The Horror Tree

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Category: Semipro

Semi-Pro Rates

Contributor's Copy / Events / Magazine / Semipro

Taking Submissions: Mythic

Deadline: July 31st, 2020
Payment: $0.01 cent a word and a contributors copy
Theme: Diverse sci-fi and fantasy fiction.

MYTHIC is seeking diverse sci-fi and fantasy fiction. We want original short stories that have never been published. Authors are encouraged to submit their stories during the specific reading periods listed below.

Reading Periods

June 1 through July 31
(Reading for Fall and Winter Issues)

December 1 through January 31
(Reading for Spring and Summer Issues)

Guidelines

Please submit in standard manuscript format.

  • Works should be between 2,000-6,000 words. (No wiggle room above or below.)
  • Submit in Standard Manuscript Format
  • We prefer Times New Roman or Courier and 12 point type. Double-spaced pages.
  • Please include your name and contact information at the beginning of the story.
  • Submit in .doc, .docx, .rtf format.
  • Please no simultaneous or multiple submissions.
  • No reprints.

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Anthology / Events / Semipro

Taking Submissions: Motherland

Deadline: August 28th, 2020
Payment: 6¢ a word
Theme: Must be set in Motherland, a landyke community, details below.

During a panel discussing a number of topics, including queering weird fiction, editor and publisher Steve Berman recalled an article in the New York Times: “Why Doesn’t Anyone Want to Live in This Perfect Place?” The notion of a dying lesbian community instantly seemed an ideal setting for weird fiction. And so Lethe Press is accepting submissions for Motherland.

All stories must be set in Motherland, a landyke community founded on the Delmarva Peninsula in 1968 by Ida Marmer and Robinia Atwell. We are currently working on more details about Motherland that authors can include in their story. Please check back to this listing and page.

Stories can be set during any time period, from the founding of Motherland to the current day. All stories must feature lesbian or bisexual protagonists. We recommend authors read the NY Times article and the book Landykes of the South before writing their submission.

Deadline is August 28, 2020.
Stories should be between 2,000 and 10,000 words.
Payment is 6¢ a word, split between a sum upon acceptance (up to $100) with the remainder upon publication.

Email stories as attachments (MS Doc or RTF files only) to [email protected] with the Subject Line: MOTHERLANDSUBMISSION. Include in the body of your email a brief synopsis of the story and a couple lines about yourself.

Via: Lethe Press.

Magazine / Ongoing Submissions / Online / Semipro

Ongoing Submissions: Short Fiction

Payment: 2p (£0.02) per word, to the nearest 100 words, with a minimum of £30 and maximum £100
Theme:

We look forward to reading your work. We publish one story per month as our Featured piece. We will also periodically seek to publish one story in a new section – “Introducing” – which will be a showcase for excellent new writers; that is, writers for whom this is their first published piece. In both cases we are looking for the best, carefully crafted, deeply considered work.

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All submissions are seen by two readers and we aim to respond within two months. There are no submission fees. We offer a paid Critique service (see here), which supports our future existence. We’re also deeply grateful for metaphorical coffees bought at our Ko-Fi page and every small PayPal donation. The Short Fiction team are all volunteers.

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We are open to submissions via Submittable (link below). Please do not email submissions.

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Before you submit, please note the following guidelines:

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1. We accept fiction between 500 and 5,000 words.* We have wide-ranging tastes and have happily published traditional character-driven stories next to non-conformist work of extraordinary innovation. We admire and love poets and memoirists, but can’t accept poetry or life writing. The boundaries can be blurred in hybrid forms and that’s great; if you feel your hybrid piece qualifies as fiction, send it in. We might disagree in the end, but we’ll admire your bravado.

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2. Format: Please use a widely accessible format such as .doc, .docx, .rtf, .pdf or .odt. Use a standard font like Times New Roman or Calibri or Arial, 11/12pt – unless the story itself dictates different formatting. You can include page numbers or not, double-space or not, but please give us reasonable margins. Just make it readable.

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3. Include in your brief Submittable cover letter:

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a) the title of your story and its rough word count;

b) a short bio;

c) [only if the story has been previously published], the name and year of the print publication in which it appeared.

4. No multiple submissions – please only submit one story at a time, and don’t send more until you have a response from us. This should come within two months – after this, do nudge us by emailing [email protected]

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5. Simultaneous submissions (i.e. you’re sending a piece to us while it’s also being considered by other magazines or competitions) are absolutely fine. However, please, please, withdraw your submission via Submittable if your piece is accepted elsewhere. We’ll be really happy for you, and it saves us the pain of reading, discussing, and making space for a story that then turns out to be unavailable.

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6. Work that has been published online, or is available anywhere else digitally, is NOT accepted. Even if there’s a paywall (sorry). We DO consider work that has been previously published in a print medium with fewer than 5,000 subscribers or sales.

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7. Work should be in English (or, at least, a form of that language that’s been deliberately altered for artistic reasons). We can’t accept foreign-language submissions.

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8. The Editors’ decision is final, and we can’t provide feedback (unless you’re using the paid Critique Service).

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9. YES, WE PAY. Payment is 2p (£0.02) per word, to the nearest 100 words, with a minimum of £30 and maximum £100, paid via PayPal. (For those without a PayPal account, we can work out an alternative method of payment.)

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Thank you for showing us your work.
*We intend to open to submissions longer than 5000 words in a special future series. Keep an eye on us for announcements.

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We don’t charge any reading fees, but if you feel moved to support us – perhaps because culture is the one of the cornerstones of human civilisation and it’s horrendously undervalued in the economy – please donate:

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Via: Short Fiction.

Anthology / Contributor's Copy / Events / Semipro

Taking Submissions: Bludgeon Tools, inc.

Deadline: June 1st, 2020
Payment: 3 cents per word and a contributors copy
Theme: Extreme horror which includes tools

Bludgeon Tools, inc. will be expanding their sales and distribution lines. The company will be accepting applications for employment and looking for creative employees with excellent customer service. Open position announcements begin May 1, 2020.

  • 3,000 word max
  • Must have elements of Extreme Horror.
  • This is a “Tool” themed anthology.
  • NO REPRINTS
  • No simultaneous submissions
  • No violence/sex towards children
  • Pay: 3c per word paid through Paypal + (1) print contributor copy
  • 1-year exclusive rights
  • Send as a .DOC or .DOCX attachment to [email protected] with the subject line: TOOLS SUBMISSION: Title by Author Name
  • Do not copy/paste story in body of email.
  • Include a very brief bio just to break the ice.
  • Open Call begins June 1, 2020
  • Do not send any submissions prior to June 1, 2020.

Via: The Evil Cookie.

Anthology / Events / Semipro

Taking Submissions: Going Viral

Deadline: May 5th, 2020
Payment: 2 cents per word
Theme: Black market businesses during a pandemic

The COVID-19 quarantine has us all shut up in our homes. Businesses have ground to a halt, the economy is slowed to a snail’s pace, and nobody is entirely certain how long it is going to last.

In the middle of all of this, black market businesses have begun to operate: underground hair salons, photography studios, businesses once completely legitimate and now illegal simply for operating.

If I’d written this call a year ago, it would stop there–but that’s no longer speculative fiction. That’s happening. So instead, Impulsive Walrus is asking for stories about the long haul. What does our world look like if the quarantine just…stays? We’re looking for near-future science fiction stories exploring the comedy, horror, and human drama of a life spent six feet away from each other, and a world where our interaction is done digitally, lest we be ravaged by disease.

Impulsive Walrus Books will be paying a semi-pro rate of two cents per word. Reading period will begin on May 5, 2020, and will end when the anthology has hit its goal of 80,000 words. Looking for stories of between 2,000 and 8,000 words. Please submit by e-mailing a .doc or .rtf file to [email protected] with the subject line GOING VIRAL SUBMISSION.

Via: Impulsive Walrus Books.

Anthology / Events / Semipro

Taking Submissions: Coffin Blossoms

Deadline: June 30th, 2020
Payment: $.005 per word
Theme: Horror and humor mixed together

Horror. Comedy. Two totally different genres. Yet something amazing happens when they are able to combine in a way that keeps both the horror, and the humor. In Coffin Blossoms, we seek those rare stories that make us chuckle while giving us goosebumps. They are usually full of one-line zingers, and absurd situations. The ability to combine humor with horror in a respectable work of fiction is rare, but at Jolly Horror Press, we know these stories exist. That’s why WE exist, to give them their proper home. Bring us your funny horror, the ridiculous situations that are both scary and make you roll on the floor. You can write about whatever you want, there is no theme for this one. The only requirement is that it is horror, and hilarity. Your story must include elements of both horror and comedy. We wanna chuckle when we read it, in between sh*tting our pants. Specific guidlines are below:

Coffin Blossoms Guidelines Here are a couple of tips to put your story in better position to be accepted. 1. Fit the theme. Horror/Comedy. Scare us and make us laugh. If we don’t laugh a few times, we’re not going to accept your story. If all we do is laugh, same thing. 2. Be within our word count guidelines (for Coffin Blossoms, 2000 to 6000) or query us for shorter/longer. 3. No matter how good your story is, if it hasn’t been edited, there is a big chance we won’t accept it. In the past, we’ve accepted stories that needed a lot of editing work, but it took so much effort to make them presentable. We aren’t doing that anymore. If within a page or two of reading the story we find a bunch of editing issues, it’s going to be rejected. 4. Be unique. No matter what the theme of the anthology is, you should always be unique. If it’s a stalker anthology for example, and your ex or some guy you work with is your stalker, it’s trite. If your grandma is stalking your fiancée, well, that’s unique (don’t do this, it’s my idea). 5. At Jolly Horror Press, we prefer subtle horror. We generally don’t like gruesome and overly bloody stuff. If someone is getting hacked to bits in your story, it’s probably not for us. 6. We seriously still get racist/sexist/anti-gay stuff. Don’t send us this stuff. 7. If there is any kind of animal killing or torture, not for us. We want old cat ladies to enjoy our work too. 8. Surprise us! 9. We love new and unpublished authors, provided you can follow 1-8. 10. No reprints this time.
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Anthology / Events / Semipro

Taking Submissions: Mythology From the Rock

Deadline: October 31 2020
Payment: $0.01 CAD per word to an upper limit of 4000 words.
Theme: Stories of mythology inspired by any and all cultures, from the classic stories of Greek gods, to Celtic and African-inspired myths, to adaptations of modern mythology-inspired works like HP Lovecraft!
Note: Canadian authors only

Over the last five years, the From the Rock series has become one of the preeminent anthology series’ in Atlantic Canada. We have been home to some amazing established talent and helped some new authors break through that have gone on to dominate their fields, becoming genre bestsellers in their own right. From the Rock is a title readers consistently ask for, review well, and is a great way for avid readers to get introduced to indie talent they might find interesting. In 2018 the series’ third entry, Chillers from the Rock, went Bestseller on pre-orders alone!

We are currently accepting submissions for the seventh entry in this series: Mythology from the Rock, to be available in Winter of 2021.

Editors Ellen Curtis and Erin Vance are scheduled to return to helm the project.

Many authors have expressed interest, but anyone can submit to be a part of this collection! Deadline is October 31 2020, but get your stories in as quick as you can, as it gives our wonderful editors more time to work with you and make sure it is as good as it can possibly be!

We’re looking for stories of mythology inspired by any and all cultures, from the classic stories of Greek gods, to Celtic and African-inspired myths, to adaptations of modern mythology-inspired works like HP Lovecraft!

What is the target audience?

For this specific collection, we’re going for an equivalent of PG to PG-13. Rather than limit our authors creatively, we encourage them to write from the heart and allow us to work with them to fine-tune the work after the fact.

What does it pay?

Payments start at a minimum of $0.01 CAD per word to an upper limit of 4000 words. Our pay scale is intrinsically tied to how well the collection did in its previous year of publication, and is intended as a starting point to grow from. Authors may find that when discussing contracts for their stories upon accepting the per-word and word-cap may both be higher than presented here.

Are there minimum/ maximum word limits?

There are not minimum word limits. In the past we have had stories as short as 250 words. We have set 7,500 words as a maximum word limit, only because we anticipate many submissions and want to fit as many as we can in.🙂

Can someone submit more than one story?

Of course! We may take one or both! We have had the same author in the same collection multiple times in the past.

Who can submit?

Any Canadian author looking to celebrate great Canadian genre writing! There is also no age restriction. Anyone over Canadian Age-of-Consent (16 years of age) can submit and sign the print release on their own. Entrants younger than that will have to sign the print release with a parent of guardian.🙂

Who keeps the printing rights?

You do! Engen merely gains the right to print your story in this one collection. You keep the rights to your story and property: so if it takes off and becomes a huge hit, you keep all the benefits!🙂

Do you accept reprints?

Yes, so long as you hold the copyright to allow us to publish it in the collection and the other criteria for the collection are met. Please tell us if you are submitting a reprint. We do give priority to new stories except in extreme cases.

How do I submit?

All submissions should be directed to [email protected] and should be sent from a reliable email address that you check regularly (we will contact all applicants through email with the status of their submission once the deadline has passed).

When do submissions close?

October 31, 2020 11:59 PM Newfoundland Standard Time.

Do you have questions?

Ask them below by commenting on this post, we will answer you post haste!🙂

Happy Writing!

We regret that due to the volume of submissions we receive we will be unable to acknowledge receipt of entries. We will contact you after submissions close, usually within 30 days, to let you know if we accepted your work or not.

Via: Engen Books.

Events / Magazine / Semipro

Taking Submissions: Occult Detective Magazine

Deadline: June 5th, 2020
Payment: 1c/word for fiction , with a cap of $50.00 for fiction, 1c/word, with a cap of $30.00 for non-fiction
Theme: Ocult detectives!

Welcome to Occult Detective Magazine, and the world of the occult detectives. Enochian sorcery in London’s alleys, the dust-tinged magicks of ancient Khem, and the horrors of an indifferent cosmos – these are the stories we offer. That first step over the threshold of a ruined Victorian mansion; the pounding hatred which surrounds you in a far-off jungle. The chill of a well-lit study, as you stare into your brandy; those last few words in the shadows, whispered by someone whose body is no longer their own… we bring you tales which are subtle and disturbing, and tales which reek of unnatural forces.

We are a magazine of many styles and approaches. We love both old-style and modern, cutting edge weird fiction, and we love folk horror; we embrace unashamed arcane adventure, and we also draw gritty noir mysteries into our domain. At the heart of all these tales are the occult detectives.

Such folk take many guises – they may be a hardened private investigator, or simply a bystander determined to act. They may be a mistress of strange forces, a seasoned psychic, or a burned-out law officer who has nothing left to lose. And they come from every continent, and every walk of life. All we ask is that there is a mystery, there is something strange and dark is on the air – and someone has to buckle up and face it.

2020 Submissions Status

SUBMISSIONS WILL BE OPEN 3RD APRIL UNTIL 5TH JUNE, MIDNIGHT GMT

Except by invite, submissions sent outside this period will not be read or accepted.

We are buying for ODM #8, due late Summer 2020, and ODM #9, due Winter 2020/21. We pay 1c/word for fiction , with a cap of $50.00;  non-fiction also at 1c/word, with a cap of $30.00. Payment is by Paypal on publication, plus a contributor copy in e-format, with a print copy as well when we have the money.

We also buy some internal b/w art for a range of fees, typically around $25/30 to $40 a piece.

FULL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES ARE IN THE DOWNLOADABLE PDF FILE BELOW

ODM SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 2020

Note: We are aware that many people responded to an Open Call some time ago under Ulthar Press, before the owner’s death. We appreciate that this is a pain in the backside and have already tried to publicise that anything submitted in the past to ODQ/Ulthar should retrospectively be considered a simultaneous submission (or just sent elsewhere, at the writer’s discretion). However, we are still going through those files, and may yet be able to find space for a very small number of those submissions.

With the above in mind, we are trying to respond to anything left in the old Yahoo submissions and queries account, which belonged to Ulthar, but access to those details is increasingly difficult.

ALL QUERIES SHOULD NOW BE SENT TO OUR NEW EMAIL ADDRESS

[email protected]

There are MANY more details about the magazine which you can check out in the link below.

Via: Grey Dog Tales.

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