Events

Deadline: July 31st, 2020 Payment: 3.0 cents per word, contributors copy, $150 advance maximum on longer stories Theme: Fiction short stories and poetry in support of an election year theme “Dear Leader Tales” (DLT) anthology. We want stories of a humorous or satirical bent which illustrate or lampoon an emperor’s hubris (and lack of clothing). Note: Reprints allowed Theme:  We’re looking for original fiction short stories and poetry in support of an election year theme “Dear Leader Tales” (DLT) anthology. We want stories of a humorous or satirical bent which illustrate or lampoon an emperor’s hubris (and lack of clothing). In that spirit, we don’t want any real life current or past Dear Leaders named directly, but their known foibles are fair game. If you’re one of the oppressed, regardless of who’s in charge, this is your chance to deploy devastating humor, satire, wit, and sarcasm to bring them down a few notches. If nothing else, we can amuse ourselves in a trying time. Examples beyond the political include CEOs who constantly quote Sun Tzu or Machiavelli incorrectly, cats plotting to overthrow their human overlords, in short anywhere clueless oppressors operate. Rules: The stories can range from 1,000 to 5,000 words. First world rights are preferred. Reprint rights will be accepted if the story is good enough. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable as well, provided prompt notice is given should the story be picked up elsewhere. Stories may exceed the 5K word count limit, if it merits, however the advances are limited to a maximum of $150 per story. Schedule: Submission period is July 1, 2020 through July 31, 2020, after which no further submittals will be accepted.The email address for submissions will only be active during that period. We plan to release the anthology in mid-September 2020. Team: The evaluation team will consist...

Deadline: July 15th, 2020 Payment: Split of 20% of royalties between the authors Theme: Short stories revolving around the planet or God Saturn Note: Reprints accepted Starting in December 2019, Tuscany Bay Books will be releasing an 11-book anthology series: Planetary Anthology Series. First up is Pluto. You can pre-order the e-book edition now. On Dec. 5th you can get it for free if you are a KU subscriber on Amazon. Shortly after Dec. 5th you should be able to order the paperback edition as well. Next up is Luna and then Uranus. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, Sol and Saturn should then follow. NOTE: Submissions are now open again for Neptune and Saturn. Payment is a split of 20% of royalties between the authors. For more info on what is required and how to submit, see this post: ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSION CALL   The most beautiful of the wandering stars, surrounded by a mysterious and remarkable series of rings, crowning the planet in glory. Jupiter may be the king of the planets, but Saturn is the progenitor, named for the powerful and terrible Titan that fathered the gods themselves. Saturn is the lord of Time, Age, and Endings. And when everything else disperses into a heat death and the cosmos is an empty void, it is Time that will rule over all. Bullet point form: Word count is 500-10,000 Poems will be accepted Reprints will be accepted Simultaneous submissions will be accepted Stories can be about the actual planet Saturn, time, age, and endings. The Titan Saturn may also feature.   Submissions should be in standard manuscript format, though please italicize instead of underline when appropriate. If the story is not in standard manuscript format, it may be rejected without being read. Seriously. I’m not kidding here. For that matter, ditto if the stories are under...

Deadline: July 15th, 2020 Payment: Contributors copy Theme: Tales through a zombie's point of view for middle-grade readers Chipper Press is looking for short stories from the point of view of the Zombie. Write your tales as if they are diary entries and tell our young middle-grade readers what daily life is like as a zombie. Tell them about Zombie school, going to the Zombie Mall, or a Zombie vacation. Where do they go camping? What are their holidays? Do they go to a grocery store? 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. (Your submission will be declined if there is head-hopping.) Characters need to be fully developed and the stories need to be complete-not just a scene. This anthology is a great opportunity to showcase emerging writers and allow them to build their professional platforms. Submission Deadline: July 15, 2020, with a targeted release date of late September 2020. 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: July 15th, 2020 Payment: $20 per story Theme: Electric Spec prefers science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we're willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres. Please don't query us about your story submission. We don't have the manpower to answer such queries. An editor will email you back as soon as possible with the decision about your story. This can take a few days, or, up to three months. We make every effort to get back to authors in a timely manner but we get a lot of submissions so sometimes it's not possible. A note on our editorial policy: before publication we may edit the story for length or readability. However, we always remain true to the spirit of the story. Issues are published at the end of February, May, August, and November. We reserve the right to shift publication date slightly, as necessary. We have reading periods for each issue, though we never close to submissions. February closes January 15 May closes April 15 August closes July 15 November closes October 15 Please do not submit the same story more than once, and please submit only one story at a time. We consider any story between 250 and 7000 words with speculative fiction elements. We prefer science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we're willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres. We do not consider poetry, stories with over-the-top sex or violence, serials, novels, fan fiction, or non-fiction. We don't accept multiple submissions; in other words, only submit one story at a time and wait for a response before submitting another. We accept simultaneous submissions as long as you let us know up front and tell us as soon as it's accepted elsewhere. We do not publish reprints, including anything...

Deadline: July 15, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: Contemporary cozy mysteries Note: Reprints accepted Cozy Villages of Death an anthology of cozy mysteries Anticipated release: October, 2020 There’s something about quaint country villages, picture-perfect mountain towns, and tranquil island resorts that draws us to them. And when we can’t visit in-person, reading about the quiet, peaceful life is the next best thing to taking a mini-vacation. But there are secrets hiding behind those shuttered windows. Deception awaits around the next curve in the road. Rumors spread over garden hedges, across fishing ponds, and around knitting circles. And when Death strolls through the tranquil countryside or checks into the quaint village inn for the weekend, it’s the intrepid – and often accidental – investigators who must find and decipher clues, unravel mysteries, and bring the killer to justice. Cozy Villages of Death invites you to share your contemporary cozy mystery with us. Take us to the towns where your own characters follow in the footsteps of Miss Marple and Father Brown. Let your own Jessica Fletcher-inspired amateur sleuth discover “whodunit” before the police. Let our readers work with small town officers, in the vein of “Midsomer Murders” and “Death in Paradise.” Introduce us to your own independent investigators, in the spirit of the “No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” or Miss Phryne Fisher. What We’re Looking For: Contemporary cozy mysteries (no ghosts or other paranormal elements), set between 1900 – present. Small town locations, ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. We’re happy to read about cozy English villages, but we want to know what’s happening in other countries, too. Tell us the stories of small town police departments with limited resources, investigators who prefer the country life to the hustle of the city, and AMATEUR SLEUTHS – the everyday people who stumble across one too many clues to ignore and can’t help but...

Deadline: July 15th, 2020 Payment: Between $0.04 and $0.08/word, depending on variables below Theme: SF and Fantasy genres, but no horror please. More details below Note: Reprints welcome DreamForge is Opening for Submissions DreamForge is opening for submissions on July 1, 2020.  We’ll be open until Wednesday, July 15th at 12 Midnight, Eastern Standard Time. Submissions will be through our online Submissions Portal, which will not be available before midnight on June 30th. What are we looking for? If your story fits within the general guidelines below, please send it our way. That said, here are some things we’d like to see. More flash fiction between 500 and 1500 words. I’d like to feature more authors, especially talented beginners. Our theme will be the “Hope of the Big Idea.” Which means we’d like to see stories that call upon powerful new visions of how life could be shaped for the better either through technological or social change, or both. Stories can be serious, lighthearted, or funny. They can include themes of rebuilding or starting fresh. We’ll be reading for Issue # 7, which has a target date of November 15th, toward the end of a long and trying year. Who even knows what we’ll have to face between now and then, so let’s look to a hopeful future! Our General Guidelines Positive stories demonstrating the triumph of the human spirit and the power of hope and humane values in overcoming the most daunting challenges. We are interested in all SF and Fantasy genres, but no horror please. No to Pollyannish and Utopian simplicity. Yes to communities and teams working together to overcome dire challenges. Yes to marginalized and under-represented characters as protagonists. Yes to science and magic that solve problems, alleviate suffering, and boldly explore new possibilities. No to corrupt, dystopian governments or...