Events

Deadline: February 28th, 2014 Payment: $10/piece + a hard copy of the issue your piece appears in. Despumation is a literary magazine published by Despumation Press (go figure). Before you do anything, read this. Seriously. As a matter of fact, it’s a really good idea if you read everything on this page and the links provided, which actually isn’t very much. Because we can tell if you haven’t read it. You’ve been warned. For our first issue, we’re concentrating on song stories: short fiction based on your favorite metal song. To get a good idea as to what we’re looking for, click here. When I read your story out loud, I want to hear the metal. Trying to figure out how to structure your story? Listen to (a) song; use its rhythm and tempo to hammer out (a) plot and timing. Are you at a place where the topic or action seems particularly “metal” to you? Read it out loud. What does it sound like? Are there some consonants that sound more pounding, or sharp, or burning, or stabbing? Are there some vowels that drone on, drag out? Use those words, but don’t sacrifice meaning. How about your setting? Does it evoke the plodding of the drums and bass? Does it look like the vocalist sounds? I know, right? It’s harder than you thought it’d be. This is what I’m looking for. Stories that celebrate a (metal)’s theme(s) and sound; stories that read like a live show. Stories that make the reader feel like they’ve just spent twelve hours with a warm beer in their hand, satisfyingly half-time nodding to the bowel-shaking pulse of a double bass, or like they’ve just crawled out of a pit and are wondering if maybe something is broken. It’ll be a challenge for the writer, but I...

Deadline: February 28th 2014 Payment: Equal share of profits in the form of royalty payments We are currently looking for submissions for our first ever publication! Closing date: 28th of February, 2014. More than anything we want to see horror stories between 2,000 and 8,000 words. The tales can be any type of horror fiction, from perverted lunatics to rampaging aliens. All we ask is that it is something original. Gore is acceptable as long as the story is not just violence. We're looking for interesting characters and narratives. If your story takes place in an alternate universe or on a distant planet, then above all it has to be believable. Stories do not need to be straight up in-your-face kind of horror, sometimes a more subtle approach is just as entertaining. We hope to attract a wide range of submissions. Document format is not particularly important, but all manuscripts should be created in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx). When submitting please use the word 'Submission' as the subject. Please include your name and email address at the top of your manuscript and please also number the pages. Should you wish to hype your own ability by telling us of awards you have won or previous publications you have had, then please do so in the main body of the email. If your submission happens to be unsuccessful then we will aim to provide you with some feedback and we hope that it will not put you off the idea of submitting again in the future. We intend to make our debut release via Create Space to save on cost. All contributing authors will receive an equal share of the profits, NoodleDoodle Publications will take one author's share. If I (the creator of NoodleDoodle) use one of my stories I...

Deadline: February 28th 2014 or until filled Payment: There will be five Editor’s Choice Awards for $30 CAN each. Each Editor’s Choice Award winner will receive a free contributor paperback copy and $30 amok (also amuck) adv. 1. In a frenzy to do violence or kill; 2. In or into a jumbled or confused state; 3. In or into an uncontrolled state or a state of extreme activity.   The flagship title for our planned series of volumes under the banner 'Short Sharp Shocks' is 'Amok!'. Why not 'Amuck'? We like Amok more.   Who, exactly, should be running amok? That's up to you. An average Joe snaps, an old-folk's home goes on a murderous rampage, giant monsters level your least favorite city, a good old psychopath picks up his favorite mask and hatchet or irradiated gerbils terrorize a town - the sky's the limit!   What we are looking for: Short stories with a sting in the tail. Stories that grab the reader from the opening line and shake them into submission, finally delivering a punchline like a slap in the face with a large fish. Don't be afraid to inject a little dark humor if need be, but slapstick is out.   Settings: Anything goes, any genre, any time period. If the story is compelling and the characters relatable, then we will be happy to consider your work.   Story length: We are looking for stories in the 2000 - 5000 word range. See the submissions page for other requirements.   Submission period will be from December 1st 2013 until February 28th 2014 or until book is filled, so don't wait until the last minute.   Multiple submissions: YES. Simultaneous submissions - NO.  Reprints - NO. Acceptances and rejections will go out as work is reviewed.   All submissions should be attached in an email and sent to [email protected] The subject...

Deadline: February 28th, 2014 Payment: From 2,500 to 6,000 words: $15US plus a copy of the print edition. For countries other than the United States, $15US plus a copy of the digital edition.From 6,000 to 8,000 words, $25US plus a copy of the print edition. For countries other than the United States, $25US plus a copy of the digital edition.   Publisher: Villainous Press Working Title: Steampunk: The Worlds Beyond Submission Period: January 4th, 2014 to February 28th, 2014. Publication Date: July 1st, 2014. Standard manuscript format, these files acceptable: .doc, .docx, .rtf Required story elements: Protagonist is either a (strong, empowered) female OR an under-represented race (Black, Hispanic, Middle-Eastern, Asian, Native, etc.) The setting must be anywhere EXCEPT on Earth. Please worldbuild so we can “see” your setting. You may mix in dark, horror, mystery, romantic, fantasy, or science fiction elements, as long as it doesn’t overpower the theme of steampunk. This is a Steampunk anthology, so there must be Steampunk elements. A bit of electricity or dieselpunk is acceptable, but the majority must be steam-oriented. A solid plot involving a conflict of some sort. Make your “villain” believable and a good match for your hero. Stories must be between 2,500 words and 8,000 words, strict. If you use science, get the details right. You can use magic (if explained and the ground rules are set) and Aether if you are using it for propulsion or airships. A poorly edited submission will be rejected. Clean up your mess before submitting. Yes, it will be edited by no less than two editors, but if we run out of red ink, we’ll be annoyed. Submissions via Submittable or email. A link is located below this open call. World first rights for print and digital. If your story is astounding, send it to Asimov’s or Clarkesworld first. Bear...

Deadline: February 28th, 2014 Payment: 1¢ per word up to 2500 words (minimum $5.00; maximum $25.00) Big Pulp is now OPEN for submissions. PLEASE READ THESE GUIDELINES CAREFULLY BEFORE SUBMITTING! BIG PULP is now accepting submissions for an upcoming Zombie-themed collection. Deadline: February 28, 2014 Big Pulp is seeking submissions of fiction related to zombies (sorry, no poems this time). zombie zombiezombie2 We love the undead, but the term "zombie" can be interpreted a lot of ways. Successful subs will look outside the box. We've seen zombie plagues, zombies hordes, zombie hunters, and zombie super-heroes. What else have you got? Characters matter. So does story. Would your story work without zombies? If so, chances are good we'd like to see it. As always, we'll consider all genres, providing they link back to the theme. So, zombie SF, zombie mystery or romance, fantasy or horror - it's all good. For this reading period, we are accepting submissions on this theme only. We are not reading or accepting work not related to zombies. Submissions that do not fall under the theme will be returned to the author. Send submissions to submissions (at) bigpulp (dot) com General guidelines and payment terms are listed below. Once again: zombies only. GUIDELINES Big Pulp is an online journal featuring genre fiction and artwork of all kinds. We are actively seeking submissions of prose, poetry, photography, artwork, and comics for our pages. We define “pulp fiction” very broadly – it’s lively, challenging, thought-provoking, thrilling, and fun, regardless of how many or how few genre elements are packed in. We don’t subscribe to the theory that genre fiction is disposable; in our opinion, a great deal of literary fiction could easily fall under one of our general categories. Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry Big Pulp requests print and electronic rights....