Events

Deadline: September 30th, 2016 Payment: $0.01/per word and a contributor's copy Reprints Allowed Bring us your best prison stories. Any genre. Any point of view. The story can be from the perspective of an inmate. It can be from the POV of a guard. It can be from the viewpoint of a family member visiting a lifer. It can be a prison ghost story. It can be about redemption, or a spiral down into oblivion. It can be about friendship, or prison gangs and rivalries. It can be about a riot. It can be about an ex-con, who's gotten out and is struggling to reintegrate into an unforgiving society. As long as it holds true to the main theme of prison, it fits. Any genre works: historical fiction, paranormal, supernatural, drama, comedy, dark noir, mystery, etc. Just make certain your story has something to do with prison or confinement (incarceration). This can include inside a mental hospital, juvenile detention, or other correctional facility. Guidelines for Submissions: Deadline: September 30, 2016 Payment: $0.01/per word + one contributor's copy Word count: 1,500 – 6,000 Acceptable file types: doc. and docx. Simultaneous/multiple submissions: Yes Reprints: Yes (payment is 1¢/per word) All submissions should be formatted 12 pt. Times New Roman. Please use auto-indent for paragraphs, and no space between paragraphs. In your cover letter, include your contact information and a brief bio. We are asking for six months exclusive rights for all accepted stories. All authors included in the anthology will receive two contributor's copies. All authors will receive contributor listing on Amazon. We may send out rejections/acceptances before the deadline, but please do not query about your story's status until October 11, 2016, or later. There is NO fee per submission. The final TOC of selected authors and stories will be announced...

Deadline: September 30th Payment: £50 per included story and a contributor's copy Note: Only open to residents of Great Britain or Ireland IRON Press is seeking submissions of previously unpublished ghost stories for a new anthology, Cold Iron, to be co-edited by Peter Mortimer and Eileen Jones. We're inviting writers resident in Great Britain or Ireland to submit a maximum of two short stories (1500 to 3000 words per story) by post only please and including SAE to 'Cold Iron', IRON Press, 5 Marden Tce, Cullercoats, North Shields, NE30 4PD. Traditionally, ghost stories are pleasurably scary, suitable for telling round the hearth or the campfire, but they can incorporate serious moral themes as well as humour and romance. We share M. R. James' views that ghost stories work best when set near the audience's/readers' own time, invoking a chilling contrast between the known world and the menace of the paranormal, and that gratuitous violence should be avoided. Submit ghost stories only please - we're not looking for stories that really belong in the sci-fi cosmos, vampire crypt, zombie graveyard or werewolf woodlands. Also we're not looking for poetry or (see minimum word count) flash fiction. Closing date: 30th September 2016. Contributing writers will receive a payment of £50 per included story and one free copy of the anthology, and will be able to buy further copies at trade price. And - advance warning to those of a nervous disposition - we're already investigating some suitably spooky options for launch events in 2017. Readers’ Groups - IRON Press is keen to promote reading. We can offer you good discounts on bulk ordering of any of our titles for your readers' groups. We may also be able to put you in touch with the writers if you'd like them to visit your...

Deadline: September 30, 2016 Payment: 4 cents and 2 contributor's copies Lawless Lands: Tales from the Weird Frontier is an anthology embodying the frontier spirit of the American West, but with a weird twist. Gunslingers with laser pistols, cattle drives through the galaxy, cursed nuggets of gold, and talking jack rabbits that grant wishes. Fantasy, SF, or horror, if it’s weird, we want to see it. The book will be funded with a Kickstarter campaign in December 2016. We will pay each author a minimum of 4 cents a word, with the possibility of more if the Kickstarter is successful, and two physical copies. Editors: Emily Leverett, Margaret McGraw, and Misty Massey. Anchor authors: David B. Coe, Laura Anne Gilman, Barb Hendee, Faith Hunter, Nicole Givens Kurtz, Margaret McGraw, Seanan McGuire, Devon Monk, and Edmund Schubert (This Giant Leap). Word count: 3000 to 7000 words. We might be willing to entertain a story longer than the max, but please ask before submitting, and it had better be a pretty incredible story. Genre: Fantasy, SF, or horror. No erotica.  Format: Word documents (.doc; .docx) only; 12 point Times New Roman, double-spaced. Please include your name and email address at the beginning of your word document as it will get separated from your original email. Subject Line for Email: LawlessLands – (Your Name) – (Name of Story) Cover Letter: We’re happy to see a cover email explaining your previous publications, but try to keep it short and sweet. And don’t stress if you have no prior publication experience – we love discovering stars! Submission deadline: September 30, 2016 To submit your story or for more information, email: [email protected] Via: Falstaff Books.

Deadline: September 30th, 2016 Payment: Contributor's copy We all love stories about great intellects whose work frequently crosses moral and ethical boundaries. From Cronenberg’s The Fly, where Dr. Seth Brundle drunkenly splices his DNA with an insect's while trying to perfect teleportation, to medical student Herbert West’s fanatical quest to re-animate the dead; from Dr. Moreau and his macabre island of genetically manipulated half-human beasts, to Walter Bishop manipulating and altering reality in FOX's Fringe—or the granddaddy of all “mad scientists,” Dr. Frankenstein, and his creation of Life, assembling a creature from the body parts of the deceased. These are the kinds of stories we’re looking to include in the inaugural charity anthology from Shadow Work Publishing, DARK DESIGNS. If you have a story of the fantastic, about a “mad scientist” character who is somewhat scatterbrained or altogether insane, whose practices are questionable (at best), and whose works frequently meet some sort of insidious end… then please, send us YOUR story! Length: 3000-7,500 words. For longer stories, please query first, but be aware, they have to be pretty damn good to get our attention! Considerations: Please do not submit nonfiction, fanfiction, poetry, or children's stories, as these are not the types of submissions we are looking for. What exactly are we looking for? This is a “mad scientist” anthology—so think dark fiction, twisted thrillers, and bizarre, horrifying tales of ambiguous ethics.  Selection: We will choose up to 20 (but not limited to) stories for inclusion—the best of the best—through a finely tuned selection process. Please, once you submit your story, give us to the deadline date before asking if you were selected. If you submitted a story near the deadline date (better late than never, right?), please give us two weeks before asking if you were selected.  Pay: This is...

Deadline: September 30th, 2016 Payment: .025/word and 3 contributor's copies Open Submissions for Only the Light We Make; Volume three of Tales from the world of Adrian's Undead Diary have begun. This anthology set in the world of AUD will be edited and published by Chris Philbrook in print, ebook, and audiobook format. Mark Tufo has agreed to write the foreword for the book, and Chris will be writing between 3 and 5 new stories for the book as well. This is a paid anthology. Stories should follow the canonical rules of the AUD setting in terms of the undead, timeline of events and available characters. (silent zombies, no undead animals, no one dreams of the living, etc) Submissions should range in length between 500 and 7,500 words in length. Stories are due September 30th. You may use existing characters as mentioned above, but the stories must fit in with the core AUD storyline for inclusion. Submissions are open to professionals as well as fans. If you have a solid story that uses the undead, or the apocalypse as a basis, you may submit it for inclusion, but please be aware that it must be edited to make sense before publishing. Stories selected will be paid out within 45 days of editing (or as applicable based on release and printing schedules) according to the following; 1.) Each contributor will receive in hand or by mail three print copies of the anthology.  All copies will be signed by Chris Philbrook prior to shipping. The previous anthology contributor copies were sent out with four author's autographs. 2.) Each contributor will receive a free .pdf copy of the anthology. 3.) Each contributor will receive a free .mobi copy of the anthology. 4.) You will receive two free Audible download codes for the book....

Deadline: September 30th Payment: $10 and a digital copy February  1 - March 31  (Spring issue) August 1 - September 30 (Fall Issue) Publication will be one year after reading period. Anything sent to us outside these reading periods will be deleted unread. Fiction We here at Bete Noire are looking for stories that are well written, character driven and have a dark bent to them.  We are open to most genres as long as they have a dark side.  This includes horror, dark sci-fi, dark fantasy, crime, mystery or dark humor.  However, vampires plus sparkle equals rejection. Please don't send us sword & sorcery or space operas.  Tolkien and Lucas have their place, but not here.  Also, we don't and can't accept "fan fiction" which includes anything based on a video game, book, movie or any other creator's work or conception unless you have written permission from the creator.  If you don't own the copyright to the characters in your story, we cannot publish your work.  By submitting to us, you, as the author of the work, accept responsibility for any possible copyright infringement. Please don't send us "Slash" or "Fem-Slash" or anything graphically describing sex.  Sex is okay as long as it's integral to the story but don't overdo it.  Please don't use gore for gore's sake.  Again gore is okay as long as it's integral to the story.  Though we cringe at the thought of violence toward children or pets, we understand that this type of violence does occur in real life, but we just don't want it in our magazine. Stories with acts of violence toward animals or children will not have a chance with us.  Any story that insinuates an act of sex or sexual violence between an adult and a child will be rejected.  This includes...

Deadline: September 30th, 2016 Payment: $15 USD Due to a lack of interest in maps (who would have thought!), we’ve extended the deadline for submissions to our annual anthology AND we are opening up submissions to everyone. Please forward wide and far. If you have a story featuring a map or maps, please consider submitting it to our anthology. Reprints welcomed! You Are Here Tales of Cartographic Wonders Maps, or graphical representations of spatial information, have shaped our world ever since people have put pen to paper, or stylus to a clay tablet, or chisel to stone. The focus of pirates searching for lost treasure or someone following a trail among the stars, maps in many guises have served humanity’s heroes and villains for a long time. What does the concept of maps inspire in you? GUIDELINES Authors are invited to submit a story with a map, or maps, playing a central or pivotal role. You are open to interpret ‘map’ however you see fit, but you can use the following definitions to rein in your imagination. A diagrammatic representation of an area of land or sea showing physical features, cities, roads, etc., a picture or chart that shows the different parts of something, something that represents with a clarity suggestive of a map (i.e. map of the mind), the arrangement of genes on a chromosome (i.e. genetic map), star charts, or the correspondence of elements in one set to elements in the same set or another set (as in mathematics). Stories must include some elements of science fiction or fantasy, but can be of any sub-genre. In addition, if you would like to submit an accompany map with your story, that is fine. But keep in mind that we may not use it. The resulting anthology may include a...

Deadline: September 30, 2016 Payment: Contributor's Copy It seems like 2016 is one of the more gruesome political seasons in recent history. It couldn’t possibly get worse, could it? You’re a horror writer, of course it could! We are looking for politically-themed horror stories revolving around the election season. Blood on the convention floor! Death on the campaign trail! Mindless hordes following a maniacal leader! Give us your take on the creeping horrors that invade our country every two to four years. Fill it with monsters. Make it subtle and existential. Surreal, hyperreal, your choice, just scare us! What we want: Strong characters. Diversity is a plus! Examine the issues facing everyday voters and marginalized communities. Research is your friend. What we’re not looking for: Overt political screeds. You’re not here to campaign on behalf of a candidate. We’d prefer you don’t name any living figures in today’s political scene. Dead ones? Sure, but tread carefully, because we don’t want to get sued! Manuscript format: Follow the standard Shunn guidelines: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html Also, don’t forget to include your name, byline, and contact info in the manuscript. Editors: Eugene Johnson and Michael Paul Gonzalez Format: Trade Paperback, ebook NOTE: This is a charity anthology. A portion of the proceeds from sales of this book will be donated to the Hardship Fund of the Horror Writers Association. However, this book is not sponsored by or affiliated with the Horror Writers Association. Nothing in this book should be seen as an official view of the HWA, and the HWA had has no part in the selection or approval any of the stories or contributors appearing in this book. Word count: 4,000 words max (firm). We are looking for original stories and will consider reprints on a case-by-case basis. Please indicate in your submission letter if your story has...

Deadline: September 30th 2016 Payment: one penny/word for stories and essays up to five thousand words long, and twenty-five cents a line for poems up to 60 lines long We will be open to submissions from September 15th to September 30th for fiction, poetry, and essays. After September 30th, we will close in order to be able to read and digest whatever comes in during that time. We will reopen for submissions again at a later date. Before you hit ‘Send’ on your email, please read and if necessary, re-read the guidelines below, as they will vastly increase your chances of being read by Mark, Chris, and Jeff, and possibly published in a future issue of Skelos. What We Are Looking For Skelos is interested in original flash fiction, short fiction, poetry, and essays in the following genres: Weird Fiction, particularly any kind of updating on the classic “weird tale.” Dark Fantasy, whether high or low or somewhere in between. Horror, anything that turns convention on its head. Sword and Planet, especially an updating or reworking of the genre. New Weird, in that broad, dark, magical realism sense of the term. Slipstream, preferably flavored with one or more of the above genres. Skelos wants material that exemplifies the above genres, not typifies them. Genre subversion is always a good thing. Anything that surprises us will be welcome as we try to redefine the Weird Tale for the 21st century. Material can be graphic, as needed, but we are not interested in erotica, hardcore sex, or romance writing. Werewolves and vampires are fine, provided you do something new and radically different with those old chestnuts. Please do not send game fiction or fiction based on another intellectual property. If you have doubts, questions, or uncertainties about any of the above, please...

Deadline: October 1st, 2016 Payment: 15 cents a word for the first 2,500 words and 6 cents a word after Bestselling author Hy Bender (BookProposal.net; 16 books including 5 Dummies books, a Complete Idiot's Guide, and The Sandman Companion; The New York Times, Mad Magazine) and book developer Will Paoletto (Enterprise Cometh; My Bad Parent) are putting together a short story fiction anthology titled Ghosts on Drugs. And we're inviting you to send us a story so great that we can't resist saying "yes" to it. The only rule is that a tale include some version of at least one ghost who's on some version of at least one drug. And both key terms are broadly defined—e.g., a ghostwriter hooked on cough syrup could fit, and a dead ancient god with an inhumanly intense craving to be worshipped again could too. Also, a story can run anywhere from 2 pages to 30 pages, so a short-short tale that's a solid fit for the collection will definitely be considered. We expect many of the stories will be a mix of comedy and fantasy. However, the book is also open to horror, SF, adventure, drama, etc., as well as any combination of genres. Whatever the category, we're seeking stories that are extremely entertaining, appeal to a wide-ranging audience (high concepts are especially appreciated), and provide an emotionally satisfying ending (smartly crafted character arcs/transformations are especially appreciated). We're aiming to include some of the world's top comedians, a bunch of superb writers, and one or two celebrities who happen to be drug fans. Some of the advantages of being in this anthology: Getting a credit for a book that's likely to receive substantial attention because of its cool high concept, wildly inventive range of ideas, and exceptionally fine writing. Having your name alongside...