Events

Taking Submissions: No Place Like Home: Tales from a Fractured Future

Dedline: August 15th 2012 Payment: shared royalties plus one eBook and one print contributor’s copy. Once in a while a random idea strikes me at an inopportune moment, like just before the movie begins at the theatre. That’s what happened with this one. Luckily, I remembered it and decided to do an anthology. This one is a little different than the ones we’ve done before, as I’m looking for stories with a strong sci-fi theme mixed with horror. The premise is a future society that dehumanizes its population. What if, in order to receive welfare (Medicaid, food stamps, the dole—for those of you across the Atlantic) you had to be put on a national donor’s registry? And what if someone who wasn’t on welfare needed an organ and you were the only match? Yes, imagine a government that makes citizens pay for their aid in one way or another. And that’s what I’m looking for—stories set in a not so distant future gone horribly wrong. I already have a few stories for the anthology, one by the incomparable Gene O’Neill. Length should be 3000 to 8000 words. If the story is longer, please query. If you have any questions, please feel free to query also. Deadline is August 15th and the proposed date of publication is November 10th, conveniently planned to coincide with the inevitable dissatisfaction of the US presidential election. (I mean one side’s always disgruntled, right?) So reread Orwell’s 1984 and Bradbury’s 451 Fahrenheit and then attempt to top them. Send your submissions to [email protected]. Please refer to our submission guidelines for proper formatting. Subs which are not properly formatted or do not include a cover letter will be returned unread.

Taking Submissions: Chiral Mad

Deadline: August 20th 2012 Payment: Payment: One contributor copy. All profit from this anthology will be donated to Downs Syndrome charities. Copies will be available for cost as long as you donate profit received to a Downs Syndrome charity organization of your choice. Chiral Mad is an anthology of psychological horror tentatively scheduled for publication by Written Backwards in November of 2012. It will contain twenty or more short stories by established authors and newcomers from around the world. Submissions will be open to the public starting May 16th with a listing appearing on duotrope.com soon. To submit a story for consideration, please see the guidelines below. Cover artwork in progress. Click the image for higher resolution. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Twenty highly-regarded peers were selected for the initial invitation into this anthology, along with the twenty whose work appeared in Pellucid Lunacy. As stories are accepted, author names will appear on the “OFFICIAL LINE-UP” section on the top right of this page. Invited authors with submissions in the works will appear in the “UNOFFICIAL” section below that. Open submissions for Chiral Mad commence May 16th and will stay open until August 20th, or until filled. What’s acceptable? Fiction that disturbs the nonlinear fabric(s) of reality. Mindbenders in the range of 1000 to 5,000 words that could not only be classified as horror, but as psychological horror with chirality in mind. This anthology suits stories that push the limits of the human condition. The keyword being ‘human.’ Strong character development is a must, and all stories must have some element of chirality, whether it’s in character reflection, physical and/or mental symmetry, structure, or any other way you can manage. Look at your left hand; look at your right hand; now put them together… that’s chirality. Share something important with the rest of...

Taking Submissions: A Friend of a Friend Told Me: Legends of Urban Horror

Deadline: August 20, 2012 Payment: An eBook copy will be sent to all contributors and up to 5 paperback copies per author will be available to purchase at cost. 50% of the royalties will be distributed between all contributors. We’ve all come across them. The warnings told by a friend of a friend - be careful! Some ghastly end met while undertaking a dare, don’t go in there, that’s the Devil’s Gate! Or perhaps your mind leaps to the cryptofiction realm - Bigfoot, the Chupacabra, or monstrous alligators roaming the sewers under New York City! Wherever your mind takes you, we want to come along for the ride. Ensure your story is dark and edgy, preferably full of horror - we want the reader to be too scared to step off the beaten path and wander into realms unknown. All urban legends are open for interpretation; just be sure to add the requisite elements of horror. Deadline for Submissions: August 20, 2012 Word count minimum: 4000 words - nothing less will be considered. Submission guidelines: Deadline for submissions - Monday, August 20, 2012. 4000 - 10,000 words. Please submit your manuscript as a *.doc or *.docx file in Verdana; 12 point font; single spacing and standard formatting. Graphic gore must be kept to a minimum unless it is integral to the story; absolutely no incestuous or sexual abuse storylines will be considered. Only stories previously unpublished may be submitted. Upon acceptance into the anthology, you agree that Sirens Call Publications holds exclusive publishing rights for twelve (12) months from the date of publication; after that date has passed, all intellectual property rights revert to the author with the proviso that Sirens Call Publications retains distribution rights in the format of the contracted anthology. An eBook copy will be sent to...

Taking Submissions: Kiss Me At Midnight

Deadline: August 30th 2012 Payment: 2 Contributor's copies KISS ME AT MIDNIGHT – COLLECTION A clean slate. A fresh start. A chance to throw out the old and begin anew. There’s nothing as revitalizing as the start of a new year, and what better way to begin than with a kiss. Less Than Three Press is seeking stories for a collection revolving around the theme of a new year, a new start, a propitious beginning. THE DETAILS: Deadline is AUGUST 30TH, 2012 11:59 EST (GMT -5) (give or take, we won’t kill you for sending it off the following morning) Ideally stories should be 5,000-10,000 words in length, but anything a little longer or shorter is acceptable. Stories must be m/m or f/f (threesomes etc are acceptable, but all parties must be the same gender). Stories should have a happy end—either HEA or HFN is acceptable. Any genre is acceptable: contemporary, fantasy, steampunk, sci-fi, horror, mystery, western, etc. We adore variety. All usual LT3 submission guidelines apply. This collection is centered around the theme of a new year and all the potential that comes with it. All stories must have a strong tie to this theme. We are looking for creative stories that bring in this theme, not simply dozens of stories about a New Year’s Eve party (though if you can do that creatively, we welcome it gladly). Kiss Me at Midnight is a collection of ebooks, meaning each story will be sold as an individual ebook, and readers will also have the option to purchase “bundles” or the entire collection for a reduced rate. Standard ebook royalty rates will apply. Stories should be complete before submitting, and as edited as possible. They can be submitted in any format (doc, docx, rtf, odt, etc), preferably single spaced with a...

Taking Submissions: Fresh Ground-Coffee House Flash Fiction V3

Deadline: August 31, 2012 Payment: Exposure Only SUBMISSION DEADLINE: August 31, 2012 WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR: Flash fiction covering all genres. This is a collection of stories to be enjoyed by everyone, please keep excessive cussing and sex out unless integral to your character. WHAT WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR: Slash and hack, blood and gore for their own sake. Graphic rape, torture, child abuse, and animal torture have their place, but not here. We prefer stories written in the third person—will consider first person if you knock our socks off. No Reprints. Looking for short stories in the 500- 1,500 word range. Payment exposure. This is a 4 The Luv anthology.. Submissions will be accepted August 31, 2012 Tentative Release Date: December 2012 Email submissions to: [email protected] Please put SUBMISSION, followed by the title of the story, and word count, in the subject line of your email. Attach your submission in .rtf format. Submissions pasted in the body of email will be rejected, unread.

Taking Submissions: Enter At Your Own Risk Volume 2

Deadline: August 31st 2012 Payment: $10 Our 2012 anthology is a return to the classic ghost story... with a twist! We are looking for gay-themed ghost stories in the Gothic tradition. Avoid the ghost and Mr. Muir thing here and get creative! Requirements: 1000-3000 words RTF format Double-space/ Times New Roman There must some gay element to the story (and a ghost!) We do not want: excessive gore/ violence/ splatter rape/ torture/ abuse Reprints No simultaneous submissions We're looking for stories in the Poe, James, Le Fanu, Polidori vein here! Contact: [email protected] Payment: $10 Deadline: 31 August for an October publication

Taking Submissions: Fires and Phantoms

Deadline: August 31st 2012 Payment: $10 We are currently seeking submissions for our 2012 anthology! Our 2012 anthology is a return to the classic ghost story... with a twist! We are looking for gay-themed ghost stories in the Gothic tradition. Avoid the ghost and Mr. Muir thing here and get creative! Requirements: 1000-3000 words RTF format Double-space/ Times New Roman There must some gay element to the story (and a ghost!) We do not want: excessive gore/ violence/ splatter rape/ torture/ abuse Reprints No simultaneous submissions We're looking for stories in the Poe, James, Le Fanu, Polidori vein here! Contact: [email protected] Payment: $10 Deadline: 31 August for an October publication Ebook and paperback format

Taking Submissions: Dali-ances: The Salvador Dali Anthology

Deadline: August 31, 2012 Payment: We offer $30 and one contributor’s copy of the book as payment upon acceptance. An additional royalty will be paid out for every copy of the book (press or digital) sold after the first 500. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES What We Want DALI-ANCES: The Salvador Dali Anthology features around ten to fifteen short fiction stories dealing with Salvador Dali and his artworks. We are looking for stories inspired by or involving the artist, his art, or his symbolisms that categorize him as one of the 20th century’s most influential artists. We welcome all subgenres and forms of fantastic fiction, from horror and science fiction, steampunk and bizarro, fantasy and magic realism. We are looking for short stories which showcase Dali or his artwork as a central theme. Deadline for submissions is August 31, 2012. No entries will be accepted beyond this deadline. What We Don’t Want We will not accept stories which have the theme obviously shoehorned in after the fact. We do not want generic surrealism-based stories. We are not looking for poetry. And we don’t want an extreme amount of vulgarity or sexual perversion for its own sake, unless it fits the theme and mood of the anthology, especially considering the source material. Manuscript Format We are looking for short fiction between 1500-7500 words, though longer fiction will still be considered. All submissions should be in DOC, RTF, or TXT format in standard double-spaced manuscript format. Multiple Submissions and Reprints We accept up to two (2) multiple submissions for review. Each one must be sent via its own separate email. Reprints are permissable, as long as prior publication is mentioned and described in the cover letter. Pay Rate We offer $30 and one contributor’s copy of the book as payment upon acceptance. An additional royalty...

Taking Submissions: Deep Cuts

Deadline: August 31, 2012 Payment: $0.05/word and royalty split Edited by E.S. Magill, Angel Leigh McCoy, and Chris Marrs (see bios, below) Deep Cuts: (1) songs on an album that do not get commercial air time. (2) great songs that get overshadowed by an album’s hits. Like the “deep cuts” on an album, there’s good stuff out there, stuff worth digging up and having another go at. In honor of Women in Horror Month, we invite you to tell us about a deep cut written by a woman writer. We want to give horror lovers (male and female alike) the opportunity to recommend powerhouse tales written by women, those bloody stylings and chainsaw rhythms that have lain hidden like deadly gems among other great works. Recommend a woman writer’s horror story that you believe may have been overlooked by the general public, along with your own submission. Choose well, because if we publish your story, we’ll also publish your recommendation. Join us as we knock the needle over a few grooves to find and recommend those deep cuts cranked up to 11 by women horror writers. Warning: Cuts May Be Deeper Than They Appear Submission Guidelines This will be a horror anthology. We do not want splatterpunk, urban fantasy, or supernatural romance. We will choose stories that do or don’t contain supernatural elements, but all the stories we choose will obviously have been written with the intent to make the reader uneasy with the lights off. Anyone can submit, man or woman, so long as they’re over 18. In addition to the short story submission, each submitter is asked to write up to 150 words honoring a short story by a female horror writer, telling why the story means so much to them and where it was published. This short...

Taking Submissions: The Ghosts of DC

Deadline: August 31, 2012 Payment: Payment $25 advance paid uponpublication with quarterly payments after advance has been met. Welcome to the second anthology from THE HORROR SOCIETY. Since this is an election year I thought that it might be interesting to publish a horror anthology about politicians. Throughout history many of our political figures have suffered painful events or tragic deaths. What we are looking for is stories that twist this event - I.e. What if the doctors that treated George Washington were vampires, or the reason it took so long to bury Abraham Lincoln was because he kept wandering off. Don’t change history but feel free to play it. Have fun while researching your politician. You will need to make your selection and contact May/December before you start writing. The reason for this is that you will need to reserve your choice to avoid multiple submissions on the President or the politician. We are looking for a wide assortment of figures for this publication. There will be No political opinions allowed! We don’t care what political affiliation you are. This is about the horror not politics. 4000-10,000 words. -No less, and no more-No living politicians will be allowed. Message Denise Brown with selection, we will make a daily post (and keep itupdated) of which have been selected to avoid duplication. Please email: [email protected] Payment $25 advance paid uponpublication with quarterly payments after advance has been met. Times New Roman. Size 12 font. Single Space. First line indent by .3; All stories will be stripped of authorinfo and forwarded blind to editor who will score each story. Top (seeking atotal word count of 70,000 words) will be accepted. All submissions are due August 31, 2012