Submission Window: April 1st-30th, 2022
Payment: $0.03 per word up to 4000 words
Theme: Take your least favorite horror trope and make it work.

What is your least favorite horror trope? Why? Has it been overdone? Is it predictable? Is it unrealistic?

Here’s your chance to fix it.

Open call submission window open April 1, 2022 – April 30, 2022.

Extended submission window exclusively for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and marginalized writers open May 1, 2022 – May 7, 2022.

The anthology will be a mix of solicited stories and stories selected from the open call submission period.

What are we looking for?

Short horror, weird, dark fiction between 1500 and 4000 words (firm limit) that take your least favorite horror trope and make it work.

Take a trope that’s well-worn, overused, predictable, tough to swallow, and scare the hell out of us with it. Turn it on its head, or make it bizarre enough to still surprise. Really take some time to understand why your chosen trope often fails and how you can make it into a successful (read: scary, surprising, weird, shocking, heartwrenching, maybe even funny) horror story.

This anthology is open to all writers, but we strongly encourage writers from the LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and other marginalized communities to submit.

What are we NOT looking for?

• Stories that deal with bigotry are fine, but bigoted stories are not.

• Graphic rape or sexual assault scenes will not be accepted.

• Any story that does not contain elements of horror, weird fiction, or dark fiction will not be considered.

• Erotic elements are fine, but keep in mind this is not a call for erotica so make sure it contains elements of horror, weird, or dark fiction.

How to submit:

Word format (.docx), in something approximating standard manuscript format (double-spaced, 12pt font, word count and email address on the first page). We’re not a huge stickler for font, but please don’t hit us with novelty fonts (comic sans, papyrus, etc.).

Attach the file to an email and send to [email protected]. Include your name, story title, and the name of the anthology in the subject heading (e.g., It Was All A Dream — Firstname Lastname — “Story Title”). In the body of the email, please include your brief cover letter (I’m not basing decisions on prior success so publication history is not necessary), a short (around 100 words) description of the trope on which you’ve based your story, and a short (around 100 words) author bio.

Pay, rights, etc.:

$0.03 per word up to 4000 words, paid via PayPal, and an ebook copy of the anthology.

Exclusive First Worldwide Publication, Print, and Electronic Rights for three months, and non-exclusive rights thereafter.

Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know as quickly as possible if you intend to withdraw your submission.

Accepted authors will be asked to provide a story note for their story, at or below 300 words.

Please, no reprints.

Via: Brandon Applegate.