Author: Stuart Conover

Events / Flash / Flat Amount / Magazine

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Taking Submissions: Astral 2024 First Window

Submission Window: January 7th – 28th, 2024
Payment: $20
Theme: Stories told through alien perspectives (see below for clarification on that.)

Submission Guidelines

Here you will find all you need to send us your stories. We look forward to reading them. As a reminder: we only publish five stories per issue. Magazines like ours generally receive submissions numbering in the hundreds. Don’t be too hard on yourself if we do not take yours. There is a lot of competition and it mostly comes down to individual editor opinion (which is unpredictable and not a reflection of quality of writing necessarily). We know the submission process is hard and we wish you the very best in your writing.

When to Submit

Submissions are open:

  • January 7th–28th (closing at 10pm PST on the 28th)
  • July 7th–28th (closing at 10pm PST on the 28th)

What to Submit

Astral publishes short stories ranging from 1,000–7,000 words. We want stories that are told from an alien perspective. By alien we usually mean extraterrestrial… but other perspectives can also qualify, such as Lovecraftian horrors, plants, bacteria, etc. Send us weird and surreal stories that challenge our notions about ourselves and the universe.

We are, broadly, wanting to read stories from non-humanoid points of view. Submitted stories can feature humans, but the main perspective should be alien or should have a narrative focus that interacts with alien consciousness as much as possible. We imagine most of the stories we will be sent will fall into the science fiction category, but we also welcome horror and fantasy stories (particularly if they are “other world” fantasy stories). If you are unsure if your story fits: send it. Don’t self-censor (so long as you believe there is some legitimate possiblity that we would be interested in the piece given the above statements).

We do accept simultaneous submissions. We do not accept multiple submissions at one time (wait until we pass on a piece before sending another one, please).

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Events / Flash / Flat Amount / Magazine / Poetry / Pro

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Taking Submissions – Book Worms – Winter 2024 Issue

Deadline: January 1st, 2024
Theme: My Bloody Valentine: dark love stories, Tinder dates gone horribly wrong, bitter romance, a lover’s revenge, tragic love, etc.
Payment: 8 cents a word for fiction and essays (1500 words or less). $25 – $50 per poem (depending on length). Includes one contributor copy.

Book Worms Zine is selling out on Etsy and the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. We have another issue planned for Winter 2024. This time around the theme is My Bloody Valentine: dark love stories, Tinder dates gone horribly wrong, bitter romance, a lover’s revenge, tragic love, etc. Dark humor is okay, but it should fit the themes of horror and romance. Specifically looking for original poetry (any length).

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Flash / Flat Amount / Magazine / Ongoing Submissions / Online

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Ongoing Submissions: Max Blood’s Mausoleum

Payment: $30
Theme: Unthemed horror

What we are looking for

We are looking for horror of any sub-genre and are not squeamish. We’ve read it all before and will read it all again, so send us something that will really set us back on our heels. Terrify us. Make us squirm. Send us the best of your worst.

We welcome art accompaniment for your stories, as these may be used in our compiled issues. Please, no AI art. We wish to feature art created by human artists. If you are the artist, let us know. However, if you are not the artist, please let us know that as well. Credit will be given where it is due. Be sure you have permission to use the art that you send to us.

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Anthology / Events / Flat Amount

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Taking Submissions: Leadership Gone Right

Deadline: January 25th, 2024
Payment: $10 for accepted stories, and an equal portion of the Kickstarter’s stretch goals
Theme: Leadership Gone Right

Unlock the power of imagination with Farthest Star Publishing’s inaugural open call for short story submissions, themed “Leadership Gone Right”. Are you ready to explore the uncharted territories of leadership in science fiction, fantasy, and horror? We’re seeking gripping tales that envision a world where leadership takes a different path, where heroes and anti-heroes emerge in unexpected ways. From galactic leaders to mythical monarchs and supernatural rulers, your story should transport us to new realms where leadership shines brilliantly or takes a haunting turn. This is your chance to craft a story that reshapes the very essence of authority. Submit your most inventive and captivating short stories and let your vision of “Leadership Gone Right” light the way for readers everywhere.

We invite storytellers of all dimensions to contribute their tales of leadership reimagined, as we venture into futures and realms where heroes rise to meet the challenges of their worlds with wisdom, compassion, and courage. Or where villains use cunning and guile to crush all opposition.

In this anthology, we seek stories that challenge traditional notions of authority, showcasing leadership that is energetic, inspirational, and transformative. From utopian spacefaring societies to mythical kingdoms and beyond, “Leadership Gone Right” invites you to envision leaders who empower and unite, forging paths only they can see toward a future only we can imagine.

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Anthology / Contributor's Copy / Events / Flash / Flat Amount

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Taking Submissions: At the Edge of Darkness (Early)

Submission Window: January 1st, 2024 – February 29th, 2024
Payment: $25 and a contributor’s copy
Theme: Stories on that dark, half-lit space where crime and horror simultaneously reside.

We are excited to announce At the Edge of Darkness, the sixth edition of our original Shotgun Honey Presents anthology series. At the Edge of Darkness will release October 1st, 2024 right in time for the Halloween Season, featuring stories on that dark, half-lit space where crime and horror simultaneously reside. That’s right, we’re dipping our toe into the dark pool of horror and we’re not doing it alone.

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Anthology / Events / Flash / Flat Amount / Poetry

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Taking Submissions: Writer’s Retreat: Tales of Writing and Madness

Deadline: December 31st, 2023
Payment: $10
Theme: Stories that peel back the layers of the literary process to reveal the psychological horrors writers face daily.

Scott McGregor and Harriet Everend are teaming up to compile a new anthology, Writer’s Retreat: Tales of Writing and Madness under January Embers Press.
Beneath the polished pages of every story lies a world shrouded in shadows—a world where the act of creation transforms into psychological madness fraught with terror. “Writers Retreat: Tales of Writing and Madness” is an anthology seeking to peel back the layers of the literary process to reveal the psychological horrors writers face daily. From the dreaded writer’s block to the malevolent spirits of rejection, this collection delves into the darkest corners of the creative mind, where the lines between reality and imagination blur.

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Anthology / Events / Flash / Flat Amount / Poetry

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Taking Submissions: Mirrorball: How Taylor Swift Reflects the Loss, Hope & Love of Millions Around the World

Deadline: January 31st, 2023
Payment: $50/poet and $100/essay or prose
Theme: Stories inspired by Taylor Swift or her music.
Note: As we list all forms of speculative fiction, this is something you could lean into for say fantasy or scifi but maybe not quite horror

Mirrorball: How Taylor Swift Reflects the Loss, Hope & Love of Millions Around the World

Mirrorball: How Taylor Swift Reflects the Loss, Hope & Love of Millions Around the World is an anthology of writings from around the world inspired by Taylor Swift, her music and her call to fans globally to cry and laugh and dance and mourn and grow together. More than anything, the anthology mirrors the joy that has come from sharing our lives with one another the way Taylor’s lyrics of love and loss, of betrayal and of chosen family, have made all the Swifties around the globe feel less alone.

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Magazine / Ongoing Submissions / Online / Semipro

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Ongoing Submissions: Mystery Magazine

Payment: 2 cents CAD per word
Theme: Crime mystery of every imaginable subgenre, including cozy, police procedural, noir, whodunit, supernatural, hardboiled, humor, and historical mysteries.
Note: Not to be confused with Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine or Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine

Use the form below (link at the bottom) to send us your 1000-7500 word story or You-Solve-It mystery. Multiple submissions are not allowed. Submissions must be original works of short fiction that have never appeared online or in print in any form. Avoid scenes of animal cruelty or excessive profanity/violence. We pay 2¢/word USD for accepted stories. Our average response time is 4-6 weeks.

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