THE ROBOTS ARE HERE TO STAY. THE ONLY QUESTION IS: WILL WE LET THEM TELL OUR STORIES?
I was scrolling on social media when I was accosted by an ad.
“Best gift idea!” it said. “Blow your partner’s mind by giving them the gift of their own story!”
By plugging some answers into a simple prompt, this company will take your money in exchange for a full length book. From cover design to pagination to the story itself.
Do you know how I blew my partner’s mind back in the day? I made him a handmade calendar with a personal little note or picture for every one of those 365 days. Could a computer have done that? Yes. Would it have contained the same heart and meaning? Of course not.
As AI becomes more and more prevalent, forced upon us whether we want it or not, I want to create sanctuaries for human creativity. Like tending a garden in an industrial landscape, we can cultivate spaces where original human thought and expression continue to thrive. I want to honour those of us who believe in the power of the human mind.
So many of us who work and play in the creative space feel threatened by AI. In many ways, our very livelihoods are on the line. And I think the only way to fight back is with the very thing that sets us apart: our voice.
Art has been warning against “the machine” for so long. We need to rally and keep that good fight going. If you’d like to be a soldier in the revolution, take this opportunity to use your voice to evangelize the message of human story-telling. Story has been our weapon since the beginning of time. It will continue to be our weapon as long as there are voices to answer the call.
Chicken House Press, owner/operator
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: ONE OF US IS A ROBOT
A Literary Anthology of Human Creativity
Does the threat of AI frighten you? Are you tired of machine-made narratives? Do you believe that genuine human emotion will never be replicated by a digital brain — an algorithm that can’t leave its fingerprints on the keyboard? Stretch your fingers, crack your knuckles, sharpen your pencils, and shake that gorgeous organic imaginative brain of yours to attention - Chicken House Press wants your stories!
What I’m Looking For
Original, human-crafted short stories that explore the creative tension between artificial and authentic expression. I want to experience an emotional reaction: laughter, tears, rage. I want to feel the humanity of it. Play within the space of human vs. machine while presenting a cautionary tale. The best stories teach us something about ourselves, so ensure yours is rich with subtle meaning. Whether your story is a comedy about a poetry-writing robot that can only speak in rhyme, or a poignant drama about the last human artist in a fully automated world – I want it.
Requirements
Word count: 1,000-4,000 words
Genre: Any, as long as it examines the relationship between human creativity and artificial intelligence
Market: Adult fiction readers
Author: 18+ from Canada or the United States
Deadline: Open until accepted submissions reach 100,000 words of exceptional human-made content
Theme: Stories must engage with the displacement of human creativity by artificial intelligence
Reading Fee: Each submission is subject to the $15 reading fee which will help to supplement publication and marketing costs
ABSOLUTELY NO AI-generated or AI-assisted content. Your story must be 100% human-created
Important Note
By submitting, you certify that your work is entirely human-created, without any AI assistance. Think of this as your chance to prove that the best stories still come from hearts, not servers.
In a world increasingly populated by artificial creativity, your unique human voice matters more than ever. Show us what it means to be irreplaceably human.
Open to submissions from Canada and the US.
All entrants are subject to the reading fee. Uploaded stories that do not match a payment and submission form cannot be considered.
A person may submit more than one story, but each will be subject to a reading fee and separate form.
Submissions must be original, non-published works, and the submitter must be the sole author. Previously published works are not eligible - including publication on a personal website or blog.
Submissions found to be plagiarized will be immediately withdrawn from consideration. Submission fee will not be returned.
This is not a contest. Stories will be read and accepted/rejected on a first come, first served basis. (In the event of an excess amount of stories that resonate, there is potential to apply submissions toward a second volume.)
Stories should be edited to the best of your ability. Poorly edited submissions will not be accepted. Pay special attention to things like tense consistency and superfluous language.
Upon submission, you are giving non-exclusive rights to Chicken House Press to edit and publish your story. Story excerpts may appear on the CHP website and in possible future printed or digital collections by Chicken House Press. You may not take your story elsewhere until six months after publication of the collection without express written permission from Chicken House Press.
Work must align with the values of Chicken House Press: no gratuitous sex, violence, hate, or excessive explicit language that does not serve the story.
Abide by the word count limit and keep your submission between 1000 and 4000 words. Entries that don’t comply will be disqualified. Submission fee will not be returned. Should your story require more length, it would be your prerogative to offer it as two separate submissions (My Story, Part 1 and My Story, Part 2) but each are subject to their own submission form and fee.
Follow the CHP formatting guidelines to the best of your abilities.
Submit your story file through the submission portal. You will be asked to upload a .docx file of your story. Please ensure the title of your file matches the title you put in the submission form.
Reading periods will be the first and third Monday of each month beginning in February 2025 until the necessary amount of stories have been acquired. Authors will be informed as quickly as possible if their work has been selected for inclusion. If rejected, your story remains your personal property and you are welcome to go on and share it to any platform you like.
All accepted and subsequently published stories will be eligible to receive one complimentary paperback copy and royalty payments of 50% net royalties, split evenly between each contributor, and paid out annually via e-transfer or Paypal. (Annually means, first payment will be paid three months after publication, and then every year following as long as book sales are being made.)
There is a loose goal of publishing this collection in November of 2025, but this will depend on engagement and is subject to change.
If you would like to withdraw your piece from consideration, you may do so by contacting Alanna at chickenhousepress@gmail.com. Your fee will not be refunded.