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Deadline: March 31st, 2024 Payment: ($10) for the first 1,000 words, then a half (1/5) cent per word up to 6,000 words, plus a contributor’s copy. Theme: Short stories and flash fiction with a focus on horror in the American southwest Denver Horror Collective is seeking short stories and flash fiction for its new anthology with a focus on horror in the American southwest, Frontiers of Fright: A Southwestern Horror Anthology. Whether people found themselves in ranches, small frontier towns, saloons, railways, or mines, the American Southwest was a harsh wilderness—a desolate and isolating landscape of deserts and mountains. We want these same people and places with a horror heartbeat, spotlighting the creepy, chilling, and unnerving aspects of when the west was young. For this anthology, we are considering the southwest as places such as Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, western Texas, southern Nevada, California, and northern Mexico. Authors will be paid ten dollars ($10) for the first 1,000 words, then a half (1/5) cent per word up to 6,000 words, plus a contributor’s copy. For inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Submission guidelines Min 1,000 words | Max 6,000 words Deadline to submit is March 31, 2024 Submit to [email protected] Submit stories as a Word Doc – .doc or .docx or .rtf Partial blind submission: Please do not put any identifying information (name, pseudonym, address, email, etc.) on the actual document. This information is okay in the email and subject line. Subject line should be written as: – Submit in Modern Manuscript Format – see here for format details. We accept simultaneous submissions, just let us know if your story is accepted elsewhere. Please, no reprints. Via: Denver Horror Collective.

Deadline: March 31st, 2024 Payment: $20 or Royalties Theme: An form of horror Behind the Shadows II– This is horror. Humor and mystery beats are welcome. Express yourself as the theme moves you. There is no restriction as to how you incorporate the theme into your story as long as the genre falls within Speculative Fiction, including Sci-Fi or Fantasy. We encourage you to weave the theme into an engaging story with well-developed characters and deep emotion. Stories that contain infanticide, rape, or gratuitous gore will not be accepted. Submission Period: January 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024 Submissions: No AI, 1 per author; no simultaneous submissions, no reprints; Submission Cost: Free Word Limit: 2,000 to 7,000 words Submission Guidelines: Anonymous submission with no author name in document; 12 pt Times or Arial; .Doc or .Docx; double-space; first line indent; no tabs used. Genres: Horror Anticipated Pay: Option: Royalty share of D2D sales, or $20.00 If D2D royalty share selected, then each story will receive a share, as will the editor and publisher, from the sales on the D2D platform. This does not include: Kickstarter funds unless detailed in the Stretch goals; wholesale to authors; or non-D2D retail outlets. Links will be available to direct your customers to D2D outlets. Timeline Projections: Submissions close: 3/31/24 Review: April 2024 Acceptance / Rejection: April/May 2024 Edits: June 2024 Production: June 2024 Kickstarter: July 2024 Published: August/September 2024 Upon acceptance, the author is expected to work with the editor on at least one round of revisions in MSWord. Our publication goal will be the summer of 2024; however, the extensive time needed to review and edit submissions may vary depending upon the submitted works and author’s response times. Inkd Publishing LLC will hold first publication rights for four months after publication and the continuing non-exclusive...

Deadline: March 31st, 2024 Payment: Fiction: $25.00 for original stories, $7.00 for reprints, $6.00 for each poem, $20.00 for original articles, $6.00 for reprints. $7.00 for reviews and interviews. Theme: Paranormal - this includes ghosts, spectres, haunts, various whisperers, and so forth. It also includes shapeshifters and creatures from various folklores. Submissions are accepted Feb 1 – Mar 31, Jun 1 – Jul 31, Oct 1 – Nov 30. Anything submitted outside those periods will be deleted unread. We no longer accept simultaneous or multiple submissions. ​ No matter how far we move forward as humans, we are still bound by the instincts and ancestral memories of our animalistic past. None of these are so strong as the fight or flight response. However, there are times when we seem to be perfectly safe, completely at ease and comfortable, when that urge to run from something sneaks up on us. What causes these sensations? Is there something lurking in the darkness? Why is that man giving you the creeps, he’s not even looking at you? And yet, there is something odd. Something instinctual, something you know without fully understanding. We may have moved on, we may have forgotten and left behind those old stories and legends of beasts, voracious monsters, and dark spirits... But they have not forgotten or left us... What We Want The subject matter of parABnormal Magazine is, yes, the paranormal. For us, this includes ghosts, spectres, haunts, various whisperers, and so forth. It also includes shapeshifters and creatures from various folklores. PLEASE NOTE: CREATURES LIKE VAMPIRES, GHOULS, WEREWOLVES, AND ZOMBIES ARE NOT PARANORMAL. Shapeshifters, for the purpose of this magazine, refer to the spiritual shift, not the physical. Think Native American shaman. Paranormal activity centers around the human, not the creature. We do not want stories that involve excessive...

Submission Window: March 1st–31st, 2024 Payment: 1¢ per word for accepted stories (with a minimum of $20 regardless of length). Theme: Speculative fiction that explores connection, family, relationships, comfort, and the natural world. Reading periods/When to send Submissions will be open as follows: March 1st–31st (closing at 10pm PST on the 31st), for a June release September 1st–30th (closing at 10pm PST on the 30th), for a December release What to send Hearth Stories publishes speculative fiction slice-of-life stories with a focus on connection, family, relationships, comfort, and the natural world. We accept works from 1,000 words up to 10,000. However, the ideal length may be something in the 1,500-3,500 word range. We do not currently accept poetry, non-fiction, or non-speculative work (there needs to be a fantasy or science fiction element present in the work). Some things we like: Cozy, sweet, cute, kind, hopeful stories Caregiving, parenting, friendship, relationship, and partnership stories Rural/pastoral life and less technologically advanced settings Works that take place in nature Stories involving food and cooking (we are vegan; stories that feature animal products will result in a pass or a request for removal of the animal products) Stories involving hermits, issolated places, or wandering in the woods Bonus points for stories backed by vegan, anarchist, eco-conscious, and anti-capitalist themes (while still fitting the above) You may notice that none of those things have anything to do with science fiction or fantasy. We would like speculative stories with the above themes and settings. We are very into slice of life stories, the ruralism of Richard Jefferies (ruralism in general, extending to so-called “cottagecore”), and stories in general that take place in wooded places. We like witches and magic, new world stories (usually terraformed planets), alien worlds, and the small adventures of daily life. We accept simultaneous submissions (but we do not accept multiple...

Deadline: March 31st, 2024 Payment: AU$5.00 for stories under 3,000 words, AU$10.00 for anything above 2500 words, AU$15.00 between 8,000 and 11,000 words, AU$20.00 for extended pieces between 11,000 and 20,000 words Theme: All forms of speculative fiction. Yabblins is our theme and genre-free collection. This is where you can submit works of any kind, including extended pieces with lengths up to 20,000 words. Consider those pieces that you have sitting on a hard drive somewhere, the ones that have been previously hard to place... Please ensure that you read through the general guidelines and format your submission accordingly. If you have any specific questions please contact us using the form on the home page or via the listed social media accounts. To help make sure that your submission gets to the correct place, please include the following in the subject line of your email: Yabblins - Story Title. Word count: 1,000 - 20,000 words Deadline: March 31 2024 Payment: AU$5.00 for stories under 3,000 words AU$10.00 for anything above 2500 words AU$15.00 between 8,000 and 11,000 words AU$20.00 for extended pieces between 11,000 and 20,000 words Submission Guidelines: Please no extreme erotica or stories that feature excessive violence or vulgarity (unless otherwise specified). We are all dog lovers here, so violence against animals is the quickest way to get your story rejected. All stories should be formatted appropriately. Please see here for more details. Ensure that your name, address, and email contact and word count are at the top of your manuscript. Double check your spelling and grammar before sending your work. Please submit all stories in .doc, .docx or .rtf formats. International submissions are accepted. No simultaneous submissions. Multiple submissions are encouraged. Where possible, we will provide feedback on request. No reprints. Please send all submissions to [email protected] Via: Gypsum Sound Tales.

Submission Window: March 1st - 31st, 2024 Payment: 8 cent per word for fiction, $20 for poetry, 8 cent per word for non-fiction, $125 for cover art Theme: Speculative fiction Note: This call is for authors of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups It's our goal to publish diverse voices from around the world, and to do that, we are actively seeking stories, poems, and non-fiction pieces by authors from backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented in the science fiction and fantasy canon. Our submission cycle is therefore split into two categories, where every other month is explicitly reserved for submissions by authors of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups. The interposing six months remain open to everyone. Guidelines for Fiction We are seeking stories in the English language up to 6,000 words by writers from around the world. We favor submisions that have not been published before (including on your own website), though we have historically accepted a limited number of reprints not currently appearing anywhere online. For our two issues focused on the climate crisis, we're particularly interested in publishing stories from people displaced by or threatened by the climate emergency (see our themes below). For our other four issues, we're open to a wide variety of stories across the SFF and weird spectra. We pay 8¢ per word for fiction, and we try to respond to all submissions within ten weeks. We have also accepted a limited number of previously published stories, so please indicate on the form if your submission is a reprint. All submissions must use the Shunn manuscript format (we prefer Courier New) and be either .rtf, .doc, or .docx. We like stories that are subtle in their telling and stick with us long after we've finished....

Submission Window: March 1st - 31st, 2024 Payment: $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue Theme: Any genre, short story Mission = Revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful. Payout = Base Pay of $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Wait, you mean if this substack gets thousands of subscribers, the winner would get thousands of dollars? Yes! The New Yorker pays roughly $7,500 per story and I sincerely hope to go way past that. What does the timeline look like? Submit stories by the end of the month, winner to be announced on the 15th. There is ONE story that wins and receives the full payout. Where do I send submissions? [email protected] What are the rules for submitting? 1. No Fees 2. Send in Microsoft Word or Google Doc form 3. Any genre 4. 6- 10,000 words. Yes, just 6 words, like Hemingway's famous 6-word story "For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn." 5. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute. 6. Acknowledge Distribution Rights on this Substack - You can still sell your story elsewhere but we need to be able to save and publish it here. The goal is to create a library for subscribers. 7. Only the winner will be published and rights will only transfer for the winning story. What do I get for subscribing? One beautiful story every month. The complete library. The joy of supporting artists and doing something interesting. What if I can’t pay right now? That’s ok! If you publish a blurb about this site on your website, blog, or social media, I will send you one full story of your choosing. Best of all, it is...

Deadline: March 31st, 2024 Payment: $100 Theme: Music inspired by Tori Amos Note: Open to authors that identify (now or in the past) as femme in the most inclusive of definitions. Opens: February 1, 2024, midnight est  Closes: March 31, 2024, midnight IDLW Compensation: $100 USD Theme: Adult horror, including genre-chimeras Submissions must be between 3,000 and 5,000 words OPEN to any and everyone that identifies (now or in the past) as femme in the most inclusive of definitions. Expected release: February 2025 Submit to [email protected]   What we are looking for: First exclusive (1 year) US rights for stories inspired by the music of Tori Amos.    Submissions must be between 3,000 and 5,000 words. General Guidelines: Please read carefully. Submissions that don’t meet the guidelines will be rejected. Open to any and all writers, both new and established, unless otherwise noted. ALL horror subgenres and tropes are welcome, including comedy and splatter.  Genre-blending is highly encouraged. Queer retellings and gender swaps are our favorites.  Writers should have a diverse representation of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, gender identities, disability, fat positivity, and neurodivergency. What we are NOT looking for: Submissions cannot contain sexualization of minors (under 18, yes that includes “17 almost 18”). Sexual assaults are encouraged to happen off-page and only if it serves purpose to the plot (revenge, social commentary, etc.) Trigger warnings are encouraged and will be included in the back of the finished work. Here are some common triggers: ableism, abortion, blood/gore, body dysphoria, death of loved one, eating disorder, fatphobia/sizeism, gendered language, graphic medical situations, gun violence, homophobia, incest, intimate partner violence, labor/birth, lack of consent, loss of body autonomy, miscarriage, misogyny, needles, police/military violence, post-partum depression, pregnancy, racism, rape, religion, self-harm, sexual assault, stalking/harassment, stillbirth substance misuse, suicide, suicidal ideation, transphobia. Label email subject line: Last, First - Title - Word count Cover...

Deadline: March 31st, 2024 Payment: $125 - $200 Theme: Weird tales set in the Nordic Region that explore the human (and inhuman) experience through the lens of the weird and the horrific. Sentinel Creatives has opened up for submissions for our “NORDIC HORROR” anthology. Deadline for Submissions: 31 March 2024 Wordcount: 3,000 - 6,000 Remuneration: $125 - $200 Simultaneous Submissions: Yes WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR We’re looking for original weird tales set in the Nordic Region that explore the human (and inhuman) experience through the lens of the weird and the horrific. We’re looking for a diverse selection of stories that run the gamut of folklore and history in the region. Of course, this includes Viking Horror. We will, however, only be looking to include 1-2 stories in this vein. Give us your tales of isolation, of windswept tundras, and of what lurks beneath the frozen fjords. Take us through the streets of Reykjavík, Trondheim, and Henningsvær. Show us walls that live and breathe, telling tales of their own history. Guide us to trap streets into other worlds, and the lost gods who wander them; mountains that walk the earth and seas that pulse with sentience. Show us lost maps and found people. Give us your stories of loss and tragedy, of the surreal and the uncanny. If it's Nordic and weird, we want it! Some clarifications: Weird: The term “weird” should be understood to mean a certain sense of breathless and unexplainable dread, of outer, unknown forces present, a suggestion of the defeat or suspension of the laws of nature which have hitherto served to protect our minds and bodies (and souls) from the assault of chaos. By its very nature, weird fiction should invoke in the reader a sense of profound uneasiness and dread, it should hint at the inability of the human mind to comprehend the true nature of existence,...

Deadline: March 31st, 2024 Payment: 4 cents per word Theme: cold/winter horror short stories. Death’s Head Press is putting together an anthology of cold/winter horror short stories. Winter is a setting that lends itself to various horror tales, from survival tales to hauntings to slashers with buckets of blood in the snow. Humans long ago mastered survival in the cold, but what happens when one of the necessities (heat, shelter, food) is taken away? What if that lovely cabin in the woods comes with a helping of the supernatural or otherworldly? The stories can and should cover the wide spectrum of coldness. We aim to explore the what if of the cold. The specifics: Original stories not previously published. Word count per story: 2,500 – 10,000 words Deadline for submissions: March 31, 2024 Pay is $0.04 per word Accepted parties will be notified by April 30, 2024 Submit stories to [email protected] Subject line: Death’s Head Press Cold Anthology Submission (plus story title/author name) Word Document formatted with 1” margins, 12pt font, and 1.5-double spacing Via: Death’s Head Press.

Deadline: March 31st, 2024 Payment: £0.015 per word. Theme: Speculative fiction that deals with The Four Humours (Details on that below.) A brand new audible zine centering the bizarre, the horrifying, and the what-ifs. New Episodes bi-monthly with an exciting new theme every time. Imagine attending an open mic story-telling night in the cellar of that haunted house on the hill or the canteen of a starship that traverses time and dark dimensions. What stories would you hear? Would they inspire awe or disgust? Hope in the future or existential dread? Genres: Sci-fi, Slipstream, Weird Fiction, Near-Future, Retellings, Folk-Tales, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Surrealism, Cosmic Horror, Dark Fantasy, Speculative… Formats: Mainly Short Stories, Poetry, Flash Fiction, Short Plays/Extracts, (but open to) Personal Stories, Dreams/Nightmares, Songs, Soundscapes, Fictional or Real Mini-Docs, Interviews, and whatever else you can dream up… THEME 1.02: The Four Humours When our nature is out of balance; tempers, like fevers, run high. Step into the bewitching world of the Four Humours, where ancient alchemy meets the intricate tapestry of the human psyche. Dividing our episode into four sections: Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic, and Phlegmatic. Does your tale weave characters with raw intensity and larger-than-life personalities?  Are they charismatic, ambitious, deep thinkers, or cool-headed under pressure?  Or,  instead, impulsive, domineering, pessimistic,  or lazy? ​ Think tales of disease, of body or mind, potions and magic, chaos and order, material change, and personal transformation. Treat us to characters whose flaws are their undoing, whose struggles mirror our own, and whose stories resonate with the raw intensity of big emotions and larger-than-life personalities. Current Deadline: March 31st, 2024 Send Your Submissions Here [email protected] Submission Guidelines: Ethos: ​ The Lost Poetry Club is an audible zine. We aim to create a kaleidoscope of voices and materials. Chosen work will be dramatised, but you are openly encouraged to contribute to our M.A.F.P. (mind-altering frequency protocol) with your own recordings and performances for a fully collaborative...

Deadline: March 31st, 2024 Payment: $25 Theme: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Boy George and Culture Club Note: Apologies about the short deadline, just found out about this one today. In the 1980s, the world had never seen anything quite like Boy George and Culture Club. English pop met fashion and androgyny to usher in the New Romantic era of music. With dozens of nominations and award wins, Culture Club secured a spot in music history and produced a music legacy still loved today. And, what better way to celebrate them than with outstanding crime fiction inspired by their music? SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 1. Your work must be based on a song that’s an original Boy George and/or Culture Club song and cannot be a cover performed by them. Feel free to reference the list HERE and HERE for inspiration. 2. Your work must relate strongly to the song it’s inspired by, whether that’s by the lyrics or the name. 3. You still must have a STORY and a good crime/mystery. 4. LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC characters and authors very, very strongly encouraged. Be authentic! Remember that this anthology is for Pride Month. 5. All works must be original to this publication and cannot have been published or self-published previously. 6. We’re perfectly ok with simultaneous submissions to other publishers, but please let us know if you’d like your story withdrawn from consideration. 7. Please make sure your song choice is not too obscure. From past musical mystery anthologies we’ve found that readers have a lot more interest if there are songs they immediately recognize. TECHNICAL GUIDELINES 1. We’re not looking for flash fiction, but we’re not against it if it works. Prefer more in the regular short story length (3000-5000 words). 2. All submissions need to be in DOC, DOCX or Pages format....