, community updates, and more. We respect your inbox and only send updates when there’s something worth sharing.
Join our mailing list for the best of South Asian spec fic, straight to your inbox.

Yes. Tasavvur does not accept stories that promote hate, bigotry, racism, casteism, sexism, homophobia, or transphobia in any form.
If your story includes sensitive themes like abuse, self-harm, violence, sexual assault, or trauma, please include content or trigger warnings at the top of your submission. This helps editors and readers engage with care.

Yes! We welcome illustrators interested in creating original artwork for Tasavvur’s covers and published stories.
To be considered:

• Your work must be original (no stock, templates, or AI tools)

• Send a short bio, portfolio link, and samples

• We’re especially excited to collaborate with South Asian artists or those working with South Asian themes
  We sometimes commission artists per issue or feature them in our gallery or interviews.

No. Tasavvur does not accept any AI-generated writing, images, or artwork — whether fully or partially generated. All work must be created by humans only. This includes tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, DALL·E, etc.
We are committed to supporting authentic, original voices and visions.

Yes! If you’d like to contribute a nonfiction piece, essay, interview, or visual series related to South Asian speculative fiction, email us a short pitch. We love collaborative ideas that expand the ecosystem.