Curated by Costiuc

Curated by Costiuc

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Do you have a story for Curated by Costiuc? Read these submission guidelines to find out what I’m looking for.

Quick Summary
About Curated by Costiuc
Payment
Word Count
Reprints
Deadline
Response Time
Submit Your Story Here
What I’m Looking For
What I’m NOT Looking For
Publication Rights & Legal Terms
Genre Reference Guide

Quick Summary

🎟️ Submission Fee: NONE
💰 Payment: $25 per story
🕵️‍♂️ Genre: Mystery, Thriller, or Suspense
🚫 Content Level: PG-13
📝 Word Count: 1,000-5,000
⌛ Response Time: 1 month
🏛️ Rights: Non-exclusive reprint (second) rights
🔁 Reprints: Accepted and preferred
📨 Simultaneous submission: Of course
📆 Submissions close on Feb. 1st, 2026.
📤Submit via Moksha here.

About Curated by Costiuc

Curated by Costiuc is a newsletter of entertaining mystery, thriller, and suspense stories. It’s run by me, Nikita Costiuc, a writer in these same genres. To see how Curated by Costiuc defines these genres, see the Genre Reference Guide.

Payment

Curated by Costiuc pays $25 per story, regardless of word length or whether it’s a reprint or an original. There is no submission fee.

Word Count

Stories on Curated by Costiuc range from 1,000 to 5,000 words.

Reprints

Curated by Costiuc is primarily a reprint publication. Most stories featured here have been published elsewhere first. Authors must hold (or have regained) the rights to their stories and be able to grant permission for republication. Original stories are also accepted, but reprints are preferred.

Deadline

Curated by Costiuc will accept submissions through February 1st, 2026. Submissions will close after that date and reopen at a later time.

Response Time

Expect a response within one month of submission.

Submit Your Story Here

Curated by Costiuc uses the Moksha submission system.

What I’m Looking For

Stories are more likely to get accepted if they include the following elements:

Themes

  • Injustice

  • Alienation and the desire to belong

  • Appearance vs. truth

  • The immigrant experience

Craft Elements

  • A strong narrative voice

  • Humor

  • Objects as symbols

  • A clear resolution

Story Dynamics

  • Schemes

  • Betrayal by authority figures

  • Surprising allies

  • Hidden villains

What I’m NOT Looking For

Stories with the following elements will almost certainly be rejected:

  • paranormal aspects (ghosts, demons, or angels)

  • graphic descriptions of abuse, violence, or sex (no extreme horror or erotica)

  • plots centered on writers, writing, or publishing

  • unclear story arcs

  • endings that trail off

  • political diatribes

  • exclusive use of the second-person point of view

  • paragraph-length descriptions of characters, settings, or objects

Publication Rights & Legal Terms

Curated by Costiuc acquires non-exclusive reprint rights. Each author retains the copyright to their submission but grants to Curated by Costiuc a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, publish, edit, and otherwise use the entry on our website(s) and platform(s) to publish all or part of their submission in electronic, print, and audio formats.

Authors agree that their submissions may be published, including within a compilation together with others, into a book, audio, or related format which may be sold or provided free of charge at Curated by Costiuc’s discretion. In the event that a submission is included in any saleable format, authors hereby agree to accept remuneration in an amount equal to fifty percent (50%) of the original payment made for the submission.

Authors grant permission to Curated by Costiuc to use their names and submissions for promotional purposes without additional compensation, and to publish all or part of their submissions in text and audio on the Internet without notice, review, or approval.

Authors warrant that they are the sole authors of their submissions; that they own all the rights granted to Curated by Costiuc hereunder and have full power to make the grants herein contained; that their submission is original and any prior publication of it in whole or in part has been fully disclosed to Curated by Costiuc and that to the best of the authors’ knowledge the submission does not infringe upon any copyright or upon any other proprietary or personal right of any person, firm or corporation.

Curated by Costiuc will make no substantive alterations to the submission’s text or title without the Author’s written approval. However, Curated by Costiuc reserves the right to make minor copyediting changes to conform the style of the text to its customary form and usage without consulting the author.

Curated by Costiuc agrees to list a proper copyright notice for the submission in the name of the author at the end of the story and, if published in print, on an appropriate copyright page.

A payment of $25 will occur within 30 days of completion of all necessary release forms via PayPal, check, or bank transfer.

Authors will indemnify Curated by Costiuc against any loss, injury, or damage finally sustained in a court of law (including any legal costs or expenses and any compensation costs and disbursements paid by Curated by Costiuc) incurred by Curated by Costiuc in connection with or in consequence of an intentional breach of one or more of the foregoing warranties.

All federal, state, provincial, or local taxes are authors’ sole responsibility.

Genre Reference Guide

The terms “mystery,” “thriller,” and “suspense” cover a range of subgenres. Here’s how Curated by Costiuc defines them.

Mystery

Thriller

Suspense

  • Domestic Suspense: Secrets and betrayals within families or communities (Gone Girl)

  • Romantic Suspense: Suspense with a central love story (The Witness)

  • Psychological Suspense: Slower-burn, character-focused tension (Shutter Island)

  • Gothic Suspense: Atmosphere-heavy, eerie settings (mansions, isolated landscapes) (Wuthering Heights)

  • Crime Suspense: Tension of unfolding crimes (The Talented Mr. Ripley)

  • Literary Suspense: Theme-driven with strong voice and depth (Atonement)

© 2025 Nikita Costiuc
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