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Deadline: March 1st, 2021 Payment: $10 and a contributors copy Theme: A circus and carnival themed collection of horror stories. Popcorn and candy apples, games and rides, laughter and fun, the carnival is all about good times, isn't it? Dark Carnival is a circus and carnival themed collection of horror stories. Submission Guidelines: ​​ Must be clean and edited to the best of your ability Submissions cannot be published elsewhere. Simultaneous submissions okay (but please let us know if yours is accepted elsewhere) 3000-8000 words Submissions must be 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double spaced with special first-line indentation of 0.5" Submissions must be in .Docx or .Doc format with 1" margins all around No child abuse, please. We will not be accepting graphic sexual scenes however use your discretion on what fits the story. Publication and Payment Submissions closed March 10th Announcements on accepted stories to be sent by April 1 2021, a memorandum to be sent for signing at this time May 1st 2021 planned release date A one time payment of $10 plus author copy per acceptance Additional author copies available at cost Minimum of 8, max of 15 stories Via: Macabre Ladies.

Deadline: March 1st, 2021 (Doesn't open until February 1st.) Payment: 3 cents per word and a contributors copy Theme: This is an open theme, though you'll likely want to include quite a bit of gore! GOREFEST: The title says it all. We at The Evil Cookie Publishing prefer our horror with a heavy hitting dosage of gore and carnage. First, we gave you BREWTALITY, then BLUDGEON TOOLS. There’s no better way to celebrate our first year of publishing horror than with a festival of gore. THIS IS AN OPEN THEMED ANTHOLOGY. SUBMISSION CALL DETAILS: Short story MAX 3,000 word count. No reprints No simultaneous subs No multiple subs Nothing involving children (not even implied) or religious plots Payment: 3 cents per word + 1 paperback contributor copy Manuscripts: 12pt font, double-spaced and as .DOC or .DOCX Do not send story in body of email. Responses usually within a month, but could be longer depending on size of sub pile. Send stories to: [email protected] Subject line: Gore Sub: (story title) by (author name) Include brief bio, if I don’t already know you, just to break the ice. OPENS: February 1, 2021 (anything sent before will be deleted) DEADLINE: March 1, 2021 Via: The Evil Cookie.

Deadline: March 1st, 2021 Payment: $20 Theme: We ask our fiction writers to imagine their readers navigating a story with one finger poised over a mouse button. Can your story stay that finger to the end? “Turning words into art is unnatural. It begins with a contrary attitude. It says, I am unhappy with the way things are and desire to make things different. Rather than represent the world, I will make something wildly and savagely new. I will defy logic. I will invest in new perceptions. I will combine and recombine and fabricate and juggle until something that I have never experienced is experienced. The process is alchemical. The process is violent. It goes to the heart of creativity. It disrupts and shatters. It is splendid with provocation. It is an aggression against banality. It is sharp and loud like a janitor scraping frost from a window. The hectic bounce of steam on a street after a truck roars by. The anarchy of waters, the comedy of the face, dangerous feelings vented from a cage of skin.” ~ John Olson Poetry — We believe poetry is contrary by nature, always defying, always tonguing the tang of novelty. We look especially for plurality of meaning, for dual reverberation of beauty and concern. Contrary’s poetry in particular often mimics the effects of fiction or commentary. We find ourselves enamored of prose poems because they are naturally contrary toward form – they tug on the forces of exposition or narrative – but prose poems remain the minority of all the poetic forms we publish. Please consider that Contrary receives vast amounts of poetry and that we can publish only a small percentage of that work. Please submit no more than three poems per issue. Our poetry editor is Shaindel Beers. Fiction — We ask our fiction writers to imagine...

Deadline: March 1st, 2021 Payment: $200/story + royalties Theme: Urban Fantasy only (no Science Fiction or Horror, although horror elements may be present in the story) that involves Cryptids We are currently accepting submissions for We Cryptids. The guidelines are as follows: Word limit: 3000-6000 words. Pay rate: $200/story + royalties Genre: Urban Fantasy only (no Science Fiction or Horror, although horror elements may be present in the story). Other forms of fantasy (epic fantasy, Historical Fantasy, or Steampunk, for example) will not be accepted. If the cryptid you choose to write about was sighted in a timeframe earlier than 2020, you are welcome to write within that time frame, but the more modern the story, the better. Language: English (translations are welcome). Submissions open: October 31, 2020 Submissions close: March 1, 2021 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. Cryptids have long haunted our imaginations and folklore. Bigfoot, the chupacabra, Nessie, the Jersey Devil, vampires, the fae, kraken, the mothman, werewolves, and more all feature in the stories we tell ourselves to inspire wonder and mystery. By living on the borders of society, at the edges of the map marked "here be dragons", cryptids exist in the liminal spaces between fact and fiction. We Cryptids invites you to consider what would happen if cryptids existed and lived among us. Would they be our neighbors, or would their children be barred from our schools? Would they be disproportionately stopped by police just because of what they were and what they looked like? Would their children be taken from them to be raised by "approved parents" to uphold other people's values. Would they be allowed to fight for the country, but not allowed to...

Deadline: March 1st, 2021 Payment: 2 cents a word and Royalties Theme: This book will explore protests with stories, essays and poems. We want to see the people, the protest, the issues that make this something that puts people on the streets. B Cubed Press is pleased to announce an open call for The Protest Diaries.  2020 is not the first year of protests.  The American Revolution started with protests.  India used protest to free themselves from British rule. I could go on, the protestant reformation, the storming of the Bastille.  Protests seldom feel like the birth of freedom and a new era at the time.  At the time, it is anger, resentment, and a fundamental need for change. But the past four years have re-introduced America to the protest, whether in the name of the BLM movement, the Pussy Hats, even the Back the Blue rallies.  No political ideology has a lock on protests. This book will explore protests with stories, essays and poems.  We want to see the people, the protest, the issues that make this something that puts people on the streets.  When we read your story, poem, or essay, we want to know what makes it necessary to take to the streets. So be prepared to look hard at this topic, its rituals, its layers.    We don’t want just the darkness.  B Cubed publishes satire, humor and laugh out loud.  These stories define us, so don’t be afraid to bring it.  Laughter is part of our humanity. This book will be edited by Nathan Ockerman and Vanessa Cozzo. And don’t be afraid to reach.  Past present and future are all within the scope of what we will consider stories for. Story length for our books average about 2200 words but have ranged from 100 to 7500...

Deadline: March 1st, 2021 Payment: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10 Theme: A Postcard from the Past 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 outside the U.S. For those living outside the U.S., submit manuscript as an email attachment (readable by MSWord ― either as a DOC file or an RTF file), and include the following information on the title page: target theme, title of work, name of...

Deadline: March 1st, 2021 Payment: $0.005 per word Theme: Furry horror! Deadline: March 1, 2021 Theme: Furry horror! Word Count: 1,500-6,000 Payment: $0.005 per word Editor: Thurston Howl Expected release: Just in time for Howloween! With all the more recent furry horror anthologies emerging—Bleak Horizons, Infurno, Seven Deadly Sins, The Haunted Den, Dread, Slashers, and the upcoming The Howling Dead—we thought it would be useful to have a regular anthology that allowed all furry horror submissions, rather than specific types of horror. So bring us your worst! We want to see the furry Jason attacking a camp of squirrels. We want to see the Howling of Hill House. We want to see an ethereal Bad Dragon toy haunting the user who threw it away. We want to see a couple of foxes collecting knots from the tops they kill. So, slashers, erotic horror, ghost stories, movie monsters, transformation, all types of horror are welcome and encouraged! Kink and fetish are perfectly fine (and maybe even encouraged) with submissions, and you are free to play around with genre here. While erotic horror is accepted, , Characters that you do not own or characters under copyright, Bigotry, and extreme violence. Reprints are fine with us as long as you own the rights to your story. Simultaneous submissions are fine! If your story is accepted elsewhere, it is your responsibility to let us know. Max of three subs per writer. Weasel Press asks for Non-Exclusive rights to your story in perpetuity. BIPOC Authors, Queer Authors, Disabled Authors, Authors who are currently or former Sex Workers are strongly encouraged to submit. Submissions are taken through Submittable. Use one submittable form to upload your story(stories if more). The form will take up to 3 DOC or DOCX documents. That means you’ll have to have all...

Deadline: March 1st, 2021 Payment: 2 cents a word and Royalties Theme: A critical look at War and what it does to us. B Cubed Press is pleased to announce an open call for Alternative War.  A critical look at War and what it does to us.  This book will be edited by Bob Brown and Debora Godfrey, the team that brought you the best selling Alternative Apocalypse. If you wonder what perspective the editors bring, I refer you to War, written by  Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1969: Oh no-there's got to be a better way Say it again There's got to be a better way-yeah What is it good for? War has caused unrest Among the younger generation Induction then destruction Who wants to die? War-huh What is it good for? Absolutely nothing Does this mean we will not accept military Sci-Fi?  No, but it means that it will be tested against the criteria that the writing be good, and carry an understanding of the cost of war. In terms of what we are looking for, think openly about the concept of war and conflict from origin, to back stage, to the field of conflict.  The setting is open anywhere in time and space.  As anyone who has read Churchill will know, war is much more than the fighting. This book will be part of the best-selling Alternatives series.  We will be accepting stories, poetry, and essays from now through March 1, 2021. Story length for our books average about 2200 words but have ranged from 100 to 7500 words. However we only use one or two stories over 5,000 words and our advice is to keep it under 5K, unless we communicate in advance.  Reprints are accepted, but we hold them to a higher standard and limit them...

Deadline: March 1st, 2021 Payment: $.02 a word and royalties Theme: A fun filled romp into the concept and nature of Death. B Cubed Press is pleased to announce an open call for Alternative Deathiness.  A fun filled romp into the concept and nature of Death. Seriously what the hell is death, big guy with bones and a sickle? An ominous Tarot Card?  Or is it simply the passing of one thing for another.  A change in phase. Or, it is the ending of you, and just you, a personal FU from the universe that say oopsie, you’re out of here? So be prepared to look hard at this topic, its rituals, its layers.  Have fun.  May as well,  considering the end comes for us all. This book will be edited by Bob Brown and Irene Radford, the team that brought you the best selling Alternative Truths. If you wonder what perspective the editors bring just remember, we’re old.  Our friends are old, our families are old.  Death is beginning to feel more like a roommate than a concept.  So?  Let the stories rip, show no deference to religion, ritual, or sensitivities.  For god’s sake, we’re talking death here! And don’t try sneaking zombies and ghosts and vampires in to get around death.  Oh we might buy one or two REALLY GOOD Ones, but that isn’t the focus. Does this mean we will not accept sensitive looks at this from a more popular perspective?  No, but it means that it will be tested against the criteria that the writing be good, and carry an explanation of the nature of death. In terms of what we are looking for, think openly about the concept of death and life, can’t have one without the other.  The setting is open anywhere in time...

Deadline: March 1st, 2021 Payment: $25 Theme: Extreme Horror Theme: Extreme Horror No Reprints Stories must be from 2,000-7,000 words Submissions Deadline: March 1st Payment: $25 What We Want We want Extreme horror stories! Think Wrath James White, Edward Lee, Shane McKenzie, or J.F. Gonzalez. If you can write a story that will churn our stomachs or make us fear what's behind the shower curtain, send it in and we'll read it and decide if it is Extreme enough for our anthology. We are looking for 8-10 horror stories in the same vein as the aforementioned authors above. Email us at [email protected] with your submission. Your submission must be 12 point font, new times roman, double spaced and sent as doc or docx. When you send out the email, make sure to put "no anesthetic" submission, title of your story, and your author name in subject line. Links to our website and social media Website: https://authornicholasgray.wixsite.com/sipublishing Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SplatterInkPublishing Instagram: Splatter Ink Publishing (@splatter_ink_publishing) We don't want to promise a specific time we'll contact you back regarding your submission, but depending on how many emails we receive, allow us at least four to eight weeks to contact you back with a decision letter.

Deadline: March 1st, 2021 Payment: $900 and potential royalties Theme: Stories written by queer YA authors, about queer teen protagonists Note: THERE ARE ONLY 2 OPEN SLOTS so send in your best work I’m so excited to announce that I am holding open submissions for the third and final OUT anthology, OUT THERE: Into the Queer New Yonder! Coming May 2022 from Inkyard Press, and me, your humble editor! OUT THERE will feature stories written by queer YA authors, about queer teen protagonists! Set in the future (1 day, 1 million years, who knows?!) , these stories will explore the last (or next, as the case may be) moment in time. If selected, your story will join stories by Leah Johnson, Kalynn Bayron, Alex London, Nita Tyndall, Abdi Nazemian, Alechia Dow, Kayla Ancrum, Naomi Kanakia, Adam Sass, Mason Deaver, Claire Kann, Zabé Ellor, Emma K. Ohland, Jim McCarthy and Z Brewer in this fantastic, futuristic collection! This is an open call to fill TWO slots in OUT THERE. Black, Indigenous and Authors of Color are strongly encouraged to apply. Authors may be published or unpublished, agented or unagented. Your submissions will be considered by the review panel, featuring Saundra Mitchell, and and award-winning authors Tehlor Kay Mejia and Julian Winters. Mejia appeared in ALL OUT, and Winters appeared in OUT NOW. The story requirements are simple: 4-8 thousand words YA fiction set in the future (any genre) Queer author, queer protagonist The story you wish you had when you were 16 Does not have to be #ownvoices Does not have to contain romantic elements What you get if selected: Publication in OUT THERE: Into the Queer New Yonder anthology, edited by Saundra Mitchell; published by Inkyard Press. $900 (US) plus a pro-rated share of any royalties received on the sale of the anthology. We ask for exclusive rights...

Deadline: March 2nd, 2021 Payment: 6 cents per word for original, 2 cents for reprints Theme: Well written original work in science fiction, fantasy, myth, legend, fairy tales, and eldritch, in written, podcast, video, and/or graphic story form, and from around the world. Note: Reprints welcome     Submissions Schedule We have a new submissions schedule as of June 1, 2020: The first and second day of every month, 12 am of the 1st to 12 am of the 3rd, E.S.T. Only one submission per person. For reading impaired individuals, our submissions manager and ‘forget password’ have a captcha compatible with screen readers. We pay 6¢ per word for new fiction, 2¢ per word for fiction reprints, 2 – 6¢ per word for new fact-based work, 1- 4¢ per word for reprinted fact articles. For new poetry, we pay $1 a line, reprints would be 50¢ a line, up to 40 lines. We’ll look at longer poems but that would be a hard sell, and words over 40 lines would be paid at 6¢ per word. We began The Kepler Award to recognize and encourage writers of excellent science fiction and fantasy stories that creatively extrapolate on known science in constructive and exciting ways. You can learn about The Kepler Award here. You can read a copy of our standard contract here.   It can be varied as needed to include the rights of translators, voice actors, etc. Writers Guidelines We accept new work as well as reprints, prose and poetry, anywhere from 1000 word flash fiction on up, but all else being equal, shorter pieces will be favored.   We have tough standards but only care about the quality of the writing, storytelling ability, characters, plot, and ideas, not whether you’re new or established.  Submit only work you are proud of —...

Deadline: March 1st-3rd 2021 Payment: $50 Theme: Healers, Midwives and Cunning Folk. Hi there! We’ll no doubt write more about this later in the next year, but for now, what follows below will tell you all you need to know. And the theme? It’s “Healers, Midwives and Cunning Folk.” (No more submissions are being accepted for publication in December of 2020–but we will be publishing stories that have already been accepted.) The following is relevant to all submissions for 2021, and the first submission window opens Jan. 1. More below.   Writing opportunities for 2021 include:   New Fairy Tales: Fairy tales that are almost or entirely new or are just new takes on old tales are all welcome. Mashups of existing fairy tales are welcome as well. Submissions must follow the theme below to be considered.   Essays: Nonfiction articles about any aspect fairy tales and folklore are being sought. The term “essay” just means you’ll be writing about fairy-tale related matters in a nonfiction article.  Creative nonfiction is welcome. You do not have to stick to the theme, but you can.   Poetry: Poetry inspired by fairy tales and that follows the theme is also welcome.   Please read the following in its entirety before submitting.   Want to know what is likely to get published here? There are well over 10 years of stories, essays and art on this current site. It’s the best place to start if you want to be published here.   HERE IS HOW YOU SUBMIT AND FORMAT   Only the kind of submissions outlined below will be accepted at EC in 2021.   * Writers will have a chance to submit fairy-tale inspired stories/essays/poems 11 times this year. Since we will be choosing four works per publishing month, there are 44 slots...

Deadline: March 1st-7th 2021 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Original fantasy and dark fantasy stories. All types of fantasy and dark fantasy are welcome. Instructions for submitting to Fantasy Magazine follow. Please read everything on this page and read the magazine before submitting. SUBMISSION PROCEDURES Submission Periods: Fantasy is open to submissions the first week of every month (1st-7th). Please do not query about submitting outside our open submission periods. Anonymous Submissions: Fantasy only accepts anonymous submissions. Do not include your name, address, phone number, or other similar identifiers on the manuscript. All original short fiction, flash fiction, and poetry submissions will be read anonymously on first read: moving out of slush depends on the merits of the story alone. Please make sure the title is on the manuscript. Simultaneous and Multiple Submissions: We do not accept simultaneous submissions or multiple submissions. Please do not submit more than one set of poems at a time, more than one piece of flash fiction at a time, or more than one story at a time. You may, however, submit a single entry in each category at the same time: you can submit one batch of poems, one flash fiction piece, and one short story all at the same (or overlapping) time, and each category will be considered a separate submission. If we are already considering work in any given category, please wait until you have received an acceptance or rejection before submitting again in that same category. Instructions: All fiction must be submitted through our Moksha online submission system. Please do not email your submissions. If one of the Submission Type options is grayed out, that means we are currently closed to that Submission Type. Questions/Problems: Email [email protected] for all submission-related inquiries, or if you have any trouble using our online submission system. Please do not email your submissions to this address. All submissions must be submitted...

Deadline: March 14th, 2021 Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints Theme: The darker side of crime: the cold cases, the grim murders, the desperate villains, and the race against time to solve the crime Note: Reprints Welcome About the theme: We've looked at cosy crime and detective thrillers, now it's time to turn to the darker side: the cold cases, the grim murders, the desperate villains, and the race against time to solve the crime. We're seeking up to 20 new stories to join our powerful collection of Chilling Crime Short Stories, new and classic tales reaching back into ancient, medieval, Elizabethan and Victorian fiction. From Oedipus Rex and Medea to Thomas More's story of the Princes in the Tower, Scheherazade's 'The Three Apples' and the chilling crime fiction of Dickens, Poe, Henry James, Baroness Orczy and Wilkie Collins. Terms: We do not require exclusivity and do accept reprints Simultaneous submissions are fine but you must have the right to license your story in an anthology For accepted stories we pay Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) rates of 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints We will aim to read each story and confirm its status within 4 months of the submission deadline Payment for the chosen stories will be made within 30 days of the final advertised publication date (see our website flametreepublishing.com for details), although some may be paid earlier than that Submission does not imply the right to publication. Each story will be read and assessed by the selection panel Guidelines: Submit your story to [email protected] Word length is most likely to be successful at 2000-4000 words, but we will still read stories slightly outside this range Let us know in your submission email if your story is a reprint Please submit in .doc, .docx...

Deadline: March 15th, 2021 Payment: $15 Theme: Lost at Sea Note: My apologies for the short turnaround, this just hit our inbox Volume I, Issue IV ​ Theme: Lost at Sea ​ For this issue, we want tales of maritime disaster. Of shipwrecks and oil spills. Of bones left to decompose on the ocean floor. Of those left behind on land, never to know what's become of their loved ones. Of lighthouse keepers forced to stand by and witness tragedy unfold. ​ Elements of the supernatural are welcome, as are stories that utilize elements of horror and science-fiction. ​ Deadline: March 15th, 2021 Word Limit: 6,000 words ​ Compensation: flat $15 fee upon publication, plus a digital copy of the magazine (which you're free to share). ​ Format: We will accept short-form fiction any way you want to write it. This can include poetry, flash fiction or short stories. We're particularly interested in the subversion of form. We don't care about hard and fast rules, so don't worry too much about formatting. If you feel its good, chances are that shines through in the writing. And we want to read it. ​ Genre: Anything that's dark, creepy, weird and just a little off-kilter. We're open to genre fiction, particularly anything related to horror, science-fiction, speculative fiction or weird fiction. But we're also interested in anything that twists or subverts these genres in some unexpected way. ​ Simultaneous submissions: We will accept simultaneous submissions, but please inform us if this applies to you. If a story may be pulled away from us at the last minute, we want to know as this may affect our decision on acceptance. ​ Multiple Submissions: We do not accept multiple submissions. ​ Reprints: We do not accept reprints. We will accept stories that have already been published if they've been dramatically altered in...

Deadline: March 16th, 2021 Payment: $30 Theme: Ideally, lyrical poetry Note: At the time of scheduling the submissions page states closed but the submittable is open. We consider any style of poetry, although we confess our bias toward the lyrical. We look for natural-world, and especially arboreal, elements in the poems we receive. Send us poems through which we can rediscover that we are nature—poems that slip in under our skin and change the light in the room. Requirements: up to 4 poems per submission in a single document no longer than 100 lines per poem (we prefer shorter pieces) original and unpublished no multiple submissions simultaneous submissions are okay (to withdraw individual poems from your submission, leave us a note in the Submittable) Payment: We pay $30/poem. Via: Bracken Magazine.

Deadline: March 28th, 2021 Payment: $10 Theme: Pulp sword and sorcery stories. CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS / WHETSTONE / Issue 3 (Spring 2021) Tuesday, December 16, 2020 WHETSTONE is an amateur magazine that seeks to discover, inspire, and publish emerging authors who are enthusiastic about the tradition of "pulp sword and sorcery." Writers in this tradition include (but are not limited to) the following: Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, Michael Moorcock, Karl Edward Wagner, David C. Smith, and many more. "Pulp sword and sorcery" emphasizes active protagonists, supernatural menaces, and preindustrial (mostly ancient and medieval) settings. Some "pulp sword and sorcery" straddles the line between historical and fantasy fiction; at WHETSTONE, however, we prefer "secondary world settings," other worlds liberated from the necessity of historical accuracy. Want to learn more about our aesthetic? Issues 1 and 2 are available as free PDFs on our webpage: whetstonemag.blogspot.com About the editor: Dr. Jason Ray Carney is a lecturer in the Department of English at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. He is the co-editor of the academic journal The Dark Man: Journal of Robert E. Howard and Pulp Studies and is the area chair of the "Pulp Studies" section of the Popular Culture Association. He is the author of WEIRD TALES OF MODERNITY (McFarland) and RAKEFIRE AND OTHER STORIES (Pulp Hero Press) and the editor of SAVAGE SCROLLS (Pulp Hero Press). About the associate editor: Chuck E. Clark lives in Southern Wisconsin with his wife and four children. He graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Political Science degree, apprenticed as a jeweler, joined the navy, and now fixes laser microscopes. He has been published in WHETSTONE and The August Derleth Society's newsletter, SAGE OF SAC PRAIRIE. He loves collecting rocks, books, and whiskey. Length: We prefer compressed stories that are nevertheless cohesive...

Deadline: March 28th, 2021 Payment: $20 (for 2,000–5,000 words) // $30 (for 5,000–7,500 words) Theme: Horror that explores the prophetic nature of omens Where the carrion lay, the ravens will circle… The world has its messengers, its harbingers of bad tidings. Ravens, vultures, and untold creatures that roam between the many layers of reality. The air thickens with the danger of the thundering storm, and the world holds its breath, waiting for your next move. “The Omens Call” is an horror anthology exploring the prophetic nature of omens. Bad omens, nightmarish superstitions, ghastly premonitions, we want stories that speak the language that we cannot understand. We’re after atmospheric, moody, grim, dark tales of wonder, woe, death, and the inexplainable. Dare you heed the call? Submission deadline: Sunday 28th March, 2021 Word count: 2,500–7,500 words. Payment: $20 (for 2,000–5,000 words) // $30 (for 5,000–7,500 words) Submission Guidelines A submission Word template is available for download HERE. Stories slightly over or under the word count will be considered Stories must be saved as a Word document, PDFs will not be accepted Times New Roman Size 12 font 1.5 paragraph spacing Place your name, the title of the anthology for which you are submitting, and your preferred contact email address in the header of the document Sex, violence, and coarse language are accepted as long as they serve the story No hate speech or fan fiction One submission per author only, multiple submissions will lead to disqualification of all submitted stories.= Reprints will be considered Payment for accepted stories will be made within 7 working days of confirmation of entry Accepted stories to be held in a 2-year non-exclusive agreement with Devil’s Rock Publishing, Ltd. Failure to adhere to submission guidelines will result in immediate rejection from the anthology. Submit Your Story Via:...

Deadline: March 28th, 2021 Payment: €10 Theme: Stories about what makes heart beats faster Submissions are currently open for our second edition, Because That’s Where Your Heart Is, from February 14th to March 28th. For our new collection, we are looking for stories that respond to the prompt Because That’s Where Your Heart Is, and to the artwork selected for the cover. We want stories about what makes heart beats faster – it can be about romantic love, but also about friendship, dogs, cats, or a profound unexplained passion for paragliding! What we care about it the passion! You can also take inspiration from the artwork we’ve chosen to illustrate the cover, created by artist Pedro Vizioli, and write your piece as a response to the emotions brought on by the his work: We are not requesting any specific genres for this edition, so they are all welcome – sci-fi, literary, fantasy, romance, horror, noir, non-fiction – as long as they shine the brightness of passion on what might have gone unnoticed. THE RULES Any submissions have to be your own original work, in English, previously unpublished in both print and digital media; Applicants can submit up to 2 short stories, no longer than 4,000 words each. There is no minimum word count. Please attach each story in a separate file, with the title as the name. Make sure your name is not anywhere on the submission file; Stories must be typed, in Times New Roman 12, and submitted as .doc or .pdf with numbered pages and the title on the header; In the body of your email or in a separate file, send your name (and/or pen name), email, contact number, story title and a short bio (up to 150 words). This information will be removed so all readings are anonymous; Include the word Submission in your email...

Deadline: March 30th, 2021 Prize: US $1000 or £725 GBP Theme: When The Machine Arrived Dear Writer, Our first writing competition of 2021 explores the impact that technology has on our lives. The theme is "When the Machine Arrived" - you are free to interpret this in any way you see fit. You may choose to discuss the arrival of a new household appliance, explore a recent technological innovation, or discuss changes in how you work, study, or connect with others - it's up to you! The format is up to you. You can write fiction, non-fiction, or even a text designed for children. However, you must not exceed the word limit of 1500 words (all entries that exceed this limit will be deleted). Please submit only your own unique work that has not been published anywhere else. Multiple entries are accepted, and writers from around the world are welcome to participate. The judges will be looking for a clear and crisp interpretation of the Competition’s' title and stimulating original work that is thought provoking and enjoyable. By way of example, what happened when your first toaster, television, hair curlers or computer arrived? Or you could see the machine as being an organization’s apparatus or, of course, something completely different. That’s up to your imagination and the experiences you can draw upon. Entries will be evaluated by senior editors from Exisle Publishing and EK Books. The winning writer will be paid a monetary prize of US $1000 or £725 GBP. (One thousand US dollars or seven hundred and twenty five British pounds). The winner and up to three selected finalists will have their work published on ExisleAcademy.com. Standard entry is free, however you may choose to pay for an "assessed entry" meaning that, regardless of the outcome of the competition, you will receive detailed and...

Deadline: March 31st, 2021 Payment: 3 cents per word Theme: Hotels, Motels, and Apartment buildings Note: My apologies for the short notice, this JUST hit my inbox about 5 minutes before I'm posting this. Your April Shallow Waters theme is... ...Hotels, Motels, and Apartment buildings! To celebrate the release of Jonathan Winn's Eidolon Avenue: The Second Feast (out today on paperback and Kindle), we're going with the same dark setting/theme as his shared-world collection. Authors, your word count is 1,200 words max. I'll personally read all the submissions and post the best 10 to 15 stories here on Patreon (to our $5 a month and higher tiers). Our patrons will then read all the entries, posted one per day, and vote for a winner. The winner will receive 3c USD per word, publication in a future Crystal Lake publication (anthology or magazine), and an author spotlight in our newsletter and here on Patreon. Please email your submission in the body of an email to [email protected]. Your email subject should be the title of your story. The deadline is end of March, whatever time zone you live in. And be sure to check out Eidolon Avenue. ;-) Via: Crystal Lake Publishing's Patreon.

Deadline: March 31st, 2021 Payment: $0.08 per word for original fiction. USD $100 per story for reprint fiction. Theme: A month-long celebration of Black voices in science fiction Note: Reprints Welcome Escape Pod is pleased to announce a new special project for 2021: Black Future Month, a month-long celebration of Black voices in science fiction. We are excited to have Brent Lambert of FIYAH Magazine as our guest editor. For this special event, we are only accepting submission from authors of the African diaspora and the African continent. This is an intersectional definition of Blackness, and we strongly encourage submissions from women, members of the LGBTQIA community, and members from other underrepresented communities within the African diaspora. Episodes will air in the month of October and feature two original works of short fiction as well as two reprints. Submissions will be open from March 1 – 31. Stories must be between 1,500 – 5,000 words, and manuscripts do not need to be anonymized. Pay rate, content, and format will follow Escape Pod’s regular guidelines. The term Black Future Month is inspired by N.K. Jemisin’s essay titled, “How Long ’til Black Future Month,” (as well as a recent short story collection with the same title), and timing is aligned with Black Speculative Fiction Month (October). Submit your stories via our Moksha Portal for this project! Via: Escape Pod.

Deadline: March 1st-March 31st 2021 Payment: Winner: $500, two runner ups: $50 Theme: Philosophical, Metaphysical, or Epistemological fiction Speculative Philosophical Fiction Contest A new contest will be coming to Theme of Absence this year. The theme of this contest is Philosophical, Metaphysical, or Epistemological fiction. Keep reading for the details. The contest is sponsored by a donor who whishes to remain anonymous. It will open March 1, 2021 and remain open for submissions until March 31, 2021. The winning story and runners-up will be published on June 1, 2021. Entry and submission guidelines: Only original, unpublished flash fiction is eligible for this contest. The story must revolve around some metaphysical or epistemological issue, like the nature of time or knowledge of the external world. The maximum word count for this contest is 1,000. A story that has at any point been made publicly available in print or online (including personal blogs) is considered previously published and will not be eligible. We are also not accepting multiple submissions, meaning submit only one story for the contest. The payment for the winning entry is $500.00, payable through PayPal. The top two runners-up will receive $50.00 each. I won’t seek any rights, other than the non-exclusive right to archive the story here as long as the site is live. Bear in mind that a large percent of publications will not accept pieces that have been previously published in print or online, so after your work is published at Theme of Absence, it can only be marketed elsewhere as a reprint. All copyright is retained by the author. If you agree with these terms, please submit your story in the following way: Email your story to [email protected]. In the subject, include the words PHILOSOPHICAL SUBMISSION, the story title and word count (example: PHILOSOPICAL SUBMISSION: Rappelling Into Plato’s Cave, 500 words). Paste the story in the...

Deadline: March 31st, 2021 Payment: Contributors Copy and $25 CAD for stories up to 1000 words and $50 CAD for stories over 1000 words Theme: Better holiday celebrations featuring Canids 2020 was a hard year, with the holidays hitting harder than usual. Many traditions had to be reconfigured or dropped all together. Visitations were restricted, parties were non-existent, and travel was impossible.   Home for the Howlidays will be an anthology focusing on better holiday celebrations. What will next year look like? Or any year that isn’t hobbled by COVID-19 restrictions for that matter? Send me those stories.   Specifically, I’m looking for stories with canids. I’m also looking for winter holidays. These could include, but are not limited to: Yule, Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Diwali…any winter celebration is fair game. And finally, I’m looking for people getting together—friends, found family, family of origin, work colleagues, or even perfect strangers—during the holidays. For further inspiration, check out the cover!   I welcome and encourage submissions from writers of all backgrounds, including, but not limited to: gender/gender expression, disability, race, colour, religion, age, and national origin.   Submission period: 1 February 2021 – 31 March 2021   Story length: 7,000 words max   Payment: Flat $25 CAD for stories up to 1000 words + contributor copy; Flat $50 CAD for stories over 1000 words + contributor copy   Submission details: Standard short story formatting, with Canadian spellings, please. Send your story to: [email protected] with the subject heading of: Home for the Howlidays. Simultaneous submissions are okay; multiple submission are not. Expected publication is November of 2021.   Via: Tyche Books.

Deadline: May 31st, 2021 Payment: $500 and 25 contributors copies Theme: literary fiction Note: DO NOT SUBMIT prior to January 15th, 2021 One Story Submission Guidelines: Submission Periods: January 15th - May 31st | September 7th - November 14th What kinds of stories is One Story looking for? One Story is seeking literary fiction. Because of our format, we can only accept stories between 3,000 and 8,000 words. They can be any style and on any subject as long as they are good. We are looking for stories that leave readers feeling satisfied and are strong enough to stand alone. Does One Story pay? Yes. One Story pays $500 and 25 contributors copies for First Serial North American rights. All rights will revert to the author following publication. Does One Story accept previously published material? No. One Story is looking for previously unpublished material. However, if a story has been published in print outside of North America, it will be considered. Stories previously published online—on blogs, personal websites, online literary magazines, or forums—will not be accepted. Does One Story accept simultaneous submissions? Yes, but please notify us immediately if your submission is accepted for publication elsewhere. What file types can I submit? We accept PDF, RTF, and TXT files that are less than 500KB. Please include the story title and all writer contact info on the first page of the submitted file. Will you send me comments on my story? No. One Story receives close to 100 submissions each week. Please understand that we do not have time to comment on individual stories. Can I change the story I submitted with an updated draft? No. Do you consider translations? Yes. Please include the name of the original author and language, as well as the name of the translator on the first page of your submission. How do I submit to One Story? We have an automated system for you...

Deadline: March 31st, 2021 Payment: Royalties, starts at 1% per story of gross sales in both e-book and trade paperback. (not displayed on website at this time.) Theme: Each story must have a Pagan, Heathen, Occult influence that has a spark of truth in regards to the connection with the feminine aspect of the divine. DREAMING THE GODDESS: AN ANTHOLOGY Will be open for submissions from  September 1, 2020 - March 31, 2021   SUMMARY DREAMING THE GODDESS will be a collection of short stories between 2,500 and 20,000 words. Each story must have a Pagan, Heathen, Occult influence that has a spark of truth in regards to the connection with the  feminine aspect of the divine.  We are looking for stories that speak to the spiritual soul. It doesn’t matter in which aspect the Divine Feminine is portrayed–Maid, Mother, Crone, Dark, Warrior, Gender Fluid etc., are all welcome. Uplifting stories, inspirational  stories, dark tales, fantastic, written with truth or complete fantasy are all welcome. We are open and inclusive to LGBTQ2+ stories that meet the parameters of our main theme - the Divine Feminine in all Her aspects, which we believe includes LGBTQ2+ experiences. The main aspect is exhibit, in both fiction and nonfiction stories, the great breadth of how the Divine Feminine is portrayed across cultures and across interpersonal experiences. We welcome new authors and well experienced authors. Another goal for this anthology is to educate readers about the Divine Feminine, so including mythology, culture, politics, paganism, heathenism, Wicca, Witchcraft, geography etc., is important to the plot. If you pique your reader’s interest and get them looking up references to learn more about the Divine Feminine, you’ve done your job. The idea is for your reader to not only be entertained, but also to walk away from your story a...

Deadline: March 31st, 2021 Payment: $.005 per word Theme: Stories of tragic love, preferably with a horror theme In “Fornever After” we seek stories of tragic love, preferably with a horror theme, although we are well aware that tragic love is often a horror story all on its own. These kinds of stories tend to be heartbreaking, but they can also be wonderful in other ways. After five years, did you finally get the nerve to confess romantic love to a friend? Did he or she feel the same? Did you get that nerve because you were both in a scary situation (fighting a vampire, home invaders, etc.) that you might not make it out of? Did they not survive it, leaving you all alone and kicking yourself that you waited so long. How tragic. At least you said something though, you know? We are not interested in tales regarding the loss of children, parents, or siblings.. Just lovers. Scary new twists on the Romeo and Juliet theme perhaps. Rip our hearts out with tales of tragic love, and if it’s within a traditional horror story, that’s what we are looking for. If you can manage some humor in it too, even better- although with this anthology, humor is not necessary. We will probably like those stories better though. Your story must include elements of both horror and tragic love. Specific guidlines are below: "Fornever After" Guidelines Here are a couple of tips to put your story in better position to be accepted. 1. Fit the theme. Tragic Love. Horror. Scare us and rip our hearts out. 2. Be within our word count guidelines (for “Fornever After”, 2000 to 6000) or query us for shorter/longer. 3. No matter how good your story is, if it hasn't been edited, there is a big chance we won't accept it. In...

Deadline: March 31st, 2021 Payment: £10 Theme: I is for Internet I is for Internet – Submissions open February 1st. Deadline March 31st. We need short horror stories exploring the dark side of the Internet – think online dating gone wrong, killers for hire, cyber bullying etc. SUBMISSIONS OPEN FOR A-Z OF HORROR We are currently calling for submissions for a series of horror anthologies – The A-Z of Horror. The series will be based on a variety of themes and will consist of twenty-six books in total. We are looking for short horror stories, between 4000 and 8000 words, on each of the themes listed below. You may submit to more than one book, but we will only include a maximum of one story from each author, in each book. Being accepted into one book does not guarantee acceptance into one of the others. The story must be your own work, to which you hold the rights. The story must not be available elsewhere and, if accepted, we will hold the rights to it for three months from the date of publication. After that time, you may use the story however you wish. Any sub-genre of horror is suitable, even extreme, so long as the story fits the theme of that book and does not include anything which may unnecessarily cause offence (glorification of child abuse, rape, etc.). Payment for the story will be £10, to be paid by PayPal, as well as a contributor’s e-book of the finished book. Please send submissions in a Word document (ideally Times New Roman 12pt, single spaced) to [email protected] with the title of the book you are submitting to in the subject line. Please ensure you have included your name on the Word document. If you have any queries, feel free to get...

Deadline: March 31st, 2021 Payment: $10 and a contributors copy Theme: A Queer Sword and Sorcery Romance Anthology open to all LGBTQIA+ stories set in adventure fantasy worlds Queer Blades: A Queer Sword and Sorcery Romance Anthology is a twice-yearly print and ebook publication open to all LGBTQIA+ stories set in adventure fantasy worlds, particularly stories of queer romance. Follow our Twitter: @QueerBlades. Submissions for the first anthology will be open from 1 December 2020 through 31 March 2021. If you miss the submissions window by a few hours, don’t worry! Editor: Rick Hollon (they/them). Adventure fantasy settings range a spectrum of secondary worlds—not just sword and sorcery, but also heroic fantasy, epic fantasy, historical fantasy, wuxia, “Old Mars” and “Old Venus” settings, fantasy westerns, portal fantasy, and Fae realms of all descriptions. If it’s a setting in which you might readily play a D&D campaign, it will fit right in. (Though please don’t submit stories set in Faerûn, Greyhawk, or any other trademarked, copyrighted IP.) Our preference is for pre-gunpowder, magic-heavy worlds, but run wild with your imagination and bring us fresh wonders! Sword and sorcery has a lot of baggage. Its classic stories are laden with racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry. Those elements, obviously, are not welcome here. We want to get rid of sword & sorcery’s awfulness and instead explore its potential for awesome. Be inventive with your adventures! All stories must feature LGBTQIA+ protagonists and storylines. Romance is preferred but not necessary. The romance could be a nascent crush or a long established partnership or anything in between. Aromantic stories could focus on the growth of a friendship. Let your characters’ relationships be as diverse as you are! Black, Indigenous, Trans, and similarly marginalized / historically excluded authors are especially encouraged. Content. No prejudice or bigotry of any kind is permitted....

Deadline: March 31st, 2021 Payment: $50 Theme: magic and the mishaps that could happen with its use. Misspelled Now Accepting Submissions. Legion of Dorks Presents: Misspelled – Magic Gone Awry is searching for short stories no more than 7000 words exploring the theme of magic and the mishaps that could happen with its use. Submissions are open from January 1, 2021 to March 31, 2021. Your story must be an original, never-before-published creation that centers around an exploration epic in scale. You must include some sort of adventure, whether real or virtual, that concludes by the end of the story to meet the theme requirements. You cannot write in anyone else’s world. Otherwise, have fun and let your imagination dominate. A witch casts a spell to allow her cat to talk, but then it won’t stop. A love spell hits the wrong target. A down-on-his luck magician finds a real magic box, but where are all the objects going? The ideas are endless. We are offering $50 per accepted story. Fifty percent of all revenue after cost of production will be donated to Toys for Tots in conjunction with the Legion of Dorks December fundraiser. Email all submissions to [email protected] in standard short story format with the subject “Submission for Misspelled (last name).” One story per email please and no more than three submissions total. If you’re curious about the stories we like, check out the others in the series: Laundered – An Anthology of Monster Messes and Horizons – An Anthology of Epic Journeys. Manuscript Submission Guidelines: We are accepting submissions of complete, previously unpublished manuscripts in the speculative fiction genre that have series potential. Speculative fiction encompasses horror, fantasy, and science fiction—and all of the niche categories under those large umbrellas. We’re only considering full length novels between...

Deadline: March 31st, 2021 Payment: Royalties Theme: Elements of sci-fi. Whether discovering aliens, space travel, or terraforming new planets are involved, the options are endless. Deadline – March 31st, 2021 Publication – June 2021 Word Count – 5,000-15,000 Theme – All stories must include elements of sci-fi. Whether discovering aliens, space travel, or terraforming new planets are involved, the options are endless. 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...

Deadline: March 31st, 2021 Payment: A physical copy and at least 30% royalties (negotiated prior to signing.) Theme: Horror, thriller, mystery, and fantasy/dark fantasy Little Demon Books has recently opened a submissions call for writers. We're looking for short stories, anthologies, novellas, and novels in the horror, thriller, mystery, and fantasy/dark fantasy genres up until March 31st. Give us your terror tales and scary stories! Little Demon Books is now open for all submissions! Give us your short stories, your anthology collections, your novellas, novels, and yes, even graphic novels! Whatever you’ve written, we want to see it! We’re hungry for books and authors to bring under our demonic wing. Please read the guidelines below and get your submissions to us by March 31st! Please allow time for our editing team to read through each submission. Best of luck and we cannot wait to see what you’ve got! Submit to [email protected] SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FORMAT: All submissions should follow proper manuscript format. Please attach all submissions in .doc or .docx format. We will not accept submissions embedded in the body of an email. Please adhere to standard manuscript guidelines (12-point font, Times New Roman, double spaced, word count, etc). EMAIL: Please send your submissions to [email protected], include what book your submitting, your name, and your story title. WHAT WE WANT: We are primarily interested in Flash Fiction or Short Fiction submissions but are open to novellas and novels. PAYMENT: Please understand that LDB is a very small publishing brand but because of that we put greater consideration into the stories submitted. Flash Fiction (1,500-4,000 Words) – FREE DIGITAL COPY Short Fiction (4,001-8,000 Words) – $5 + FREE DIGITAL COPY Anything larger than the Short Fiction format will be handled on a case-by-case basis. All contributors will receive a free digital or physical copy of...

Deadline: March 31st, 2021 Payment: Flat rates per word/type, see below Theme: The worst work environments in the world (or underworld, or space, or...) Note: Reprints Welcome My Job is a Hellhole! Working for demons, imps, devils, and other minions of hell. You boss is a denizen of the underworld, but the story can take place in any setting. Any setting means: hell, another planet, Modern Earth, Future Earth. Heaven? Sure why not? Maybe there's an employee exchange program between heaven and hell. I'm looking for fantasy, dark fantasy, horror, humor (oh HELL YES) and science fiction if you can come up with a science fiction-y hellscape. Flash/shorts (750-1500 words. No MORE than 1500 words, no LESS than 750 words for flash, no more than 2500 words for shorts) for $10 per piece original, previously unpublished flash, shorts $15). Microfics (350-749 words) will pay at a $5 per story rate for original, previously unpublished stories.  Will consider publishing a couple of drabbles for this, at $1 per drabble. Reprints accepted for this one, $10 for shorts, $5 for flash, $3 for micro. No drabble reprints. No poetry for this one. Submissions accepted from Dec 4, 2020 til March 31, 2021.   Down to the Sea in Bits (coming in 2021) Water monsters, undead pirates, sentient murderous seaweed, what have you! Horror. Water monsters. Undead pirates. SENTIENT MURDEROUS SEAWEED, YEAH! More info will be posted on this issue in December.​ No Submissions accept for this issue at this time. Via: The Were Traveler.