Events

Deadline: December 15th, 2018 Payment: $25 This project is designed to be a qualifying market for the Horror Writers Association, paying $25 per accepted story to allow folks to join or move up to the Affiliate level of HWA membership. Mechanical Miscreants  Ah, those loveable robots, androids, and cyborgs, performing plenty of chores and dangerous jobs so us humans can remin out of harm's way.But...What happens when something goes wrong? If your computer has a hardware fault, would it kill you in your sleep? Would your microwave turn on only when it was opened? What about robots living a life of crime, Asimov's 3 Laws of Robotics be damned?The only real requirements for this anthology will be that a major character must be mechanical or electronic in nature and they're doing something nefarious. All submitted stories must have a dark undertone to qualify for the HWA. Humor is welcome, as long as something is causing some harm or damage to those pesky "organics". Stories must be 5,000 words to 10,000 words. Query for longer, shorter stories will not be entertained. Tortured, maybe, but that's a hard minimum. Modified Shunn format (see blind reading note): (Times New Roman 12pt font; .docx/.doc/.rtf formats only; single paragraph spacing; one space after a period; do not use tabs to indent; American quote mark usage; both American and UK English acceptable.) No reading fee. BLIND READING RULES: These will be read blind, so put your name, address, phone, email(s), and a 100-200 word bio on a cover page and do not put any identifying information on the rest of the manuscript. Include a running page count starting with page #2 (cover page will be #1). Payment on publication, scheduled for first quarter 2019. Submission period: September 22, 2018 through November 30, 2018 (which is during...

Deadline: December 15th, 2018 Payment: Original English short stories of up to 5,000 words (hard limit, shorter preferred) at $0.03/word. Reprints of stories up to 15,000 words (5,000 words or under preferred) at $0.01/word Note: Reprints Accepted Original English short stories of up to 5,000 words (hard limit, shorter preferred) at $0.03/word Reprints of stories up to 15,000 words (5,000 words or under preferred) at $0.01/word Art pieces at $50/piece (reprints accepted) Essays at $50/piece (reprints not accepted) *We define reprints as any work that has been seen by the public before, whether in another journal or online on personal sites/blogs/etc. Please inform us if your work has been printed before so we can credit. Rights The author grants Iridium Magazine for first world electronic rights (text and audio) and first print rights with 4 months exclusivity from date of publication and archiving. Format Manuscripts and essays should be in standard manuscript format as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf WITHOUT identifying information. DO NOT put your name anywhere on the manuscript—any manuscripts with identifying information (incl. email or address) will be auto-rejected. The document should be labeled “Title (Genre)”. Trigger Warnings Please warn for any potentially triggering content in the body of your email. This includes mentions of or on-screen sexual assault, suicide/suicidal ideation, child sexual abuse, child abuse, abuse, etc. Don’t try to surprise or shock us–that will only result in a rejection. How to Submit Send submissions to [email protected] with the subject line “SUBMISSION: AUTHOR NAME – TITLE” and a 100-word, third-person bio and at least one (1) link. Unless solicited, any submissions sent directly to the editors or other email addresses will be ignored. Simultaneous Submissions: Yes. Inform us in your cover letter that it is a simultaneous submission and email us if your submission has been...

Deadline: December 15th, 2018 Payment: US/CA Authors - $20 USD, or 2 complimentary copies. Non US/CA Authors - $20 USD, or 1 complimentary copy Smoking Pen Press is issuing a Call for Submissions for a short story anthology. This will be the next title in the Read on the Run series (See A Step Outside of Normal, A Bit of a Twist, Uncommon Pet Tales and A Wink and a Smile) and the tentative title of this new anthology is Vampires, Zombies and Ghosts. Please note that this is only a tentative title and it is not intended to encompass all possibilities. We welcome stories involving all types of supernatural beings… and mixing and matching of different types of beings in the same story is acceptable.  There is no requirement as to genre; stories can be sci-fi, mystery, romance, adventure, etc. Simultaneous submissions permitted, but please let us know if your submission is accepted elsewhere.  Reprints are accepted as long as all rights have reverted to you; please identify your submission as a reprint when you send it in. The deadline for submission is December 15, 2018.  Stories should be between 1200 and 6000 words.  Submissions should be polished (ie, not first draft), in Word (.doc or .docx) format and written in English and should be sent to [email protected].  Do not use headers or footers in your manuscript. Use at least a 12 point common font such as Times New Roman. As with all previous Read on the Run titles, this title will be published in both digital and paperback form. US and Canada authors of stories that are selected will receive their choice of a one-time payment of $20 USD, or 2 complimentary copies of the paperback; non US/Canada authors will receive their choice of a one-time payment of $20 USD, or 1 complimentary copy of the paperback. For more...

Deadline: December 15th, 2018 Payment: $25 and a contributor's copy This is the third installment of the indie anthology, Dark Passages. Theme: Based on the following synopsis: A stranger carries a bag into Washington, DC, and within minutes of his arrival, unleashes hell on earth. As if pulling a sock inside out, America’s capital becomes the home of every imaginable monster that resides in the bowels of hell. We will look at stories that are set only in this backdrop. Writers making submissions are encouraged to use their imagination. Entering Death City is entering the bowels of hell on earth and all stories must take place during or in the aftermath of the above synopsis. We want original fiction. Not another vampire or zombie tale. We don’t want a clone of Richard Matheson’s, I AM LEGEND, or a THE WALKING DEAD reboot. We want dystopian with originality. Maybe a rescue mission from the outside? What happened to Air Force One when it all broke loose? Who rules Death City? (Formerly Washington DC) What creatures lurk in the many districts? What about someone caught behind the lines, trying to get out? Give us your best. School us in the art of demonology and rapture. Or bring something new and delicious to the table. Via: New England Horror Writer's Facebook.

Deadline: December 15th, 2018 Payment: $50 The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts is looking for, as you might guess, “compressed creative arts.” We accept fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, mixed media, visual arts, and even kitchen sinks, if they are compressed in some way. Work is published weekly, without labels, and the labels here only exist to help us determine its best readers. Our response time is generally 1-3 days. Also, our acceptance rate is currently about 1% of submissions. We pay writers $50 per accepted piece and signed contract. We are open for compressed poetry, compressed prose fiction (including prose poetry), and compressed creative nonfiction during two reading periods: September 15 – December 15 & March 15 – June 15. The reader for your submission is, during this current round of submissions, the managing editor. Please be sure to submit in the correct category; we’ve been receiving several fiction submissions in the creative nonfiction category. For all submitters, we aren’t as concerned with labels—hint fiction, prose poetry, micro fiction, flash fiction, and so on—as we are with what compression means to you. In other words, what form “compression” takes in each artist’s work will be up to each individual. However, we don’t publish erotica or work with strong, graphic sexual content. In short, we want to fall in love with your work. That might happen in the way we’ve fallen in love with work we’ve previously published, or it might happen in a way we have yet to experience. Maybe reading that other work will help in knowing whether you should send your work to us, but in truth, such a thing might not be discoverable. Here are things that matter: Please do not include any contact information, including your name, in the manuscript. Do not include a cover letter...

Deadline: December 15th, 2018 Payment: $60 USD for fiction and $30 USD for poetry Our reading periods are as follows: February 1–March 15 for our Spring (April) issue; May 1–June 15 for our Summer (July) issue; August 1–September 15 for our Autumn (October) issue; and November 1–December 15 for our Winter (January) issue. Feel free to record your submissions at Duotrope and/or the Submissions Grinder. We are also listed on Ralan. Fiction and Poetry Guidelines Arsenika is looking for previously unpublished original fiction and poetry up to 1,000 words long. Payment is $60 USD for fiction and $30 USD for poetry for first world electronic rights and non-exclusive audio rights. We hope to raise the poetry rate to $60 as well in the future—please support us on Patreon if you’d like to help us reach our goal. Submit no more than two flash fiction pieces and five poems at a time, and please make sure you fill out the form again for each piece you send, unless the pieces are meant to be read together (e.g. a triptych of poems). All work should be in Standard Manuscript Format (fiction format/poetry format). Format poetry exactly as you would like to see it online—use italics for italics, underlines for underlines, boldface for boldface, etc. Send only TXT, RTF, DOC, and DOCX files. Please do not send simultaneous submissions (pieces that are submitted to Arsenika and another market at the same time). Multiple submissions are accepted, but please have no more than two flash fiction pieces and five poems in the submissions queue at a time. We try to respond to all submissions within 14 days. If you haven’t heard from us in 30 days, please send us a query at [email protected]. Remember: Don’t self-reject. Please ensure that you understand our guidelines. When...

Deadline: December 15th, 2018 Payment: $50, royalties, a contributor's copy Following the success of "Once Upon a Future Time" we are opening submissions for "Once Upon a Future Time, Vol 2." This will be a second anthology of classic tales reimagined for a science fiction setting. Submission requirements: Stories must be all ages appropriate Stories must be original in content (no plagiarism) Stories are to be 15,000 words or less Based upon a fairy tale or folk tale Submission sent to [email protected] prior to December 15th, 2018 All authors will receive feedback regarding their manuscripts. Those authors whose stories are selected for inclusion within "Once Upon a Future Time, Vol 2" will receive a $50 advance against royalties, a complimentary copy of the book, access to a special author discount rate for copies of the book." The agreement will be for a non-exclusive license to print the story in the anthology as well as an exclusive license for the audio book for 10 years, with the authors receiving a royalty for every copy sold to include print, electronic, and audio versions. Via: The Brothers Uber.

Deadline: December 15th, 2018 Payment: Original: $0.06 USD/word for prose; $0.03 USD/word for interactivity ($0.09 USD/word for both) Reprints: $0.03 USD/word for prose; $0.015 USD/word for interactivity (0.045 USD/word) As we announced last month, from November 15 to December 15, we’ll be hosting a game jam open to very short pieces of interactive fiction or sequential art on the theme of love. We’ll also be accepting submissions for interactive fiction proposals through our Submittable portal for authors new to the idea of interactive fiction. The catch? All those submissions must be limited to 1000 words of prose, or 9 panels, put before the player. (Full rules and conditions can be found at either of the links above.) Altogether, we’ll choose four pieces from four different author/artist/developers to run in our February 2019 issue at our standard rates. Since today is November 15th, that game jam and the submission window for proposals are officially open! Both will close for entries at the end of the day (Pacific Time) on December 15th, and we hope to be able to make our final selections by early January. Links for both the game jam and the proposal submission window are above, or you can click through below! Game Jam: https://itch.io/jam/subqjam Proposal Submissions: https://tinyurl.com/subQjam18 Our February issue will also feature a 1000-word-or-less game on the theme of “love” from two invited authors, to complement the entries we accept from the game jam and the proposal submission window. Those authors will be announced soon! Excited yet? We know we are! We can’t wait to dive in to all the submitted games and proposals. Got questions? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, itch.io, or by e-mailing [email protected] Via: Sub-Q.

Deadline: December 15th, 2018 Payment: Varies by type, see list below. However, Drabbles do pay at 6 cents/word! Selene Quarterly Magazine publishes quality fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art that dwells in the shadows. SQMdesires stories and poetry that are thrilling, reflective, and imaginative. READING PERIODS March 1-15 11:59PM EST (May Issue) June 1-15 11:59PM EST (August Issue) September 1-15 11:59PM EST (November Issue) December 1-15 11:59PM EST (February Issue) NO SERIAL SUBMISSION WILL BE ACCEPTED! Anything submitted outside of these windows will be deleted unread. Artists and photographers can submit year round. RIGHTS SOUGHT FOR ART & PHOTOGRAPHY Non-exclusive electronic and print reprint rights Ability to use the art or photography for promotional purposes The option to archive the work online with links to the artist’s or photographer’s galleries RIGHTS SOUGHT FOR FICTION, POETRY & NON-FICTION Copyright remains with the author or poet at all times Non-exclusive archival rights as long as the website(s) hosting the work are online First world electronic and print rights in English with exclusivity for 6 months from the date of publication If the work is selected to be podcast in the future, payment is $0.01USD per word for non-exclusive electronic audio rights If selected to be republished in an anthology in the future, the work will be paid in royalties up to $0.01USD per word Please query if anything listed above is of concern. Here is a good explanation of what this entails. LENGTH & GUIDELINES ART ARTWORK: Payment dependent on the artist. PHOTOGRAPHY: Payment dependent on the photographer. COMICS: Can range from 5-25 pages (preferred). Payment is $15 per page (negotiable). Willing to serialize. COVER ART: To be used in the electronic and print editions, can be art or photography and is usually solicited. POETRY & FICTION POETRY: Up to 100 lines. Paid $0.25USD a line. MICROFICTION: Drabbles are strictly 100 words. Titles should be no longer than 3 words....

Deadline: December 21st, 2018 Payment: 10% of royalties earned through Kindle, Nook, and print on demand sales OR a one time payment of $25 Note: Reprints allowed Lustcraftian Horrors: Erotic Stories Inspired by H. P. Lovecraft will be the first multi-author anthology from Infernal Ink Books and it is now open for submissions. The submission period will run from August 20th (H. P. Lovecraft’s birthday) until December 21st (Very Scary Solstice) 2018. Guidelines: We are looking for erotic stories inspired by the mythos, characters, and stories that were created and written by H. P. Lovecraft. Both the erotic elements and connection to Lovecraft’s work should be strong and clear. We don’t want the reader to have to be a Lovecraft scholar in order to get the connection, nor do we want them left scratching their heads wondering what was suppose to be so erotic about what they just read. Our triggers do not need to be warned, but the reader’s triggers should be. The "erotic" in Erotic Horror is defined here very loosely. The sex can be either horrifying or titillating…or both. Stories should be between 2,000 and 10,000 words. Some wiggle room will be allowed, but we’re looking for stories with some real body and depth to them. No flash fiction. Reprints will be considered, but previously unpublished work will be favored. You must hold or have retained all the rights required to submit your work and enter into a publishing contract with us at the time of submission. Simultaneous submissions are discouraged. If you have a piece you would like to submit to us for this anthology that is already out to another publisher being read, let us know as soon as possible if your work has been accepted elsewhere. Otherwise, please, wait to hear from us before submitting...