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Deadline: December 31st, 2017 Payment: 1 cent a word VOLUME 3: STORIES PUBLISHED IN 2017 Is your story too heavy and hardcore for other “best of” anthologies? Then you’ve come to the right place because Comet Press is now accepting stories for YEAR’S BEST HARDCORE HORROR VOL. 3, a yearly collection intended to give recognition to the extreme, harder side of horror, stories that break boundaries and trash taboos. Editors: Randy Chandler and Cheryl Mullenax. Requirements: The story was (or will be) published in a 2017 anthology, single author collection, magazine, or online magazine. Self-published anthologies and collections are acceptable as well. Deadline: December 31, 2017. Length: Short stories/novelettes. Payment: 1 cent a word. What to Send Authors: In the body of an email: Author name Story title Name of anthology or magazine or online magazine it was published in: If the book is available on Amazon and your story credit appears somewhere on the page, send us the link. If not, send a link to the best source with that information (publisher’s page, etc). If the story was in a magazine, send us a web link to the issue TOC where your story appears, or if that’s not available send us a scan of the table of contents (print magazines, etc.). A bio A short synopsis. Attach the entire manuscript in rtf, doc, or pdf format. Note: please make sure this is the final version of your story, exactly as it appears in the published version. Important Note: Make sure your contract allows you to publish the story in a “best of” anthology. If you’re not sure, check with your publisher. If necessary, ask them for a waiver. Publishers In an email include the following: Author name and story title(s) for consideration Name of publication and publisher, date published...

Deadline: December 31st, 2017 Payment: 5 cents a word, 2 cents a word if a reprint. Note: Reprints Allowed edited by Steve Berman Avarice and a fealty to Mammon are elements of this forthcoming anthology slated for January of 2018. Lethe is seeking weird and eerie stories of people consumed by wealth. Each tale must be suffused with the trappings of the well-to-do. Decadence should be paramount. However, we do not want these tales to be moralistic; we're celebrating those who can buy the finest things in life...they just happen to be the leads in a horror story. The better stories will incorporate status and wealth as both character traits and elements of the plot. For an excellent example, we recommend "Dirty American" by Lara Elena Donnelly or "His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood" by Poppy Z. Brite. Our preference is for stories that are contemporary but we are willing to read and purchase a few historical tales. No vampire or zombie tales. Stories should be from 4,000 to 14,000 in length. Original fiction is more important to us, but we will make an offer on exceptional reprints. Payment for reprints is 2 cents per word. Payment for original fiction is 5 cents a word. All payment is upon publication in Summer of 2018. We'll be doing a lovely, off-set, hardback edition of this book, perhaps a trade paperback, digital and audiobook versions. Deadline is January of 2018. Please submit to Steve Berman at lethepress @aol.com with the Subject line of Midas Clutch Submission. Include an embedded copy letter with biographical details, if the story is original, and some sense of prior publications (if any). Basic Submission Guidelines If you would like to submit a manuscript to Lethe Press here are our guidelines: We seek manuscripts that are a minimum...

Deadline: December 31st, 2017 Payment: Royalties A Robotic/Computer Dystopia. The machines are our overlords…tell us about it. Season Three Submission Deadline: December 31st, 2017 How to submit: At the moment, we are accepting submissions through our Online Submission Form. Only submissions through the online submission form will be accepted. What we’re looking for: We will be publishing 3 SEASONS of genre anthologies each year. Each Season will have its own theme. See the SEASONS page to see what seasons we are currently looking for and what seasons have past. We will also be publishing other anthologies, so feel free to send us work at anytime. We will post if and when we have themes for other anthologies. We publish anthologies with Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror themes. Please note that we do not consider novel excerpts, or anything with illustrations or photographs. Our anthologies will be available in paperback and ebook formats exclusively through Amazon. What’s the deadline? Check the SEASONS page for each seasons deadline. Otherwise, please feel to send us other work that may be great for another anthology as we will be publishing others. International submissions: We’re based in the US but we accept submissions from authors all over the English-speaking world. Rights We ask for first serial rights on any story we publish. This means that the story should not have appeared anywhere else, either in print or online. (This includes publication on an author’s own website.) When we publish a story, we ask for a brief period of exclusivity (roughly 18 to 24 months), and the right to keep the story in print. We do not place any limits on what you can do with your story after the exclusivity period. Word count We are able to consider stories for publishing on the site that are between...

Deadline: December 31st, 2017 Payment: $0.06/word WE’RE LOOKING FOR STORIES THAT: Have a main character that a middle grade reader (ages 8-12) can identify with; Show a diverse set of real characters; Are well written, fun to read, and encourage a love of reading science fiction; Tell of adventure, space, science.  Give us rockets, robots and alien encounters, and we’re pretty happy; Steampunk, time travel, weird west and alternate history are all fine; Are between 3,000 and 6,000 words. To be super clear – we’re looking science fiction, in all its variants. While we love fantasy as well, please don’t submit fantasy stories for this anthology. We’re especially looking for stories: Of adventure!  We love a good dystopia as much as the next robot, but remember – this is the Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide; Where the main character is of a population that has traditionally been under-represented in science fiction, e.g. girls, people of color, differently abled people; Where the main character has agency, exercises it, and isn’t just along for the ride. We are strong supporters of both the #weneeddiversebooks and #ownvoices movements.   We’re not interested in: Stories where the female characters primarily exist to be rescued or as a prize for the males; Stories where the primary plot or subplot is romantic in nature; Stories with graphic violence or any form of sexual activity; Stories with any violence towards animals; Stories about the first girl to do X, surprising everyone; Stories that depict any ethnicity or gender as universally bad or stupid. Please note:  although we’re aware kids have a wide and varied vocabulary, we’d prefer not to have swearing in the stories. If your story has swearing, please rephrase before submitting. Submission deadline, mechanics and planned schedule: Anthology will be open for submissions from July 1, 2017 – December 31,...

Deadline: December 31st, 2017 Payment: $30.00 (3000-4999 words) $50.00 (5000-5999 words) $60 (6000-6999 words) $70.00 (7000 words) US $ per short story accepted. Reprints will be considered, and if selected SDP will pay $25.00 “Terror Politico” 2018 Submission Guidelines This is the second annual submission call for the 2018 Scary Dairy anthology: Terror Politico! Scary Dairy Press is seeking short story submissions of 3000-7000 words max for the anthology: Terror Politico! This is a terrorizing anthology about the evils of politics, and the Capital Hill monsters that lurk in our political arena. Take on a favorite topic of debate (examples: firearms, contraception, women’s rights, racism) and escort it into the fiction arena. Put a paranormal, or monster spin on it, or take it into the future. You decide! Any aspect of politics that keeps you awake at night could have a home here. If you have a question about appropriate content, then message us! What we want: This anthology may include one or more genres such as: horror, dark fiction, dark fantasy, speculative fiction, or bizarro. Your story may occur in any time, place or space. Mix it up, but make it thought provoking and disturbing to the human conscience. It’s up to you whether you offer the world an answer to political corruption, or end the tale with the death and destruction of stars and stripes on the very last page. What we don’t want: No child abuse/sexual abuse scenes. No gratuitous splatter, gore or rape. If you use it, there must be a clear purpose for it. No overused tropes (vampires, werewolves, zombies) unless you clearly have something unusual and unique. If you’re not sure, then email/message us and ask at [email protected] Manuscript format: Shunn Manuscript Format: http://www.shunn.net/format/novel.html . READ THE DIRECTIONS. Submission dates: 01 September, 2017 -31...

Deadline: December 31st, 2017 Payment: $30usd Hydra is currently putting together a fantasy anthology of short stories from 10 authors. Previous publication experience is not required. Payout will be $30, payable when the anthology releases sometime in the spring of 2018. Requirements and details: Unsheathed: an Epic Anthology of Sword and Sorcery Fantasy, edited by best-selling author Stuart Thaman Epic / heroic fantasy submissions only. No urban fantasy, no paranormal fantasy, no fantasy romance Some element of sword play or sword-related theme must be present in each story Stories, once accepted, will be professionally edited with the author’s input Stories must be between 7,500 – 10,000 words Submit all submissions, in their entirety, to [email protected] – be sure to include the phrase “Fantasy Anthology” in the subject line Submissions must be made by December 31st, 2017 to be considered Unsheathed will receive a very large marketing effort from Hydra Publications. We kindly request that all authors participating in the anthology make their best efforts as well. The goal of the anthology will be exposure and cross-promotion, not sales and royalties. In order to maximize exposure, the anthology will be priced in electronic version for $0.99 and will also be enrolled in Kindle Unlimited. Paperback copies will be made available for purchase to all authors Each author will be given one full page biographical section in which to list their other works and websites, etc. after their story Authors will also receive a detailed sales report after the first month of publication to know how well they’re work is being marketing and promoted Hydra is only interest in first-publication stories, and Hydra will retain rights to the stories for a term of 5 years Via: Hydra Publications.

Deadline: December 31st, 2017 Payment: $25 We are interested in all speculative genres (horror, fantasy, science fiction, slipstream, steampunk, magical realism, etc) up to 25,000 words that have been independently published between January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2017. Only one story per author can be accepted.  Payment details: $25 for the non-exclusive, perpetual right to publish the story in print and audiobook format. All digital rights remain with the author. Send Submissions to [email protected] Via: Bards And Sages Publishing.

Deadline: December 31st, 2017 Payment: 3 cents per word Crystal Lake Publishing will be accepting submissions for the non-themed anthology Tales from the Lake Volume 5 from October 1st, 2017 through December 1st, 2017. In previous anthologies we’ve published Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Jack Ketchum, Ramsey Campbell, Elizabeth Massie, Rena Mason, Graham Masterton, Lisa Morton, Kealan Patrick Burke, Damien Angelica Walters, Joe R. Lansdale, Gene O’Neill, and Tim Waggoner. We can’t wait to announce who will be headlining this anthology! One name we can already reveal is the inclusion of a brand new story by Gemma Files. Tales from the Lake Volume 5 will be edited by Kenneth W. Cain. WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR: We want stories that haunt the readers for months to come. We prefer quiet horror and dark fiction with a literary bent. Don’t use gore for the sake of grossing us out. Use it sparingly, and only to further the story. Stories should be no longer than 6000 words, but that doesn’t mean the story should use all 6000 words. Use the word count it takes to write YOUR story. The sweet spot will likely be closer to 4000 words. Ground your stories in the REAL world. Create believable, three-dimensional characters just as real as your friends and neighbors. The world these characters inhabit should be equally authentic, hitting all the senses. Originality is important—we don’t want your version of someone else’s story from yesteryear. Although our arms are wide open, we’re more interested in fiction that reflects the modern. Kelly Link, Karen Russell, Joe Hill, Damien Angelica Walters, and Mercedes M. Yardley are prime examples of current dark fiction writers encapsulating the above in their work. Quality of the work must be top notch! The authors mentioned above represent the high-water mark we’re looking for. WHAT WE’RE NOT...

Deadline: December 31st, 2017 Payment: 6 cents per word+ THE RAZOR’S EDGE, GUILDS & GLAIVES, and SECOND ROUND: A RETURN TO THE URBAR anthology kickstarter has hit its goal! If you have a story idea that fits one of the anthology themes, write it up, revise it, polish it, and send it in for consideration. I've posted the guidelines below. THE RAZOR’S EDGE, GUILDS & GLAIVES, and SECOND ROUND: A RETURN TO THE URBAR Submission Guidelines Zombies Need Brains LLC is accepting submissions to its three science fiction and fantasy anthologies THE RAZOR’S EDGE, GUILDS & GLAIVES, and SECOND ROUND: A RETURN TO THE URBAR. Stories must be submitted in electronic form as an attachment with the title of the story as the file name in .doc or .docx format. The header of the email should include the name of the anthology the submission is for along with the title of the submission (for example: WERE-: WereJellyfish Gone Wild!). The content of the email should also include which anthology the manuscript is intended for. Please send multiple manuscripts in separate emails. Manuscripts should be in manuscript format, meaning double-spaced, 12pt font, standard margins on top, bottom and sides, and pages numbered. Please use New Times Roman font. The first page should include the Title of the story, Author’s name, address, and email, and Pseudonym if different from the author’s real name. Italics and bold should be in italics and bold. Stories for this anthology must be original (no reprints or previously published material), no more than 7,500 words in length, and must satisfy the theme of the anthology. THE RAZOR’S EDGE is to feature science fiction or fantasy stories that explore the fine line between a rebel and an insurgent. It is a military science fiction and fantasy anthology. We...

Deadline: December 31st, 2017 Payment: $0.08 per word up to $800, and possibly royalties GENERAL INFORMATION AND THEME We’re looking for original English language short stories from all around the world. Our goal is to publish at least four pieces of short fiction–short stories (at least 1,500 words) or novelettes (up to 17,500 words)–unified by a central theme. Each short story will be accompanied by one original piece of artwork, commissioned especially for the work. For the publication period between May and August 2018, the theme is: AWAKENINGS will be Book Smugglers Publishing’s FIFTH season of short stories, following Fairytale Retellings, First Contact, Superheroes, and Gods & Monsters. When it comes to Awakenings, anything goes. You, the author, should feel free to take this general theme and interpret it in any way you see fit–from a story about an AI’s first hours of sentience, to magical alternate histories featuring characters discovering how to wield power for the first time, anything goes. We encourage authors to subvert these sample themes, to expand upon what “awakenings” means, and adapt the prompt to other possible connotations and genres under the Speculative Fiction umbrella. WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR DIVERSITY. We want to read and publish short stories that reflect the diverse world we live in, about and from traditionally underrepresented perspectives–including but not limited to stories by and featuring LGBTQIA characters, people of color, and different gender identities. Following Fireside Fiction’s reports on underrepresented black writers, we especially welcome black writers to submit their stories. Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult audience submissions are welcome.Good speculative fiction is ageless! We are VERY keen on receiving Romance stories – or stories with strong romantic elements. We are VERY keen on receiving Horror stories – or stories with strong horror elements. Creativity & Subversion. We love subversive stories. We want you to...

Deadline: December 31st, 2017 Payment: Contributor's Copy George A. Romero was an inspiration to many people, and the Godfather of the modern zombie sub-genre. As a tribute to him, and his work, we’re putting together a charity anthology, provisionally called WORDS OF THE DEAD, to honour the man who scared us witless when we were younger and inspired us when we got older. The guidelines are: - We’re looking for zombie stories only. - Stories must be either set within the films, or based on the canon he created. So, no runners, but remember that Romero used tool-wielding zombies in Night/Dawn/Day and Land, and the vampire/un-dead crossover in the comic series Empire of the Dead. - One simple rule: as long as he used it, so can you. Show us something different from the films, or wow us with an original story set within one of the time frames or the modern day. - Maximum word count of 6k; standard manuscript formatting. - You’ll get a digital and physical contributor’s copy as a thank you. - This will be published through EyeCue Productions, with Duncan P. Bradshaw, David Owain Hughes, and Jonathan Edward Ondrashek as editors. - No reprints, please. We’re looking for new stories, keen for fresh bodies to feast on. - ALL proceeds will be going to charity; we’re working towards getting that sorted at the moment. - Rights are your own, but we respectfully ask for a six-month period of exclusivity to the anthology from the release date (to be determined). - Deadline: 31st December, 2017. Send your submission or questions to: [email protected] We look forward to seeing what you come up with! David, Duncan and Jonathan Via: Duncan P. Bradshaw.

Deadline: December 31st, 2017 Payment: $15 FORMATTING GUIDELINES This is proving to be a recurring problem, so we're putting it up front. Please, for all our sakes, read this next part carefully. All submissions should be sent by e-mail (no letters or telephone calls please) to [email protected]. Below are some formatting rules to help us process your submission more quickly. Email and Cover Letters Email is accepted in both text and HTML formats. When submitting, please put this in the subject line: Submission: (Title) - (First and Last name) Include the following in the body of the email and in the attached submission: Your name Name to use on the story (byline), if different Your preferred email address Your mailing address The story's title The story's word count You may also include a cover letter in the body of the email. We get a lot of strange stuff in cover letters, so if you're unsure of what goes in them (and especially what doesn't) please refer to these cover letter tips: How to write a cover letter | What not to put in a cover letter by Jed Hartman Submission Formatting We ONLY accept submissions as attachments! All stories submitted as an attachment must follow standard manuscript formatting. We will no longer read any story not properly formatted. (And we much prefer Courier New to Times New Roman) For explanations and tips on what SMF is and how to do it with word processing programs, please see this article. Please send your submission as an attachment in Microsoft Word (DOC, DOCX)or Rich Test Format (RTF) only. Other formats, such as Works, WordPerfect, Open Office, etc., have proven difficult to open. Please note that we no longer accept "inline" submssions - that is: submissions with the stories pasted directly into the body of the email. Fiction Guidelines We're looking for good, solid...

Deadline: December 31st, 2017 Payment: 6 cents per word "Monstrosities"  - Humor (SF/Fantasy/Horror). Things that are just too big or that don't scale. Whether it's the new shopping mall down the street, kaiju attacking Tokyo, flawed utopian ideas, the supposed ultimate weapon, or somebody who's way too big for his britches, we all have had to deal with humongous blunders. Get it off your chest--share with us your favorite monstrosities. (Photo by Juanbobadilla - Own work, commons.wikimedia.org) Reading period: December 1 - December 31, 2017 Writer Deadline: December 31, 2017 Publication Date: March 1, 2018 Third Flatiron Publishing is based in Boulder, Colorado, and Ayr, Scotland. We are looking for submissions to our (approximately) quarterly themed anthologies. Our focus is on science fiction and fantasy and anthropological fiction. We want tightly plotted tales in out-of-the-ordinary scenarios. Light horror is acceptable, provided it fits the theme. Please send us short stories that revolve around age-old questions and have something illuminating to tell us as human beings. Fantastical situations and creatures, exciting dialog, irony, mild horror, and wry humor are all welcome. Stories should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words. Inquire if longer. Role models for the type of fiction we want include Kurt Vonnegut, Arthur C. Clarke, Dan Simmons, Connie Willis, Vernor Vinge, and Ken Kesey. We want to showcase some of the best new shorts available today. For each anthology, we will also accept  a few very short humor pieces on the order of the "Shouts and Murmurs" feature in The New Yorker Magazine (600 words or so). These can be written from a first-person perspective or can be mini-essays that tell people what they ought to do, how to do something better, or explain why something is like it is, humorously. An SF/Fantasy bent is preferred. Themes and Schedules Continuing with Third Flatiron's quarterly...