American Short Fiction
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
American Short Fiction firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- American Short Fiction
- Legal name
- American Short Fiction
- Website
- https://americanshortfiction.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
American Short Fiction industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Literary Magazine Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fiction Writing Workshops (Short Story, Novel) (EDAMAMAA), Publishing & Submission Prep Workshops (Query Letters, Agents, Journals) (EDAMAMAI)
Keywords
Where American Short Fiction is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
American Short Fiction business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Magazine Subscriptions: Print and digital subscriptions to American Short Fiction magazine, with subscribers receiving three issues per year. Digital subscriptions were noted as 'coming soon' for some offerings.
- Contest Entry Fees: Entry fees for writing contests including American Short(er) Fiction Prize ($18 per entry), Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize ($20 per entry), and Insider Prize. Each contest accepts one submission per entry with multiple entries allowed.
- MFA for All Tuition: Online writing master classes priced at $150 per single class or $360 for full semester (three classes with 20% discount). Includes lectures, reading lists, writing exercises, and access to virtual seminars.
- Merchandise Store: Online store selling merchandise such as ASF pocket t-shirts.
- Donations: Direct donations from supporters, with the organization conducting periodic fundraising campaigns (e.g., $30,000 campaign goal mentioned for sustaining operations).
- Event Tickets: Some events charge admission, such as ASF at the Cinema screenings ($14 tickets). Many events like Story Sessions are free and open to the public.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | American Short(er) Fiction Prize entry |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize entry |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | MFA for All Single Class |
| Subscription | Annual | MFA for All Full Semester |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | ASF at the Cinema Event Tickets |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
American Short Fiction product offering
Product offeringCore offering
American Short Fiction publishes a triannual literary fiction magazine (currently on Issue 83) and operates an ecosystem of annual writing contests (Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize, American Short(er) Fiction Prize, Insider Prize), online creative writing education (MFA for All), and community literary events (Story Sessions, The Stars at Night, ASF at the Cinema). The organization sells subscriptions, contest entries, class tuition, event tickets, and branded merchandise, and sustains operations through reader/writer subscriptions, donations, and foundation grants.
Product overview
American Short Fiction is a literary magazine and publishing organization founded in 1991 that produces a triannual print magazine alongside a portfolio of educational programs, literary contests, and public events. Core offerings include the magazine itself (Issue 83, Spring 2026), the MFA for All online writing program, and four annual writing contests: the Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize ($3,000), the American Short(er) Fiction Prize ($1,000), and the Insider Prize for incarcerated writers. The organization also runs public programming including Story Sessions author discussions and The Stars at Night annual gala.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MFA for All: Online educational program offering MFA-quality writing instruction through master classes taught by accomplished authors. Not a degree-granting program.
- Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize
- American Short(er) Fiction Prize
- Insider Prize
- Story Sessions
- The Stars at Night
- ASF at the Cinema
Products and services
- American Short Fiction Magazine Triannual literary fiction magazine publishing high-quality curated short stories by award-winning and emerging contemporary writers. Available by print subscription (three issues per year) with digital subscriptions noted as coming soon. For literary fiction readers, libraries, and short fiction enthusiasts.
- MFA for All Online community-rich writing education program delivering MFA-quality master classes from accomplished authors (including Booker Prize finalist Katie Kitamura and bestselling authors Dan Chaon and Jonathan Lethem) via Zoom Webinar. Not a degree-granting program; offered as single classes ($150) or full semester packages ($360, 20% discount) including lectures, reading lists, writing exercises, recordings, and virtual sessions hosted by ASF editors. For writers seeking elite craft instruction without the time, expense, or geographic constraints of a traditional MFA.
- Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize Annual fiction contest awarding $3,000, publication in American Short Fiction, and an all-expenses-paid writing retreat at the Tasajillo Residency in Kyle, Texas. Accepts English-language submissions of 2,000–6,500 words from U.S. and international writers; entry fee $20. Supported by The Burdine Johnson Foundation.
- American Short(er) Fiction Prize Annual contest for extraordinary short fiction under 1,500 words awarding $1,000 first prize and publication in American Short Fiction. Entry fee $18. Previous winners have been anthologized in the Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses.
- Insider Prize Annual literary award for incarcerated writers in Texas providing cash prizes, publication (co-published with Lit Hub), and written feedback on submissions. Founded in 2017 by Deb Olin Unferth, Maurice Chammah, and Emily Chammah.
- Story Sessions Literary event series bringing exceptional authors together for freewheeling public discussions about storytelling, held at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin. Free and open to the public with ASL interpretation; books available for purchase onsite from First Light Books.
- The Stars at Night Annual gala and fundraising event celebrating literature, typically held at Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum in Austin.
- ASF at the Cinema Film screening event series presented in collaboration with Austin Film Society at AFS Cinema, featuring author-curated films followed by discussions with filmmakers. Tickets $14, with attendees receiving the most recent issue of American Short Fiction.
- ASF Store Online merchandise store powered by Shopify (american-short-fiction.myshopify.com) selling branded items such as ASF pocket t-shirts.
Quantifiable outcome
- Prize amounts: $3,000 for Halifax Ranch Prize, $1,000 for American Short(er) Fiction Prize
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use American Short Fiction
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
American Short Fiction technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
American Short Fiction partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Lit HubcoreLit Hub serves as co-publishing partner for the Insider Prize, publishing winning stories from incarcerated writers alongside American Short Fiction. This partnership extends the reach of these stories to Lit Hub's literary audience and validates the work through joint publication.
- Huston-Tillotson UniversitycoreHuston-Tillotson University serves as the primary venue partner for Story Sessions events and Insider Prize announcement events. The university's Institute for Justice and Equity partners on Insider Prize activities, and HT's English Department collaborates on the contest. Founded in 1875, it is the first institution of higher learning in Austin.
- Austin Film SocietycoreAustin Film Society's AFS Cinema serves as venue for ASF at the Cinema screenings. AFS Cinema is Austin's only nonprofit art house theater, providing a fitting venue for literary-film crossover events.
- Tasajillo ResidencycoreTasajillo Residency partners with American Short Fiction for the Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize, offering the winning writer an all-expenses-paid week-long writing retreat at a cabin neighboring the Halifax Ranch outside Austin in Kyle, Texas. The residency must be scheduled within a year after the winner is announced.
- First Light BooksminorFirst Light Books, a community bookstore in Hyde Park, serves as the onsite bookseller for Story Sessions events, selling books by featured authors.
- Alienated MajestyminorAlienated Majesty, a bookstore and community space in Austin specializing in small press fiction, non-fiction, poetry, comics, and works in translation, serves as bookseller for ASF events.
- Texas MonthlycoreTexas Monthly and American Short Fiction launched a collaboration featuring semi-regular series of short stories from Texan authors. Stories are co-published in ASF Online and Texas Monthly's print and digital editions. Texas Monthly reaches a combined monthly audience of over 34.6 million.
- University of Texas John L. Warfield Center for African and African American StudiesminorPartner for Story Sessions events, specifically for the Percival Everett conversation event.
- Cine Las AmericasminorCine Las Americas served as an event partner for ASF at the Cinema screening of 'La Causa.'
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
American Short Fiction competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Electric Literature: Digital-first nonprofit literary magazine publishing short fiction, essays, and criticism, with Recommended Reading and a partnership-driven amplification model. Comparable to ASF as a nonprofit literary publisher with digital ambitions and community programs.
- Ploughshares: Emerson College-affiliated literary magazine publishing fiction, poetry, and essays on a quarterly cadence with guest-edited issues. Directly comparable as a nonprofit literary magazine with a long publication history and contest programs (Ploughshares Emerging Writers Contest).
- Tin House: Literary magazine and book publisher focused on fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, with associated workshops and writing education programming. Directly comparable to ASF across publishing, contests, and educational extensions like Tin House Workshop.
- McSweeney's: Dave Eggers's independent literary publisher of short fiction, poetry, and the quarterly literary magazine Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern. Directly comparable to ASF as an indie literary magazine/publisher of short fiction with contest-driven author engagement and community events.
- The Kenyon Review: Kenyon College-affiliated literary journal publishing short fiction, poetry, translation, and essays with the associated Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop. Directly comparable as a nonprofit literary magazine with educational programming for writers.
- Granta: Long-running British literary magazine publishing short fiction, memoir, and reportage from emerging and established writers. Comparable to ASF as a quarterly/periodic literary publication with a contest and curatorial prestige model.
- The Paris Review: Iconic American literary magazine publishing short fiction, poetry, and interviews since 1953. Closely mirrors ASF's core activity of curating short fiction for a literary audience, with a similar contest-driven author pipeline (Discover Prize).
- One Story: Literary magazine publishing one short story per issue, with an associated One Story Mentoring Program and the One Story/Deena David Prize. Closely mirrors ASF's short-fiction focus, contest programming, and educational outreach.
- A Public Space: Independent nonprofit literary magazine publishing short fiction, poetry, and essays, with fellowships and an emerging writers program. Comparable to ASF as a nonprofit literary publisher with fellowships/contest structures and a curated short-fiction identity.
Emerging players
- Catapult: Independent publisher of fiction and nonfiction that also runs online writing classes, workshops, and a magazine. Comparable to ASF's combined publishing-plus-MFA-for-All model, though Catapult operates at a larger scale and across more genres.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
American Short Fiction social profiles
Digital presenceAmerican Short Fiction financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
American Short Fiction leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
American Short Fiction funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
American Short Fiction 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 American Short Fiction
What does American Short Fiction do?
American Short Fiction publishes a triannual literary fiction magazine (currently on Issue 83) and operates an ecosystem of annual writing contests (Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize, American Short(er) Fiction Prize, Insider Prize), online creative writing education (MFA for All), and community literary events (Story Sessions, The Stars at Night, ASF at the Cinema). The organization sells subscriptions, contest entries, class tuition, event tickets, and branded merchandise, and sustains operations through reader/writer subscriptions, donations, and foundation grants.
Is American Short Fiction a public or private company?
American Short Fiction is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was American Short Fiction founded?
American Short Fiction was founded in 1991. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is American Short Fiction based?
American Short Fiction is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does American Short Fiction make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Magazine Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are contest Entry Fees, MFA for All Tuition, merchandise Store, donations and event Tickets.
Who are American Short Fiction's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Electric Literature, Ploughshares, Tin House, McSweeney's, The Kenyon Review, Granta, The Paris Review, One Story and A Public Space. Catapult is listed as an emerging player.
Does American Short Fiction have an API?
No public API is recorded for American Short Fiction.
What industry is American Short Fiction in?
American Short Fiction's product category is Literary Magazine Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAB, Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.), with a secondary code of EDAMAMAA, Fiction Writing Workshops (Short Story, Novel). Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.