Category: Events

Taking Submissions: Future States of Stars

Deadline: November 30th, 2024
Payment: 10 cents per word
Theme: Stories in the dystopian sci-fi genre with a Black Mirror or Twilight Zone vibe. Authors are encouraged to explore themes of the near-to-far future of states, whether set here on Earth, in space, or in other dimensions.

Future States of Stars is set to be a captivating sci-fi/dystopian fiction anthology tailored for the Upper YA (18+), New Adult, and Adult audiences. Following the success of our previous and soon-to-be-published anthology, Monsters In Masquerade, which featured the works of three New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, along with a blend of established voices and fresh talent, we are thrilled to continue with the second installment of The Darkset Chronicles.

With our dedicated in-house team of creatives, including some of the best editors and content awareness readers in the business, as well as talented graphic designers and readers, we are crafting a collection that will bring you thrilling new stories from the most beloved subgenres of science fiction.

We are excited to once again offer YOU, our incredible community members, the chance to have your work featured alongside acclaimed bestselling authors in this eagerly anticipated anthology!

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Taking Submissions: Never Whistle at Night, Part II

Deadline: December 1st, 2024
Payment: $1,500 USD and a contributors copy
Theme: Horror from emerging North American Indigenous writers

Never Whistle at Night, Part II: Back for Blood invites emerging Indigenous writers to submit their horror stories for the sequel to the international bestseller. This next anthology, featuring 20+ terrifying tales, focuses exclusively on horror and continues our mission of creating opportunities for Indigenous voices. About half of the stories will come from this open call, while the other half will be contributed by established names: some of whom aren’t typically known for horror or even conventional narrative writing. Published by Vintage Books in the US and McClelland & Stewart and Random House Canada up north, this collection will explore the dark and haunting dimensions of Indigenous cultures across North America. Part II has an expected release of Fall 2026.

Submission Window: September 1 at 9am Pacific to December 1 at 11:59pm Pacific. (Please check your local time. This is a hard deadline. No exceptions.)

Submission Guidelines for Never Whistle at Night, Part II

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Taking Submissions: The First Line – Spring 2025

Deadline: February 1st, 2025
Payment: $25.00 – $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 – $10.00 for poetry
Theme: Story must begin with: Jayce recognized the man right away but couldn’t remember his name.

Spring:
Jayce recognized the man right away but couldn’t remember his name.
Due date: February 1, 2025

We love that writers around the world are inspired by our first lines, and we know that not every story will be sent to us. However, we ask that you do not submit stories starting with our first lines to other journals (or post them online on public sites) until we’ve notified you as to our decision (usually four weeks after the deadline). When the entire premise of the publication revolves around one sentence, we don’t want it to look as if we stole that sentence from another writer. If you have questions, feel free to drop us a line.

Also, we understand that writers may add our first line to a story they are currently working on or have already completed, and that’s cool. But please do not add our first line to a previously published story and submit it to us. We do not accept previously published stories, even if they have been repurposed for our first lines. And, just to be clear, we do not accept simultaneous submissions.

One more thing while I’ve got you here: Writers compete against one another for magazine space, so, technically, every literary magazine is running a contest. There are, however, literary magazines that run traditional contests, where they charge entry fees and rank the winners. We do not – nor will we ever – charge a submission fee, nor do we rank our stories in order of importance. Occasionally, we run contests to help come up with new first lines, or we run fun, gimmicky competitions for free stuff, but the actual journal is not a contest in the traditional sense.

Fiction: All stories must be written with the first line provided. The line cannot be altered in any way, unless otherwise noted by the editors. The story should be between 300 and 5,000 words (this is more like a guideline and not a hard-and-fast rule; going over or under the word count won’t get your story tossed from the slush pile). The sentences can be found on the home page of The First Line’s website, as well as in the prior issue. Note: We are open to all genres. We try to make TFL as eclectic as possible.

Poetry: We do accept poetry, though rarely. We have no restrictions on form or line count, but all poems must begin with the first line provided. The line cannot be altered in any way.

Non-Fiction: 500-800 word critical essays about your favorite first line from a literary work.

All Submissions: Writers should include a two- to three-sentence biography of themselves that we can use in the journal should your story, poem, or essay be accepted.

Multiple Submissions: We don’t mind if you want to submit multiple submissions for the same issue. However, it is unlikely we will use more than one of your stories or poems in the same issue.

Four-Part Stories: If you think you are up to the challenge, you can write a four-part story that uses the spring, summer, fall, and winter sentences (five parts, if you are brave enough to include a fifth story that ends with the last line). However, all parts must be submitted at once (a single email or snail mail) before the February 1st deadline. (If selected, each part will be published in its respective issue.)

Submissions: We prefer you send manuscripts via email to submission (@) thefirstline (dot) com. We accept stories in MS Word or Word Perfect format (we prefer attachments). Please do not send pdf versions of your story or links to online docs. Make sure your name and contact information, as well as your bio, are part of the attachment. Stories also can be sent to The First Line‘s post office box. No manuscripts will be returned without an accompanying SASE with sufficient return postage.

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Taking Submissions: Rescuing Curiosity, Surviving Humanity

Submission Window: November 15th 2024 – January 31st, 2025
Payment: $45 and a contributors copy
Theme: Science fiction, fantasy, or horror that focuses on the theme of “surviving humanity”

Continuing with our thematic arc, our next anthology will focus on Surviving Humanity.

In collaboration with Inked in Gray, we seek to publish powerful, authentic stories from members of our community. All profits from Surviving Humanity, as well as all previously published WriteHive anthologies go directly to WriteHive to help fund all our programming initiatives.

This upcoming anthology will officially open November 15th, and we will be collecting submissions until January 31, 2025. We will be looking for stories that explore the theme of surviving the struggles and traumas of this world, giving a sense of hope, determination, and resilience.

Submissions will not be accepted prior to November 15, 2024 or after January 31, 2025.

Writing the Future We Need: Surviving Humanity
** ABSOLUTELY NO AI WRITTEN OR AI ASSISTED SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. NO AI INVOLVEMENT WHATSOEVER PLEASE**

Theme: Surviving Humanity

Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, or horror only

Market: Adult. No MG or YA

There is no limitation to how you incorporate this theme into your work as long as the story falls within the Sci-Fi, Horror, or Fantasy genre. We encourage you to take the theme and show its manifestation beyond the physical, showing us something unique and engaging.

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Burial Books Is Open To Horror Novellas

Deadline: April 1st, 2025
Payment: A payment or a percentage of the profits from the book to be negotiated
Theme: Horror novellas of any genre

Horror Novellas: You guessed it. We want horror novellas between 25,000 and 50,000 words in length. The stories must be scary and can be on any horror subject. No specific type of story requested. If it’s a horror story, send it over.

Payment: Authors shall receive a payment or a percentage of the profits from the book.

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Taking Submissions: Fever Dreams

Deadline: November 14th, 2024
Payment: 8 cents/6 pence for each word for new stories
Theme: This is an unthemed horror anthology, open to all sorts of horror content.

We are very excited to announce a new call for submissions which is now open! Please read through the details for submissions carefully before submitting your stories and make sure to include your story title in the subject of your email.

Fever Dreams
A New Collection of Horror Stories

We are very excited to open submissions for this new anthology, edited by Mark Morris (“…one of the finest horror writers at work today” – Clive Barker)! Elemental Forces is the sixth book in Mark Morris’s ABC of Horror, and follows Elemental Forces, which is out now! Mark has once again approached an impressive range of authors but we’ve reserved space for four new stories from the online submissions. This is a prestigious anthology and will be published worldwide in hardcover and paperback. The first book in the series, After Sundown, was nominated for both Shirley Jackson and British Fantasy awards, so we’re looking forward to finding more unthemed horror stories for this sixth collection.

A note from editor Mark Morris:

Halloween is upon us once more, which means it’s time for the submissions window for my 6th annual non-themed horror anthology from Flame Tree Press to be thrown wide open. Next year’s entry in the acclaimed ‘ABC of Horror’ series will be called Fever Dreams, and as ever I’m looking for stories that are as disturbing, strange and original as you can make them. I’m not averse to humour, and neither am I averse to horror tropes like zombies, vampires and serial killers. But if you are going to write stories with such familiar, tried-and-trusted elements, then you need to find a new and unique way of presenting them. I want to be surprised and scared by your stories, and I want them to be populated by characters who are both believable and identifiable (even the evil ones). Your stories can be anything from 2,000-8,000 words, though the sweet spot is round about the 4,000-5,000 word mark. You have two weeks to send me your very best work. Good luck!

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Taking Submissions: Hiding Under the Leaves February 2025 Window

Submission Window: February 9th – 23rd, 2025
Payment: 1p a word to a maximum of £50
Theme: Folk-horror short stories

Hiding Under the Leaves, to be published November 2025, will be an anthology of folk-horror short stories. Think curses and cunning folk; superstitions and the old ways; twisted rural landscapes and dark, creeping woodlands.

Submissions will open 9th February 2025 and will close in the witching hour (midnight again!) 23rd February 2025.

For both anthologies:

Stories should aim to be 2-9000 words, and will be paid at 1p a word to a maximum of £50. Longer or shorter stories may be considered but will be a harder sell.

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Taking Submissions: Dark Hearts

Deadline: January 31st, 2025
Payment: Fiction: 3 cents per word, minimum ($5.50 minimum payout), Poetry: 25 cents per line. ($5.50 minimum payout)
Theme: Speculative stories and poems about women who are anti-heroes

Theme for 22nd anthology: Dark Hearts

Dark Hearts is a women-centered theme for which anyone can submit stories.
The anthology will feature speculative stories and poems about women who are anti-heroes. Send us your stories about shady ladies: women and female-presenting characters breaking the rules, defying social norms, and getting up to no good!

Genre: We accept science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and enjoy intelligent blends of the three. Stories and poetry outside these main genres’ will not be considered.

Editor loves: supportive female friendships. Women with a mastery of weapons or powers. Women in STEM or in disguise. Cyborgs. Hackers. Heists. Underdogs. Romance!

Sex, violence and swearing are fine, but execute thoughtfully.

We love creative interpretations of our themes, but require stories and poems to be a solid fit.

Eligibility: All writers; including those who are known or related to the editorial staff, may submit to Triangulation. New as well as established authors are welcome to submit.

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