Deadline: November 15th, 2020
Payment: $.03 per word, capped at $150 usd, and 2 free contributor copies.
Theme: Truly terrifying stories that deal with futuristic themes, set in the near future or far.
Corpus Press is now accepting submissions to Volume 3 of the successful In Darkness, Delight anthology series (publication target 2021) to be edited by Evans Light and Andrew Lennon. Submissions should be story-driven and appeal to a wide adult audience.
We seek truly terrifying stories that deal with futuristic themes, set in the near future or far. Tales can be Earth-based or extraterrestrial, perhaps featuring technological or social upheavals that have frightful implications for individuals or society at large; as examples, the ongoing erosion of privacy and enduring nature of online activity, artificial human enhancement via DNA manipulation or implants, impact of emerging technologies on developing children, and so on. (Think bigger than stories about an interesting app, even though that might be where thoughts go first. The few slots allocated for app stories will be filled very quickly.)
Post-apocalyptic stories will not be accepted. Rather, we desire fiction that occurs during periods preceding any total collapse, be they stable or unstable times. The horrors that await us in utopian futures may be far more chilling and fascinating than those endemic to dystopias, and therein lies our primary interest.
We’re more interested in “fiction” than “science”; this is a horror anthology first and foremost, not a science fiction anthology. To that end, your math doesn’t have to work out to five decimal points for every forward-thinking concept you present. Merely plausible is good enough.
If you’re looking for popular culture references to give you a general feel, here are a few: Annihilation, Alien, Pandorum, Under the Skin, Cube, Slither, The Thing, They Live, Mimic, Black Mirror, Outer Limits, The Fly, Event Horizon, and other horror/sci-fi hybrids. Again, we’re not really seeking stories about apps (hint, hint).
What we ARE looking for:
• Short stories of 2,500-4,500 words that can be characterized as being within the broad category of “horror” fiction and having a futuristic theme as described above. No reprints.
• Successful submissions will be highly original, well written and cleanly edited.
• Stories must hook the reader in opening paragraphs and remain engaging throughout.
• Stories that imagine fresh new horrific futures different from anything we’ve seen or read about before.
What we ARE NOT looking for:
• We are not seeking “extreme horror” or “Splatterpunk” material. We discourage submissions that have a singular purpose of shocking readers with explicit language, sexuality and/or violence. Explicit language, sexuality and violence are acceptable, however, if handled in a tasteful manner and in service to a well-plotted, engaging story.
• We are not seeking abstract mood pieces, vignettes, and highly experimental approaches to literature are discouraged. We are not accepting poems.
• We are not seeking: Stories with an overly humorous tone; Retro sci-fi/steampunk; Trunk stories; Stories hastily retrofitted with superficial futuristic references. Stories must not include actual individuals or living public figures.
• We are not seeking stories that primarily deal with the emotions of sadness or loss.
• We are not seeking stories featuring exaggerated dialects, colloquialisms or excessive references to pop culture or current fads are discouraged.
• We are not seeking post-apocalyptic or zombie stories.
• Epistolary fiction will not be accepted (stories told in the form of a journal, letters, etc).
Document Requirements:
Submissions must be in an editable format sent via the publisher’s submission portal. No PDFs or scanned documents sent as image files will be accepted. Preference is for title, author name, email address and word count information to be placed at the beginning of the document.
Please Note: Do not utilize underlining in place of italics. Do not insert extra lines between paragraphs. Utilize a single space only between sentences. Do not insert tab indents at the beginning of paragraphs.
Submission window: January 4, 2020 until midnight EST November 15, 2020.
Notifications of acceptance / rejection will be sent no later than November 30, 2020, with publication target of 2021. We will do our best to send out acceptances / rejections as promptly as possible so that you may have the chance to submit the work elsewhere if it does not meet our needs.
PLEASE NOTE THAT SUBMISSION DOES NOT GUARANTEE ACCEPTANCE.
Pay Rate: $.03 per word.
Payment will be capped at $150 USD for accepted submissions (we prefer stories between 2,500-4,500 words; longer stories may be submitted, but will only be paid at the cap rate. 7,500 is a firm maximum word count. You are welcome to submit stories with a word count of less than 2,500 words, but they are not likely to be accepted).
Two (2) free contributor copies (paperback) will be provided upon publication, with contributors having the option to buy additional quantities at cost post-publication. Payment on publication.
Anthology target length: Approximately 250-300 pages.
PLEASE READ AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE FOLLOWING:
Submitting work through this portal constitutes your formal agreement to the following terms:
No multiple or simultaneous submissions. Stories may not be withdrawn from consideration prior to review by Corpus Press without the express written consent of the editors. Corpus Press reserves first right to publication of all submissions.
Deadline: February 29th, 2020
Payment: Contributors Copy
Theme: A Collection of Time Traveling Tales
A Collection of Time Traveling Tales
Zimbell House is holding open submissions for short time-traveling tales.
Let your imagination roam and put our readers in the middle of the action. We want complete stories from the POV of the time-traveler.
Background: Begin your story at the ‘assignment of correction.’ This is the meeting of the League of Guardians where the council assigns a traveler to a particular time in history to correct an imbalance. It is up to you to pick the time in history, what the ‘imbalance’ is and how it will be corrected. Will your traveler be successful? Will he/she have help from other travelers? What happens if the traveler decides not to follow through? Give our readers a well-plotted tale that draws them in and leaves them wanting more.
Please keep foul language to a minimum-it loses its punch if over-used.
Dialogue needs to be believable, and please keep dialects/slang to a bare minimum if you must use them.
No head-hopping or POV changes. Pick one point of view and stick with it.
Please show more of the action than just telling the reader what happens.
Submissions of both short stories and novellas to this anthology are welcome, please keep in mind the minimum word count is 4,500 and the maximum word count is 20,000.
This anthology is a great opportunity to showcase emerging writers and allow them to build their professional platforms.
Submission Deadline: February 29, 2020, with a targeted release date of late April 2020.
Submit your best work. Poorly formatted and unedited work will be turned down. Please use Americanized English spellings. We will be doing light editing as necessary to fit the standards we strive to maintain.
Submission Guidelines:
Any work under 4,500 words will be automatically disqualified for this anthology.
The work must not have appeared in print or online anywhere before.
All submissions must be in English.
Each author may submit up to three (3) unique works—please submit them separately.
Work must be in Microsoft Word or RTF, double-spaced, 12-point font-no headers/footers.
All contributing authors will receive a free copy of the book in softcover. Authors that are chosen for the anthology will not be paid nor receive royalties for their submission. This is an opportunity to build your platform.
Deadline: February 1st, 2020
Payment: Contributor’s Copy
Theme: What happens when we transform the much beloved style and stories and characters of Dr. Seuss into something much more nefarious?
Thurston Howl Publications is now accepting submissions for its horror parody anthology The Grinch Has Eyes.
Deadline: February 1, 2020
Word count: 100-8,000; a little above and a little below will be acceptable
Everyone knows Dr. Seuss. He is famous for works like Fox in Socks, Cat in the Hat, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and many, many more. But what happens when we transform the much beloved style and stories and characters of Dr. Seuss into something much more nefarious? This horror anthology seeks to celebrate horror in a tongue-in-cheek way that is all too…grinchly.
I am anticipating three possible ways to read this prompt (but I am open to others):
Telling a unique horror story as if you were Dr. Seuss
Turning a Dr. Seuss story into a prose horror story
Throwing Dr. Seuss characters into a horrific world outside Dr. Seuss’ universe
All of these are fine and valid! I encourage all kinds of horror: sci fi horror, slashers, erotic horror, creature horror, body horror, etc.
We will NOT accept:
Racism, sexism, or discrimination presented in a positive light.
Pedophilia or sex with characters under the age of 18 presented in a positive light.
Rape, torture, dubious consent, forced seduction presented in a positive light.
Snuff or Necrophilia presented in a positive light
Bestiality presented in a positive light
If you are in doubt, ASK. Better to ask then to get a straight up rejection! If you are unsure, just shoot me an email at [email protected](restrictions borrowed from Voice: https://t.co/MWykJ6RY36)
You can submit up to three stories, but we will only accept one per author (if any).
Reprints are fine, but you have to own full permission of the work in order for us to consider it.
Deadline: February 1st, 2020
Payment: $0.03 per word (USD) + contributor copy
Theme: Stories that acknowledge humans as part of a larger ecosystem, for characters who strive for balance with (rather than dominance over) the creatures surrounding them, for settings that depict an optimistic balance of nature and technology.
MULTISPECIES CITIES A science fiction anthology in partnership with the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature in Kyoto, Japan Open for Submissions: January 1 – February 1, 2020 Story Length: 500 to 5,000 words Payment: $0.03 per word (USD) + contributor copy
In order to attain better futures, we first must imagine them. But at this crucial tipping point for our planet, it’s important to imagine futures that include the many other species we share our world with. Cities tend to be anthropocentric—designed for the comfort and convenience of humans, often with little regard for the plants, animals, and insects local to that area. Science fiction tends toward anthropocentric as well, concerned with either the great achievements or failures of humankind. For this anthology, we want to see more-than-human stories that investigate humanity’s relationship with the rest of the natural world. We’re looking for stories that acknowledge humans as part of a larger ecosystem, for characters who strive for balance with (rather than dominance over) the creatures surrounding them, for settings that depict an optimistic balance of nature and technology.
Authors may wish to envision futuristic cities where people and wildlife can thrive together, or urban landscapes re-designed to heal past ecological destruction. Characters might need to make tough decisions to maintain the multispecies ecosystem of a city, struggle to negotiate coexistence between human and non-human residents, or fight back against a project that would threaten the balance of that ecosystem. Stories could focus on conservation efforts for currently living species, or explore de-extinction processes for species lost due to human impact. Or perhaps an encounter with an extraterrestrial species could serve as a metaphor for how humans interact with the non-human species of Earth.
Because this project is inspired by the solarpunk movement, we prefer stories to end on a positive or hopeful note. We want narratives that engage with fundamental political ideas and problems, such as non-human citizenship and ecological justice. Far-fetched situations are acceptable as long as they’re based in some realistic biology and/or climate science. We encourage authors to set their stories in the Asia-Pacific region, or at least include some thematic tie to that part of the world.
Submissions must be in English; translations are welcome, provided the original author has given permission.
Deadline: January 31st, 2020
Payment: $25 and a contributors copy
Theme: Fiction set before 1996, rooted in history and voice-driven
Timeworn Literary Journal welcomes unpublished historical fiction submissions in English under 5,000 words. They should be set before 1996, rooted in history and voice-driven.
We’re looking for “Historical Fiction from the fringe.” Work with a bend toward the surreal, the dream-like, the strange. The offbeat kind of story that settles into your heart long after reading. That said, we also value beauty and warmth and a generally well-written story with soul. Romance, Mystery, Crime and the Gothic are all acceptable. Speculative elements strongly encouraged.
Think, The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’Neill.
Think, The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt.
Think, Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood.
Think, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
While we love a tasteful sex scene, no erotica. No gratuitous violence or rape.
History can vary a great deal based on the perspective it’s written from. We aim to publish stories from all walks of life and encourage submissions from those in marginalized groups.
PLEASE NOTE we do not accept novel excerpts or poetry. For Book reviews and Essays please see Guidelines.
Guidelines (updated for 1/2020 call)
Story should be between 2,000 and 5,000 words.
Send via e-mail to
Include a short cover letter in the body of the e-mail.
Subject line should read: SUBMISSION: [story title] [word count].
Simultaneous submissions ok, but let us know as soon as the story is accepted elsewhere.
One submission per person per cycle.
Stories will be published in a limited quantity of hand-bound, saddle stitch publications twice a year, available for purchase in October and April for $10. Stories will also be available on our website for all to enjoy.
Payment of $25 will be sent to authors upon acceptance + print contributor copy upon publication.
RIGHTS
Timeworn asks for non-exclusive first serial print rights to publish in print, e-book and online formats. We also ask for archival rights for as long as timewornlit.com is in existence. Once work is published, rights revert back to the author. We do not ask for exclusivity for any length of time.
