Category: Anthology

Taking Submissions: Gen-X Flash Fiction Anthology

Deadline: July 15th, 2025
Payment: $25 usd
Theme: Scifi, speculative fiction, fantasy, not horror that showcases Gen-X

  • Theme:Gen X (Gen X characters and/or themes and/or culture should figure prominently within the story in ways that distinctly identify them as Gen X and/or that have an easily identifiable Gen X “vibe”).We’re especially interested in unique, unexpected takes on the Gen X experience from original points of view.
  • Deadline: July 15, 2025. Submissions are considered on a rolling basis, meaning that acceptance/rejection decisions are made as submissions come in. Authors can generally expect an initial response to their submission within 1-2 weeks.
  • Anthology Release Date: Late 2025-Early 2026
  • Genres and categories accepted:
    Literary, Romance, Sci-Fi & Spec Fic, Mystery, Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retellings, Historical Fiction, Humor/Satire, Paranormal, Magical Realism, and others.
    No horror (spooky is okay), gratuitous violence, erotica, of use of “F-bombs,” please. No essays, CNF, poetry, or anything that isn’t fiction.
    No AI-generated or AI-assisted stories. All submissions should be original, human-created stories that have never been published or performed/read elsewhere (including, but not limited to, social media, a personal blog or website, live or recorded event, etc.).
  • Reader Demographic: YA to adult (approximately ages 14-100)
  • Word count: Between 1,500-2,000 words
  • Payment for accepted submissions: $25 USD (via PayPal) upon completion of edits.

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Taking Submissions: Search for the Any Key

Submission Window: May 1st – August 29th, 2025
Payment: $15.00 plus equal share of 50% of the anthology’s royalties.
Theme: Action/adventure mixed with any drama, can’t use a physical key, the why of the search should be the most important part

This will be mostly action/adventure, but can be placed in any time period, on other planets or any type of setting. All genres accepted and may contain humor, drama, romance, etc. Diverse characters welcome, human or otherwise.

The catch – no traditional keys accepted. If the characters don’t find the key, that’s okay.

Example – on a certain TV show, characters were searching for forgiveness and the key to enter was tears of regret. Another film had a key as part of a puzzle box which opened several artifacts.

Please think outside the box when writing these stories. The Why of the search is the most important point.

ALL writers are encouraged to submit. Doesn’t matter if you’re a pro with years of credits, a beginner just starting out, or a teenager – please feel free to send the editor a story. In your cover email, please tell the editor a bit about yourself and a quick one-line synopsis of the story. Include genre. If experimental, please explain the type or how so the editor doesn’t edit out the form or reject it out of hand.

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Taking Submissions: Tales of Galactic Pest Control

Deadline: July 1st, 2025
Payment: $100 or higher depending on Kickstartr
Theme: Short stories that explore the theme of pest control in creative, unexpected, and engaging ways.

We’re seeking original short stories that explore the theme of pest control in creative, unexpected, and engaging ways. However, don’t be misled by the title—this is not a shared-universe project, nor does your story have to be set in space or on an alien world. Your tale can take place anywhere—on a starship, in a medieval village, deep in the jungle, or even within the microcosm of a single human body. The crucial element is the struggle against some form of infestation, nuisance, or destructive force.

Your protagonist might be a seasoned exterminator, a desperate homeowner battling an alien infestation, or even the pest itself, trying to survive against overwhelming odds. We welcome a wide range of tones, from serious and thought-provoking explorations of ethical dilemmas to lighthearted, comedic takes on interstellar vermin problems. Whether your story leans toward hard science fiction, space opera, fantasy, horror, or slipstream, as long as it aligns with the pest control theme, we want to see it!

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Taking Submissions: Elven Rock of Ages

Deadline: August 31st, 2025
Payment: Royalties
Theme: A 1980s band that end up in a fantasy kingdom (a few specific details to include below.)

Announcing the latest open call by Ps and Qs Publishing! Elven Rock of Ages

 

What I’m Looking For: 

 

Rift is tired of ruling his Elven Kingdom. He’s been maintaining peace for a thousand years. His son is ready to take over and his daughter is leading his armies. He has nothing to do except sit in his court and pretend to be entertained. Enter a 1980s band that managed to stumble into his kingdom. Finally, something new. Deciding that playing rock music is how he wants to spend his time, he and three of his most trusted guards head out into the world. They take on the names, 

 

Rift – singer

Belanger – bass 

Draye – guitar 

Todd – drummer (Someone has to have a normal human name.) 

1988 – Band Name

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Taking Submissions: High Stakes and Bloody Business

Deadline: July 31st, 2025
Payment: One free paperback OR $10 USD
Theme: Stories that involve vampires. Your vampire(s) can be the whumpee, whumper, and/or caretaker. We will also consider stories about vampire-adjacent creatures such as dhampirs, succubi, etc.

Bring out your vampires! For WPP’s fourth anthology, we’re looking for stories that involve vampires. Your vampire(s) can be the whumpee, whumper, and/or caretaker. We will also consider stories about vampire-adjacent creatures such as dhampirs, succubi, etc.

Word Count: Up to 17,500 words

 

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Taking Submissions: Skull X Bones

Deadline: June 30th, 2025
Payment: 0.08 USD / word and royalties
Theme: Science Fiction or Fantasy pirate stories

Avast, ye scurvy dogs! It’s time to plunder! Pirates have enchanted and haunted readers for generations, from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island to the ill-fated Firefly. Whether it’s Blackbeard, Mal, or Han Solo, we love our swashbucklers, our One-Eyed Willies, and our scruffy-looking nerfherders. In SKULL X BONES, we want writers to give us their best science fiction or fantasy pirates, whether they be on the sailing ships of the deep wide ocean or the spaceships of the black void!

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Taking Submissions: Untitled Science Fiction Anthology

Deadline: August 1st, 2025
Payment: $10 and a contributors copy
Theme: Pure science fiction stories between 2,000 and 8,000 words

What we Want: Good science fiction stories between 2,000 and 8,000 words for our upcoming anthology. No fantasy or horror. We will read any science fiction stories.

What we Don’t Want: We don’t want porn. No poetry. We don’t want pure romance stories, but of course you can have romance in the story (You know what we mean). If you don’t have a clue then just send it anyway, I reckon.

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Taking Submissions: Saturday Mourning Television

Deadline: June 30th, 2025
Payment: $35 and a contributors copy
Theme: Short horror fiction inspired by early morning kids TV

Send us your best short horror fiction inspired by early morning kids TV for our next anthology, Saturday Mourning Television. Tune us in to something scary based on any decade you like: the educational/bizarre 1960’s & 70’s, the advert-packed 80’s, the radical 90’s, the wayward & wacky 2000’s or anything beyond. Even web-based entertainment is fair game. And don’t limit yourself to tales involving kids, what about parents, or performers & hosts, workers behind the scenes, even animated creations. Let your imagination go wild, and remember not to sit too close to the screen!

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