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Taking Submissions: Beneath the Misty Surface

Deadline: December 31st, 2020 Payment: $5 Theme: A fantastical war going on under the fog, a new planet that needs some adventurers to discover it, a monster to scare someone’s socks off under the misty surface of a glass pane, or anything in between. Content: A fantastical war going on under the fog, a new planet that needs some adventurers to discover it, a monster to scare someone’s socks off under the misty surface of a glass pane, or anything in between. Accepted Styles: Short stories and flash fiction Accepted Genres: Anything that isn't erotica or children's fiction Simultaneous Submissions: These are allowed, but please withdraw your submission immediately if accepted by another publisher. Reprints: No. Stories posted on the internet, including but not limited to, FB, personal websites, blogs, etc., are considered published. Number of Submissions per Author: 1 short story or 3 pieces of flash fiction Length: A short story should be less than 5,000 words. Each flash fiction piece should be less than 1,500 words. Payment: Free electronic copy of the book and $5 per author, regardless of number of accepted submissions. Requested Rights: First rights to digital, audio, and print formats in English. Exclusive for one year from publication. After that year all rights revert back to the author. Deadline: December 31st, 2020 Formatting: Stories must be submitted electronically as a .docx attachment in an email to [email protected]. Submission should be 12 point font, Times New Roman, and double spaced. The document name should include the name of your submission. Please include the title and page numbers in the header of the attachment. In the body of your email please include your name, author name/website, address, short story title, and word count of submission. IF IN DOUBT PLEASE SUBMIT! Via: Pub 518.

Spirit (Rated R)

Deadline: December 31st, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: All shifters Deadline – December 31st, 2020 Publication – April 2021 Word Count – 5,000-15,000 Theme – Shifters! Any animal shifters, settings, genres, etc are acceptable. All stories must include a main or secondary character that does not have a heterosexual preference. Publisher INFORMATION Company name:        Dragon Soul Press Anthology Submission Email: [email protected] Website:                    http://dragonsoulpress.com/ Facebook:                  http://www.facebook.com/dragonsoulpress/ Duotrope:                   https://duotrope.com/listing/26543/dragon-soul-press The Grinder:              https://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/Market/Index?id=9529   CHECKLIST Introduction of author                                                        This is not where the biography goes. Author Contact Information / Pen name MUST be included with real name. If real name is same as pen name, state so in email. Author Biography in Third Person in 100-200 words        Mandatory minimum of 100. Submission Word Count                                                   Also applies to poetry. Word count. Not line count.   Submission Formatted in Times New Roman 12 PT Font. One-inch margins. No indentations. No double-spacing. No extra spacing between paragraphs. No chapters. Only DOC and DOCX accepted.   Summary/Query Letter                                                      Summarized outline of all major events within the story. All emails should be addressed as “Dear Editor” Email subject and file name must be as follows – “Story Title by Author Name for (Name of) Anthology” All of the author’s social media links, including website if applicable Author must have an active social media account.   Important information Maximum of two submissions per anthology per author. Authors can submit to all anthologies simultaneously. Reprints from third party sources accepted IF author currently holds full rights. We will not publish duplicate stories within DSP. Authors get 30% Royalties for first year from date of publication. Afterwards, 30% of all proceeds go to a charity chosen by the Publisher. Story rights - The Publisher permanently reserves the right to publish the Work within the Anthology while the Author keeps ownership rights to the Work. Do not...

Taking Submissions: Chiral Mad 5

Deadline: December 31st, 2020 Payment: $0.06/word, contributors copy Theme: The End Is the Beginning / The Beginning Is the End Note: Only open to underrepresented demographics (POC, LGBTQIA+, female) My voice needs to be heard. How can I submit? If you are not part of an underrepresented demographic (POC, LGBTQIA+, female), please do not submit at this time, but feel free to send recommendations; otherwise, if you feel your voice needs to be heard, send your submission to [email protected] (or just click the email link, but read the next part before doing so). There are no formatting guidelines other than file type: .doc, .dotx, .rtx, or plain text. The words are what matter. What can I submit? Fiction (5,000 words or fewer recommended, payment capped at 5K), only one submission at a time. If you receive a rejection, feel free to submit again, immediately. No reprints. Poetry (50 lines or fewer, payment capped at 50 lines), up to 5 poems at a time. If you receive a rejection, feel free to submit up to 5 more, immediately. No reprints. Artwork (9.25 height x 6.25 width, 300 DPI, black-and-white), .jpg preferred for initial consideration. Payment Fiction - $0.06 per word, US, capped at 5,000 words Poetry - $1 per line, US, capped at 50 lines Artwork - exposure only, unless contracted individually Contributor copies of all editions Deadline December 31st, 2020 (end of the year, basically) Contract A publishing contract will be made available for all accepted work, to be signed by both parties prior to publication. Here's what you can expect: Written Backwards requests first worldwide print rights Rights revert back to the creator immediately upon publication You're allowing your work to be published in this anthology for as long as there is a need for the anthology, but you get your rights back the moment it goes...

Taking Submissions: The Modern Deity’s Guide To Surviving Humanity

Deadline: December 31st, 2020 Payment: 8 cents per word+ Theme: Urban fantasy stories set in the modern-day world with some type of god or deity as the central focus of the story THE MODERN DEITY’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY, DERELICT, and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE anthology Kickstarter (back us at tinyurl.com/ZNBDeity) 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 MODERN DEITY’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY, DERELICT, and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE Submission Guidelines Zombies Need Brains LLC is accepting submissions to its three science fiction and fantasy anthologies THE MODERN DEITY’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY, DERELICT, and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE.  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:  DERELICT:  Ghost Ships Gone Wild!).  The content of the email should also include which anthology the manuscript is intended for.  Please send multiple manuscripts in separate emails; you may submit to any or all of the anthologies as many times as you wish.  Manuscripts should be in manuscript format, meaning double-spaced, 12pt font, standard margins on top, bottom and sides, and pages numbered.  Please use Times New 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...

Taking Submissions: Derelict

Deadline: December 31st, 2020 Payment: 8 cents per word+ Theme: Abandoned ships, whether it be ships at sea or starships in space. THE MODERN DEITY’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY, DERELICT, and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE anthology Kickstarter (back us at tinyurl.com/ZNBDeity) 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 MODERN DEITY’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY, DERELICT, and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE Submission Guidelines Zombies Need Brains LLC is accepting submissions to its three science fiction and fantasy anthologies THE MODERN DEITY’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY, DERELICT, and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE.  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:  DERELICT:  Ghost Ships Gone Wild!).  The content of the email should also include which anthology the manuscript is intended for.  Please send multiple manuscripts in separate emails; you may submit to any or all of the anthologies as many times as you wish.  Manuscripts should be in manuscript format, meaning double-spaced, 12pt font, standard margins on top, bottom and sides, and pages numbered.  Please use Times New 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. DERELICT is to feature...

Taking Submissions: When Worlds Collide

Deadline: December 31st, 2020 Payment: 8 cents per word+ Theme: Science fiction and fantasy stories, including alternate history stories, where two different cultures “collide” in some way. THE MODERN DEITY’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY, DERELICT, and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE anthology Kickstarter (back us at tinyurl.com/ZNBDeity) 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 MODERN DEITY’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY, DERELICT, and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE Submission Guidelines Zombies Need Brains LLC is accepting submissions to its three science fiction and fantasy anthologies THE MODERN DEITY’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY, DERELICT, and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE.  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:  DERELICT:  Ghost Ships Gone Wild!).  The content of the email should also include which anthology the manuscript is intended for.  Please send multiple manuscripts in separate emails; you may submit to any or all of the anthologies as many times as you wish.  Manuscripts should be in manuscript format, meaning double-spaced, 12pt font, standard margins on top, bottom and sides, and pages numbered.  Please use Times New 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...

Taking Submissions: Resist with every inch and every breath

Deadline: December 31st 2020 Payment: $25 for original work, $15 for reprints Theme: Resist with every inch and every breath. Note: Officially opens to ALL on November 1st, however, currently open to Black, Indigenous, people of color, migrants, queer, disabled, women, working class, currently or formerly incarcerated, and/or living in poverty Note: Reprints allowed Lonely Cryptid Media is now accepting submissions for our second anthology, to be published September 2021. Theme: Resist with every inch and every breath. Stories of resistance and rebellion, but also of the steps in between and the change that comes after. People around the world rise up and resist those who hold power over them. In the middle of an unprecedented global pandemic, oppression persists and is magnified as crises lay bare the systemic inequalities within societies around the world. This anthology will invite us to reflect on this moment, but also imagine a world beyond it. What will happen if the momentum of Black Lives Matter carries us through and ends state violence? What does a world post-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) look like? What does a world without any borders at all look like? What will be the result of teachers’ and athletes’ strikes? How might we forestall climate catastrophe and work towards climate utopia instead? How can a pandemic be a time to come together even as we stay apart? What does a post-oppression world have in store for us? What will be the outcome of resistance to injustice? What does the future hold? Tell us about resistance big and small; real and imagined; rooted in reality or fantastical in nature; science fictional or science factual; historical, contemporary, or in the future. The everyday resistance of women. The power of youth and children’s rebellions. Resistance in the streets. The dismantling of white...

Taking Submissions: We’re Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2020

Deadline: December 31st, 2020 Payment: $0.01/word Theme: The best speculative stories published in 2020 that implicitly or explicitly explores queerness and/or transness. Note: Reprints Only WE’RE HERE: THE BEST QUEER SPECULATIVE FICTION 2020 is now open for submissions. The anthology will be co-edited by CL Clark and series editor Charles Payseur. Expected publication will be Summer 2021 from Neon Hemlock Press. Learn more about the press here: www.neonhemlock.com Submissions are open for all speculative work published in 2020 under 17,500 words that deals either implicitly or explicitly with queerness. If you're not sure, send it in and let the editors decide. The compensation level for stories accepted to WE’RE HERE: THE BEST SPECULATIVE FICTION 2020 is $0.01/word. Submissions will close December 31st 2020. Editors are encouraged to recommend work from their publications and can submit multiple stories for consideration. Authors may also submit their own work; authors from all underrepresented backgrounds and marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to submit. Please don’t self-reject. Please note that we will not be sending rejections for this anthology, as is standard for other Best Of anthologies. The authors of selected stories will be reached out to in April 2021. We will be announcing our ToC in May 2021. The name and photo associated with your Google account will be recorded when you upload files and submit this form. We are looking for: • Wordcount: Under 17,500 words. • What we want to see: We are looking for the best speculative stories published in 2020 that implicitly or explicitly explores queerness and/or transness. We refer to queerness that is inclusive of ace/aro stories, trans and nonbinary stories, and intersex stories. • What we don’t want to see: Original work, unqueer work, non-speculative work. Guidelines: • Please submit your story in .pdf, .doc or .docx file,...

Taking Submissions: Nemesis

Deadline: December 31st, 2020 Payment: $10 for short stories (3000-8000 words) Theme: Tales of enemies to the forever bound Working Title: Nemesis ​ Deadline: Dec 31 2020 or When Full Premise:Sometimes great loves begin with great fury. These are such tales of passion and partnership that ignite somewhere closer to hate.  Warriors on opposite ends of a battlefield align to oppose a greater evil. Sworn enemies become bound brothers for the greater good. Whatever it is that puts them at odds, its no match to the power of what binds them together. ​ Preference will be given to #OwnVoices, female authors, LGBTQA stories, but all are welcome to submit! Encouraged Tropes:  Enemies to Lovers Foe Romance Subtext (But skip the sub and make it TEXT!) Belligerent Sexual Tension The Only One Allowed to Defeat You ​ Pairing Examples: Buffy/Spike Rey/Kylo Batman/Joker (In fan fiction LOL) The Doctor/ The Master Riddick/Fry (Pitch Black) The Length Accepted: Flash, and Shorts. Eligibility: Open to all. No Reprints. No simultaneous submissions. Multiple Submissions: See guidelines and story lengths for the number of submissions per pen name. Publication: Feb 2021 Author compensation: Standard. See guidelines and story lengths for details. Submission Guidelines ​ Unless otherwise stated, all submissions should be sent to [email protected] Please fill the subject line as follows:  “SUBMISSION CALL – Author Name – Story Title” ​ Address the email to WTP for a general submission, or a specific editor if you choose (some calls will be run by different individuals). Length ​ Drabble = EXACTLY 100 words. Excludes title and author. Hyphenated words count as 1. Scene break markers and em-dashes are also excluded. No more than 5 drabbles per Pen Name per submission project. These may be submitted at the same time if connected to one another, but all must stand alone as they are likely to be...

Taking Submissions: SNAFU: Holy War

Deadline: October 31st, 2020 Payment: AUD .05 per word and a contributors copy Theme: Holy war military horror. What we want: Military ACTION-BASED horror, themed around religion and/or religious-based conflict. Think the Crusades, Europe’s Thirty Years War, The Troubles in Northern Ireland (but with unnatural monsters)… anything that can be considered a high-action monster story based around a conflict (overt or covert) of religion. For level of unnatural creature we will give priority to, think Dog Soldiers or Aliens. We want lots of monster goodness. We will also be looking for soldiers, mercs, police, private security/paramilitary. Hell, even a group of bodyguards protecting some arsehole theocracy warlord in his jungle property. Just ensure the action is central to the story, from start to finish, and don’t forget monsters! This volume is like the previous volumes squared. All action. We want extreme action, and it has to be military or paramilitary action. And to say it again, full action. Nothing less. Hoo-rah! We actively encourage submissions from all cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, and identities. Storytelling is for everyone, and we are richer for it when all voices are heard. SOME GUIDANCE – IF YOU TAKE THIS PLOT PATH, IT BETTER BE DAMNED GOOD: Modern America versus Muslim country war stories with religiosity at its core. These need to be extremely well-written to make it past the slush pile. What we DO NOT WANT AT ALL, IN ANY FORM: Rape as a plot device/backstory White saviour stories Racism, bigotry, misogyny of any kind Child abuse/paedophilia (can’t believe we have to say this, but we do) Rape as a plot device/backstory (yes, we have to say this twice) Fanfiction or derivatives Edited by Amanda J Spedding and Geoff Brown Payment: AUD5c/word and one contributor copy in each format released. Wordcount range: 2,000 – 10,000 words (query...

Taking Submissions: 50 Shades of Dead

Deadline: December 31st, 2020 Payment: $10 for short stories (3000-8000 words) Theme: Horror romance/erotic horror Working Title: 50 Shades of Dark ​ Deadline: Dec 31 2020 or When Full Premise: Horror romance/erotic horror. This is not for pure erotica or romance (no standard PNR), and not for horror that lacks any romantic elements. The components of romance, sensuality, and horror should be well woven together. Happily ever afters not required. Sex not required, but if included should be well done. The best submissions will be equal parts titillating and nightmare fuel. Looking for stories at a hard R to NR rating, but all levels of sensuality and horror will be considered. If you have ever wanted to push boundaries, this is the call to do it in! Preference will be given to #OwnVoices, female authors, LGBTQA stories, but all are welcome to submit! Length Accepted: Flash, and Shorts. Eligibility: Open to all. No Reprints. No simultaneous submissions. Multiple Submissions: See guidelines and story lengths for the number of submissions per pen name. Publication: Feb 2021   Via: Wicked Taxidermy Press.

Taking Submissions: Taking Submissions: Allegory Volume 38/66

Deadline: December 31st, 2020 Payment: $15 Theme: Speculative fiction, primarily horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Note: Reprints welcome. 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...

Taking Submissions: Universe of Attractions

Deadline: December 31st, 2021 Payment: $5 and royalties Theme: Fantasy/Science Fiction/Speculative stories featuring a cross-species romance. Note: Reprints welcome I hereby announce that submissions are open for our very first anthology, Universe of Attractions! We are looking for Fantasy/Science Fiction/Speculative stories featuring a cross-species romance. Elves may be the champions of interspecies romance, but what about the others? What are some mythological races that usually are passed by? How do Venusians show their love? Do Alpha Centaurians get starstruck? Romance must be an essential part of the story, not just sprinkled on top, and the romance must contribute to character development. And because we are an all-inclusive press, you are not limited to any specific orientations. We’re not looking for hard adult content, but sexual intercourse is allowed. You should keep the striptease rule in mind—the more you leave to the imagination, the better. And if you mention body parts, do know where those body parts are! Inaccurate anatomy will get your story rejected. Length: the target range is between 2000-7500 words. We will consider works outside this, but they will be a harder sell. Deadline: December 31, 2021. Target date for publication is June 2021. Pay: $5, with a share of royalties after expenses are met. Payments will be made by Paypal, and will be sent upon receipt of a signed contract. Guidelines: Failure to follow guidelines will get your story rejected, but you may resubmit if you correct your mistakes. 1) Submit your story as an *.rtf file attached to your cover letter. 2) One-inch margins, double-spaced text. 3) NO TABS! Use the paragraph formatting tool to indent the paragraphs, and use CENTER to place your section dividers. 4) NO page numbers or other headers or footers on the pages! 5) Mark your italics with an underscore before and after the italics....

Contest: Rune Bear Quarterly

Deadline: December 31st, 2020 Prize: $10 Theme: A drabbled based on "Dead of Winter" Rune Bear Quarterly is a seasonal drabble contest. This season’s prompt is “Dead of Winter.” Submissions are open until December 31st. The winner of the contest will receive $10. Each season will feature a different prompt. Submissions should always qualify the prompt in some way. Stories should be exactly 100 words. Titles: 15 words or less. To submit to the Contest, simply type up your piece and send it to [email protected]. Your subject line should be the word: “QUARTERLY.” Make sure you attach your story as a .doc or .docx. No multiple submissions and no simultaneous submissions. Also submit an author bio of 50 words or less. By submitting, you grant us non-exclusive rights to publish your piece if it wins and to keep the winning story in our archives. We request the winner not reprint the story for six months after the drabble is published. Via: Rune Bear.

Taking Submissions: Epoch

Deadline: December 31st, 2020 Payment: £15 per accepted piece or B. £5 plus a contributor copy Theme: Aftermath (see below.) ‘Aftermath’ (n) originated in the 1520s to mean the second crop of grass which is grown on the same land after the first had been harvested. From after- + –math (which meant ‘a mowing, cutting of grass’. Figurative language came about in the 1650s. Similar to the French regain, from re- + gain (which meant ‘grass which grows in mown meadows’. Aftermath is now defined as ‘the consequences or after-effects of a significant unpleasant event’, but really, it can mean so much beyond this as well. When we asked our staff what ‘Aftermath’ meant to them, there were many different responses, some of which might inspire all you writers out there for the upcoming issue. What We Publish Epoch is a publishing platform for original, creative nonfiction. We want to hear every voice. Epoch enthusiastically encourages submissions from marginalised voices, BlPOC, POC, LGBT+ folks, emerging writers and people outside of academia. We hope you’ll trust us with your stories. Original Material Submissions must be written and/or created by you and never before published. Epoch also accepts original translations, but we require a cover letter indicating where the work was previously published and whether you have the rights to authorise a translated publication. We will consider work that has been simultaneously submitted to other publications, but you must notify us immediately if your piece is accepted elsewhere. Creative Nonfiction Creative nonfiction is a vast genre, and we like it that way. We accept submissions for: memoir, personal essay, flash creative nonfiction, nature writing, travel writing, city writing, etc.— even poetry will be considered. We are interested in any narrative of real life that is well written. Artwork We encourage the submission of all types of original artwork which can...

Taking Submissions: Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

Deadline: December 31st, 2020 Payment: Roughly $25 for stories under 1,000 words, $50 for stories between 1,000 and 5,000 words, $75 for stories between 5,000 and 7,500 words and $100, for stories of 7,500 words and over. Theme: Heroic fantasy — in both prose and poetry Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is generally open to fiction and poetry submissions four months per year. The months you can submit are: March June September  December  If you submit fiction or poetry in any other month, you will receive an auto-response and your tale will not be reviewed. * * * As its name suggests, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is a quarterly ezine dedicated to publishing heroic fantasy — in both prose and poetry. We are unrepentant in our goal of elevating unapologetic sword and sorcery to a rightful high place. We pay $100 for stories and $25 for poems, upon publication.  (Scroll down for info on art submissions.) We purchase first world English language electronic rights, electronic rights for 90 days, archival rights for twelve months, and excerpt rights. Our fiction word limit is a soft 10,000 words, although we are willing to serialize at a maximum of 50,000 words over four issues. You may submit up to three poems, with a cumulative maximum of 30 pages.   No simultaneous submissions, please. While we don’t have iron-clad rules regarding our fiction payment, we roughly pay $25 for stories under 1,000 words, $50 for stories between 1,000 and 5,000 words, $75 for stories between 5,000 and 7,500 words and $100, for stories of 7,500 words and over. Tolkienesque (as in really long) poetry epics/sagas/vedas will most likely be treated — and paid — like fiction. Similarly, prose pieces of fewer than 1,000 words will be paid at poetry’s standard rate of $25. Art: HFQ is looking for quality banner art to accompany...

Taking Submissions: We’re Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2020

Deadline: December 31st 2020 Payment: $0.01/word Theme: The best speculative stories published in 2020 under 17,500 words that implicitly or explicitly explores queerness and/or transness. We’re Here 2020 is now open for submissions. The anthology will be co-edited by CL Clark and series editor Charles Payseur. Please submit your work here. If anything prohibits you from using the form, please contact us at [email protected] for alternate submission instructions. We are looking for: The best speculative stories published in 2020 under 17,500 words that implicitly or explicitly explores queerness and/or transness. We refer to queerness that is inclusive of ace/aro stories, trans and nonbinary stories, and intersex stories. What we don’t want to see: Original/unpublished work, unqueer work, non-speculative work. Guidelines: Please submit your story in .pdf, .doc or .docx file, formatted for publication or in something approaching Standard Manuscript Format.  Please use italics and bold as necessary. This should be the final version that was published, not including editor notes or track changes. Please include a cover/query letter with the title, length, where/when the story was published, and a brief bio. You may include links to your website/social media, and previous publications if any. Please don’t stress about this cover letter, if we have additional questions about your submission, we’ll ask them. Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Multiple submissions are welcome. Reprint submissions from 2020 only. This can include self-published stories, and those published on your blog or Patreon. Submissions are open to all.  Neon Hemlock Press is particularly interested in queer stories and authors.  Authors from all underrepresented backgrounds and marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to submit.  Please don’t self-reject. The compensation level for stories accepted to WE’RE HERE: THE BEST SPECULATIVE FICTION 2020 is $0.01/word. Submissions will close December 31st 2020. Editors are encouraged to recommend work from their...

Taking Submissions: 2 Sherlock Holmes Anthologies!

Deadline: December 31st, 2020 Payment: $100 OR $50 plus a percentage of the Kickstarter project profits and a paperback copy Theme: For one, Holmes's client must be a real historical figure, for the other, it must be a public domain character and fit in with the Victorian/ edwardian time frame of Holmes and Watson Note: I APOLOGIZE for how short this call is, usually these hit my inbox much sooner. Call for Submissions to Two NEW Sherlock Holmes Anthologies Sherlock Holmes: Stranger than Truth Sherlock Holmes: Stranger than Fiction Guidelines: These traditional Sherlock Holmes adventures are sure to be a lot of fun. For Sherlock Holmes: Stranger than Truth Holmes's client is a real historical figure. It could be Queen Victoria, Billy the Kid, President Harrison, The Dalai Lama, Nellie Bly, Laura Ingalls Wilder, or any person who lived during the time Holmes and Watson worked together. For Sherlock Holmes: Stranger than Fiction Holmes's client is a fictional character. It must be a public domain character and fit in with the Victorian/ edwardian time frame of Holmes and Watson. Perhaps the client is an elderly Oliver Twist or a young Dr. Caligari. Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson could be visiting London and need help from a detective. Maybe Alice needs help finding Wonderland or Dorothy returning to Oz. Submissions:  Sherlock Holmes: Stranger than Truth - Stories must fit traditional Holmes. Submissions should be 5,000 – 10,000 words in length (it is okay to go over or under some). Since these cases involve historical figures they should be canonical in nature. Holmes and Watson must be their traditional selves.   Sherlock Holmes: Stranger than Fiction -  Since these stories involve fictional characters, you have some leeway in adding elements of fantasy, horror, and science fiction (i.e. if you use Dracula, or the Time...

Taking Submissions: Lost Contact

Deadline: December 31st, 2020 Payment: $0.05 per word Theme: To lost contact (not being specific in the call, just what that means to you, ideas for themes below!) Hi! If you are a writer, this post will be of great interest to you. But, before we get to our big announcement, I do want to point out we’ve recently uploaded several new titles on our homepage. Please check it out and order (or, in some instances, pre-order) a couple books. If you love indie horror, the best way to show that is to support publishers directly, and you can do that by ordering books through our webstore. (We will be issuing out other posts at a later date going into more detail on the new titles uploaded, such as Jessica Leonard’s debut novel, Antioch, which is gonna blow y’all’s minds; seriously, you might as well just go ahead and pre-order it right now before reading anything else in this newsletter–it’ll be the wisest decision you’ve ever made.) Now, on to our announcement… Long-time fans of Perpetual Motion Machine know we have released two critically acclaimed anthologies titled Lost Signals and Lost Films. These anthologies have featured fiction from folks like Josh Malerman, Brian Evenson, Kristi DeMeester, Gemma Files, Damien Angelica Walters, and so on… One thing we’ve been asked about the most, probably, is when are we going to complete the trilogy of these…LOST anthologies. And…well, it’s pretty obvious by now, but we intend on completing the trilogy in 2021. But we need help. Which is why, beginning right now, we are officially open for story submissions for a brand-new anthology called…LOST CONTACT.  Now, what does LOST CONTACT mean? I guess that depends on what the word CONTACT means to you. To lose contact…does that bring to mind something physical, something intangible? Does it give you a sense of isolation?...