Events

Deadline: October 1st, 2018 Payment: $15 BANJAXED BOOKS is proud to announce short story submissions for our second anthology, Deductions, Delinquents, and Detectives, a collection of mystery/detective stories set in whatever genre the authors choose. Whether it’s a murder mystery set in a world of High Fantasy, a science fiction who-done-it, or the tale of a hard-boiled detective in the near or distant future, Deductions, Delinquents, and Detectives will gather together the best mystery stories from any and all genres. Steampunk, monsters, robots, myths and legends, and–yes–even post-apocalypse…we’re looking for short stories that combine genres in interesting new ways. (We’ll even take a look at realistic mystery stories set in modern times…or during the heyday of detective stories. No monsters or flying cars? No problem! Mystery is a genre all its own.)   SUBMISSION SCHEDULE Submissions open April 1, 2018 and close October 1, 2018. Publication is planned for April 2019. An official date will be announced later in the year. This will launch initially as a paperback. We will get word to you concerning acceptance or rejection as soon as we can, but please remember that we typically get many, many submissions a week, so it could be as long as a month, maybe a bit longer as we get closer to the end of submissions. But not to worry: If you submit and get concerned after a reasonable amount of time has passed, inquire through email. We would never hold that against any author. And we’ll work as fast as humanly possible to get word out to you. If you are interested in sending a story, email it (and a brief cover letter in the body of the email) to: [email protected] Subject line: Submission, Detectives, “Title of Story,” Word Count (Example: Submission, Detectives, “A Corpse in the Rain,”...

Deadline: October 1st, 2018 Payment: $15 April 1 through October 1, 2018 BANJAXED BOOKS is proud to announce short story submissions for our second anthology, Deductions, Delinquents, and Detectives, a collection of mystery/detective stories set in whatever genre the authors choose. Whether it’s a murder mystery set in a world of High Fantasy, a science fiction who-done-it, or the tale of a hard-boiled detective in the near or distant future, Deductions, Delinquents, and Detectives will gather together the best mystery stories from any and all genres. Steampunk, monsters, robots, myths and legends, and–yes–even post-apocalypse…we’re looking for short stories that combine genres in interesting new ways. (We’ll even take a look at realistic mystery stories set in modern times…or during the heyday of detective stories. No monsters or flying cars? No problem! Mystery is a genre all its own.)   SUBMISSION SCHEDULE Submissions open April 1, 2018 and close October 1, 2018. Publication is planned for April 2019. An official date will be announced later in the year. This will launch initially as a paperback. We will get word to you concerning acceptance or rejection as soon as we can, but please remember that we typically get many, many submissions a week, so it could be as long as a month, maybe a bit longer as we get closer to the end of submissions. But not to worry: If you submit and get concerned after a reasonable amount of time has passed, inquire through email. We would never hold that against any author. And we’ll work as fast as humanly possible to get word out to you. If you are interested in sending a story, email it (and a brief cover letter in the body of the email) to: [email protected] Subject line: Submission, Detectives, “Title of Story,” Word Count (Example: Submission,...

Deadline: October 1st, 2018 Payment: Contributor's copy Thurston Howl Publications is now accepting submissions for its first volume of its HOWLERS series, Sinister Sheets. Deadline: October 1, 2018 Word count: 2,500-8,000; a little above and a little below will be acceptable Sex and horror are often considered separate. Notable exceptions include the the “sex means death” rule of slasher films; Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game; and the danger of sex throughout Gillian Flynn’s dark novels. We want to see a collection of erotic horror at its finest. For this editor, erotic horror is best defined as literature that arouses the reader...and then makes them complicit in the horror that ensues because of that arousal. We will NOT accept: Racism, sexism, or discrimination presented in a positive light. Pedophilia or sex with characters under the age of 18 presented in a positive light. Rape, torture, dubious consent, forced seduction presented in a positive light. Snuff or Necrophilia presented in a positive light If you are in doubt, ASK. Better to ask then to get a straight up rejection! If you are unsure, just shoot me an email at [email protected]. (restrictions borrowed from Voice: https://t.co/MWykJ6RY36) You can submit up to three stories, but we will only accept one per author (if any). Reprints are fine, but you have to own full permission of the work in order for us to consider it. We will not accept simultaneous submissions. Payment: Authors will receive a free copy of the print book. Send submissions in .doc or .docx format to [email protected]. Title your email with the story title in all caps. If you are sending more than one submission, send multiple emails instead of putting them all in one. We will inform all authors regarding decisions within a week or two after the deadline.

Deadline: October 1st, 2018 Payment: $50.00 and contributor copy. Yes, Clash Books is at it again, and this time they’re letting me take the wheel. If you needed more proof that these folks are crazy, look no further. In any case, hot on the heels of Tragedy Queens: Stories Inspired by Lana Del Rey & Sylvia Plath, we’re celebrating The Notorious B.I.G. and his music. You know I’m looking for that good barrio noir, horror, bizarro, whatever goodness. Details below. Gimme the Loot: Stories Inspired by The Notorious B.I.G. Listening to Biggie is listening to the streets. There is something gritty and powerful in his bars, something real and dripping the kind of authenticity that makes songs and stories stand out and claim a corner of your brain. Listening to Biggie is hearing how things are done in the streets, and anybody with at least a day of street experience knows that the man understood what he was talking about. From Brooklyn to San Juan, I’ve heard his impact in music, and none told is as clear as he did. Violent, real, and raw; those are the qualities of Biggie’s music that we’d like to capture in story form. That’s right, we’re talking crime, horror, and bizarro, but with a Biggie flavor. The cover is done, and it’s fantastic because it was done by the supernatural entity known as Matthew Revert.   Now, if you listen to Ten Crack Commandments, you know there are some rules to everything, and this anthology is no different. Listen up and keep these things in mind: We love Tupac, Nas, and Rakim. We dig Big Pun, Snoop, and have already published an anthology celebrating the world of Wu-Tang Clan. This time? This time it’s all about Christopher George Latore Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie,...

Deadline: October 8th, 2018 Novels Castrum Press is open to unsolicited NOVEL submissions! Starting August 7th, 2018, our team will be reading and evaluating original novellas submitted by authors here: http://www.castrumpress.com/submissions/form/ You can find full guidelines here (we highly recommend you read them before submitting). We will be open for eight weeks beginning on August 7 around 9:00 AM EST (UTC-1:00) and ending on October 8 9:00 AM EST (UTC-1:00). This open period is intended for authors who have completed works ready or close to ready for submission. We will reopen a second time in October 2018 for authors who are actively working on (or beginning) something that would fit our list. In other words, don’t panic if you’re not ready to submit in August! We would rather see a polished novel in October than a rushed one in August. Until the end of this open period, Castrum Press will be considering novels of between 75,000 and 110,000 words in both the science fiction and fantasy genres. If it’s speculative and fits the bill, we want to take a look at it. Novellas Castrum Press is open to unsolicited novella submissions! Starting August 7th, 2018, our team will be reading and evaluating original novellas submitted by authors here: http://www.castrumpress.com/submissions/form/ You can find full guidelines here (we highly recommend you read them before submitting). We will be open for eight weeks beginning on August 7 around 9:00 AM EST (UTC-1:00) and ending on October 8 9:00 AM EST (UTC-1:00). This open period is intended for authors who have completed works ready or close to ready for submission. We will reopen for a second time in October 2018 for authors who are actively working on (or beginning) something that would fit our list. In other words, don’t panic if you’re not ready to submit in August! We would rather see a polished novella in October than a rushed one in August. Until the end of...

Deadline: October 10th, 2018 Payment: $2 for 6 word story, $2 for 50 word story, $3 for under 1000 words, $5 for poetry, $15 for 1,000-20,000 words. One editor's choice winner will receive $50 Note: No Romance or Horror Our magazine is currently accepting short fiction and poetry for its Fall 2018 issue Writers…and readers: Publish in  a brand new literary magazine. The Hickory Stump is for you. Showcase your work. Experience the work of others. We are a quarterly periodical, without endowment or sponsors, for people who truly love creative fiction. The Hickory Stump is free online. We pay everything from our own personal pockets – writers, promotion, developers, hosting and more. We aim to establish close relationships with our writers, to the advancement of all concerned. Please submit by October 10th for inclusion in the fall issue. We take submissions in the following categories (all work must be unpublished unless otherwise specified): Short fiction Stories may be sad, funny, thought-provoking, or any other tone. Any genre is accepted, excluding romance and horror.  We need character-driven, thought-provoking stories. Insights into foreign lands and subcultures, alternative voices are welcome. Your story should either be unpublished, or else you should tell us all the details of the previous publication or publications. Truly excellent stories may be republished here. Please check your story for correct grammar, punctuation and spelling. When characters speak, they of course may use bad grammar if that is the sort of people they are (naturally first person narrator may also speak in whatever voice suits their personality). Stories will fall into the following categories: Short story 1000-20,000 words Payment takes the form of a mini-contest. This is NOT the same as the Hickory Stump Short Story Contest, which has different criteria and a much higher prize. $50 dollars for the winner, plus...

Deadline: October 11th, 2018 Payment: AU$5.00 for stories under 2000 words / AU$10.00 for anything above 2000 words Colp is our 'anything goes' anthology collection. Expect to see a little bit of this and a little bit of that within each issue, so feel free to submit stories from any genre. Current theme: Suplex "Well let me tell you something, brother!" Colp is looking to bodyslam your story into their next collection as they grapple with all things wrestling. We're looking for your wrestling-inspired tales - whether they be based in the professional wrestling world of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant, the college circuit or feature legendary luchadors. Increase your chances at selection by avoiding libellous comments about any current or past performers. Colp is for everyone and therefore we are willing to read stories that fall into any genre. So, no matter whether your story is a horror, romance, sci-fi or historical fiction piece, please send it on through. Be original. We also encourage new and unpublished writers to take the leap and get in touch. Please ensure that you read through the general guidelines below and format your submission accordingly. If you have any specific questions please contact us using the form on the home page or via the listed social media accounts. To help make sure that your submission gets to the correct place, please include the following in the subject line of your email: 'Colp -  Suplex - *Story Title*'. Word count: 1000 - 4000 words (we're willing to consider longer or shorter submissions if the story is good) Deadline: October 11 2018 Payment:  AU$5.00 for stories under 2000 words / AU$10.00 for anything above 2000 words Via: Gypsum Sound Tales.

Deadline: October 12th, 2018 Payment: $40 CAD per short story or $20 CAD per flash fiction Note: Authors must have a geographical Asian heritage From the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop and Dark Helix Press Call for Submissions: Immersion: An Asian Anthology of Love, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction Deadline: Open February 15, 2018 – October 12, 2018 Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop and Dark Helix Press are collaborating! We are searching for submissions for “Immersion: Love, Fantasy, Science” an anthology of speculative fiction stories to be published in the summer of 2019. The anthology editors are Allan Cho, (Inside the World’s Major East Asian Collections), JF Garrard (Trump: Utopia or Dystopia, The Undead Sorceress) and William Tham (Kings of Petaling Street). Construct a story about an Asian main character set in an immersive alternate past, present or future. Fill this reality with hints of reality, magic, or fantastical but believable science. If you are interested in writing about a motorized caravan train across the Silk Road, or sages searching for magical apprentices in the South China Sea, now is your chance. We also like good wuxia swordplay and other martial arts as much as we enjoy postcolonial politics and other contemporary topics. Draw on your heritage and transport us to a different world. We are collecting short stories and flash fiction; please make sure there is a beginning, middle and an end. Stories may be dark in nature, but no gratuitous violence, sex, or racist content. Novel excerpts not encouraged unless they tell a complete story.       Submission Requirements: Authors must have a geographical Asian heritage Use standard manuscript format, but with emphasized words in italics. We only accept file formats of .doc, .docx, or .rtf only. Works submitted must be completely original. Previously published work is fine as long...

Deadline: October 14th, 2018 Payment: 6 cents per word American Gothic: With handsome young men who never grow old, and the strangest of relatives appearing from dark corridors and long shadows, the frenzied imagination of the American Gothic is a fertile theme for this new anthology in the Gothic fantasy short story series. Call for submissions to be published later in the year. Formal Call for Submissions (2018) We are looking for new and recent short stories. We do not require exclusivity. You hold copyright, licensing us just for this publication. We don’t mind if your story has been previously published online or in print (though we do need to know publication and date). Simultaneous submissions are fine, but you must have the right to license your story in an anthology. Word length is most likely to be successful at 2000–4000, but we will still read stories slightly outside this range.  Submit stories for 'American Gothic' and 'Urban Crime' by email to [email protected] Fees, Copyright and Other Terms We pay Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) rates of 6 cents per word. We would prefer to pay via PAYPAL because bank charges to the US and Canada in particular can be crippling for all concerned. Payment for the chosen stories will be made within 30 days of the final advertised publication date (see our website flametreepublishing.com for details), although we might choose to pay some early. Submission does not imply the right to publication. Each story will be read and assessed by the selection panel. Please submit in .doc, .docx or .rtf formats, double spaced, with your name and email address in the footer or header of each page. We will aim to read each story and confirm its status within 3 months of the submission deadline. The anthologies will be...

Deadline: October 14th, 2018 Payment: 6 cents per word Urban Crime: Stories from this collection will feature gritty murders on the streets of London and Paris, horrors in dark alleys, as well as many more scenes from urban crime that elicit a dark curiosity. Think classic authors such as Edgar Wallace and E.W. Hornung. Call for submissions to be published later in the year. Formal Call for Submissions (2018) We are looking for new and recent short stories. We do not require exclusivity. You hold copyright, licensing us just for this publication. We don’t mind if your story has been previously published online or in print (though we do need to know publication and date). Simultaneous submissions are fine, but you must have the right to license your story in an anthology. Word length is most likely to be successful at 2000–4000, but we will still read stories slightly outside this range.  Submit stories for 'American Gothic' and 'Urban Crime' by email to [email protected] Fees, Copyright and Other Terms We pay Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) rates of 6 cents per word. We would prefer to pay via PAYPAL because bank charges to the US and Canada in particular can be crippling for all concerned. Payment for the chosen stories will be made within 30 days of the final advertised publication date (see our website flametreepublishing.com for details), although we might choose to pay some early. Submission does not imply the right to publication. Each story will be read and assessed by the selection panel. Please submit in .doc, .docx or .rtf formats, double spaced, with your name and email address in the footer or header of each page. We will aim to read each story and confirm its status within 3 months of the submission deadline. The anthologies will be published worldwide, available online...