The Rumpus
The Rumpus is an independent online literary magazine publishing fiction, poetry, essays, comics, criticism, and author interviews five days a week. It serves literary readers and writers, monetizing through membership subscriptions, a physical Letters in the Mail correspondence program, branded merchandise, advertising, and an annual writing prize.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Rumpus does
The Rumpus is an independent online literary magazine founded in San Francisco in 2009, publishing original fiction, poetry, essays, comics, criticism, and author interviews five days a week. It serves two primary constituencies: literary readers who seek risk-taking, diverse, and independent storytelling, and writers — both emerging and established — who use the platform for work that may not find a home at mainstream publications. Over its 15+ year operating history, The Rumpus has published thousands of authors and accumulated award recognition including Pushcart Prize wins, PEN Robert J. Dau Prize wins, and inclusion in Best American anthologies and Best of the Net lists.
The publication runs on a WordPress CMS with Jetpack and Google Analytics for anonymized audience measurement, Submittable for managing writer submissions, WooCommerce for its merchandise and subscription storefront, and Stripe for payment processing. Its product surface includes the core free-to-read magazine, tiered membership subscriptions ($7/month or $77/year, with annual members receiving privileged submission-portal access), the Letters in the Mail program delivering physical correspondence from authors twice monthly ($12/month or $115-149/year), an e-commerce store for branded merchandise priced $2-$40, the newly inaugurated Rumpus Prize annual writing contest ($20 entry fee, $3,600 in prizes), and El Alboroto, a Spanish-language content section currently in development.
The Rumpus generates revenue through a diversified stack of recurring and transactional streams: subscription memberships, Letters in the Mail subscriptions, merchandise sales, contest entry fees, advertising, and Bookshop.org affiliate commissions. The organization is mostly volunteer-run with editors distributed across the United States and a small core team of 11-50 employees. Following the May 2025 acquisition by literary icon Roxane Gay and designer Debbie Millman — with Ruth Ann Harnisch and Sukey Novogratz as co-publishers — the publication underwent a 2025 visual rebrand led by ArtCamp and increased writer compensation rates effective April 2026.
The Rumpus firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Rumpus
- Legal name
- The Rumpus
- Website
- https://therumpus.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Rumpus is an independent online literary magazine publishing fiction, poetry, essays, comics, criticism, and author interviews five days a week. It serves literary readers and writers, monetizing through membership subscriptions, a physical Letters in the Mail correspondence program, branded merchandise, advertising, and an annual writing prize.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where The Rumpus is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Rumpus business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Subscriptions: Monthly and annual membership programs providing exclusive content, commenting ability, newsletters, early access, event invites, and merchandise discounts
- Letters in the Mail: Physical letters sent twice monthly from authors to subscribers' mailboxes, available as standalone subscription or bundled with membership
- Merchandise Sales: Online store selling branded merchandise including bucket hats, t-shirts, totes, notebooks, pens, and writing accessories
- Advertising: Accepts advertising on the website, with revenue helping maintain the website and keep the magazine running
- Bookshop.org Affiliate: Participates in Bookshop.org affiliate program, earning commission from book sales while supporting independent bookstores
- Contest Entry Fees: The Rumpus Prize accepts submissions for $20 per entry (story, essay, or set of 2-4 poems), with $3,600 in total prizes awarded
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Rumpus Membership - $7/Month or $77/Year |
| Subscription | Monthly | Membership + Letters in the Mail - $15/Month or $150/Year |
| Subscription | Monthly | Letters in the Mail - Monthly (Domestic & International) |
| Subscription | Annual | Letters in the Mail - One-Year Domestic Subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | Letters in the Mail - One-Year International Subscription |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise - Various Items |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | The Rumpus Prize Entry Fee |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Rumpus product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Rumpus is an independent online literary magazine publishing original fiction, poetry, literary humor, comics, essays, book reviews, and author interviews five days a week. It generates revenue through monthly and annual memberships ($7/month, $77/year), bundled subscription with physical Letters in the Mail, branded merchandise sales, an annual Rumpus Prize writing contest, advertising, and a Bookshop.org affiliate program.
Product overview
The Rumpus is a platform-based literary magazine offering a suite of interconnected products: the core online magazine publishing fiction, poetry, essays, comics, criticism and interviews five days a week; subscription memberships providing exclusive content, community access and submission privileges; a physical correspondence program (Letters in the Mail) delivering handwritten letters from authors; an annual writing contest (The Rumpus Prize); and an e-commerce store for branded merchandise. A Spanish-language section (El Alboroto) is in development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Rumpus (Online Literary Magazine) Independent online literary magazine publishing original fiction, poetry, literary humor writing, comics, essays, book reviews, and interviews five days a week, focused on risk-taking voices and diverse storytelling for engaged literary readers.
- Rumpus Membership Monthly ($7/month) or annual ($77/year) membership providing exclusive content, twice-monthly newsletter, early news and previews, event invitations, ability to comment on published work, and merchandise discounts. Annual members additionally receive year-round Submittable portal access and a welcome merch package.
- Letters in the Mail from Authors Twice-monthly physical letters delivered from authors to subscribers' mailboxes, including creative prompts and return addresses for replies. Available as monthly domestic/international ($12/month), annual domestic ($115/year), and annual international ($149/year) subscriptions, or bundled with membership ($15/month, $150/year).
- The Rumpus Prize Annual writing contest for Poetry, Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction with $3,600 total in prizes. First-place winners receive $1,000 plus publication in each genre. Entry fee is $20 per submission (story, essay, creative nonfiction piece, or set of 2-4 poems).
- Rumpus Merchandise Store E-commerce store selling branded merchandise including Bucket Hat ($16), Keychain ($2), T-Shirt ($15), Tote ($10), Notebook ($7), Fancy Pen ($40), Sharpie ($5), Carpenter Pencil, and membership bundles.
Quantifiable outcome
- Work published has been nominated for and won multiple major literary awards including Pushcart Prize, PEN Robert J. Dau Prize, and inclusion in Best American anthologies
Companies that use The Rumpus
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Rumpus technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature2 records
The Rumpus partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Kaveh AkbarcoreFinal judge for The Rumpus Prize inaugural competition (2024-2025) in the Poetry category. Poet, author of Pilgrim Bell and Calling a Wolf a Wolf, and Poetry Editor of The Nation.
- Rachel KhongcoreFinal judge for The Rumpus Prize inaugural competition (2024-2025) in the Fiction category. Author of Goodbye, Vitamin and Real Americans (NYT bestseller), founder of The Ruby in San Francisco.
- Megan StielstracoreFinal judge for The Rumpus Prize inaugural competition (2024-2025) in the Creative Nonfiction category. Author of three essay collections, teaches at Northwestern University.
- ArtCampcoreDesign firm ArtCamp led the complete visual overhaul of The Rumpus publication as part of the 2025 rebranding under new ownership by Roxane Gay and Debbie Millman. The partnership resulted in a new visual identity while honoring the magazine's fifteen-year legacy.
- Bookshop.orgminorThe Rumpus participates in Bookshop.org's affiliate program, earning commission from book sales through their shop page while supporting independent bookstores. Editorial choices are never influenced by affiliation commissions.
- SubmittablecorePowered by Submittable for managing all writer submissions. Annual members receive exclusive access to submit original work in any genre year-round through the Submittable portal. The Rumpus Prize submissions are also conducted through Submittable.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Rumpus competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Electric Literature: Independent online literary magazine publishing fiction, essays, and criticism with a community/membership model and Recommended Reading program — directly comparable in product format, audience, and revenue model to The Rumpus.
- Literary Hub (Lit Hub): Online literary news and content site publishing original essays, criticism, interviews, and excerpts, with a large engaged literary audience — a directly comparable online literary publishing platform.
- The Paris Review: Long-running literary magazine with online publication of fiction, poetry, essays, and interviews plus subscriptions and a robust archive — closely comparable in editorial focus, audience, and digital subscription model.
- Catapult: Independent literary publisher and online magazine featuring original fiction, essays, and author interviews alongside books and writing classes — overlapping audience and product offering with The Rumpus.
- Granta: Prestigious literary magazine publishing fiction, poetry, essays, and reportage online with paid subscriptions — directly comparable in editorial voice and subscription-based revenue model.
- McSweeney's Internet Tendency: Online literary humor publication featuring original short fiction, poetry, and essays with daily publishing cadence — comparable in publishing frequency, community-led ethos, and writer-submission model.
- Guernica Magazine: Independent online magazine publishing long-form essays, fiction, poetry, and art with a focus on global and political voices — comparable as an independent literary publication serving engaged readers.
- The Believer: Literary magazine featuring long-form interviews, essays, fiction, and poetry with subscription-based access — directly comparable in editorial scope, audience, and recurring-revenue model.
- n+1: Independent literary and intellectual magazine publishing essays, fiction, and criticism with paid subscriptions and a community of engaged literary readers — closely comparable in format and monetization.
Emerging players
- Patreon: Creator monetization and fan membership platform that powers paid communities for independent writers — overlaps with The Rumpus's membership/community monetization mechanic, though not a direct editorial competitor.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Rumpus social profiles
Digital presenceThe Rumpus financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Rumpus leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
The Rumpus funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Rumpus M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Rumpus
What does The Rumpus do?
The Rumpus is an independent online literary magazine publishing original fiction, poetry, literary humor, comics, essays, book reviews, and author interviews five days a week. It generates revenue through monthly and annual memberships ($7/month, $77/year), bundled subscription with physical Letters in the Mail, branded merchandise sales, an annual Rumpus Prize writing contest, advertising, and a Bookshop.org affiliate program.
Is The Rumpus a public or private company?
The Rumpus is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Rumpus founded?
The Rumpus was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Rumpus based?
The Rumpus is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Rumpus make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Membership Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are letters in the Mail, merchandise Sales, advertising, bookshop.org Affiliate and contest Entry Fees.
Who are The Rumpus's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Electric Literature, Literary Hub (Lit Hub), The Paris Review, Catapult, Granta, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Guernica Magazine, The Believer and n+1. Patreon is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Rumpus have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Rumpus.