Deadline: October 1st, 2017
Payment: Contributor’s Copy
Thurston Howl Publications is now accepting submissions for its furry anthology, Furry Frolics (tentative title); Fred Patten, editor.
Deadline: October 1, 2017
Word count: 2,500-8,000; a little above and a little below will be acceptable
Humor has been a rarity in furry fiction. We aim to change that! Furry Frolics will friz your fur and tickle your tail. We want your funniest fiction.
There have been stories with anthro animals mixing with humans in our civilization: what would it REALLY be like for a furry in our world? Having to wear clothing on top of thick fur? The ever-popular “tails and doors don’t mix”? Or having tails and wearing pants at all; or tails and chairs with no tail-holes? Being in a stinky crowd with an animal’s enhanced scent? Or: being the manager of a hotel that caters to all sentient animals, predators and prey, of all sizes? (Think Zootopia.)
Funny-animal stories will be accepted, but try to make it a genuine anthro-animal story, not one that would work just as well if the characters were all humans. Also remember that “funny” is not the same thing as “silly”, although if you can make it both, go ahead. (What is the anthro equivalent of a pie in the face? Remember that most mammals besides humans and horses don’t sweat.)
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 an outright rejection!
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.
We will not accept simultaneous submissions.
Payment: Authors will receive a free copy of the print book.
Send submissions in .doc or .docx format to [email protected] .
We will inform all authors regarding decisions within a week or two after the deadline.
Tentative publication date: January 2018.
Deadline: October 1st, 2017
Payment: $20.00 – $40.00 and a contributor’s copy
Fiction: All stories must end with the last 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).
Also, we understand that writers may add our last line to a story that they are currently working on or have already completed, and that’s cool. But please do not add our last 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 last lines.
All Stories: Writers should include a two- to three-sentence biography of themselves that will appear in the magazine should their story run.
Multiple Submissions: We don’t mind if you want to submit multiple stories for the same issue. However, it is unlikely we will use more than one of your stories in the same issue.
Submissions: We prefer you send manuscripts via e-mail to submission (@) thelastlinejournal (dot) com. We accept stories in MS Word or Word Perfect format (we prefer attachments). Please do not send .pdf versions of your story. Make sure your name and contact information, as well as your bio, are part of the attachment. Stories also can be sent to The Last Line‘s post office box (PO Box 250382, Plano, TX, 75025-0382). No manuscripts will be returned without an accompanying SASE with sufficient return postage. Here is the last line for 2017:
Benjamin was a man of his word. Due date: October 1, 2017
Notification: We don’t make decisions about stories until after each issue closes. We typically send notices out within two to three weeks after the issue’s deadline to everyone who submitted a story. You can also check the home page of the Web site as we will indicate each issue’s production status there.
Payment: We pay on publication: $20.00 – $40.00 for fiction (all U.S. dollars). We also send you a copy of the issue in which your piece appears. You’ll receive your money and issue at the same time.
(Note to our international writers: Postage cost for sending author copies overseas is becoming outrageous, so we are reducing international author payment by the amount it would cost to send one author copy overseas. However, if you would like to receive an electronic version of the issue [PDF] instead of a hard copy, author payment will not be changed.)
Deadline: September 30th, 2017
Payment: $50 and a contributor’s copy
Books & Boos Press is now accepting short story submissions for an upcoming anthology of darkly funny stories, edited by award-winning writer and editor Rob Smales, tentatively titled A Sharp Stick in the Eye (and Other Funny Stories).
What we’re looking for: Original stories that are both entertaining and fall firmly in the horror genre. Think Jeff Strand, Joe Lansdale, Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland. Make us die laughing.
Books & Boos Press is committed to publishing well-written horror. We are less concerned with how well known or established you are, and more concerned with the quality of the writing submitted. Write your story, polish it up, and see if you can make us laugh.
Please note: submissions will be read blind, meaning all author information will be stripped from the story before the editor receives it. To maintain objectivity, we request that when submitting, you refrain from posting your story title on social media.
Submission guidelines:
● Length: 4,000–8,000 words.
● Format: Times New Roman, 12-point font, double line spacing. Use indents, NOT tabs. Only one space after each period. Use italics, not underlines. Please include your name, contact information, and word count at the top of the title page. No headers or footers.
● Submit your manuscript as a .docx, .doc, or .rtf attachment to [email protected] The body of the email should be a brief (one page max) cover letter giving a summary of the story, who you are, and any recent publications. Manuscripts submitted in the body of the email instead of as an attachment will be automatically rejected.
● No simultaneous or multiple submissions allowed. We will reject as we go, so writers will have an opportunity to submit another story if the first one doesn’t pan out.
● No reprints.
Payment: We’re offering a flat fee of $50.00 per story and one contributor copy.
Turnaround Time: If you haven’t received a response from us within ninety days after the submission period closes, please email [email protected]
Payment: Payment in US is $12 on acceptance + 2 contributor’s copies, outside of US is 3-issue subscription plus 2 copies.
I print primarily poetry, but also publish a small amount of short short fiction. The genres of fantasy and SF are preferred. I am interested in experimental formats and content, and prefer fantastic horror a la Lovecraft or Blackwood to the blood and gore type. Any SF or fantasy is appropriate if it isn’t sappy or trite. If your poem rhymes, be sure that the rhymes are not forced, and that the meter is consistent.
The magazine consists of 20 digest-sized pages with card-stock cover. Publication is thrice yearly, issues are numbered sequentially. Issue #1 was published in January of 1986. Print run 200. Most-recent issue is #85. DN is distributed free to interested libraries.
Poetry & Fiction
Maximum length for poetry or fiction is 2 single-spaced typed pages, but I prefer less than one page. I prefer e-submissions in the body of the message. Send up to five manuscripts with SASE from the US. From other countries use an IRC or US stamps. Submissions lacking sufficient return postage or equivalent will be discarded. Cover letter not required. PLEASE put your name and address on each poem you submit!
I print 15-20 poems per issue. Buying 1st N.Am. serial rights unless state otherwise. Payment is $12 on acceptance + 2 contributor’s copies. Contributors outside North America can instead receive a 3-issue subscription plus 2 copies. DN is a tough market because of the high volume of poetry submissions I receive. Fewer than 5% of submissions are accepted. Response time is commonly 4-8 weeks. Sample copy for $5.
Artwork
Artwork should be line drawings; no half-tones. Good photocopies OK, but I prefer to receive JPEG’s as e-mail attachments. Art should be no larger than 4 1/2 by 7 1/2 inches, but I can reduce it. Payment $12 on acceptance plus 2 copies. I always need covers, and small filler illustrations. Filler illos that are the right size and shape to fill up the bottom of a page are particularly useful. Payment for covers includes an extra copy of the issue.
Payment: ¼¢ per word ($5 minimum) and a contributor’s copy. For poems, $5 and a contributor’s copy
Not One of Us is about people (or things) out of place in their surroundings, outsiders, social misfits, aliens in the SF sense—anyone excluded from society for whatever the reason. We’d like Not One of Us to consider the problem of “otherness” from every possible fictional angle: horror, SF, fantasy, noir, slipstream, Western, mainstream, whatever.
The editorial philosophy of the magazine reflects my own personal taste in genre fiction. To me the scariest and most deeply moving horror stories are not about monsters or about good vs. evil, but rather about the reader’s own fears and discomforts. Similarly, for Not One of Us, fantasy isn’t about pseudo-medieval worlds, science fiction isn’t about space opera or funny-sounding names, Westerns are not about gunfights. In our magazine, it’s all about the characters.
We crave characters (human or otherwise) who are different and who act the way they do out of plausible (if occasionally insane) motives. All the wondrous settings and complex plots in the world will fail to convince me if at the center of the tale there isn’t a protagonist with whom I can somehow empathize. I don’t have to like that character: heaven knows we’ve had some pretty nasty protagonists, and empathy is not the same as excuse-making. But I want to get some insight into the character, and vicariously into myself. Also, I like stories, and characters, with edge.
Themes to avoid: vampires, alcoholic villains without any understanding of their motives, tales about writers, sword and sorcery, deals with the devil, and revenge stories that have no other point, especially if the punishment far exceeds the crime.
Because we’re a digest-sized (5.5 x 8.5 inch, 52-page) publication, we prefer stories of 6000 words or less. While we’re willing to read stories up to 7500 words long, they are a harder sell because of the size limitation of our format. We prefer poems of 40 lines or less, although we’re willing to read longer poems. Just not ones of epic length.
We assume first serial rights, with rights reverting to the author/poet upon publication. Payment is ¼¢ per word ($5 minimum), payable upon publication, plus one contributor’s copy for stories; $5 plus one copy for poems.
Artwork takes the form of story illustrations plus theme-related front and back covers. Typical payment ranges from $8 to $15. Query with samples.
Send electronic submissions from the contact page. We prefer Word or RTF attachments (do not send submissions in PDF), but it’s OK to embed submissions. All hardcopy correspondence should be accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. Please send only one story or up to three poems at a time.
John Benson, Editor
12 Curtis Road
Natick, MA 01760
Deadline: April 30th, 2017
Payment: 10 cents per word and a contributor’s copy
Please read the guidelines carefully before submitting your story!
Unidentified Funny Objects is an annual anthology of humorous SF/F. Past headliners include George R. R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, Esther Friesner, David Gerrold, Laura Resnick, Mike Resnick, Piers Anthony, Kevin J. Anderson, etc.
For UFO6 we’re seeking all style and sub-genres of speculative humor.
SUBMISSION WINDOW: April 1 – April 30, 2017
LENGTH: 500-5000 words.
PAYMENT: $0.10 per word + contributor copy. Payment will be made upon acceptance. Our preferred method of payment is via PayPal, but you may request
a check.
FORMAT: RTF or DOC. Standard Manuscript Format or something close to it (We won’t take points off if you prefer Courier over Times New Roman or some such).
Limit of 1 submission per author — even if you receive a response before the submission window closes please do not send another story unless directly invited to do so.
Please do not respond to rejections. The email address associated with submissions is not monitored. If you wish to query for any reason, please use the contact form or e-mail us: ufopublishing at gmail dot com.
RIGHTS SOUGHT: First Worldwide print and electronic English Language rights. Exclusivity for 90 days from date of release. Non-exclusive print, e-book, and audio rights afterward. Preview sample contract.
POLICIES & RESPONSE TIME: No reprints, multiple or simultaneous submissions please. Do not send any stories we already considered for a previous UFO volume or any other anthology edited by Alex Shvartsman. You may query after 30 days. Please send only one submission per author unless directly invited to send more.
WHAT WE WANT:
We’re looking for speculative stories with a strong humor element. Think Resnick and Sheckley, Fredric Brown and Douglas Adams. We welcome quality flash fiction and non-traditional narratives. Take chances, try something new, just make sure that your story is funny.
Puns and stories that are little more than vehicles for delivering a punch line at the end aren’t likely to win us over. The best way to learn what we like in general is to read a previous volume. You can buy it here and also read the online stories for free.
WHAT WE DON’T WANT
These are the tropes we see entirely too much of in the slush pile. You will improve your odds if you steer clear of these:
* Zombies
* Vampires
* Deals with the Devil / Djinn in a bottle variants
* Stereotypical aliens probing people, abducting cattle, and doing other stereotypical alien things.
I have two 6100-word horror stories that were previously printed and are now on submission at several magazines. Can I send them to you, simultaneously?
Please don’t. We have carefully considered what we’re looking for and expressed it above. If you strongly feel the need to break one of the guidelines, query first and provide a good reason.
My story was previously published in an obscure college anthology in 1996, which sold 16 copies. Can I submit it?
Sorry, but we won’t consider previously published stories, no matter how obscure. Stories posted on your personal blog, Facebook page, or Patreon page are considered published.
I may have accidentally begun my manuscript three double spaces below the byline instead of two. Am I getting auto-rejected?
Don’t sweat the small stuff. We’ll reformat your submission to fit our needs. You’re even welcome to send your story handwritten in pink crayon on glitter-sprinkled construction paper, but we will take that into consideration when deciding whether to purchase it, and whether to file for a restraining order.
I plan on winning multiple awards for my UFO story. Will your exclusivity rights prevent me from being included in the Nebula Showcase?
Congratulations on all your future success. We will gladly make exceptions for “Best Of” anthologies.
An anthology of humor SF/F is the greatest idea since sliced bread. What can I do to help?
Spread the word. Support our Kickstarter campaign. Pick up copies of previous UFO volumes. If you want to invite our authors/editors to a con you’re organizing, sell paperback copies of UFO at your store, bake us cookies, or help in any other way, we’d love to hear from you.
