The Horror Tree

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Events / Magazine / Pro

Taking Submissions: Vastarien: A Literary Journal

Deadline: June 30th, 2020
Payment: 5 cents ($.05) per word for nonfiction and prose fiction. Poetry pays $50 flat per poem.
Theme: Work inspired by Ligotti

WE WANT:

  • Nonfiction from 2,000 to 7,500 words. Scholarly and/or critical articles pertaining to Ligotti or associated authors (see below) or the kind of thematic and topical issues in which we’re interested. As for contemporary authors to add to this list, Livia Llewellyn, S. P. Miskowski, Junji Ito, Matthew M. Bartlett, T. E. D. Klein, Kelly Link, Helen Marshall, Gemma Files, Ramsey Campbell, Allyson Bird, Laird Barron, Caitlín Rebekah Kiernan, Nicole Cushing, Victor LaValle, Mark Samuels, and many more have produced work that we would love to see subjected to intelligent critical analysis and discussion.
  • Literary Horror Fiction from 750 to 6,000 words. We are looking for original work inspired by Ligottian and/or related themes (regarding which, see the list on our main page).
  • Poetry at a length of no more than 50 lines, dealing with subjects and themes that fall within our area of interest.
  • Artwork that similarly addresses our subject matter.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT: Vastarien believes in promoting a range of excellent writing and artwork from authors of diverse backgrounds, genders, and sexual orientations. We encourage submissions from authors and artists traditionally underrepresented in horror and pieces that reflect these varying perspectives.

The following authors and their work are of especial interest to Vastarien:

  • Charles Baudelaire
  • Thomas Bernhard
  • Aloysius Bertrand
  • Jorge Luis Borges
  • William S. Burroughs
  • Angela Carter
  • Louis Ferdinand Celine
  • E. M. Cioran
  • Charlotte Perkins Gilman
  • Douglas Harding
  • Shirley Jackson
  • U. G. Krishnamurti
  • H. P. Lovecraft
  • Vladimir Nabokov
  • Emile Nelligan
  • Michael Persinger
  • Edgar Allan Poe
  • Maurice Rollinat
  • Arthur Schopenhauer
  • Bruno Schulz
  • Paul Valery
  • Peter Wessel Zapffe

LENGTH: See the specific guidelines above for length requirements for different types of submissions. Additionally, in no case will a submission over 7,500 words be considered for publication without prior approval. Words subject to inclusion in the overall word count shall include the body of the submission and any explanatory footnotes; citations shall not be included in the overall word count. (more…)

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

Taking Submissions: Consumed

Deadline: August 15th, 2020
Payment: $20 for the first 3,000 words, then a 1/2 cent per word + print contributor’s copy
Theme: The Wendigo

Hunger.

Insatiable hunger.

Hunger that changes you…consumes you…turning you into a nightmare version of what you once were.

Denver Horror Collective is looking for stories of the Wendigo. The point of view could be a person becoming the Wendigo, from a Wendigo, pursued by a Wendigo, or a witness to a Wendigo-esque situation unfolding.

Submissions may cover cannibalism, lust, plague, war, anxiety, greed, power, or any topic a person or animal could become obsessed with. Read the Wiki on the Wendigo at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo, then feel free to think outside the box and let your imagination run wild.

Submissions do not have to have characters turn into a literal Wendigo. Character(s) must go through some sort of a transformation due to the “hunger.” You do not have to use the term Wendigo. We just ask that authors use the core concept of the Wendigo as inspiration for their story.

Please take a moment to read the KEY NOTES and all submission information below to ensure your story content and format fall within guidelines.

DEADLINE: August 15, midnight

WORD COUNT: 3,000-12,000 words (lower limit firm, query for longer)

PAYMENT: $20 for the first 3,000 words, then a 1/2 cent per word + print contributor’s copy

REPRINTS: No

SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: No

MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: No (if you have more than one idea, you’re welcome to query as to which concept we would be more interested in)

FORMAT:
-Use the Shunn format ( https://www.shunn.net/format/classic/ ) with the following caveats:
-12-point Times New Roman, Courier New, or Arial font
-Use paragraph formatting for paragraph indents. Do not manually tab or space in.
-No headers, footers, or page numbers

SUBMISSION:
-Submit in DOC, DOCX, or RTF format
-Submit as an attachment, not in the body of the email.
-Include “Submission,” “Story Title,” “Author Name,” and “Word Count” to nearest 100 words in the subject line. (EX: Submission Last Plate by Jane Doe 3,300 words)
-The body of the e-mail should include an introduction, any publication information you would like to include, and a bio up to 250 words.
-E-mail submissions to [email protected]

KEY NOTES:
-First or third person only
-Past-tense only
-No pedophilia
-No rape in a positive light
-Graphic scenes should be used to move the story, scene, or character forward, and not be included just for shock value.
-Accepted submissions will be hand edited and uploaded to Dropbox in PDF format for the author to access.

TIPS
-Do not capitalize entire words in dialogue or to show excitement/yelling. Let your description and/or punctuation do the work for you.
-Ellipses signify an extended pause or trailing off. Em dashes signify interruption.
-If you’re unsure, ask questions. Please place the words “Submission Question” in your email subject line and query [email protected]

Via: Denver Horror Collective.

Events / Flat Amount / Magazine / Poetry

Taking Submissions: Silver Blade Poetry August 2020 Issue

Deadline: July 31st, 2020
Payment: $8
Theme: Cutting edge Science Fiction, Slipstream, Classic and Modern Fantasy

Submissions

Welcome to the Silver Pen Writers Association group of publications. From this web page, you will have an opportunity to submit your work to Silver Blade Magazine.

General Guidelines

(Updated February 2020) Give us something unexpected and well written.  Technique, voice, characterization, and language will all play a part in our decision to publish.  Amaze us with your writing, use of language, sense of story, and memorable characters.  Give us a story readers will not be able to forget and will eagerly recommend to others.

The following are “hard sells” here:

  • Stories possessing several of the cliché elements listed here.
  • Fan Fiction or erotica
  • Anthropomorphism (talking cats, foxes, toasters or whatever)
  • Sloppy work–significant typographical, spelling, or grammatical errors (please proofread before you submit)
  • Publicly available items (seriously, why would we pay to publish something being given away on a blog, forum, social media, etc?)

Our editorial policies respect the artistic license of our authors.  However, there are occasions when changes are needed that go beyond basic spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections. In any case, the author will be given the choice of final approval, prior to publication, over substantial edits made by our staff. We appreciate your willingness to work with us in this regard. Do not submit if you are not open to suggestions.

Formatting

All submissions should…

  • Have 1 inch margins, 1 1/2 line spacing and double space between paragraphs.
  • NO fancy headers or footers, text effects, background colors or images.
  • Use a standard font (Arial, Calibri, Times Roman, Courier) in 12 point size.
  • Exceptions will be made ONLY for poetry submissions (see below).

Silver Blade Poetry

Poetry up to 1,000 words: Submit Now

Our poetry reading periods are as follows:

  • December and January (For the February Issue)
  • February (break / no reading)
  • March and April (For the May issue)
  • May  (break / no reading)
  • June and July (For the August issue)
  • August (break / no reading)
  • September and October (for the November issue)
  • November (break / no reading)

(more…)

Anthology / Events / Flat Amount

Taking Submissions: Through Other Eyes

Deadline: June 15th, 2020
Payment: $20
Theme: Speculative fiction with non-human protagonists

Stories take us beyond the bounds of our own lives—into new worlds and new situations. Perhaps most importantly, they invite us into new minds. Through the eyes of the characters we temporarily become, we not only live other lives, but discover new ways of looking at our own. Speculative fiction takes us a step farther—beyond the bounds of humanity, itself.

Through Other Eyes is an anthology of tales featuring non-human protagonists. Become someone—and something—else.

Submissions are now open! We’re eager for monsters, androids, vampires, elves, and aliens, but we’re especially excited to meet species of your own design. Familiar or new. Humanoid or non. Your imagination is in charge.

  • Submissions will be open until at least June 15th but may run longer.
  • The expected publication date is November 2020.
  • Open to word counts ranging from 1500 words to 5000 words.
  • Open to all speculative genres (fantasy, sci-fi, horror, slipstream, weird fic, etc) as long as the main POV character isn’t human.
  • No reprints.
  • Accepted stories will receive a $20 honorarium.
  • The anthology will be roughly double the length of a standard issue of All Worlds Wayfarer and feature both physical and digital editions.
  • All standard submission guidelines, when not in contradiction with this list, apply.
Standard Submission Guidelines

We love stories that take us on tours through the fantastic—whether in other dimensions or in the hidden spaces of our own world. We’re looking to highlight an often unseen side of speculative fiction: we want to encounter characters so vivid that our souls slip into their bodies, themes that challenge and move us, and language that makes us swoon. Immersive world-building and twisting plots are awesome aspects of our genres, but we’re looking for stories where these factors are shaped around the characters and themes, instead of the other way around. So often speculative stories are seen as escapist romps or slow, encyclopedic affairs—while there’s nothing wrong with these styles, we know the possibilities are infinite!
(more…)

Events / Flat Amount / Magazine / Poetry

Taking Submissions: Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

Deadline: June 30th, 2020
Payment: $100 for stories and $25 for poems
Theme: Heroic fantasy — in both prose and poetry

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is generally open to fiction and poetry submissions four months per year. The months you can submit are:

March

June

September 

December 

If you submit fiction or poetry in any other month, you will receive an auto-response and your tale will not be reviewed.

* * *

As its name suggests, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is a quarterly ezine dedicated to publishing heroic fantasy — in both prose and poetry. We are unrepentant in our goal of elevating unapologetic sword and sorcery to a rightful high place. We pay $100 for stories and $25 for poems, upon publication.  (Scroll down for info on art submissions.) We purchase first world English language electronic rights, electronic rights for 90 days, archival rights for twelve months, and excerpt rights.

Our fiction word limit is a soft 10,000 words, although we are willing to serialize at a maximum of 50,000 words over four issues. You may submit up to three poems, with a cumulative maximum of 30 pages.   No simultaneous submissions, please.

While we don’t have iron-clad rules regarding our fiction payment, we roughly pay $25 for stories under 1,000 words, $50 for stories between 1,000 and 5,000 words, $75 for stories between 5,000 and 7,500 words and $100, for stories of 7,500 words and over.

Tolkienesque (as in really long) poetry epics/sagas/vedas will most likely be treated — and paid — like fiction. Similarly, prose pieces of fewer than 1,000 words will be paid at poetry’s standard rate of $25. (more…)

Contributor's Copy / Events / Magazine / Semipro

Taking Submissions: Mythic

Deadline: July 31st, 2020
Payment: $0.01 cent a word and a contributors copy
Theme: Diverse sci-fi and fantasy fiction.

MYTHIC is seeking diverse sci-fi and fantasy fiction. We want original short stories that have never been published. Authors are encouraged to submit their stories during the specific reading periods listed below.

Reading Periods

June 1 through July 31
(Reading for Fall and Winter Issues)

December 1 through January 31
(Reading for Spring and Summer Issues)

Guidelines

Please submit in standard manuscript format.

  • Works should be between 2,000-6,000 words. (No wiggle room above or below.)
  • Submit in Standard Manuscript Format
  • We prefer Times New Roman or Courier and 12 point type. Double-spaced pages.
  • Please include your name and contact information at the beginning of the story.
  • Submit in .doc, .docx, .rtf format.
  • Please no simultaneous or multiple submissions.
  • No reprints.

(more…)

Anthology / Events / Royalties

Taking Submissions: Wolf Night (Rated R)

Deadline: November 30th, 2020
Payment: Royalties
Theme: Wolf shifters

Wolf Night (Rated R)

  • Deadline – November 30th, 2020
  • Publication – March 2021
  • Word Count – 5,000-15,000
  • Theme – Wolf shifters galore! We are looking for romantic tales of wolf shifters in any setting or genre. The spicier, the better.

Publisher INFORMATION (more…)

Anthology / Events / Flat Amount

Taking Submissions: Women of the Woods

Deadline: June 30th, 2020
Payment: One cent per word
Theme: The lore, myths, and legends of women who dwell in the forest.

Women of the Woods is an upcoming collection about the lore, myths, and legends of women who dwell in the forest. Historically, it’s the witches, artists, and outcasts who make the dark forest their home. Whether you retell a piece of folklore or create something altogether new, Fabled Collective would love to see your story.

We are looking for spooky, eerie, gothic tales that leave out the gore and focus more on a feeling of dread and foreboding. We’re interested in stories with rich, haunting settings. Think dark fantasy or quiet horror. Give us complex characters, ghosts, witches, magical realism, and more!

Submission Guidelines:

  • Stories between 2,000-8,000 words.
  • Please format all submissions TNR 12pt, double spaced, with page numbers. Word documents preferred.
  • Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but please let us know immediately if you’ve accepted publication elsewhere.
  • No previously published stories.
  • Only one submission per author.

Please Include:

  • A short bio.
  • Links to your social media and website.

Payment:

One cent per word to be paid upon acceptance.
​Examples:

  • 2,000 words = $20
  • 5,000 words = $50
  • 8,000 words = $80

Rights:

Fabled Collective is free to publish your work in ebook, print, and audiobook formats, but the author retains rights to sell, publish, and distribute their work in the future if desired.

All work must be original. Fabled is free to grammatically edit all works.

Send to:

Please send your work to [email protected]

Via: Fabled Collective.

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