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Deadline: October 31st, 2018 Payment: $15 In our stories, we crave the wild, weird, wonderful, and witty. Make us laugh, make us cry, surprise and shock us. Make us feel something. After all, isn’t that what writing is for? We are currently accepting submissions for our debut online literary magazine, Winter Solstice, which will be published on December 21, 2018. Submissions will close on Hallow’s Eve – October 31, 2018 Our next reading period will run from January 5, 2019 to May 18, 2019 for Summer Solstice, Volume 1 exclusively featuring writers between the ages of 13-20. We pay $15 per piece, and we buy first North American serial rights. Payments are made through PayPal on the date of publication. All rights revert to the author upon publication. Pieces and bios accepted for publication will be edited for any grammatical errors. We do not charge submission fees. Multiple submissions are allowed, but they must be in different genres. For example, you may not submit two fiction pieces, but you may submit a piece of fiction and a poem. If you are submitting more than one piece, please send each document in separate emails. Details for genres are listed below. We allow simultaneous submissions. Please inform us if your piece is accepted elsewhere. Work must be your own and not previously published, including on personal blogs. TO SUBMIT Email all submissions to [email protected] in docx format. For visual art and cartoon submissions, send in jpeg, jpg, png, or pdf. Put your name, title of piece, and category in the email subject line. Submissions will be read blindly, so please make sure your name does not appear anywhere on the document. Include your short bio and PayPal email address in the body of the email. We do not accept mailed submissions. We...

Icarus with broken wings Deadline: October 31st, 2018 Prize: $300 The Contest: Write a story of 5,000 words or less about the myth below. Deadline: October 31 by midnight Entry Fee: FREE! Prize: $300 * To understand Icarus, let’s start with his father, Daedalus, and the mess he got himself into on Crete. Because this whole Cretan mess might inspire your story. (If you want to skip the Cretan mess and get right to Icarus, scroll down to the heading that says GET RIGHT TO ICARUS.) Daedalus was blessed by Athena, goddess of wisdom, strategy, and craftsmanship. He came from “a noble Athenian clan called the Metionids,” and he was renowned throughout the Ancient world for his ability to come up with fantastical, innovative feats of architecture, engineering, and design—and for actually being able to pull these visions off. He wasn’t just an idea man. Daedalus got things done. * HERE’S WHERE THE CRETAN MESS STARTS. The King of Crete was really proud to be the King of Crete, and he declared that he’d been granted this position by the gods. He further declared that anything he prayed for would be granted, because he was so favored by the gods. So what did he pray for? A bull to come out of the sea. Obviously. He declared, “When this divine bull appears, I shall sacrifice it to Poseidon to prove my devotion to the gods!” He’d been pretty confident in himself so far, but I think he might’ve been a little shocked when a white bull actually did come out of the sea. Then the King was like, “Ohh, umm . . . that’s actually a pretty badass looking bull . . . if I could keep it, I could really enrich my own herds . . . and really, it’d be a shame to sacrifice...

Deadline: November 1st, 2018 Payment: $300 and royalties The following are the submissions guidelines for Unlocking the Magic. Word limit: 3000-6000 words. Pay rate: $300/story + royalties Genre: Fantasy only (no Science Fiction or Horror, although horror elements may be present in the story). Urban Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Steampunk, and other genres of fantasy are all encouraged. Language: English (translations are welcome). Submissions open: June 2, 2018 Submissions close: November 1, 2018 Rights: We claim first world English rights (no reprints). For an excellent break down of what this means, please see Neil Clarke’s post here. In fantasy, we read about how people with mental illness are more susceptible to magic, closer to breaks in reality, more likely to be able to see the unseen. These stereotypes are harmful and contribute to keeping people from seeing the good in getting help, taking their meds, or talking to someone. This anthology is about changing the narrative and telling stories of strength and perseverance, of getting help despite the darkness. Not the myth that getting help will kill creativity and magic. Not the story our society tells about mentally ill people: that art and magic must come from suffering. I want stories that show what can be accomplished when we take care of ourselves and seek help. I want stories that show the reality of being mentally ill within a fantasy setting. I want to see how mental illness and its treatment affects the magic that lies within all of us. I want to read realistic portrayals of mental illness in magical worlds. Send your stories formatted in Standard Manuscript format attached as a .doc to cuppateaanthologies at gmail dot com. Include your name, byline, email address, mailing address, and approximate word count. In your cover letter, also include the mental illness...

Deadline: November 1st, 2018 Payment: 4¢ per word if funded through Kickstarter Concrete Dreams — an Urban Fantasy anthology of Magic and Gears that we will be attempting to fund via a Kickstarter campaign. This anthology has an open call for manuscripts and will pay at least 4¢ per word, if funded. Word count guidelines 5-10k, for a total anticipated length of 120k. Open for any Urban Fantasy ("Modern" fantasy, essentially fantasy set in the era of paved roads) submission with a magic and gears flavor. Juried. Deadline for submission is November 1st 2018. Accepted authors are expected to participate in anthology promotion during the Kickstarter campaign. Via: Prospective Press.

Deadline: November 1st, 2018 Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 - $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction Winter: As she trudged down the alley, Cenessa saw a small _________________. Due date: November 1, 2018 We love the fact that writers around the world are inspired by our first lines, and we know that not every story will be sent to us. However, we ask that you do not submit stories starting with our first lines to other journals (or post them online on public sites) until we've notified you as to our decision (usually two to three weeks after the deadline). When the entire premise of the publication revolves around one sentence, we don't want it to look as if we stole that sentence from another writer. If you have questions, feel free to drop us a line. (Also, we understand that writers may add our first line to a story they are currently working on or have already completed, and that's cool. But please do not add our first line to a previously published story and submit it to us. We do not accept previously published stories, even if they have been repurposed for our first lines.) One more thing while I've got you here: Writers compete against one another for magazine space, so, technically, every literary magazine is running a contest. There are, however, literary magazines that run traditional contests, where they charge entry fees and rank the winners. We do not - nor will we ever - charge a submission fee, nor do we rank our stories in order of importance. Occasionally, we run contests to help come up with new first lines, or we run fun, gimmicky competitions for free stuff, but the actual journal is not a contest in the traditional sense. Fiction:...

Deadline: November 1st, 2018 Payment: Royalties, 80% Split evenly among the fiction writers. Stories: You keep copyright and all rights associated with the story. You give Millhaven Press first North American print rights, and permission to use the story in any anthology stemming from the original printing (such as a “best of” type anthology). Stories should be between 2,000-8,000 words (we may accept something shorter than 2,000 words or something longer than 8,000 but it has to be phenomenal). Do not submit a story for reprint. We are only interested in previously unpublished material (a story published on a personal blog is ok). No simultaneous submissions. Please do not submit the story to another outlet while waiting for a response from us. Multiple submissions are ok, but we will only print one story per author, per issue. If you aren’t sure which is your best, send more than one and we’ll decide. Use an easily readable font, double-space as .doc or .docx. Send as an e-mail attachment to [email protected]. Send a cover letter with contact information. Use story title, genre and approximate word count in the subject header of the e-mail. This is a quarterly print publication and the deadlines for the genre themes are as follows. Spring: Science Fiction/Fantasy (Submission Deadline 2/1/19) Summer: Mystery/Crime/Espionage (Submission Deadline 5/1/19) Autumn: Horror/Dark Fantasy (Submission Deadline 8/1/18) Winter: Action/Adventure/Western (Submission Deadline 11/1/18) We realize a lot of stories cross genres (the best usually do). Submit your story with all possible genres in the subject and we’ll sort it out. Not all submitted stories will be published. Stories are chosen solely by the publishers. We will read all submissions and respond with an acceptance or rejection letter via e-mail (Generally, within 2 weeks). If accepted, a standard royalty contract will be sent shortly after...

Deadline: November 1st, 2018 Payment: $0.01 / word and a contributor's copy Details: Stories can be 1,000 words to 10,000 words. The anthology will be published in ebook and paperback formats. We pay upfront $0.01 / word. Authors will receive the e-book and one print copy of the anthology, plus wholesale pricing for additional print copies. Previously unpublished submissions strongly preferred. We are seeking twelve months of exclusive worldwide print and electronic distribution rights and non-exclusive worldwide print and electronic distribution rights in perpetuity. Multiple submissions are fine, but simultaneous submissions are discouraged. Please don’t re-submit a rejected story unless we request revisions. We hope to have responded to everyone within one month of the submission window’s closing. Feel free to query if it’s been longer than two months. Stories must be double spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font (or something similar). Do not submit in Courier. The story title, your byline, a word count, and contact information should appear on the first page, and your last name, story title, and page number should appear in the header information of all other pages. We’re not particular about whether you use italics or underlining for emphasis, how many spaces are after the period, or whether you use straight or smart quotes. Submissions may be sent to the email address: Submit your stories via email as an attachment in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format. The subject of your email should be SUBMISSION: <story title> by <byline>. The email body should contain a short list of your publishing credits and any pertinent biographical details. The submission period begins August 1, 2018, and ends November 1, 2018. Theme guidelines The story must have a fantasy/speculative element. Science fantasy is ok, but we’re aiming for fantasy rather than straight science fiction. We strongly prefer “clean” noblebright stories. For more on noblebright, please see noblebright.org. The story must...

Deadline: November 1st, 2018 Payment: Royalties Note: Canadian authors only Open for submissions from Extended date: November 1, 2018   SUMMARY Canadian Dreadful will be a collection of short stories between 2,500 and 10,000 words, each one set in one of the provinces or territories of Canada. We are looking for horror stories written by Canadians that employ elements of dark fantasy or magical realism. We welcome new authors and well experienced authors. Dark Fantasy combines fantasy and horror and creates a suspenseful, dread-inducing mood for the reader. A movie like “Pan’s Labyrinth” is an excellent example of this genre. You are welcome to utilize the darker elements of fantasy just as long as the story takes place the real world, not a mythical one. Magical Realism or “The Unreliable Narrator” is a style of fiction where magical, fantastical, or supernatural elements are brought into the “real world” of the story—and by the end of it, your reader will have to decide whether or not the magical events actually took place or not. Is the narrator crazy, telling the truth, or deliberately lying? Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” is an example of this. So are the novels (and movies) “The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel and “Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson. Another movie that employs magical realism is “Big Fish”, directed by Tim Burton. Tell us a horror story that leaves the reader questioning whether or not the narrator was reliable. Leave “clues” for the reader to interpret as either confirmations or negations of the narrative. And most of all, let your reader feel a weighing sense of dread from the first to the last page. Another goal for this anthology is to educate readers about Canada—include content that somehow relates to Canada’s history, culture, politics, or...

Deadline: November 1st, 2018 Payment: $10 As of July 2018, we pay $5 for winning contest stories and $10 for accepted anthology submissions. Subject to change with each anthology and contest. Guidelines will vary depending on the current call for submissions, but there are a few things we will always require: All submissions must be formatted with Shunn formatting. All submissions must be sent via the submission form on the right. If you do not have a Google account, contact us for submission options All submissions must be edited to the best of your ability. We highly recommend getting at least one beta reader to help you proofread it before submission. If you need help finding a beta reader, try Writing Bad on Facebook. Questions? Send an email to [email protected] Pixie Forest Publishing is now open for submissions for our second anthology! September 5th – November 1st at 11:59pm CST Genre/Theme: Modern Fantasy Word count: Minimum 4000/ Maximum 8000. All submissions must be formatted according to Shunn Formatting Submit your story via the form on pixieforestpublishing.com What you submit should be the final version of the story and edited to the best of your ability. No previously published works. If your story is hosted on a website, blog, or social media platform and you want to submit it, you need to remove it until you receive your acceptance/rejection email. If it has been accepted, it needs to remain unavailable, as the anthology will hold exclusive rights for the first six months. Expect to wait anywhere between four to six weeks after the closing date for all notifications to be made. Each author will receive $10 via PayPal after they sign their contract. You will receive a full publishing contract that details all the specifics, including details about author copies. For this anthology we are...

Deadline: November 1st, 2018 Payment: $5 and a contributor copy GRAVELY UNUSUAL accepts all genres (Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Mystery, Noir, Crime, Western) BUT material submitted MUST contain the element of HORROR! WE OFFER ALL ACCEPTED SUBMISSIONS PAYMENT OF $5 USD VIA PAYPAL + A CONTRIBUTOR COPY OF ISSUE 2 ( Outside of U.S. receive .PDF version + $5 USD) PLEASE SEND ALL SUBMISSIONS TO [email protected] ATTENTION! ALL WORK SUBMITTED MUST BE ORIGINAL!MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS ARE COOL! BUT WE DO NOT ACCEPT REPRINTS! OR SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS! SUBMISSIONS WILL CLOSE NOV 1ST 2018 FICTION SUBMISSIONS Up to 5,000 words Please include a brief synopsis of the story All work must be submitted in MANUSCRIPT FORMAT (https://www.shunn.net/format/story.html) PLEASE SUBMIT AS A .DOC or .ODT FILE NON-FICTION SUBMISSIONS Up to 3,000 words Please include a brief synopsis of work All work must be submitted in MANUSCRIPT FORMAT (https://www.shunn.net/format/story.html) PLEASE SUBMIT AS A .DOC or .ODT FILE COMIC/ART SUBMISSIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN.PDF FORMAT ANY OTHER INQUIRIES OR IDEAS PLEASE GO AHEAD AND SEND THEM! WE ARE ALWAYS OPEN TO CREATIVE THOUGHT! THANKS! Via: Gravely Unusual.

Deadline: November 1st, 2018 Payment: Contributor's Copy Editor in Charge: Fanni Suto Submission Period: September 1 - November 1 Questions and Emails: [email protected] Word Count:    500-10,500 (If over this, please ask before submitting). Theme:    To continue our collection of mythology anthologies, we next present to you Japanese. Japan is a culture with a long history. Although the religions have changed over the years, like many others, it first started with grand tales of gods and goddesses. These deities were very important and the tales of some still exist today and are retold. It is said, that the emperors were descended from the sun goddess, Amaterasu, the most well known, however there are stories of many others including her father and brother. Which god or goddess will you choose?  We will consider any sub-genre, but the story must feature Japanese myths of some kind. ALWAYS READ THE FULL THEMES AND GUIDELINES WHEN SUBMITTING. PIECES THAT FAIL TO MEET THE GUIDELINES/THEME WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY REJECTED. 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. In some cases, we may wait until the end of the submission period to start sending out acceptance emails.   Compensation: Contributor copy of the anthology. 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.  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 JAPANESE ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSION: . In the body of...

Deadline: November 1st, 2018 Payment: Contributor's Copy Enchanted Gardens Anthology Editor in Charge: Fanni Suto Submission Period: September 1 - November 1 Questions and Emails: [email protected] Word Count: 500-10,500 (If over this, please ask before submitting). Theme: Gardens are known to be both beautiful and peaceful. Here, we are wanting a twist, enchanted gardens. The garden must be prominently featured and be enchanted/magical/cursed in some way. Are the flowers made of crystals and jewels? Does whoever enters never want to leave? Do the flowers bloom right before your eyes? We want to know what you think! We will consider any sub-genre, but the story must feature a garden. ALWAYS READ THE FULL THEMES AND GUIDELINES WHEN SUBMITTING. PIECES THAT FAIL TO MEET THE GUIDELINES/THEME WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY REJECTED. 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. In some cases, we may wait until the end of the submission period to start sending out acceptance emails. Compensation: Contributor copy of the anthology. 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. 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 ENCHANTED GARDENS ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSION: . In the body of your email, please include your name, pen name, author bio, and word count. If the story is under 2,000 words, please paste the text in the body of...

Deadline: November 1st, 2018 Payment: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10; artwork, $25 for cover, $10 for interior page display. Upcoming premises (target themes) and deadlines for submission : The Critter in the Attic To download a PDF file of the guidelines, click here . ALL SHORT STORIES, ESSAYS, POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS and ART MUST RELATE TO ONE OF THE PREMISES SPECIFIED ABOVE. NOTE: Previously published pieces are welcome, provided that the submission fits the theme and that the author owns the copyright. The premise (target theme) must be an integral part of the plot, not necessarily the central theme but not merely incidental. Fewer than 20 double-spaced typewritten pages preferred. Indicate premise (target theme) on title page. Be sure to Indicate target theme in cover letter or on first page of manuscript. Include self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with each submission. Rejected manuscripts unaccompanied by an SASE will not be returned. Response time: 3 months after premise deadline. NO READER'S FEE. Mail to: THEMA, Box 8747, Metairie, LA 70011-8747. Outside the US: email [email protected] On acceptance for publication, we will pay the following amount: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10; artwork, $25 for cover, $10 for interior page display. Copyright reverts to author after publication. THEMA isn't for everyone. To find out why, click here. New to submitting manuscripts to journals? Click here to download a PDF file of a few basic guidelines. Unlike many publishers, we prefer works submitted by the authors themselves, without the involvement of an agent. Be sure to indicate premise and include SASE for each submission. BE SURE to include a separate SASE for each premise. No handwritten manuscripts will be considered. NOTE: We do not accept e-mailed submissions EXCEPT from authors who live...

Deadline: February 1st, 2019 Payment: 6% royality for fiction writers. You keep copyright and all rights associated with the story. You give Millhaven Press first North American print rights. Stories should be between 2,500-8,000 words (we may accept something shorter than 2,500 words or something longer than 8,000 but it has to be phenomenal). Do not submit a story for reprint. We are only interested in previously unpublished material (a story published on a personal blog is ok). No simultaneous submissions. Please do not submit the story to another outlet while waiting for a response from us. Multiple submissions are ok, but we will only print one story per author, per issue. If you aren’t sure which is your best, send more than one and we’ll decide. Use an easily readable font, double-space as .doc or .docx. Send as an e-mail attachment to [email protected]. Send a cover letter with contact information. Use story title, genre and approximate word count in the subject header of the e-mail. This is a semi-annual print publication and the deadlines for the genre themes are as follows. Spring 2019: Science Fiction/Fantasy/Dark Fantasy (Submission Deadline 2/1/19) Autumn 2019: Horror/Crime/Mystery (Submission Deadline 8/1/19) We realize a lot of stories cross genres (the best usually do). Submit your story with all possible genres in the subject and we’ll sort it out. Not all submitted stories will be published. Stories are chosen solely by the publishers. We will read all submissions and respond with an acceptance or rejection letter via e-mail (Generally, within 2 weeks after the submission closing date). If accepted, a standard royalty contract will be sent shortly after the closing submission deadline for that issue. Each contributor will receive one free reader copy delivered to the address listed in the contact information. Compensation: This is a...