Events

Deadline: March 31st, 2020 Payment: .05 per word Since 2010, Mocha Memoirs Press’s mission is to amplify marginalized voices in the areas of speculative fiction (science fiction, horror, and fantasy). SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire will follow the steps of our previous published bestseller anthologies An Improbable Truth: The Paranormal Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Black Magic Women: Terrifying Tales by Scary Sisters (A Bram Stoker nominee). What we are looking for: Vampires have been around in the horror genre for centuries. We are looking to tell a different vampire story. Ones where they may sparkle, but it is a dark one. This call is seeking unpublished short stories that tell stories of the vampire noire, the black vampire. We want stories of vampire hunters, of anti-vampiric heroes/heroines, and more. If you can take the story out of westernized culture, we’d love to see those, too! We want stories that speak of inclusivity. So, if your vampire is disabled or suffers from an alignment, send those stories too. LGBTQ+ stories are also encouraged. To point, we want stories from the African diaspora. If you do not follow the guidelines, your submission will be deleted unread. Seriously, read the guidelines. Follow them. Upon results of a successful crowdfunding campaign, we will pay HWA pro-rate of .05 per word for publication for First World Rights. Still interested? Here are the guidelines. • Stories for this anthology must be original (no reprints or previously published material), no more than 5,000 words in length, and must satisfy the theme of the anthology, meaning the protagonist must from the African Diaspora. Remember, this entire anthology is dedicated to stories of the black vampire. They can be in space, superheroes, but they must be from the African Diaspora. • Manuscripts should be in Shunn manuscript...

Deadline: April 1st, 2020 Payment: One cent U.S. per word ($2 minimum) Theme: You really NEED to read the description below. The Cafe Irreal is a quarterly webzine that presents a kind of fantastic fiction infrequently published in English. This fiction, which we would describe as irreal, resembles the work of writers such as Franz Kafka, Kobo Abe, Clarice Lispector and Jorge Luis Borges. As a type of fiction it rejects the tendency to portray people and places realistically and the need for a full resolution to the story; instead, it shows us a reality constantly being undermined. Therefore, we're interested in stories by writers who write about what they don't know, take us places we couldn't possibly go, and don't try to make us care about the characters. We would also suggest you take a look at the current issue, archives, and theory (especially the essay, "What is irrealism?") pages on this web site. We accept unsolicited fiction up to 2,000 words in length. Translations are welcome. There is no minimum length. We accept only electronic submissions via e-mail at [email protected]. We cannot, due to the various computer viruses and worms, accept attachments anymore, so please paste your story into the body of the e-mail. Also include your name, address, e-mail address, and a short bio in the text of the submission; please put the word "submission" in the subject heading of the e-mail to ensure that your submission doesn't get lost among all the spam. We pay an honorarium of one cent U.S. per word ($2 minimum) to buy first-time internet rights (the story will then be archived). Payment is made upon publication. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DON'T ACCEPT SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS and are only interested in reprints in unusual cases (e.g., the story has appeared in print but not on...

Deadline: April 1st, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: Body Horror, Creature Features, Gothic, Haunted Houses, Psychological Horror, Slasher Horror, Weird Fiction, Bizarro, and Folk Horror. Note: UK authors only Here at The Abominable Book Club we have been wracking our big, beefy brains to come up with a way to support the UK horror scene and its authors more directly. So, starting in 2020, we will be offering an opportunity for authors to become a part of our team and introduce their work to an already ravenous horror audience. The Accursed Library is dusting off its ancient, cobweb-covered printing press! We are now taking submissions for original novels/ novellas (25,000 words or more) / or short story collections by UK -based authors, to be produced under our own publication house 'The Accursed Library'. First printings of these books will be hand-numbered, contain exclusive content and artwork, and will be only available through our box on a specific release month. After that, they will be gone forever! Further printings and e-book versions will be available through the usual channels such as Amazon, and via our own shop. We will be looking for horror in all its forms, including: - Body Horror (The Thing, The Fly) - Creature Features (Jaws, Snakes on a Plane) - Gothic (Dracula, The Phantom of the Opera) - Haunted Houses (Haunting of Hill House, The Amityville Horror) - Psychological Horror (Jacobs Ladder, Se7en) - Slasher Horror (Friday 13th, Halloween) - Weird Fiction (i.e HP Lovecraft, Ambrose Bierce) - Bizarro (i.e Jeff O Brien, Carlton Mellick III) - Folk Horror (The Wicker Man, Midsommar) If your work is horror but doesn't fit in any of the above categories, send it anyway! We want to build a roster of diverse and incredible writing talent, full of familiar and new names, in an attempt to champion the frankly staggering array of talent the UK has to offer. Here's how...

Deadline: April 1st, 2020 Payment: $25 and a contributors copy Theme: Unadulterated horror. Slasher, psychological, monsters, clowns, stalkers, cults, demons, witches, whatever the hell you can think of! Let’s get cut their skin and leave scars. Come one, come all horror authors. It’s time for another anthology. Life is too short and I’d like to leave our readers dead awake. Send in your best work and let’s make something that will leave the readers sleeping with their lights on. What I’m looking for: Unadulterated horror. Slasher, psychological, monsters, clowns, stalkers, cults, demons, witches, whatever the hell you can think of! Let’s get cut their skin and leave scars. Send me your best! What I’m not looking for: Gore for shock value, rape, any violence toward children or anything that really is just shock and nothing else. Give me horror that seeps in, not skin deep. Requirements: Short horror that is between 2,000 and 6,000 words, exceptions for longer pieces based on quality. A hard cap at 10,000 words. Please put the title, your name, word count and email address on the title page. Single spaced, 12 point, new times Roman is preferred. Clean and edited. Please do your best. Authors who are accepted will receive $25 per story accepted and one paperback author copy. Multiple submissions are welcome. Simultaneous submissions are welcome as well, but please let me know if it’s accepted elsewhere. Only original, unpublished work will be accepted. Submissions will be closed April 1st. Get your ideas percolating and get to writing! Send submissions in .doc or .docx format to [email protected]. Via: Nicholas Catron</a..

Deadline: April 1st, 2020 Payment: 2.5 cents per word Theme: A science fiction tale set asking "What will gender look like in the future?" or similar questions which are found below. What will gender look like in the future? What will change about transition? What new challenges will face trans folk a hundred years down the line? Five hundred? A thousand? Future//Tense: Gender is an anthology of transfuturistic science-fiction. The stories within will explore the way gender, transition, and trans issues may change over time, from the near future to far, on Earth or other planets, in humans or those from the stars. How will society change? How will we? About the anthology Future//Tense: Gender is an anthology of short fiction edited by Madison Scott-Clary. It will comprise several pieces from diverse authors. The anthology will be released in both physical and e-book formats, as well as, depending on interest, audiobook format. Here is what HYBRID will be looking for: Submission content We are looking for short story submissions that explore the shape of gender and identity in the decades and centuries to come. There is no restriction on gender of characters or perceived orientation. We are particularly keen on featuring #OwnVoices authors. HYBRID Ink will not, under any circumstances, publish content that portrays any of the following without justification or in a positive light: Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or other forms of discrimination Pedophilia or sex with characters under the age of 18 Rape, torture, dubious consent, or forced seduction Gratuitous violence, gore, or death For more information, please see here, and remember that we're all governed by our code of conduct. Submission genre So long as the story takes place in the future and meets the other content requirements, anything goes. Shifters? Sure! Post-apocalyptic? Go ahead! Furries or aliens? Of course! Submission rating G–R — we...

Deadline: March 1st, 2020 Payment: 2.5 cents per word Theme: Stories with a focus on ACE characters Much of our art, be it written, visual, or otherwise, is based around sexual attraction and the desire for sexuality. Even in stories where the major plot is focused elsewhere, sexuality will often show up in a subplot. Sexuality is hardly universal, however: though allosexuality may define the media landscape we live in, it does not define all of us! This anthology is a place for ace characters to shine. Perhaps your character is striving for recognition against expectations placed on them by society. Perhaps they are simply trying to live a quiet life and meeting unexpected resistance. Either way, Acethetic exists for their stories to be heard. About the anthology Acethetic is an anthology of short fiction edited by Madison Scott-Clary. It will comprise several pieces from diverse authors. The anthology will be released in both physical and e-book formats, as well as, depending on interest, audiobook format. Here is what HYBRID will be looking for: Submission content We are looking for short story submissions that explore the lives of our asexual friends and family. The stories should focus on characters anywhere on the specturm of asexuality. Aromantic characters also welcome, of course! We are particularly keen on featuring #OwnVoices authors. HYBRID Ink will not, under any circumstances, publish content that portrays any of the following without justification or in a positive light: Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or other forms of discrimination Pedophilia or sex with characters under the age of 18 Rape, torture, dubious consent, or forced seduction Gratuitous violence, gore, or death For more information, please see here, and remember that we're all governed by our code of conduct. Submission genre While there is no restriction on genre of submitted stories, we will aim for a cohesive anthology after...

Deadline: April 4, 2020 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Take a hard left turn from normal. Bring us your unsettling stories. If a common activity leads to violations of the laws of man or nature, your story may be perfect for this collection. Ideal genres: horror, crime Disturbia Take a hard left turn from normal. Bring us your unsettling stories. If a common activity leads to violations of the laws of man or nature, your story may be perfect for this collection. Ideal genres: horror, crime Editor: Sandra Ruttan Submission Information Note: We will not process or respond to submissions sent to the wrong email address. Only submissions sent to [email protected] will be processed. Note: Each story should be submitted in its own email. Do not send a submission as a response to a rejection or email query. Do not send multiple stories in the same email. Pro Tip: Read Rigor Morbid: Lest Ye Become to get a sense of what the editor is looking for in stories. The tone is appropriate for Disturbia and Rigor Morbid 2. We welcome submissions from diverse authors. We encourage individuals to opt to include a bio (100 words, written in third person) and author photo that can be used with the publication when submitting.  *Diverse can refer to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or those that are specially abled Payment $0.08 U.S. per word We will not publish stories that are donated — all writers must be prepared to receive payment through one of our approved payment methods. All payments to U.S. writers will be made by check. All payments to international writers will be made by Paypal to a verified Paypal address that is in the writer’s name. Guidelines Stories should be 3000 words or less Stories should be attached as a .doc or .docx file Text in stories should be...

Deadline: April 5th, 2020 Payment: $300 advance on royalties, with 40% royalties on net revenue from print sales and 30% royalties on net revenue from digital sales thereafter. Themes: horror, science fiction, weird western, or dark fantasy. Excession Press is now open for submissions! Our reading period runs Jan. 5th – Apr. 5th 2020. What We Want: Excession Press is looking for original manuscripts 30,000 - 60,000 words in length that can be described as horror, science fiction, weird western, or dark fantasy. Our word count limit is firm, +/- a few hundred words. We want quality, character-driven narratives with imaginative settings and creative conflicts that will engage readers. We want strong, memorable prose. We prefer our fiction to be surreal, grotesque, and thoughtful, but more than anything, we want it well-written and well-paced. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable but we ask that you let us know at time of submission, and we ask that you give us notice if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere. What We *DON'T* Want: No reprints or incomplete manuscripts. No books that are part of a series - your submission should function as a standalone narrative. No poetry or non-fiction. No YA or children's stories. No stories that function primarily as erotica. No experimental formats or images - submissions should be text only. No queries. Please have something submission-ready. Submission Format: File must be in a .doc, .docx, or .rtf format. 12 point font. Double-spaced with .25" indents and 1" margins. The first page should have author name, an email address, title of your submission, and total word count. Every page should have author name, title, and page number. How to Submit: Email submissions as an attached file to [email protected] Include in the body of your email a brief (3-5 sentence) description of your submission and an...

Deadline: April 5th, 2020 Payment: 8 cents per word for original work, 6 cents per word for reprints Theme: Strange and distant places Note: Reprints welcome Gothic Fantasy Short Stories Strange Lands Anthology Strange Lands Short Stories: Packed with strange and distant places, from underground cities, undiscovered islands, ancient lands, hidden continents, civilisations on the moon and Mars this new book will bring together the tales of Washington Irving, H.G. Wells, Otis Kline, with Homer, Samuel Butler and a generation of modern writers for a thrilling read of speculative fiction. Word length is most likely to be successful at 2000–4000, but we will still read stories slightly outside this range and submissions will be accepted between 16th March and 5th April - please send to [email protected]. Payment will be 8 cents/6 pence for each word (SFWA qualifying market rate) and 6 cents/4 pence for reprints. If your story is a reprint please let us know in your submission email. Multiple submissions are accepted. We will aim to read each story and confirm its status within 4 months of the submission deadline.   Thank you, and good luck. We look forward to reading your tales of imagination! Via: Flame Tree Publishing.

Deadline: April 6th, 2020 Payment: CAD $0.01/word (i.e. CAD $50 for a 5000 word story), with a minimum payment of CAD $5 for accepted work. Theme: speculative short fiction and poetry, with an emphasis on science fiction and works related to science. Submissions are currently OPEN. The deadline for this submission period is April 6th, 2020. Thinking of submitting to Trouble Among The Stars? Please read these guidelines first: We publish speculative short fiction and poetry, with an emphasis on science fiction and works related to science.  We do not publish novel excerpts, non-fiction or serialized anything. For fiction, we will review anything between 300-6000 words, and for poetry we will review anything under 1000 words.  We do accept simultaneous submissions, but you must notify us immediately if your submitted work is accepted elsewhere. We do not accept previously published work. We do our best to be very welcoming towards new writers – if you have little or no previous publishing credentials, please feel comfortable submitting to us regardless. We are meant to be by the weirdos and for the weirdos, and we would love to read your newest and strangest work. We pay CAD $0.01/word (i.e. CAD $50 for a 5000 word story), with a minimum payment of CAD $5 for accepted work. Payments are made via paypal upon publication. We ask for one-time non-exclusive rights to publish your work. To submit, please send an email to [email protected] with your work as an attached document. Please include a brief cover letter in the body of the email. Please send a total of one (1) short story or up to two (2) poems (exceptions will sometimes be made for suites of poems). Size 12 Times New Roman font is preferred for submissions, with fiction submissions being double-spaced. Please submit only once per reading period. Please allow us up to three weeks to respond to your submission (though in most cases...