The Horror Tree

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

Category: Pay

Payment Scale

Events / Flat Amount / Magazine

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Taking Submissions: Little Demon Digest #1

Deadline: September 28th, 2020
Payment: Short Fiction (4,001-8,000 Words) – $5
Theme: Horror, thriller, and science fiction

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

  • FORMAT: All submissions should follow proper manuscript format. Please attach all submissions in .doc or .docx format. We will not accept submissions embedded in the body of an email. Please adhere to standard manuscript guidelines (12-point font, Times New Roman, double spaced, etc).
  • EMAIL: Please send your submissions to [email protected]
    Include what book your submitting for, your name, and your story title.
  • WHAT WE WANT: We are primarily interested in Flash Fiction or Short Fiction submissions but are open to novellas and novels. We currently want short fiction work for our upcoming digest series.
  • PAYMENT: Please understand that LDB is a very small publishing brand but because of that we put greater consideration into the stories submitted.
    Flash Fiction (1,500-4,000 Words) – FREE DIGITAL COPY
    Short Fiction (4,001-8,000 Words) – $5 + FREE DIGITAL COPY
    Anything larger than the Short Fiction format will be handled on a case-by-case basis. All contributors will receive a free digital or physical copy of their choosing for the books their work is featured in.
  • RIGHTS: Little Demon Books will retain first publishing rights to short stories but the original creative copyright will remain with the author. The author is allowed to reprint their original work six months after first printing.

Via: Little Demon Books.

Anthology / Events / Royalties

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Taking Submissions: Weird Fiction Volume 1

Deadline: October 30th, 2020
Payment: Royalties
Theme: Weird fiction

Submission Deadline : 30th October 2020

Anthology : WEIRD FICTION SERIES

Title : WEIRD FICTION

Theme : Weird fiction

Word count : Around 5,000

Author eligibility : Open to all

Reprints : Not allowed

Simultaneous Submissions : Not allowed

Multiple Submissions : Maximum of two

Publication : Expected to release 2021 in Print and Digital formats

Author compensation : Royalty split, plus one digital copy

How to submit : See our submission guidelines for formatting.

Send your story and bio as an attachment in Word format to  [email protected].

Please include wordcount in email body.

Your email subject and document name should be Anthology Name – Your Story Name – Author Name.
For example; “WEIRD– My Story – A N Author”

Please include an author bio of upto 100 words and no more than two links.

Via: Black Hare Press.

Anthology / Events / Flat Amount

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Taking Submissions: Pirates of the Empyrean

Deadline: October 5th, 2020
Payment: $10USD
Theme: Science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, or steampunk stories featuring pirates.

Zombie Pirate Publishing is seeking short stories 2,000-7,000 words long for PIRATES OF THE EMPYREAN.

Science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, or steampunk stories featuring pirates.

Send us your tales of swashbuckling adventure set against space, sky, or sea.

Submissions close 5th Oct 2020.

Successful submissions will recieve $10USD, an ebook copy, and access to heavily discounted paperback copies.

Send your stories to [email protected]

No simultaneous submissions or reprints.

SUBMIT YOUR STORY

Submitting to Zombie Pirate Publishing is easy. Simply email your manuscript to [email protected] following the submission guidelines at the bottom of this page.

We DO NOT accept reprints or simultaneous submissions.

Your email should have your name, the story title, the word count, and the anthology you are submitting towards in the header and the body of the email. The attached word document should be labeled with this information as well.

For example: ‘Daddy-Adam Bennett-Full Metal Horror 2-6500 words.doc’

Your submission should have a Word document attached to your email. Do not paste the story into the body of your email. Most programs including Google Docs will allow you to save your finalised work as a word document before submission.

If you are unsure exactly what to do to set up your file correctly, download this document before you start writing. It is set up to be ready to go ASAP. Simply highlight the title, or author name or body of the document to replace with your own text. Google Docs version is available here for those without Word. Simply copy the document and change the name, and then click the ‘download as’ option in the file menu, and select word doc. This will save as a word document which you can then attach to your email.

     PAYMENT

Zombie Pirate Publishing does not charge authors for submissions.

Thanks to our Patreon Page we currently offer $10 USD and an ebook copy of the publication to authors included in our anthologies that feature a deadline. To find out more, or to help support us, visit patreon.com/zombiepiratepublishing and read about our exciting rewards tiers and the goals we are working towards.

At present we are not offering payment for submissions accepted into our flash fiction or poetry anthologies.

Novella publications will be paid a percentage of royalties on all sales as well as a small advance on royalties.

If we accept your work for entry to an anthology, Zombie Pirate Publishing requires Exclusive First Publishing Rights for one (1) year and then all rights revert to the author. ZPP holds the rights to novellas we publish for two (2) years.

     EDITING

Zombie Pirate Publishing works on accepted anthology stories in Google Docs with all successful authors before final publication.

We offer a very reasonably priced editing service for use before you submit your story. Using this service will not guarantee acceptance into our anthologies. Copy Edits cost $5usd per 1000 words. Line Edits cost $15usd per 1000 words.

For more details, please contact us at [email protected].

     BASIC GUIDELINES

11 or 12 point Arial or Times New Roman.

Indent paragraphs using the ruler at the top, not the tab button or spacebar.

Single spaces after full stops.

Double inverted commas for speech, single inverted commas otherwise (this includes quotations within speech (ie. “Tommy said, ‘Go see Tina,’ so here I am,” said Frank.)

Double line spacing throughout document (use the spacing option in your word processor, not double enter between lines.)

No headers or footers or page numbers.

Title and Authors Name/Pseudonym inside the document only.  If you are using a pseudonym for your submission, please include your real name in the email and mention that you use a pseudonym. If you want to give us additional information like email and address and phone number please include it in the email, but this is not necessary until after we accept your story.

We use British English Spelling (i.e colour, realise.) If your submission is in American English we won’t reject it on that basis, but it will be changed during the editing process if your submission is accepted for publication.

It is a good idea to read your submission out loud (to yourself is fine) before submitting. This will help you find small inconsistencies that reading won’t pick up alone.

Via: Zombie Pirate Publishing.

Flash / Ongoing Submissions / Online / Semipro

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Ongoing Submissions: Wyldblood – Flash Fiction

Payment: 1p (GBP) per word
Theme: Speculative fiction though some areas are hard sells (see below.)
Note: Other areas are open as well for short stories and whatnot but I’ve been told those will close and open depending on submission levels.

For all submissions:

  • email us at [email protected]
  • submit using standard manuscript format
  • send us Word or RTF files – no PDF please.
  • head your email SUBMISSION (category) – (story title) – (your name)
  • include your contact details in your submission.
  • add a SHORT cover note in the body of your email (longer for novels).
  • simultaneous submissions are fine (but tell us if you get placed elsewhere).
  • multiple submissions are a no-no. Don’t swamp us. Wait a decent interval between submissions.
  • we are not currently accepting reprints (except by invitation).
  • RIGHTS We are buying first worldwide serial and electronic rights with a 180 day exclusivity.
  • SHORT STORIES should be 1,000-6,000 words MAX
  • 1p (GBP) per word via paypal (approx 1.3c US)
  • initially for online publication in Wyldblood Magazine.
  • best stories may be reprinted in an anthology.
  • FLASH 300-1,000 words MAX
  • 1p (GBP) per word via paypal (approx 1.3c US)
  • initially for online publication only (Flash Fridays).
  • best stories may be reprinted in an anthology.
  • NOVELLAS AND NOVELS 40-120,000 words (flexible).
  • send us the full text and include a one page synopsis.
  • royalties only (competitive rates).
  • ebook and print.

What’s going to impress us (and what don’t we want to see)?

If you’re going to be submitting work to us, here are a few things you may want to bear in mind. We’ll be updating this list regularly, so check for our latest – we may suddenly have an urge for zombie romances (kidding – hell hasn’t frozen over yet).

  • we’ve seen many things many times so be original.
  • we’re picky buyers.
  • we can tell if you know your craft – don’t send us your first draft and make sure you’ve covered the basics. It doesn’t have to be perfect (if an author tells me they’ve never submitted a story with a typo or an obvious spelling mistake they’re lying) – but it does have to be professional.
  • zombies and vampires are a hard sell. Werewolves, though, are always welcome.
  • we’re not into gratuitous gore or erotica – don’t send us anything you wouldn’t want your kid sister to see.
  • my mother used to ask me why, since there are millions of beautiful words in the English language, did I have to use that one? Fucked if I know, but be moderate with your swearing.
  • lots of high fantasy names will send us heading for the reject button.
  • ditto lots of backstory about your fantasy universe that swamps the plot.
  • thoughtful, character based stories are our thing.
  • don’t shy away from politics or religion but anything racist or deliberately offensive will get you canned.
  • if you’re writing science fiction, we’ve got to buy in to your world building. Hand-wavey pseudo science rarely impresses.
  • no fan-fic – we’ve no desire to get sued.
  • Enthusiasm, perserverence and an obvious willingness to take feedback and respond positively go a long way with us.

Via: Wild Blood.

Anthology / Contributor's Copy / Events / Flat Amount

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Taking Submissions: Kentucky Fried Horror

Deadline: October 1st, 2020
Payment: $25 and a contributor’s copy
Theme: Horror which takes place in Kentucky

 

NEW ANTHOLOGY FROM NIGHTMARE PRESS: KENTUCKY FRIED HORROR!!!
Nightmare Press is now taking short story submissions for KENTUCKY FRIED HORROR. The theme is simple: short horror stories that take place in Kentucky, and you’ll get bonus points if it reflects Kentucky culture. Anybody can submit – you don’t have to be from the Bluegrass State to participate.
Here are the details:
What we want: Horror shorts that take place in Kentucky, 1000-5000 words, send it in a word doc or docx file attached to the email. Do not paste it in the body of the email. In the subject line, write KENTUCKY FRIED HORROR <title> <your name>. No more than one submission per person. Reprints are fine as long as you own the publishing rights to the story.
What you get: $25 if accepted, a contributor’s copy of the book, the opportunity to purchase copies at cost (including shipping and taxes).
When and where: You have time for this one. The deadline is October 1st. Email your submissions to [email protected]
Two other points: We will not ask for exclusivity for more than 30 days after publication.
Also, if your story is a reprint and has previously been edited elsewhere, we reserve the right to edit the story again. We know some authors have issue with reprints being re-edited because they want the story to remain the same across all publications, so if that is a problem, do not submit your reprint. If you are okay with Nightmare Press re-editing the story, then by all means, please submit it.
We look forward to seeing how frightening you all can make Kentucky.

Events / Magazine / Semipro

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Taking Submissions: Apparition Lit Magazine (Short Window!)

Deadline: August 31st, 2020
Payment: $0.03 per word, minimum of $30.00 dollars for short stories. $30 per poem
Theme: Satisfaction
Note: This call doesn’t officially open until the 15th but is going live early due to the short submission window

Apparition Lit is open for poetry and short story submissions four times a year.

  • February 15-28
  • May 15-31
  • August 15-31
  • November 15-30

Submissions received outside of posted open dates will be deleted unread.

Our themes for 2020 will be:

  • Experimentation (Submission period November 15-30, 2019 CLOSED, Published January 2020)
  • Transfiguration (Submission period February 15-29, 2020, CLOSED Published April 2020)
  • Redemption (Submission period May 15-31, 2020, CLOSED Published July 2020)
  • Satisfaction (Submission period August 15-31, 2020, CLOSED Publishing October 2020)

Our previous themes for 2019: Resistance (Published January 2019) – Ambition (Published April 2019) – Retribution (Published July 2019) – Euphoria (Published October 2019) for 2018: Apparition (Published January 2018) – Delusion (Published April 2018) – Vision (Published July 2018) – Diversion (Published October 2018)

Apparition Lit also holds monthly flash fiction contests. These stories are published online only. We accept submissions for the flash fiction contest between the 1st and 15th of each month. Stories must be under 1k words and based on the theme for that month. You can see each month’s theme, and guidelines, in the flash fiction drop down below.

For detailed submission guidelines, please see each category drop down below.

PAYMENT:

Apparition is a semi-pro rate magazine, paying $0.03 per word, minimum of $30.00 dollars for short stories (excluding flash contest. See details in the Flash Fiction dropdown for flash rates) and a flat fee of $30 per poem. If we accept your story, we are purchasing the right to publish the story online and in the quarterly edition. Rights will revert back to the artist after one year.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

(more…)

Events / Online / Semipro

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Taking Submissions: Underland Arcana

Deadline: October 1st, 2020
Payment: $0.01 / word and potential royalties
Theme: Short fiction that veers into the numinous, the esoteric, the supernatural, and the weird

UNDERLAND ARCANA is published four times a year, and is looking for previously unpublished short fiction that veers into the numinous, the esoteric, the supernatural, and the weird. We like these stories to be mildly speculative, fantastic, mysterious, and/or horrific (if you prefer genre tags). We’re not terribly keen on stories that splash through gore, but we don’t mind the grotesque. We prefer character-driven pieces, but will pause and admire works that are exceptionally experimental in tone, style, and presentation.

We are actively interested in submissions from writers of underrepresented communities, including, but in no way limited to, writers of any gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, nationality, class, and physical or mental ability. We believe in the rich potential and diversity of humanity, and seek to have that belief reflected in the stories published in the ARCANA.

In more concrete terms: stories should be under 5k in length, but special consideration will be given to longer pieces should the writing demand such attention. Please query before sending anything novella length. Submissions should be in .doc or .rtf formation. Stories must be compatible to both an online presentation and a print publication.

Please submit your stories to [email protected], along with a brief cover letter that hits the highlights of your recent publishing adventures.

READING PERIOD:  In parallel with our publication schedule, we will only be considering submissions during one of our open reading periods. The current reading period closes on October 1st, 2020. The next reading period is scheduled to open early in 2021.

PAYMENT: Underland Arcana is paying $0.01 / word—up to 5,000 words—for publication on the website. Additional publication in other formats (ebook and collected print editions, for example) will be under a shared royalty basis.

Via: Underland Arcana.

Anthology / Audio / Events / Semipro

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Taking Submissions: Curiosities

Deadline: August 31st, 2020
Payment: 4 cents per word
Theme: Speculative Fiction
Note: Reprints Welcome

OPEN 1-31 August, 2020

general session

Hello! This project is a comfortable two-headed beast at play in the curious and often dark corners of retropunk fiction. That means steampunk, dieselpunk, dreadpunk, bronzepunk, others that haven’t even been invented yet punk … but not atompunk. Sorry, space fans, we draw our line at Sputnik. About 2/3 of rejections are for “bad fit.” We buy nonexclusive rights for fiction, cover & interior art, music & sound effects usage, and narration services.

What we do:

1—Curiosities, a short story collection published two or three times a year, which is available in digital and print on demand formats, and

2—The Gallery of Curiosities, a twice monthly podcast which features stories from the publication. Not every story we buy will make it to an audio podcast release, but we do make good effort to get it there before our rights expire. We started out as a podcast, and went to print later.  Audio production is incredibly time intensive.

Short version:

-We buy original (4 cents/word) and reprint (penny/word) short stories.

-Length up to 7500 words.

-We read blind. Anonymize your manuscript before sending it to [email protected] as a docx, or rtf. Remove headers and/or footers.

-Use the format SUBMISSION: Your Story Title in the title bar of your email or it gets lost.

-Multiple? No more than 3 at a time. Send them in separate emails.

-Simultaneous? Yes. Please be prompt with a withdrawal if sold.

-If accepted, your story will be published in ebook and print-on-demand formats.

-If accepted, we will make a good faith effort to produce your story for podcast before the contract runs out, but no guarantees. The way is fraught with bear traps and wolves.

Long version:

What we’re looking for:
As an audio venue, we want stories that entertain. We want to be taken on an adventure in a time that never was, be it steampunk, gaslamp, weird tales, dreadpunk, vintage horror, new weird, mad science, fantastic cities (please!), monsters, impossible machines, clockworks, alt-history adventures, surprises, weird westerns, and things that shouldn’t work.

What we don’t want:
Serialized novels. Novel excerpts. Drabbles. Stories longer than 7500 words. Fan fiction. Sherlockians. Vulgar language used as punctuation. Horror stories that spend most of the word count telling us all the mundane little details of the contemporary protag’s lifestyle before getting to it. Cutters. JFK theories. Anything that has been on a podcast within the past 18 months. Stories outside of the “speculative fiction” genres.

What’s a hard sell:
Anything set after World War 2. Horror based in domestic violence or sexual perversion. Anything set after the mid-20th Century. Stories that take place in outer space. Horror stories with contemporary moods or settings. Excessive splatter. Stories longer than 6000 words. Anything set after the 1950s. Stories that make us wonder why they should considered as “speculative fiction”.

Payment:
4 cents a word USD for original fiction and a penny a word for reprints, with a minimum of $40 USD for stories less than 1000 words.

How do I submit?
Send your story in an email or email attachment to [email protected] with SUBMISSION: Story Title in the subject line, because that is how I search for things. Always send a new story after a rejection with a new subject line. Continuing a thread is a good way to get the next one lost.

Manuscripts will be sent as docx or rtf attachments that are formatted without headers. Headers have been known to mess up the document when converted. To protect your privacy, put your personal details in the cover letter, not the manuscript. Or just wait until it is asked for. Seriously, don’t volunteer your details on the Internet— it’s where the crazy people live. Make sure all commentary has been removed from your manuscript, as it will (surprise!) persist when I convert it to a Google Document file, which is the format in which we read.

I think long cover letters are unnecessary for this format. I am amused by haiku, and will reciprocate. If the story is a reprint, tell where it has been.

You’ll get a quick reply to let you know it did not get lost If you do not get a rejection within a week, then your story made it past first round and went on to the short list.

How do I get paid?
PayPal or SL Lindens.

What about Rights?
We are purchasing non-exclusive audio, print, electronic, and archiving rights to your short story. You retain all other rights. The podcasts will be archived online for perpetual free download under a Creative Commons 4.0 International Attribution NonCommercial No-Derivs license.

Are you going to publish a print magazine or post my story for online reading?
We will not be posting the text of your story where it could be freely available online. Stories are published in Curiosities two or three times a year, which is available in retail print-on-demand and ebook formats.  We sort accepted stories by broad themes as suggested by the whims of the slush pile, so you may not automatically get into the next issue. You will get representative contributor copies of the issue that contains your story.

How long will it take to get my story to air?
Audio production is extremely time intensive, and it is a challenge to pair the right voice for each story. Not all stories will make it to broadcast. If we don’t make it happen within 24 months, our rights expire.

Is there a contract?
Yes.

What is steampunk?
That’s something you’ll have to find your own definition for. And when you find it, own it. For me, it is an artistic protest about the future we got.

My story has already been published. Can I still submit it?
Yes, as long as you are not violating any terms of your previous contract. We do want to know if it is a reprint, and where it has been. Say so in your cover letter.

You rejected my story. Can I submit another one?
Absolutely! We rejected your story, not you.

You rejected my story. Can I work on it some more and resubmit it?
Only if we said that we would read it again in the rejection letter.

I have more questions.
[email protected]

Via: The Gallery Of Curiousities

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