Category: Pay

Flat Amount / Novel / Ongoing Submissions / Royalties

 by 

Cemetery Gates Media Is Open For Debut Horror Novel Series

Payment: Paying $500 signing bonus + $500 advance upon publication, and a 60% (author) royalty share on physical and electronic editions of the book.
Theme: Horror

We’re looking for submissions for 40k+ word manuscripts from authors who’ve never published a novel. Paying $500 signing bonus + $500 advance upon publication, and a 60% (author) royalty share on physical and electronic editions of the book.

You’re welcome to submit (1) complete, original, and unpublished 40k+ word manuscript to [email protected] if you have at least (2) paid horror writing credits and have never published a novel. If you have novellas and short story collections in print, you’re still eligible.

(more…)

Events / Flash / Flat Amount / Magazine / Non-fiction / Poetry

 by 

Taking Submissions: Taco Bell Quarterly Volume 7

Deadline: July 31st, 2023
Payment: $100
Theme: Fiction or poetry that mix art and Taco Bell

Taco Bell Quarterly is a literary magazine that explores the intersection of Art and Taco Bell. Our only guideline is that it must contain a Taco Bell reference. We publish art that explores, provokes, and tests the conventions of creative writing as it relates to Taco Bell. Whether or not you believe any of this is up to you, the creative writer.

We are looking for short stories, non-fiction, prose, essays, poetry, art, comics, flash, films, undefinable auras, experiments, and completely ordinary shit that will peak in the seventh issue of a literary magazine in a corner of the internet. You are, were, and always will be a Literary Writer.

We are looking for innovative ways to lower the bar. We are looking for ways to degrade ourselves with flair. We are looking for universes that could be extremely traumatizing if the writers weren’t cowards. We are looking for ways to address the nightmares more directly.

We are drawn to writing that is urgent. We are drawn to screams and fever dreams. We want to publish: the stuff that no one else gets, the stuff that speaks to the moment, the stuff that speaks to nothing at all, the stuff that is grilled and nacho stuft. Have fun. Make stuff.  Screw your Koch Perception Boxes. Send us your panorama shoeboxes. Run for the border so that we can dismantle the borders altogether.

We want to hear from everyone, especially queer writers, trans writers, writers of color, neurodiverse writers, disabled writers, non-literary writers, genre writers, not-even-writers and total outsiders. Simultaneously subbed? Previously pubbed? We have no rules. Shoehorn a bean burrito in it and send it. Taco Bell Quarterly loves you.

We pay $100.

(more…)

Anthology / Events / Flat Amount / Token Payment

 by 

Taking Submissions: Ho Ho Ho

Deadline: September 29th, 2023
Payment: $1 per drabble, up to 10 drabbles.
Theme: 100-word Christmas horror stories with exactly a 2 word title.

BLACK HARE PRESS is—and has always been—an inclusive publisher. LGBTQ+ characters always welcome.

All our calls are for dark speculative fiction or weird/horror.

No co-authored projects, please, unless the call specifically says they are allowed.

(more…)

Anthology / Events / Royalties

 by 

Taking Submissions: It Came from the Trailer Park: Volume 3

Deadline: July 1st, 2023
Payment: Royalties
Theme: Original creature-feature, horror-comedy with the same feel as The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, Shaun of the Dead, or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.

After the success of the first two Trailer Park anthologies, we’ve decided to bring it back yet again for another go as our annual Halloween release.

Stories should be original creature-feature, horror-comedy with the same feel as The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, Shaun of the Dead, or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. And of course, our heroes winning the day in all of their redneck glory. Plus as an added challenge, volume 3 will have a Rockabilly/Psychobilly/Horror Punk Flair to it. Not sure what that is? Think the band the Misfits, Elvis Presley, Stray Cats, The Reverend Horton Heat. Open up that can of worms and you’ll be heading down a rabbit hole you may not return from.

  • Genre: Horror Comedy / Creature Feature
  • Word Count: 7,000 – 10,000
  • Opening by: TBD
  • Edited by: Philip K. Booker / William Joseph Roberts
  • Anchor Author: TBD
  • Due Date: July 1, 2023

Email submissions to: threeravenspublishing @ gmail dot com with “Trailer Park” in the subject line

Payment: Stories selected for publication in the upcoming Anthology(ies), will receive a percentage of sales divided equally between the contributing authors.

(more…)

Anthology / Events / Flat Amount / Royalties

 by 

Taking Submissions: Space Brides, LLC

Deadline: June 30th, 2023
Payment: $15 and equal share of 50% royalties split between authors
Theme: Romantic Science Fiction that deals with… Space Brides, full details found below

Tired of those lonely dark nights? No one in your settlement suitable?

​

We are here to help! We will assist you in finding the bride or husband to keep you company, raise your children, and be your partner building a dream together.

​

Contact us directly and give us your specifications. Success guaranteed.

​

Looking to settle off world? We have husbands and wives searching for you. Have children who need a second parent? They’re more than welcome.

​

Any children must be declared before the contract is signed and approved by the potential spouse/partner. This includes those seeking our services off world or anyone traveling. Failure to do so will require the child’s travel to be paid for by the party who did not declare the minor before being allowed to meet the contractor. If either party does not approve the child, then another candidate will be sought up to three times.

​

Onsite ministers at no charge available for immediate marriage or up to six months after your future spouse’s arrival. After that there will be an extra fee for our services, or you may hold a private ceremony with the official of your choice. Copy of marriage agreement/document required to be sent directly to us. This is to advertise our success rate and encourage others to use our services.

If the imported spouse is not suitable after a two-week trial period, it is the contractor’s responsibility to find another potential candidate and annul the marriage, if there has been one. There will be no refund of the charged fee if this occurs.

​

Spouses sought for all legal adults and in all age brackets.

​

Our offices are available on Earth, Mars, the Asteroids, Titan, Io, and Triton.

Helpful staff will guide you through the steps and make certain all legalities conform to local ordinances.

​

Contact or walk into any of our offices 24/7. We are here to help you find that special someone and start a new future!

​

Other conditions apply. Please ask for more information before contract is drawn up and signed.

​

Contract signature required and once signed can’t be withdrawn.

(more…)

Audio / Events / Flat Amount / Pro / Reprints Allowed

 by 

Taking Submissions: The Cast of Wonders: Banned Books Week (Early)

Submission Window: June 1st – 14th, 2023
Payment: 8 cents/word for originals, $100/short story or $20/flash piece for reprints
Theme: Guiding Sparks Between the Words: How Stories Illuminate the World Around Us

Every year in September, Cast of Wonders celebrates Banned Books Week, an annual international event celebrating the freedom to read and raising awareness of the immense social value of free and open access to information.

Joining the editorial team for this year’s call is Cast of Wonders Associate Editor, Simon Pan. Thank you, Simon, for the wonderful theme this year!

Guiding Sparks Between the Words: How Stories Illuminate the World Around Us

In times of conflict, division and change, it is more important than ever to build bridges of understanding.  We most commonly encounter the stories of others through news articles or in classrooms, kept at a scholarly or journalistic distance and often biased to favour privileged perspectives. Our own truths may also remain unvoiced and unknown, misunderstood even by those around us.

When it comes to illuminating these truths, stories have a key part to play: they help us to learn and appreciate things from perspectives we might never otherwise consider, and allow us to reshape our own experiences within the transformative lens of fiction. When we share our stories, we guide sparks of kinship and understanding, using narrative and emotion to help others experience a small window into another’s reality.

For Banned Books Week 2023, we want to see stories of discovery, of learning, of misconceptions unraveled, and how stories can serve as a guiding light to help us understand a new perspective, or to teach us valuable lessons when all other methods fail us. What that something is…well, that is up to you!

At Cast of Wonders, we welcome stories that portray the full spectrum of human experience. We don’t challenge stories; we want stories to challenge us! Cast of Wonders looks for stories that evoke a sense of wonder, have deep emotional resonance, and have something unreal about them. We aim for a 12-17 age range: that means sophisticated, non-condescending stories with wide appeal, and without gratuitous or explicit sex, violence, or pervasive obscene language.

Preference for this submission window is under 5,000 words with an absolute limit of 6,000 words. Flash submissions under 1.5k are also very welcome!

Submissions must adhere to Cast of Wonders guidelines.  Submissions will be accepted from June 1 to June 14 through our Moksha Portal – we can’t wait to read what you send in!

(more…)

Contest / Events / Semipro

 by 

Contest: Shallow Waters’ May Flash Fiction Window

Deadline: May 31st, 2023
Payment: 3 cents per word for the winner, 2 cents per word for second place, and 1 cent per word for third place
Theme: Red

The theme for next month’s flash contest is…

“RED! The colour of blood, and love, and danger. Flashing lights, glowing eyes, cooking flesh; the blinding hue of rage, the windswept locks of a Celtic warrior princess. Give us something red – serve us something raw and dripping, a fresh cut that only you can deliver.” This theme is courtesy of last month’s winner, Matthew R. Davis, who will also read all the submissions and pick the finalists.

(more…)

Anthology / Contest / Events / Flat Amount / Token Payment

 by 

Contest: The Drabble Harvest Contest

Deadline: June 30th, 2023
Prizes: $5 for first place, $2 for second place, all others accepted are $1 per drabble
Theme: A drabble with the idea of: Space Station Duty-Free

A “drabble” is defined as a short story containing exactly precisely no more and no fewer than 100 words. It has a title, which can be from 1 to 15 words– but no more than 15. That’s a drabble.

You have to count each word. Hyphenated words, such as tete-a-tete, count as one word. Don’t use your word count tool to count the words, because that tool will count an ellipsis ( . . . ) as three words, which really should not be counted at all. It will also count dashes ( – ) as words, which is wrong. So count each word by sight, not by tool.


Our drabble contests have themes. For each contest, we will simply throw the theme out there. Whatever the theme inspires you to write, that’s what you write.


The theme of this contest is:

Space Station Duty-Free

This should be self-explanatory. What would people/aliens try to smuggle in? Or out?

​ (more…)