by Stuart Conover | Oct 15, 2018 | Events, Magazine, Reprints Allowed, Semipro, Token Payment
Deadline: November 15th, 2018
Payment: Unpublished Fiction: 3¢ per word, $150.00 max, Reprints: 1¢ per word
Note: Reprints Allowed
We are a literary magazine of dark fiction, both short stories and flash fiction. We want your best. But then, doesn’t everyone? No specific sub-genres or themes, just good stories. For inspiration, we suggest “The Twilight Zone”, “The Outer Limits”, and LampLight, Vol1 Issue 1 which is free.
We go for stories that are dark, literary; we are looking for the creepy, the weird and the unsettling.
(more…)
by Stuart Conover | Oct 8, 2018 | Audio, Events, Reprints Allowed, Token Payment
Deadline: October 31st, 2018
Payment: $0.01 per word
Note: Non-audio reprints allowed
Note: They love speculative fiction but aren’t looking for horror, make sure to read the guidelines.
The Overcast is currently open to submissions three times a year, during the months of January, April, and October. (Note we are no longer reading during July. Our summers have just gotten too hectic. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for understanding.)
What We Want
We are interested in speculative fiction, whatever that means to you, be it Science Fiction, Fantasy, Steampunk, Magical Realism, Slipstream, or an as-yet-unnamed genre. Anything that looks at the world and life from an unexpected angle. We want the original vision of William Gibson. The magic and beauty of Erin Morgenstern. The uncompromising voice of Margaret Atwood. The technical brilliance of Ted Chiang. We want to read stories that transport us to places that we’ve never imagined. We want to still be thinking about a story days after reading it. Be original. Be amazing.
We are based in Portland, OR, and shine a spotlight on writers hailing from, living in, or connected in some way to the Pacific Northwest, as loosely defined by the bioregion of Cascadia. We feel there is an exceptionally strong talent pool of speculative writers in Cascadia, and we want to celebrate and promote them to a larger audience. Roughly half the stories we publish are by PNW writers. That said, we are not exclusive, and the other half of our stories come from authors all over the globe. So no matter where you live, send us your stories. If they make us laugh, cry, or turn cartwheels of astonishment, preferably all at once, we will find a place for them on The Overcast.
This is an audio format publication. We feel that stories of around 20-30 minutes in length are the best fit for our podcast. While we will consider submission between 1,000-5,000 words, we read at around 100 words per minute, so the sweet spot for submissions is 2,000-3,000 words. If it comes to a choice between two stories of equal merit, we will generally choose the one that is closer to the sweet spot.
Reprints are welcome, so long as they have not been previously produced in an audio format.
What We Don’t Want
Fan Fiction
Generic settings or characters we’ve seen a million times before (lithe elves, dour dwarves, charming vampires, etc)
Horror. Dark, gritty fiction is fine, but straight horror really isn’t our thing.
What We Pay
Our authors are the soul of our podcast. We strongly believe that creators should get paid for their work. Period. We would love to pay pro rates, but alas that is beyond our current financial reach. We currently pay a semi-pro rate of $0.01 per word. We hope, however, that our podcast will soon bring us fame, fortune, and success beyond our wildest dreams, as well as the ability to pay pro rates. We’d also like a pony. A genetically modified pony with six legs that runs 100mph and urinates a rich, tasty stout.
All payment made via Paypal.
(Our rates are directly tied to our Patreon funding goals. As we reach our goals, our rates will go up. Simple! If you want our authors to get paid more, please help spread the word!)
How To Submit
Please attach your story in standard manuscript format to a brief email containing the following information: Story Title, Word Count, and what, if any, connection you have to Cascadia. Please DO NOT include a bio or list of credits. We do not care how many degrees, awards, or publications you have. We want your fiction to speak for itself. If we love your story, we will ask for a bio upon acceptance.
Send your stories to: [email protected]
Please make the Subject line: “Submission: (Story Title)”
We do not accept multiple or simultaneous submissions.
If you have not heard back from us by the beginning of the submissions period following the one in which you submitted your story, please query.
For some reason, we have had numerous problems responding to submissions from AOL users. Most of our responses get bounced back as undeliverable. To prevent future frustration on all sides, please do not send submissions from AOL mailboxes. Thank you.
Rights
We purchase first worldwide exclusive audio rights, as well as the right to keep the episode in which your story is produced available in our archives for as long as The Overcast remains in operation. We do not own your story, nor do we wish to. You are free to publish and sell it elsewhere in any other format.
Via: The Overcast.
by Stuart Conover | Oct 3, 2018 | Anthology, Events, Flat Amount, Reprints Allowed, Royalties
Deadline: December 21st, 2018
Payment: 10% of royalties earned through Kindle, Nook, and print on demand sales OR a one time payment of $25
Note: Reprints allowed
Lustcraftian Horrors: Erotic Stories Inspired by H. P. Lovecraft will be the first multi-author anthology from Infernal Ink Books and it is now open for submissions.
The submission period will run from August 20th (H. P. Lovecraft’s birthday) until December 21st (Very Scary Solstice) 2018.
Guidelines:
We are looking for erotic stories inspired by the mythos, characters, and stories that were created and written by H. P. Lovecraft. Both the erotic elements and connection to Lovecraft’s work should be strong and clear. We don’t want the reader to have to be a Lovecraft scholar in order to get the connection, nor do we want them left scratching their heads wondering what was suppose to be so erotic about what they just read. Our triggers do not need to be warned, but the reader’s triggers should be. The “erotic” in Erotic Horror is defined here very loosely. The sex can be either horrifying or titillating…or both.
Stories should be between 2,000 and 10,000 words. Some wiggle room will be allowed, but we’re looking for stories with some real body and depth to them. No flash fiction.
Reprints will be considered, but previously unpublished work will be favored. You must hold or have retained all the rights required to submit your work and enter into a publishing contract with us at the time of submission.
Simultaneous submissions are discouraged. If you have a piece you would like to submit to us for this anthology that is already out to another publisher being read, let us know as soon as possible if your work has been accepted elsewhere. Otherwise, please, wait to hear from us before submitting a piece we are reading to another publisher. We aim to have as quick of a turn around time on submissions as possible, with our goal being to have our choices made and the contracts signed no later than the end of January 2019.
We’re not super picky about formatting, but all submissions must be made via email as a .doc, .rtf, or .docx file attachment. Submissions sent in the text of the email or by other means will not be read or considered.
Submissions must be sent to [email protected] with the subject line LUSTCRAFTIAN SUBMISSION.
In lieu of a traditional author’s bio, we would like each author to write a brief explanation (a paragraph or two) detailing specifically which Lovecraft characters, story, or mythos inspired their work. This should be written in the first person and MUST be included along with the submission.
No poetry.
No art, illustrations, or photography.
LGBT characters and authors are welcome.
Authors must be 18 years of age or older.
Payment will be 10% of royalties earned through Kindle, Nook, and print on demand sales OR a one time payment of $25, paid at the time of publication. It will be each individual author’s choice which they will receive. This decision must be made at the time the contract with us is signed. All funds will be paid via PayPal in US Dollars.
Via: Infernal Ink Books.
by Stuart Conover | Sep 30, 2018 | Events, Flat Amount, Magazine, Reprints Allowed, Semipro
Deadline: October 18th, 2018
Payment: USD 3¢/word, minimum $5, maximum $25 for previously unpublished poetry or prose and a $5 flat payment for reprints.
Note: Reprints Allowed
For our Fall 2018 issue, Riddled with Arrows is seeking writing-related fiction and metafiction, ars poetica, essays, visual art and non-classifiable written objects that explore the physical manifestations of the written world: think books, paper, letters, writing implements, stone tablets, engraved jewelry, illuminated manuscripts, gravestone etchings, writing on skin, holy texts, ancient scrolls, etc. We are also interested in submissions that incorporate physical written objects (found poems, epistolary fiction, collage, paper art, etc.).
Remember: Riddled with Arrows exclusively publishes writing about writing. That is to say, all submissions should touch on writing as well as the “tangible” theme. Works that skimp on the meta- or writing-related part will be rejected. Not sure what we mean by “meta” or “writing-related”? Read past issues for examples of writers who got it write right. While you’re at it, pay close attention to our guidelines (below). We have particular tastes.
Follow us on Facebook or Twitter or
subscribe to our email list for updates, insider tips, and meta-shenanigans
You might also be interested in our interview with the “Six Questions For…” Blog or Sapling (Black Lawrence Press).
Guidelines for General Submissions
Please read all of this before submitting.
No, really.
Editorial Focus: Riddled with Arrows seeks (short) metafiction and metapoems, and writing that celebrates the process and product of writing as art. No restrictions on genre or form, so long as the work is about writing, or comments on itself (consciously or not) in interesting and meaningful ways.. (What is metafiction? We’re so glad youasked…) You might also want to read
Genre/Style: We prefer tight, clean (as in no typos), vivid, evocative writing. Spare the purple prose. We are open to all genres and styles. Literary? Yes. Fantasy/Sci-Fi? Absolutely. Horror? Ok. Experimental? Surprise us. In short, don’t be misogynistic, homophobic, racist, or a bigoted asshat of any kind. Please, no gratuitous sex or violence.
Fiction/Metafiction – Your fiction may be dreamily unaware of itself as a written artifact or gleefully and openly meta. All that really matters is that it be about writing, or be reflective of itself in some central and meaningful way. Fiction that simply features characters who happen to be writers doing nothing writing-related won’t cut it. We will consider microfiction as short as a few sentences (but are you sure that’s not really a poem?) and stories up to 1500* words (though the sweet spot is probably somewhere between 500-1000).
Max wordcount is FIRM. 1501 words is too many. Trim it, or we’ll reject it.
Poetry/Metapoetry – You may submit up to four poems at a time (two-page maximum length per poem, to a total of eight pages of poetry max per sub). As with fiction, poems may be overtly or subtly meta–though poems that merely use the words “poetry”, “poem”, or “poet” as metaphor are probably not meta enough. We crave poetry that celebrates (or grieves for, or rages against?) poetry itself. We are also interested in poetry that uses language, form, and other neat tricks to comment on itself, no matter the topic. We favor free verse but admire well-crafted formal and metric poetry. Rhyming poetry is fine, too, but for the love of Pablo, please be sure your rhymes are organic and interesting (as opposed to forced and clichéd).
Pro-tip: For an idea of what the editor looks for & loves in poetry, check out her blog-series
on the poems selected for issue #22 of Eye to the Telescope (edited by SCWinward).
Non-Fiction – Riddled with Arrows is primarily a market for poetry and fiction, but we will consider creative non-fiction and informative essays in keeping with our meta-aesthetics. We hesitate to define exactly what we’re looking for, but we know we DO NOT want how-to articles or personal essays that would be at home in any typical craft magazine or website aimed at would-be writers. We are particularly interested in non-fiction that plays with writing as culture, writing as art, writing as an evolving and even sentient thing. We want semantics and lexicons and discourse, philology, graphology, slang, libraries, magical tomes, alphabets, idiolects and interviews–go wild. Humor and oddity a plus. Max 1500 words (we’ll consider longer but please query first–fiction pay rates apply).
I-don’t-know-what-to-call-this – We will consider written work that does not fall easily into the above categories. Surprise and delight us. Check out these links for some of examples of things that have struck our meta-fancy lately.
Visual Art – We welcome and will consider all meta art* and art relating to the art of writing. Have a quirky comic panel about writing? Send it. A beautiful digital painting of your writing muse? Send it. A poem in elegant calligraphy? Send that too. Something that you’re not quite sure qualifies? Send it and let us decide. All artwork must be original and your own property – please do not share the art of others without their express permission (we’d much rather you point them in our direction if they have a piece you think fits RwA).
We want your art to look its best on our site so please submit JPG or PNG files that are high-resolution (3.7MP or higher) and have a title (preferably something other than untitled).
For examples of meta art, look here, here, and here.
Other Considerations
- Simultaneous submissions are fine, as long as you inform us immediately if your work is no longer available.
- Multiple submissions – no. We’re too busy for that nonsense. Please wait to hear back on your prose or poetry before submitting again. We will consider up to three submissions per author, per reading period. Any more than that will be kicked back to you unread.
- Submitting in more than one category – ok, fine, yes, as long as you follow all of the pertinent guidelines.
- Reprints are welcome, though preference will be given to work that is not available elsewhere (including your personal blog or Facebook page, etc). Please include previous publication details with your submission, and be sure that you retain the rights to anything you send us. Again, we’re far too busy for nonsense.
- Re-submitting – We cannot consider work that has been previously rejected, unless we specifically ask for it. Send us something new instead. Keep writing.
- Riddled with Arrows celebrates diversity. We are open to any writer who can slay us with words. We will make it our mission to remain inclusive and to broadcast ourselves as such. Please help us spread the word across the literary landscape, and do let us know when we fall short of our target.
Rights & Rates
Riddled with Arrows Literary Journal seeks First Electronic Rights for original work and Reprint electronic rights for previously published work. All work published in Riddled with Arrows will be archived for the life of the journal. Authors may request that their work be removed after six months.
We believe authors and artists should be paid for their work. We offer USD 3¢/word, minimum $5, maximum $25 for previously unpublished poetry or prose and a $5 flat payment for reprints. For original visual art, we offer a flat $10 payment.
All payments will be issued through Paypal upon publication.
Poetry/Prose Submission Formatting
–>Please post all poetry and prose submissions in the body of an email. If your work requires special formatting that is not supported by email, please query first for permission to send attachments.<–
This is Important: Please put the word SUBMISSION in the subject field of your email, followed by the genre of your work (poetry/fiction/non-fiction/other), followed by your name, like so: SUBMISSION: Poetry, [Your Name Here].
Cover letters are appreciated. Polite cover letters particularly so. Address your correspondence to Shannon Connor Winward, (no “e” in Connor, one “d” in Winward). Dear Shannon is fine, too. Dear Editor is okay, but shows you haven’t done your homework.
Include a brief bio with relevant publishing credits, if you have them, though we are more interested in your work than your pedigree. Add a snippet of something unusual or relevant or fascinating about yourself, if you so desire. We like unusual and relevant and fascinating people. We also like corny jokes. It’s true.
We reserve the right to delete unread any submissions that do not follow these guidelines. We also reserve the right to respond with snippy admonishments if we haven’t had our coffee yet.
Visual Art Submission Formatting
Please submit all artwork as a Jpeg (jpg) or PNG (png) file, with a size of 5mb or less. Include a cover letter and bio as described above, addressed to Ro Molina, Visual Editor.
Response Times
You should expect to hear back fairly quickly on the status of your submission. We may or may not send acknowledgments of receipt, but if you do not receive a response of some kind within two weeks, please query.
Did you read the guidelines?
Did you really?
Then SUBMIT YOUR WORK TO
submissions @ riddledwitharrows . com
Via: Riddled With Arrows.
by Stuart Conover | Sep 28, 2018 | Anthology, Contributor's Copy, Events, Flat Amount, Reprints Allowed
Deadline: December 15th, 2018
Payment: $25 plus one contributor’s copy, $10 for a reprint
Note: 1-2 reprints allowed
The Concept – Still On Patrol
There is a tradition in the United States Navy that no submarine is ever truly lost at sea. Those boats and the crews who don’t return to port are considered “still on patrol” in perpetuity. Active duty sailors would never dream of leaving their still on patrol shipmates behind, so every year, usually at the Christmas holiday, sailors manning communications hubs ashore and at sea send out a message. They send holiday wishes for health and happiness to those they know will receive it, and the same wishes to those listed as still on patrol.
What if those submariners who never returned are still out there? What if it’s the energy of the yearly good wishes that keeps them going on their eternal patrol? And what if their eternal patrol protects the living against threats more otherworldly than mundane wars between nation states?
What about other military men and women, disappeared or lost at sea, in the air, or on land? Is there a Roman Legion still manning Hadrian’s Wall? Are there ghostly flight crews who herd hapless aircraft away from the Bermuda Triangle? Tell us stories about military men and women who continue to protect humanity long after they’ve taken their last breath. Tell us what happens when they take the oath to protect their people not just from threats foreign and domestic, but supernatural as well.
What we don’t want to see:
- Disrespect for the military – our intention with this anthology is to honor the best in the military forces, the ones dedicated enough to continue to protect humanity from beyond the grave.
- On page sexual assault, child abuse, or animal abuse – this is an immediate rejection.
- Gratuitous anything – violence, sex, profanity, doesn’t matter. If it is not integral to the story and it’s not advancing the plot or character development, we don’t want to see blood, gore, or sex just for shock value’s sake (this goes for language too). We are not opposed to violence, sex, or profanity – as long as it belongs in the story and it’s not just there to shock and titillate. And we know we are dealing with fighting men and women who may or may not be locked in combat with something otherworldly. We expect a certain amount of profanity and violence goes with that. Think of how far we’re willing to go based on the well-known movie rating system – if it would qualify for a PG, PG-13, or R rating, we’ll look at it. If it would be NC-17 or up, we’ll have to pass, thank you.
- Thinly veiled fan fiction of another author’s world and characters. We’re looking for your original work.
- Poorly researched magic systems or magical creatures from a culture you are not familiar with. If you are going to venture into new worlds or cultures, make sure you’ve done your research and you know all the rules, taboos, and how to pronounce the names.
What we do want to see:
- Diverse protagonists – While a United States Navy tradition sparked the idea for this anthology, there are still many military cultures and traditions outside of one country and one service of that country. When coming up with your unique idea, don’t forget to look at other countries and cultures, perhaps even a country or culture that no longer exists. What happens to military personnel who are on eternal patrol when the country that birthed them no longer exists? Where do their allegiances now lie?
- Diverse Settings and Genres – We know this call lends itself well to horror and all types of dark fantasy, but we’d sure like to see how the concept of eternal patrol would play out in a science fiction universe or on alternate worlds.
Word Count:
We’re looking for stories that fall in the 3,000 to 10,000 word range. We will consider looking at stories outside this range, but they need to be just too good for us to pass up. You have a much better chance if you keep the word count within our range. Please query us before sending a story outside of the word count guidelines.
Reprints:
We prefer unpublished, original fiction. However, we will consider including one or two reprints in this anthology, but only if they are overwhelmingly fantastic. Make sure you let us know if your story has been published elsewhere before.
Rights:
We wish to purchase exclusive print, e-book, and audio rights for one year, and non-exclusive print, e-book, and audio rights for a period of five years after that, with the option to re-negotiate additional years of rights after that. We are asking for audio rights because if we can get funding, we also want to produce an audio version using professional voice talent.
Payment:
Unpublished stories earn a onetime fee of $25 plus one contributor’s copy for the original terms of the contract. Reprints earn a onetime fee of $10 plus one contributor’s copy for the original terms of the contract. Payment is within 90 days of publication.
Sending your submission:
We will be accepting electronic submissions only. Make sure you put “Patrol” in your email subject line. No simultaneous or multiple submissions please. Send your story as a .doc or .rtf file to submissions at otterlibris dot com.
Submission Window:
We will be open for submissions for the anthology beginning on 9/15/2018 and close to submissions on 12/15/2018. Any submissions received outside of this window will be deleted unread. We expect to respond to submissions throughout the window with a “no, thanks” or “we’d like to hold this for further consideration,” with final decisions going out approximately six to eight weeks after the closing date.
Expected Publication Date:
We will be running a Kickstarter to generate interest and word of mouth in April 2019, and we expect to release the anthology for Memorial Day weekend 2019 (05/24/2019)
Via: Otter Libris.
by Stuart Conover | Sep 24, 2018 | Flat Amount, Magazine, Ongoing Submissions, Pro, Reprints Allowed
Payment: 6 cents/word up to 1000 words and a flat rate of $60 for longer stories. $20 for reprints.
Note: Reprints Welcome
We pay 6 cents/word up to 1000 words and a flat rate of $60 for longer stories. $20 for reprints.
What we’re interested in:
Stories up to 10,000 words; query for longer. All stories must be furry. That means an anthropomorphic animal figure should be significantly featured in your story — it could be anthropomorphic in body or only intelligence. We’ll consider any type of furry fiction from secret life of animals to fox in Starbucks. We love science-fiction with animal-like aliens and fantasy with talking dragons, unicorns, or witch familiars.
We are interested in underrepresented voices. If you have personal experience relevant to your story, feel free to mention it in your cover letter. For instance, if your story is about a space unicorn and you are a space unicorn (or a research biologist who studies space unicorns), let us know. We welcome and will be looking for diverse voices. We are not interested in stories that give voice to racist or sexist ideologies.
Please do not simultaneously submit a story to us and another market. For multiple submissions, please query. For reprints, please tell us where and when the story was published before.
How to submit:
Please send us an email at [email protected] (except with fewer koalas) with the subject line, “SUBMISSION: Title, Word Count.” Attach your story in Standard Manuscript Format as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file. Please keep your cover letter brief. Something like the following is fine:
Dear Story Wrangler,
I would like to offer my attached story, “Awesome Furry Story,” for your consideration. I hope you like it!
I’ve previously had stories published in Awesome Market, Another Market, Yet Another Market.
Sincerely,
Hopeful Author
If you haven’t had any stories published before, don’t worry! We love discovering new voices.
Via: Zooscape.
