Deadline: December 31st, 2018 Payment: 1 cent a word for reprint rights. ($60 max)
Is your story too heavy and hardcore for other “best of” anthologies? Then you’ve come to the right place because Comet Press is now accepting stories for YEAR’S BEST HARDCORE HORROR VOL. 4, a yearly collection intended to give recognition to the extreme, harder side of horror, stories that break boundaries and trash taboos.
Editors: Randy Chandler and Cheryl Mullenax.
Requirements: The story was originally (or will be) published in a 2018 anthology, single author collection, magazine, or online magazine. Self-published anthologies and collections are acceptable as well.
Deadline: December 31, 2018.
Length: Up to 6000 words. Word count is flexible and longer works will be considered but please note the max payment is $60.00.
Payment: 1 cent a word for reprint rights. ($60 max)
What to Send
Authors:
In the body of an email:
Author name
Story title
Name of anthology or magazine or online magazine it was (or will be) published in:
If the book is available on Amazon and your story credit appears somewhere on the page, send us the link. If not, send a link to the best source with that information (publisher’s page, etc).
If the story was in a magazine, send us a web link to the issue TOC where your story appears, or if that’s not available send us a scan of the table of contents (print magazines, etc.).
A bio
A short description of the story.
Attach the entire manuscript in rtf, doc format, or a PDF or mobi of the magazine or book it appears in if available. Note: if sending a doc or rtf, please make sure this is the final version of your story, exactly as it appears in the published version.
Important Note: Make sure your contract allows you to publish the story in a “best of” anthology. If you’re not sure, check with your publisher. If necessary, ask them for a waiver.
Publishers
In an email include the following:
Name of publication and publisher, date published and format (print, ebook, magazine, etc)
A pdf, doc, rtf, or mobi of the publication.
If there are any particular stories you feel we might be interested in feel free to make a note of that (optional).
__________
Include in the Email subject line: YEAR’S BEST HARDCORE HORROR
We’ll send a notification within 48 hours that we received your submission. If you don’t get this, please inquire. We may not have received it.
Deadline: May 15th, 2018 Payment: $100 for new fiction, $50 for reprints. Note: Reprints Allowed
Edited by Catherine Lundoff
Who doesn’t love a good pirate story? We’re looking for stories about pirates who sailed the Caribbean under the Jolly Roger, Barbary Corsairs, pirates in the China Sea, pirates in the Irish Sea, pirates in the ancient Mediterranean, pirates in outer space, pirates in fantastical settings, you name it. We’d like to have a diverse range of stories in terms of locale, time period and protagonists. We’re big fans of women pirates, queer pirates and pirates from diverse and interesting backgrounds, but if you’ve got an original spin on Sir Henry Morgan, Blackbeard or a equivalent historical figure, send them our way. We’re not looking for erotica for this anthology and would prefer adventure to romance but romantic subplots are fine. Protagonists of all sexual orientations and/or gender identities welcome.
The Details:
We’re looking primarily for stories in the 5000-6000 word range; no stories over 7500 words or less than 4000 words, please. Reprints will be considered as long as their most recent publication date is a year or more in the past before submission date and you have full rights to them.
Payment: $100 for new fiction, $50 for reprints. We’re asking for first North American print/ebook rights for the new fiction. This book is scheduled for a December 2018 release.
Timeline: Submissions are due May 15th, 2018. Stories should be submitted in standard manuscript format as .doc or .docx email attachments to [email protected]. Please include “Pirate Anthology” and the title of your submission in the subject line. Want to query about ideas or just ask questions? Please do! You can reach us at this email address for those too.
Deadline: May 1st, 2018 Payment: 2 cents per word up to 10K words. Longer stories are welcome but the pay cap is $200. Note: Reprints Welcome
There’s no doubt that the Holidays are the most magical time of year, but that doesn’t mean dark happenings aren’t lurking beneath your Christmas tree as well.
These books will be available on kindle, hardcover, paperback, and audiobook format. The title page of each story will be illustrated. We are looking for holiday related horror, dark sci-fi, dark speculative fiction, neo-noire, and cyberpunk stories. We like stories with Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza themes. Alternatively, they can simply take place during the holidays (like how Die Hard isn’t really about Christmas) or even just involve wintery or snowy settings. Please read the general submissions for more details.
A word of advice: If you plan on sending us a Krampus story, please make sure it’s a great one! We’ll only have room for one in our collection and we’re anticipating a lot of submissions so send something original!
Below is a little more about the project.
Word Count : 1000-10,000 words. This is not a hard word count. If you think you have a story that fits what we’re looking for, but is a little long or a little short, send it our way.
Payment: We are offering 2 cents per word up to 10K words. You are free to send us longer stories, but we cap payments at $200 per story for this project.
Rights: We are not asking for ownership of your story. Just the right to print it.
Reprints: Yes, we accept reprints. Beggars can’t be choosers and we understand we’re a fledgling brand. If your work appears elsewhere, please make sure you double check with the other publication to make sure your story is eligible to print.
Deadline: April 28th, 2018 Payment: 1¢/word Note: Reprints Allowed
Haunted are These Houses is an anthology of Gothic fiction and poetry due out in September 2018, edited by Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi and Eddie Generous.
Submit original or reprints of short story submissions of horror, dark science fiction (light), dark fantasy, crime, thriller, and suspense. Typical Unnerving flavor requested, but Gothic in nature.
Payment is 1¢/word. Non-exclusive print-on-demand rights for five years.
Submit only one story at a time. Submit in .docx, .doc or .odt only. Double-spaced. No tabs. No extra spaces after periods. Please use common sense when formatting. Everything hard on the eyes will be rejected automatically. Allow for up to 6 months before querying. Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Open to authors from any country. Payment by PayPal only within 30 days of publication.
Only stories from 400-6,000 (FIRM!) words will be considered with preference leaning towards fewer than 4,000 words.
Payment: Original: $8.00 USD/panel for art; $2.00 USD/panel for interactivity ($10.00 USD/panel for both) Reprint: $4.00 USD/panel for art; $1.00 USD/panel for interactivity ($5.00 USD/panel for both)
Most important:
We are a market for interactive fiction. We do not accept prose without interactivity or a detailed plan for interactivity.
We have an anonymous submission process. Please remove all author labels from compiled work AND file names.
Guidelines are subject to change. Please review before submitting.
We love receiving work from creators of color, creators from the QUILTBAG community, creators with disabilities, and creators from other underrepresented communities.
Intersectionality welcome.
Internationality welcome.
If you have life experience which is relevant to the story you’re telling, you are welcome to mention it in your cover letter.
Reviewed all the guidelines already? Submit here:
What We Want
We are a market for F/SF, horror, mystery, romance, and mash-up interactive fiction. Submitted works must include at least a detailed proposal for interactivity. We like beautiful, moving prose, but we also like pulpy fun! Don’t self-reject. Let us see what you’ve got!
We also accept non-fiction related to interactive fiction, including reviews, essays, and other works.
If you’d like to submit something, but you’re not sure it’s a good fit, feel free to query via our contact form.
Preferred
Stories that can be told only on a device (using choice, audio, and/or animation)
Fiction, poetry, and webtoons/sequential art welcome
1000 – 3500 words of one-time user experience (about five minutes of playthrough), maximum 5000 words of all possible user experiences (we occasionally accept longer pieces but it’s tough on our budget)
F/SF, horror, mystery, magic realism, mash-ups
Showing the reader things they’ve never seen before
Cross-browser QA-testing appreciated
Mobile compatibility appreciated. It is not necessary that your work be feature-perfect on mobile devices. What we ask is that the work be tested on mobile and 1) any missing features be handled conditionally (e.g. if on mobile, don’t attempt to play two simultaneous audio tracks) and/or 2) the user be warned of any changes in mobile experience. We are happy to work with you to achieve your goals.
1st or 3rd person POV
Requiring clicks/interaction only when asking the reader to make a choice (not just to read further)
Works that are accessible to users with disabilities
No
Fan fiction
Erotica
Torture
Gore
Revenge fantasy
Excessive sex, violence, or profanity
Hard Sells
Child abuse
Animal abuse
Sexual assault
Rates
Interactive Fiction
Text-Based Fiction & Poetry
Our rates for text-based interactive fiction are based on prose word count. If the same person is responsible for both prose and interactivity, that person receives both rates.
We require that single-installment, text-based works put a total of no more than 5000 words (including all choices, alternate endings, etc.) before the reader. We prefer that a single playthrough put no more than 3500 words before the reader.
Original: $0.06 USD/word for prose; $0.03 USD/word for interactivity ($0.09 USD/word for both)
Reprints: $0.03 USD/word for prose; $0.015 USD/word for interactivity (0.045 USD/word)
An original 1000 word interactive story would command $90. A reprinted 1000 word interactive story would command $45.
Webtoons/Sequential Art
Our rates for illustrated fiction are based on panel count. We pay a certain rate for the panels themselves, and a quarter again as much for the interactivity of those panels. (An animated panel is considered one panel. If you have questions, please query.)
We require that sequential art be under 50 panels. We prefer that sequential art be under 25 panels.
Original: $8.00 USD/panel for art; $2.00 USD/panel for interactivity ($10.00 USD/panel for both)
Reprint: $4.00 USD/panel for art; $1.00 USD/panel for interactivity ($5.00 USD/panel for both)
An original 25-panel interactive webtoon would command $250. A reprinted 25-panel interactive webtoon would command $125.
All Works
The person submitting the story represents they have the right to include any contributors’ work in the story, and to accept payment on their behalf.
Additional payment for external media (e.g. illustration, audio, or special software features) is negotiable on request. If your story contains external media, please include a description of it in your submission, and your requested rate for it.
Non-fiction
We pay $45 for non-fiction, with a maximum word-count of 650 words.
Interviews
sub-Q Magazine‘s staff occasionally interviews authors, game creators, and other people of interest to interactive fiction fans. These interviews are non-paying opportunities.
Simultaneous/Multiple Submissions
No, please do not submit a work to us and to another market at the same time. Yes, you may send us multiple works to consider at the same time (limit three awaiting response at once.)
Response Times
Our goal is to respond to all submissions in fewer than 90 days. Please wait until 90 days have passed to query. If you have received no response, email [email protected] with the subject line AWAITING RESPONSE: [Your Story Title].
Rights
For original IF and for non-fiction, sub-Q acquires first worldwide publication rights, exclusive for one year, non-exclusive thereafter. For reprints, sub-Q acquires non-exclusive publication rights for one year.
Sample contracts are available on request.
How to Submit
All Works
Remove all author labels from compiled work AND file names (for our anonymous submissions process)
Cover letter is optional. If you provide one (via our Submittable form), please include:
Name, postal address
Title, genre, and approximate word count and/or playthrough time
Description of any external media (e.g. illustration, audio)
Brief bio with publishing/interactivity credits, if any
We encourage authors from underrepresented groups to self-identify in their cover letters if they feel comfortable doing so
For a completed interactive work, make a single compressed file (e.g. *.zip) of all materials, including:
Compiled story (as it would appear in browser, typically an HTML file)
Source/workspace file(s) (for examining code and overall word count)
All needed external files (e.g. audio, images) at the correct relative path needed for the compiled story to find them.
For completed prose with interactivity proposal, submit your proposal as up to three documents ( *.doc, *.odt, or *.rtf file) or a compressed file (e.g. *.zip) of all materials.
Describe the interactivity in whatever way makes sense to you, e.g. writing, flowchart, diagram, links to external sources, or any combination.
Include your completed prose. This may be integrated into your proposal, or in a separate document, as you prefer.
For your prose, please follow standard manuscript format in a *.doc, *.odt, or *.rtf file, Times New Roman preferred, Courier acceptable, links and special formatting OK.
Submit the query letter, synopsis, and first sample chapter as a single compressed file (e.g. *.zip) of all materials.
Please follow standard manuscript format in a *.doc, *.odt, or *.rtf file, Times New Roman preferred, Courier acceptable, links and special formatting OK.
Non-fiction
Please submit completed non-fiction through our Submittable portal. Please follow standard manuscript format in a *.doc, *.odt, or *.rtf file, Times New Roman preferred, Courier acceptable, links and special formatting OK.
