by Stuart Conover | Dec 3, 2018 | Anthology, Contributor's Copy, Events, Semipro
Deadline: December 31st, 2018
Payment: 3 cents per word (or 1 cent per word for reprints) and a contributor’s copy
Apotheosis 2 – More Stories of human survival and defiance in a world subjugated by the return of the Elder Gods. Humanity struggled to grow and evolve as a species for thousands of years forever caught in the shadow of a dread threat known only to a devoted few. When the stars are right, the Old Ones will return to claim utter dominion of the world. Lovecraft Mythos stories often climax at the moment of the fateful return of the Elder Gods and the audience is left to ponder what might happen next. This anthology features stories about humanity under the reign of the Elder Gods and ancient terrors.
What do we mean by Lovecraft Mythos stories in relation to Apotheosis? We’re looking for stories inspired by the stories of H.P. Lovecraft and associated writers such as August Derleth, Clark Ashton Smit , Robert E. Howard , Robert Bloch , Henry Kuttner, and Frank Belknap Long. We’re also interested in writers that inspired Lovecraft such as Edgar Allan Poe, Algernon Blackwood and Lord Dunsany. We’re interested in classic mythos gods and monsters and originals that have inspired by the mythos.
Good Fiction Examples:
What type of stories are we looking for? We’re looking for character-driven stories set during a time in the future where the ancient terrors that once ruled the Earth have claimed complete and utter dominion of the Earth. We’re less concerned about the strict interpretation of the Elder Gods than good stories that deal with real human concerns. How do people survive? How does life change? Will people accept their new gods or will they rebel? What will it mean to be human in such a world of gods and monsters? Surprise us. Don’t give us stories that we’ve read before. We want worlds that feel real populated by characters from different cultures, genders, and ethnicities. Avoid cultural appropriation. Do your homework. We recommend that you read our last anthology to see the types of stories we enjoy.
What types of submissions should I avoid? We’re not as interested in the moment the ancient horrors return and conquer the world, but how humanity survives after the war is lost. Flashbacks are OK, but the story should not be about that time. We enjoy historical mythos fiction, but this is not the anthology for it. Stories must be set in the future. We are not looking for poetry for this anthology.
Submission Details:
- Word-count: 2,000 to 7,000
- Worldwide print and e-book rights (exclusive for 6 months, non-exclusive for an additional 30 months).Exceptions will be made for stories accepted for “Best Of” anthologies.
- Apotheosis will be available in both Print on Demand and e-book formats.
- Submissions open December 1, 2018, and will close at 11:59 PST on December 31, 2018. You may submit at: [email protected] via an attachment. (Do not submit before December 1st 2018 or your submission will be deleted)
- Queries and questions may be sent to : [email protected] (You may send queries and questions anytime.)
- All responses will be accepted or rejected by March 1st, 2019. Please do not query about submitted stories before then. No multiple or simultaneous submissions. Our word count limits are hard for open submissions. Reprints may be submitted, but we’re only accepting three or four at the most. (It should be clearly stated that the submission is a reprint in your cover later or this will be an automatic rejection later.)
- Please use standard format guidelines. If it is difficult to read, we will reject your story. Your story must include your name, address, telephone number, email address, and approximate word count on the first page. Your cover letter should include your complete contact information, story title, approximate word count, and a short bio.
- We’re only accepting a limited number of reprints. If you are submitting a reprint, please tag the subject with #Reprint. If we find out later your submission is a reprint and it wasn’t tagged, it will be dropped from the anthology.
- Payment: 3 cents per word (or 1 cent per word for reprints), paid within 90 days after publication. Plus contributor copy of print and e-book.
Via: Simian Publishing.
by Stuart Conover | Nov 12, 2018 | Events, Magazine, Reprints Allowed, Semipro
Deadline: May 31st, 2019 (From Submittable.)
Payment: 5 cents per word, reprints: 3 cents per word
Note: Reprints allowed
To submit or check the status of a previous submission, click here.
In addition to the guidelines below, please read the submission requirements on our Submittable page prior to uploading your submission.
WHAT WE WANT:
We consider original, unpublished work within the confines of dark fantasy and horror—mystery, suspense, supernatural, morbid humor, fantasy, etc.
WHAT WE DO NOT WANT:
We’re not interested in hard science fiction, epic fantasy (swords and sorcery), splatterporn (blood and guts and little more), or clichéd plots. Clichéd themes are okay. We won’t turn our noses up at the sight of zombies or serial killers or vampires, but there needs to be something that sets it apart from the norm for us to seriously consider it.
No fan fiction.
WHAT WE WILL CONSIDER:
Reprints. Unpublished work will always get first consideration. Any submitted reprint must be out of print and the author must retain all applicable rights. All previous publication information (for the submitted work only) must be disclosed.
FORMAT:
All submissions must be sent via our Submissions Manager (see link at the top and bottom of this page). Please use 12pt Times New Roman font, double-spaced lines, and indented paragraphs. Use italics (do not underline for italicized words). Please include your full name, contact info, and word count in the document.
No simultaneous/multiple submissions.
READING PERIOD:
Unless otherwise noted, we’re open from February through May, and August through November.
RESPONSE TIME:
90 days or less.*
PAYMENT:
We pay 5 cents a word for original, unpublished fiction, and 3 cents a word for reprints, up to 5,000 words.
RIGHTS:
For previously unpublished work we claim First North American Serial Rights and First Electronic World Rights (not to include Internet use) for a period of one year. After which all rights revert to the author.
For previously published work we claim Reprint Rights and Exclusive Electronic World Reprint Rights (not to include Internet use) for a period of one year. After which all rights revert to the author.
Full payment/rights details will be provided if we make an offer.
Send any questions and queries to: [email protected]. To submit or check the status of a previous submission, click here.
* Response time is estimated, not guaranteed.
Via: Shock Totem.
by Stuart Conover | Nov 1, 2018 | Anthology, Events, Semipro
Deadline: January 1st, 2019
Payment: 3 cents (USD) per word
We will accept submissions for the non-themed anthology Tales from the Lake Vol. 6 from November 1st, 2018 through January 1st, 2019. Compiled and edited by Mercedes M. Yardley and Eugene Johnson. Pays 3c a word (USD) upon publication.
Don’t miss out! In previous volumes we’ve published Jack Ketchum, Joe R. Lansdale, Graham Masterton, Ramsey Campbell, Elizabeth Massie, Tim Curran, Edward Lee, Gene O’Neill, Tim Waggoner, Bev Vincent, Kealan Patrick Burke, and many more.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:
- Create believable, three-dimensional characters just as real as your friends and neighbors. The world these characters inhabit should be equally authentic, hitting all the senses.
- We want stories that’ll haunt the readers for months to come.
- Stories should be between 500 and 5,000 words max, with 3k to 4k being the sweet spot.
- Originality is important—we don’t want your version of someone else’s story from yesteryear.
- Although our arms are wide open, we’re more interested in fiction that reflects the modern. Kelly Link, Karen Russell, Joe Hill, and Damien Angelica Walters are prime examples of current dark fiction writers encapsulating the above in their work.
- Quality of the work must be top notch! The authors mentioned above represent the high-water mark we’re looking for.
WHAT WE’RE NOT LOOKING FOR:
- Stories sent before or after the submission window. These will not be read.
- Rape stories or sexual abuse or any explicit abuse toward children or animals is expressly forbidden. This can however be mentioned or remembered by your character, but be subtle.
- Stories that are not short horror stories.
- Novels or novellas.
- Stories with flat worlds.
- To avoid too many writers writing about lakes, please keep in mind this is a non-themed anthology.
PAYMENT:
For this anthology we are paying 3 cents (USD) per word up to 5000 words via PayPal.
REPRINTS:
We DO NOT accept reprints, unless we approach an author for a specific reprint deemed suitable.
Simultaneous/multiple submissions:
We prefer you do not submit your story elsewhere while it’s being considered by us, especially if it’s been shortlisted. No multiple submissions, either. You get one shot. Make it count.
RESPONSE TIME:
For the most part, acceptances will not go out until some time after the deadline. Rejections and shortlisting notices will go out sooner. Feel free to query by April 1, 2019.
RIGHTS:
We are seeking FIRST world rights, both in print, electronic, and audio forms as well as translation rights for an exclusive period of 1 year and then non-exclusive after that.
FORMATTING:
Submit your manuscript in Shunn Format (http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html) as a .doc or .docx attachment. Keep your cover letter brief, but relay any pertinent information. You should also include a short bio. Subject of your email should start with SUBMISSION and then the title of your story.
Please email your submission to: [email protected]
Via: Crystal Lake Publications.
by Stuart Conover | Oct 24, 2018 | Anthology, Contributor's Copy, Events, Semipro
Deadline: December 31st, 2018
Payment: 0.02/word & contributor copy
A witch ought never to be frightened in the darkest forest… because she should be sure in her soul that the most terrifying thing in the forest was her.”
– Terry Pratchett
(more…)
by Stuart Conover | Oct 23, 2018 | Anthology, Events, Semipro
Deadline: January 31st, 2019
Payment: $.05 per word
Via: Fiction Writers in Seoul.
by Stuart Conover | Oct 9, 2018 | Anthology, Events, Semipro
Deadline: December 31st, 2018
Payment: 3 cents per word, minimum
Do you write words? Specifically, do you write English words that band together to form short fiction? Are you disabled, identify with disability, manage disability, or use some other way to describe how you relate to your disability or condition? If so, this call for submissions might be for you:
Not like your ableist patriarchal publishing monocultures,
with standard narratives that narrowly define
Here at the beginnings of our anthology we exist:
two mighty women with ideas that cannot be contained.
“Keep, traditional publishers and editors, your inspiration porn,
Your stories that objectify and demean,” we cry.
“Bring us your fabulous stories,
With diverse characters.
Bring us your Deaf heroes, your disabled, your neurodiverse,
Your characters breaking free from the shackles of normativity
Those who are not refuse, but fabulous
Send these your homeless stories, tempest-tossed to us,
We lift them up and celebrate them, at the gate of our anthology.
We are seeking short fiction for the Nothing Without Us anthology. All works must be fiction—fiction based on lived experiences is welcome. The lead character must be disabled, blind, Deaf, Autistic, neurodiverse, and/or live with mental illness. We do not expect all of these in one character, although we’re sure that character would be amazing. We are accepting fiction in all genres with the exception of hard-core erotica. We are also only interested in previously unpublished works. (Sorry, we’re not accepting poetry for this anthology.)
What we are not seeking
Inspiration porn. There’s already enough of it out there. Examples include but are not limited to: The Autistic person who overcomes their autism, presents as a quirky neurotypical, gets the girl, and lives happily ever after. The person who is in an accident, feels life is over, then overcomes it through work, a new love, and so on. The person blind from birth who overcomes their disability to be a success in mainstream culture “in spite of” being blind. These types of stories objectify the person and make their story all about their disability. We seek stories that show how we are people with complex and awesome lives.
We also do not want stories about the fetishization of disabled people, a person being in a relationship out of pity for the disabled person, or a character who solely exists for the benefit of the person without a disability.
Who can submit
We welcome writers across the disability, mental illness, developmental disabilities, neurodiversity, blind, and Deaf spectrums. We welcome those who manage invisible and visible disabilities and/or chronic conditions. We welcome those who count spoons! We’re just looking to have an entire work where we elevate the stories written by the folks in our community.
We welcome the communities that intersect with the disabled, neurodiverse, mentally ill, blind, and Deaf communities, such as the LGBTQIA2 communities.
We welcome POC and indigenous voices.
How to submit
Submission window: September 30 to midnight (EST UTC-5) December 31, 2018
This is the part that you likely jumped to without reading the other sections, especially those of us with attention-deficit fabulousness. If you did skip the first parts, please read them at some point before submitting, because following the guidelines will factor in how we chose stories for this anthology.
- Word length: 1,000 to 3,500 words
- A cover letter including:
- Title and word count in the first sentence, followed by where you live.
- A brief description of the work (one paragraph).
- Why you feel you and your writing would be a good fit for this anthology.
- One paragraph biography of yourself.
- William Shunn manuscript format with Times New Roman typeface at 12pt. Please, note, this, is, not, to, be, confused with, the William Shatner, format, that, requires, commas, after, every, word.
- Submit your manuscript to [email protected] as a .doc, .docx, or RTF file type. The subject line should be in the following format—Submission: (Title of your story)
- Please do not send by carrier pigeon.
Renaissance (our amazing publisher) currently offers 3 cents per word, but we will be launching a Kickstarter to try to raise the amount that authors will be paid for submissions. Rights purchased: First English-Language Rights & Non-exclusive Anthology Rights (print and e-book).
Canadian citizens (living in Canada and/or paying taxes in Canada) and permanent residents of Canada will receive preferred status.
No multiple submissions. If you received a rejection before the deadline, you may submit a new work. Once again, we are looking for original fiction only. No reprints, please.
We can’t wait to discover what kind of stories you’ll send us!
Via: Nothing Without Us.
