The Whumpy Printing Press (WPP) is a small press dedicated to publishing the stories of the whump community. Founder and Editor-In-Chief Kay @whumpy-writings
Check out our website for info about our books, calls for submissions, and more.
If you appreciate our work, you can support us on ko-fi And if you want to stay up to date with all things WPP, you can subscribe to our newsletter here.
Current Projects:
Cosmic Consequences. Whump in space themed anthology, crowdfunding on BackerKit May 28 to June 30, 2026.
2026 Whumpy Books. Check out the publication schedule here!
Calls for Submissions:
After the Hurt: stories up to 17,500 words, submissions open July 1 to 31, 2026. More information
2027 Whumpy Books: novelettes, novellas, novels, short story collections, and graphic novels, submissions open March 1 to September 30, 2026. More information Submit here
For all submissions, we ask for nonexclusive, worldwide, English language publication rights for ebook and paperback.
Check Out Our Ko-Fi!
Books Available Now:
*WPP is a Bookshop.org affiliate. If you purchase a book on Bookshop.org after clicking one of our links, we will earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
We're thrilled to reveal the fantastic cover for Cosmic Consequences, illustrated by the supremely talented Nicole Alessi!
The theme of this anthology is whump ... but in space! There are over 30 space-whump themed stories, covering everything from equipment malfunctions to hostile aliens. The table of contents includes:
Shield Fall by Kras Nebula @scrawlingmouse
Between Darkness and the Void by John M. Campbell
Subject 371 (Homo Sapien) by Scarlett Skyes
Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, As Interpreted by An Ex-Space space station, by Yasmeen Ambro
The Specimen by Dr. Suvajeet Duttagupta
A Lesson in Cooperation by Marti @galaxywhump
Thunderstorm by Marti @galaxywhump
The Gamble by Nox Spacey @not-a-space-alien
In the Event of Total Annihilation, Please Take Some Calming Breaths by Scarlett Skyes
Flesh and Bone, Wires and Steel by LadyWallace @lady-wallace
Test Mission by Moss @mossteriouslydrawn
Shine Bright For Us by Scarlett Skyes
Courier by Nate Jaros
Adrift Among a Quiet Sea of Stars by Loralei Deasy
World Eaters’ Return by Booker G.A. Feniks @up-in-flames-writing
To Take an Order (to take a life) by Scarlett Skyes
Microbial High by Sarina Dorie
It Can Still Play Card Games by Nox Spacey @not-a-space-alien
Last Night by Zi Trone @whumpshaped
Sneezes and Space Pirates by E.J. LeRoy
Celestial by C.L. Urbana @pigeonwhumps
The Rediscovery of the Starship Aurora by Kay Hanifen
Martian Wallpaper by Wen Wen Yang
Echoes of the Lost by A. E. Pillow @nature-wants-you-dead
Insults from the Universe by Leanne Albillar
Ananke by T. Lane @t-lane-writes
Kenophobia by Booker G.A. Feniks @up-in-flames-writing
Specter by Aiden E. Messer @aidenemesser
The Great Red Frontier by Asidian Morris @asidian
The Cost of a Life is Measured in Blood by Lux Thorn @whump-me
Lost by Zi Trone @whumpshaped
Found by Mil Cohen @whumpsday
Cosmic Consequences launches on BackerKit on May 28, 2026! You can check out the project here.
The Whumpy Printing Press books are available on many different platforms and retailers. Here's a handy overview of where you can pick up your next whumpy read!
Public libraries
Did you know that you can read WPP books for FREE through your local public library? Our books are available in ebook through hoopla and Overdrive/Libby. You can suggest that your local library purchase a WPP ebook right in the Libby app. Just search for the title and click the "Notify Me" button. This lets your library know that you're interested in them acquiring a copy!
You can also suggest that your library purchase a paperback. Each library has a slightly different process, so search "suggest a purchase" on your library website to find instructions. The majority of our books are distributed through Ingram, which is the system that most libraries order from.
Ebook Retailers
Our books are available on most major ebook retailers, including Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and Bookshop.org. Select titles are also available on Amazon and Google Play.
Subscription Services
You can also grab WPP ebooks through subscription services such as Kobo Plus and Everand. Both of these programs offer free trials.
Paperback Retailers
The best place to purchase WPP paperbacks is bookshop.org. Full disclosure: we are a bookshop.org affiliate, so we receive a small commission for any books purchased through their site using our link, at no extra cost to you.
Our paperbacks are also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Booktopia, Foyles, Thalia, Waterstones, and more!
Direct
We offer paperbacks and ebooks of select books over on our ko-fi. We also hold crowdfunding campaigns on BackerKit for larger projects like anthologies.
Do you have a suggestion for a whumpy anthology theme? We want to hear it! Whether it's a theme you can't wait to write or can't wait to read, head over to this google form and send it in. We'll be collecting theme suggestions until June 4, and then we'll compile them and hold a couple rounds of voting in June. Happy whumping!
Cyril Galanos lives an isolated life in a cabin in the woods. The monotony of his days is shattered when he finds a dying man with a collar collapsed near one of his hunting spots. Overwhelmed by an urge to help him, Cyril takes the man back to his cabin and saves his life. However, he soon learns that the life his Shadow led before him was a special kind of hell. Shadow’s road to recovery will be rocky, but Cyril will do whatever it takes to help Shadow heal. Even if that means confronting his own troubled past.
You can grab the ebook and/or paperback directly from WPP here or grab the ebook from your preferred retailer here. The paperback will be available on other retailers soon!
We’ve had a couple issues with printing for the 12 Months of Whump BackerKit. Most of the paperback books turned out … purple? The printer sent us replacements, but now I have a bunch of purple books taking up room in my shoebox of an apartment. So we’re having a sale!
I’ve updated our ko-fi shop with a bunch of “seconds”, aka books with minor cover wonkiness. These books are deeply discounted. You can snag some purple 12 MOW novellas here, and purple 12 MOW omnibuses here. Check out our entire ko-fi bookstore here!
Do you have a suggestion for a whumpy anthology theme? We want to hear it! Whether it's a theme you can't wait to write or can't wait to read, head over to this google form and send it in. We'll be collecting theme suggestions until June 4, and then we'll compile them and hold a couple rounds of voting in June. Happy whumping!
Hi! Since we already know the theme of the next two anthologies (space and after the whump), I was wondering if we'd get to know the next one soon? Yes, I'm curious haha
Shadow By My Fireplace by Harper M. Tremblay is coming out in May!
Check out the awesome cover art by the lovely Anne Hessel!
Cyril Galanos lives an isolated life in a cabin in the woods. The monotony of his days is shattered when he finds a dying man with a collar collapsed near one of his hunting spots. Overwhelmed by an urge to help him, Cyril takes the man back to his cabin and saves his life. However, he soon learns that the life his Shadow led before him was a special kind of hell. Shadow’s road to recovery will be rocky, but Cyril will do whatever it takes to help Shadow heal. Even if that means confronting his own troubled past.
Shadow By My Fireplace releases on May 19, 2026. You can preorder the ebook and/or paperback directly from WPP here or preorder the ebook from your preferred retailer here.
We’re currently taking applications for ARC readers for this book! If you’d be interesting in receiving a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review, check out the application here.
Just a quick note to say that we've been hard at work reviewing Cosmic Consequences submissions. If you submitted a story and haven't heard back yet, just hold tight. All responses will be sent out by April 30 at the latest.
We'll be crowdfunding Cosmic Consequences over on BackerKit from May 28 to June 30 as part of the Book Bazaar Summer Extravaganza! You can follow our project here, and check out all of the other awesome books here.
P.S. I'll be on vacation for the next week, so I won't be responding to asks or messages until I get back.
WPP is now open for submissions for our space whump themed anthology. Shout out to @lady-wallace for coming up with the awesome title Cosmic Consequences!
Theme: Whump, but in space! For this anthology, we’re looking for stories in a non-Earth sci-fi setting. That’s it! Let your imagination run wild! The majority of the story should take place off Earth, but if a small part of it takes place on Earth (*cough cough* alien abduction *cough cough*) that’s okay.
Word Count: Up to 17,500 words
For this anthology, we are looking for stories in the following categories:
Micro-fiction: 250 words or less
Flash fiction: 251-1,000 words
Short Story: 1,001-7,499 words
Novelette: 7,500-17,500 words
Each author can submit one story per category. So for example, you can submit a short story and a micro fiction but you can’t submit two micro fictions.
Compensation: ebook contributor’s copy, one free paperback OR $10 USD, and discounts on additional paperbacks
50% of profits from the sale of this book will be donated to Dollar For, a US nonprofit that helps patients navigate hospital financial assistance programs.
Submissions Open: March 1, 2026
Submissions Close: March 31, 2026
Expected Publication Date: July 2026
Submit to Cosmic Consequences here!
We will be running a BackerKit campaign from May 28 to June 30, 2026 to fund this anthology. You can follow the campaign here!
The Nitty-Gritty (aka more details about submitting)
Simultaneous submissions: Allowed, but let us know immediately if your story is accepted somewhere else.
Multiple Submissions: One per category. So for example, you can submit a short story and a micro fiction but you can’t submit two micro fictions.
Reprints: Allowed, but please indicate where your story was originally published. This includes if your story was originally posted on AO3 or Tumblr!
Rights: Nonexclusive worldwide English language electronic and print rights. All copyright remains with the author. A simple contract will be provided.
Compensation: One ebook contributor’s copy, one free paperback OR $10 USD, and discounts on additional paperbacks
Submissions are open to residents of any country.
You must be 18 or older to submit.
No explicit torture of children under the age of 13. No sexual content of characters under the age of 18. No torture or sexual content involving non-sentient animals.
No fanfiction, for legal reasons. No stories generated partly or in whole by artificial intelligence.
Formatting: Please submit your story as a Microsoft word document with 12pt, Times New Roman font, double-spaced. Indicate scene breaks with ###.
Edits: Stories will be lightly edited for spelling and grammar. The content of the story will not be changed, and all edits will be sent to you for approval.
Cybernetic implants / Cybernetics that are painful or malfunctioning
Androids malfunctioning
Space ships crashing onto a planet or being badly damaged
Cryo sleep (being forced into it or waking up from it and becoming violently ill)
Being a part of a sleeper generation where the only reason why you live at all is to parent the next generation who will actually be the ones to reach planetside, spending your entire existence on a single windowless ship floating through space
Caretakers not knowing how to treat an alien’s physiology, maybe even hurting them worse while trying to treat them
Ship AI’s unsure if they are just programming or if they could develop full consciousness
Galaxy/Universe wide fighting rings where different species are pitted against one another
A sole survivor watching uselessly in an escape pod while everyone else they’ve ever known are in an exploding ship
Environmental whump
Failing spacesuit
Out of oxygen
Escape pods slowly shutting down or drifting aimlessly
Alien planet with different more dangerous parameters than whumpee is used to
A higher level of gravity affecting chronic pain or old injuries
Astrophobia (fear of Space)
Asteroids colliding with ships/whumpees/escape pods etc
The heat/radiation of a sun slowly breaking whumpees body down
Migraine while doing space walk, being unable to do anything to ease it or even to get to safety
If these ideas inspire you to write a story, consider submitting to WPP's upcoming anthology, Whump in Space! Submissions will be open from March 1 to March 31, 2026. More information here.
WPP is now open for submissions for our space whump themed anthology. Shout out to @lady-wallace for coming up with the awesome title Cosmic Consequences!
Theme: Whump, but in space! For this anthology, we’re looking for stories in a non-Earth sci-fi setting. That’s it! Let your imagination run wild! The majority of the story should take place off Earth, but if a small part of it takes place on Earth (*cough cough* alien abduction *cough cough*) that’s okay.
Word Count: Up to 17,500 words
For this anthology, we are looking for stories in the following categories:
Micro-fiction: 250 words or less
Flash fiction: 251-1,000 words
Short Story: 1,001-7,499 words
Novelette: 7,500-17,500 words
Each author can submit one story per category. So for example, you can submit a short story and a micro fiction but you can’t submit two micro fictions.
Compensation: ebook contributor’s copy, one free paperback OR $10 USD, and discounts on additional paperbacks
50% of profits from the sale of this book will be donated to Dollar For, a US nonprofit that helps patients navigate hospital financial assistance programs.
Submissions Open: March 1, 2026
Submissions Close: March 31, 2026
Expected Publication Date: July 2026
Submit to Cosmic Consequences here!
We will be running a BackerKit campaign from May 28 to June 30, 2026 to fund this anthology. You can follow the campaign here!
The Nitty-Gritty (aka more details about submitting)
Simultaneous submissions: Allowed, but let us know immediately if your story is accepted somewhere else.
Multiple Submissions: One per category. So for example, you can submit a short story and a micro fiction but you can’t submit two micro fictions.
Reprints: Allowed, but please indicate where your story was originally published. This includes if your story was originally posted on AO3 or Tumblr!
Rights: Nonexclusive worldwide English language electronic and print rights. All copyright remains with the author. A simple contract will be provided.
Compensation: One ebook contributor’s copy, one free paperback OR $10 USD, and discounts on additional paperbacks
Submissions are open to residents of any country.
You must be 18 or older to submit.
No explicit torture of children under the age of 13. No sexual content of characters under the age of 18. No torture or sexual content involving non-sentient animals.
No fanfiction, for legal reasons. No stories generated partly or in whole by artificial intelligence.
Formatting: Please submit your story as a Microsoft word document with 12pt, Times New Roman font, double-spaced. Indicate scene breaks with ###.
Edits: Stories will be lightly edited for spelling and grammar. The content of the story will not be changed, and all edits will be sent to you for approval.
Happy Release Day to Pleading His Belly on Zakon-4 by E.J. LeRoy!
Henry Trevalu is the sole heir to the Trevalu Intergalactic Spice Company, and he’s in trouble. During a routine spice delivery to the planet Zakon-4, Henry is sentenced to death for transporting poppy seeds, which were made illegal the day before his arrival. Apparently, the Zakonians weren’t kidding when they said they have a “zero tolerance policy” on illegal drugs. Henry’s prayers for deliverance are met in an unexpected fashion: pregnancy is the only way to escape a death sentence on Zakon-4, and his hermaphroditic Uhumbra cellmate is willing to get the job done.
Feast your eyes on this awesome cover art by Nicole Alessi!
Catholic. Alien. Mpreg.
Henry Trevalu is the sole heir to the Trevalu Intergalactic Spice Company, and he's in trouble. During a routine spice delivery to the planet Zakon-4, Henry is sentenced to death for transporting poppy seeds, which were made illegal the day before his arrival. Apparently, the Zakonians weren't kidding when they said they have a "zero tolerance policy" on illegal drugs. Henry's prayers for deliverance are met in an unexpected fashion: pregnancy is the only way to escape a death sentence on Zakon-4, and his hermaphroditic Uhumbra cellmate is willing to get the job done.
Pleading His Belly on Zakon-4 releases on March 17, 2026. The ebook is available for preorder now, and the paperback will be coming soon.
We are currently recruiting ARC readers for this book! If you're interested you can find more information here.
Hi! Do you reply to submissions only once they're closed, or earlier as well?
Hi! I try to respond to submissions within a month. Sometimes I’m faster, sometimes a little slower. I’ve reviewed the first batch of submissions for Cosmic Consequences already and will be sending out those responses this weekend.
We're seeking submissions of whumpy stories at least 7,500 words in length to be published in 2027.
We take a broad view of whump, it can be physical or emotional. Your stories can be hurt no comfort or comfort no hurt, just as long as they touch on whump in some way.
We will consider novelettes, novellas, novels, short story collections, and graphic novels. If you have an idea for a format not listed, please send us an email at thewhumpyprintingpress at gmail.com to discuss your project.
Absolutely no fanfiction of copyrighted works, or stories generated partly or in whole by AI.
If your book is accepted, we ask for nonexclusive, worldwide, English language publication rights for ebook and paperback. Copyright and all other rights remain with the author. A simple contract will be provided. Authors will receive an initial payment of between $25 and $100 USD depending on word count, and will receive 50% of all royalties.
*Note that accepted authors who are US citizens will be required to submit a W-9 form for tax purposes.*
Formatting: Please submit your story as a Microsoft Word document with 12pt, Times New Roman font, double-spaced. Indicate scene breaks with ###. If your novel has chapters, start each chapter on a new page. Please do not include your name or other identifying information in the manuscript.
