The Horror Tree

Category: Contributor’s Copy

Contributor’s Copy Only

Anthology / Contributor's Copy / Events / Flat Amount

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Taking Submissions: What Remains: Margaret Garner

Deadline: August 20th, 2021
Payment: $200 and a contributor’s copy (as noted by their social media, not their call.)
Theme: medieval grimoires, collections of ancient and/or obscure spells, alchemy, symbols, and all things odd and gnostic

Our latest anthology series is inspired by medieval grimoires, collections of ancient and/or obscure spells, alchemy, symbols, and all things odd and gnostic. We divide the book into thematic chapters based around the four elements: fire, water, earth, and air, with a fifth “ether” thrown in to catch the truly undefinable. Thus, although the elemental structure of the book should not determine the story, preference will be given to submissions that best fit and reflect the alchemical, elemental theme of the collection.
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Anthology / Contributor's Copy / Events / Flash / Flat Amount / Poetry

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Taking Submissions: Arthropoda

Deadline: August 7th, 2021
Payment: $20 and a contributor’s copy
Theme: Speculative poetry and short fiction with monstrous, mythical, or mechanical arthropods

Do you have a story or poem featuring insects, crustaceans, arachnids, or myriapods? We want to publish it!

We are looking for speculative poetry and short fiction with monstrous, mythical, or mechanical arthropods for our upcoming Arthropoda anthology!

The call is open to original fiction and reprints, poetry and short fiction up to 45 lines and 7,500 words respectively.

Please submit no more than two short stories. Shunn manuscript format, simultaneous submissions permitted.

Deadline August 7, 2021. (more…)

Anthology / Contributor's Copy / Events / Flat Amount

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Taking Submissions: DeadSteam II

Deadline: August 16th, 2021
Payment: $25 plus a contributor’s copy.
Theme: gaslamp and dreadpunk stories, which embrace the Victorian gothic

Submissions are now open for the DeadSteam II anthology, the second Grimmer & Grimmer Books anthology.

DeadSteam II is a collection of more gaslamp and dreadpunk stories, which embrace the Victorian gothic. In this edition, we’re really focusing on driving home the dread. We want your scariest, darkest stories that embrace the classic traditions of horror (monsters, gothic castles & haunted houses, dark and stormy nights, foggy walks through gas-lit cobblestone streets) but pair them with modern sensibilities and pacing.

About the anthology

Your tale should include at least one monstrous or undead creature, be it a werewolf, a ghost, a witch, a zombie, or something along those lines, and should take place in or before the Victorian era. Bear in mind, this isn’t a typical steampunk anthology, so the cogs and gears should be used sparingly, if at all.

I want your chilling tales of haunted London, your ghastly stories of bloodthirsty murderers lurking in gaslit alleyways, your suspenseful tales of dead things coming back to life to consume the blood of the living.
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Anthology / Contributor's Copy / Events / Flat Amount / Non-fiction

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Taking Submissions: The Best New True Crime Stories: Crimes of the Famous & Infamous

Deadline: January 1st, 2022
Payment: USD $130, and 2 print copies of the book.
Theme: Nonfiction, true crime accounts of the “famous and infamous.”

Writers Call for Submissions: True Crime/Nonfiction

THE BEST NEW TRUE CRIME STORIES: CRIMES OF THE FAMOUS & INFAMOUS

I’m seeking original true crime stories for the seventh volume in my true crime franchise.

What I’m looking for:

Nonfiction, true crime accounts of the “famous and infamous.” Criminal subjects can be from the performing and literary arts (including actors, musicians and composers, radio and TV personalities, authors, journalists, artists, etc.), politicians, sports figures, members of royalty, business entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and so forth. Criminal subjects must already be in the public eye when committing their crimes, not made famous after the fact. Stories can take place anywhere in the world and can cover a wide range of criminal activity/historical time frames. First-person accounts are especially welcome from writers with a connection to their cases. Add something new to the story, a different viewpoint or angle, particularly if your chosen case has received extensive coverage.
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Contributor's Copy / Events / Magazine / Semipro

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Taking Submissions: Planet Scumm: Winter 2021 Horror Issue

Deadline: August 15th, 2021
Payment: 2 contributors copies and 3 cents per word
Theme: stories should include horror in addition to speculative/sci-fi themes

NOW READING FOR OUR WINTER HORROR ISSUE

SUBMISSIONS CLOSE AUGUST 15TH

It’s baaaaaaaaaaaack… Rising from the grave like an unstoppable masked slasher, it’s the Planet Scumm Winter Horror Issue. Autumn may be the more traditional time for things creepy and crawly, but we think horror, like revenge, is best served cold. (We also think revenge is best served à la carte, and that revenge pairs well with a nice stout. Maybe some cider.)

Here’s how it works: all of our normal submission guidelines apply (see below), with the additional caveat that stories should include horror in addition to speculative/sci-fi themes. We’d also love to see submissions that work in wintery content—snowstorms, isolation, ritual, family, and so on.

Come winter, it won’t just be the cold causing shivers—it’ll be your terrifying tale of terror in the Planet Scumm Winter Horror Issue! Brrrr, spooky! 

Planet Scumm accepts submissions from writers across the world. (Our HQ is a roving meteor-sized space station—Earth’s borders mean nothing to us. We want to hear from writers of every race, nationality, and gender identity.

WHAT TO SUBMIT

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Anthology / Contributor's Copy / Events / Flat Amount

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Taking Submissions: Books and Bikes in Space

Deadline: September 1st, 2021
Payment: Minimum of $50 each, more depending on Kickstarter, and a contributor’s copy.
Theme: Original short fiction about bicycling and books, from a feminist perspective

It’s time to start planning the tenth volume of the Bikes in Space feminist bicycle science fiction anthology! The theme for this one is books.

Submissions are now open for original short fiction about bicycling and books, from a feminist perspective. These elements need to be intrinsic to the story. Send your most creative tales of bicycle-powered interlibrary loan on the moon, characters who literally leap out of books and go for a ride, a two-wheeled revolution sparked by seditious literature, the competing stories of steampunk velocipedists, a manual for futuristic bike messengers, a literal rewriting of gender norms… Have fun with this one!

I especially welcome #ownvoices submissions and work by first-time writers.
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Anthology / Contributor's Copy / Events / Flat Amount

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Taking Submissions: Screaming In The Night Volume 1

Deadline: September 8th, 2021
Payment: $40 and a contributor’s copy
Theme: The Supernatural

Please read carefully. Submissions that don’t meet the guidelines will be automatically rejected.
  • All submissions will be reviewed after the submission deadline and chosen stories will be published in Screaming in the Night: Sinister Supernatural Stories Volume 1, which will be released March 7, 2022.
  • Submissions must be between 5,000 and 10,000 words (Word counts are firm)
  • Title, submitter’s name, pen name (if different), story word count and author email address must be centered at the top of your submission
  • Submissions must be written using American English spelling and terminology
  • Submissions must be written in 12 pt. Times New Roman font, 1″ margins, double spaced with a special first line indention of 0.3″
  • Submissions must not contain headers, footers or page numbers
  • All scene breaks must be three asterisks, centered, with no spaces in between (***)
  • Submissions must be in .Docx or .Doc format
  • Submissions should be clean and edited to the best of author’s ability
  • Submissions should be centered around elements of the supernatural and must be written in the horror genre
  • Submissions cannot contain graphic sexual or rape scenes
  • Submissions must not have been published elsewhere before in any medium
  • Authors may submit as many stories as they want for review, however, there will be a limit of one published story per author
  • Simultaneous submissions are okay if author provides notice of such
  • The deadline for submissions is September 8th, 2021

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Anthology / Contributor's Copy / Events / Flat Amount

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Taking Submissions: Kate Bush: an Anthology (Early Listing)


Submission Window: July 13thth -August 3rd, 2021
Payment: $15 and a contributor’s copy
Theme: Stories which truly capture the essence of Kate Bush

Kate Bush: an Anthology

Our first Weird Pop collection.

SUBMISSIONS CLOSED. Window open July 13th-August 3rd.

We hope to curate a truly strange collection of tales brought to life from a place of love and admiration for Kate and her artistry. Plant a seed plucked from her lyrics, music videos, imagery, or persona. Let’s cultivate something magical and bizarre together.

We are still ironing out the details, but the following guidelines are set in stone:

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