Events

Deadline: December 31st, 2021 Payment: 10 cents per word Theme: Horror VALRAVN is our yearly annual of “wyrd fiction” short stories (3,000 to 10,000 words). We also publish anthologies as the mood strikes us. These guidelines are similar to our novel/novella guidelines above, but there are key differences, so we’d recommend you read carefully. VALRAVN is still horror themed, but each annual contains a multitude of genres and elements in it. Our anthologies tend to be themed, and when we announce them, we announce the theme we’d like short stories submitted in. WHAT WE WANT We love fiction from diverse, under-represented perspective and cultures, well-researched and written by fresh and exciting voices. Speculative short fiction in the following genres (for VALRAVN. As we said above, for anthologies, we’ll tell you the theme.) Fantasy Horror Espionage/Thriller Science Fiction Up to 10,000 words, minimum of 3,000 words Only one submission per quarter, no simultaneous submissions, no submissions of previously rejected material without prior approval. Please wait until the next quarter (January 1, April 1,  July 1, October 1) before submitting anything again. Please only send RTF, DOC or DOX files, and must adhere best practices in manuscript formats: https://www.shunn.net/format/classic/ For VALRAVN and our anthologies, we require previous unpublished works. If you have a short story collection, you can see our novel/novella guidelines above. WHAT WE OFFER With our short fiction annuals and anthologies, we offer a one-time purchase fee of $0.10 USD per word (ten cents USD per word), with additional bonus payouts based on crowdfunding and sales (these are not “royalties” exactly, as they’re based on sales thresholds rather than a per sale bonus.) We request a year’s publication rights, after which, the story is yours to do what you want with, though we will retain the rights to continue publishing the...

Deadline: December 31st, 2021 Payment: $50 and a contributor's copy Theme: A compilation of first-person accounts including letters, prosaic poems, diary entries, postcard letters, short personal essays, and other genre-bending experimental pieces I am seeking writers for an experimental anthology titled “letters i’ll never send”. This anthology will be a compilation of first-person accounts including letters, prosaic poems, diary entries, postcard letters, short personal essays, and other genre-bending experimental pieces. "letters i'll never send" is meant to serve as a sentimental linkage between the writer and the reader. It should lure the reader in emotionally, so that they can resonate in some meaningful way. Simultaneously, all pieces inside the book should connect with the others in vulnerable, open, or spiritual ways - or all of those ways. Essentially, just write as if you're writing to whoever, and run with whatever comes up - whether it's an angry letter, a love letter, a breakup letter, a friendship letter, a self-reflection letter, a letter to yourself, a postcard letter to a friend/significant other, etc. The possibilities are endless, and as long as you capture the vulnerability and heartwarming (or heart-wrenching) pull that I'd love to evoke in the book, then this anthology will be an impassioned masterpiece! If you have a piece that you think is fit for this project, I’d love to hear from you. Please make sure to only send your own, unpublished work. I will not accept previously published work for this project. Please make sure that longer pieces are no more than 1,000 words. If your piece is chosen, I will need non-exclusive rights to what you submit and I will pay you $50 on acceptance. All rights revert back to the author upon publication. I will also send you a copy of the print version of the book when it...

Deadline: December 31st, 2021 Payment: 10 cents per word Theme: Merry Magic and the color red Note: Membership (free) is required to submit to the magazine. There is also a monthly $20,000 contest however a monthly paid membership is required to submit to it. Theme Info: Write a story involving magic, merriment, and the color red. Is magic real? Perhaps, if you know where to look. You can find it in the twinkling eyes of a smiling stranger, in the gleeful laugh of playful children, and in any dish cooked with love. When families and communities get together and celebrate the holidays, well, you can taste the magic in the air. Ah, but you may be interested in more… practical applications. How does Santa make it to each house in a single night? How do elves penetrate locked doors to leave presents in shoes? Which wards do you draw on the mantle, and what is the proper wording to summon Krampus? Blizzards have awesome power. Glades of silent, snow-covered pines hold many secrets. Enchantments lay on warm-glowing villages in the night. Magic is everywhere. You just have to look. This contest invites you to explore the wonder of magic with an eye to the festive, whatever that means to you. Mystery, fantasy, romance, crime. All genres are welcome. Submissions close December 31st at 11:59 pm EST. More details below. Submission Info Anyone can submit work to the magazine. It’s free. We don’t believe publications should charge authors to be published. However, we have a specific submission process you must adhere to in order to have your work considered. Our submissions window opens on the first and closes at midnight on the final day of each month, just like our contest. The theme of each issue of the magazine is the same...

Deadline: December 31st, 2021 Payment: $25 and a contributor's copy Theme: Empowering fat characters within the horror community Diet Riot: A Fatterpunk Anthology Edited by Sonora Taylor and Nico Bell SUBMISSIONS: September 15 - December 31, 2021 Publication Date: Summer 2022 Send submissions to [email protected] Description: It’s time to reclaim the “f” word. Diet Riot: A Fatterpunk Anthology is dedicated to empowering fat characters within the horror community. Give us your rage over weigh-ins, your detest over detox cleanses, your rebellion against diet culture. Give us bad-ass characters who own their size and never apologize for taking up space. This is a horror anthology, so be sure to have your character in some kind of horror story--but, we are open to what that story is! We welcome haunted houses, ghost stories, creature features, splatterpunk, serial killers, witches, monsters, you name it. Just make sure your story features at least one fat protagonist. Fat people are often degraded in literature, especially in horror. It’s disheartening to see someone’s natural body be portrayed as disgusting and inherently bad. Diet Riot: A Fatterpunk Anthology aims to give that trope the heartiest “f*ck you” that our big selves can muster. So go on, send us what you’ve got! Submission guidelines: Authors at any stage in their career are welcome to submit. We want to encourage submissions from authors who are women, BIPOC, queer, trans, disabled, and/or neurodivergent; but all are welcome to submit! Stories must have at least one fat protagonist, ideally the main character. While they can be anti-heroes, their fatness must not be part of what makes them evil. We want this to be a diverse and inclusive anthology. We welcome and encourage stories with characters who are queer, non-cis, non-white, disabled, and/or neurodivergent. Story length: 4000-6000 words Payment: $25 flat rate,...

Deadline: December 31st, 2021 Payment: $25 and a contributor's copy Theme: Short stories from people of color, that embody the dark magic, creepy wonder and beautiful horror of the fairy world! Tales of the Dark Fae Open Submission Window: October 15, 2021 through December 31, 2021 Theme: Colors in Darkness is seeking short stories from people of color, that embody the dark magic, creepy wonder and beautiful horror of the fairy world! Lend us your tales of urban goblins, beautiful but deadly sprites or unruly but cute magical creatures. I’m talking evil mushrooms that have appetites for bad children, a were-toad stepmother whose disguise can be seen by everyone except her husband or a faun prince who uses his charms to ruin lives, we want to see your most diverse and dark tales from the fairy/fae world! Submission Guidelines: For the third Colors in Darkness anthology, we are seeking, thirteen well-written, diverse tales of horror, paranormal and dark fantasy. This anthology will be published in May 2022, as a part of CID’s celebration of Black Fae Day however, stories from all cultures will be considered! No stories that contain rape, or the abuse of minors will be read. Violence and sex are acceptable but should be important to the plot. ▪ Submit your work to ( [email protected] ) with ‘CID Dark Fae: Story Title_Your Last Name’ in the subject line. Attach your story as a DOC or DOCX file. Submissions sent in the body of the email will not be read. ▪ Stories should be in New Times Roman font with 1.5 spacing and First Line Indentation for new paragraphs. ▪ Include a brief cover letter in the body of your email stating your name, pen name (if using one), story title with word count, a brief summary, address, website...