Category: Novella

Ongoing Submissions: The Common Tongue Magazine

Payment: Fiction: 3 cents per word, Flash Fiction: $20 per entry, Poetry: $20, Artwork: $200-$400
Theme: Dark High Fantasy

The Common Tongue Magazine is a dark fantasy magazine aiming to bring cultural and integral voices to fantasy and diversify the genre. We value writers and creators who share our ambitions of supporting the writing community and giving voice to writers who help us better understand the world, society, and our environment. Issues are published bimonthly and available on our website and multiple vendors for purchase in ebook format, and via electronic subscription. We have printed issues through Amazon KDP. We also publish all original fiction in our annual best-of anthology series from Sourcery Publishing in both print and ebook formats.

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Timber Ghost Press Is Open For Novella And Novel Submissions

Payment: 50% net royalties on all eBooks and 30% net royalties on paperback books with a $35 advance on novellas and a $50 advance on novels
Theme: Cosmic horror, weird horror, dark fantasy, sci-fi/horror, gothic, and contemporary. We especially love Old West mixed with horror.

Timber Ghost Press is looking to publish high-quality ​horror fiction to include cosmic horror, weird horror, dark fantasy, sci-fi/horror, gothic, and contemporary. We especially love Old West mixed with horror.

We are looking for both new and seasoned authors. If you have never published before, we want to hear from you. If you’re a seasoned spinner of dark tales, we want to hear from you. Basically, we want to hear from you.

We are currently looking for novels and novellas that fall into the following horror categories:

  • Hauntings
  • Possession
  • Cosmic Horror
  • Weird Horror
  • Dark Fantasy
  • Sci-Fi/Horror
  • Old West/Horror
  • Gothic Horror
  • Psychological Horror

Timber Ghost Press is NOT looking for or interested in stories that contain:

    • Child abuse/pedophilia
    • Gore/extreme violence just for the shock factor

Novels must be between 60-90k words. Novellas must be between 20-40k words. If your manuscript falls a little outside of these limits, that is okay; just let us know in your submission email.

We do not accept simultaneous or multiple submissions. Please allow us up to 30 days to respond to your submission. If you haven’t heard back after 30 days, feel free to reach out and ask about the status of the submission. Depending on the number of submissions we receive, we may or may not give personalized feedback.

Submit your stories using Shunn formatting guidelines. It is in your best interest to submit a clean manuscript that you’ve taken the time to revise and edit. I can almost guarantee you that we will reject it if we receive a manuscript full of errors and typos.  Please include the following information in your cover letter:

  • Name
  • Pen Name (if applicable)
  • Email
  • First three chapters or the first 5000 words of your manuscript
  • Synopsis
  • Let us know if it is part of a series (we’re open to series)
  • Previous publishing history (if applicable)

Timber Ghost Press does not discriminate in any manner and is open to submissions from authors of any race, religion, or sexual preference.

Timber Ghost Press pays 50% net royalties on all eBooks and 30% net royalties on paperback books. If accepted, we will pay a $35 advance on novellas and a $50 advance on novels.

Please use the form below to submit your novel/novella to Timber Ghost Press!

[Click the link below to access the form.]

Via: Timber Ghost Press.

Ongoing Submissions: The Colored Lens

Payment: $20 per short story, $10 per flash, and $20 for the first 10,000 words and $1 per 1000 words for novellas
Theme: All varieties of speculative fiction, from alternate history, to high fantasy, to nuts and bolts hard science fiction, to dark fantasy

The Colored Lens was created to showcase stories that shift our perspective on the world, through the far-reaching genre of speculative fiction. However, the fundamentals of good storytelling always come first: stories with characters we enjoy reading about and a solid plot. As long as your story includes them, we’d love to read it.

We publish all varieties of speculative fiction, from alternate history, to high fantasy, to nuts and bolts hard science fiction, to dark fantasy, so long as it meets the guidelines above. Whatever the genre, the focus should be used to comment on our world and society rather than exclusively to keep the reader turning pages.

A few things to keep in mind when submitting:

  • Stories should have a plot. Although we want stories that comment on our world and society, stories should also have a hook, rising action, climax, and resolution, although the handling of those elements can be experimental.
  • Flash fiction is great, but make sure it has a fully developed plot.
  • Stories must have a speculative element. It can be slight, but must be present.
  • Present tense will be a harder sell than traditional past tense. We have published stories in the present tense, and undoubtedly will continue to do so, but stories in the past tense tend to have a higher chance of acceptance.
  • Sex, violence, and related themes are fine, but those elements should not be the main focus of the story.

Length & Format
We publish stories up to 10,000 words, although we prefer stories in the 500-5000 word range. We also publish novellas up to 20,000 words, serialized over multiple issues.
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Bad Dream Entertainment Is Looking For Weird Gothic Novels And Novellas

Payment: $600-800 and 20-30% on royalties
Theme: Gothic stories with weird fiction elements

Bad Dream is now accepting novel and novella-length weird Gothic fiction manuscripts. If you have something that you think would fit, read the guidelines below and send it in.

We are looking for Gothic stories with weird fiction elements; this umbrella covers a broad range of themes, styles, and subjects as long as it feels decidedly Gothic, especially with strong horror elements (this is Bad Dream Entertainment, after all, not Mild Dream Entertainment). Shelly meets Cronenberg, Radcliffe meets Lovecraft, Poe meets Kafka, Stoker meets VanderMeer. Bizarro, New Weird, Cosmic Horror, and every other sub genre that embraces the strange are welcome. The setting can be period, present, near-future, futuristic, or something else entirely.

The reading window will stay open until we find something we like.

  • Manuscripts should be at least novella-length (24k words), there’s no ceiling on word count, but don’t send something long enough to be a multi-book series. If sending chapters, include at least the first three.
  • Simultaneous submissions are fine, as long as you let us know to pull your manuscript from consideration as soon as you place it elsewhere.
  • Multiple submissions aren’t allowed; only one at a time.
  • Send your story in standard manuscript form. We’re not sticklers for exact formatting, but have your contact info and word-count on the top corner of the first page, along with author name and title.
  • Manuscripts should be sent as DOCs, RTFs, or ODTs (not PDFs) to: submissions [at] baddreamentertainment [dot] com. You should receive an automated response acknowledging that we got it, if you don’t you can ask to confirm through our regular contact email address. Keep in mind, if you send a PDF it will likely be auto-deleted and we’re not going to take the time to ask you for a different format.
  • Response time are going to start at 2-4 weeks; that may change based on volume and if it does we’ll update that info here.
  • Bad Dream Entertainment pays $600-800 (depending on manuscript length) for a six-year exclusivity to the publishing rights plus a percentage on sales; this is not an advance (ie. a loan paid back through sales), but is a fee for the publishing rights. Rights purchased will be world-wide exclusive in print and digital but for English language only (rights-reversion optional after licensing term). Royalties will be based on gross sales since we operate on a POD distribution model and are usually 20-30% depending on the agreement.

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Goal Publications Wants Your Furry Novelettes, Novellas, Short Story Collections, And Novels!

Payment: Royalties with guaranteed royalty minimums
Theme: “Furry” Fiction

Goal Publications is looking for standalone works of a “furry” nature, meaning that your main character(s) must be anthropomorphic animals, or animals with a human-level of intelligence. (Think Redwall, Watership Down, or even general sci-fi/fantasy books with alien/mythical creatures that while still possessing a human-level of intelligence, are some sort of animal/creature.) We are looking specifically for works that truly utilize the species and characteristics of the anthropomorphic animals portrayed. The fur and claws on your characters should not just be for aesthetic purposes. Have further questions about what this all means? Please send in a query.
The Goal Publications imprint is only accepting work that, can be enjoyed by both a young-adult audience and an adult audience (think ages 13/14+). Any work that you would not feel comfortable marketing to someone under the age of 16 will not be accepted by this imprint.

Fanged Fiction is looking for standalone works with the same stipulations as listed above, with the difference that this imprint is specifically looking for works of a 16+ nature. While erotic-focused stories/18+ only stories are entirely fine for this imprint, please make sure the erotic scenes have some sort of importance to the plot.

We are open to Pocket Shots (novelettes) from 10,000-20,000 (both imprints).
What are Pocket Shots? These titles give a home to those short stories that needed more room, or those novellas that just didn’t need more padding. While there are no specific theme to these stories, they must follow the same content guidelines as our other submission calls. This is our most competitive market. Due to the size and pricing of these books, there is a very small profit margin, and thus we will be far more selective with these than we would be novels/novellas.

We are open to novels/novellas from 20,000-140,000 words (both imprints) until mid/late fall 2020. While we do accept up to 140,000 words, we would prefer novels to be under 120,000 words. Over 120,000 words may hurt your chances of being accepted, while over 140,000 words will result in an immediate rejection.

We are also open to single-author collections within the above word-count standards (both imprints) until mid/late fall 2020. Please note that single-author collections containing a large quantity of previously-published stories, or collections with no unifying theme, will have a lesser chance of being accepted for publication. We recommend at least 50% of your works be unpublished, preferably more.

For open short story markets, please click here.

We are closed to visual novel projects for the foreseeable future.

We are asking for First Rights on all submissions when possible. While we may consider previously-published standalone works, we will only do so if:
• All other contracts the work is involved with have fully expired (you may be asked for proof of this)
• Work that’s been posted online is taken down in its entirety upon acceptance
• It’s the start of a series in which you plan to submit an unpublished work to accompany
or
• It’s a single-author collection that also contains unreleased work (we are asking that at least 50% of the collection be previously unreleased works)

Please note that it’s likely that we will not offer royalty minimums to previously-published work, though they will receive our usual royalty rates.

We do not accept simultaneous submissions.


Payments:

Along with a competitive royalty rate, Goal Publications offers royalty minimums, meaning that we guarantee your work will accrue a certain amount in royalties within a year of publication, or we will pay you the difference as an advance. Royalty minimums are not offered on collections, whether single-author or multi-author, or on previously-published works, and will not be offered on sequels on which previous books have not made back their advance.

Royalty payments will occur quarterly during the calendar year (so long as the payment is at least $5.00 USD, otherwise payment may be held until the next quarter). Payments will be made by cheque (USA authors only), PayPal, or Square Cash, based upon the author’s preference.

At the close of each quarter, whether authors are due a payment or not, we will provide a statement of exactly how many books were sold each quarter, and through what means. This statement will be sent via email. Our promise is that this information and any owed payments will be sent within one month of the close of each quarter.


How to Submit or Query:

Please use the form located on our Submissions and Inquires page. Please do not send unsolicited emails with queries or submissions.

While we have no problem with being queried, we will not begin the judging process until after we’ve received the full manuscript. Please note that our estimated turnaround times for judging and responding to submissions is one to three months. This timeframe may change on here without warning, and can potentially take longer.

All submissions should be formatted as followed:
• .doc, .docx, or .rtf format (we will not open submissions in any other file format)
• Arial, Calibri, or Garamond font (12pt)
• Single-spaced
• Your legal name, address, and email should be in the upper-right corner of the first page
• Indented paragraphs—do not separate paragraphs with line-breaks
• No headers or footers

Not following these guidelines will heavily hurt your chances of being accepted, so we advise that they are followed as close as feasibly possible.

Have a question? Feel free to contact us.

Via: Goal Publications.

Bad Dream Entertainment Is Open To Novels And Novellas

Payment: Pro Market, Royalties
Theme: Science Fiction Horror

We are now accepting novel and novella-length sci-fi horror manuscripts. If you have something that you think would fit, read the guidelines below and send it in. However, keep in mind that if you don’t actually read and follow the guidelines you’re just wasting time for both yourself and us, so please, please pay attention to what we’re looking for and how we want to get it. It’s not hard at all, we promise.

We are looking for SCI-FI HORROR, that means the story should have elements of both. The science fiction can be hard, near-future, or weird, but the horror elements have to be strong regardless (this is BAD Dream Entertainment, after all, not Mild Dream Entertainment). Generic creature-feature or zombie virus stories will be a VERY hard sell; we are looking for originality and weirder stories, including bizarro, probably stand a better chance. Cosmic horror is welcome, as long as it is not Lovecraft related (and yes, that can actually be a thing) and includes sci-fi elements.

Remember, sci-fi horror, not just sci-fi, and not just horror. Sci-fi horror. If you’re wondering why we’re stressing this so much, you’ve never read a slush pile.

  • Manuscripts should be at least novella-length (24k words), there’s no ceiling on word count, but don’t send something long enough to be a multi-book series. If sending chapters, include at least three.
  • Simultaneous submissions are fine, as long as you let us know to pull your manuscript out of the queue as soon as you place it elsewhere.
  • Multiple submissions aren’t allowed; only one at a time.
  • Send your story in standard manuscript form. We’re not sticklers for exact formatting, but have your contact info and word-count on the top corner of the first page, along with author name and title.
  • Manuscripts should be sent as DOCs, RTFs, or ODTs (not PDFs) to: submissions [at] baddreamentertainment [dot] com. You should receive an automated response acknowledging that we got it, if you don’t you can ask to confirm through our regular contact email address. Keep in mind, if you send a PDF it will likely be auto-deleted and we’re not going to take the time to ask you for a different format.
  • Response time are going to start at 2-4 weeks; that may change based on volume and if it does we’ll update that info here.
  • Bad Dream Entertainment is a pro-rate paying market (min $0.06/word). Rights purchased will be world-wide exclusive (rights-reversion optional after a negotiated period) but for English language only. Royalties will be based on gross sales since we operate on a POD distribution model.

Handy tips for submitting to us (or any other publisher)

  • Read and follow the guidelines. It seems simple enough, but any editor or slush reader will tell you that getting most people to do it is like squeezing water from a rock. A very, very dry rock. You probably noticed there are a few repeated bits in our guidelines; the simple fact is that we’re still likely to end up with a quarter of all submissions not even fitting the genre we asked for. Start ahead of the pack in any publisher’s submission window by paying attention to what they’re looking for and following the simplest of rules they give you.
  • Be patient; most submission call-outs for any publisher result in a pretty large slush pile for readers and editors to dig their way through. Sometimes things get lost or fall through the cracks, so if you haven’t heard back within the response time then by all means reach out to us, but not before then. You’re not doing yourself any favors by bugging the editor when your submission is still within the window.
  • Don’t respond to rejections. Really, even it it’s something nice like a ‘thank you for the consideration anyway’, it’s just adding to a likely already full inbox (editors do appreciate the sentiment, just not the time). And if it’s something negative, instead reevaluate whether you should even be trying to participate in the world of publishing, because you likely don’t have a future in it if you’re that kind of person. Fix your life.

Via: Bad Dream Entertainment.

Stelliform Press Is Open For Novella Submissions

Payment: 2¢ CAD per word advance, plus royalties

Currently Seeking

Stelliform Press is open to original novella submissions beginning January 1, 2020. We are also looking for cover artists.

What is a Stelliform story?

We are seeking to publish science fiction, fantasy, quiet horror and literary novellas with speculative elements (17,500–39,999 words), novels (70,000–100,000 words), and short story collections (40,000–60,000 words) which build narratives around climate change and its resultant ecological destruction, and acknowledges the work necessary to live within the problems Western lifestyles have created. All manuscripts submitted must have a science fictional or fantastic element; non-fiction must be speculative. Narratives should be interrelational, demonstrating some ways in which the environment changes us (and others) just as we change it. Please see our About the Press page and our blog for more information.

How much do we pay?

Currently, we pay a 2¢ CAD per word advance, plus royalties. We acknowledge that this is a low rate of pay. As a new press, we are working on securing grants and planning fundraising campaigns in order to pay authors more in the future.

What rights are we buying?

Currently we are buying first world English electronic and print rights. As we grow, we will also consider audiobook rights. Our contract includes clauses for rights reversion in different situations should the author and/or publisher wish to terminate their relationship.

Manuscript Wish List

The following are some approaches we would love to see in our Inbox:

Fiction MSWL

  • Stories written by Indigenous authors which bring Indigenous and Western science into conversation (even if the conversation is difficult and unresolved).
  • Stories written by BIPOC authors which fuse specific cultures and/or ways of life rooted to a specific community with a means of ameliorating or coping with life in a climate changed world.
  • Stories written by trans and queer authors which fuse specific ways of life rooted to a specific community with a means of ameliorating or coping with life in a climate changed world.
  • Stories that embrace the incorporation of far-flung technologies as part of an ecologically relational life; technology CAN be bad, but it can’t be ONLY bad.
  • Stories of uneasy allies which get into the complexities of that difficult relation.
  • Stories which explore nonviolence while acknowledging the privilege inherent in the nonviolent position; stories which explore unusual ways to mitigate violence.
  • Stories set in space that are connected to Earth through myths or legends that tangibly affect the lives of the interstellar characters.
  • Stories depicting humans learning to relate to the nonhuman in different ways.
  • Stories taking place in non-Western settings.

Fiction Do Not Submits

  • Epic/Sword and Sorcery Fantasy
  • Stories in which the solutions presented are uncritical green consumerism
  • Stories depicting monarchies, imperialism, or colonization in an uncritical way
  • Gratuitous violence, especially against any marginalized group
  • Gore in general is not something we’re excited about, but small doses that are integral to plot/character might be okay
  • adult content; though eroticism in service to the story is definitely okay

Non-Fiction MSWL

  • Speculative non-fictions about the future of tech, the environment, global relationships, or social worlds (either collections of linked short pieces or extended meditations).
  • Literary journalism on emerging tech, global health issues, climate change and migration, food politics, human-hybrid environments, global and space travel—journalism that hangs on a narrative arc, focusing on limited centered characters.
  • Essay collections (single authored) or themed anthologies (editor(s) + multiple authors) approaching questions about technological and environmental futurity, urban life, the non-human, community, and other themes of the press, addressed from primarily personal lenses.
  • Creative memoirs or autobiographies drawing from long-term experiential relationships with the natural world, space, tech and agricultural industries, and the non-human, that offer new/unique ways of reflecting on the problems of climate change and/or the future of life—especially by BIPOC, women, trans and queer, and disabled or otherwise underrepresented authors.
  • Narrative ‘biographies’ of plants, animals, places/niches/communities, and natural phenomena that connect the past, the rapidly changing present, and the future—particularly works that de-centre humans or think about the human in specifically collaborative ways.
  • Human biographies and histories reimagined through non-human protagonists.
  • Imaginary, alternative, or potential histories.

Non-fiction Do Not Submits

  • Adventure biographies that frame the environment uncritically as a “wilderness” to be “tamed” or “discovered”
  • Literary journalism of technology, food, or space industries uncritically structured around the idea of progress

How to Submit

For Novellas

Please send a short cover letter which includes:

  • not more than 250 words
  • information about your manuscript length and genre
  • a brief statement about your story’s main conflict, how your story fits Stelliform’s vision, and any MSWL elements included (if applicable)
  • a brief bio including your top three publications (if you have them)

As an attachment, please include the first 15-20 pages of your manuscript. The document should include your name, contact information, and byline. Send query and sample pages to [email protected]. The subject of your email should read: SUBMISSION: [Your manuscript title].

For Novels and Short Story Collections

Please do not submit at this time.

For Non-Fiction Manuscripts

Please do not submit at this time.

For Cover Art

Please submit a link to your online portfolio and a brief introductory letter including information about yourself, your published artworks, your expected rate of compensation for a book cover, and two references (preferably former clients). Letters can be submitted to [email protected] with the email subject: ART SUBMISSION: [Your name].

We are particularly interested in art submissions from Canadians or immigrants to Canada from any marginalized community, or First Nations, Métis, or Inuit residing in territories currently occupied by the Canadian state.

Simultaneous and Multiple Submissions

Simultaneous submissions are allowed; but only send one submission at a time. Please let us know if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.

Via: Stelliform Press.

Taking Submissions: Unnerving Novelettes, Novellas, Novels, and Collections

Payment: 50% of net profits for eBooks and paperbacks and unlimited discounted paperback copies available
Note: Make sure you read full submission guidelines on the link at the bottom before sending anything in!

Open now to Novelettes (10,000-17,000 words), novella (17,001-45,000 words), novels (45,001-250,000 words, open to series so long as first book is completed), and collections of short stories (15,000-45,000 words).

Please submit only: Commercial horror, suspense, thriller, and crime, at this time. For I’m nothing too abstract or bizarre, weird is fine as long as there is suspense and a story arc.

Monsters, bad people, ghosts, witches, ominous everyday items, slashers, original zombie situations, haunted houses, kidnappings, heists, murders, plots to murder, etc.

No cop dramas. No war stories). No adventure horror.

Collections must be at least 50% externally published anthology/magazine/chapbook reprints.

Reprints welcome for novellas and novels, through preferably those a few years removed from print (or those that didn’t see print for very long). Previously self-published books are an extremely difficult sell.

Short releases will be digital only, with a window for further submissions past closure for omnibus paperback possibilities or joint releases of similar stories (minimum for physical publication is 21,000 words).

Pay rate is 50% of net profits for eBooks and paperbacks and unlimited discounted paperback copies available (rate determined with each title, and potentially fluctuate based on printer prices). No advances.

Writers must agree to assist in marketing efforts (blog appearances, interviews, etc.). Don’t submit if you don’t want to help.

Edits range from minimal to heavy, don’t submit if you are unwilling to consider changes.

Submit no more than twice to this category per open period (periods might last as long as three months).

Cover letter, explain story in no more than three sentences. Give two sentence bio. List top three credits, blog address, Facebook or Twitter address (I will look before I offer contract).

If you’re not on social media, there’s no way you can get the word out sufficiently after releases, and your work will not be considered (unless you own a bookstore).

Also, I am not interested in stories from authors who cannot tell hate speech from free speech. If you’re harmful in story or in real life to people based on religion, sexuality, sex, race, or place of birth, don’t bother submitting. I look into people prior to working with them.

Response time will vary, but I will respond within six months, usually within one month.

If you need to withdraw or change file, do so on Submittable (to change, withdraw and re-submit, but no more than once because it eats submission window space – 300/month).

NEVER SUBMIT MORE THAN ONCE PER CATEGORY AT ANY GIVEN TIME. FOR REAL.

Simultaneous submissions are fine, notify me if another editor beats me to acceptance when you withdraw the submission.

Send any questions or queries about reprint interest to me, Eddie Generous, at [email protected]

Will close once enough stories are found.

http://www.unnervingmagazine.com/submissions