Deadline: December 15th, 2024
Payment: 8 cents a word for fiction and essays (1500 words or less). $25 for short poems (ten lines or less), $50 for longer poems. Includes one contributor copy.
Theme: Space and Science Fiction Horror (must have horror elements, not just sci-fi.)

Seeking original short stories, essays, and poems for our Winter 2025 issue.

THEME: Space and Science Fiction Horror (must have horror elements, not just sci-fi.)

DEADLINE: December 15, 2024

PAYMENT: 8 cents a word for fiction and essays (1500 words or less). $25 for short poems (ten lines or less), $50 for longer poems. Includes one contributor copy.

No reprints or multiple submissions, please. Exclusive rights for six months after publication.

ACCEPTING MAIL-IN SUBMISSIONS ONLY!

Mail your submissions to: La Regina Studio/Grundy Commons/925 Canal Street/Bristol, PA 19007

Decision notices are sent through email so there is no need to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Please include your email address with your submission. All submissions must be typed (cover letters preferred but not mandatory) and be properly formatted.

Frequently Asked Question: What kind of stories are you looking for?

We generally enjoy “fun”, “80s style” horror reminiscent of the zine’s old-school vibe, but we’ve also been blown away by fresh voices that take the genre in a new direction. That being said, the best chance for your story being accepted by Book Worms is to follow the submission guidelines. Make sure your story is of the horror genre, mail in your submission versus email, meet the deadline, and don’t exceed the word count limit. And if your story doesn’t make it, please keep trying. We’ve had to turn down many excellent stories due to space constraints alone. A good way to get an idea about what we’re looking for is to read our current issue or one of our back issues that are still available.

A Few Tips:

• Mail early. Unfortunately, we’ve had a few submissions lost in the mail and that didn’t arrive until weeks after the deadline.
• Consider writing shorter stories. Sometimes we have just enough room to a 500-800 word flash fiction piece.

It might also be helpful to explain what we don’t want.

• Paranormal romance (Love the genre. It’s not right for Book Worms.)
• Overtly political themes.
• Beyond the pale violence or pornographic material. Keep it fun, kids.

Via: R. Saint Claire.