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Taking Submissions: Shub-Niggurath’s Sweater

Name: Taking Submissions: Shub-Niggurath’s Sweater
Start: 2023-08-11T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2023-08-11T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Underland Press

August 11, 2023

Deadline: August 11th, 2023
Payment: 1 cent per word
Theme: Cozy cosmic horror

UNDERLAND PRESS is publishing SHUB-NIGGURATH’S SWEATER, a cozy cosmic horror anthology. This project will be edited by Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito and Mark Teppo, and it will be launching in October 2023.

THE PITCH:
We acknowledge the futility inherent in cosmic horror. There are no winners in this life. Ultimately, we are insignificant and existence is meaningless. The best minds gibber at the unholiness of it all, and then cack off because they can’t comprehend any alternative.

Whatever. The rest of us still have to get up in the morning and go to work.

We want to see stories about those who continue on. Stories about those who know their spouses are planning on sacrificing them during the next full moon, but in the meantime, these spouses make a solid mac and cheese and they listen when you bitch about the absurd emptiness that is the day job.

Send us stories about those who shed a quiet tear as they wait for the tea kettle to boil, knowing who they buried—for the second time—in the yard less than an hour ago.

Tell us tales of those who know where the black wool comes from, but they wear the sweater anyway because it was a gift—an expression of love—and, well, screw being alone because that’s worse than the horror of the unknowable, isn’t it?

This is Shub-Niggurath’s Sweater. Wrap it tight. Burn some sage. Light a few candles. Yes, the Old Ones are out there, but there’s no reason not to be cozy.

THE DETAILS:

This project is on an extremely short deadline. The submission window is open now and closes August 11th, 2023. Stories should be between 1,000 and 5,000 words. We’ll consider longer stories, but we’re not interested in novellas for this project. We’re totally down with poetry, and would love to see it.

We are actively interested in submissions from writers of underrepresented communities, including, but in no way limited to, writers of any gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, nationality, class, and physical or mental ability. Underland Press believes in the rich potential and diversity of humanity, and yes, there’s something in the dark for all of us to be terrified about.

Stories should be in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format. Please submit them to [email protected] with a brief cover letter that hits the highlights. Pay is $0.01/word, with an industry-standard pro-rata backend. Rights sought will be first publication, as well as a reasonable period of exclusivity. We are not considering reprints for this project.

Again, because we are intending to launch this anthology in October, the submission window will close August 11th. Production will commence immediately thereafter.

Via: Underland Press.