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Deadline: May 31st, 2016 Payment: $500 and 25 contributors copies. What kind of stories is One Story looking for? One Story is seeking literary fiction. Because of our format, we can only accept stories between 3,000 and 8,000 words. They can be any style and on any subject as long as they are good. We are looking for stories that leave readers feeling satisfied and are strong enough to stand alone. Does One Story pay money? Yes. One Story is offering $500 and 25 contributors copies for First Serial North American rights. All rights will revert to the author upon publication. Does One Story accept previously published material? One Story is looking for previously unpublished material. However, if a story has been published in print outside of North America, it will be considered. No stories previously published online will be accepted. Does One Story accept simultaneous submissions? Yes, but please notify us immediately if your submission is accepted for publication elsewhere. What file types can I submit? We accept PDF, RTF, and TXT files that are less than 500KB. Please include the story title and all writer contact info on the first page of the submitted file. Will you send me comments on my story? No. One Story receives close to 100 submissions each week. Please understand that we do not have time to comment on individual stories. Can I change the story I submitted with an updated draft? No. Do you consider translations? Yes. Please include the name of the original author and language, as well as the name of the translator on the first page of your submission. How do I submit to One Story? We have an automated system for you to send us your work. It will securely send our editors your story and email you...

Deadline: May 31st, 2016 Payment: CAN 6 cents per word. The payment is an advance against royalties. A contributor’s copy is included. Note: Author must have an Asian heritage Proposed Anthology Title: Where the Stars Rise (working title) Proposed Sub-Title: Asian Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories Proposed Series Title: Laksa Anthology Series: Speculative Fiction Genre: All original short speculative fiction Anthology Editors: Lucas K. Law & Derwin Mak Theme: This speculative fiction anthology contains original stories to celebrate Asian diversity, featuring an Asian main character, Asian setting and/or some amount of Asian elements, by authors with an Asian heritage. We consider Asian countries as those defined by United Nations in Wikipedia.  Authors do not need to reside in Asia to participate in this anthology. We welcome translated story from other languages to English (no English reprints, please). Proposed Anthology: We are looking for stories to celebrate character diversity (ethnic, age, walks of life/socio-economics, sexuality, etc.). We leave the question as to what determine Asian theme open so not to restrict creativity. No stereotypes or clichéd portrayal of cultures or stories based purely on showing the strangeness or exoticism of a culture. No erotica. Cross-genre is encouraged. This anthology is geared towards Young Adult and Adult. Project Objectives: • A portion of Laksa Media’s net revenue from this anthology will go directly to support Kids Help Phone. • Laksa Media will donate CAN$500 upon the publication of this anthology to Kids Help Phone. Submission Guidelines: Length: <7,000 words File Format: .doc, .docx, or .rtf only Use Submittable to submit your story for this anthology (DO NOT USE the Laksa Media online submission form).  Submittable opens on December 1, 2015. No reprints: No simultaneous submissions: No multiple submissions. We want to have a balance between science fiction and fantasy, with at least...

Deadline: May 31st, 2016 Payment: 5¢ a word Before submitting to SpeckLit, please read the submission details below carefully, then fill out the contact form at the bottom of this page to let us know a bit about yourself. Do not send us your submissions directly. We want to get to you know you first. Include your pen name, website, Twitter, and a link to your most recently published work (if you have one) in your initial contact. Fiction:  We are suckers for plot. If it ain’t got plot, it ain’t a story. We want each piece to have the feeling of a beginning, a middle, and an end (or inciting incident, attempt(s) to fix it, and climax). All fiction must be original. There are lots of places for fanfic – this isn’t one of them. And finally, of course, it also has to be speculative – fantasy, science fiction, myth fairy tale, dark fantasy, etc… – but no erotica and no gore. A well-placed swear word, the recognition that we are sexual beings, and off-camera violence are all okay, but within limits, eh? Besides, with the focus on plot, there’s no time to get all graphic. Titles do not count as part of the 100 words, and after your drabble, add a bit of an explanation of how you got there from the topic (but remember to keep it short!). Non-fiction: We also publish drabble-length reviews of spec-fic containing media – books, movies, video games, comics, TV shows (or even specific outstanding episodes of TV shows), etc… Make sure your reviews are non-nasty (negative reviews are fine, but be nice!), and of course, spoiler free. Again, you don’t have much space, so get to the point. Your hundred words do not need to include the title, author, director, stars,...

Deadline: $25 and a contributor's copy Payment: May 31, 2016 Level Best Books Submissions for 2016 are OPEN! Who’s won the Derringer, Macavity,  Anthony,  Agatha, Blanchard and Robert L. Fish Awards? Level Best Short Story Authors, that’s who! Level Best Books is an independent publishing cooperative devoted to publishing literature we enjoy and want to share with other readers.  The cooperative has published thirteen anthologies in the Best New England Crime Stories series, including Stone Cold (2013) and Rogue Wave (2014) and Red Dawn (2015).  The collection is published each fall and launched at the New England mystery conference Crime Bake. Authors whose work is selected receive $25 and one free copy of the anthology. Starting January 1, 2016 we will be accepting submissions for our fourteenth anthology. The submission requirements and procedures have changed from previous years, so please read our Guidelines carefully before submitting. Guidelines Stories must be set in New England* or be written by a New England author in the following genres: mystery, thriller, suspense, caper, and horror. (No torture/killing of children or animals). Stories must not exceed 5,000 words. Stories must be previously unpublished in print or electronically, including self-published works (to include author websites). Stories from both published and unpublished authors will be considered. The Level Best editors will consider up to two stories from the same author in the same submission year. Stories submitted once previously, and not published in the interim, are welcome, especially those that have been revised. New England stories are set in the six New England* states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. If you have questions about whether your story qualifies, please query before submitting. *Please note: this is a change from previous years. Authors do not need to reside in New England to be considered for the anthology. How...

Deadline: May 31, 2016 Payment: $25 plus one contributor’s copy Circuses are supposed to be places of joy and wonder, but they are also full of clowns and many people find clowns distinctly creepy. Circuses come into town and disappear after a brief stay, leaving behind nothing but a memory of the magic. They are homes for misfits, bearded ladies and contortionists who might be shunned in the outside world. What better environment than a circus for a story of magic and wonder that leaves you wondering if it ever happened. Give us your best wonderful, dark, or fantastic story about the circus. What we don’t want to see: Gratuitous anything – violence, sex, profanity, doesn’t matter. If it is not integral to the story and it’s not advancing the plot or character development, we don’t want to see blood, gore, or sex just for shock value’s sake (this goes for language too). We are not opposed to violence, sex, or profanity – as long as it belongs in the story and it’s not just there to shock and titillate. Some things would be a very hard sell for us, like rape or torture of any sort, and torture of children or animals will get an immediate rejection. Think of how far we’re willing to go based on the well known movie rating system – if it would qualify for a PG, PG-13, or R rating, we’ll look at it. If it would be NC-17 or up, we’ll have to pass, thank you. Word Count: We’re looking for stories that fall in the 3,000 to 10,000 word range. We will consider looking at stories outside this range, but they need to be just too good for us to pass up. You have a much better chance if you keep the...

Deadline: May 31st, 2016 Payment: $25 plus one contributor’s copy The Concept: Let’s go to the circus Circuses are supposed to be places of joy and wonder, but they are also full of clowns and many people find clowns distinctly creepy. Circuses come into town and disappear after a brief stay, leaving behind nothing but a memory of the magic. They are homes for misfits, bearded ladies and contortionists who might be shunned in the outside world. What better environment than a circus for a story of magic and wonder that leaves you wondering if it ever happened. Give us your best wonderful, dark, or fantastic story about the circus. What we don’t want to see: Gratuitous anything – violence, sex, profanity, doesn’t matter. If it is not integral to the story and it’s not advancing the plot or character development, we don’t want to see blood, gore, or sex just for shock value’s sake (this goes for language too). We are not opposed to violence, sex, or profanity – as long as it belongs in the story and it’s not just there to shock and titillate. Some things would be a very hard sell for us, like rape or torture of any sort, and torture of children or animals will get an immediate rejection. Think of how far we’re willing to go based on the well known movie rating system – if it would qualify for a PG, PG-13, or R rating, we’ll look at it. If it would be NC-17 or up, we’ll have to pass, thank you. Word Count: We’re looking for stories that fall in the 3,000 to 10,000 word range. We will consider looking at stories outside this range, but they need to be just too good for us to pass up. You have a...

Deadline: May 31, 2016 Payment: CAN 6 cents per word advance against royalties and contributor's copy A proposal for an science fiction anthology Where the Stars Rise: Asian Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories (working title) is out.  All original short speculative fiction is welcome for submission.  The anthology editors are Lucas K. Law & Derwin Mak. This speculative fiction anthology contains original stories to celebrate Asian diversity, featuring an Asian main character, Asian setting and/or some amount of Asian elements, by authors with an Asian heritage. Asian countries as those defined by United Nations in Wikipedia. Authors do not need to reside in Asia to participate in this anthology. (Image via Shutterstock) It welcomes translated story from other languages to English (no English reprints, please).  Stories to celebrate character diversity (ethnic, age, walks of life/socio-economics, sexuality, etc.). We leave the question as to what determine Asian theme open so not to restrict creativity. No stereotypes or clichéd portrayal of cultures or stories based purely on showing the strangeness or exoticism of a culture. No erotica. Cross-genre is encouraged. This anthology is geared towards Young Adult and Adult. Project Objectives: • A portion of Laksa Media’s net revenue from this anthology will go directly to support Kids Help Phone. • Laksa Media will donate CAN$500 upon the publication of this anthology to Kids Help Phone. Submission Guidelines: Length: <7,000 words File Format: .doc, .docx, or .rtf only Use Submittable to submit your story for this anthology (DO NOT USE the Laksa Media online submission form). Submittable opens on December 1, 2015. No reprints: No simultaneous submissions: No multiple submissions. The anthology will have a balance between science fiction and fantasy, with at least 50% science fiction. However, anthology editors tend to receive more fantasy than science fiction submissions. Therefore, it encourages more science fiction stories of...