Events

Deadline: October 31st, 2016 Payment: Equal percentage of royalties and contributor's copy Intro   The residents of Hell are trapped after a plane crash takes out their only bridge into town, add to that a mystery surrounding the destruction of local phone lines and a no fly zone being enforced over the town and the outside World suddenly becomes a distant memory. The residents, safe in the knowledge that they are being looked after by the authorities continue with their lives and await their bridge to be rebuilt, but Hell has other plans.   The town has since dried up its golden fortune and has become home for some 5000 people who live out their lives as a moderate tourist town plus a small industrial estate to maintain a decent workforce.   Town History   Hell is an American town in Colorado seeped in the dark history of the gold rush. The town was initially founded during the rush allowing settlers to pan in the local river and mine into the surrounding mountains. However, the rivers proofed fruitful yet treacherous resulting in many lives being swept away in their pursuit for fortune The local mine became known as the ‘Mouth of Hell’ (hence the towns name) due to the amount of miners who entered its winding tunnels, never to return. Over the years, through fear and lack of gold, the mine now lies abandoned.   The town has since dried up its golden fortune and has become home for some 5000 people who live out their lives as a moderate tourist town plus a small industrial estate to maintain a decent workforce.     Where you come in The town of Hell is in its final 7 days of existence and I need your help to help plot its demise....

Deadline: October, 31, 2016 Payment: $50/story plus a contributor’s copy Note: Read guidelines, not really a horror market but I felt it was right up many of your alleys! Copper Pen Press is currently seeking submissions of high-quality fiction for Freakshow: Freakishly Fascinating Tales of Mystery and Suspense, a forthcoming short story anthology set within the world of the traveling freak show. Writers can spin their yarns in the past, present, or future. We are looking for dark, twisted and unusual mysteries with dark, twisted and unusual characters. We want that “holy shit!” factor. No splatterpunk. No erotica. No fantasy. No horror – that is, not yet. We will be launching our horror imprint soon. Mmmmwwwwwahahahahaha. Payment: $50/story plus a contributor’s copy for non-exclusive rights. Submission Guidelines Submit only finished, non-published, original stories, between 2K and 7K words. We do not accept snail-mail submissions. Your submission package must be e-mailed [email protected]. This e-mail address should be used for no other purpose. Include the title of the story and author name in the Subject box. The manuscript should be attached, formatted as a .doc or .docx (Microsoft Word) on 8-1/2 x 11-inch paper, double spaced with one-inch margins. Use Times New Roman 12-point font. Number all pages, beginning to end, in the header. The header should also include the author’s name and title of the story. Do not type this information on each page. Use the header function of your software. Attach a second file with a short bio, your legal name, all pen names in use, your complete publishing history, and contact information including complete mailing address, e-mail, telephone and social media info. We will not take phone calls or emails regarding the status of your manuscript. We will respond to your submission once it has been read, whether we...

Deadline: October 31st, 2016 Payment: 1 cent USD per word Tacitus Publishing's 2016 anthology project is - SHATTERED SPACE.  We are looking for short fiction (1,500 to 5,000 words) that takes place in space and has a strong horror element.  This can include aliens, ghosts, or disturbing circumstance.  The key to success, as with all strong writing, is the human struggle and relatable characters.  There is a fine line drawn when writing science fiction, so please keep this in mind.  We are not interested in excessive gore, tech-driven plot lines, or Submission process: - There are two options to send your story, either using the submission form on this website or sending an email. - We ask that you attach the story as an RTF (rich text format) file.  All word processing programs offer this option, so please do. - Use Times New Roman / 12 for the font and have the lines double spaced.  Do not add extra spacing options. email:  submission(at)tacituspublishing.com subject line should read: Shattered Space Anthology (This maybe pushing it based on the possibility of being overwhelmed, but we may offer quick critiques or suggestions to submitters in our responses.  Tacitus Publishing wants to continue with its writer-friendly approach by offering any small amount of assistance we can.) Cover letter and quick biography: Please put the cover letter in the body of the form or email.  The structuring of the letter should include - · your name · contact info - address, phone, email · title of the story · a one sentence summary of your story · word count · brief bio and quick list of published work Page format: Please add to each page - · top left - author's name · top right - title · bottom - page number Simultaneous and multiple...

Deadline: October 31, 2016 Payment: $15 and contributor’s copy Theme: Not so long ago, human beings were cursed with fear. They clamored for hope in a world of boundless suffering and death. They called out to the heavens and summoned gods. They crafted religions that would serve as a candle against the howling night. That which alights must also burn. A zealot spits venomous words from his pulpit, his congregation listening and nodding, their disgust with their neighbors boiling into a riotous rage. A girl returns from Bible Camp nine-months pregnant with God’s child—images of a golden flame pressing on her chest, paralyzing her, flood her nightmares. Heaven replaces its angels with automata, dispensing salvation and damnation with callous efficiency. Book of Blasphemous Words is a weird fiction, horror, and speculative fiction anthology about humanity’s relationship with its gods. When we answer the call for salvation from the bondage of the material—when we believe in gods—we reach a hand into the unknown and risk losing it to something peckish. When we forget the power of the hearth, we risk a conflagration that can return civilization to the dirt whence it has come. Simultaneous Submissions: Sure, but please let us know immediately if it was accepted somewhere else. Multiple Submissions: Yes Reprints: Yes, but let us know where it has been previously printed and make sure you have the rights to have it reprinted. Word Count: Up to 10k words. Formatting: This is a very good guide if you have any questions. You can't really go wrong with it. But, if you don't feel like reading that, here's the down and dirty of it. Italicize italics. Do not underline Don't use spaces to lead paragraphs. Use tab or, even better, the formatting options to get the indent. For scene breaks, use either "#" or "***". Use an easy to...

Deadline: October 31st, 2016 Payment: 3 contributor's copies and $15 USD Submissions for the 2016 World Unknown Review (Volume III) are now OPEN! This is an exciting new literary review with a strong focus on independent authors, though anyone is welcome. If you are interested, please consider the following regulations before submitting. We look forward to seeing what wonderful, inspired pieces start flooding in for consideration! Applicants selected to be featured in the Review will be awarded three (3) contributor copies of the publication as well as $15 (USD) via check or PayPal or $30 (USD) for the novella competition. Any international writers (outside the US) will be paid via PayPal only. There is no entry fee, and applicants may submit as many stories as they would like. All we ask is that these simple rules be followed: 1. Entries must be submitted via email to [email protected]. Please send entries with the subject “World Unknown Review Submission.” Send submissions as an ATTACHMENT in .doc, .docx, or .rft formats. Please, no PDFs. 2. All entries must be submitted before the deadline, October 31st, 2016.Responses will follow a few weeks after the deadline, usually November 15th. 3. For short stories and poetry, there is no limit on word count, though moderately sized stories stand a better chance. Novella entries must be 17,5000 words or more, broken up into several chapters. 4. Final decisions are purely on the opinion of the editor of the collection, L.S. Engler. We strive for variety above all else and welcome all genres. 5. Please include a small blurb about yourself for the eventual publication. 6. Spread the word! Okay, technically, this is not a rule, but please spread the news around that World Unknown Review is looking for submissions. It’s a great opportunity to be a part...

Deadline: October 31st, 2016 Payment: $5 for flash (up to 1,000 words) and $10 for a short 'Robbed of Sleep' publishes twice each year, in Summer and the early Winter months of the year. We are always looking for a sampling of the strangely dark, the darkly humorous, the starkly beautiful, and the hauntingly deranged to feature in its pages. Submission Schedule Feb 15 - April 30 - OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR SUMMER ISSUE Aug 15 - Oct. 31 - OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR WINTER ISSUE June, 2015 - Volume III December, 2015 - Volume IV June, 2016 - Volume V December, 2016 - Volume VI If you are interested in submitting, send your very best work to: [email protected] Subject Line: 'SUBMISSION (Robbed of Sleep, Vol. X.) - , ' An example subject line is as follows: 'SUBMISSION (Robbed of Sleep, Vol 2.) - THE DAY THE EARTH TURNED INTO A WOOLY SCREWDRIVER, 2,500' Failure to follow subject line guidelines is an instant poor first impression. You are strongly encouraged to track your submission with our DuoTrope listing. Guidelines: We are looking for stories anywhere from 100-1,000 word flash pieces, up through 2,000-4,000 word larger pieces. Something falling in between 1,000-2,000 words will be considered, especially if it's great. I am willing to look at pieces above 4,000, but not very. This means that if you are sending me something super long, it better be twice as good as it is long to even stand a chance at inclusion. You are much more likely to get something within the guidelines accepted. Please submit pieces in .docx or .doc format. I'll accept .rtf, but I'll frown a little when I get it. Pieces must be submitted in proper manuscript formatting. If you don't already use this formatting, I suggest you learn about...

Deadline: October 31st, 2016. Payment: 2¢(AUD) per word. Deadline: October 31st, 2016. We're offering payment of: 2¢ per word (AUD), plus contributor’s electronic copy. Providing we cover costs with the first run, contributors will receive one (1) copy of the paperback gratis, plus theoption to buy up to five (5) additional copies at publisher's cost. Hardbacks will be produced if demand allows. What's HOT: Oz Horror Con is seeking original thriller, suspense, dark fantasy or supernatural tales 3,000-5,000 words to be published in our forthcoming 'Between the Tracks' anthology, intended publication Q1 2017. "Between the Tracks" should give you some inspiration, but please be imaginative. We don't want reprints (unless they're amazing!) or cliched tropes, re-writes of movies plots or other published works. Don't limit yourself to train tracks either. Think outside the tracks to deliver us something between the tracks. Stories should be dark, and include a train or something similar - a tram, a cart, some other kind of vehicle that requires a track. Perhaps metaphorical tracks. Whatever track your mind takes, but it must be integral to the story. This will be targeted at a mature audience, but we're not looking for sex fantasies... unless pivotal to the plot of course! For an example of the kind of story we love, read any of the stories from the editor Steve Dillon, at The Refuge Collection www.RefugeCollection.com. What's NOT: We're not after excessive gore, torture , rape, racial or other bigotry or misogyny. You can be explicit with themes and language if required for the story to work, for as long as it's required. We prefer supernatural horror, creepy tales and suspenseful thrillers than a reliance on visceral horror. Edition and Rights: Between the Tracks will be published in electronic and paperback form in English - If there's enough...

Deadline: October 31st, 2016 Payment: Contributor's Copy From Hydra M. Star and Alder Strauss, the publishers of Infernal Ink Magazine and the Don’t Look Back Urban Folklore Anthology, comes Bon Appetit, an anthology that puts long pig back on the menu. What We Want: Your best and most compelling short stories about cannibalism, people eating other people. Simple, right? We’re open to all genres as well as adult/erotic content. NO ZOMBIES! Also, DON’T include in your stories acts of pedophilia. Submission Guidelines: Submissions will be accepted from now until Halloween (October 31st) of 2016. All those who submit work will be notified soon thereafter via email regarding the status of their submission. Contributors must be 18 years of age or older to submit work to this anthology. All submissions and inquiries MUST be sent via email to [email protected] with the subject line “SUMBISSION FOR BON APPETIT”. All submissions must be made as either a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file. No fancy formatting, please. Whatever the default settings on your writing software are will be fine. We’ll take care of the rest. Absolutely no submissions sent in the text of the email or by any other means or methods will be accepted or considered. Stories should be between 1,000 and 12,000 words. For the right story we will allow for some wiggle room on word count, but we are not accepting flash or mirco-fiction. No poetry. No art or photography. Multiple submissions are welcome. Simultaneous submissions are discouraged. All submissions must be the original works belonging to the person(s) who submit them. All contributors are required to sign a contract with us, via email, which gives us exclusive rights to the work for one year, from the date of publication. During this year the work in question should not re-published, posted...

Deadline: October 31st, 2016 Payment: $6 Dear Whortleberry Friends; Hope you had a fun and happy summer. But September is almost here - that means it's time to start on our next book! We're trying something different this time. The title is FORTY FLASHES, and the idea is that the book will contain 40 flash fiction stories - 500 words tops - in the fantasy-science fiction genres we love best. Submission for these stories will be from Sept. 1 to October 31, with publication as soon after that as we can put the book together. Payment for stories - will be $6. Well, golly, it's only 500 words, so you will receive 1.2 cents per word, which is the most we have ever paid! (Heinlein and Bradbury used to write for 1 cent a word back in the Silver Age, if that is any consolation.) Arthur Sanchez is Associate Editing this project, and he has a very interesting essay awaiting you on the topic - look for it on our comment page at http://WhortleberryPress.com. Remember, a flash fiction story has the same requirements as any other story - characters, setting, complications, resolutions) - it's just all in 500 words. Have fun! (And don't forget to add your author bio before you send us your story.) Send them to me at [email protected]. --Jean Questions? Just ask on the Forum here. Via: Whortleberry Press.

Deadline: October 31st, 2016 Payment: $50usd and royalties Note: This isn't specifically horror but it an clearly be written to fit Note #2: I apologize for the short entree period, this just hit my inbox “There’s no place like home.” Shelter by Nightfall is an upcoming ebook edited by Clayburn Griffin. It will include several short stories exploring the subject of home and its importance in our physical and emotional well-being as humans. This collection will feature new and independent authors for readers to get a taste of their talent and style. Be sure to sign up for updates below to be notified when the book is available for purchase. Submissions We are still accepting stories for Shelter by Nightfall. The deadline to submit is October 31st. If you’re interested please follow these steps: Write a short story between 6,000 and 10,000 words on the theme of Home and its significance to the Human Condition. Email your short story as a Microsoft Word or Google Doc to [email protected]. Include in your email a short bio of 200 words or fewer. List any relevant websites or social media profiles too. If your story is selected, you will receive a response with next steps to prepare for publication. Rules & Payment Information: Submitted stories may be previously published, however the author must own appropriate rights to republish globally. Author will be required to grant global publishing rights for inclusion in the Shelter by Nightfall story collection. Authors whose stories are selected for inclusion in Shelter by Nightfall will receive a $50 one-time payment upfront. Additional royalties of 6% of revenue (after any seller or marketplace commissions) will be paid out monthly for five years from publishing date. No additional royalties will be given for sales after five years from the original publishing...