Events

Taking Submissions: Snafu

Submission Period(note not yet open but plenty of time to get a head start): September 1, 2013 until December 1, 2013 Payment: 3 cents/word (semi-pro) and a contributor copy of every format that is released SNAFU An anthology of military sci-fi/horror. SNAFU will be an anthology of military sci-fi horror novellas and short stories. Bioweapons unleashed, mutations, ancient species unearthed in lost caverns deep within the earth… and the soldiers who fight them. You get the drift? We have solicited novellas from some of the biggest names in the business, and this is your chance to appear alongside them. There will be approximately 60,000 words taken up with novellas by the solicited authors, so we are looking for three or four short stories via the submission process to fill the rest of the wordcount up to about 80,000. SOLICITED AUTHORS: James A Moore - James A. Moore is the award winning author of over twenty novels, thrillers, dark fantasy and horror alike, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley) and his most recent novels, Cherry Hill and Smile No More. TBA - TBA - TBA - GUIDELINES: We are looking for stories that take the standard military thriller and inject some horror, whether it be bioweapons, creatures from another planet or dimension, or anything that you can imagine. We want action-filled, plot-driven tales that carry the reader along for the ride. Think Jonathan Maberry, Greig Beck, Warren Fahy, and Weston Ochse (SEAL Team 666 series). Think Dog Soldiers, Predator, or Alien. If you haven’t read Jonathan Maberry or Greig Beck, or SEAL Team 666 or Fragment, then what are you waiting for? Get reading. Submission period – September 1, 2013 until December 1, 2013 Payment – 3...

Taking Submissions: Kneeling in the Silver Light

Deadline: December 1st 2013 Payment: £10 minimum, royalties. plus a copy of the book on publication. Editor Dean M Drinkel (Phobophobia - Dark Continents Press; The Demonologia Biblica - Western Legends Press; Cities of Death - Static Movement) and Alchemy Press present Kneeling In The Silver Light: Stories From The Great War - a horror / dark fantasy anthology commemorating the 100 year centenary of the outbreak of the Great War (World War One) - to be published: 28th July 2014. We are looking for the very best stories set in / during / around the Great War. Originality is key and we are not particularly looking for run-of-the-mill war stories, though tales can be set on European battlefields, trenches, war-rooms, etc, etc. As a “heads up”: whilst we will accept Zombie / Vampire / Ghost stories, these need to be original in style and must have the “wow” factor. Make them stand out! We are also very keen in reading stories from non-English writers (so looking for French, German, Italian writers) but stories must be written in English. Fully realised characters are a must and solid plots extremely desirable. We are seeking original fiction: reprints only accepted by agreement with the editor. No simultaneous or multiple submissions. Contributions between 3,000 and 6,000 words (firm). Submission period runs from 1 August to 1 December 2013. Do not submit outside of those dates. Give your story a head start by reading both these guidelines and the Alchemy Press style-guide. Electronic submissions only, sent as email attachments in standard manuscript format (rtf, doc or docx). Email subject line should take the form Title/ Author’s Name/ Word count (i.e. My Great Story/John Doe/5,000 words). Submissions included in the body of the email, or without the correct subject header, may be rejected unread. Full...

Taking Submissions: One-Night Stands

Deadline: December 1st 2013 Payment: $25 and 30% royalties We are currently looking for stories to publish as individual eBook shorts for our new "One-Night Stand" line. We will consider any genre, just as long as it is entertaining and creative. Hook us on the first line. Remember, our readers have all of literature at their sides; all it takes is one line that disinterests them to make them click away. Compensation will be $25 and 30% royalties. We ask for 6 months exclusive rights. All stories should be formatted 12 pt, any font. Also include a 50 word bio either in the email or attachment itself. Word count should be no less than 1000 words and no more than 15,000 words. We do not accept reprints; multiple submissions are fine. Submit at: PMM Publishing's Submittable.

Taking Submissions: Penumbra: Egyptian Mythology

Deadline: December 1st 2013 Payment: 5 cents per word February--Egyptian Mythology Egypt has been a source of fascination from the earliest days of civilization and that intrigue has not faded. So let's combat the winter chill with a trip down the Nile to Thebes, to witness the hand of Isis and Ra upon the great desert, or watch as Ankhaten honors Amun and then witness mankind's first monotheistic state religion crumble with the death--or murder?--of his son Tutankhamen. Between the Book of the Dead and the incredibly rich mythology of Egypt, finding a great speculative fiction avenue shouldn't be that difficult --even if Stargate is taken. CALL BEGINS OCTOBER 1, 2013 CALL ENDS DECEMBER 1, 2013 Penumbra is looking for original, unpublished stories of 3500 words or less. We prefer that writers use Standard Manuscript Format for submissions. (You can read this article by Chuck Rothman on the SFWA site on preparing a manuscript for submission if you are unfamiliar with SMF.) Please send your stories as file attachments in .rtf or .doc formats only. Please include a cover letter in the body of your email, with the manuscript title, you pen name if applicable, the exact word count of the story not including title and byline, and a publication history if applicable. Penumbra is a professional rates paying publisher, paying 5 cents per word. We will evaluate poetry submissions for each issue. We will also consider previously published stories with rights reverted to the author. Penumbra has multiple issue calls open at the same time, therefore it is imperative that you include the issue theme in the subject line of your email. Submissions that do not include this information risk getting lost in our queue and not read before the deadline. Penumbra uses Musa Publishing's house style guide, which...

Taking Submissions: The 2013 Christmas Ghost Story Competition

Deadline: December 13th, 2013 Payment: 1st Place wins £100.00 and guaranteed inclusion in a future Spinetinglers Anthology, 2nd Place wins £50.00, 3rd, 4th and 5th each win £25.00. All prize money is in GBP or your local currency equivalent. It’s that time of year again – Starbucks’ red cups are back, the John Lewis ad is on during every commercial break and the Christmas music is starting to hit the airwaves - the festive season is well and truly upon us and to celebrate we are thrilled to announce that the annual Spinetinglers Christmas Ghost Story Competition is now open! We had an unbelievable response last year and can't wait to see what holiday horrors are submitted this year! We do ask that you stick to the following rules - - Christmas must be a central theme - you can't just throw in that someone was wandering down Oxford Street in the glow of the Christmas lights. - Macabre & Morose? Funny & Uplifting? Ghosts & Ghouls? Possessions & Poltergeists? The choice is yours, but your tale must have some link to the “otherworld” or at least a passing nod to the “supernatural”. - The maximum word count is 5,000 words. (But as it’s Christmas we will let you away with hitting 5,500.) Apart from that anything goes! There’s 2 ways to submit your story – - Through the site – just make sure to include ‘Christmas Ghost Story Competition’ in the title box. - Email – if you’d prefer to email your story then all you have to do is send your work as an attachment to [email protected] – again if you could include ‘Christmas Ghost Story Competition’ in the subject header that’ll ensure that your work is submitted to correct competition. The closing date for submissions is midnight...

Taking Submissions: The CONQUEROR WOMB: Lusty Tales of Shub-Niggurath

Deadline: December 15, 2013 Payment: $10CDN, as well as copies of the anthology in all electronic formats (mobi, EPUB, and PDF) and copies of three additional Martian Migraine Press titles of the authors choosing. WTF?! Cthuluhu Erotica?! Guest editor Justine Geoffrey (author of the Blackstone Erotica series and Orgy in the Valley of the Lust Larvae), along with S R Jones (author of Soft From All the Blood and the upcoming When The Stars Are Right: Towards An Authentic R’lyehian Spirituality) are looking for pulpy tales of fertility and fear, sex and sacrifice! Stories that squelch, tales that both titillate and terrify, and all with a focus on that most neglected of the Lovecraftian deities: Shub-Niggurath, Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young! Though this is an open submission call, Geoffrey and Jones will be inviting some of their favourite authors to contribute. This worked out well for our first antho, and we’d like to repeat that experience. Final count for the anthology will be 20 stories, released as an ebook in multiple formats. Submission period closes DECEMBER 15, 2013. The anthology will be released early February 2014, just in time for Valentine’s Day. SUBMITTING Please use Standard Manuscript format when submitting. That’s double spaced, left justified, Times New Roman or Courier or something at least readable, a header on the first page (at least) with your author info and word count and… well, you know the drill. RTF or DOC files preferred, but DOCx and text files also accepted. Obviously, you could send us something that’s not in Standard Manuscript format, but it will lower your chances of it being looked at seriously. To submit a story to The Conqueror Womb: Lusty Tales of Shub-Niggurath, send an e-mail (with the story file attached, not in the body of the email) to: [email protected], with subject line: WOMB, title of your story, and your name....

Taking Submissions: 713 Flash – Discoveries

Deadline: December 20th, 2013 Payment: $10 per story   Each monthly flash fiction call has a theme. We ask you to write an SFF story (SciFi, Fantasy, Horror, or related sub-genres) that fits the theme in some way. You’ll find a list of upcoming themes below. Please only submit a story for a particular theme during that theme’s submission period. Stories submitted during the wrong submission period will be deleted unread. Though this is a flash fiction contest, we’re still looking for stories with a strong narrative arc. We want stories that introduce us to character, world, and conflict in the opening 1-2 graphs. (Conflict isn’t just a fight, by the way.) We want a middle free of too much backstory; we want forward momentum. Last, we want an ending the resolves the plot, directly or subtly. We only want stories between 500 and 1,000 words, inclusive. We pay a flat rate of $10 per story, regardless of length. Now, without further ado, let’s showcase the themes, shall we?   Send your submission in an email to kazkasubsgmail.com. Attach your file to the email. Don’t forget to include your cover letter in the body of the email. Subject Line: Flash Fiction Contest (e.g. “Flash Fiction Contest ” for the ‘Sax & Violins’ prompt). Imprecise subject lines may result in lost submissions. Here are the rules and details. Word Count: We’re looking for a piece of flash fiction that is between 500 and 1000 words long. Thus: 499 < YOUR STORY < 1,001 We won’t publish stories north or south of this mark. Deadline: At midnight, as the 20th rolls into the 21st in California, we’ll stop accepting submissions for the current month’s contest. All dates and times relate to California time (Pacific PST/PDT). Manuscript & Cover Letter: Please get close to standard manuscript formatting. However, we’ll be formatting your...

Ongoing Submissions: 99 Fiction 999 Words Or Less Contest

Deadline: December 22nd 2013 Payment: The winner will receive a voucher from Amazon.com or Flipkart.com to the value of $250.00   Why enter our 999 words or less competition? It's a great way to start flash fiction or short story writing and develop your style. Maybe you're new to writing and you've been entering our 99 words or less competition. And now you want to start writing longer pieces. Well, here it is in 999 words or less!! Can you create a great piece of fiction in 999 words or less from our winning photograph? Give it a go!! Our new competition has started!! Start Date                    Closing Date                    Announcement 29 September 2013    22 December 2013          12 January 2014 The 999 words or less fiction competition is a challenge to create a short story inspired by the photograph that has won our photo competition. The winner will receive a voucher from Amazon.com or Flipkart.com to the value of $250.00 (US or currency of choice) and sent by email to the winner. The closing time for entries is 7.00pm (EST)/midnight (GMT). Any entries missing the deadline will not be entered into the competition unless at the discretion of 99fiction.net administrator(s). Please be aware of the time zone in which you live. Briefly, US EST closes at 7.00pm and UK GMT closes Midnight. You may live in a different time zone. This brilliant photograph was taken by LeePotter!! Your 999 words or less flash fiction story should be inspired by this photograph!! THE RULES · The entrant must be 18 years or older at the date of the competition entry. · Entries must be in English. · Entries must be the work of the entrant and must not have been published or accepted for publication elsewhere. · Entries should not have been published on 99fiction.net or any commercial online form including blogs or personal websites. · The competition is international....

Taking Submissions: Long Distance Drunks

Deadline: December 31, 2013 Payment: 50% of the royalties split equally among all authors done on a quarterly basis, as well as one contributor’s copy. Having reached the submission deadline for SO IT GOES: A TRIBUTE TO KURT VONNEGUT, scheduled to be released this Spring, we are now opening for a new anthology to continue the series. Ladies and gentlemen, we present you with LONG DISTANCE DRUNKS: A TRIBUTE TO CHARLES BUKOWSKI. Bukowski had a very distinctive style. He wrote in a simple and often cruel, unforgiving voice. A typical story would involve isolation, alcohol, writing, hookers, and gambling. He wrote about the scum of the city. He became the scum. His words were scum, and it was all so damn beautiful. If you haven’t read Bukowski, don’t bother submitting to this anthology. And if you haven’t read Bukowski, then stop what you’re doing and go read him already, man. Deadline: December 31, 2013 Target release date: Spring 2014 Please send all submissions in a .doc or .rtf attachment to [email protected] with the subject line being Bukowski/Story Title/Author (the attachment should be labeled the same way). All stories should be formatted 12 pt (any font is fine, although we do prefer sans serif). Also include a 50 word bio either in the email or attachment itself. Word count should be no less than 1000 words and no more than 10,000 words. We do not accept reprints; multiple submissions are fine. Payment will be 50% of the royalties split equally among all authors done on a quarterly basis, as well as one contributor’s copy. Any other questions please email [email protected].

Taking Submissions: Enter At Your Own Risk: The End is the Beginning

Deadline: December 31st 2013 Payment: $40 Submissions NOW OPEN: Enter At Your Own Risk: The End is the Beginning Submission Guidelines Firbolg Publishing is preparing for its fourth release in the Enter at Your Own Risk series. Our theme for 2014 is environmental horror. What happens when Nature turns on us? What are the consequences of the nightmares we are creating out there? As with all Firbolg releases, we’re looking for stories hidden deep in the crevices of the darkest minds. There are some fabulous zombie/ virus apocalypse stories out there, but we’re seeking stories about the sublime, subtle horrors lurking in the shadows. Did you know we are destroying the bacteria in our stomachs that keep us from overeating? What about mountaintop removal and its long-term consequences? Chernobyl’s still leaking. Microbes are evolving. There’s a rare group of people digging holes in their skulls and scientists do not know why. Check out the science section of The New Yorker and you will be deeply afraid! There’s a world of horror just waiting for someone to turn over that rock and find it. For those not familiar with Firbolg’s releases, here’s a little background. We always combine Gothic masters of yesteryear with modern authors. For this anthology, you will share space with Nathanial Hawthorne, Algernon Blackwood, Sherwood Anderson, H.P. Lovecraft, and more! Guidelines: 3000-5000 words (this is strict) Avoid excessive gore/ violence. We are most interested in gothic dark fiction rather than splatter style horror. Atmosphere and suspense trump bloodshed in our horror world! LGBT-friendly press RTF format as an attachment (include author biography, links to blogs/ websites) Standard manuscript format (http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html) Payment: $40 submission email: [email protected] There have been quite a few invitations for this one, so space for open submissions is limited. submissions close 31 December 2013 Our...