The Horror Tree

Horror Tree is a resource for authors that lists open markets, articles, interviews, original fiction, and more!

Author: Stuart Conover

Events / Flat Amount

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Taking Submissions: Queer Sci Fi 2021 Flash Fiction Contest

Deadline: April 30th, 2021
Prizes: The top three winners will receive cash prizes of $75, $50, and $25 respectively, runner-ups will be printed in the collected anthology
Theme: Ink
Note: There are 4 criteria to follow: Is there at least one queer character and/or obvious queer content? How well does the work incorporate speculative fiction (sci fi, fantasy, paranormal or horror) tropes and concepts? Is the work well-crafted, with a plot, a beginning, a middle, and an end? How well/cleverly is the theme used in the work?

Every year, QSF holds a flash fiction contest to create an amazing new anthology of queer speculative fiction stories. We ask authors to do the nearly-impossible – to submit a sci fi, fantasy, paranormal or horror LGBTIQA story that has no more than 300 words.

Our 2021 contest launches on March 1st, and closes on April 30th, but we do accept early entries. The theme for 2021 is “Ink”:

1) A colored fluid used for writing
2) The action of signing a deal
3) A black liquid ejected by squid
4) Publicity in the written media
5) A slang word for tattoos
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Anthology / Events / Flat Amount

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Taking Submissions: Dates From Hell

Deadline: June 30th, 2021
Payment: $5
Theme: Dates that have gone horrifically wrong

We have all had dates we would much rather forget, but how many tragic souls have had the misfortune to swipe right on a serial killer, lycanthrope, one of the undead, a denizen fresh from hell itself, or any other manner of nefarious beings?

We want your stories of dates gone horrofically wrong, seemingly innocent meetings that deliver death and terror instead of romance, of psychopathic stalkers who will stop at nothing to possess their love’s still-beating heart…
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Anthology / Contributor's Copy / Events / Flat Amount / Reprints Allowed

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Taking Submissions: The Book Of Carnacki

Deadline: Pitch Deadline: April 16th, 2021. Final Submission Deadline: September 30th, 2021.
Payment: $100 or $50 plus 1% of the Kickstarter net profits, whichever amount is GREATER, and a paperback copy of the anthology.
Theme: Stories featuring William Hope Hodgson’s character Carnacki the Ghost Finder in a major role. Carnacki’s general behaviour and mannerisms should be canonical, much as in the original tales, though inventive and reasonable extrapolations from those are welcome. We may take a handful of stories with non-supernatural resolutions.
Note: Reprints are potentially welcome

THE SHORT VERSION

THE BOOK OF CARNACKI

A Belanger Books Project, edited by John Linwood Grant

Core concept: 5,000–10,000 word stories featuring William Hope Hodgson’s character Carnacki the Ghost Finder in a major role. Carnacki’s general behaviour and mannerisms should be canonical, much as in the original tales, though inventive and reasonable extrapolations from those are welcome. We may take a handful of stories with non-supernatural resolutions.

Also: For this particular book, we are interested in 3000–5000 word non-fiction articles relating to Carnacki and his world (see LONG VERSION below).

Your pitch must be accepted for your completed story or article to be read. See PITCH section below.

Pitch Deadline: 16 April, 2021.

Final Submission Deadline: 30 September, 2021.

Payment: Authors shall receive a payment of $100 or $50 plus 1% of the Kickstarter net profits, whichever amount is GREATER, and a paperback copy of the anthology. The Kickstarter will run March 2022, and publication of book is expected early Spring 2022.

PITCHES AND QUERIES ONLY TO [email protected] BY 16th APRIL 2021, PLEASE
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Events / Flat Amount

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Taking Submissions: Speculative Philosophical Fiction Contest 2021

Deadline: March 1st-March 31st 2021
Payment: Winner: $500, two runner ups: $50
Theme: Philosophical, Metaphysical, or Epistemological fiction

Speculative Philosophical Fiction Contest

A new contest will be coming to Theme of Absence this year. The theme of this contest is Philosophical, Metaphysical, or Epistemological fiction. Keep reading for the details.

The contest is sponsored by a donor who whishes to remain anonymous. It will open March 1, 2021 and remain open for submissions until March 31, 2021. The winning story and runners-up will be published on June 1, 2021.

Entry and submission guidelines:
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Anthology / Contributor's Copy / Events / Flat Amount / Reprints Allowed

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Taking Submissions: Blood on Your Hands

Deadline: April 15th, 2021
Payment: 3 contributors copies and payments range up to $75, based on length
Theme: Previously published erotic stories about male vampires. These bloody assignations and trysts and relationships should be homoerotic.
Note: Reprints only

We are seeking previously published erotic stories about male vampires. These bloody assignations and trysts and relationships should be homoerotic.
So far we have accepted:
​
“Invite the Night” A story from L.A. Fields about a boarding school student who finds at his window a boy reported missing…

“Black Samba” Jeff Mann’s story features an ancient Scottish vampire encountering another while in Rome.

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Events / Flash / Semipro

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Contest: Crystal Lake Publishing Shallow Waters Contest: Clowns, Carnivals, and Sideshows!

Deadline: February 28th, 2021
Payment: $0.03 per word and inclusion in an anthology
Theme: Clowns, Carnivals, and Sideshows!
Note: Apologies for the quick deadline, I missed this being posted

Your March theme is…

Clowns, Carnivals and Sideshows!

Authors, you have up to 1,000 words to write a Dark Fiction / Horror story based on this theme. The submission deadline is end of February at midnight. Please send your submission in the body of an email to [email protected], with the title of your story as the subject email.

Payment includes $0.03 per word, publication in an upcoming Shallow Waters anthology, and an author spotlight on our Patreon page and newsletter. We’ll post the best stories here on Patreon for our $5 and higher patrons to read, after which they’ll vote for the winner. Authors are not allowed to vote for their own stories.

Have fun!

Via: Crystal Lake Publishing’s Patreon.

Anthology / Events / Pro / Reprints Allowed

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Taking Submissions: Chilling Crime Short Stories

Deadline: March 14th, 2021
Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints
Theme: The darker side of crime: the cold cases, the grim murders, the desperate villains, and the race against time to solve the crime
Note: Reprints Welcome

About the theme:

We’ve looked at cosy crime and detective thrillers, now it’s time to turn to the darker side: the cold cases, the grim murders, the desperate villains, and the race against time to solve the crime. We’re seeking up to 20 new stories to join our powerful collection of Chilling Crime Short Stories, new and classic tales reaching back into ancient, medieval, Elizabethan and Victorian fiction. From Oedipus Rex and Medea to Thomas More’s story of the Princes in the Tower, Scheherazade’s ‘The Three Apples’ and the chilling crime fiction of Dickens, Poe, Henry James, Baroness Orczy and Wilkie Collins.

Terms:

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Events / Magazine / Pro

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Taking Submissions: Fantasy Magazine (Early Listing)

Deadline: March 1st-7th 2021
Payment: 8 cents per word
Theme: Original fantasy and dark fantasy stories. All types of fantasy and dark fantasy are welcome.

Instructions for submitting to Fantasy Magazine follow. Please read everything on this page and read the magazine before submitting.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURES

Submission Periods: Fantasy is open to submissions the first week of every month (1st-7th). Please do not query about submitting outside our open submission periods.

Anonymous Submissions: Fantasy only accepts anonymous submissions. Do not include your name, address, phone number, or other similar identifiers on the manuscript. All original short fiction, flash fiction, and poetry submissions will be read anonymously on first read: moving out of slush depends on the merits of the story alone. Please make sure the title is on the manuscript.

Simultaneous and Multiple Submissions: We do not accept simultaneous submissions or multiple submissions. Please do not submit more than one set of poems at a time, more than one piece of flash fiction at a time, or more than one story at a time. You may, however, submit a single entry in each category at the same time: you can submit one batch of poems, one flash fiction piece, and one short story all at the same (or overlapping) time, and each category will be considered a separate submission. If we are already considering work in any given category, please wait until you have received an acceptance or rejection before submitting again in that same category.

Instructions: All fiction must be submitted through our Moksha online submission system. Please do not email your submissions. If one of the Submission Type options is grayed out, that means we are currently closed to that Submission Type.

Questions/Problems: Email [email protected] for all submission-related inquiries, or if you have any trouble using our online submission system. Please do not email your submissions to this address. All submissions must be submitted via our Moksha online submission system.

Rejections/Response Times: We receive hundreds of submissions during our open submissions periods. As such, we cannot offer personalized feedback on each story. If we say “send more” it means we really do hope to see something else from you. Currently, most rejections will be sent out within a few months, while stories being seriously considered may be held longer. Please do not respond to rejection letters, even just to say “Thanks for considering my work” etc. We appreciate the thought, but it is unnecessary and will just clutter up our editorial inbox.

Cover Letters: Your cover letter may include your name and other identifying elements. It should contain the length of your story, your publishing history, and any other relevant information (e.g, if you send us a fantasy story about the Byzantine empire and your doctoral dissertation was on Byzantine empire politics, mention that). If you don’t have credentials to cite, don’t worry! We care about your story, not your resume. If you’re not sure what should go in your cover letter, this article on cover letters might help.

Diversity Statement: We encourage people of color, Black people, Indigenous people, Native people, women, people with disabilities, older people, LGBTQIA+, and anyone from typically marginalized or underrepresented communities to submit their work.

 

FICTION

Fantasy is seeking original fantasy and dark fantasy stories. All types of fantasy and dark fantasy are welcome. No subject should be considered off-limits, and we encourage writers to take chances with their fiction and push the envelope. If you’re not sure whether your story is fantasy (vs. horror or science fiction) go ahead and submit and let the editors decide. We do not accept simultaneous submissions or multiple submissions. Do not submit more than one short story at a time.

Format: Please submit your manuscript in double-spaced Times New Roman or Courier font. Please remember to NOT include any identifying information on your manuscript apart from the story title. Your manuscript must be in either .RTF, .DOC, or .DOCX format.

Word Counts: We are open to short fiction up to 7500 words. When you make your fiction submission, you can submit in one of the two categories described below.

  • Short Story: 1500-7500 words. (Stories of 5000 words or less are preferred.)
  • Flash Fiction: Up to 1500 words.

Work previously rejected by Lightspeed or Nightmare: We welcome submissions that were previously rejected by our sister-publications.

Pay Rate: Fantasy pays 8 cents per word for original short stories and flash fiction.

Rights: To see which rights we’re seeking, please review our contract template for original fiction/poetry.

 

POETRY

Fantasy is seeking original fantasy and dark fantasy poems. All types of fantasy and dark fantasy are welcome. If you’re not sure whether your poem is fantasy (vs. horror or science fiction) go ahead and submit and let the editors decide.

We prefer shorter form poems with literary sensibilities which are evocative, emotionally resonant, and/or visually vibrant—in other words, poems which are viscerally impactful, and/or meaningful in some way. At the same time, we will not limit submissions to these parameters.

Please ensure that the title of the poems are in the manuscript.

Submission Quantity: You may submit up to six poems in the same document. (Our submission system will not allow multiple attachments.) We do not accept simultaneous submissions or multiple submissions. Do not submit more than one batch of six poems at a time.

Pay Rate: Fantasy pays $40 per poem.

Rights: To see which rights we’re seeking, please review our contract template for original fiction/poetry.

 

NONFICTION

Essays in Fantasy are primarily by invite only, and all feature interviews are assigned in-house. If you wish to pitch an essay idea, email [email protected] with the subject line Essay Pitch. Essay pitches should be no more than a few lines, and should connect in some way to the theme of Fantasy, even if tenuously. Thought pieces which bring an interesting or unique perspective will be considered.

Pay Rate: Fantasy pays $75 per essay.

Rights: To see which rights we’re seeking, please view our contract template for nonfiction.

 

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Fantasy is edited by Christie Yant & Arley Sorg and published by John Joseph Adams via Adamant Press. You can learn more about our team on our Staff page.

We welcome the submission of translations of stories from other languages. Stories that have never before been published in the English language would be considered “original.”

Sexual themes and stories with strong sexual content are acceptable, but Fantasy is not a market for erotica. If in doubt, feel free to submit your story and let our editors decide.

Fantasy is not a market for media-based fiction (e.g., stories set in the A Game of Thrones or Buffy the Vampire Slayer universes, etc.), or any kind of fan fiction. (Note: We don’t have a problem with people reading or writing fan fiction or media-based fiction, we’re just not legally allowed to consider publishing it.)

If you’re not sure if your story is suitable, don’t query; please just submit it and let our editors decide.

Fantasy pays professional rates as defined by HWA and SFWA.

Via: Fantasy Magazine’s Moksha