Events

Deadline: September 30th, 2019 Payment: $10 ... a first for HellBound Books, an anthology dedicated to all things ghostly. We want your most spine chilling paranormal tales of ghosts, spririts and mysterious dwellers of the ethereal netherworld that lies between life and death. Scare us witless with your most creepy short stories, we challenge you to keep our most hardened horror readers awake in the wee hours, their cynical minds churning with unpleasant thoughts of what may - or may not - await us all once the final curtain descends on this earthy existence... 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- 10K word count (although we are incredibly flexible for awesome stories!) * Write 'GHOSTS' 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TO GRAMMAR HERE (PDF) Deadline: SEPTEMBER 30th 2019 (publication in time for Halloween 2019) NO REPRINTS - ORIGINAL UNPUBLISHED WORKS ONLY Payment -$10 for first rights Capped at 150K words in total Via: Hellbound Books.

Deadline: September 30th, 2019 Payment: Contributor's Copy Spy Girl A Collection of Intrigue Chipper Press is looking for short stories that feature a female sleuth. We want these stories to be set in a middle-grade school. It can be a spy ring or a single amateur detective. Keep in mind these tales are intended for middle-graders. What's really in that school lunch special? What actually happened to the class pet? Is the teacher really an alien? Why does the school mascot seem so familiar? These are just some of the things that can be investigated by our Spy Girl. Submissions of both short stories and novellas to this anthology are welcome, please keep in mind the minimum word count is 4,500 and the maximum word count is 17,000. Dialogue needs to be believable, and please keep dialects/slang to a bare minimum if you must use them. No head-hopping or POV changes. Pick one point of view and stick with it. Please show more of the action than just telling the reader what happens. This anthology is a great opportunity to showcase emerging writers and allow them to build their professional platforms. Submission Deadline: September 30, 2019, with a targeted release date of early November 2019. Submit your best work. Poorly formatted and unedited work will be turned down. Please use Americanized English spellings. We will be doing light editing as necessary to fit the standards we strive to maintain. Submission Guidelines: Any work under 4,500 words will be automatically disqualified for this anthology. The work must not have appeared in print or online anywhere before. All submissions must be in English. Each author may submit up to three (3) unique works—please submit them separately. Work must be in Microsoft Word or RTF, double-spaced, 12-point font-no headers/footers. All contributing authors will receive a free copy of the...

Deadline: September 30th, 2019 Payment: 1.5 cents per word We want adult stories. No erotica, though some erotic or romance elements are acceptable. Magic, gods, mysticism, mythical creatures. Bring us old fairy tales with an Afrocentric twist. We are interested in new gods or ancient ones, old religions, houngans, potions, and spells. Your story can be adapted from African folklore or modern tales. You aren’t restricted in your chosen setting, but priority will be given to stories featuring human characters who live in this world or some version of it. We want diverse characters in diverse settings, with a main character of indigenous African descent. Please read our general submission guidelinesprior to submitting.1,000-7,500 words, although we’ll consider pieces that fall outside those parameters on a case-by-case basis. Multiple and simultaneous submissions ok. No reprints. If accepted, pay is $0.015 (1.5 cents) per word PLUS one print copy of the novel (you must provide an address to which the US Postal Service can deliver). The deadline for submissions is September 30, 2019. AfroMyth short stories MUST be submitted via Submittable. Via: Afrocentric Books.

Deadline: September 30th, 2019 Payment: Original Fiction: 2 cents per word, reprints: $25 The Next Reading Period for Truancy 6 and Truancy 7 will run from 2 March 2019 to 30 September 2019. Please note I will *only* be reading and responding to works sent within this timeframe. Truancy is a semipro market for revised folktales, legends, myth and other traditional narratives that have been made new by your retelling or your original fiction that has these folkloric elements or mythic elements. In your submission, explain the elements and resonances from traditional narratives (folklore, myths, legends) that exist within your tales, or explain how you’ve made something new from these tales. It’s advisable to read previous issues of Truancy. I prioritize voice and narrative verve in my selections, but a coherent plot is also important. If your style of revision is classical and mythic, you are most welcome to send me your works. While I adore modern and innovative narratives I feel there are not enough markets that give room for classical styles of writing (from any culture) and this always excites me to read. If you have the natural folkloric cadence of storytellers from anywhere around the world, this is the market for you. I use a standard SFWA boilerplate contract with some regional-specific modifications. Payment can only be done through Paypal for international people (complications with online payment methods for Malaysians make this my only option for now), and banking in is an option for Malaysians only. Original Fiction: I will be looking for works between 1000-3000 words. No wiggle room, no exceptions as I have set a budget for this issue. The rate will be 2 cents (USD) per word. Reprint Fiction: I will be reading works of fiction that are not readily available on the World Wide Web, and I...

Deadline: September 30th, 2019 Payment: $.06 per word for the first 9,999 words, with payment capped at $599 for stories longer than 10,000 words, Note: Reprints allowed at $.02 per word for the first 10,000 words, with payment capped at $200 for stories longer than 10,000 Thank you for your interest in submitting to Deep Magic. What you first need to understand is that we aim to be the dominant magazine for clean fantasy and sci-fi stories. It’s our tag-line. If you can tell a gripping story that doesn’t rely on sex, swearing, and graphic violence—you’ve come to the right place. If not, there are plenty of other magazines and venues out there. Move along. Move along (Jedi hand wave). Please consider reading Deep Magic to get an idea of the type of stories we publish. You can read our inaugural issue for only $.99. We are keeping the June 2016 issue at this special price so authors can check out our style without breaking the bank. Deep Magic is a quarterly electronic magazine that publishes clean short fiction in the fantasy and science fiction genres. Our issues are also filled with author interviews, art features, book reviews and tips for writers. Most of our non-fiction pieces are invitation only to industry professionals and Deep Magic staff, but if you have a fantastic piece, please send it our way. Not all the authors we feature write exclusively clean fiction. We don’t judge. But everything you find inside Deep Magic will be. – The Deep Magic Team It may be helpful to read the following articles before submitting to help you understand what types of stories we’re looking for: *An interview with Brendon Taylor, Deep Magic Board Member, on what we look for in a short story *Three mistakes to avoid when writing a short...

Deadline: September 30th, 2019 Payment: Contributor's Copy Note: Submissions must come from the UK or from people born in the UK. OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS; The Bumper Book of British Bizarro! We're extending the deadline!! If anyone wants to submit or re submit now is the time!! Seeking short fiction, short non-fiction, poems, experimental works and anything Bizarro related for a charitable anthology. We at the British Bizarro Community are seeking to celebrate the weird and wonderful Bizarro writers we have in the UK and to make the world a more caring and safer place. The Charity we have chosen to support is the UK based Mermaids. Mermaids supports children and young people up to 20 years old who are transgender and/or gender diverse, and their families, and professionals involved in their care. If you wish to know more please visit their website at; https://www.mermaidsuk.org.uk/about-mermaids.html GUIDELINES All submissions must be sent to: [email protected] Must be Bizarro related, weird, crazy, bonkers stuff. If you want a quick intro to the genre email us or contact us on face book, we have a group! Submissions must come from the UK or from people born in the UK. Short fiction/ non-fiction 1500-3000 words. Poetry would preferably be short versed preferably under ten stanzas. Anything else weird 3000 max word limit. If you're unsure about anything please message us on our facebook page or at : [email protected] SUBMISSIONS OPEN FROM AUGUST 1ST UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30TH!!!! As this is a CHARITY anthology we will not be able to pay anyone but you will receive a contributors copy and 100% of the proceeds will go to the charity. So if you believe in the cause, Bizarro fiction and us as a group of utterly whacked out nutters please consider submitting. Thank you for reading this far and we all...

Deadline: September 30th, 2019 Payment: 50/50 split of profits Submissions open September 1 and close September 30, 2019. ​ Imagine your local movie rental store back in the 70s, 80s, or 90s, remember all those fantastic covers. Remember taking those movies home and watching in awe as the stories unfolded in nasty rainbows of gore, remember the atmosphere and textures. Rewind or Die is a series of books I’d like produce with each title being between 25,000 and 50,000 words in length. The contracts will be similar to other Unnerving titles: 50/50 split of profits (from the first book sold, nothing held back in production), original stories (reprints okay in the case of short-printed stories), unlimited discounted copies, and five-year terms. ​ Submit to: [email protected] only! What I hope to read: Slashers Gaudy displays Stupid jocks Sullen nerds Outrageous reveals Huge wounds Creative kills Big monsters Toxic waste-related oddities Raunchy jokes Satanic Panic Alien invasions Swamp monsters B-sensibilities Evil governments Mind-controlling experiments Think Friday the 13th, The Brain, The Lost Boys, Creepshow, Prom Night, Sleepaway Camp, The Leprechaun, Critters, Graveyard Shift, Prophecy, Night of the Demons, Evil Dead, Pumpkinhead, C.H.U.D., The Stuff, Brain Damage, Society, Night of the Lepus, Squirm, The Night Flier, Curtains, Urban Legend, Tourist Trap, The Sentinel, Chopping Mall, The Howling… ​ Note: stories don't have to relate at all to videos or video stores and can be set in any time. ​ ​ Preferred Query Letter Style Submit to: [email protected] Subject line: Title/Name/Word Count Example: Carrie/Stephen King/67,000 Words Email: <Salutation> Brief synopsis of pertinent information of story submitted. Example: Carrie White is a chubby loser with no friends, a religious-obsessive and abusive mother, and the gift of telekinesis—skills which she hones in quiet loneliness. A cool couple feels guilty for a prior transgression and attempt to integrate Carrie into high school society,...

Deadline: September 30th, 2019 Payment: $0.06 cents (CAD) per word for short fiction (1000+ words), and a flat fee of $60.00 per flash fiction piece (Under 1000 words). $40.00 CAD per poem 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. 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. Please don’t send us: 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. a man “has to live with sexism”, a white woman is suddenly “treated like a woman of colour”), anything that minimizes sexual trauma/any trauma as a plot device (eg. A woman is assaulted in order to motivate a man, without dealing with her story or experience), casual or blatant misogyny/bigotry/racism/etc., or otherwise insensitive pieces. We accept multiple submissions and simultaneous submissions. Our goal is to respond to all submissions within eight weeks. If you submit and do not receive a verification email, please resubmit and send us an email letting us know what happened. Our submissions system should send you a verification email within 24 hours. All text submissions must be formatted in standard manuscript format and submitted in .doc format. We strongly prefer pieces be set in...

Deadline: September 30th, 2019. Payment: 1 cent per word (1 dollar total.) The contest ends September 30, 2019. The Great Lake Drabble Contest #15 The Contest Theme: Treasure Hunt We are looking for non-traditional treasures, a search that finds something unanticipated, of value. For example, in “Skylark of Space,” the civilization values salt above gold, and the people are not above melting down humans to recover the salt in their bodies. The Contest Theme “Treasure Hunt” Publishing Details Drabble Contests are edited by  Terrie Leigh Relf The contest ends September 30, 2019. Its format is perfect-bound trade paperback, 5.5 x 8.5, color cover and b&w interior. How to Submit Submit your work to [email protected] In the subject line of the e-mail, put Drabble Submission plus your last name and the title of the work submitted. SUBMISSION EXAMPLE “Drabble Submission: Asimov Nightfall – Contest #15” Please make sure to put the Drabble Contest number in the subject line to make it easier to sort submissions. Submit your drabble in the email body, please, and NOT as an attachment. Next, make sure your contact information is in the email along with the approximate word count. CONTACT INFORMATION EXAMPLE Edgar Montrose 1101 Kaboom Street Mushroom, NY 12117 [email protected] paypal : [email protected] If your submission does not include your contact information, Alban Lake Publishing reserves the right to delete your submission unread and without notifying you. Pay for drabbles is 1 cent a word, which means one dollar per drabble. The first and second place winners will each receive one of our publications. Winners will be announced in the View from the Lake once the contest is ended and the submissions are all read. We will publish the 20-25 best submissions. Each contributor will receive payment and a contributor’s copy, with the option to buy additional copies...

Deadline: September 30th, 2019 Prize: 0.04 USD per word via Paypal SEPTEMBER 2019 SUBMISSIONS THEME : Horror. Theme is 12 DAYS of CHRISTMAS (choose one day) This theme will be open for submissions from 1st September 2019 and will close midnight 30th September 2019 (last place on Earth).  Submissions received outside of this timeframe will not be read. You must include the theme in your email subject (as shown above). Reading will start once the submission period has closed. The BEST 12 drabbles will be chosen for publication in DECEMBER 2019. Word count : EXACTLY 100 words, excluding title Author eligibility : Open only to authors who have already been successfully accepted into one of our anthologies Reprints : Not allowed Simultaneous Submissions : Not allowed Multiple Submissions : One per author, per month << IF YOU SEND MORE THAN ONE, WE WILL REJECT THEM ALL, UNREAD Publication : Online in Dark Moments.  May be included in a single anthology in print and digital formats at a later date (but within one year of initial publication) Author compensation : 0.04 USD per word via Paypal How to submit : See our submission guidelines for formatting. Send your story as either a Word format attachment to [email protected]. Your document name must include your pen name and story title. Your email title should be “ – – ” Please include a 50 word bio and ONE link Via: Black Hare Press

Deadline: September 30th, 2019 Payment: 2 Contributor's copies We are open till September 30 for submissions to the latest in our series of short story anthologies, featuring the best new writing from around the world. You can find examples of what we like in our back issues and also in our Story of the Month features, as well as in the periodicals listed under Links. We're generally looking for literary fiction not genre stories. The only payment we can offer at this time is two copies of the book when it is published.  Full details are set out in the submission form area below. "Willesden Herald: New Short Stories 11" will be published simultaneously in the US and UK in early 2020 and will be available from the main online booksellers by print on demand. We can also do print runs on favourable terms when bulk orders are requested. See our New Short Stories blog and The Willesden Herald for updates and features that may be of interest. What You Need to Know We're seeking literary fiction. Please see our back issues for examples of what we like. Click Anthologies Language: English. Previously unpublished. Entirely your own original work. Word range: 1500 to 7000. Only one submission at a time please. Please do not include quotes for which copyright permission would have to be obtained, e.g. song lyrics or other excerpts, including epigraphs, unless the quoted text is in the public domain. Times New Roman, 12 point font, double-spaced is good but it's not the be all and end all. Document formats accepted: .doc, .docx, or .RTF. Unfortunately we cannot accept PDF format. If you don't know what any of that means, don't worry. It's the file you upload, and it should be fine. Consideration: Two copies of the book will be awarded to the writer of each short...

Deadline: September 30th, 2019 Payment: web issues will receive $50 (paid via PayPal). Print issue contributor payment is $5 per printed page, minimum of $20, plus 2 contributor copies and 1 year subscription. Note: While they do have pay to submit options, there are free-to-submit options through the end of the month at the bottom of the listing. Split Lip Magazine* is a voice-driven literary journal with a pop culture twist. We publish online monthly and in print annually. We accept fiction (flash and short stories), memoir, and poetry. Please read our guidelines and submit accordingly. We appreciate you taking time to check us out and look forward to reading your work. WE ARE NOW A PAYING MARKET! As of May 2018, contributors to web issues will receive $50 (paid via PayPal). Print issue contributor payment is $5 per printed page, minimum of $20, plus 2 contributor copies and 1 year subscription. *Split Lip Magazine is an independently-run offshoot of Split Lip Press, If you have a question about Split Lip Press, please visit their website for contact information. Other important details:  We're open for FREE submissions during the months of December, February, April, June, August, and October. We are open for TIP JAR submissions only during the months of January, March, May, July, September, and November. We offer an EXPEDITED submission option, which puts your submission to the top of our reading pile. You can expect a response within two weeks (usually sooner). It does not guarantee acceptance. Occasionally we may shut FREE subs early due to an overwhelming response (e.g., our free sub cap with Submittable maxes out). If the fees are a burden, please get in touch, and we'll see what we can do. Please submit in one genre only (choose your best and let us do the rest) at a time. Should you receive a rejection, please wait one month before submitting...

Deadline: September 30th, 2019 Payment: Royalties At Not a Pipe Publishing, we believe we must fight fascism with our voices while we still can. We can’t wait around to speak out against the horrors of the Trump administration after more lives have been lost. We need to be screaming right now! After some brainstorming with writer Isaac Dye and our publisher, author Benjamin Gorman, and reflecting on the success of our anthology of stories by women writers, Strongly Worded Women, and our success raising money for The Alzheimer’s Association through our Writing Against the Darkness project as part of their The Longest Day fundraiser, we’ve decided to curate a collection of short stories around the theme of resistance to the disastrous and corrupt presidency of Donald Trump. As writers know, a novel can often take years, even decades, to craft and polish. While a short story is no less a product of careful skill and craft, we hope this anthology can be amalgamated on a much shorter timeframe and give writers an opportunity to use their gifts to speak truth to power through fiction (not “alternative facts” or “fake news” but the deeper truth that only fiction can provide). If you are a fiction writer, we would love to include your story. Genre fiction is our brand, so if you want to try your hand at dystopian sci-fi and imagine a world where the horrors of a Trump presidency are allowed to metastasise, go for it! If you write fantasy and want to write an allegory for Trump in a world of monsters and magic, cast that spell. If you write paranormal and want to populate Trump’s America with ghosts and vampires and werewolves, we’d love it. For this anthology, we’ll accept stories that are more explicitly horror than we...