Events

Deadline: December 1st, 2018 Payment: Royalties Remnants is a shared-world science fiction project created by Stephen Coghlan.  Our goal is to produce an anthology where a number of different authors can explore the world of Remnants with their own voice and perspectives. What is a “Shared-World?” An shared-world writing project is a setting, situation, or concept created by an author and then opened for other authors to contribute their own stories.  These stories are expected to be created within a certain set of specifications. The World of Remnants BASIC WORLDBUILDING The world of Remnants takes place in the near-future where the world of man has been overrun with monsters hell-bent on wiping out the human race. These are horrifying beasts and consist of The Horde and The Swarm; and possibly other abominations? WHAT IS THE HORDE? The Horde have no eyes or other facial features, just mouths filled with terrible rows of razor-sharp fangs and a tongue that rolls about in thick saliva. Their necks are little more than stumps that lead to wide, flabby chests. Their arms are long and serpentine and snake all the way to the ground. Their bulbous guts are covered in pinkish-orange skin, fattened on human flesh, and all is supported by squat legs.  They wobble deceivingly, hiding their blinding speed and terrifying strength. The ground troops of death, these squat beasts feast on humankind or any species that are or risk being domesticated.  Known for being sadistic, they may torture people; keeping victims alive for days at a time.  Bullets have almost no effect on them and they seem to be able to shrug off entire magazines without issue.  Melee weapons seem more effective, and the most effective weapon against them is their own claws and fangs.  Travelling in packs, they are on the hunt wherever...

Deadline: December 1st, 2018 Payment: $20 “Turning words into art is unnatural. It begins with a contrary attitude. It says, I am unhappy with the way things are and desire to make things different. Rather than represent the world, I will make something wildly and savagely new. I will defy logic. I will invest in new perceptions. I will combine and recombine and fabricate and juggle until something that I have never experienced is experienced. The process is alchemical. The process is violent. It goes to the heart of creativity. It disrupts and shatters. It is splendid with provocation. It is an aggression against banality. It is sharp and loud like a janitor scraping frost from a window. The hectic bounce of steam on a street after a truck roars by. The anarchy of waters, the comedy of the face, dangerous feelings vented from a cage of skin.” ~ John Olson Poetry — We believe poetry is contrary by nature, always defying, always tonguing the tang of novelty. We look especially for plurality of meaning, for dual reverberation of beauty and concern. Contrary’s poetry in particular often mimics the effects of fiction or commentary. We find ourselves enamored of prose poems because they are naturally contrary toward form – they tug on the forces of exposition or narrative – but prose poems remain the minority of all the poetic forms we publish. Please consider that Contrary receives vast amounts of poetry and that we can publish only a small percentage of that work. Please submit no more than three poems per issue. Our poetry editor is Shaindel Beers. Fiction — We ask our fiction writers to imagine their readers navigating a story with one finger poised over a mouse button. Can your story stay that finger to the end? We have published long stories on the belief...

Deadline: December 1st, 2018 Prizes: A first prize of $10,000 and second prize of $5,000 will be awarded. Runners up and other prizes will also be awarded Children born today will likely welcome in the next century. The care they receive and health they enjoy throughout their lives will be radically different than what we experience today. But how? We invite you to help us explore the question: What could health and care look like in the U.S. in the year 2100? Science fiction writing asks a central “what if...?” question that challenges us to imagine what could be. It gives us a sense of possibility, ignites innovation, exercises the imagination, and fosters a more active relationship with the future. What if we took these principles and applied them to the future of health care? Well, that’s exactly what we’re doing. Thomas Jefferson University is partnering with Kaleidoscope Health & Care to spark discussion about where health and health care in the U.S. is going through 2100: A Health Odyssey – an international science fiction short story competition on how health and health care will impact lives in the year 2100. Your job: give us your best 3,000-word short story that challenges today’s assumptions about the future of health care in the U.S. We’re offering a first prize of $10,000, second prize of $5,000 and other prizes for runners up and current employees, students and alumni of Jefferson. With Jefferson’s passion for creative expression through writing, we will use your science fiction contribution as the lens through which we explore creativity in health and health care -- in novel and impactful ways -- to propel innovation and inform future perspectives. Remember: 2100 is sooner than we all think … and the submission deadline, even sooner: December 1, 2018 Our elite...

Deadline: December 1st, 2018 Payment: 6 cents/word (1 cent/word for reprints) Note: Reprints Welcome At Compelling Science Fiction, we have two main goals: to find, publish, and promote the best science fiction stories, and to support and encourage the authors who write them. We currently pay 6 cents/word for accepted stories (we are considered a SFWA Qualifying Market). Pay rate: 6 cents/word (1 cent/word for reprints) Length: 1,000-10,000 words per work Rights: We purchase first world electronic print rights and audio rights (for podcasts). Our contract follows the lead of SFWA's Model Magazine Contract. Submission window: submissions are open from Oct 1 to Dec 1. Fiction Guidelines   The stories we accept almost always: illustrate at least one interesting concept, are engaging, and clearly explain the science/technology in the story. The ‘concept’ referenced in point (1) can be anything from new engineering ideas to novel social constructs to abstractions that help illustrate basic properties of reality. Point (2) is far more subjective, although as long as your story consistently moves forward it will probably be engaging. Point (3) is hard to attain without some knowledge of basic science/engineering; we encourage you to learn as much as you can about your subject matter. If your story is very strong in one of the above areas, we will sometimes accept weakness in the other two. Ultimately we are looking for science fiction that is entertaining, scientifically plausible, self-consistent, and technically detailed when appropriate. We have a preference for positive stories, to act as a counterweight to the currently popular post-apocalyptic genre. We certainly won't dismiss a well-written dystopian future, but we have a bias toward stories that depict technological advancement rather than decay. We do not publish fantasy stories (although we enjoy them!). For more information about what we look for, please...

Deadline: December 1st, 2018 Payment: $10 Token payment via Paypal and 60% of net earnings divided evenly among the authors. Announcing call for submissions for PSYCHO HOLIDAY (tentative title) All Submissions should meet this criteria: Works: short stories and flash fiction Genre and theme: Horror and dark fiction about demented psychopathic killers with a winter holiday setting Deadline: October Dec 1st Format: Attach the .RTF, .DOC, or .DOCX Word Count 5k – 7k words approx. for short stories, no limit for flash. Payment: $10 Token payment via Paypal and 60% of net earnings divided evenly among the authors. Multiple Submissions okay. Submit a brief bio, we don’t care if you have no work history, give us a brief bio of yourself. Send submission to [email protected] Via: Deadman's Tome.

Deadline: December 1st, 2018 Payment: $0.07 CAD/word What is Moonlight? This anthology is a small collection of comics and short stories about queer werewolves. What Are We Looking For? Whether your werewolves are in space, school, or ruffing it in the outdoors, it doesn’t matter to us! We are looking for stories that span genres and tones. Your werewolves may be moody or the life of the party. All that matters is that they are openly queer and that there is an engaging story around them to be told. Content creators do not need to identify as queer and/or LGBT+, however preference will be given to own voices and/or LGBT+ creators. For a better sense of what we want, here are things we DO NOT WANT: Sexual Assault (this includes allegories) Gratuitous Violence Smut Alpha mind control If you’re concerned, please send an ask or email [email protected]. Short Story Guidelines Short stories must be completed before submission. 1,000-2,000 words is the preferred length and we will not accept any piece over 3,250 words. Submit Short Stories Here Comic Guidelines Comic pitches require a 1-3 paragraph synopsis, creator bio, and links to the artist’s portfolio (if applicable). Comics may be a maximum of 8 pages long. Creators can submit up to 3 pitches. Submit Comic Pitches Here Artists that would like to be paired with a writer may apply here. Submission Deadline All submissions are due by November 30, 2018 at 11:59pm EST. Payment Base Rates: Comic Script - $10 CAD/page Comic Art - $50 CAD/page Short Stories - $0.07 CAD/word Rates may increase depending on Kickstarter funding. Payment Schedule: Comic creators will receive 50% payment upon acceptance into the anthology. The remainder will be paid out 2 weeks after the completion of the project’s Kickstarter (scheduled for October 2019). Comic...

Deadline: December 1st, 2018 Payment: $25 Black Rabbit is now accepting submissions for Issue No. 7 through December 1st. For this issue, the Editors are looking for fiction, poetry, and visual art pieces, as well works including but not limited to installations, public art, GIFs, bathroom graffiti, and other forms that cross disciplines. In literature, the Editors enjoy Salvador Plascencia, Jay McInerney, Mavis Gallant, Anton Chekhov, Elena Kochina, Daniil Kharms, Isaac Babel, Donald Barthelme, and Gary Shteyngart, at least when he writes nonfiction. They are unapologetic Russophiles. They dislike Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis, Gary Shteyngart’s novels, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, though they are assured that this last is only because they have not read enough Marquez yet, and they feel slightly guilty about it. In poetry, the Editors are reading the works of Morgan Parker, Ocean Vuong, Teebs Pico, and Laura Broadbent. In art, the Editors trend strongly towards the non-representational, distorted, and abstract. Recently, the Editors have been looking at Ann Gale, Philip Guston, Anselm Kiefer, Marlene Dumas, Kerry James Marshall, Balthus, R H Quaytman, Francis Bacon, and Georg Baselitz. For further ideas, please see previous issues and check out our Instagram @blackrabbitquarterly As a reminder, please keep all fiction and non-fiction to 3000 words. Novel excerpts are encouraged, as long as they can stand narratively on their own. Submit up to three poems, for a total of no more than six pages. Generally, the shorter the better. Simultaneous submissions are encouraged, although be sure to let us know promptly if your work is accepted elsewhere. As always, Black Rabbit offers all artists and authors twenty five dollars for their work. Additionally, Black Rabbit is constantly looking for abstract paintings to go on covers. Whether a submission call is up or not please send us your abstract expressionist...

Deadline: December 1st, 2018 Payment: £0.08/word Rosalind’s Siblings is an anthology of speculative stories about people of marginalized genders/sexes who are scientists: scientists doing good, changing the world, or just getting on with their work of expanding human knowledge in a speculative context, presented in a positive light. This anthology is named for Rosalind Franklin, the so-called Dark Lady of DNA, one of the most famously erased female scientists in history, and a direct relation of the founder of Galli Books. The anthology is being edited by Bogi Takács. The stories do not need to problematize gender/sex, though this is also welcome, and we would like to publish a mix of approaches. We are generally interested in positive portrayals of science and the protagonists doing research, but this can include a critical reappraisal. (E.g., we would very much like to see stories in which science is decolonized and/or Indigenized, or in some other ways incorporates approaches beyond Western neo-positivism.) We are not interested in “mad scientist” tropes or “evil science.” We are also not interested in disability cure narratives and related tropes, unless they are actively subverted / deconstructed. Stories must contain a speculative element. We are happy to read works from any speculative subgenre: science fiction, fantasy, horror, alternate history, magical realism, fabulism, mythic work, Weird fiction and so on. Any amount of science detail is welcome with thoughtful engagement. Protagonists can be trans and/or nonbinary people, women, intersex people, genderqueer or gender-nonconforming people, people of culturally specific genders/sexes, and any combinations thereof. They do not need to identify as women, feminine or femme specifically, but those stories are particularly welcome; as are stories with trans, nonbinary and/or intersex men or masculine protagonists. Protagonists can have any sexual orientation. You do not need to belong to any marginalized group...

Deadline: December 10, 2018 Payment: $5 for flash fiction (100-1,000 words); $10 for short fiction (1,001-10,000 words). Note: Reprints Welcome Note from the editor: While the anthology doesn't fit squarely in the horror genre, we accept (and encourage) dark fantasy, and based on the 3 stories we've already accepted, there will definitely be a lot of horror elements sprinkled throughout. I'd love to have more horror authors submit! Neon Druid: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy Neon Druid is a forthcoming collection of fantastical tales set in cities of the past, present, and future, where the mischievous gods, goddesses, and monsters of Celtic mythology intermingle with unsuspecting mortals. Deadline: December 10th, 2018 Payment: short stories = $10, flash stories = $5 Reprints welcome. Please read the submission guidelines below very carefully before submitting. This anthology is open for submissions until December 10th, 2018. All stories must be between 100 and 10,000 words. (Story title not included in word count.) Writers will be paid a token, flat payment of $10 US for short stories (1,001 – 10,000 words) and $5 US for flash stories (100 – 1,000 words). Writers may submit 1 short story OR up to 2 flash stories. Stories must meet ALL of the following theme/genre criteria: Urban. Stories must take place in an urban setting, whether that’s 18th-century Boston, modern-day Dublin, or 28th-century Edinburgh. The time period is irrelevant. The important thing is that the city (or town) has a presence in your story and influences the behaviors of your characters. Celtic. Stories must take place in a world where Celtic* mythology is woven into the fabric of reality. Think Percy Jackson, but instead of Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Hades, and Heracles kicking about, you’ve got Lugh, Lir, Balor of the Evil Eye, Brigid, and Fionn mac Cumhail. Instead...

Deadline: December 15th, 2018 Payment: $0.06/word and 2 contributor's copies This anthology offers new, vividly futuristic adventures featuring diverse characters, including humans from all over Earth as well as ET kids from other planets. One of the qualities that makes this yearly anthology such a treat to read is the wide range of futuristic possibilities that planet Earth and its occupants may encounter, realities that will keep readers wondering long after the book is closed. ~ Starred Kirkus Review for the 2018 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide WE’RE LOOKING FOR STORIES THAT: Have a main character that a middle grade reader (ages 8-12) can identify with; Show a diverse set of real characters; Are well written, fun to read, and encourage a love of reading science fiction; Tell of adventure, space, science.  Give us rockets, robots and alien encounters, and we’re pretty happy; Steampunk, time travel, weird west and alternate history are all fine; Are between 3,000 and 6,000 words. To be super clear – we’re looking science fiction, in all its variants. While we love fantasy as well, please don’t submit fantasy stories for this anthology. We’re especially looking for stories: Of adventure!  We love a good dystopia as much as the next robot, but remember – this is the Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide; Where the main character is of a population that has traditionally been under-represented in science fiction, e.g. girls, people of color, differently abled people; Where the main character has agency, exercises it, and isn’t just along for the ride. We are strong supporters of both the #weneeddiversebooks and #ownvoices movements.   We’re not interested in: Stories where the female characters primarily exist to be rescued or as a prize for the males; Stories where the primary plot or subplot is romantic in nature; Stories with graphic violence or any...