James Hunter here.
Super excited to announce that we’re doing an anthology set in the Discount Dan Backrooms Universe. 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. 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 person 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.
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).
𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭!
Since this is a fan anthology, instead of relying on one of our regular cover artists, we decided to hold a contest for all of the wildly talented creative folks in the community. This is open to literally anyone. If you’re interested, check out the details below. We will not accept AI generated images, so only real Human Art, please.
[𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓: 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘!]
Hello intrepid scribbler! You’re invited to create the cover art for the Discount Danthology, a side quest in the Discount Dan’s Backroom Bargains series. This anthology isn’t about Dan, but about all the unfortunate explorers who accidentally No Clip into the Backrooms… and die horribly! Quest Objective: Submit a .jpg preview file of your completed artwork, along with your contact information, to the Google Form in the comments below. Details for sizing and layout are all included on the submission form page.
Quest Deadline: July 31st 2026
1st Place Reward: $1,000, infinite accolades, + the opportunity to become a go-to Shadow Alley Press artist
2nd Place Reward: $250
3rd Place Reward: $50 Amazon Gift Card
Good luck out there!
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