Events

Deadline: September 30th, 2018 Payment: £10 for first rights and Equal share of 50% of the anthology profits Note: Only authors from the Sceptered Isle (England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales – Gibraltar and the Falklands too!) are allowed Made in Britain ... the title says it all – this exemplary anthology is open ONLY to writers from the Sceptered Isle (England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales – Gibraltar and the Falklands too!) - and ex-pats of course! Your story needn’t necessarily be set in England, but should carry that unmistakable British tone that everyone knows and loves. There’s no set theme – just good ol’ spooky, scary, horror stories – nothing extreme or gratuitous please! The anthology will be compiled by the superlative horror author, Kevin Kennedy, and published in time for Xmas by the incomparable HellBound Books Publishing. To submit, email your polished story to [email protected]   PLEASE read and adhere to our submission guidelines... * Word format saved in .doc, or .docx * 12 pt times new roman * Double spaced * Absolutely NO extra lines between paragraphs! * 5K-15K word count (although we are incredibly flexible for awesome stories!) * Write 'BRITAIN' along with your name and story title in the header of your email *The body of your submission email will be considered the cover letter. * The submission documents are to be separated and Word (.doc or .docx) documents are to be attached to your submission email. - Make sure that you check your mss for grammar and punctuation, use our guidelines to help you: DOWNLOAD YOUR HBB GUIDE TO GRAMMAR HERE (PDF) Deadline: 30 Sept 2018 - for Xmas 2018 release NO REPRINTS - ORIGINAL UNPUBLISHED WORKS ONLY Payment - £10 for first rights (that's quid!) Equal share of 50% of the anthology profits Capped...

Dead Light Publishing (A Division of Evil Pig Entertainment) “NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE” Horror Anthology Submission Call (This is a women only anthology to coincide with WIHM 2019) Behind those sparkling eyes, curvaceous figures, and pouting lips, lurk some of the darkest minds horror has to offer. These women are not just a pretty face and they’re out to prove it. Are YOU one of them? Send us your best, most horrific story and show the world woman are made of more than sugar and spice. THE GORY DETAILS: This is an open theme. Send your best, no reprints! Deadline is September 30th, 2018, est. pub date is January 13th, 2019. Please use industry standard formatting 12 pt font, Times New. If you are unsure you can find it here: https://www.shunn.net/format/story.html Word count is best between 2500 – 5000 words, but there are always exceptions. Attach your submission as a word document .doc, .docx. Add a brief cover letter with your contact info, story title, and word count. Subject line should read as follows: Pretty Face Sub / Title / Your Name *NOTE * Please name your submission file - story title, last name - as this creates less confusion for staff. Send your submission to: [email protected] Attn: Slushie Dead Light Publishing asks for First Anthology Rights with the possibility of a future Anthology Audio Rights. (This would entail a second contract and payment.) Payment at this time is a flat rate of $25.00 CAD per story within 30 days of acceptance and return of signed contract. Contributors will also receive an electronic copy of the anthology, (also a copy of the audio version if your story is included and one is created,) and a 30% discount for print copies, less shipping and handling. We require a 90 day...

Deadline: September 30th, 2018 Payment: 1 cent per word The Basics Autonomous Press seeks submissions of poetry, short fiction, and short memoir pieces for an upcoming anthology, Spoon Knife 4: A Neurodivergent Guide to Spacetime. Scheduled for publication in Spring 2019, this fourth volume of the Spoon Knife Anthology series follows The Spoon Knife Anthology: Tales of Compliance, Defiance, and Resistance (Spring 2016), Spoon Knife 2: Test Chamber (Spring 2017), and Spoon Knife 3: Incursions (Spring 2018). Deadline for submissions is September 30, 2018. What We’re Looking For As people, we’re drawn to both telling stories and listening to the stories of others. Navigating life can be joyous, frustrating, frightening, sorrowful, and complex. Among all these realities we usually find one truth that always remains: the unknown. And what do we do when confronted with the unknown? We might fear it, try to avoid it entirely, or charge towards it with aplomb or gusto. Speculative fiction has long dealt with themes surrounding the unknown. Sci-fi and fantasy themes have allowed their creators to conceptualize how space and time can exist, merge, warp, or even disappear in strange and terrifying ways. How in the hell do you map a black hole? Can you really kill your own grandfather? And what happens if your past self travels forward and meets the present iteration of you? What do past, present, and future even mean? Those are just a few thoughts, but we’re basically looking for work that examines and explores two fundamental ideas: time and space. Moreover, we want work that engages with themes of neurodivergence, queerness, and/or the intersections of neurodivergence and queerness. These might include, but are not limited to, themes such as: Travel through time and space via technological methods (vortex manipulators, star ships, big blue boxes, etc.) Involuntary acts of time travel through PTSD-related mental/emotional trauma Deliberately journeying/revisiting through memories in one’s own timeline...

Submissions Period: September 1st, 2018 - September 30th, 2018 Payment: US$300 advance and royalties of 40% of all monies received by the publisher, paid twice yearly. Advance notice that we will be open for novella submissions in September 2018 Why so much notice? We want new work written for us. And we want this call to to reach far and wide. We are looking to build a kickass series of novellas that defines and redefines the Twelfth Planet Press brand. We want gritty pieces that challenge the system and punch the patriarchy in the face. We want stories that resist and rebel… and maybe also books that comfort & inspire. For when things are bad out there in the world. We are looking for books that feed the angry soul. We’re interested in hearing from marginalised writers more generally: for example, people under the QUILTBAG umbrella, including intersex people; people of colour, including Indigenous and Native writers from around the world; and disabled people. That said, we also welcome stories from authors who aren’t marginalised. Please don’t self-reject – we want your stories! If you feel your intersections are relevant to your story, you may mention them in your cover letter, but this is not required. We respect your privacy. We’re looking for a diverse range of authors, story settings, time periods, cultural backgrounds and protagonists. Magic, history, fantasy, steampunk and science fiction are all welcome. We are also looking for fun, light crime novellas that fit within our Deadlines imprint. Your novella should be between 17 000 and 40 000 words. It should be considered fantasy, science fiction, horror, or crime and not published previously in any medium, including limited audience media such as Patreon. Publication is by ebook in the first instance. Payment is by way of an...

Deadline: September 30th, 2018 Payment: $0.03/word, royalties, contributor's copy Theme: “Bubble Off Plumb” (BOP) is a colloquial expression for things being not quite right. We’re looking for original fiction short stories of such a nature; odd, unsettling, full of twists, etc. All genres are welcome, if you have a story which doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere else, we might be the home for it! If you’re not sure a story is odd enough: submit it. We know BOP when we see it. If you submit a love story about a dreamy vampire meeting up with a young person, it had better be damn good! Rules: Story can range from 1,000 to 5,000 words. Multiple submittals will be accepted for consideration, but please do not overwhelm us with unpolished drafts. First world rights are preferred. Reprint rights will be accepted if the story is good enough. Deadline: Submission deadline is September 30, 2018. Editor: Our Lead Editor is author Kathy Finfrock who, along with Sarah Fields from Dreamlined LLC, will shepherd the work to a polished end product. Submission Process: All submissions should follow proper manuscript format. Email to submissions @ feralcatpublishers.com. Subject line to read: “BOP-,, ”. Please attach all submissions in .doc, .docx, or rtf formatted electronic files—No submissions embedded within the body of an email will be considered. Include personal bio and relevant copyright information for story in your cover letter. Compensation: Selected authors will receive an advance of $0.03/word of final, edited version of their story, plus a pro rata share of downstream royalties less up-front expenses, plus one paperback proof copy, and wholesale unit rates when purchasing extra paperbacks. The authors of the three highest-ranked stories will be listed on the front cover; the remaining authors will be listed on the back cover. Terms and Conditions: Standard contract terms example available here. Questions: Direct other questions to...

Deadline: September 30th, 2018 Payment: $0.01 per word + contributor copy GRIMM, GRIT, AND GASOLINE: An anthology of Dieselpunk and Decopunk Fairy Tales Anthologist: Rhonda Parrish Open for Submissions: August 1, 2018 - September 30, 2018 Expected Publication: mid-2019 Story Length: up to 7,500 words Payment: $0.01 per word + contributor copy Dieselpunk and decopunk are alternative history reimaginings of the WWI and WWII eras beginning with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and ending before the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I’m looking for tales with the grit of roaring bombers, rumbling tanks, of 'We Can Do It', the Great Depression and old time gangsters or the glamour (real or imagined) of flappers, Hollywood starlets, smoky jazz, elegant cars and Radio City Music Hall. Plus fairy tales. For example: a ‘mend and make do’ take on the Elves and the Shoemaker, a trench warfare version of The Emperor’s New Clothes, or Hansel and Gretel as Bonnie and Clyde. The possibilities are limitless. Original fairy tales are welcome, as are retellings. If you choose to retell a familiar favourite, make sure your story offers something new and interesting. I’d rather see stories that reflect the long history of fairy tales as social commentary than those which simply tell the same story with a different setting. And while dieselpunk tends to be focused on North America and Western Europe, this anthology needn’t be. I am open to stories set all over the world, and would love to see ‘Own Voices’ stories. Need inspiration? Check out The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk, Amberlough, or Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Simultaneous submissions = okay. Multiple submissions = no. How to submit: Between August 1 and September 30, upload your story here: https://niteblade.submittable.com/submit About the Anthologist: Rhonda Parrish is driven by the desire...

Deadline: September 30th, 2018 Payment: $300 advance on royalties, with 40% royalties on net revenue from print sales and 30% royalties on net revenue from digital sales thereafter. Excession Press is now open to submissions! Our reading period runs July 23rd 2018 – Sept. 30th 2018. What We Want: Excession Press is looking for original manuscripts 30,000 - 60,000 words in length that can be described as horror, science fiction, weird western, or dark fantasy. Our word count limit is firm, +/- a few hundred words. We want quality, character-driven narratives with imaginative settings and creative conflicts that will engage readers. We want strong, memorable prose - every bit as important as the story itself. We prefer our fiction to be surreal, Grotesque, and thoughtful, but more than anything, we want it well-written and well-paced. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable but we ask that you let us know at time of submission, and we ask that you give us notice if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere. Here's a list, in no particular order, of authors we admire with books and stories we'd like to see more of in the world: Iain Banks Katherine Dunn Stephen Graham Jones China Miéville William Gibson Jeremy Robert Johnson Flannery O'Connor Mieko Kanai Chuck Palahniuk Octavia Butler Joe Hill Brian Evenson K. J. Bishop Philip K. Dick What We *DON'T* Want: No reprints or incomplete manuscripts. No books that are part of a series - your submission should function as a standalone narrative. No short story collections, poetry, or non-fiction. No YA or children's stories. No stories that function primarily as erotica. No experimental formats or images - submissions should be text only. No queries. Please have something submission-ready. Submission Format: File must be in a .doc, .docx, or .rtf format. 12 pt. Times New Roman...

Deadline: September 30th, 2018 Payment: $0.06/word, up to 6,000 for fiction and $30 for poetry THE SETTING The John Silence RPG & Anthology is a collective projective reinvisioning Algernon Blackwood's "John Silence" short stories to focus on non-white/POC/ethnically and racially marginalized psychic detectives in an alternate American noir setting spanning the 1920s to the 1990s. The core rules by Josh Jordan for the collaborative, non-violent gameplay will make up part of the anthology. The other half is stories and poems in settings focusing on the adventures and lives of these psychic detectives and their dealings with the Unseen World. Being gifted (cursed?) with the ability to see and interact with the Unseen World compels you to try and protect others from the destruction being wrought by creatures that come through -- but why are they so destructive? What is it they want? What does protection mean? The wide range of time invites many possibilities-- themes I'm especially interested in is how communities (spiritual, physical, linguistic, ancestral, cross-cultural, adoptive) might deal with unseen threats and living in a world where spiritual gifts, so demonized by hegemonic culture, are now valuable assets. Explorations of historical and cross-cultural queer, trans, gender non-conforming, and unclassifiable experiences of gender and sexuality are welcome as protagonists and themes. So is home/away, diaspora/immigration, belonging and loss, family (found, made, and born) and of course, a good old-fashioned glimpse at the scary and the beautiful in our strange and monstrous otherworldly beings. We also love a classic Detective Romp where underrepresented heroes and their communities get to take center stage and shine as the geniuses who save the day through cunning, compassion, or culturally specific values, practices, or beliefs. Religious stories, particularly from religious minorities (including but not limited to Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, folk/marginalized Christianities, African and...

Deadline: September 30th, 2018 Payment: 6 cents a word up to 6,000 words. Any longer stories accepted, payment will be capped at 6,000 words. Note: open for two short story submission slots to writers from underrepresented demographics (women, people of color, LGBTQ persons, disabled persons, etc.) Thanks to our amazing Kickstarter backers, the upcoming anthology ASHES AND ENTROPY including stories by Laird Barron, Damien Angelica Walters, John Langan, Kristi DeMeester, Jon Padgett, Nadia Bulkin, Matthew M. Bartlett, Lucy A. Snyder, Jayaprakash Satyamurthy, and more will be open for two short story submission slots to writers from underrepresented demographics (women, people of color, LGBTQ persons, disabled persons, etc.) starting on September 1st through September 30th. GUIDELINES: We're looking for phenomenal, original and gritty cosmic horror and noir (or neo-noir) stories with a strong emotional core. Stories should be 6,000 words or less. Anything longer than that will be a hard sell at this point. The content guidelines for this book are open for interpretation however, so don't be afraid to color outside of the lines. Great writing, originality and pushing these genres to new heights will get you to the top of the slush pile faster than anything else. No reprints or multiple submissions, please. PAYMENT: This anthology will pay 6 cents a word up to 6,000 words. Any longer stories accepted, payment will be capped at 6,000 words. If the Kickstarter campaign reaches its Audiobook stretch goal, an audiobook narrated by Jon Padgett will be produced and payment will be doubled. CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT THROUGH  OUR ONLINE SUBMISSION PORTAL Via: Nightscape Press.

Deadline: September 30th, 2018 Payment: 1 cent per word and royalties Black Ship Books is seeking short stories of up to 10,000 words that explore utopiansocieties, past, present, future, or of another world entirely. The theme may be interpreted broadly, but preference will be given to stories that imagine alternate worlds that differ from our own in ways particularly relevant, obliquely or directly, to the current crisis in American democracy. Submissions should be directed to [email protected]. Please include a brief summary of your story and mention of any past publications. Pay is 1 cent per word plus proportional royalties on the finished anthology. Deadline: September 30, 2018 (provisional) Via: Black Ship Books.

Deadline: September 30th, 2018 Payment: $0.02 cents (CAD) per word for short fiction (1250+ words), and a flat fee of $25.00 per flash fiction piece (Under 1250 words, $20.00 CAD per poem Note: Sorry on the short window Augur Magazine is currently OPEN to Fiction & Poetry submissions until September 31! Please use our submission portal, Moksha, to submit. Upcoming submission windows: N/A. Please check back later in the year for our 2019 windows. Read the guidelines below and send us your best original, unpublished work! We can’t wait to see what you have for us. And, in order to keep this magazine going, we offer digital subscriptions*! If you love speculative fiction and want to stay familiar with what we’re publishing, you can check out our store here! *Please note that purchasing a subscription IN NO WAY influences submission decisions! WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR? (Although we always love surprises) We’re looking for dream-touched realism, slipstream, fabulism, magical realism (note: educate yourself before you claim this term) and, for lack of a better descriptor, “literary” speculative fiction. We accept YA and adult pieces, and possibly children’s as well (more likely for comics than otherwise). Our perfect submission defies categorization—pieces that could be “too speculative” for CanLit magazines or “not speculative enough” for speculative magazines. That said, we’re no strangers to rich realism, high fantasy, and science fiction, so if you think you match our tone, give us a try. We recommend checking out our preview issue, free online, or grabbing an issue, to see what we’ve published before. Things we’re not interested in include: gross-out or gratuitously violent pieces, horror that uses neurodivergence or mental health as the horror element, comedy that punches down, stories that are “speculative” because a non-marginalized group suddenly experiences what it’s like to be a marginalized group (e.g....