Events

Deadline: January 31st, 2018 Payment: 0.5p a word (£20 for 4,000 words, £30 for 6,000 words), a contributor's copy, and royalties 2018 sees the re-launch of the Alchemy Press Book Of… anthologies with a brand new title: HORRORS, edited by Peter Coleborn and Jan Edwards. We are looking for horror stories … but tales that can be described as “weird”, “strange”, “amazing” and “peculiar”: stories that would have found a home in Weird Tales, Unknown Worlds, Fantastic and Fantasy Tales among other illustrious publications. Your story can be set in almost any era, any place but glimpse at and pervert the usual perceptions of reality – and unreality. We do not want stories that deal with common horror tropes without stretching boundaries. Avoid zombies unless they are tackled in an unexpected and strange fashion. No urban romance – you know, heroine falling for a vampire and so forth. Nor do we want to see religious tracts, adult content, and we really, really do not want gross-out horror tales. Please send your stories in a standard manuscript format (3,000-6,000 words ) to [email protected] to arrive by 31 January 2018 (contact us if an extension is required). Payment: 0.5p a word (£20 for 4,000 words, £30 for 6,000 words), plus a copy of the book and royalties. The anthology will be in print for a maximum of five years and then the book will become OOP. If you are interested put on your story-thinking hat now. Any questions please get back to us at the above email address or use this contact form. NOTES: We accept stories from anywhere in the world (the galaxy, even) if written in English We only accept email submissions We are looking for new stories although reprints may be considered Please present your manuscript as a Word document (or RTF or similar) using standard formatting (double spacing,...

Deadline: March 11th, 2018 Payment: $25 and a contributor's copy FunDead Publications is now seeking traditional literary gothic stories with a non-traditional spin. We are looking to re-awaken a sleeping genre by putting a new spin on an old style. This anthology, (title TBA), is slated for release in late spring/early summer of 2018. Please read the guidelines and requests below for the best results, they are here to help YOU! Yes, there’s a lot of info there, but we want you to succeed, so utilize the guidelines and content requests. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Submit by midnight, March 11, 2018  Word Count: 6,000-15,000 words (Yes, that’s a lot for us, so use them wisely!) Payment: Accepted submissions will be awarded payment in the way of $25 upon printing, paid via PayPal, along with a print copy of the anthology. Previous calls have been limited to $10 per story, so this is the highest payment we have been able to offer thus far! Accepted authors will also be promoted via social media and beyond (we post daily, often, and spotlight our writers regularly). Format: Format should be in standard manuscript format and submitted as .doc or .docx. We expect the proper information to be stated at the top of the first page (name, title, word count, author’s info, etc.). Unfortunately, we cannot accept reprints at this time. Please include a brief cover letter introducing yourself along with your submission, this may be pasted into the e-mail, or attached as its own file. Please let us know if this is a simultaneous submission. Response Time: Please be aware that it may be AFTER THE CLOSE of the submissions call (in March) before you receive a response from FunDead Publications, we often wait until after the close date to send acceptance e-mails to ensure we select the best...

Deadline: March 15th, 2018 Payment: .006 per word Scheduled Release Date: November 2018 Title: CENOROT Anthology Word Count: 2500-6000k max Theme-futuristic undead The year is 2025. The planet has been riddled with radiation and in an effort to sustain life the world's leading scientists have come up with a new procedure to keep humans and animals alive. The success rate was high ... until the new creatures began to show signs of rot. Genetically and physically enhanced, these monsters begin to turn on each other and their makers. Genre: horror, science fiction Submissions of high quality should be original, unpublished works. Submission guidelines can be found here: http://www.writersdigest.com/…/what-are-the-guidelines-for-… Email: [email protected] Deadline: midnight (cst) March 15, 2018 Pay: .006 per word Acceptance letters will be sent by May 15, 2018 please do not inquire prior to that date regarding submission status. Poetry may be submitted 200-1000 word max.

Deadline: March 15th, 2018 Payment: $5-20, depending on length and a contributor's copy An untitled anthology on DREAMS, NIGHTMARES, VISIONS, and HALLUCINATIONS. ​DEADLINE: 15 MARCH 2018 Everything is not as it seems. The world appears normal, but something is off. Is the hallway stretching? The windows and doors too wide?  Are colors this vibrant, this alive? Sharp claws and jagged teeth closing in. You run, but everything slows.  The creature's breathing intensifies, its poisonous breath slaps the back of your neck. A crack appears, the seams split, and reality crumbles.  Are you falling or floating?  The music echoes, raindrops against memories.  The past, present, and future are one, birth and death the same moment. You scream—awaken, covered in sweat. The nightmare fades, shards of the dream fade into the ether. *** The wise one kneels before the altar, meditates as candles and incense burn.  Through rhythmic breathing and concentration, spirit separates from body and roams the astral plane.  The wandering soul happens across a curtain of blue velvet, blowing in the gentle breeze.  The answers are behind the fabric—once pulled aside, everything shall be revealed. *** What is that?  Is it real?  It can't be… *** TRANSMUNDANE PRESS proudly announces a new anthology, this time exploring DREAMS, NIGHTMARES, VISIONS, and HALLUCINATIONS. We are looking for stories centered upon the mysterious powers of the mind—the images that bewitch us while we sleep, the terrors that make us dread bedtime, the prophecies delivered from the divine, and the illusions that appear tangible. SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES: Send stories that are heavily edited and ready for us to read. These must be original pieces for first-time publication. WORD COUNT:  No longer than 6,000 words. FORMATTING: Your submissions must be in 12 point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced with page numbers. We like headers in the top right...

Deadline: March 15th, 2018 Payment: Stories under 1,500 words are 4% of gross profit, Above that is 5% Anthology curated by Nicole Petit It seems like everything’s finally settled down, fifty years into the twentieth century. War is over. The economy’s booming. People are on a long exodus from the city. It’s all settling. But the occult lurks everywhere… In sleepovers, as teenagers intone, “Light as a feather, stiff as a board.” Or stare into the mirror, calling upon Mary. They scream, convinced something looks back from inside the glass. New music dominates the airwaves, discordant and wild. They say it’s the devil’s music. Strange lights dominate the sky. Are they Russians? Little Green Men? Or something altogether stranger? Perhaps things are not as settled as they feel… What We Want THE BASICS: Supernatural stories set in the 1950s. Not horror stories, necessarily, but stories that use the 1950s and its spook culture (and spook-busting culture) in an engaging way. Bring us supernatural adventures, supernatural mysteries, supernatural fantasy, or supernatural pulp. First and foremost, aim to capture the spirit of the era. That’s something we felt Speakeasies and Spiritualists succeeded with, in regards to the 1920s. THE SOCKHOPS: Historical accuracy is required. This extends beyond technology to attitudes, beliefs, and so on. See below for a full discussion of historical accuracy. We are open to stories starring (or featuring) historical figures. THE SÈANCES: Creative, fresh supernatural elements are preferred. Think more The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits, and less Godzilla or The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. While we’re not closed to submissions featuring traditional occult threats such as vampires, werewolves, etc., stories featuring these monsters will be a hard sell. Only the most outstanding stories will catch our eye. If you chose to use a monster—or someone pretending to be a monster—we’d prefer something wild. Think of The Blob,...

Deadline: March 15th, 2018 Payment: $30 for stories under 3,000 words, $55 for those over 3,000 words Greetings from the Valley of Hinnom, With the amazing success of Hinnom Magazine during the year of 2017, we have decided to move onward with this publication and to make several big changes that will not only widen our reach to the darker side of literature, but will also benefit the authors. The issues will release bi-monthly, on the last day of every other month, starting in February 2018. We seek authors who have a unique voice, interesting writing styles, and unparalleled storytelling talents. We also encourage prospective authors to read one of our previous publications to get a feel of the atmosphere and themes we favor. We know a lot of publishers say this, but there is good reason for it. FICTION SUBMISSION DETAILS: Whereas last year’s issues of Hinnom Magazine were a bit more lenient, the 2018 volume is going to be much more specific in our themes since we have found our voice as a publication. Below, you will find the genres and subgenres that we adore. Again, if you read our previous releases, you will likely develop a solid understanding of what Hinnom Magazine represents in dark fiction. We are looking for stories that fit the themes of Weird Fiction and Cosmic Horror. Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy are all welcomed, as long as they fit in the realms of Weird and Cosmic. All stories must also be speculative in some way. What we mean by this is that we don’t want stories based in realism. While many great horror stories are plausible in modern reality, these stories are not for Hinnom Magazine. Thus, all horror MUST BE otherworldly or supernatural in some way. Science Fiction MUST BE dark and speculative. Fantasy MUST BE morally ambiguous and grim. Any combination of the above genres is fine. In fact, we encourage it. ...

Deadline: March 19th, 2018 Payment: $1 for every 500 word (maximum stipulations listed below.) The Strange Edge Presents THE MODERN MONARCHIST, a semi-regular and thoroughly modern zine for the postmodern zinester. This is a free ezine available in several modern DIGITAL® formats which can be transmitted via the emails or downloadified. We are OPEN to unsolicited subs. DEADLINE: Currently, we are expecting to release our first issue in April. To have a chance to get into that issue, send us your submission by March 19th. That’s 19th March for all you non-Americans. SUBMISSION Guidelines: We are seeking only the finest FLASH FICTION, PROSE-POEMS, or ABSURD ARTICLES 1500 words or less. If we receive a submission that is over 1500 words, we will not only delete the submission unread, we will also delete the author from the spacetime continuum, forcing her or him to seek existence in an alternate Mandela. We are seeking a very specific brand of weird/bizarro literature that shares commonalities with the likes of Franz Kafka, Donald Barthelme, Mark Leyner, Russel Edson, Daniil Kharms, Barry Yourgrau, William S. Burroughs, Eugène Ionesco, David Lynch, Charlie Kaufman, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Quentin Dupieux, Yorgos Lanthimos, Guy Maddin, Remedios Varo, and Salvador Dali (I hope I don’t need a link to jog your memory about this guy). So whatever you send us is likely to get rejected, not because of quality but because of the very specific style we are seeking. Please don’t take any rejection personally. Also, the issues are short, quick-reads with only a few pieces selected for each. Reprints are fine, just let us know where the piece has been previously published, and make sure you have the electronic rights before submitting. Multiple Subs: You may submit multiple pieces at the same time—up to 3, provided each piece is less than 1500 words. It is not likely that more than one piece will be featured in any given...

Deadline: March 19th, 2018 Payment: $50 In our fund drive last year, one of our stretch goals was a special issue focused on the work of writers who are black, indigenous, and/or people of color from the Southeastern USA, which is a region that we think tends to be underserved and underrepresented in speculative fiction. We raised part of that stretch goal at the time and made up the remainder through our recently concluded prize draw, so this issue is going to happen! We're planning it for Monday, July 30 2018. As our special issues usually do, it will feature original fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. We're very happy to announce that this special issue's fiction will be co-edited by one of the most acclaimed editors in shortform speculative fiction, the multiple World Fantasy Award-winning Sheree Renée Thomas! (Jennifer Marie Brissett interviewed Sheree for us in 2009, talking about her celebrated Dark Matter anthology series.) 2018 will feature Sheree in an editorial role in multiple projects, including the Trouble the Waters anthology from Rosarium Publishing and a special issue of Apex Magazine. We're very happy to see Sheree's editorial work getting more prominence and recognition in the field, as emerging writers and new contributors in her Dark Matter anthologies went on to become a National Book Award Finalist, a Pulitzer Prize Winner, and Tiptree, Bram Stoker, and World Fantasy Award Winners as well. But in a way this is also indicative of a problem we'd already recognized in designing this special issue: the list of names that come to mind when looking for an editor is always narrower than it should be. Partly this is because the field is usually not good at recognizing the talent that's already there; 2018 being a jubilee year of Sheree Renée Thomas is unfortunately the exception, not the rule. And partly because it's difficult for...

Deadline: March 30th, 2018 Payment: $.03 per word and 2 contributor's copies Corpus Press is now accepting submissions for a new Halloween-themed horror anthology. Submissions will be accepted according to our publishing needs, regardless of author publication history or status. Submissions should appeal to a wide audience (late teen to adult).   What we are looking for: Not previously published short stories of 4,500-8,500 words that have a central theme associated with Halloween and can be characterized within the broad realm of “horror” fiction. Successful submissions will be highly original, well written and cleanly edited. Stories can be frightening, thought-provoking, atmospheric, humorous or satirical (or any combination thereof), but MUST contain a complete tale.   What we are NOT looking for: Stories that have been hastily retrofitted with a coating of “Halloween” references to fit the submission guidelines. These are easily spotted and will be immediately rejected. Stories that contain excessively explicit language, sexuality and violence, or that have a main goal of shocking the audience with poor taste (language, sexuality and violence is acceptable, however, if it is essential to the story and is handled in a tasteful manner). This IS NOT an “extreme horror” or “Splatterpunk” anthology. Abstract mood pieces, vignettes, and highly experimental approaches to literature are discouraged. Stories featuring exaggerated dialects, colloquialisms or excessive references to pop culture or current fads are discouraged. We will not be accepting epistolary fiction for this anthology.   Document Requirements: Submissions must be in an editable format. No PDFs or scanned documents sent as image files will be accepted. Preference is for author name, email address and word count information to be placed at the end of the document to assist in blind review process.   Submission window: October 29, 2017 – March 30, 2018. No multiple submissions. Simultaneous submissions are okay,...

Deadline: March 31st, 2018 Payment: 7c p/w up to 7K – 5c p/w for stories longer than 7K Edited by Lynne Jamneck Publisher: Dark Regions Press   What are we doing? Where are we going? What will we find? Though some among us have realised the importance of sustainable living, in the broad sense of everyday life, we still demand too much. Our capitalist dispositions have driven a wedge between ourselves and nature; we have become transfixed by the shine of chrome, the luxury of packaged lives, no longer seemingly aware of the solid earth beneath our feet. At an ever-advancing tipping point, humanity persists in its war against the natural world. Running a trail of extinction and cutting down vast swathes of oxygen-producing forests, we breed at an alarming pace, overpopulating a planet we seem hell-bent on reigning in – but at what cost? It seems we’re playing a cruel joke on the system that sparked our existence, and which has sustained us ever since. Or could the joke be on us? There is something inherently weird in our behaviour toward Nature. Two distinct energies, two conscious mentalities, humanity and the natural world find themselves at loggerheads. Can we be held accountable if – as part of nature ourselves – we are driven by the need for survival, the way all species are? And if the answer is no, should we not anticipate that Nature will do the same? Force of Nature (working title) will be an anthology of original short fiction that explores the physical and metaphysical boundaries between humanity and the natural world. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Story length: 2500 to 10 000 words Payment: 7c p/w up to 7K – 5c p/w for stories longer than 7K Send submissions to: forceofnaturesubs AT gmail DOT com Please send files in...