Events

Deadline: December 31st, 2023 Payment: $10 Theme: Stories that peel back the layers of the literary process to reveal the psychological horrors writers face daily. Scott McGregor and Harriet Everend are teaming up to compile a new anthology, Writer’s Retreat: Tales of Writing and Madness under January Embers Press. Beneath the polished pages of every story lies a world shrouded in shadows—a world where the act of creation transforms into psychological madness fraught with terror. "Writers Retreat: Tales of Writing and Madness" is an anthology seeking to peel back the layers of the literary process to reveal the psychological horrors writers face daily. From the dreaded writer’s block to the malevolent spirits of rejection, this collection delves into the darkest corners of the creative mind, where the lines between reality and imagination blur. Think stories surrounding the psychological monster of writer’s block; fans who stalk their favourite authors to dangerous heights; newbie authors who make deals with cosmic overlords to get their work published; best-selling authors who secretly plagiarize material through witchcraft; editors who receive death threats from ghosts who were previously rejected. This anthology seeks to present the different facets of torment faced by those who dare shape their ideas into words with the wielding of a pen. The mundane nuisances of the writing world—plagiarism, pressure from fans, and incessant self-doubt—are what woven into narratives of chilling intensity, elevated by the infusion of supernatural elements and the exploration of the twisted depths of human nature. Genre: Writing-themed Horror Length: Short Stories - 5000 Words Max Poetry - 2 Pages Maximum Format: .DOC, .DOCX, PFD Can submit multiple entries, but only one of your pieces will be selected to allow as many names as possible. Please email final draft submissions with title to [email protected]

Payment: Modest advance + Industry standard royalties Theme: New Weird Horror-based that might exist OUTSIDE THE BOX. You can find some general information about what we look for in NOVELS and NOVELLAS below. But we’re also interested to hear about any projects that fall under the graphic novel/comics umbrella, and anything New Weird Horror-based that might exist OUTSIDE THE BOX. SUBMIT YOUR PITCHES HERE. PLEASE FILL OUT ALL SECTIONS. GENERAL INFO ON TENEBROUS PRESS’ NOVEL AND NOVELLA TERMS: Word Count: 20,000-up Payment: Modest advance + Industry standard royalties Reprints: No Simultaneous Submissions: Yes Target Age Group: Mature Audiences Rights: World English first rights in print, electronic, and ebook, and a three-year exclusivity period. All copyright belongs to the author. Response times: 2-3 months. All submissions will be responded to. Important Reminder: - Please only pitch work that is complete or well on its way to completion; if we request the manuscript and it takes longer than a month to reach us, we may no longer be able to consider it! - In the interest of giving everyone a fair chance, please only pitch ONE work, and allow for THREE months between pitches. - If you have something strange to pitch that doesn't fit into this form, tell us about it at [email protected] - Your query letter should include a one-paragraph pitch. - Length: Book-length projects, including novellas, novels, themed collections, and other - Genre: all kinds of Weird Horror - Reprints: No - Simultaneous Submissions: Yes - Target Age Group: Mature Audiences Via: Tenebrous Press.

Deadline: August 31st, 2023 Payment: 6 cents per word Theme: speculative fiction stories about neurodivergent characters, written by neurodivergent writers "Are you neurodivergent? If so, this is a call for you. Divergent Realms is a speculative fiction anthology about neurodivergent characters, written by neurodivergent writers. I’m looking for speculative fiction stories from 2,000 to 5,000 words. Fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and subgenres thereof will all be considered, but keep it PG-13. Violence and swearing and the like should be kept to a minimum and should only be included if you feel like they’re necessary to the story. To submit, you must be neurodivergent, and your story must feature neurodivergence in a significant way. If you’re confused about the term “neurodivergent” or whether it applies to you, it is a word used to describe people whose brains operate differently from what is considered “typical.” Types of neurodivergence include autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, dyslexia, down syndrome, PTSD, anxiety disorders, traumatic brain injuries, and MANY MORE. I can’t possibly list everything that might qualify—if you think you fit, let me know why in your cover letter. ALL forms of neurodivergence will be accepted. I will be paying $0.06 a word and will retain exclusive rights for six months after publication. After that, you are free to do with your story as you wish. I am not accepting reprints, simultaneous submissions, or multiple submissions. Please send stories as a .doc or .docx attachment to [email protected]. Stories should be in standard manuscript format as shown in this link: https://www.shunn.net/format/story/ In the body of your email, include a cover letter with a brief bio and description of how neurodivergence applies to you. You do not need to send proof of a diagnosis. Self-diagnosis is perfectly acceptable. PLEASE NOTE that any submissions lacking a cover letter will...

Deadline: December 31st, 2023 Payment: $5 USD per 1000 words Theme: Looking forward with a positive outlook. Solarpunk, cyberpunk, etc! Back by popular demand! A new anthology in the spirit of looking forward with a positive outlook. Solarpunk, cyberpunk, other planets, alternate worlds that might be nearly lost through our own hubris; futuristic fantasy and speculative-fiction stories of all kinds that are hopeful and leave us with the idea that despite the doom and gloom in the universe, things can possibly work out if we strive to make life better, even if in a small way. Send us your stories! Deadline: December 31, 2023. GENERAL BUT IMPORTANT INFORMATION Please read prior to submitting! NOTE: We are currently only accepting short stories for the anthologies and cannot accept full-length novel manuscripts at this time. ** Please put the anthology you're submitting to in the subject line of the email.** Payment for accepted stories will be $5 USD per 1000 words for all current anthologies (excepting contests). Payments occur via PayPal, so please have a PayPal account into which we can pay you. We will also provide you with a digital copy (epub and pdf) of the finished manuscript. We're looking for speculative fiction across all anthologies (unless otherwise specified). That includes everything from high fantasy to hard scifi and anything in between. We do accept reprints, simultaneous submissions, and multiple submissions, though these will slow down our response time. Story lengths should be anywhere from flash-length to about 15k words, but we have at times made exceptions. We know a story is complete when it's complete, and arbitrary word count requirements are not always helpful. If you have an amazing story that exceeds 15k words, let us know. We may be able to make special accommodations. :) With regard to copyright, we...

Deadline: December 31st, 2023 Payment: 5 cents per word Theme: A tale delivered from a character who stepped through a door and found themselves someplace unexpected. On their journey, they will notice a book called Midnight Labyrinth. No requirement to read or interact with it; it just needs to appear. Genre-bending is welcome! Sci-fi, steampunk, horror, fantasy, etc. Grendel Press accepts short story submissions that fit into our chosen genres of Dark Fantasy, Horror, and Romance. We will develop themes for each genre as submissions accumulate. Unpublished short stories must be 2,500-7,000 words and if approved, will be featured in our anthologies consisting of approximately ~65,000 words each. Approved stories will be published in English ebook, and print with a possibility for audiobook. If approved, you will be notified when the anthology has received the perfect combination of stories to publish, and it’s expected publication date. Uncanny & Unearthly Tales (Vol 2) – The Midnight Labyrinth Submission Period: August 1st, 2023 – December 31st, 2023 (Midnight CST) Each story should feature a tale delivered from a character who stepped through a door and found themselves someplace unexpected. On their journey, they will notice a book called Midnight Labyrinth. No requirement to read or interact with it; it just needs to appear. Genre-bending is welcome! Sci-fi, steampunk, horror, fantasy, etc. Compensation     We pay .05 per word in exchange for rights to publish your original stories in a seasonal anthology. No reprints, these stories must be unpublished elsewhere. We may be running multiple themed anthologies at a time, so feel free to submit one story per theme only. Exclusivity Terms & Author Rights Upon payment, GrendelPress gains the right to publish your story in our seasonal theme anthology exclusively for one year from the date of publication. You retain the rights...

Deadline: December 31st, 2023 Payment: $10 per accepted poem, 1c/word ($5 minimum.) for accepted fiction ($15 per page for graphic narrative fiction), $20 per accepted piece of non-narrative internal visual art,. Half of above for reprints, $100 (negotiable) for the cover illustration Theme: stories about the future which feature rodents NOTE: This is not the cover art; this is just a cool picture we made with MidJourney. A human artist will make the real cover. Submissions are now open for Rattus Futura: An Anthology of Future Rodents (working title) from Manawaker Studio, edited by CB Droege. This book serves as a sequel to the previous anthology Felis Futura. Rattus Futura is an anthology focused on stories about the future which feature rodents. This volume will contain stories, poetry, and visual art. THEME Submitted works should be of any genre, as long as the work depicts a world that is noticeably in the future. Hard and Soft Sci-fi, (Post-)apocalyptic, Solarpunk, Slipstream, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Alternate (future) History, Supernatural, Retro-futurism etc. are all fine names for genres that often take place in the future, but your story doesn’t have to fit into one of those. In fact, if it manages to miss all of those labels, we may be even more interested to see it (unless it thus falls into what we specifically don’t want (see next paragraph)). All works must also prominently feature at least one rodent. It does not have to be a rodent of the genus Rattus. Other members of the rodent family, like mice and beavers, are also acceptable, as are non-biological minks, metaphorical hamsters, robots with the acronym S.Q.R.L., and so on. We are not looking for gore horror nor erotic romance. Works that contain some horror elements or some romantic elements are fine, but we would like the book to remain accessible to young adults and squeamish...

Submission Window: December 1st - 31st, 2023 Payment: 8 cents per word and a contributors copy Theme: Stories about places where weird things happen Editors Sheree Renée Thomas and Lesley Conner are looking for stories about places where weird things happen. Places that have strange histories, their own traditions and customs, their own dangers. These can be based off real folk tales or old wives tales - think the Mothman in Point Pleasant, WV - or ones that you come up with all on your own. But your story should tell of someone going to one of these places - either intentionally or they just stumble across it - and what happens when they encounter the frightening/strange thing that is in or occurs in that location. Depending on the Map of Lost Places Kickstarter funding level, we expect to fill the anthology with eight to twelve original stories selected from an open reading period. The Kickstarter will launch on October 10 - click here to be notified as soon as it happens! In order to avoid duplicates in the open submission call, locations already chosen by the featured authors are listed below. This list will be updated as the authors make their decisions, so be sure to check back! Monroe, GA Underwater cave in the Caribbean Sea The Forbidden City in Beijing, China Central Pennsylvania Arkabutla Lake in Coldwater, Mississippi Open call begins: December 1, 2023 Open call ends: December 31st, 2023 Word Count: Up to 5000 Payment: 8 cents a word (up to 5000) + copy of anthology in soft cover Rights: First English language rights (soft cover, hard cover, ebook, digital) Sim-subs: Yes Multi-subs: No Format: Docx, Doc, or RTF using Shunn Manuscript Guidelines Apex Book Company and its editors welcome and encourage submissions from writers of all races, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression,...

Deadline: December 31st, 2023 Payment: Royalties Theme: Space exploration and colonization The Way of Worlds is an anthology focused on space exploration and colonization (see, we have you covered). We want aliens, solar systems, spaceships, alternate universes, and to go somewhere beyond imagination. The focus of this anthology is space but it doesn't have to be hard science fiction. Show us what is happening in the galaxy next door. Closes 11:59 pm 12/31/2023. How you incorporate the quarterly theme in your story is up to you.  We do ask that you make sure the theme idea is not an afterthought, but an integral part of the story.  We want truly want stories depicting underdogs rising to the occasion when it seems all hope is lost. We are looking for polished manuscripts of about 3,500 - 12,000 words (not hard cut-offs, but not too much under/over please) in standard Shunn format. Please include your contact information, including full name and email address and any social media links you may have as well as any prior publications. If your story is nobledark, noblebright, grimdark, or grimbright or something in the middle of all of those that's okay.  Let us take a look. Submissions should be sent to [email protected] as an attached Word doc or docx. Please format the email subject line and your submitted file name as “The Underdogs Rise – by for ”. Accepted authors will be paid $.03/word and receive a contributor copy of the standard mass market paperback. We are purchasing first world-wide print rights for three years from publication (reprints in “best of” yearly anthologies will be allowed). We plan to notify all authors on the outcome of submissions by mid-December. Reprints are not accepted for this anthology. Simultaneous submissions are not accepted. Multiple submissions are accepted, but limited to three per...

Submission Window: October 1st - December 31st, 2023 Payment: 1 cent per word Theme: Cozy horror. Fun horror. Classy horror. Dare we say, wholesome horror? Cozy horror. Fun horror. Classy horror. Dare we say, wholesome horror? Oxymoron? We don’t think so. One place you can start your exploration of this idea is an article from Nightmare Magazine penned by one of our co-founders. But perhaps the easiest way to understand what we mean is to read stories by some of the old masters we love: Ray Bradbury, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch, Roald Dahl. Watch classic episodes of Thriller, The Twilight Zone, and Night Gallery. Read old horror comics. Listen to radio dramas like Suspense, Quiet, Please, and Inner Sanctum Mysteries. Consume enough vintage horror, and you’ll probably begin to get an idea of the type of thing that’s likely to appeal to us. In short, we’re looking to provide a space for a type of storytelling that has largely gone out of style – dark and scary, but playful and approachable with an emphasis on plot. To clarify further, here’s a list of things we want and things we don’t, which may help you hit the sweet spot. THINGS WE LOVE: Stories with a moral core. It need not happen in every tale, but we like to see good prevail (or at least evil punished). Ironic justice, in which cleverly nasty things happen to bad people, as in old EC comics, makes us chuckle with ghoulish delight. Well-earned twist endings. There’s nothing we love more than a really good surprise or a clever way to subvert our expectations. Pull the rug out from under us and leave us gasping. High concept settings and situations reminiscent of the pulps. Androids, ghosts, aliens, old castles, vampires, dinosaurs, deals with the devil, mad scientists, Wild West gunslingers, and so...

Submission Window: October 1st - December 31st, 2023 Prizes: $1,500 prize package will be divvied up like so: $750 first place, $500 second place, $250 third place. Theme: Fantasy, sci fi, memoir, fiction/nonfiction, etc at a MAX of 4500 words Contest guidelines below. READ CAREFULLY. Failure to do so may result in disqualification! Please note that we have additional perks and leeway for MEMBERS, see details below (highlighted in green)! Story Guidelines: The short story contest is open to everyone with a brain (a jab at AI, or to the screen-swiping, order taking, zombie-like state of the West? You decide). Don't be fooled by our promo illustration, there are no restrictions on genre: fantasy, sci fi, memoir, fiction/nonfiction, etc - we don't care as long as it's a good story. The story itself cannot exceed 4,500 words. There are no restrictions on age of participant, and no need to ask us for permission to participate in the contest - just follow the guidelines below. What do I win? A $1,000 $1,500 prize package will be divvied up like so: $750 first place, $500 second place, $250 third place. The winning story will be featured on Story Unlikely's website, will be strongly considered for our annual (print) sample magazine, and may be sent out as the bonus story for signing up, which means a lot of exposure to the winner. All three placing stories will be published in the monthly issue, and all three will be illustrated by our crackpot team of digital editors! Don't forget about the honorable mentions! That's right, you honorable little losers, you. Is that harsh? It's supposed to be a compliment. Anyway, we do NOT notify honorable mentions ahead of time, because we're lazy busy, so very, very lazy busy. Rather, we announce them in the monthly issue along with the winning story, which you need to sign...

Deadline: December 31st, 2023 Payment: 8 cents per word and royalties Themes: 'Familiar': Familiars of any type (cats, dragons, etc) for any genre of speculative fiction and for 'Last-Ditch': Science Fiction or Fantasy stories of back-against-the-wall, desperate purpose--Hail Marys launched when hope seems lost for spies. The FAMILIARS, LAST-DITCH, and AMPYRIUM anthology Kickstarter (back us at http://tinyurl.com/ZNBKickstarter2023) has hit its goal! If you have a story idea that fits one of the anthology themes for FAMILIARS or LAST-DITCH, write it up, revise it, polish it, and send it in for consideration. I've posted the abridged guidelines below. You can find more detailed submission guidelines at http://zombiesneedbrains.moksha.io. AMPYRIUM will NOT have an open call for submissions, since it is establishing a new shared fantasy world. We hope to do an open call for submissions set in this world next year. The FAMILIARS and LAST-DITCH Submission Guidelines Zombies Need Brains LLC is accepting submissions to its two science fiction and fantasy anthologies FAMILIARS and LAST-DITCH. Stories must be submitted in electronic format to the Zombies Need Brains Moksha site for the appropriate anthology at http://zombiesneedbrains.moksha.io. Please send multiple manuscripts in separately; you may submit up to three stories to each anthology, so a total of six stories if you submit the maximum of three stories per anthology. Manuscripts should be in manuscript format, meaning double-spaced, 12pt font, standard margins on top, bottom and sides, and pages numbered. Please use Times New Roman font. The first page should include the Title of the story, Author’s name, address, and email, word count, and Pseudonym if different from the author’s real name. Italics and bold should be in italics and bold. Stories for these anthologies must be original (no reprints or previously published material), no more than 7,500 words in length, and must satisfy the theme of the anthology. FAMILIARS is to...

Deadline: December 31st, 2023 Payment: $20 USD for original stories and $5 for reprints and a contributor's copy Theme: Pirate tales, preferably about pirates and buccaneers from the 16th to 18th centuries Note: Reprints Welcome For this anthology, we're looking for pirate tales, prefereably about pirates and buccaneers from the 16th to 18th centuries. Stories set in completely fictional/fantasy worlds will be considered but are likely to be a hard sell. That said, we're interested in stories belonging to various genres just so long as the central characters and setting are pirates or centred on the theme of piracy, even if the story is set in the present. For example, a ghost story featuring a legendary pirate or a mystery about a lost treasure. We're not looking for sci-fi or futuristic stories. As usual, if you have any questions, just get in touch. The submissions window will remain open until December the 31st. Now, raise that black flag and get back to your writing desk! # Rates: We use PayPal to pay our contributors. If your submission is successful, you'll need an account. Alternatively, we can pay with an electronic Amazon gift coupon. Payment is made upon publication. $20 USD  for original stories and $5 for reprints regardless of length, plus one print copy. Preferred word count between 3,000 and 9,000 words. Please read the all the guidelines below before submitting. # ANTHOLOGY GUIDELINES AND DETAILS Please submit one story per publication. No simultaneous submissions for original fiction. Stories are chosen on merit and suitability for the anthology. However, when it comes to choosing between equally worthy submissions, social media presence and engagement may be taken into account. Social media is at the heart of our marketing strategy and most of our contributors have profiles on multiple platforms. We strongly encourage you to...

Deadline: December 31st, 2023 Payment: $100 per short story, $50 per flash fiction story, $50 per poem, $50-$100 per illustration, depending on size & complexity Theme: Stories with a range of neurodivergent perspectives on encountering aliens. Thinking Ink Press wants to publish your short stories, flash fiction, poetry, and art exploring encounters between neurodivergent people and neurodivergent aliens. Submission deadline: December 31, 2023 The universe is filled with aliens—creatures with different histories, cultures, and even biologies—who may seem strange to us. But our world is filled with a diversity of people, many of whom find each other strange. One particular group finds the rest of humanity especially strange: neurodivergent people. Would neurodivergent folks find themselves at an advantage in dealing with aliens? Let’s find out. Neurodiversiverse will be an anthology of 60,000 – 90,000 words, edited by Anthony Francis & Liza Olmsted, featuring stories with a range of neurodivergent perspectives on encountering aliens. We’re inviting you to put your spin on what that means. We welcome all well-told stories, but we are particularly interested in representation, empowerment, and own voices for neurodivergent people—especially stories which highlight how neurodivergent perspectives and experiences might give advantages when dealing with aliens. Own voices and diversity Thinking Ink Press believes that people of all backgrounds deserve to have their voices heard. We primarily publish books relating to disability, writing advice and inspiration, and diverse speculative fiction. Editor Liza Olmsted is neurodivergent, and all of the founders of Thinking Ink Press are members of marginalized communities. For this anthology, we are particularly interested in short stories written by people who are neurodivergent, including but not limited to: autistic, ADHD, OCD, Tourette’s. We understand the impact of intersectionality, and explicitly invite people from other marginalized backgrounds to submit stories. We’re also aware of how insidious unconscious bias...

Submission Window: November 1st - December 31st, 2023 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Resource Scarcity We are seeking stories for an anthology to be titled We Are All Thieves of Somebody's Future which will collect stories with the theme: Resource Scarcity - using up the last of a critical resource and dealing with the aftermath. While stories could be dystopic (ex. the last tree), authors could also explore hopepunk (losing a resource leads to something unforeseen and positive), solarpunk (a pollution laden resource leads to a better solution), fantasy (the last dragon). We are open to all genres. All stories are requested to be between 1000 and 3000 words in length. Authors may explore any genre with their stories and we encourage a wide variety of ideas and interpretations. Submission Dates Submissions open: November 1st, 2023 Submissions close: December 31st, 2023 Reading/Review begins: January 1, 2024 Reading/Review ends: February 29, 2024 All authors will be contacted by: April 15, 2024 General Submission Information We like to seek out new authors and book ideas ourselves rather than be contacted directly because we are a small, self-funded press, and only publish 4-5 books a year. We usually offer open call submissions on anthologies we decide to do, or we contact authors directly if we have particular needs. We pay $0.08/word for the stories we publish. Most of our books are limited editions of between 100 and 200 copies and we prefer to print physical books over creating ebooks. The Air and Nothingness Press is interested only in publishing works created by the individual, creative efforts of human authors. We are not completely opposed to the use of AI as a tool to develop art or writing, rather we are opposed to the use of it in place of art or writing. If you "wrote" a...

Submission Window: November 1, 2023 - December 31, 2023 Payment: 8¢ per word Theme: Speculative flash fiction Interstellar Flight Press seeks speculative flash fiction for 2024 publication in our online magazine and yearly anthology. We will publish one piece of flash fiction a month in 2024, celebrating micro and small fictions. Submissions will be read by our team of readers and final selections will be made by flash series editor, Annika Barranti Klein.  Guidelines: Genres: as long as it’s speculative (even a little bit!), anything goes for genre. Please see below for specific content hard sells and loves.  Length: up to 1,250 words (no minimum) Payment: 8¢ per word (minimum payment $25) within 30 days of publication. 1 print contributor’s copy of our yearly anthology.  Simultaneous subs? Yes! Please let us know right away if you need to withdraw a story by emailing [email protected]. Multiple subs? Yes! Up to three stories per person; please fill out a separate form for each story.  Response times: We aim to reply to submissions in 90 days. We will try to get first round answers (rejections or holds) out as quickly as possible.  Terms: Original stories, no reprints please. First English Rights with a 3-month exclusivity period. Inclusion in our annual print anthology.  Please do not send anything generated using the large language models commonly called AI; they are built on plagiarism and we won’t publish them. Tools like spellcheck are absolutely fine.  Accepted stories will be featured on our website and Patreon, where authors will be asked to complete a short Q&A interview for our patrons. All accepted stories will also be in our yearly anthology, along with the interview.  About the Flash Series Editor Annika Barranti Klein’s flash fiction has been in Mermaids Monthly, The Future Fire, Milk Candy Review, HAD, Hallowzine, and Worlds of Possibility. Her...

Deadline: December 31, 2023 Payment: $0.07 per word Theme: Character-driven fictional short stories written by Black women writers. All genres are welcome. We’re Currently Accepting Submissions! Next Deadline: December 31, 2023 at 11:59 pm ET (short fiction – all genres and narrative essays) *updated 10/1/23 CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT! short stories. essays. melanin. Whether you’re an established writer or are just starting out, we want to hear from you! midnight & indigo, a literary journal celebrating Black women writers, has issued a call for submissions to review short stories and narrative essays. We publish content on our digital platform and in our literary journals (paperback/ebook/audiobook). In 2024, we will publish our first long-form anthology! Writers are invited to share their original, fictional, or personal stories. Stories can funny, entertaining, serious, or sincere. Stories must be character-driven and leave readers with something to think about. All genres are welcome! How to Submit: Format:  All submissions should follow proper manuscript format and Microsoft Word .doc format. We will not accept submissions that do not follow our guidelines. All stories must be submitted via Submittable — we will not accept stories via email. You may submit up to three stories at any time. Our average response time is 120 days Word length:  Short stories: 1,500-8,000 words. Narrative essays: min. 1,200 words Please note:  Calls for Submissions will be held on a rolling basis with deadlines four times per year: March 31st, June 30th, September 30th, and December 31st. Submission does not guarantee that your work will be published. All submissions will be considered for our long-form anthology Genres: All genres and writing styles are welcome. It may be helpful to view our current short stories, essays, and literary journals to get a general sense of what we publish, but don’t be afraid to push the needle! Compensation: We pay for all accepted pieces. Information is available below Fiction...

Submission Window: December 1st - 31st, 2023 Payment: $0.08 CAD per word Theme: short fiction and poetry focused on long-term relationships in any genre (though they prefer uplifting so probably better for Scifi/Fantasy.) Note: Looking for at least 50% Canadian authors We're looking for short fiction and poetry focused on long-term relationships: platonic, romantic, or familial. We don't want the blaze of new love or the obsession of a new friend. We want pieces that show that comfort that develops when people know each other for years. Give us deep space, dusty frontiers, or dreamy fantasy. We want stories and poetry with strong, confident relationships amid all the sci-fi/fantasy. While we are primarily looking for stories with happy endings (yeah, yeah), we also want endings that are earned. If things get a little teary or gory, that's ok. We are especially interested in stories featuring queer platonic relationships, ace/aro love stories, and polycules. Payment Payment is $0.08 CAD per word for short fiction (1,000-3,500 words) and $60 CAD flat per poem. We are purchasing first publication rights, to revert back to the author after one year. Canadian Writers Since Heartlines Spec is primarily a Canadian magazine, we're looking to feature writers identifying as being from Canada/Turtle Island. This includes expats, refugees and displaced people living in Canada, new immigrants, and people who refuse/resist Canadian Identity. Heartlines welcomes submissions from writers of all identities. If you are comfortable, we encourage writers to indicate their intersections in their cover letter. Disclosure is not a requirement to submit, and we recognize that not all people are safe to disclose their identities. We are committed to addressing barriers and systemic discrimination faced by equity-deserving groups, which includes (but is not limited to): Racialized people People with disabilities LGBTQIA+ people Indigenous people Women Neurodivergent people Our goal...

Deadline: December 31st, 2023 Payment: $30 CAD Theme: Hometown (Writing about film, TV, and pop culture related to your hometown. I suspect there are plenty of speculative fiction options out there that can fit this theme.) Note: Not our usual fiction call but I felt that this would be a great fit for some of the authors who frequent the site and have pop culture knowledge about where they live (or whose own books may have taken place in their hometown.) Submissions are OPEN for In The Mood Magazine Issue 9: HOMETOWN! We’re looking for writing about film, TV, and pop culture related to your hometown—however you may define it. These could be films shot or set in your town, state/province, or country. Or maybe it’s a town you’ve always identified with, an invented hometown, or a hometown hero. - Theme: HOMETOWN ‍- Deadline: December 31st, 2023 ‍- Word count: 1,000 words max for features, 300 words max for Film Diaries - Honorarium: $30 CAD for features, $20 CAD for Film Diaries 💡 Some ideas for inspiration: ‍ ‍- Cities pretending to be others (Vancouver as L.A., Toronto as New York) - Films set in your hometown, school, or workplace (What do they get right/wrong? How does it affect the town's reputation?) - Hometown heroes (stars or filmmakers from your hometown, what the hometown thinks of them) or celebrities that went to your school - Movies that were big in your hometown (Phantom of the Paradise in Winnipeg, Bon Cop/Bad Cop in Ottawa) - Imaginary hometowns (In the Mouth of Madness, Pleasantville) - Films about places you wish were your hometown - Film/TV production hotspots (Atlanta, New York, Vancouver, Toronto) 👇 Please read our guidelines before submitting:‍ Submission/Pitch Guidelines Magazine: Submissions are open 3 times a year, and issues are themed. If you have an off-theme and/or timely pitch, consider sending it to our newsletter. ‍Newsletter: Submissions are always open, and we...

Deadline: December 31st, 2023 Payment: $0.01 per word and a contributors copy Theme: horror stories with a mathematical theme Polymath Press is pleased to announce a new anthology to be titled Arithmophobia: An Anthology of Mathematical Horror edited by Robert Lewis.  We are now open for submissions of original horror stories with a mathematical theme. Please read these guidelines carefully to maximize your chances of placing a story in our anthology. About the anthology: Polymath Press founder and executive editor Robert Lewis has spent years looking for good horror stories with some kind of mathematical content.  As it turns out, they’re rather rare, so he’s decided to assemble a brand new anthology of such short stories.  The anthology is to be called Arithmophobia: An Anthology of Mathematical Horror and will be published by Polymath Press in early 2024. What we’re looking for: We want your best horror stories with some kind of mathematical theme.  Of course, the story must come first, so don’t bog us down in technical details.  After all, we don’t want to limit our readership to only doctoral-level mathematicians.  However, make sure the mathematical ideas are clearly featured in the story.  What kind of mathematical ideas do we want? That’s for you to decide.  Think outside the box and give us something interesting.  Show us weird geometries, cursed numbers, mathematicians going crazy, you name it.  Most importantly of all, remember that we want math AND horror, so make it as scary as you can. What we don’t want: Try to avoid giving us stories whose only mathematical content is that someone is afraid of going to math class.  We know a lot of people are afraid of mathematics, but generic math anxiety isn’t really the kind of horror we’re looking for (though if you think such a story is brilliant enough to overcome our kneejerk reaction,...

Deadline: December 31st, 2023 Payment: $75.00 and 10% of the cover price for print books, 40% of the cover price for eBooks with an optional $25 advance and 5% for audio rights Theme: Primarily Science Fiction and Fantasy Novellas and Novels All material must be submitted as a .rtf document.Please follow standard manuscript formatting when submitting:Manuscripts should be double-spaced.Indicate scene breaks with # or another symbol - but please be consistent throughout.Please use tabs or paragraph settings to indent the first line.Make sure you include your contact information on the first page of the manuscript.The body of your email should include the following information:Contact informationTitle of manuscriptApproximate word countGenreBrief Synopsis of the storyA general idea of how you will be marketing and promoting your book.We are looking primarily for Science Fiction and Fantasy Novellas and Novels, but will consider other genres except children's and erotica. For YA - we prefer books that are geared for older teens that might also appeal to adult readers as well.Our minimum word count is 25,000 and our preferred maximum word count is 80,000 words.Please note 80,000 words is the preferred maximum - it is not a hard and fast limit. Prefer stories to have a PG-13 rating - but this is not a hard requirement.We will only be publishing a maximum of 10 print titles per year.Submit the complete manuscript to [email protected] put 'WolfSinger Submission - "the title of your submission" - your last name' in the subject.While we are primarily a royalty press, authors will receive an initial up front payment of $75.00 for books (contributors to anthologies will receive $15.00). Books and anthologies will start to earn royalties after initial production costs are earned back from all revenue received through book sales. Once a book earns back its production costs royalties will be calculated as 10% of the cover price for print books, 40%...

Submission Window: December 1st - 31st, 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 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 more likely to buy stories that balance a sense of wonder with a bold plot and...

Deadline: December 31st, 2023 Payment: $25 USD for original stories and $10 for reprints Theme: Subtle and atmospheric ghost stories that give the reader a chill. Note: Reprints Accepted The Black Beacon Book of Ghost Stories is open until the 31st of December, 2023. For more details on the pirate anthology, click the link above. For the ghost story anthology, we're looking for subtle and atmospheric ghost stories that give the reader a chill. Do you need some classics to get you in the mood? Think May Sinclair's "Where their Fire is Not Quenched", Joan Aiken's "Listening", Robert Aickman's "Ringing the Changes", and just about anything by the master, M.R. James. For both anthologies, read the full guidelines on this page. We regularly post news on our Facebook page. You can also get a feel for what we like by buying our previously published titles. Publishing quality fiction is an expensive passion, so the more we sell, the more we can publish. It's that simple. Our cherished Patreon patrons also provide us with the means to keep producing quality books. # Rates: We use PayPal to pay our contributors. If your submission is successful, you'll need an account. Alternatively, we can pay with an electronic Amazon gift coupon. Payment is made upon publication. $25 USD  for original stories and $10 for reprints regardless of length, plus one print copy. Preferred word count between 3,000 and 9,000 words. Please read the all the guidelines below before submitting. # ANTHOLOGY GUIDELINES AND DETAILS Please submit one story per publication. No simultaneous submissions for original fiction. Stories are chosen on merit and suitability for the anthology. However, when it comes to choosing between equally worthy submissions, social media presence and engagement may be taken into account. Social media is at the heart of our marketing strategy and most of...

Deadline: December 31st, 2023 Payment: $50 Theme: Short stories in the style of John Steinbeck or in his book's settings that also include classic monsters.</strong. In the Eyes of the Hungry, ed. by Barbara Castro-Rojas and Michael Tichy, expected publication date: Summer 2024. One of the great American authors wrote a werewolf novel and sadly, we will likely never see it. But wouldn't it be great to speculate on what such a book might look like? We invite you to do exactly that. We are asking for short horror stories, 2500 to 6000 words, in the style of Steinbeck, in his settings, and/or covering his themes. But we're not going to limit you to werewolves. What fun would that be? We invite you to populate these stories with any of the classical monsters (think Universal), so if you can find a way to put the Creature from the Black Lagoon into a Steinbeck-style yarn, go for it! We will be paying a flat fee of $50 for 6-month exclusive print and ebook publication rights, with non-exclusive rights thereafter. We wish it could be more, but hey, it's Barbara and Michael's first anthology. Submission window will open on November 15 and run through December 31. No invite-only stuff here. This is open to anyone and honestly, we would prefer to publish first-time authors and diverse voices.  Submissions should be sent to [email protected] and must be submitted as an attachment in .doc or .docx. If you paste your story text into an email, it will not be read. Please include in your email a few sentences about yourself, including any previous publications. Via: Castaigne Publishing.

Deadline: December 31st, 2023 Payment: 10 cents per word Theme: A horror fantasy fiction anthology focusing on the Upper YA (18+) to New Adult and Adult age range. Submissions are now open for “Monsters In Masquerade” Coming in mid-2024, Monsters In Masquerade will be OwlCrate's first-ever published anthology book as part of a larger fantasy fiction anthology by OwlCrate! About Monsters In Masquerade Monsters In Masquerade will be a horror fantasy fiction anthology focusing on the Upper YA (18+) to New Adult and Adult age range. Utilizing our amazing in-house team of creatives, graphic designers, and readers, we are partnering with our incredible friend and editor of this anthology, Robin Alvarez, to bring you new and exciting stories from your favorite subgenres of fantasy.⁠ ⁠ BUT!⁠ ⁠ What makes this even more exciting is that YOU, our incredible community members, will have the opportunity to earn a space in our anthology and get your work published alongside acclaimed bestselling authors! How To Submit For Our Anthology If you would like to be a part of OwlCrate's new story, you need to submit yours! You can find our submissions form here or on The Nest (it's our free app that's for readers, by readers). From there, be sure to carefully fill out all required information. Submissions will be open from November 24th to December 31st at midnight EST! We Hope You Take This Journey With us This is a significant moment for OwlCrate as we embark on a journey to highlight marginalized voices, discover emerging talents and provide our readers with the best books we can curate. ⁠ Monsters In Masquerade will begin our epic adventure in creating our own stories WITH YOU! ⁠ Monsters In Masquerade FAQ How Will Authors Be Chosen? Authors and stories will be chosen by Team OwlCrate, our awesome editor Robin Alvarez,...