by Stuart Conover | Jan 24, 2020 | Anthology, Contributor's Copy, Events, Semipro
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.
Via: Corpus Press.
by Stuart Conover | Jan 23, 2020 | Anthology, Events, Semipro
Deadline: August 1st, 2020
Payment: 5 cents per word
Theme: Your personal local lore/oddities
We’re currently looking for previously unpublished horror stories, 3-6k words, for a themed anthology to be released in September 2020.
The theme is: your personal local lore/oddities. Write something dark into a setting you’ve experienced — it could be a place you’ve lived, or even just somewhere you’ve visited on a vacation. Is there a landmark in your town or city that you can write a nightmare scenario into? Have you ever legend tripped somewhere and thought, well, that cave/mausoleum/torture tree was neat, but I wish there was more to the story?
If so, you’re welcome to send us (1) submission at [email protected] in DOC or RTF form. Deadline August 1, 2020.
Paying .05/word per accepted submission for First Rights Publishing, asking that you don’t republish your story until August 1, 2021.
In our fifth year of publishing we’re looking to expand our reach into 21st Century folklore, urban legends, and the space between creepypasta and literary horror. For examples of what we’re looking for, see Other Voices, Other Tombs; At the Cemetery Gates: Year One and Volume 2; or Corpse Cold: New American Folklore
-Joe Sullivan, Editor
Via: Cemetery Gates.
by Stuart Conover | Jan 21, 2020 | Anthology, Events, Reprints Allowed, Semipro
Deadline: February 28th, 2020
Payment: $.01/word
Theme: We publish an annual anthology of the best vegan science fiction and fantasy of the year. We are open for submissions in the winter of every year.
Note: Reprints Only!
We publish an annual anthology of the best vegan science fiction and fantasy of the year. We are open for submissions in the winter of every year.
What ‘vegan’ means here:
Formal requirements:
- Vegan – Stories must be entirely vegan, and they must have been vegan when originally published.
- Reprints – We’re only looking for stories that were published in the previous year.
- Length – 1,000 – 8,000 words
- Venue – We’re restricting eligibility to stories originally published in venues that paid $.01/word or more.
- Original form – The stories must be presented as originally published, except for correction of typographic errors and similar minor corrections. Again, we don’t want stories that have been ‘veganized’ for this anthology.
- Simultaneous: Yes. Simultaneous submissions are fine. We’re buying non-exclusive rights. Sell your story as often as you can.
- Multiple: You may submit a total of two stories. Choose your best.
Follow the industry standard format defined by William Shunn. He has templates available, or you can use ours. We prefer a proportional, serif font like Cambria or Caladea. Use italics for emphasis, not underlining. Use smart/curly quotes. Use em dashes, not double hyphens.
Your story should be in one of the following file formats: ODT, DOC, DOCX. If you’re submitting an ODT, please add a few blank lines at the bottom. Otherwise Submittable’s presentation manager will cut off the last line of your story.
Pay
- We pay $.01/word for non-exclusive electronic and print rights.
- Payment is by PayPal only.
Timing
Submissions are open until 28 February. You’re free to submit your story any time after it’s published. However, note that we won’t be making any final decisions until spring.
Open from 1 December until 28 February
Via: Metaphorosis Books.
by Stuart Conover | Jan 16, 2020 | Events, Magazine, Novella, Pro, Reprints Allowed, Semipro
Deadline: March 31st, 2020
Payment: $.08 per word for the first 7,499 words, with payment capped at $599.92 for stories longer than 7,499 words. For re-printed stories that are not currently available elsewhere on the internet for free, we pay $.02 per word for the first 10,000 words, with payment capped at $200 for stories longer than 10,000 words
Theme: Slean fantasy and sci-fi stories.
Note: Reprints Welcome
Thank you for your interest in submitting to Deep Magic. What you first need to understand is that we aim to be the dominant magazine for clean fantasy and sci-fi stories. It’s our tag-line. If you can tell a gripping story that doesn’t rely on sex, swearing, and graphic violence—you’ve come to the right place. If not, there are plenty of other magazines and venues out there. Move along. Move along (Jedi hand wave). Please consider reading Deep Magic to get an idea of the type of stories we publish. You can read our inaugural issue for only $.99. We are keeping the June 2016 issue at this special price so authors can check out our style without breaking the bank.
Deep Magic is a quarterly electronic magazine that publishes clean short fiction in the fantasy and science fiction genres. Our issues are also filled with author interviews, art features, book reviews and tips for writers. Most of our non-fiction pieces are invitation only to industry professionals and Deep Magic staff, but if you have a fantastic piece, please send it our way. Not all the authors we feature write exclusively clean fiction. We don’t judge. But everything you find inside Deep Magic will be.
– The Deep Magic Team
It may be helpful to read the following articles before submitting to help you understand what types of stories we’re looking for:
*An interview with Brendon Taylor, Deep Magic Board Member, on what we look for in a short story
*Three mistakes to avoid when writing a short story
“Without publications like Deep Magic, there would be no venues for such stories, and the world would be a more barren place.” –T.E. Bradford
We currently pay for short fiction work only and do so at the following rates:
Payment Terms
For first world-wide rights, we pay $.08 per word for the first 7,499 words, with payment capped at $599.92 for stories longer than 7,499 words. For re-printed stories that are not currently available elsewhere on the internet for free, we pay $.02 per word for the first 10,000 words, with payment capped at $200 for stories longer than 10,000 words. We use Paypal for our authors.
Additional Guidelines
Word Count Limits: 1,000 to 40,000; but note that we cap payment at 7,499 for new fiction and at 10,000 words for reprints. Format: We accept submissions in standard manuscript format, saved as .docx, .doc, or .rtf files. Information to Include: At the top of your submission, state your name (and pseudonym if you wish to be published under one), email address, mailing address, the story title, and word count. Response Time: We strive to respond to submissions within ten to twelve weeks, but our times may fluctuate. Please do not inquire within the first six months. Multiple and Simultaneous Submissions: No and No. Please only submit one story to us at a time; and we do not accept simultaneous submissions. We Do Not Publish the Following
- Stories with graphic violence
- Stories with mature sexual themes
- Stories with profanity or vulgarity. We want a broad, family-friendly audience; think original Lord of the Rings trilogy or Star Wars.
- Stories featuring or glorifying illegal drug use
- Stories with graphic child abuse or glorifying child abuse in any way
- Stories not within the Fantasy and Science Fiction Genres. It’s got to have some magic or cool technology in it!
- Poorly written stories
Via: Deep Magic.
by Stuart Conover | Jan 10, 2020 | Anthology, Events, Flat Amount, Semipro
Deadline: April 30th, 2020
Payment: 2¢ per word for original stories ($15 flat rate for reprints)
Theme: Twenty Thousand Leagues Remembered will contain short stories that pay tribute in some way to Jules Verne’s novel.
Note; Reprints Welcome
Pole to Pole Publishing is seeking fictional short stories for its upcoming anthology, Twenty Thousand Leagues Remembered, to be published in June 2020, on the sesquicentennial of Jules Verne’s work.
Since June 20, 1870, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea has been hailed as a classic, translated and reprinted in numerous book versions, transcribed for stage, movies, and TV miniseries, made into video games and a theme park ride. The book has inspired countless submariners, undersea explorers, and ship designers, not to mention armchair adventurers. We can’t let this anniversary pass unnoticed, so will launch this anthology as our tribute to the Father of Science Fiction and his masterwork. Pole to Pole Publishing welcomes Steven R. Southard as a co-editor of this anthology.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Remembered will contain short stories that pay tribute in some way to Jules Verne’s novel. Set your story in any time or place; use characters from Verne’s novel or make up your own. You need not write in Verne’s style. The mood of your story need not be dark, as other Pole to Pole Publishing anthologies have been. Aim to capture, in your own way, the sense of wonder and adventure for which Jules Verne is famous. The connection between your story and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea must be obvious and significant, and your story must not disparage either the novel or its author.
Stories should be 3,000-5,000 words (firm).
Hard Sells:
- Profane and vulgar language. Because we market to both adult and YA readers, if you use an F-Bomb, and we accept your story, we’ll probably ask you to change it.
- First person and Present Tense. We’ve published both: when the stories were very, very good. We want to let you know up front that we’re going to reject this most of the time. It’s just not our preference.
- Excessive Gore and/or violence. Blood and guts are fine—as long as they’re part of the story and not the story itself.
- Sex. See above about marketing to a wider audience.
Edition and Rights:
- Twenty Thousand Leagues Remembered will be published in electronic and trade paperback in English. We are asking for exclusive, worldwide rights to your work for both electronic and print for six months only, and a non-exclusive right to keep your story in the anthology after that.
- Payment: Payment is 2¢ per word for original stories ($15 flat rate for reprints), paid at publication, via PayPal only. (Paypal fees will apply.)
- If you do not have a PayPal account, please do not submit your work.
- Authors will also receive one copy of both the electronic and paperback versions of the anthology. (Authors can buy additional books at a discount.)
What We Don’t Want:
- No rape, torture, etc. of children. No animal abuse. No stories with characters from a copyrighted world that belongs to someone else. (Note: both Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island are in the public domain.) No Poetry. Only one story from each author will be considered.
Formatting:
- No tabs. Please format the document with a first line indent.
- Curly quotes, please—no straight quotes.
- Please, no headers or footers. Use italics, not underlines. No boldface. Use Times New Roman font.
If you’re not sure if your story is suitable, don’t query; just go ahead and submit, and let our editors decide. (Word count is firm, however.) If your story is a reprint, please give us details of its publication history.
Opens: January 10, 2020
Deadline: April 30, 2020, or until filled. Be aware that all of our anthologies have filled before the deadline, so don’t wait until the last minute to submit.
Via: Pole to Pole Publishing.
by Stuart Conover | Jan 9, 2020 | Events, Magazine, Semipro
Deadline: April 1st, 2020
Payment: One cent U.S. per word ($2 minimum)
Theme: You really NEED to read the description below.
The Cafe Irreal is a quarterly webzine that presents a kind of fantastic fiction infrequently published in English. This fiction, which we would describe as irreal, resembles the work of writers such as Franz Kafka, Kobo Abe, Clarice Lispector and Jorge Luis Borges. As a type of fiction it rejects the tendency to portray people and places realistically and the need for a full resolution to the story; instead, it shows us a reality constantly being undermined. Therefore, we’re interested in stories by writers who write about what they don’t know, take us places we couldn’t possibly go, and don’t try to make us care about the characters. We would also suggest you take a look at the current issue, archives, and theory (especially the essay, “What is irrealism?”) pages on this web site.
We accept unsolicited fiction up to 2,000 words in length. Translations are welcome. There is no minimum length. We accept only electronic submissions via e-mail at [email protected] We cannot, due to the various computer viruses and worms, accept attachments anymore, so please paste your story into the body of the e-mail. Also include your name, address, e-mail address, and a short bio in the text of the submission; please put the word “submission” in the subject heading of the e-mail to ensure that your submission doesn’t get lost among all the spam. We pay an honorarium of one cent U.S. per word ($2 minimum) to buy first-time internet rights (the story will then be archived). Payment is made upon publication. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DON’T ACCEPT SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS and are only interested in reprints in unusual cases (e.g., the story has appeared in print but not on the internet). Therefore, if the story or translation has been published before, please specify where and when. Regarding submission of more than one story at a time, we will consider up to 2,000 words submitted by a single author at a given time, either one story or a number of short shorts. Please note, however, that if you submit several short shorts, they must be enclosed within a single e-mail. We do not publish the same author in consecutive issues, except when we have specifically solicited the material. We accept submissions year-round and usually respond in two months, though it can take as long as four months.
The Cafe Irreal is a quarterly publication, publishing on February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1 of each year. The deadline for submissions for each issue will be one month before the date of publication. The deadline for the next issue (Winter 2020) will be January 1, 2020.
Via: The Cafe Irreal.
