CLOSED: Freeze Frame Fiction
This market no longer meets our definition of an ongoing market and will be listed as open calls come in.
Payment: $10
What are we looking for?
Flash fiction, pure and simple. All genres, no content restrictions. We want your science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, drama, literary works, satire, or anything else you can come up with or mix together. The only rule? 1000 words or less. The more original, the better.
Good flash fiction is like a freeze frame—a snapshot of a real story about real characters. The word count is low, so many of the details are left to the reader to fill in, but they’re there. Flash fiction is not the same as a vignette, or a scene; it hints at much more. Give us something real (though not necessarily realistic), unique, and interesting.
The best way to find out what we’re looking for is to read what we’ve already published! Check out our third volume, free to read at https://freezeframefiction.com/q3-flash-fiction/.
We are 100% okay with explicit content, so long as it serves a purpose to the story and/or characters. Profanity for the sake of profanity—or the same thing for sex, violence, or gore—does not impress us. Also, animal cruelty. Please just send that somewhere else.
We are not at all interested in publishing fan-fiction, i.e., stories based in worlds or using characters created by other authors.
The following things may be accepted, but will be a very hard sell:
– stories involving vampires, zombies, or werecreatures
– pure romance with no other significant elements
– the now-ubiquitous young adult paranormal romance
What is our submission and publication schedule?
We are currently open to volume viii submissions. We publish online quarterly. Pieces will stay up for three months, and then be published in an ebook. Each year will end with an annual print anthology. Schedule subject to change.
First Year
| Submissions | Online Publication | ebook Publication | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1: | 1 April–15 June (’14) | 1 July | 1 October |
| Q2: | 1 July–15 September | 1 October | 1 January (’15) |
| Q3: | 1 October–15 December | 1 January | 1 April |
| Q4: | 1 January–15 March (’15) | 1 April | 1 July |
| Y1: | Year One Print Anthology | N/A | TBA |
Second Year
| Submissions | Online Publication | ebook Publication | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q5: | 1 April–15 June (’15) | 1 July | TBA |
| Q6: | 1 July–15 September | 15 October | TBA |
| Q7: | 1 October–15 December | 15 January | TBA |
| Q8: | 1 January–15 March (’16) | 5 April | 1 July |
| Y2: | Year Two Print Anthology | N/A | TBA |
Themed volumes will be released every sixth months (staff-, time-, and funds-willing), and will be included in the print volume based on publication date.
| Submissions | Theme | Publication | |
|---|---|---|---|
| V1: | 1 September–15 December | Experimental-form | 15 February |
| V2: | 15 February–15 June | Young adult (YA) | 15 August |
| V3: | TBA | TBA | TBA |
We use Submittable to manage electronic submissions. We do not accept email submissions.
Our formatting guidelines are very simple: double-space, use Courier New (preferred) or Times New Roman (okay) size 12, and remove your name and contact info from both the file name and its contents.
Again, please remove your name from your manuscript; it is being assigned to readers, and we keep that process blind.
Yes, $10 per accepted piece.
How will your work be published?
All work will be published initially online, free to read. After three months, work will be published in an ebook to make room for next quarter’s flash fiction. We are currently working on an print anthology for our first year, and hope to continue that annually.
How and when should you query?
Expected response time will be updated on an on-going basis. As publication occurs three months after submission windows open, we don’t expect this to be a big issue. Please feel free to email [email protected] with the subject “Query” if you have any questions about a submitted work. Before emailing, please be sure to check the status of your submission on Submittable.
We are currently at about a one- to two-month response time, for reference.
What rights will we be purchasing?
For unpublished works, we are purchasing worldwide First Publication rights in multiple electronic formats, exclusive for one year from first publication, non-exclusive for three years. After that, all rights revert back to the writer.
Further rights for potential annual anthology will be negotiated upon offer of print publication.
For reprints (solicited only), rights will be negotiated upon solicitation and acceptance.
Do we accept simultaneous submissions?
Yes, we just ask that you inform us of this fact upon submission, and withdraw your piece immediately if it’s accepted elsewhere.
Do we accept multiple submissions?
No, not at this time. Please wait for your piece to be accepted or declined before submitting further work.
Do we accept previously published work?
No, unless solicited. ‘Previously published’ also includes anything that has been publicly available online (such as on an open writing website or forum, or a personal blog).
Do we publish creative non-fiction?
The best way to answer this question is: if the piece reads like CNF, we probably will not publish it. If you tell us a well-written, interesting story that just happens to be true, you’ve got a good shot.
Via: Freeze Frame Fiction.
- About the Author
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Stuart Conover is a father, husband, published author, blogger, geek, entrepreneur, horror fanatic, and runs a few websites including Horror Tree!
