Dedline: August 15th 2012
Payment: shared royalties plus one eBook and one print contributor’s copy.

Once in a while a random idea strikes me at an inopportune moment, like just before the movie begins at the theatre. That’s what happened with this one. Luckily, I remembered it and decided to do an anthology. This one is a little different than the ones we’ve done before, as I’m looking for stories with a strong sci-fi theme mixed with horror.

The premise is a future society that dehumanizes its population. What if, in order to receive welfare (Medicaid, food stamps, the dole—for those of you across the Atlantic) you had to be put on a national donor’s registry? And what if someone who wasn’t on welfare needed an organ and you were the only match? Yes, imagine a government that makes citizens pay for their aid in one way or another. And that’s what I’m looking for—stories set in a not so distant future gone horribly wrong.

I already have a few stories for the anthology, one by the incomparable Gene O’Neill. Length should be 3000 to 8000 words. If the story is longer, please query. If you have any questions, please feel free to query also. Deadline is August 15th and the proposed date of publication is November 10th, conveniently planned to coincide with the inevitable dissatisfaction of the US presidential election. (I mean one side’s always disgruntled, right?)

So reread Orwell’s 1984 and Bradbury’s 451 Fahrenheit and then attempt to top them. Send your submissions to [email protected]. Please refer to our submission guidelines for proper formatting. Subs which are not properly formatted or do not include a cover letter will be returned unread.

[via: Angelic Knightpress]