Deadline: June 15 2013
Payment: $5 advance against % of future royalties split between contributors and paid annually (stories under 1,000 words will receive only the $5 advance), as well as a paperback copy of the anthology.

Anthologist: Eileen Wiedbrauk

Specter Spectacular II: 13 Deathly Tales. The shift from Specter Spectacular I’s “ghostly tales” to Specter Spectacular II’s “deathly tales” is a slight one, but rather than repeat of the first anthology, we hope to expand on the content and story tropes while still holding onto the eerie and enthralling feeling associated with the classic ghost story. While the final anthology will likely include some stories of ghosts and hauntings, we hope to feature rifts between worlds, specters and jack-o’-lanters, ghosts that are not ghosts, psychopomps (characters who conduct spirits or souls to the other world, such as Charon, the Valkyries, the Grim Reaper, etc.), psychic mediums, and tales of crossing over … and back … and perhaps over and back again. We’re quite intrigued by the possibilities (gothic, mythological, modern, etc.) and are looking forward to seeing what authors bring to the table. We recommend a familiarity with Specter Spectacular: 13 Ghostly Tales. As we did in the first volume, we will seek a mix of scary, eerie, beautiful, and funny stories to round out the reading experience. The first volume made Tangent’s 2012 recommended reading list and was named a Night Owl Review Top Pick; we hope to see the same quality of fiction or higher in volume II.

Rights and compensation: Payment: $5 advance against % of future royalties split between contributors and paid annually (stories under 1,000 words will receive only the $5 advance), as well as a paperback copy of the anthology. Will consider new and reprinted works in English. For previously unpublished works: Seeking first world rights in English and exclusive right to publish in print and electronic format for six months after publication date, after which publisher retains nonexclusive right to continue to publish for life of the anthology. For reprints: Seeking non-exclusive right to publish in print and electronic formats for life of anthology. Preference for stories which have not been anthologized previously.

Open submission period: May 1 – June 15, 2013.

Length: Under 10,000 words.

Submission method: Email cover letter + story to submissions[at]worldweaverpress.com with the subject line “Specter Spectacular II – story title.” Cover letter should contain your name, contact info, story’s title, approximate word count, and where/when the story was previously published (if you’re seeking a reprint); no need to summarize the story, let it speak for itself. Then paste the full story into the body of the email following your letter. Please make it very clear where paragraphs break — this means if your email doesn’t let you indent paragraphs, you’ll need to put an extra space between each paragraph for submission purposes. Do not send unrequested attachments.

Please do not resubmit stories which were declined during the first Specter Spectacular submission period unless they have been greatly re-written in the interim.

Simultaneous submissions = okay. Multiple submissions = no.

*Note: World Weaver Press is a market for LGBT, multi-ethnic, multi-national, non-tradition fiction. We’re more concerned with “well written” than any other marker.