Category: Anthology

Taking Submissions: Sun Rising Short Stories

Deadline: April 7th, 2024
Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints
Theme: Modern fiction, folklore and mythology, and ancient tales about the sun
Note: Reprints Welcome

We’re delighted to let you know this new call for submissions is open! Please read through the submission details carefully as we’ve changed some of our guidelines and it could result in your submission not being acknowledged if you do not follow them.

Science Fiction, Fantasy, Folklore and Myth

This will be a feast of modern fiction, folklore and mythology, and ancient tales of the looming, life-giving, eye-burning solar entity that dominates our sky. The sun has inspired many stories – tales of its origins, in the myths and traditions of the ancient world, to modern storytellers who employ technology and deep space exploration to discover the many suns of the universe. For ancient Egyptians, the sun deity Ra was the first Pharaoh; in the ancient Vedic culture the sun, Surya, was guarded against the darkness by Usha and Pratyusha; for the Norse, the beautiful siblings Sol and Mani drove the sun ahead of the snarling wolf Sköll; for the ancient Chinese, it was a demon or dragon who threatened the sun and an eclipse was a sign of near success; for the Cherokee, the Sun was jealous of the moon because the people could only squint during the day, but looked adoringly at the pale moon light of the night. The Maori of New Zealand tell of the sun being ambushed by Maui, and for the Romans, Aurora, the Goddess of the Dawn, brought renewal and relief across the lands. Such stories reveal the foundations of humanity, with modern writers who explore the other worlds and many stars that dispense both life and fear to civilizations on our own and so many other planets. Submissions can thus explore new interpretations and visions of sun-based mythology or interstellar, future and fantastical settings.

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Taking Submissions: Fear’s Accomplice Volume 2

Deadline: June 1st, 2024
Payment: £5
Theme: All styles or horror, likes the types of tales you’d see in Tales from the Crypt, Twilight Zone, and similar

There is no theme. As long as your story is in the horror genre, I’m interested. Check out Fear’s Accomplice Volume 1 or Fear’s Accomplice: Halloween to get an idea of style. Think of Tales from the Crypt, Twighlight Zone, and similar. I want variation. Don’t be afraid of violence or strong language, though. You’re free to write any style of horror you choose.

Zombies, werewolves, vampires, etc, are more than welcome, but they are something of a hard sell. Make it unique or interesting.

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Taking Submissions: The Whumpboratory

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 Nitty-Gritty

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Taking Submissions: Cowboy Up

 

Deadline: July 31st, 2024
Payment: $20
Theme: Rodeo-themed, any genre

We are looking for stories up to 7500 words in length that feature the sport of Rodeo. They can be in any genre as long as the sport of Rodeo is a key part of the story.

Stories must revolve around the sport, the riders or the animal athletes involved in Rodeo and while being realistic to the sport must also portray it in a favorable light. We do hope to receive stories that cover all of the events in Rodeo: Bareback Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding, Bull Riding, Tie-Down Roping, Steer Wresting, Team Roping, Steer Roping, Barrel Racing and Ladies Breakaway Roping. Stories can also feature Bull Fighters, Barrel Men, Pick Up Men, the medical teams (human and veterinarian) – or anyone involved in the sport.

Seventy-Five percent of all proceeds from this anthology will be donated to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund – an organization that provides help to injured riders and their families.

Break the story-writing rules if you want. If you use a tried-and-true plotline, twist it in an original and interesting way. Original stories are preferred. Query for reprints.

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Taking Submissions: Laughs in Space

Deadline: April 7th, 2024
Payment: £10 per 500 words, up to £55.
Theme: humorous science-fiction stories

Laughs in Space – an anthology of humorous science-fiction stories. August 2024.

Science fiction is often a very serious genre, but it shares something with comedy in that it can reflect the world back to us, inspire us, evoke our curiosity, and help us to appreciate human creativity and wit. Many of us find our route to a love of science fiction via comedy, too, be it through the books or radio plays of Douglas Adams, watching Red Dwarf or Doctor Who(or reading the books), or getting into the MCU.

As an editor, I’ve been championing science fiction for many years. As a stand-up comedian, much the same! So naturally I wanted to bring out an anthology of humorous science fiction.

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Taking Submissions: Unleashed Fall 2024 Release

Deadline: June 5th, 2024
Payment: $25 per story or royalty share
Theme: Slasher horror stories

Skywatcher Press launched the themed anthology series, UNLEASHED featuring top notch fiction by new and established authors. 

We seek stories across the wide possibilities of the horror landscape. Our goal is to terrify readers, make their skin crawl, and keep them on the edge of their seats.   

Stories can be up to 10,000 words, and we will make exceptions for longer. 

Once selected, pay will be $25 per story or royalty share. This is determined by volume and will be discussed with author in advance.

We are eagerly awaiting your most twisted, nightmarish creations! 
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Taking Submissions: SpeKulative Stories Anthology Series

Deadline: November 30th, 2024
Payment: 10 cents per word for fiction and $2/line for poetry. Also, a contributor’s copy
Theme: Speculative short stories and poems that either include trains or aliens as their focal point

The purpose of the SpeKulative Stories Anthology Series is to showcase provocative and powerful tales related to a single theme. Following the publication of our first theme anthology, Automobilia, in 2024, we are now seeking short stories and poems for the next two anthologies in the series. The titles are Train Tales and Aliens Among Us. Publication is set for early 2025.

As each title suggests, a train or an alien (space aliens that is) should be such an integral part of your story or poem that if removed the story or poem collapses.

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Taking Submissions: Hellbound Books’ Anthology of Splatterpunk 2

Deadline: September 30th, 2024
Payment: $5
Theme: Tales of blood, gore, and sloppy bits – the bloodier and more viscera-strewn the better!

It seems that HellBound readers just can’t get enough of Splatterpunk!

So, without further ado, here’s our second outing in this fabulously grotesque sub-genre!

Gross our editors out with tales of blood, gore, and sloppy bits – the bloodier and more viscera-strewn the better!

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