Events

Deadline: March 31st, 2017 Payment: $75USD In 2017, Orford Parish Books will be releasing WOULD BUT TIME AWAIT: AN ANTHOLOGY OF NEW ENGLAND FOLK HORROR (edited by s.j. bagley, editor of THINKING HORROR: A JOURNAL OF HORROR PHILOSOPHY.) Please read and the guidelines before submitting a query and direct all queries to [email protected] with the subject header ‘FOLK HORROR QUERY.’ (All stories sent without a prior query will be deleted, unread.) WHAT WE DEFINE AS FOLK HORROR AND WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR. For the purposes of this project, we are defining folk horror as horror literature in which the present (which can be a year/decade of the author’s choosing) collides with the history, folklore, traditions, and psychogeography of a region and where that collision has a significant impact on the present (as defined in the work.) We are looking for work that uses the physical, historical, and social landscapes of New England as a focal point (rather than a story that could be set anywhere else but just happens to be set in New England.) There is a long and rich history of horrific and strange folklore in New England but that doesn’t mean a writer needs to restrict themselves to it and writers are perfectly welcome to invent their own folklore, traditions, and fictional New England locations. We should also stress that, while Folk Horror has largely been a rural construct, we by no means consider a rural location to be necessary to any working definition of the term. A few examples of what we consider Folk Horror in literature: Stephen King- ‘Pet Sematary.’ Stephen King- ‘Bag of Bones.’ Peter Straub- ‘Ghost Story.’ Peter Straub- ‘Floating Dragon.’ Toni Morrison- ‘Beloved.’ H.P. Lovecraft- ‘The Picture In The House.’ M.R. James- ‘View From a Hill.’ John Farris- ‘All Heads Turn When...

Deadline: March 31st, 2017 Payment: $10 Canadian MacKenzie Publishing is accepting fiction submissions for its second anthology, stories for 18+, titled TWO EYES OPEN. Look at the picture below. What comes to mind? (horror, suspense, thriller, mystery, etc.) Submission deadline: March 31, 2017, or when anthology is full Payment: $10 Canadian per story, paid via Paypal Word count: 2,500 to 5,000 words Publication date: August 1, 2017 MacKenzie Publishing does not accept material which has been published previously, either online or in print. By submitting to MacKenzie Publishing, you are assuring that you hold the rights to the work and are granting MacKenzie Publishing the right to publish the submitted work. MacKenzie Publishing will require exclusive rights to the stories until December 31, 2017. To Submit: Paste info and document in the body of an email (no attachments) in this order: -Title of story, your name, email, word count -Story -Bio (up to 150 words) Email stories to MacKenzie Publishing at: [email protected] Put the title of your submission in the subject line. In the meantime, “like” the TWO EYES OPEN  Facebook Page. Via: Mackenzie Publishing.

Deadline: March 31st, 2017 Payment: Contributor's Copy In 2013, GLAHW Member, Ken MacGregor had a brilliant idea for a Special Auction Prize at the annual Monster Mash for Literacy Bash  – raffle off the opportunity for the winner’s name to become the sole theme of a future Anthology. Several brave souls went into the hat and one emerged victorious. Thus, Recurring Nightmares was born. We have now opened this anthology to all writers in the Sci-Fi, Horror, Dark Fantasy genre. We however always encourage new members, so join us, won’t you? The theme for Recurring Nightmares IV (2017) is Ruth’s Nightmares. Every story must contain the character’s name and a dog and/or a quilt (see below). Deadline is March 31, 2017 with a publication date of June/July 2017, with cover art to be announced. Please submit all stories to [email protected] Quick and dirty Submission Guidelines (from Ken, the Head Editor and Creator of Recurring Nightmares) Ruth’s Recurring Nightmares (the fourth in the series) guidelines for writers:   Thank you for choosing to submit to the fourth annual Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers (GLAHW) mini-anthology. This time around, we’re looking for horror fiction, between 2,000 and 5,000 words, featuring a character named Ruth. She can be the protagonist, antagonist, monster, victim, friend, etc. As long as she (or, I suppose they, since gender fluidity is fine) plays a significant, if not pivotal role in the story. The other requirement is that the story contain either a dog or a quilt. Or both, if you’re feeling particularly ambitious. Stipulation: if the dog comes to any sort of harm in the story, you will automatically be rejected. This not negotiable. Don’t hurt the dog. Please follow the standard format rules. Here’s a handy site, in case you’re not conversant with those: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html. The only things...

Deadline: March 31st, 2017 Payment: $200 and 2 contributor's copies A Fool for You—LGBTQIA—Clowns. Pick pockets. Magicians. Jesters. Witches. Demons. Even gods. Tales of Tricksters abound in every culture, sometimes as fools, sometimes as sly schemers too smart for anyone’s good. They are often known as shape shifters and gender fluid—and they are always up to something. Sometimes for good, sometimes for evil, sometimes simply to see what happens… Less Than Three Press invites you to submit stories of tricksters and all the mischief they can manage—and what happens when they meet their match. THE DETAILS: Deadline is March 31, 2017. Put SUBMISSIONS: A FOOL FOR YOU in the subject line. Stories should be at least 10,000 words and should not exceed approx 20,000 words in length. Stories must revolve around the theme of tricksters. Stories must have a happily ever after (HEA) or happy for now (HFN) end. Any sub-genre is gladly accepted: sci-fi, mystery, contemporary, steampunk, etc. All usual LT3 submission guidelines apply. A Fool For You is a general release anthology, which means authors will receive a flat payment of $200.00 once LT3 has a signed contract. Examples: Lovely, Dark and Deep, A Touch of Mistletoe. Authors will receive one copy each of the ebook formats LT3 produces and two copies of the paperback compilation. Stories should be complete before submitting, and as edited as possible—do not submit a first draft. They can be submitted in any format (doc, docx, rtf, odt, etc) preferably single spaced in an easy to read font (Times, Calibri, Arial) with no special formatting (no elaborate section separation, special fonts, etc). Additional formatting guidelines can be found here. Questions should be directed to the Editor in Chief, Samantha M. Derr, at [email protected] (or you can ping her on twitter @rykaine). Submissions should...

Deadline: March 31st, 2017 Payment: $5 Are you a poet? An essayist? A short story writer? An artist? If you have a piece you'd like to submit for the next issue of The Violet Hour, we want to see it! Send us an email to the address listed below and attach any written work in PDF or Word.doc format, and all artwork in jpeg format to submit it for consideration. With the exception of submissions for the open December anthology, don't forget to use at least one of the themes chosen for each issue. (For details about issue themes, launch dates and more, see the above "News & Events" posts.)       [email protected] Submission Periods The Violet Hour Magazine is published quarterly, with three themed issues (published at the end of April, August and October) and one annual open-themed anthology (published at the end of December). Submission periods for the issues are as follows: 1. December 15th to March 31st (for April issue) 2. April 15th to July 31st (for August/September issue) 3. September 7th to October 14th (for October issue - *IMPORTANT:   October is a flash-submission issue - see September 7th News & Events post for details.) 4. January 1st to November 14th (for December open-anthology issue) *Please Note: Submissions made to any of the themed issues that are not selected for publication in their relevant issue will not be automatically considered for the December open-themed anthology. Contributors are asked not to re-submit work already previously submitted to The Violet Hour, unless invited to do so by one of our editorial staff. *Also Note: At this time, The Violet Hour Magazine will consider previously published works, as long as it has been a minimum of 6 months since the work's most recent publication. If your submission has previously been published elsewhere, please include the date and name of the publication in which it appeared, and a link to the publication's website in...

Deadline: March 31st, 2017 Payment: $0.06 (6 US cents) per word for fiction, $100 flat rate for poetry The fundraiser for this anthology at igg.me/at/problem-daughters has met its minimum goal and so publication and pro-payment is guaranteed. We can still do bigger and better with more funding, so keep spreading the word. Problem Daughters will amplify the voices of women who are sometimes excluded from mainstream feminism. It will be an anthology of beautiful, thoughtful, unconventional speculative fiction and poetry around the theme of intersectional feminism, focusing on the lives and experiences of marginalized women, such as those who are of color, QUILTBAG, disabled, sex workers, and all intersections of these. Call for Submissions Problem Daughters is an anthology of engaging tales that reflect the true complicated, colorful, intersectional nature of feminism, and of feminists. Not every woman in every community faces the same challenges, or shares the same vision of the world. Even the most well-intentioned model of feminism can leave out many people for the sake of presenting a palatable, unified front. Are there some communities that feel underserved or ignored by the prevailing norms and priorities in feminism (women of color, disabled women)? Do some women feel openly persecuted or attacked by mainstream feminist narratives (trans, non-binary, poly, sex workers)? What experiences are unique to these women, and what problems are created when we attempt to address women as a homogeneous group with a single set of concerns? Broadly speaking, feminist movements seek to empower women to agency, but what happens when a woman’s free and voluntary expression of agency clashes with her society’s popular notion of empowerment? What happens when her society’s model of feminism fails to address her needs, or the realities of her situation? We’re seeking works of speculative fiction and poetry (science fiction,...

Deadline: March 31st, 2017 Payment: $10 and a contributor's copy SONOFAWITCH! Anthologist: Trysh Thompson Open for Submissions: February 1, 2017 to March 31, 2017 Expected Publication: Fall 2017 Story Length: up to 15,000 words Payment: $10 + contributor copy No one is perfect—not even a witch. Witches have amazing power at their fingertips to do unbelievable things. That magic can come in really handy sometimes too. They can make someone fall in love, poison an apple to enact a sleeping curse, to banish an enemy to an alternate reality, or just to conjure up some Nutella when there is none in the house. But what happens when those spells go horribly awry? SONOFAWITCH! seeks humorous stories of spells gone wrong. What spell fell apart and how did the witch get out of it? Give me a contemporary setting (mainly because it lends itself to more humor). The rest is up to your imagination. Audience: Preference for New Adult/Adult, though a thoroughly compelling YA is fine Rights and compensation: Payment: $10 and a paperback copy of the anthology from World Weaver Press. We are looking for previously unpublished works in English. Seeking first world rights in English and nonexclusive right to continue to publish for the life of the anthology. Open submission period: February 1, 2017 - March 31, 2017 Length: Under 15,000 words Submission method: Send story as an attachment (.doc, .docx, or .rtf only) to thompsonworldweaverpress.com. Simultaneous submissions = okay. Multiple submissions = no. Expected Publication Date: Fall 2017 About the Anthologist: Trysh Thompson has written just about every form of non-fiction you can think of—everything from news, movie reviews, magazine columns, marketing hype, software manuals, and was even an editorial assistant on a gardening book no one has ever read (The 7-Minute Organic Garden—see, you’ve never heard of...

Deadline: March 31st, 2017 Payment: 2¢/word We will be creating an anthology titled Utter Fabrication: Historical Accounts of Unusual Buildings and Structures. It will be a collection of fictional stories about haunted houses and other weird places. For this anthology, our pay will be 2¢/word. We are particularly looking for stories from authors who are underrepresented in fiction: people of color, LGBTQ, non-Western religions and cultures. Each story is written from the perspective of someone who has encountered this strange location. Like our regular magazine, this narrator will also have a bio. Be certain that your story meets these requirements: ❏ 1st person ❏ 500-8000 words in length ❏ Focuses on a strange building or place ❏ Not a reprint Here are some ideas that we pitched when we made our Kickstarter, but this is meant to be inspirational and not definitive. Haunted houses, obviously. Space stations poised at the edge of an anomaly. Towns missing people for no clear reason. Espresso stands that travel through time. Malls that function as dimensional crossroads. A cursed painting in an otherwise empty field. Unusual sculptures that seem to come from out of this world. Structures or ruins left behind by indigenous peoples. (But please don’t stoop to “Indian burial ground” or similar tropes. Seriously, don’t be that person.) DO NOT send us poetry or screenplays. Submissions should be in Standard Manuscript Forum and sent via Submittable. As with our regular submissions, we are asking for exclusive first worldwide electronic and print rights for one year. For more information about how we normally do business, check out our Submissions page. Via: Mad Scientist Journal.

Deadline: March 31st, 2017 Payment: Short Fiction: $50 USD, Flash Fiction & Poetry: $25 USD Welcome to Kallisto Gaia Press. We are a nonprofit literary organization supporting writers at all stages of their careers. Although we don’t shy away from experimental or unusual approaches to literature, our goal is to promote finely crafted writing with an expressive and meaningful voice. We pay contributors to The Ocotillo Review upon publication We have an all volunteer staff so give us a few weeks after submissions close for notification of your submission’s status. Thank you for your understanding. CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!!! We welcome your submissions of short fiction, poetry, flash fiction and creative non-fiction for our inaugural edition of The Ocotillo Review.  Submissions for the Summer issue will open on January 15, 2017 and close at midnight CST on March 31, 2017. All work should be previously unpublished. Publication on your blog or social media is considered publication. We accept simultaneous submissions on the agreement that you will withdraw the submission if it is accepted elsewhere. GENERAL GUIDELINES Upon acceptance Kallisto Gaia Press retains First North American serial rights and the one-time digital rights to publish on our website. All other rights revert to the author upon publication. If the work is reprinted we request that Ocotillo Review is credited as the original publisher. Please submit your work in 12pt. Times New Roman font, Double spaced (except poetry). We prefer Word doc. but will accept pdf. and rtf. SHORT FICTION should be one story totaling 1000-3500 words not counting the title. Novel excerpts are allowed providing they can stand alone without extraneous notation. Accepted work pays $50 USD FLASH FICTION should be 500 words or less not counting titles. Include up to 3 pieces per entry in one document. Start each piece on a new...

Deadline: March 31, 2107 Payment: $100usd Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is OPEN to submissions through March 31, 2107.   Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is open to FICTION submissions four months per year. The months you can submit are: March June September December If you submit fiction in any other month, you will receive an auto-response and your tale will not be reviewed. We remain open for POETRY submissions at all times, however, so keep those coming! If you get an auto-response, don’t worry — as long as you mention poetry in the subject line your work will be reviewed. * * * As its name suggests, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is a quarterly ezine dedicated to publishing heroic fantasy — in both prose and poetry. We are unrepentant in our goal of elevating unapologetic sword and sorcery to a rightful high place. We pay $100 for stories and $25 for poems, upon publication.  (Scroll down for info on art submissions.) We purchase first world English language electronic rights, electronic rights for 90 days, archival rights for twelve months, and excerpt rights. As of 7-31-2013, we will publish in August, November, February, and May. Each issue will include up to three stories and two poems. Our fiction word limit is 10,000 words, although we are willing to serialize at a maximum of 50,000 words over four issues. You may submit up to three poems, with a cumulative maximum of 30 pages.  Tolkienesque (as in really long) poetry epics/sagas/vedas will most likely be treated — and paid — like fiction. Similarly, prose pieces of fewer than 1,000 words will be paid at poetry’s standard rate of $25. Art: HFQ is looking for quality banner art to accompany each new issue. Please review art from the past two issues to see the style we prefer. Image...

Deadline: March 31st, 2017 Payment: 1 cent per word Note: Female Authors Only! 'Killing it Softly 2' — The 2017 follow-up to the terrifying Killing It Softly, with Managing Editor Suzie Lockhart returning to put together a second volume of Women in Horror. Officially opening February 1, 2017 in celebration of Women in Horror Month 2017. Publication target: October 2017. Submissions close: March 31, 2017 (subject to extensions as may be required). Answers on submissions can be anticipated at any time up to September 2017, and may be delayed until after the submission period closes in March due to short-listing. Welcome to Digital Horror Fiction. We are excited to announce a new open call for reprint short stories in the horror fiction genre - dedicated to stories by female* authors. These stories will be published as part of an anthology (Killing it Softly 2) of short stories under the Digital Horror Fiction imprint, by the publisher, Digital Fiction Publishing Corp. This open call is for horror reprint short stories of 3,000 to 7500 words in length only.) Submissions will be reviewed for inclusion upon receipt. Please submit only ONE story for consideration at a time; multiple entries will be rejected. Once your story is accepted or rejected you may submit another story for consideration - but just one at a time, please. We are looking for reprint short stories that have appeared in professional or semi-professional books, magazines, collections, or anthologies, and that are available to be re-licensed by Digital Horror Fiction and published through Amazon and elsewhere in an anthology of stories. We are not looking for (and will not license) self published stories (in any format/venue), stories that have been published and are available to download on-line (free or paid) as stand-alone stories (in collections and anthologies is fine), or stories that are available free on-line in any form (magazine, archive, blog etc, but podcasts that have not been made available in print...