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Taking Submissions: The First Line – Summer 2022

Deadline: May 1st, 2022 Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 - $10.00 for poetry Theme: Story must begin with: Thomas hadn't expected to be alive when the town's time capsule was opened. We love that writers around the world are inspired by our first lines, and we know that not every story will be sent to us. However, we ask that you do not submit stories starting with our first lines to other journals (or post them online on public sites) until we've notified you as to our decision (usually four weeks after the deadline). When the entire premise of the publication revolves around one sentence, we don't want it to look as if we stole that sentence from another writer. If you have questions, feel free to drop us a line. Also, we understand that writers may add our first line to a story they are currently working on or have already completed, and that's cool. But please do not add our first line to a previously published story and submit it to us. We do not accept previously published stories, even if they have been repurposed for our first lines. And, just to be clear, we do not accept simultaneous submissions. One more thing while I've got you here: Writers compete against one another for magazine space, so, technically, every literary magazine is running a contest. There are, however, literary magazines that run traditional contests, where they charge entry fees and rank the winners. We do not - nor will we ever - charge a submission fee, nor do we rank our stories in order of importance. Occasionally, we run contests to help come up with new first lines, or we run fun, gimmicky competitions for free stuff, but the actual journal is not a contest in the...

Taking Submissions: Picnic in the Graveyard

Deadline: May 1st, 2022 Payment: 7 cents per word Theme: Horror stories that take place in a cemetery/burial place. Horror Anthology Open Call Right now we’re reading stories for an anthology entitled Picnic in the Graveyard. 2000-4000 word horror stories that take place in a cemetery/burial place. No reprints. $0.07/word. Send stories to [email protected] w/ attached doc file. Deadline May 1st or until the graveyard is full. ……………………………………………………. FUNDAMENTAL FORMATTING FOR FICTION SUBMISSIONS Uncategorized No SASE necessary. Always follow the submission guidelines of the call if they’re provided, however tedious they might be. The information above and below works for subs you send us and where there aren’t specific formatting guidelines. How To Write a Publishing Bio with Few or No Credits Sending a submission for a call without saying something about who you are isn’t a deal breaker, but it can certainly help your cause. A brief third-person bio in a sub email has become as common as double-spaced formatting. There’s no reason why you can’t leave an impression on an editor in addition to the quality of your story, regardless of your writing credits. Here are a few examples of how you can dress up your pub bio: After stating your pen name, open with what genre or niche you most like to write. And don’t just say you like to write stories that you know an editor likes; it’s not memorable. Reggie MacReginald crafts contemporary urban legends in his spare time, some have called him a creepypasta aficionado. You might want to avoid humor. I don’t mind a little humor in a bio, but some folks go overboard. If you have a writing credit you can insert it here. Make sure to include a link to it if it can be read for free online. Editors like to learn about...

Taking Submissions: Gone

Deadline: May 1st, 2022 Payment: £30 payment and a contributors copy Theme: Powerful crime fiction short stories In November 2022, we will publish the first Red Dog Press Crime Fiction Anthology. Edited by Stephen J. Golds, this will be a collection of stories under the title GONE. ​ We are looking for powerful crime fiction short stories, of between 3500 and 6000 words, within all sub-genres of crime fiction. ​ GONE will combine stories from world-class, best selling authors, with debuts and as yet unsigned authors. We will open submissions on March 1st and close them on May 1st, so you don't have long to get your story in shape. All that we ask is that what you submit is a unique and powerful piece of crime fiction, clearly related to the theme 'GONE'. ​ Submissions must be sent before closing to [email protected], with the subject line GONE: (Your Story Title) and (Your Name). ​ All selected contributors will receive £30 payment and a contributors copy of the anthology. ​ Stories which don't match the theme, are too long or too short, will be instantly discounted. Successful authors will be alerted by email by 6th May 2022. ​ Good luck, we're looking forward to reading your words. ​ Via: Red Dog Press.

Taking Submissions: Last Girls Club Summer Issue 2022 (Early)

Submission Window: April 1st - May 1st, 2022 Payment: Short Story-2,500 words or less. $0.01 USD per word/$25 USD max, Poems-less than 200 words $10, Flash Fiction-less than a 1,000 words $0.01 USD per word/$10 USD max Theme: Sex works: Exposed, Exploited, and Missing The Summer 2022 Issue’s theme is SEX WORKERS: EXPOSED, EXPLOITED, AND MISSING. This theme’s focus is autonomy, legalization, and equal protection under the law. It is not sex focused, but lifestyle focused. LGC is sex positive and wishes to explore the possibilities of sacred prostitution and social acceptance of a profession that has existed since humans began. All submissions through Duotrope link above. Acceptances will be notified on May 15. The Last Girls Club Magazine is a quarterly feminist horror magazine that publishes international short stories and poems from the female gaze. It is an homage to the scary comics and zines of the late 20th century. Please check on the website for the theme in detail. Submissions will be accepted from Jan 1-Feb 1, April 1-May 1, July 1-Aug 1, Oct 1-Nov 1. Final notifications will be Feb 15, May 15, Aug 15, Nov 15. No more than two fiction stories per author per submission period. Fiction is limited to 2,500 words or less. Flash fiction must be under 1,000 words, no more than two from an author. No more than three poems per poet. Poems are limited to 200 words or less for each poem. I prefer to use PayPal to pay authors, but will work with authors where PayPal is not available. Nonfiction columns will must be pitched to editor in chief before submission. Email your idea to [email protected] Submit at the link below: Via: Last Girls Club Duotrope.

Queer Sci Fi 2022 Flash Fiction Contest

Deadline: May 1st, 2022 Prizes: The top three winners will receive cash prizes of $75, $50, and $25 respectively Theme: A sci fi, fantasy, paranormal or horror LGBTIQA story that has no more than 300 words with the theme of: Clarity Every year, QSF holds a flash fiction contest to create an amazing new anthology of queer speculative fiction stories. We ask authors to do the nearly-impossible – to submit a sci fi, fantasy, paranormal or horror LGBTIQA story that has no more than 300 words. Our 2022 contest launches on March 1st, and closes on May 1st, but we do accept early entries. The theme for 2022 is “Clarity”: 1) Coherent and intelligible 2) Transparent or pure 3) Attaining certainty about something 4) Easy to see or hear The whole world is murky right now. Covid waves, climate change, and right-wing pollution of our airwaves have made even truth suspect and subject to dispute. What we need most is clarity. Clarity about the world around us and the path forward. Tell us about clarity in all its forms and the difference it can make on your characters, the culture, and the world, for better or worse. We’ll be accepting works from across the queer spectrum, and would love to see more entries including lesbian, trans, bi, intersex and ace protagonists, as well as gay men. We also welcome diversity in ability (physical and mental) and in race. We had our most diverse set of entries yet in 2021 – let’s keep up the trend! We always get tons of gay sci fi shorts every year, so if you try your hand at fantasy, paranormal or horror, especially with the other letters of the queer alphabet, you’ll have a better chance of standing out. Try for something unique – take...

Taking Submissions: The Other Stories #83: Ageing

The Other Stories

Deadline: May 1st, 2022 Payment: 15GBP Theme: Ageing If you think you’ve got what it takes to terrify, scar and haunt our audience of 10,000 daily listeners, then we want your stories! If accepted, we'll get our fantastic narration team to lend their voices, our editor will sprinkle some magic pixie dust on the track, and you could have your story heard by thousands of listeners each week. (Vol 83.) Ageing; deadline 1st May 2022 !!!NEW SUBMISSION PROCESS!!! SUBMIT YOUR STORIES USING THIS FORM If, this form isn’t working, then please email your submission to [email protected] as a last resort. But please let us know why as we’re hoping to use the form going forward. Title your email with the following syntax: SUBMISSION | STORY TITLE | THEME | WORDCOUNT (e.g. SUBMISSION | THE MARTIAN | SPACE | 1,982) It is important that your story complies with our Submission Guidelines. Any stories found not to be in compliance will be immediately discarded. Click HERE for details If you think you’ve got what it takes to terrify, scar and haunt our audience of 10,000 daily listeners, then we want your stories! If accepted, we'll get our fantastic narration team to lend their voices, our editor will sprinkle some magic pixie dust on the track, and you could have your story heard by thousands of listeners each week. HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO: • Stories must be 2,000 (10% tolerance +/-) • Save stories in a Word document - Times New Roman font, size 12 • Include a 1-2 sentence log line for your story at the end of the document • Ensure that your name and an email address are somewhere on the document • Stories must fit an upcoming theme • By submitting your story to us, you are...