Hey everyone, James Hunter here. Super excited to announce that we’re doing a Discount Dan short story anthology. There were a bunch of folks in my Discord who were keen to write some short stories, and after giving it a little thought, I decided why the hell not. We've got a ton of creative folks in the community and I figured this would be a cool way to include folks. The inspiration for the anthology comes from all the morbid stories Croc is constantly telling about all the horrifying Backrooms-related deaths that have happened over the years.
To stay true to that vision, at least one Delver has to die in some horrific way in each story. The story can have a happy ending, but again, someone MUST die. Sadly, Dan can only appear as background character, and he can’t be directly involved. But, if the story is set Pre-Dan, Croc can be used as a side character, and you can pull from any of the “cautionary tales” Croc tells throughout the main series, or you can invent your own.
This Anthology is open to everyone, so even if you’ve never written anything before, please feel free to give it a shot. The stories can be anywhere from 500 to 15,000 words, can range from comedy to true horror, and the submission deadline is July 4th, 2026. There are some other specific rules for the anthology as well as additional resources (including a floor list and A BUNCH of Relics to pull from) provided in the Submission Form link below.
For people who want to contribute but aren’t writing inclined, we’ll also accept fan art submissions. For the art, winners will be selected by a poll and those will be included in the book. Lastly, for anyone looking to brainstorm or connect with other writers, please consider joining the Shadow Alley Discord (the link is also in the submission form).
Submission and Resource Links: https://forms.gle/eFMZwzbdseVT76Wv6