Category: Royalties

Timber Ghost Press Is Open For Novella And Novel Submissions

Submission Window: Jun 16-30, 2025. Extended Period for authors who are BIPOC, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other marginalized communities, Jul 1-15
Payment: $50 advance on novellas, $75 advance on novels, 50% net royalties on all eBooks and 30% net royalties on paperback books
Theme: Horror

Novels and Novellas
Submission are Open Jun 16-30, 2025
Extended Period for authors who are BIPOC, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other marginalized communities, Jul 1-15
What We Want

Timber Ghost Press is looking to publish high-quality ​horror fiction to include cosmic horror, weird horror, sci-fi/horror, gothic, and contemporary. We especially love cosmic horror, wilderness horror, stories that fill you with creeping dread.
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Under-Represented UK Horror Authors Check Out The Penguin Michael Joseph Undiscovered Writers’ Prize

Deadline: July 25th, 2025
Prize: A publishing contract with Penguin Michael Joseph, with a £10,000 advance, and representation by Bell Lomax Moreton Agency.
Theme: Horror novels by under-represented UK horror authors

Penguin Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Books, is a leading publisher of commercial fiction and non-fiction.

We are proud to be entering our third year of The Penguin Michael Joseph Undiscovered Writers’ Prize to find new authors from underrepresented backgrounds who we can bring to the widest possible readership.

Last year, we asked for submissions in the romance genre and were thrilled to announce Brandon Purves, whose debut novel Do Not Kiss Nicholas Prince publishes Summer 2026, as our second Penguin Michael Joseph Undiscovered Writers Prize winner.

This year we want something scary! If you’re an aspiring horror author, we want to hear from you. We’re looking for the best horror novels that have a strong hook and even stronger atmosphere.
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Taking Submissions: Short Story Substack June 2025 Window

Submission Window: June 1st – 30th, 2025
Payment: $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue
Theme: Any genre, short story

Mission = Revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful.

Payout = Base Pay of $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check.

Wait, you mean if this substack gets thousands of subscribers, the winner would get thousands of dollars?

Yes! The New Yorker pays roughly $7,500 per story and I sincerely hope to go way past that.

What does the timeline look like?

Submit stories by the end of the month, winner to be announced on the 15th. There is ONE story that wins and receives the full payout.

Where do I send submissions?
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Taking Submissions: Yay! all queer: Free and Queer

Deadline: June 30th, 2025
Payment: Royalties
Theme: Stories where the main character falls in the LGBTQ+ community in any genre

Submission Period: April 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025

Theme: Yay! all queer II – An LGBTQ+ anthology. We’re searching for LGBTQ+ characters who have a central position within the story. This will be a diverse and inclusive anthology.

There are no restrictions on gender or sexuality. Feel free to create an engaging story with your favorite genre or setting. Mystery, romance, fantasy, or sci-fi are all welcome if the story and characters grab the reader’s interest.

Stories that contain infanticide, gratuitous gore, or rape, including dubious consent, will not be considered. Explicit romance will not be appropriate for this anthology, bring it down a notch, and we’ll certainly give it a look.

Submission Period: April 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025

Submissions: No AI, 1 per author; no reprints, no simultaneous submissions;

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Dancing Star Press Is Open to SciFi and Fantasy Novellas

Deadline: June 30th, 2025
Payment: Royalties
Theme: Queerer weirder softer ragier hopier anarchier lovelier transier resistier indigenousier earth-lovingier resiliencier justicier LESS WHITE stories that are science fiction or fantasy

What am I looking for? I want to publish queerer weirder softer ragier hopier anarchier lovelier transier resistier indigenousier earth-lovingier resiliencier justicier LESS WHITE stories. I love both fantasy and science fiction, but tend to be pretty picky about horror.

Please no:

  • Splatterpunk
  • Graphic depictions of rape or sexual assault
  • Needless brutalization of women and children
  • Depictions of brutalization or abuse of people with disabilities
  • Graphic abuse of animals

I am not currently interested in works that are a part of a series, but works that are a part of a shared universe are okay.

I am not looking for young adult, middle grade, or children’s works at this time.

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Taking Submissions: Cthulu: Dreams

Deadline: July 31st, 2025
Payment: Royalties
Theme: Lovecraftian horror

Cthulu: Dreams – our Lovecraftian anthology

Cthulu: Dreams

This is horror.
Express yourself as the theme moves you.
Incorporate the Lovecraftian theme as you will into your horror story. Not all need contain an eldritch horror, remember The Alchemist. Good writing will triumph over concepts tightly aligned to a perception of the theme. We encourage you to weave the theme into an engaging story with well-developed characters and deep emotion.
Stories that contain infanticide, or rape will not be accepted. Consideration might be made for gratuitous gore, if the story calls for it.
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Lefthand Path Press Is Open To Novel Submissions

Payment: $1000.00 to $2000.00 cash Royalty Advances, industry standard or better royalty rates and  a big box-o-books (22 free author copies)
Theme: Strong elements of Horror and/or Dark Fiction as well as strong characters and character driven storylines

Lefthand Path Press is a new horror and dark fiction publisher with big plans. We will be launching our publishing house along with our awesome upcoming website later this year, probably close to Halloween.

While we are gearing up for the launch, we ate still looking for one or two incredible new novels.

 

We are currently open to submissions for NOVELS only.

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Taking Submissions: Search for the Any Key

Submission Window: May 1st – August 29th, 2025
Payment: $15.00 plus equal share of 50% of the anthology’s royalties.
Theme: Action/adventure mixed with any drama, can’t use a physical key, the why of the search should be the most important part

This will be mostly action/adventure, but can be placed in any time period, on other planets or any type of setting. All genres accepted and may contain humor, drama, romance, etc. Diverse characters welcome, human or otherwise.

The catch – no traditional keys accepted. If the characters don’t find the key, that’s okay.

Example – on a certain TV show, characters were searching for forgiveness and the key to enter was tears of regret. Another film had a key as part of a puzzle box which opened several artifacts.

Please think outside the box when writing these stories. The Why of the search is the most important point.

ALL writers are encouraged to submit. Doesn’t matter if you’re a pro with years of credits, a beginner just starting out, or a teenager – please feel free to send the editor a story. In your cover email, please tell the editor a bit about yourself and a quick one-line synopsis of the story. Include genre. If experimental, please explain the type or how so the editor doesn’t edit out the form or reject it out of hand.

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