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Submission Window: January 1st, 2023 - March 31st, 2023 Payment: AUD5c/word and one contributor copy Theme: Action horror/specfic ‘punk’ genre. AU5c/word / 2k-7.5k words  Opens Jan 1st 2023/Closes March 31st 2023 (in your time zone). Fantasy, Horror, or Science Fiction, but all must have a military/action focus Theme – action horror/specfic ‘punk’ genre. WHAT WE WANT ACTION-BASED horror/specfic within conflict in a past, present, or future filled with the aspects that make your story a ‘punk’ subgenre tale. The ‘punk’ genres we are referring to are listed at these two URLs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk_derivatives https://litreactor.com/columns/punkpunk-a-compendium-of-literary-punk-genres Think Bladerunner for cyberpunk, Naked Lunch for biopunk, the Crysis videogames for nanopunk, The League of Extraordinary Gentleman for steampunk and so on… anything that can be considered a high-action monster story set within an obviously ‘punk’ theme. If you choose an obscure sub-punk style, please make it obvious for us which one it is in. For level of unnatural creature we will give priority to, think Frankenstein’s Army, Van Helsing, Dog Soldiers or Aliens. We want lots of monster goodness and lots of action. Please 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. Even more all action. We want extreme action (yes, I said it again) and it really should be in the style of military or paramilitary action. RANDOM THING – please begin your cover email with ‘Hello Geoff (I read the guidelines)’. This is for two reasons. One, I hate being called Mr Brown. Two, I wanted to make sure you are reading these guidelines. No proper greeting, we won’t read your work. We will delete and not respond to your email. 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...

Submission Window: March 1st - 31st, 2023 Payment: Drabbles and Flash - £5, Short Stories 1001 to 4000 words - £10, Short Stories 4001 to 8000 words - £15 Theme: Stories you’ve poured your soul into but haven’t been able to find the right home for. We’re looking for stories that make us feel something. Warmth, love, melancholy, rage. Note: Only publishes creators from under represented and/or marginalized communities. WE ONLY PUBLISH CREATORS FROM UNDER REPRESENTED AND/OR MARGINALISED BACKGROUNDS AND/OR COMMUNITIES We don't ask for any proof, we take this on trust with the expectation that anyone not from a marginalised background or underrepresented community wouldn't take up the space of someone who is. We ask you to consider this before submitting. QUARTERLY ONLINE ANTHOLOGY: BRIEF We’re looking for stories you’ve poured your soul into but haven’t been able to find the right home for. We’re looking for stories that make us feel something. Warmth, love, melancholy, rage. We want it all.  All genres, styles and themes will be considered and we especially love stories that are outside the box in their telling. Ambiguous endings? Non-linear storytelling? Antagonist’s point-of-view? A story told in just one scene? We love it all.   SUBMISSIONS: OPEN Quarterly Online Anthology Submission Schedule: December 1st - 31st (Spring Issue) March 1st - 31st (Summer Issue) July 1st - 31st (Autumn Issue) September 1st - 30th (Winter Issue) ​ we do not have set issue themes but feel free to be inspired by the season, seasonal occasions and events ​ Click Here For Print Anthology Information SUBMISSION GUIDELINES - ONLINE ONLY These are the guidelines for our Quarterly Online Anthology. For more information on print anthologies go to Print Anthologies How to submit: Please submit via the form at the bottom of this page. If you have any problems using the form please email us...

Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: 6 cents per word Theme: A women-in-horror anthology inspired by "bad mothers." Note: All writers who identify as women (cis, trans, and non-binary femmes) are welcome to submit. MOTHER KNOWS BEST: Tales of Homemade Horror is a women-in-horror anthology inspired by "bad mothers." We're looking for your best horror stories featuring mother-figures: mama trauma, smother-mother, etc. MOTHER KNOWS BEST is a women-in-horror anthology. All writers who identify as women (cis, trans, and non-binary femmes) are welcome to submit. International submissions always welcomed! Featured Contributors include: Gwendolyn Kiste Kristi DeMeester Kelsea Yu Zin E. Rocklyn With an introduction by: Sadie Hartmann Edited by: Lindy Ryan GUIDELINES: Payment: 6 cents a word (USD) Length: 1000 to 5000 words Submission Period: January 2023 to March 31, 2023. All submissions will be read after close. Due to the volume of submissions, we may not be able to offer comments on every rejection, and appreciate your understanding. Expected Release Date: May 2024 (traditional trade) No reprints, multiple subs, or simultaneous subs. Use classic Shunn formatting. Via: Black Spot Books' Submittable.

Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: AU$5.00 for stories under 2500 words / AU$10.00 for anything above 2500 words Theme: Desert/Dessert Theme Colp is our 'anything goes' genre-free anthology collection. Expect to see a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Current theme: DESERT/DESSERT Desert: a waterless, desolate area of land with little or no vegetation, typically one covered with sand. Dessert: the sweet coarse eaten at the end of a meal. We are currently looking for stories that feature deserts and/or desserts, so whether it is a tale about a journey into the Sahara or one about the lemon meringue pie that just wouldn't quit, please feel free to send your work through. Colp is for everyone and therefore we are willing to read stories that fall into any genre. So, no matter whether your story is a horror, adventure, romance, sci-fi or historical fiction piece, please send it on through. Be original. We also encourage new and unpublished writers to take the leap and get in touch. Please ensure that you read through the general guidelines and format your submission accordingly. If you have any specific questions please contact us using the form on the home page or via the listed social media accounts. To help make sure that your submission gets to the correct place, please include the following in the subject line of your email: Colp - DD - Story Title. Word count: 1000 - 5500 words Deadline: March 31 2023 Payment: AU$5.00 for stories under 2500 words / AU$10.00 for anything above 2500 words Submission Guidelines: Please no extreme erotica or stories that feature excessive violence or vulgarity (unless otherwise specified). We are all dog lovers here, so violence against animals is the quickest way to get your story rejected. All stories should be formatted appropriately. Please see here for more details. Ensure that your name, address, and email contact...

Deadline: March 31st, 2022 Payment: $50 Theme: Stories must include resurrection Resurrected Now Accepting Submissions Legion of Dorks Presents: Resurrected – An Anthology of Second Chances is searching for short stories no more than 7000 words. Submissions are open from January 1, 2023 to March 31, 2023. Your story must be an original, never-before-published creation that centers around the theme. You must include some sort of resurrection, 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 scientist discovers a way to bring back an extinct species. At a new school, an outcast finds a way to reinvent herself. A dead god tricks new worshippers into rejuvenating his power. 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 as an attachment in .doc or .docx format to [email protected] with the subject “Submission for Resurrected (last name).” One story per email please and no more than two submissions total. On the first page of your document, please include your name, address, and email in the top left corner. A short bio and anything pertinent about the story itself should be included in the body of the email. If you’re curious about the stories we like, check out the others in the series. 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 40K and 100K...

Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: $10 Theme: Pulp Sword and Sworcery Submissions: OPEN (Issue 7) • Submission deadline: Friday, March 31st, 2023, 11:59p. • Editorial decisions: Sunday, May 7th. • Publication of Issue 7: Friday, June 17th, 2023. Special Guest Editor for Issue 7: Dr. Nicole Emmelhainz is Associate Professor of Composition and Rhetoric at Christopher Newport University, where she also directs the Alice F. Randall Writing Center and serves as Writing Program Administer. She received her MA in English from Ball State University, her MA in Creative Writing Poetry from Ohio University, and her PhD in Writing History and Theory from Case Western Reserve University. She is the co-editor for The Dark Man: Journal of Robert E. Howard and Pulp Studies and has presented widely on elements of pulp fiction, sword and sorcery, and feminism. Length: We prefer short, compressed stories that are nevertheless complete and cohesive narratives (1500 to 2500 words). These limits are firm. No more, no less. Stories over or under the limit will not be read. We mean it, friends! This limit serves two functions: (1) the limit is an artistic challenge. It takes skill to tell a compressed, punchy story. (2) We are an amateur publication and only pay a token honorarium, so save your longer works for better paying markets. Style: We prefer "dialog light, action heavy" fiction with vivid imagery that is unselfconsciously literary but nevertheless takes joy in an occasional old word that gives the breath of antiquity. Please eschew typographical emphasis and variation--e.g. bolding, italicizing, underlining (there are more artful ways of rendering verbal timbre). Publication, payment, and rights: Issues will be published as .pdf files. If work is selected for publication in WHETSTONE, authors will (1) be paid an honorarium of $10 and (2) will be asked to provide, by contract, "First North American Serial Rights." In our...

Submission Window: March 1st - 31st, 2023 Payment: 1.5¢ per word (one and one-half cent), with a $25 (U.S.) minimum and 2 contributors copies Theme: Horror and Weird Fiction Weird Horror has two reading periods each year - March and September. FICTION GUIDELINES OPENS: March 1, 2023 CLOSES: March 31, 2023 We are seeking first publication rights. Fiction must be in English, and previously unpublished in English anywhere, in any format, on any platform, including your blog, website, newsletter, Patreon, etc. Please do not query about reprints. We will consider works translated to English, as long as you are offering first English-language publication rights. Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please inform us if your story is accepted elsewhere. No multiple submissions. Please send 1 story only per reading period. We are seeking horror and weird fiction from 500 to 6,000 words, firm. Stories over or under the word count will not be read. (Please respect our word counts.) We are not interested in extreme horror. We receive about 1,000 manuscripts each period, and accept less than 2% of submissions. Do not be discouraged by a form rejection. Payment is (U.S.) 1.5¢ per word (one and one-half cent), with a $25 (U.S.) minimum (paid via PayPal) for first worldwide English-language rights, for use in the print, eBook, and online edition. Contributors also receive 2 copies of the print edition. We ask for a 6-month exclusivity. Copyright remains with the author, and a contract will be provided. Submit stories in Standard Manuscript Format as a Word document or PDF, and e-mail as an attachment to: WeirdHorrorMag gmail com NOTE - There is no need to provide a mailing address on your manuscript. Format the subject line of your e-mail thusly: Submission - Add Story Title Here Do not respond to rejections, please, for...

Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: 50% share of book royalties and 5 author copies Theme: Bizarro Novel & Novella Submissions January 1st – March 1st See Theme: Bizarro We want to publish your exciting, well written bizarro stories. For those unfamiliar with the genre, think of the weirdest story you’ve ever read, then times that by potato. Novellas - 20,000 to 40,000 wordcount Novels – 40,000 to 80,000 Short story collections may also be considered. Author compensation will be in the form of; ·       50% share of book royalties ·       5 Author Copies Stage 1 – First chapter only due within the submission window, along with a synopsis and rough plot outline. Make sure it captures our attention and makes us want to read more! Please allow 4 weeks from closing date for a response. Stage 2 – Those successful in stage 1 will be invited to submit their completed manuscript (and their full bio) within 12 weeks. This full manuscript will go to our read team. Successful authors from stage 2 will be invited to sign contracts with us. Please allow 12 weeks from closing date for a response. Author eligibility : Open only to all Reprints : Allowed Simultaneous Submissions : Not allowed Multiple Submissions : No. Publication : Publications in digital and print, launching 2023/24 Submit to : [email protected] Subject line: Novel/Novella submission - Story name - Your name Via: Planet Bizarro.

Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: £20 Theme: Stories should be inspired by/based on tabletop games - roleplaying games, board games, miniature wargames. Fanatical is currently OPEN for submissions. We are looking for unpublished sci-fi, fantasy and horror stories of between 2,000 and 6,000 words. Please only submit one story at a time and don't submit if it's already submitted somewhere else. All stories should be self-contained, no "to be continued". Recurring characters across multiple stories will be considered, as long as each story is a solid read in its own right. If you've already been published in an issue of Fanatical you are free to submit again, but we may hold your submission over so as not to publish the same author in back to back issues. Fanatical will pay £20 per accepted story, paid upon publication. We pay via Paypal. Upon acceptance, authors retain rights to the story but we ask they don't publish/submit it anywhere else before it is published in Fanatical. Tales from the Tabletop These stories should be inspired by/based on tabletop games - roleplaying games, board games, miniature wargames. Though Fanatical may take it's name from the concept of fan fiction, we're not looking to get sued here.   A story about an adventuring party consisting of a dwarf, an elf, a human and a halfling going into a dungeon to fight a dragon is fine. A story specifically set in a copyright protected world of Dungeons & Dragons, with reference to its locations and characters is not. A story about a genetically engineered super-soldier in power armour fighting aliens in the far future is fine. A story about a Space Marine fighting Xenos in the grimdark universe of Warhammer 40,000 is not. Rest assured the editors at Fanatical will work with you to ensure your stories meet our criteria in this regard.   Authors should be...

Submission Window: March 8th, 2023 to March 24th, 2023 for all, Underrepresented voices have the entire month of March Payment: 5 cents per word Theme: Horror, Dark and Science Fiction Horror that takes place in institutions of learning (see below) Ai Jiang and Christi Nogle are seeking previously unpublished stories of 1,000 to 4,000 words for Shortwave Publishing’s Wilted Pages: An Anthology of Dark Academia. Wilted Pages takes its inspirations from works such as The Secret History by Donna Tartt, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas, and The Bone Weaver’s Orchard by Sarah Read. Gloomy buildings, secret societies, futuristic boarding schools, gothic yet modern aesthetics, and occult learning are among the pleasures to be found in this subgenre.   We are looking for a broad range of HORROR, DARK FANTASY, and SCIENCE FICTION HORROR concerning Schools, colleges, universities, and/or other educational institutions Libraries and books Laboratories and research facilities Teachers and students Scholarship and scholarly life Esoteric/occult learning Educational technology The future of learning The knowledge economy   Recommended Reading H. Pueyo’s “A Study in Ugliness” from The Dark Magazine Corey Farrenkopf’s “Mother’s Wolves” from Catapault John Langan’s ““Technicolor” at PseudoPod Our definition is not so narrow as this one, but it might be a good starting point: Dark Academia | Aesthetics Wiki A more critical take at Dark Academia: The Truth About the Genre & Subculture Submission Guidelines File: .docx or .doc Format: Double-spaced, Times New Roman, include email address and byline on the first page (*address and phone number not needed) Length: 1,000 to 4,000 words (*no exceptions) Emailed to: [email protected] Include a brief cover letter (A third-person bio — no more than 100 words) Subject line: SUBMISSION: Story Title — Word Count — Author Name Submissions open March 8, 2023 and close March 24, 2023. We would love to see work from writers from all backgrounds and locations....

Submission Window: March 1st - 31st, 2023 Payment: $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue Theme: Any genre, short story Mission = Revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful. Payout = Base Pay of $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Wait, you mean if this substack gets thousands of subscribers, the winner would get thousands of dollars? Yes! The New Yorker pays roughly $7,500 per story and I sincerely hope to go way past that. What does the timeline look like? Submit stories by the end of the month, winner to be announced on the 15th. There is ONE story that wins and receives the full payout. Where do I send submissions? [email protected] What are the rules for submitting? 1. No Fees 2. Send in Microsoft Word or Google Doc form 3. Any genre 4. 6- 10,000 words. Yes, just 6 words, like Hemingway's famous 6-word story "For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn." 5. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute. 6. Acknowledge Distribution Rights on this Substack - You can still sell your story elsewhere but we need to be able to save and publish it here. The goal is to create a library for subscribers. 7. Only the winner will be published and rights will only transfer for the winning story. What do I get for subscribing? One beautiful story every month. The complete library. The joy of supporting artists and doing something interesting. What if I can’t pay right now? That’s ok! If you publish a blurb about this site on your website, blog, or social media, I will send you one full story of your choosing. Best of all, it is...

Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: $40 USD Theme: Eerie stories that would be perfect to be told around a campfire! Pull up a seat, roast a marshmallow, and tell us a tale. We want the stories you’d whisper in the dark. The kind that linger and leave readers with more questions than they answer. We want a little bit of campiness and a whole lot of speculation on the world around us. We prefer stories set in a rural backdrop with the intimate feeling of a small town. We want sparse populations and a closeness to nature. The stories don’t need to be about camping necessarily, but they should evoke the eerie feeling of a story told around a campfire with the strange sounds of the forest just beyond the firelight. All stories will need to be previously unpublished (this includes your own website/blog/etc.) and must feature a speculative element, whether it’s magic or monsters or anything in between. All subgenres of speculative fiction are welcome, although sci-fi will be a harder sell. We will judge all stories by their own merits though, so if you think you have something that fits, we want to read it. A note on horror: we are not looking for gratuitous violence, grimdark, or gothic romanticism. We will not accept any stories featuring bigotry, hateful language, or sexual assault of any kind. This is an anthology for adults so some sex/violence/profanity is fine, as long as it directly pertains to the story and isn’t used solely for shock value. We do want our grandmothers to read this though, so any sex should preferably be fade-to-black rather than overly descriptive. Guidelines: Deadline: March 31st, 2023 at 11:59 EST Word count: 2,000-5,000 words Payment: $40 USD per accepted story, paid through PayPal. Rights: First world print and digital publication rights...

Submission Window: March 1st - 31st, 2023 Payment: 2 contributors' copies and 1 cent per word Theme: Short fiction and narrative poetry that are horror and horror-adjacent, and particularly well-suited for traditional storytelling. Opens: March 1, 2023 Closes: March 31, 2023 Before submitting, please read about our magazine so you know our mission and our literary interests. Our list of influences may also give you a sense of the types of work we’re looking for. We accept submissions from creators of every ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, creed, nationality, ability, and economic background. Further, we encourage submissions from those whose voices are underrepresented or frequently silenced. You are welcome here. Please don’t self-reject by not submitting. Fiction/Poetry The Deeps seeks to publish pieces of short fiction and narrative poetry that are horror and horror-adjacent, and particularly well-suited for traditional storytelling. We have a special interest in stories that are gothic, folkloric, cosmic, or psychological in nature. Please do not submit works that have been previously released in any format: online, digital, audio, or print. (Distribution on social media and Pateron (etc.) count as online publication.) We are currently not considering reprints, nor are we interested in nonfiction. Please no extreme or erotic horror. Requirements: Submissions must be no longer that 6,000 words, firm. Simultaneous submissions should be clearly indicated as such in your cover letter; please notify us immediately if your submission is accepted elsewhere. Fiction: no multiple submissions, only one story per submission. Poetry: up to three poems in a single document, the total word count not exceeding 6,000 words. For accepted submissions we pay 1 cent ($0.01) per word; a minimum of $20 will be paid to each contributor. Each contributor will also receive 2 print copies after publication. We ask for 6-month exclusivity and the first worldwide rights...

Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: horror, fantasy and science fiction Our editorial team would be happy to hear from you. Below is an overview for paid and unpaid submissions. PAID SUBMISSIONS MetaStellar Magazine has two cycles for paid submissions each year, where we pay 8 cents a word for flash fiction. Unfortunately, we cannot pay for submissions outside these two cycles. To keep up with our paid submissions windows, you can subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Twitter. If you are interested in submitting, please see our fiction submission page. Original flash fiction submissions are closed. Our next submission cycle opens March 1 and runs through March 31. Accepted authors will be notified by April 15. To keep up with our paid submissions windows, you can subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Twitter. We are able to pay for original flash fiction through the kind generosity of our Patreon supporters. Your donations allow us to accept and publish original speculative fiction at a time when publishing opportunities for new writers are extremely limited. Please direct your questions related to original fiction to [email protected]. Please see our overview for non-paying opportunities with MetaStellar. Via: MetaStellar Magazine.

Deadline: March 31st 2022 Payment: 10 cents per word Theme: Gambler's Grief NOTE: The magazine also runs a monthly contest with a $3000 prize, though the contest is only open to members who pay the $10/month fee The stakes rise, your eyes gleam. Slowly, carefully, you reach for the card up your sleeve. One big win and everything changes, but the deck is stacked against you. Is the risk worth the reward? Gambling, a favorite past-time dating back thousands of years. From friendly wagers to deadly deals. Win the bet; reap the reward. But no streak can last forever. Losses mount, loans are made, and we lie: just one more game. Double or nothing. Deeper into the hole. Every choice is a gamble on your future. Chance is a fickle mistress and regret stalks close behind. Bet your livestock, your coin, your soul. Don’t dance with the devil—the game is rigged. Take a person’s last coin and they’ve got nothing to lose. Card sharks, casinos, and carnivals. Tailored suits reduced to rags. The rich bet higher but fall harder. Flash your wealth and gain entry to the back room. The illegal game. The blood sport. Dodge the law and deposit the spoils. When the chips are down and all bets are off, what’s in your hand? This contest invites you to explore gambler’s grief, whatever that means to you. Fantasy, contemporary, romance, crime. All genres are welcome. All new writers can submit work to the magazine. It’s free. We don’t believe publications should charge authors to be published. However, we have a specific submission process you must adhere to in order to have your work considered. Our submissions window opens on the first and closes at midnight on the final day of each month. Each issue of the magazine is themed...

Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: $15 USD and a contributors copy Theme: sub-dermal body horror about terrors lurking under the skin SUBMISSION PERIOD: January 9 - March 31st PUBLICATION: July 2023 Submissions open Jan 9. for our debut short story collection: CRAWLING. We're looking for sub-dermal body horror about terrors lurking under the skin: infestations and transformations with an emphasis on the embodied experience. What are we looking for? Body horror short stories (3,500-6,500 words) FRESH perspectives on the body horror genre from othered voices (women, non-binary, trans, and queer perspectives). Themes: sub-dermal horror, infestations, body horror, possessions, and transformations. Submission Requirements Your work must be 100% your work. You must own the copyright to your submission. In your email include: short author biography and links to your social media. Story length must be 3,500 to 6,500 words. Please submit your work in the period stated, this is from January 9 through to March 31 2023. When submitting your short story, please send them to our email address [email protected] Include trigger warnings with your submission Accepted authors will receive compensation per our contract agreement of $15 USD + physical author copy. Via: Hear Us Scream.

Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: 2 cents per word Theme: Science fiction, dark or horror, involving military or military-like characters Submissions will be open 3/1/23-3/31/23 Stories must be flash fiction, less than 1,000 words in length. Stories must be science fiction, must be dark or have an element of horror, and must be about or centered around military or paramilitary characters. Read the first volume in the series if you’re not sure what we’re looking for. The anthology will appear in digital, print, and audio formats. A simple contract will be sent outlining terms but we are requiring no exclusivity. Once your story is published, you are free to sell it elsewhere. Compensation: .02 per word and a digital copy of the finished anthology. Submit each story with the subject line “Dread Space Submission: by ” to [email protected]. Send stories attached as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf. If submitting more than one story send each in a separate email. Please include a bio in third person of no more than 50 words. Reprints are welcome and will be accepted at half the rate of original submissions. Please state in your email if the submission is original or a reprint and where it was originally published. Multiple submissions are welcome (up to three at any given time). Simultaneous submissions are also welcome. Via: Shacklebound Books.

Submission Window: April 1st - 30th, 2023 Payment: 1 cent per word for fiction, $5 for poetry, 1 cent per word for non-fiction, $35 for cover art Theme: Speculative fiction Note: Apologies for the delay, this was meant to go up in January and never published. It's our goal to publish diverse voices from around the world, and to do that, we are actively seeking stories, poems, and non-fiction pieces by authors from backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented in the science fiction and fantasy canon. Our submission cycle is therefore split into two categories, where every other month is explicitly reserved for submissions by authors of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups. The interposing six months remain open to everyone. Guidelines for Fiction We are seeking stories in the English language up to 6,000 words by writers from around the world. We favor submisions that have not been published before (including on your own website), though we do accept a limited number of reprints not currently appearing anywhere online. For our two issues focused on the climate crisis, we're particularly interested in publishing stories from people displaced by or threatened by the climate emergency (see our themes below). For our other four issues, we're open to a wide variety of stories across the SFF and weird spectra. We pay 1¢ per word for fiction, and we try to respond to all submissions within ten weeks. We will also accept a limited number of previously published stories, so please indicate on the form if your submission is a reprint. All submissions must use the Shunn manuscript format (we prefer Courier New) and be either .rtf, .doc, or .docx. We like stories that are subtle in their telling and stick with us long after we've finished. We're...

Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: $10 Theme: Recipes that hint at a deeper narrative without violating the recipe structure, for this issue, recipes with representation Note: LGBTQ+ authors for this installment Calling all chefs! Send us your darkest goulash, your most violent sachertorte, your transformative aperitif. Pass down your great-aunt’s potluck dish for a party that ended … poorly. We are a cookbook for a dreadful feast, in the style of a recipe blog. Submissions: Subs are open! We will be open March 15-31, 2023. Submissions from BIPOC and LGBTQ+ writers, writers with disabilities, and early-career writers are especially encouraged. If you need any accommodations to submit, please email! Pride Month Special: Our June recipes will be themed for Pride month. We’re looking for recipes with representation, or which touch on themes that would be appropriate. If you are an LGBTQ+ author and would like to submit a recipe for our June Special Menu, the subject line of your email should read “RECIPE SUBMISSION - - Pride” during the March submissions period. FAQ about this: Any authors are welcome to submit anything, but the Pride Month Special portion of the call is limited to LGBTQ+ authors. LGBTQ+ authors, however, are not limited to submitting for the Special Menu. You do not need to out yourself— submitting for the Special Menu will be considered a promise that you consider yourself to be included. If you are sending two recipes please note which one is for the Special (or if both are). How to submit: Email your recipe in the usual formatting (loosely, Shunn, but we do not need your address). Send it to deathcapandhemlock at gmail.com as an attachment with the subject line “RECIPE SUBMISSION - ”. You should receive a receipt confirmation and all submissions will receive a response (acceptance/rejection)....

  Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: 1 cent CAD per word Theme: The element of cups, does not require it to include anything tarot related Welcome to our four-book series, dedicated to horror inspired by the Tarot.  Does the story have to be about Tarot Cards... NO. Think cups, knives, wands, and pentacles. We are looking for the theme to be the element, not necessarily the card itself, although we would love to read that as well.  Chalice - Pentacles - Blades - Wands ​ **Patron Members get an extended submission window** ​ March 1- 31: Chalice  (Patron dates Feb 21 - April 7) June 1- 30: Pentacles (Patron dates May 23 - July 7) Sept 1- 30: Blades/Swords  (Patron dates August 24 - October 7) Dec 1- 31: Wands (Patron dates November 23 - January 7) ​ ​ Each book will have an overriding theme of a Tarot suit and be between 50k - 60k words in length. They will be stand-alone books but will make up a four-book series. ​ ​​Word count: 1500 - 7000 firm. Payment: Flat rate payment ¢1 per word CAD after approved edits. Reprints? No ​Multiple Submission? No ???? Only one submission per author per theme/quarter. ​Formatting: Please use 12 pt Times New Roman, 1.5 line spacing, set auto-indent new paragraphs. Add the story title to the top of the manuscript. Do not include your name or email in the manuscript. These stories will be read "blind" by our reading team. Title your manuscript "Title of Story - Theme" for example "Borderline Nuisance - Tarot Wands" Please make sure the title of the story and the title on the manuscript match. ​ How to submit? Submit via the Form - Which will open on the start of each quarter. (A button will appear) IF you have issues...

Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: Royalties Theme: Each story must have a Pagan, Heathen, Occult influence that has a spark of truth in regards to the connection with the masculine aspect of the divine. DREAMING THE GOD 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  masculine aspect of the divine.  We are looking for stories that speak to the spiritual soul. It doesn’t matter in which aspect the Divine Masculine is portrayed–Son, Father, Horned One, Green Man, Hunter, 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 Masculine in all His 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 Masculine 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 Masculine, 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 Masculine, 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 little wiser and open than they were before. EDITOR BIO: Karen Dales is the Managing Editor of Dark Dragon Publishing. She lives in Toronto with her husband, son and five cats. When she is not writing or...