Events

Deadline: November 30th 2017 Payment: $25 There’s a Tumblr post that goes around Facebook every few years—about how much the OP wants an epic fantasy where the “chosen one” is a retired grandma with a lifetime of experience who goes on her quest with her knitting bag, two cats, and an attendant to manage her medications. Only the Chosen of the gods can stop the invaders If you aren’t on Tumblr you may not know that there is practically a genre of Tumblr posts about “stories I want to see.” Most of them twists on common tropes and classic character types. Here are a few examples*: Post-Apocalyse with Disabled Main Characters Where do mermaids come from? World-saving scars Grandma: werewolf savior Tiny dragon defends his hoard Non-Angsty Vampires (for oh-so-many reasons) Your Mission: Should You Choose to Accept It Write a story either based on a Tumblr-twists or whose premise would make a great Tumblr-twist. Submit it to us on or before November 30th 2017. The Details Length: 4,000-25,000 words Pays: on publication, $25 per accepted story Cover letter should include: Your name/pen name, the title of the story, word count, and either a link to the Tumblr-twist that inspired the story or one-line premise that you think would make a good Tumblr-twist. Submission method: email – [email protected] Remember to use standard manuscript format Rights: Electronic Anthology Rights, non-exclusive. Reprints welcome. Increase Your Chance of Getting Accepted Write an inclusive story Watch your tropes Don’t be the 12th person to send us a Tiny Dragon story—we love the examples we gave, but there are lots more Tumblr-twists out there. (That said, if you have an epic tiny dragon story—send it!)   *where possible we have linked to the original post and/or the earliest post that fully encapsulated the idea. Sometimes the OP had...

Deadline: November 30th, 2017 Payment: $250 for online selection, $1000 for print selection. Note: make sure you read what they're looking for, this isn't going to be a place for overly extreme work What We Publish LITMAG PRINT Fiction Short stories, novellas Nonfiction Creative nonfiction; essays on literature, art, culture, and music; biography, memoir Poetry No restrictions on style or form LITMAG ONLINE Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry Up to 4,000 words. LITMAG CONTESTS LitMag‘s Virginia Woolf Award for Short Fiction  First Prize: $3,500, publication, and agency review by Sobel Weber Associates (clients include: Viet Thanh Nguyen, Richard Russo, Laura Lee Smith). Enter now. Go to Submittable for full contest guidelines.   What We Look For  Work that moves and amazes us. We are drawn to big minds, large hearts, sharp pens Word Count Limits Print: 15,000 words Online: 4,000 words What to Send One story or essay at a time, up to five poems. Please wait until you have heard back from us before submitting again. Previously Unpublished We do not consider work that has previously been published either in print or online (including personal blogs etc.) What We Pay LitMag Print: Upon acceptance, we pay $1,000 for fiction or nonfiction; $250 for a poem (or the rare short short) LitMag Online: Upon acceptance, we pay $250 What We Acquire LitMag acquires First English-language print and electronic rights. Copyright reverts to the author upon publication. When to Submit Regular submissions: Fiction is open: 10/1/17 to 11/30/17; 2/1/18 to 7/31/18 Poetry is open:  9/1/17 to 11/30/17; 3/1/18 to 7/31/18 Nonfiction is open: 8/1/17 to 11/30/17; 1/1/18 to 5/31/18 LitMag Online is open: 9/1/17 to 11/30/17; 2/1/18 to 6/30/18 Contest Deadlines: LitMag’s Virginia Woolf Award for Short Fiction. Deadline is 12/15/17 How to Submit Online. We use Submittable. (Saves trees, prevents paper cuts.) We do not consider emails with attachments or snail mail. Multiple Submissions Please submit...

Deadline: November 30th, 2017 Payment: $50 (AUD) Featuring reprinted stories by Clive Barker, Ramsey Campbell, and more, and edited by Oz Horror Con's Steve Dillon, “Behind the Mask – Tales from the Id” is the third anthology in our 'Things in the Well' series. The first was published in May 2017, titled “Between the Tracks – Tales from the Ghost Train” and the second, published in October 2017 was “Below the Stairs – Tales from the Cellar.” Both anthologies featured reprints of stories by Clive Barker, Ramsey Campbell along with other greats such as Charles Dickens, H.P. Lovecraft, M.R. James an more. Alongside these classic tales of terror, we aim to highlight new works from contemporary established and emerging authors.   We’re now peeling back the masks to disclose more best-of-breed, memorable tales. We're after new (no reprints) short, supernatural tales, psychological thrillers, or creature features involving masks of some sort. Physical, metaphorical or spiritual, so long as the theme of masks is clearly central to your tale. Word count is expected to be in the region of 6,000 - 10,000 words. We’re paying a flat rate of $50 (AUD) for this anthology. You will retain rights. More details on request*.   Featuring Clive Barker’s ‘Sex, Death and Starshine.’ In each of the anthologies, we hope to bring you archetypal stories that best represent the theme. Clive Barker’s ‘The Midnight Meat Train’ and ‘Hell’s Event’ were featured in the first two anthologies.   Also featuring Ramsey Campbell’s ‘The Other Side.’ We’ve also featured tales by Ramsey Campbell in both anthologies. Ramsey Campbell is the undisputed grandmaster of paranoiac, creepy tales of insidious terror. He has won many major awards and received numerous accolades over five decades, and we are delighted to present another archetypal story by Ramsey Campbell, appropriate to the theme of masks,...

Deadline: November 30th, 2017 Payment: $0.07 - $0.10 per word + contributor copy. Holy C.O.W.! SF stories from the Center Of the World is an anthology of Speculative Fiction stories rooted in the ancient Fertile Crescent, Levant and the Middle East, but stretch into the near and distant future.  Holy C.O.W.! is seeking all styles and sub-genre, including humorous speculative fiction.  Addition consideration will also be given to artists who live or are from the region. SUBMISSION WINDOW: November 1 – November 30, 2017 LENGTH: 500-6000 words. PAYMENT: $0.07 - $0.10 per word + contributor copy. Payment will be made upon acceptance. Our preferred method of payment is via PayPal, but you may request a check. FORMAT: ODT RTF or DOC. Standard Manuscript Format or some close approximation. SEND TO:  Limit of 1 submission per author — even if you receive a response before the submission window closes please do not send another story unless directly invited to do so. Please do not respond to rejections. The email address associated with submissions is not monitored. If you wish to query for any reason, please use the contact form or e-mail us: editor at holycowpublishing dot com. RIGHTS SOUGHT: First Worldwide print and electronic English Language rights. Exclusivity for 90 days from date of release. Non-exclusive print, e-book, and audio rights afterward. POLICIES & RESPONSE TIME: No reprints, multiple or simultaneous submissions please. You may query after 30 days. Please send only one submission per author unless directly invited to send more. WHAT WE WANT: We’re looking for speculative stories rooted in the Fertile Crescent, Levant and the Middle East.   The region should be an integral part of the story, and not simply a transplant.  For ideal example think of how Mike Resnick's story "Kirinyaga" relates to Africa culture and issues.  We welcome quality flash fiction and non-traditional narratives.  Authorized English...

Deadline: November 30th, 2017 Payment: Story pay: $30, Poem pay: $10. Theme: Elves and the Shoemaker. Starting in January 2017, bimonthly issues will resume at Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine. Please read the following in its entirety before submitting. The rules are needed, and EC will not consider your work if they have not been followed. It's important to read samples of published work on EC. You can find just a few examples here. HERE IS HOW YOU SUBMIT: No unsolicited work of any kind is being accepted. Only the kind of submissions outlined below will be accepted at EC. -- Six times a year, writers and poets will have a chance to submit fairy-tale inspired stories and poems. No non-fiction of any kind. -- Here are the submission periods: Months--January, March, May, July, September, November.      -- Days of those months--the first through the 30th. That's starting at 12 a.m. on the first day of a submission month. That's ending at 11:59 p.m. of the 30th of a submission month (28th for February). Those are Eastern Standard Times.      -- No stories or poems will be accepted in the following months, so please do not send any: February, April, June, August, October, December.      -- You submit through email only. Please use this address only: [email protected]. That's for submissions only.      -- All questions, but no submissions, should be sent to [email protected].      -- Your last name, the month and the year should be in the subject line of the email.      -- You must be 18 years old or older, but may be from any country.      -- You should try to use American English word forms and punctuation.      -- Do not send attachments. They will not be opened or considered. Paste your work in...

Deadline: November 30th, 2017 Payment: one half-cent per word, with a minimum payment of $5.00 and a maximum of $15.00. Payment for reprints is a maximum of $10. Note: Reprints Allowed Word Count:    500-10,500 (If over this, please ask before submitting) Theme:    Norse mythology, although not as popular as Greek and Roman, has a fascinating take on the universe and a pantheon of amazing gods and goddesses. Although there are many stories that have survived the ages, there are several tales that were lost. For this anthology, we are looking for stories about Norse goddesses that were mostly lost. There are many goddesses, mentioned in other stories, that very little is known. Who are these barely mentioned goddesses? What is their background, their origin? We want you to tell us the stories that history did not.   Response Time:  Please allow up to one month. After that, if you don't hear from us then feel free to give us a little nudge.   Payment: Payment will be one half-cent per word, with a minimum payment of $5.00 and a maximum of $15.00. Payments will be made by PayPal in USD. Payments will go out no later than four months after the publication date. Editing: Yes, your story will be edited if we decide to accept it. After we go through and edit your story, it will then be sent back to you for final approval. In some cases, we may ask for revisions to be made.  Reprints, Multiple & Simultaneous Submissions: Yes. Payment for reprints is a maximum of $10. SEND A SEPARATE EMAIL FOR EACH SUBMISSION. MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS SENT IN ONE EMAIL MAY BE DISCARDED WITHOUT BEING READ. Guidelines for Submissions:   All submissions are to be sent to [email protected]. In the subject line please type NORSE ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSION: . In the body of your email, please include...

Deadline: November 30th, 2017 Payment: 1000-3000 words will receive $5. Stories that are longer than that will receive $10 and a contributor's copy Unfading Daydream is looking for unique and exceptional fiction to be showcased in our quarterly literary magazine. We strive to feature stories within the genres that have inspired us (sci-fi, fantasy, horror, etc) as well as stories that feature LGBTQ+ themes. Basic Details We are open to established and new, emerging authors. In terms of length, we’re looking for stories between 1000 and 7000 words. Shorter or longer stories will be evaluated on a case by case basis. No previously published works. Reading periods are May, August, November, and February.  All submissions must be in by 11:59pm CST on the last day of the reading period (May, August, November, or February) Please do not send submissions outside of our reading periods. Expect a decision within four weeks See full guidelines below Payment Stories that are between 1000-3000 words will receive $5. Stories that are longer than that will receive $10.  All contributors receive a hard copy of the magazine. In time, we would like to pay contributors more! Submissions We accept submissions only by email. Free to submit! Please send your submission to submit  unfadingdaydream com with the title of ‘Unfading Daydream Submission’. Full Guidelines We want to see your unique sci-fi, fantasy, horror, etc. We prefer stories that are between 1000-7000 words, but if you feel that your 8000 word story or your 700 word story is brilliant, we’d love to see it. The Submission Piece One submission per author per reading period please. Contributors are allowed to include one story on their submission*. Please attach the stories individually to the submission email. *this is new as of the reading period for Issue 3* Unless there is a theme stated for a particular reading period, there is no theme. Previously...

Deadline: November 30th, 2017 Payment: $0.01 per word, minimum of 10.00 dollars (excluding flash contest, a flat rate of 5.00 dollars to the winning flash) Apparition Lit is open for poetry and short story submissions four times a year. November 1-30th February 1-28th May 1-30th August 1-31st (Please see the Flash Fiction drop down below for our monthly Flash Fiction submission guidelines) As the first issue of our magazine, our theme is Apparition, which can mean a ghostly presence, the act of becoming visible, or the appearance of something strange or unexpected. Our themes for 2018 will be: Apparition (open for submissions November 1-30, 2017, publishing January 2018) Delusion (open for submissions February 1-28, 2018, publishing April 2018) Vision (open for submissions May 1-30, 2018, publishing July 2018) Diversion (open for submissions August 1-31, 2018, publishing October 2018) PAYMENT: Apparition is a token rate magazine, paying $0.01 per word, minimum of 10.00 dollars (excluding flash contest, a flat rate of 5.00 dollars to the winning flash). If we accept your story, we are purchasing the right to publish the story online and in the quarterly edition. Rights will revert back to the artist after one year. WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR: SHORT FICTION: We will only accept stories between 1000-5000 words. Of course, this number-range is not intended to be a hard stop. If the story is complete with an extra 100-300 words, then it will still be considered. PAYMENT: Apparition is a token-rate magazine, paying $0.01 per word, minimum of 10.00 dollars (excluding flash contest). If we accept your story, we are purchasing the right to publish the story online and in the quarterly edition. Rights will revert back to the artist after one year. HOW TO SUBMIT: Format the story using the Shunn manuscript shunn Please retain all proper formatting marks. Keep font italicized and bolded....

Deadline: November 30th, 2017 Payment: $15 (more depending on Kickstarter) and a contributor's copy Once again, we are inviting submissions from the world at large! WELCOME TO PACIFIC CITY is a sort-of shared world project: we name the place, you bring it to life through the mediums of science fiction, fantasy or horror. Stories should be set in our fictionalised Pacific City, and a key element should be heroism and/or villainy, be it “super” or otherwise. You can check here for an inspirational guide to the city, or download the short Pacific City Manifesto for other useful information. However, although this is primarily a speculative fiction project, we are also open to stories that help make Pacific City feel like a real place. Not every inspiring (or insidious) story demands the out of the ordinary for impact — but if a masked avenger wanders by while you’re bringing us down to earth, well, that won’t do your chances any harm… Although we can only offer a nominal fee up front, all contributors will also receive a physical copy of the collection. In addition, we plan to run a Kickstarter campaign prior to publication in an attempt to raise funds for increased author fees. The editor has previously organised two successful fiction-related campaigns, including one for our 2015 anthology — this is no guarantee of future success, but it bodes well! SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Maximum Word Count: 7,500. This is a very firm limit. Pieces between 2,500 and 5,000 words preferred. Flash fiction will be considered, but the longer a story the more it needs to impress. Submission Deadline: November 30th, 2017. Minimum Compensation: USD$15 on acceptance of contract, plus one contributor’s copy of the print-on-demand paperback on publication. All submissions must be the original work of the author — we will not accept any story incorporating copyrighted characters or material, fan fiction, etc. We require First Print and...