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Deadline: May 15th, 2024 Payment: $30, or $25 per issue if serialized over multiple issues. Theme: Sword & Sorcery, Dark Fantasy, and Grimdark subgenres of fantasy fiction Just as the classic pulps continue to bring attention, praise, and droves of new readers to legendary writers such as Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Crimson Quill Quarterly wishes to bring attention to budding authors of the Sword & Sorcery, Dark Fantasy, and Grimdark subgenres of fantasy fiction. We appreciate creativity and talent equally and would love to see well written stories driven by developed and intriguing characters and invigorating action that unfolds throughout the plot. While we are not looking for stories that "reinvent the wheel", we appreciate originality above all else.   WHAT WE WANT Original tales of nail-biting peril faced down by a fearless protagonist or protagonists reliant upon their mental might as much as their physical prowess to achieve their goals and overcome their enemies in action packed adventures, preferably told in 10,000 words or less. We do understand that fantasy writers can have a tale’s word-count get away from them and are willing to accept stories up to 30,000 words that will be serialized over several issues. NOTICE: Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please identify it as such in the body of your email and keep us informed if you decide to go elsewhere. As always, there are never any hard feelings if you choose to have another publication print your story. A payment of $30 USD via check or digital transaction (authors who have longer works accepted for serialization will be paid $25 USD per issue they appear in rather than a flat $30 rate). We will buy First Rights and will obtain aforementioned rights for six months. Should this...

Deadline: May 15th, 2024 Payment: $300 and 50% royalties on all sales Theme: Horror novels between 50k-100k words Third Estate Books, publishers of Spectrum: An Autistic Horror Anthology and the forthcoming The Monologist, is proud to announce our first Open Submission period. From April 15-May 15, 2024, we will be accepting submissions for horror novels that give voice to the voiceless. Three books will be selected for publication in 2025. We are looking for: works that align with the philosophy of Third Estate Books. Click here to read the vision statement. horror, and only horror. If you have any doubts if your book is horror, don't send it to us. previously unpublished novels. Do not send us previously published material. This includes self-published and traditionally published material. word ranges of 50k-100k. Anything more or less will be rejected outright. We will not accept: works which promote or excuse racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, ableism, or any other form of discrimination. working with sexual harassers or abusers. If that statement makes you nervous, we're not the press for you. use of A.I. We are champions of the PEOPLE, not programs! Any writing that has been created with the use of A.I. will not be accepted. It will, in fact, be mocked. werewolf stories. Don't do it! What should you send us? A query letter—one page maximum—in which you explain a bit about your story and why you think it's a good fit for Third Estate Books. The first three chapters of your manuscript in Shunn format, file formats .doc or .docx only. Trigger warnings are welcome but not required. Submit to: https://thirdestatebooks.moksha.io What do you receive if we publish your book? $300 payout prior to publication. 50% royalty rate on paperback, ebook, and audiobook sales. Other odds and ends: Simultaneous submissions...

Deadline: May 15th, 2024 Prize: $10 US (payable via PayPal only) plus a copy of Pulp Asylum’s first novella, When Harry Comes to Call Theme: Rebirth/Renewal Call for Submissions Pulp Asylum Fiction Contest ​ I am looking for drabbles for this contest.  A drabble is a story of exactly 100 words, no more and no less.  Do not count the title or your byline, just the body of the text itself.  Entries not meeting the 100-word requirement will not be considered.  Keep the following guidelines in mind: -- The theme for this contest is rebirth/renewal.   Your entry should connect with this theme in some way.  For this contest,  I will be considering drabbles that fall into the following genres: crime, mystery, horror, suspense,  fantasy, science fiction, western, or just plain weird. -- No reprints.  Previously unpublished work only. -- No multiple or simultaneous submissions, please. -- Submit via email as a .doc or .pdf attachment to [email protected].  Your subject line should be DRABBLE CONTEST .  Treat the body of your email as your cover letter.  No need to sweat the cover: keep it informal and brief–-just a bit about yourself. -- Submission deadline: end of the day Wednesday May 15th, 2024. -- Responses will be sent between May 16th and June 1st, 2024. -- The winning author will receive $10 US (payable via PayPal only) plus a copy of Pulp Asylum’s first novella, When Harry Comes to Call, due out June 1st, 2024.  Plus, of course, bragging rights and the happy glow of victory. ​-- The winning drabble will be published at the Pulp Asylum site in mid-June 2024 (date subject to change depending on scheduling and production needs). Via: Pulp Asylum.

Submission Window: May 1st - May 15th, 2024 Payment: $10 per poem, $15 per short story Theme: Food From May 1st - May 15th, Diet Milk Magazine will be accepting submissions for its annual themed mini-issue. We will be open to poetry and prose. While the most detailed information can be found on our website, here's a quick rundown of what potential contributors need to know! 2023 THEME: FOOD GENERAL GUIDELINES: All submissions must fall under the Gothic umbrella, but aren't required to be a specific genre All submissions must adhere to the current theme No reprints or multiple submissions Simultaneous submissions permitted, though we ask to be informed promptly if your work is accepted elsewhere! Submissions should be .doc, .docx, or .pdf P O E T R Y : Poets may submit up to three poems at a time. No single poem should exceed one page in length. P R O S E : Authors may EITHER up to 3 stories of less than 999 words OR a single story of 1k—2k words. Stories exceeding 2025 words will be rejected automatically. Responses, Rights, & Payment Please allow up to six weeks for a response. After that, send a gentle nudge via email Diet Milk Magazine asks for first serial rights. Upon publication, all rights revert back to the creator. A contract will be provided upon acceptance All payments made via PayPal. For more information on pay scale, visit our website All submissions are processed through Duosuma, available to anyone with a free Duotrope account. Our manager can be accessed through the button above after logging into or creating your account. We don’t accept multiple submissions or, generally, reprints. However, we’re willing to consider pieces posted exclusively to an author’s website OR that have appeared in now-defunct publications. If this applies to your work, please say so in your cover...

Submission Window: April 15th - May 15th, 2024 Payment: 10 cents per word and $500 for custom cover art and $100 for cover art drawn from an artist’s existing portfolio. Theme: Fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. Note: You must identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms. This includes, but is not limited to, first- and second-generation immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, persons who identify with one or more diaspora communities, persons who have been displaced or whose heritage has been erased due to colonialism/imperialism, and anyone whose heritage and history includes ‘here and elsewhere’. khōréō is a quarterly publication of stories, essays, and art: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. We’re especially interested in writing and art that explore some aspect of migration, whether explicitly (themes of immigration, colonialism, etc.), metaphorically, or with a sly nod and a wink. Most importantly, we’re a new magazine and we’re still finding our identity: therefore, please don’t self-reject because you’re not sure if your work is a good fit. We won’t know until we see it, so please give us a chance to look! See submission requirements & how to submit at the following pages: Fiction Non-fiction Art Voice actors Who can submit? khōréō is dedicated to diversity and amplifying the voices of immigrant and diaspora authors and artists. We welcome, but do not require, a brief description of the author’s/artist’s identity in their cover letter. We invite you to submit if you identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms. This includes, but is not limited to, first- and second-generation immigrants, refugees,...

Deadline: May 15th, 2024 Payment: 1 cent per word and 5 contributors copies Theme: Horror stories based in Texas by Texas-based authors DEADLINE: MAY 15, 2024 Starkweather Imprints is pleased to announce plans for the 2024 edition of Road Kill: Texas Horror by Texas Writers, Vol. 9. Road Kill co-creator Bret McCormick will edit Vol. 9 of the series, which has featured the works of Joe R. Lansdale, Katherine Anne Porter, Stephen Graham Jones, Robert E. Howard, O. Henry, Russell C. Conner, Madison Estes, Patrick C. Harrison, E. R. Bills and others. McCormick is looking for original horror stories 1,500-10,000 words in length. The stories must be written and submitted by Texas authors and must be set (based) here – hence the title. One cent per word and contributing writers will receive five free copies. Writer stipends will look something like this: 10,000 words – $100, 7,500 words – $75, 5,000 words – $50, 2,500 words – $25, 1,500 words – $15. All payments will be made after official acceptance, and when acceptance is communicated, each author will need to send a short bio. Starkweather Imprints will be requesting one-year non-exclusive rights. This means we will use your story in this anthology and we can print excerpts of it online and otherwise (for promotional purposes, etc), but one year down the road you can do with it what you like. The Submission Period begins on February 5, 2024. The deadline to turn in stories is May 15, 2024, and our intent is to have the book printed and available by October 1, 2024, in plenty of time for Halloween. Please send submissions to: [email protected]

Submission Window: April 15th - May 15th, 2024 Payment: $15.00 for short stories, $5.00 for poems and flash (<1000 wds) fiction pieces., $5.00 for reprints Theme: SF/Fantasy (ideally fantasy) with strong and complex female characters Note: Reprints Welcome   The Lorelei Signal is a quarterly SF/Fantasy electronic magazine - one that will feature strong / complex female characters. This does not mean your female character has to be the main hero or villain in the story. What it does mean is no shrinking violets, or women who serve only to get into trouble so the male hero can rescue them.Each issue I hope to publish:7 short stories, 1 flash fiction piece and 2 poemsthat meet the following guidelines:My primary guideline is simple:Write a good fantasy story with strong/complex characters. What I am NOT looking for - erotica / slash / or other such stories.Although well written love scenes that are IMPORTANT to the story will be considered on a story-by-story basis.1) Stories should be no longer than 10,000 words.However, tell the story - if it takes more than 10,000 words to tell the story properly so be it.Just try to cut it down if possible - but remember the story is the important part.2) Stories must feature 3 dimensional / complex characters.3) I will accept reprints as long as it has been at least 1 year since the story was previously published,rights have reverted back and you tell me where it previously appeared.These will be limited to 2 per issue.4) Please keep the graphic gore down to a minimum(only what's needed for the story).5) Please keep the obscene language to a bare minimum(again, only what's needed for the story).6) Simultaneous Submissions will be considered IF:a) You tell me up frontb) You inform me immediately if the story has been accepted elsewhereIf I have...

Deadline: May 30th, 2024 Payment: $25 Theme: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Barry Manilow There are few musicians in the world today who are more recognizable than Barry Manilow. With a chart-topping career spanning decades and a current residency in Las Vegas, Manilow continues to demonstrate his incredible musical talent and creativity. Manilow created a crime story of his own in his hit song Copacabana, and now we look to provide the same treatment to his many other hits. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 1. Your work must be based on a song that’s an original Barry Manilow song and cannot be a cover performed by him. For example, although his cover of “Memory” from the musical Cats is iconic, it is not eligible for this anthology. 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! 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. Everyone knows by now that we don’t care about fonts and spacing and all that...

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: 2 cents per word and both a hardcover and paperback contributors copy Theme: stories involving werewolves and other shape-changing beings We are looking for your stories involving werewolves and other shape-changing beings. Open for Submissions: April 1, 2024 through May 31, 2024 Expected Publication: October 2024 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS Your story: should be approximately 2,000 – 6,000 words in length. (If your story is significantly longer than this, consider submitting it to our Tiny Terrors short fiction program.) should not contain erotica, or excessive violence or gore. can be part of an ongoing series you might be writing. can have been previously published (with proof that you hold the current publishing rights). may be submitted simultaneously to other markets (but please let us know when you submit your story). You may submit more than one story for consideration for this anthology, but please wait until you have received a response from us on your previous submissions to this anthology. If you are uncertain if your story is something that we might be interested in publishing, please feel free to query us at submissions (at) graveside-press.com in advance of submitting your manuscript. Please, no fan fiction. SUBMISSIONS Send us finished manuscript in digital (.DOCx, .RTF, or .ODT) format using this form: Graveside Press Submission Form. Please use a standard manuscript format. If you’re not sure what one is, here’s a good source. PAYMENT Payment will be: $0.02 per word one (1) trade paperback contributor edition one (1) hardcover contributor edition access to ten (10) digital contributor copies CONTACTING US We will try to acknowledge receipt of your manuscript within 24 hours. We’ll also try to let you know whether or not we’re interested in working with you to publish your book within 30 days after that. Both of these periods may vary,...

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: 3c/word (USD) originals; $25 (USD) reprints Theme: Weird Horror, Dark Fantasy, Dark Science Fiction. Short Fiction, Narrative Poetry. Note: Reprints Welcome The Skull and Laurel is a quarterly magazine of New Weird short fiction. A more detailed explanation of the type of stories we publish at Tenebrous Press can be found here, but essentially we are looking for speculative fiction that is genre-fluid and modern in its themes, subtext, characters, techniques, or form. Horror, fantasy, and science fiction stories are welcome so long as they are dark and Weird with a capital W. If your story is speculative and either blends genres or refuses to fit neatly within their confines, we want to read it. Our goal is to publish strange and brave new stories told by people you may have never otherwise met.   Submission Guidelines for Skull and Laurel This round open until: May 31st 2024 Genres and forms: Weird Horror, Dark Fantasy, Dark Science Fiction. Short Fiction, Narrative Poetry. We also encourage trying us with things like comic strips, mixed media, found footage, puzzles, games, experiments, and other weird forms, as long as they tell a story.   Word count: 100 to 7499 words Payment: 3c/word (USD) originals; $25 (USD) reprints Reprints: Yes Simultaneous Submissions: Yes Multiple submissions: Please submit no more than one original story and one reprint at a time (one of each is fine). Translations: Translations are welcome as long as the story has not yet been published in English. Target Age Group: Mature audiences AI Disclaimer: Machine/AI-generated content is explicitly forbidden. Authors and artists should anticipate contracts declaring that no part of their submission was machine/AI-generated. Those who submit machine/AI-generated content will be permanently blacklisted. Rights: World English first rights in print, electronic, and ebook, including a six-month exclusivity period. For reprints, World English reprint in print, electronic, and ebook, no...

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: $20 (CAD) and a contributors copy Theme: Writing on your view of the meaning of the word "Stygian" After the release of our first publication "The Stygian Collection", there was demand to continue producing anthologies. To continue growing our community and keep the anthology spirit alive, The Stygian Society will be releasing a literary zine every January and July! ​ Focusing on the theme "Stygian", we ask writers to meditate on their meaning of the word. We are open to poetry, short stories, non-fiction articles, personal insights and visual art (including comics)! For written works please do not exceed 2500 words (poetry included). For comics please do not exceed 5 pages. Submissions are always open, so send us something and see what we think. ​ Works received between June 1 and November 30 will be considered for the January issue Works received between December 1 and May 31 will be considered for the July issue ​ We will accept written submissions in Word or PDF format. If your work has previously been published, please be sure to note this when reaching out and let us know where it is currently featured. For artwork, please send in any high res file format - 300dpi minimum. Colour or black and white welcome. ​ For selected works, you will receive a $20 (CAD) honorarium and one print copy of the zine.   Submit Your Work Via: Stygian Society.

Submission Window: May 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: May 31st, 2024 Payment: Flash & Fiction: 8 cents per word, Poetry: $50, other written options, 8 cents per word Theme: All styles and genres when it comes to fairy tales Submissions are currently OPEN for Issue #2. This window will close at midnight AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time) on 31 May 2024. Upcoming submission windows Submission window for Issue #3: 1 to 14 August (closes midnight AEST on 14 August) Submission window for Issue #4: 1 to 14 November (closes midnight AEST on 14 November) What we are looking for We are especially interested in work from or about diverse perspectives and traditionally under-represented groups, settings, and cultures, written from a non-exoticising and well-researched position. Please read the FULL guidelines below for the type of submission you are sending us, and our preferences in terms of format and cover letters. Currently, we only accept original, unpublished work. We have a swift turnaround time on submissions (about two weeks), and so ask that you do not submit your work to other markets while it is under consideration for The Orange & Bee. AI Policy We do not accept or publish work that has written with, or with the assistance of, writing software such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc. Please include in your cover letter a statement indicating that you have not used AI to create your work—this will set our minds at ease. Please note that our contract for publication requires you to legally affirm that you (and not a robot/AI) wrote your work. If we discover that you have submitted work to us that breaches our AI guidelines, we will block your email address, and will not accept future submissions from you. Fiction & Flash Fiction The Orange and Bee celebrates all styles and genres when it comes to fairy tales. We are seeking stories that...

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: 12c/word + contributors copy. Theme: Gross and goopy horror Edited by Lor Gislason, author of Inside Out, ⅓ of the Goop Troop and editor of Bound In Flesh: An Anthology of Trans Body Horror and Spectrum: An Autistic Horror Anthology. THE IMPORTANT STUFF: This is an OPEN CALL. There are no invited authors. It’s a free for all! SUBMISSION PERIOD: April 1st to May 31st, 2024. Edits June-August. Expected release date October. PAY: 12c/word + contributors copy. We will be taking PITCHES, and if accepted, your story should be 2-5k words. Please send only 1 to 2 pitches MAX. SEND PITCHES TO: [email protected] THE GUTS: Hey all! Lor here. Some of you might know me for my love of GROSS, GOOPY HORROR—which is exactly what this anthology aims to be! I’ll be looking for pitches that evoke FUN and DISGUST, like Peter Jackson’s Braindead, and the films of Frank Henelotter. Shows like Freaky Stories and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters. Like a pig in mud, we revel in the nasty and go, “hey, check this out! Made me want to barf!” Give me fluids! Guts and gore! Slime, ooze and GOOP! Your story can feature dark themes and heavy topics, but have FUN with it. There are no restrictions. Content warnings will be made available when the book is published. All writers of any skill level or background are encouraged to submit! Little Ghosts Presents.. LITTLE GUTS A Gory Anthology Submit your pitch for a 2-5k story! Please include… just the guts! Character, rising action, and conclusion teaser. Suggest a style, leak the ooze, make us laugh (or go EUGHHHH). Pitch us something gross! Submission window closes May 31 2024. Via: Little Ghost Books.

Submission Window: May 1st - 31st, 2024 Payment: 1 cent per word Theme: Fantasy short stories up to 5,000 words Note: REPRINT ONLY IMAGITOPIA is a new fantasy fiction podcast and digital magazine produced by Android Press and featuring narrated fantasy fiction plus other fun stuff like author and editor interviews, news and events, and nerd-outs on fantasy tropes and other related topics.  We currently accept submissions of previous published fantasy short stories for REPRINT ONLY to be narrated for the podcast. We'll also publish in print here on the webzine.  ​ Our first submission window opens on September 1, 2023. For more information on when we're open and closed to submissions throughout the year, please see our Schedule. Submissions are only accepted through IMAGITOPIA's Moksha submission portal. Any submissions received via email or any other method will be deleted without review or response. Email accounts inevitable get tons of spam. So this policy helps make sure we don't lose your submission in the email shuffle. But if for some reason you're unable to submit via our Moksha portal, for example due to accessibility issues, please message us using the form at the bottom of this page, and we'll be happy to make alternative arrangements for your submission. *We're a womxn and trans run publication. We hope authors of all types and stripes will submit work, but we especially encourage BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, womxn, people living with disabilities, those living in the Global South, and authors from other marginalized populations. ​ WORD COUNT flash fiction: up to 1,500 words short stories: up to 5,000 words ​ PAY RATE We currently pay 1 cent USD per word for previously published flash fiction and short stories with a $10 USD minimum. ​ GENRES We accept submissions of fantasy and all its subgenres including but not limited to:  ​​ high...

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: 2 cents per word and both a hardcover and paperback contributors copy Theme: stories involving vampires. We are looking for your stories involving vampires. Open for Submissions: April 1, 2024 through May 31, 2024 Expected Publication: October 2024 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS Your story: should be approximately 2,000 – 6,000 words in length. (If your story is significantly longer than this, consider submitting it to our Tiny Terrors short fiction program.) should not contain erotica, or excessive violence or gore. can be part of an ongoing series you might be writing. can have been previously published (with proof that you hold the current publishing rights). may be submitted simultaneously to other markets (but please let us know when you submit your story). You may submit more than one story for consideration for this anthology, but please wait until you have received a response from us on your previous submissions to this anthology. If you are uncertain if your story is something that we might be interested in publishing, please feel free to query us at submissions (at) graveside-press.com in advance of submitting your manuscript. Please, no fan fiction. SUBMISSIONS Send us finished manuscript in digital (.DOCx, .RTF, or .ODT) format using this form: Graveside Press Submission Form. Please use a standard manuscript format. If you’re not sure what one is, here’s a good source. PAYMENT Payment will be: $0.02 per word one (1) trade paperback contributor edition one (1) hardcover contributor edition access to ten (10) digital contributor copies CONTACTING US We will try to acknowledge receipt of your manuscript within 24 hours. We’ll also try to let you know whether or not we’re interested in working with you to publish your book within 30 days after that. Both of these periods may vary, though, depending on the number of manuscripts we’ve...

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: Contributor's copy and 3 cents per word for original work or 1 cent per word for reprints Theme: Family friendly science fiction with positive visions of the future Note: Reprints welcome We're looking for stories for our next family friendly anthology, Terrific Tomorrows! We're looking for science fiction with positive visions of the future, stories that leave the reader excited about the possibilities ahead. By "family friendly," we mean stories an adult can enjoy, but also share with a 10-year-old. No gore, no cursing, and no stories where violence is a solution. We're looking for tales where people think their way out of problems. We're now open for submissions under 3000 words. Query with a short pitch if you have something longer that you think is a great fit for the theme. We accept original stories and reprints. We'll pay 3 cents a word for original stories and a 1 cent a word for reprints, plus a contributor's copy of the paperback. Email submissions to [email protected]. Our deadline is May 31, 2024. Via: Word Balloon Books' Facebook.

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: 5 cents per word Theme: Anything robot or AI-related where things go horribly wrong, or even horribly right. Robots, AI, and all things technology. Think of our annual anthology call as a mix between the Twilight Zone, Black Mirror, and Back to the Future. We are looking to highlight 20+ brand new writers with tales of technology gone right, wrong, and everything in between. The Robots Were Right is a Kickstarter anthology from the award-nominated editing team at Weird Little Worlds Press. Our other anthologies have been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award® for Excellence in An Anthology as well as individual stories being chosen for BEST HORROR OF THE YEAR and BEST SHORT FICTION. For this anthology, we are breaking from the formula of most anthologies and not including any personally invited authors. Why? So that we can feature an award-quality anthology of new and upcoming authors of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. We want you! The Pitch: Technology has infiltrated every aspect of our lives. From being constantly monitored by our smart devices to AI art taking the jobs of creatives, technology is having a real impact on the lives and livelihoods of people all over the world. In this anthology, we want to hear the strangest, scariest, most stupefying, and most satisfying stories you can imagine. Make us cringe, laugh, cry, hide…but most of all, make us think and make us care! What We Want: We are looking for unique, engaging stories that are ripped from the headlines and could be the next episode of Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone. Whatever technology you choose to highlight(not necessarily from this century), it must reflect the pervasive, invasive, abusive, and/or revolutionary power of human-made tools and make us care about the humans they impact. While we understand that...

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: £0.005 per word (Low pay is due to being a charity anthology for skin cancer.) Theme: Speculative stories that include skin We’re looking for stories (2-5k words) on the theme of skin (after all, we are skeletons, we crave what we lack). Take the prompt as literally or as abstractly as you like. We tend to prefer speculative, surreal, supernatural, dark fiction with creeping, poetic, dread-inducing prose, and endings we can't predict, but we're open to all subgenres of dark fiction. Elements of sci-fi and/or fantasy are fine, as long as your story veers towards the dark. We are not, however, the market for violent, bloody, racist, homophobic, or masochistic fiction. If you want an idea of what sort of story we publish (my oh my, it is an eclectic collection), why not check out any of our other publications? Links can be found by clicking on the Books tab at the top of this page. Deadline: May 31st 2024 (midnight, last place on earth) or until full.  One piece per author - send us your best! No reprints. No AI fiction. £0.005 per word (after edits). Profits made during the year of publication will go to a skin cancer charity. An anthology of selected stories will be published in print and as an e-book publication. Do get in touch via email or Twitter with any questions. Submission Guidelines Stories must be typed in English. Pieces must be your own, original work (no AI), and previously unpublished in any format. Size 12 font, Times New Roman or similar easy-to-read font. Please do not double space after a full stop (period). No paragraph indents. Leave a line between paragraphs. Please use " for speech marks, not '. No colour or images please. Please tell us your name, title of your story,  and which call you are submitting to in the subject line of your...

Deadline: May 31, 2024 Payment: Contributor's Copy Theme: Whumpy stories that involve a laboratory Whump, closely related to hurt/comfort, is a genre of fiction that involves hurting fictional characters. It often also involves the comforting of those characters, but not necessarily. It originated in fan fiction, but has now branched out into original fiction. If you are unfamiliar with the genre, make sure to familiarize yourself with it before submitting. Check out #whump on tumblr, or pick up a copy of one of our previous anthologies! Calling all whump writers! The Whumpy Printing Press is looking for stories for its third anthology, to be published in paperback and ebook formats in 2024. Theme: Lab whump. For this anthology, we’re looking for whumpy stories that involve a laboratory. Maybe your whumpee is a lab rat. Maybe they’re on the run from the ethically questionable organization that has been holding them prisoner. Maybe the whumpee has finally flipped the script on their whumper. As long as a lab is incorporated into the story in some way, it counts! We take a broad view of whump- it can be physical or emotional. Your stories can be hurt no comfort or comfort no hurt, just as long as they touch on whump in some way. Word Count: Up to 17,500 words For this anthology, we are looking for stories in the following categories: Micro-fiction: 250 words or less Flash fiction: 251-1,000 words Short Story: 1,001-7,499 words Novelette: 7,500-17,500 words Compensation: ebook contributor’s copy, one free paperback, and discounts on additional paperbacks 50% of proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to charity, with the remainder going to support future WPP projects. Submissions Open: October 28, 2023 Submit Here! Submissions Close: May 31, 2024 (hard deadline) Expected Publication Date: October 2024 The...

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: 2 cents per word and both a hardcover and paperback contributors copy Theme: stories involving ghosts and possession We are looking for your stories involving ghosts and possession. Open for Submissions: April 1, 2024 through May 31, 2024 Expected Publication: October 2024 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS Your story: should be approximately 2,000 – 6,000 words in length. (If your story is significantly longer than this, consider submitting it to our Tiny Terrors short fiction program.) should not contain erotica, or excessive violence or gore. can be part of an ongoing series you might be writing. can have been previously published (with proof that you hold the current publishing rights). may be submitted simultaneously to other markets (but please let us know when you submit your story). You may submit more than one story for consideration for this anthology, but please wait until you have received a response from us on your previous submissions to this anthology. If you are uncertain if your story is something that we might be interested in publishing, please feel free to query us at submissions (at) graveside-press.com in advance of submitting your manuscript. Please, no fan fiction. SUBMISSIONS Send us finished manuscript in digital (.DOCx, .RTF, or .ODT) format using this form: Graveside Press Submission Form. Please use a standard manuscript format. If you’re not sure what one is, here’s a good source. PAYMENT Payment will be: $0.02 per word one (1) trade paperback contributor edition one (1) hardcover contributor edition access to ten (10) digital contributor copies CONTACTING US We will try to acknowledge receipt of your manuscript within 24 hours. We’ll also try to let you know whether or not we’re interested in working with you to publish your book within 30 days after that. Both of these periods may vary, though, depending on the...