Events

Deadline: June 2nd, 2020 Payment: 6 cents per word for original, 2 cents for reprints Theme: Well written original work in science fiction, fantasy, myth, legend, fairy tales, and eldritch, in written, podcast, video, and/or graphic story form, and from around the world. Note: Reprints welcome     Submissions Schedule We have a new submissions schedule as of June 1, 2020: The first and second day of every month, 12 am of the 1st to 12 am of the 3rd, E.S.T. Only one submission per person. For reading impaired individuals, our submissions manager and ‘forget password’ have a captcha compatible with screen readers. We pay 6¢ per word for new fiction, 2¢ per word for fiction reprints, 2 – 6¢ per word for new fact-based work, 1- 4¢ per word for reprinted fact articles. For new poetry, we pay $1 a line, reprints would be 50¢ a line, up to 40 lines. We’ll look at longer poems but that would be a hard sell, and words over 40 lines would be paid at 6¢ per word. We began The Kepler Award to recognize and encourage writers of excellent science fiction and fantasy stories that creatively extrapolate on known science in constructive and exciting ways. You can learn about The Kepler Award here. You can read a copy of our standard contract here.   It can be varied as needed to include the rights of translators, voice actors, etc. Writers Guidelines We accept new work as well as reprints, prose and poetry, anywhere from 1000 word flash fiction on up, but all else being equal, shorter pieces will be favored.   We have tough standards but only care about the quality of the writing, storytelling ability, characters, plot, and ideas, not whether you’re new or established.  Submit only work you are proud of —...

Deadline: June 5th, 2020 Payment: 1c/word for fiction , with a cap of $50.00 for fiction, 1c/word, with a cap of $30.00 for non-fiction Theme: Ocult detectives! Welcome to Occult Detective Magazine, and the world of the occult detectives. Enochian sorcery in London’s alleys, the dust-tinged magicks of ancient Khem, and the horrors of an indifferent cosmos – these are the stories we offer. That first step over the threshold of a ruined Victorian mansion; the pounding hatred which surrounds you in a far-off jungle. The chill of a well-lit study, as you stare into your brandy; those last few words in the shadows, whispered by someone whose body is no longer their own… we bring you tales which are subtle and disturbing, and tales which reek of unnatural forces. We are a magazine of many styles and approaches. We love both old-style and modern, cutting edge weird fiction, and we love folk horror; we embrace unashamed arcane adventure, and we also draw gritty noir mysteries into our domain. At the heart of all these tales are the occult detectives. Such folk take many guises – they may be a hardened private investigator, or simply a bystander determined to act. They may be a mistress of strange forces, a seasoned psychic, or a burned-out law officer who has nothing left to lose. And they come from every continent, and every walk of life. All we ask is that there is a mystery, there is something strange and dark is on the air – and someone has to buckle up and face it. 2020 Submissions Status SUBMISSIONS WILL BE OPEN 3RD APRIL UNTIL 5TH JUNE, MIDNIGHT GMT Except by invite, submissions sent outside this period will not be read or accepted. We are buying for ODM #8, due late Summer 2020, and...

Deadline: June 5th, 2020 Payment: $5 for anything under 5000 words. $10 for anything over 5000 words. Theme: New Tales About The Hookman Note: Reprints Welcome For this anthology, we’re looking for the best of the many variations of The Hookman tale along with some classic slashers. If you are unfamiliar with the legend or just want a refresher, follow this link:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hook  What makes The Hookman legend fun is that it changes so much depending on location. Sure, the formula is the same, but the details change, the killer changes, and the motivations behind the madman's crimes change. In the small town where I grew up we have a local legend that follows the Hookman formula pretty closely, but varies in a few major ways: he is called Pig Man, he uses an axe instead of a hook, he wears the head of a pig instead of a dark coat, he haunts a lonely stretch of road instead of lovers' lane, and he's a reclusive country killer instead of an escaped convict, but his crimes are just as horrific and his tale just as chilling. For one of the other editors, growing up in California, it was the Beer Can Killer Man they were warned about. A madman in the woods murdering people with beer cans for hands, but, you know, still essentially Hookman. We're looking for more stories like these with a few classic slasher stories in between. Whether you have your own local take on Hookman, want to make up a completely new take, or have a new sadistic slasher you've been wanting to bring to life, send us your best horror stories paying homage to the escaped madman hunting teens on lovers' lane.  Submission Deadline: June 5th, 2020 Word Count: 2,000 - 7,500. A little over or...

Deadline: June 6th, 2020 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: A collection of horror tales for Halloween. Rigor Morbid 2 A collection of horror tales for Halloween. 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 in black ink No underlined text in stories Use a standard font (Times New Roman or Courier) stories should be sent to the proper email address submissions should be addressed to Sandra Ruttan submissions should have the requested information in the subject line submissions do not need to be accompanied by an email. An author bio is preferred. Email Send...

Deadline: June 8th, 2020 Payment: £25 Theme: Wildlife Note: Women only ISSUE 87: WILDLIFE For Issue 87 we’re inviting submissions on all creatures great and small. Whether it’s a mosquito or marmoset, a flea or a ferret, we’re itching to read your zoological creations. Deadline: 8 Jun 2020 Twice annually we ask for themed poetry and prose submissions for the Showcase (previously New Writing) section of the magazine. Winners are selected by our Guest Editors (in the past they have included Julia Blackburn, Nicci Gerrard, Pascale Petit, Rachel Cusk and Sarah Dunant) and are published in the magazine. We also make a small payment for most submissions we publish. We look for stories of up to 2,200 words, poems of up to 40 lines, and short scripts (for theatre, radio or film) of up to 1,000 words (including character names and stage instructions). Please note: we only accept up to four poems, two short stories and two short scripts per entrant. Submitting your work Entries are judged anonymously, so please put your name on a separate cover sheet and omit your name from your poem or story. To send us your submissions online, fill in the form below and upload your submission document . To send your entries by post, write to Mslexia Publications PO Box 656 Newcastle upon Tyne NE99 1PZ. If you would like an acknowledgement of your submission’s arrival, please include a SAE. If you have any questions regarding your submissions, please read the Themed Writing FAQs. In the unlikely event your query is not answered there, please email us or call 0191 204 8860. Good luck with your writing! Via: Mslexia.

Deadline: June 10th, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: Cosmic Horror Title of anthology: FORBIDDEN DREAMS THEME: Cosmic Horror Submit to [email protected] Subject line: DREAMS SUBMISSION: insert title Please include a short author bio Word count minimum/ 2000 words Word count Maximum/ 5000 words What we are looking for: stories of horror of the unknown, stories beyond our understanding, the insignificance of humanity, anything that credits to love craft is a plus. Payment plan: this is a shared anthology where royalties will be split. authors will get 70% of net pay divided evenly to all participants and the remaining 30% goes to publisher. We look forward to seeing your submissions! Via: Emerald Bay's Facebook Page.

Deadline: June 15th, 2020 Payment: AU$5.00 for stories under 2500 words / AU$10.00 for anything above 2500 words Theme: Treasure 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: TREASURE Treasure. As soon as you hear the word, you know that there is some sort of story hidden away there waiting to be dug up. For me, it is gold and silver in a rusty chest, buried somewhere beneath a cross on a desert island. For this collection, we would like your stories that feature a treasure, whether they be buried treasure, cultural treasures or any other interpretation of the word. 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, adventure, 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 - Treasure - Story Title. Word count: 1000 - 5500 words Deadline: June 15 2020 Payment:  AU$5.00 for stories under 2500 words / AU$10.00 for anything above 2500 words General guidelines: Please no extreme erotica or stories that feature excessive violence or vulgarity (unless otherwise specified). All stories should be formatted appropriately. Please see here for more details. Ensure that your name, address, and email contact and word...

Deadline: June 15th, 2020 Payment: $20 Theme: Speculative fiction with non-human protagonists Stories take us beyond the bounds of our own lives—into new worlds and new situations. Perhaps most importantly, they invite us into new minds. Through the eyes of the characters we temporarily become, we not only live other lives, but discover new ways of looking at our own. Speculative fiction takes us a step farther—beyond the bounds of humanity, itself. Through Other Eyes is an anthology of tales featuring non-human protagonists. Become someone—and something—else. Submissions are now open! We're eager for monsters, androids, vampires, elves, and aliens, but we're especially excited to meet species of your own design. Familiar or new. Humanoid or non. Your imagination is in charge. Submissions will be open until at least June 15th but may run longer. The expected publication date is November 2020. Open to word counts ranging from 1500 words to 5000 words. Open to all speculative genres (fantasy, sci-fi, horror, slipstream, weird fic, etc) as long as the main POV character isn't human. No reprints. Accepted stories will receive a $20 honorarium. The anthology will be roughly double the length of a standard issue of All Worlds Wayfarer and feature both physical and digital editions. All standard submission guidelines, when not in contradiction with this list, apply. Standard Submission Guidelines We love stories that take us on tours through the fantastic—whether in other dimensions or in the hidden spaces of our own world. We're looking to highlight an often unseen side of speculative fiction: we want to encounter characters so vivid that our souls slip into their bodies, themes that challenge and move us, and language that makes us swoon. Immersive world-building and twisting plots are awesome aspects of our genres, but we're looking for stories where these factors are shaped around the...

Submission Period: June 15, 2020 to June 19, 2020 Payment: 12.5 cents per word Theme: Fireside has two goals: to find and publish great stories regardless of genre, and to pay our writers and artists well. Fireside holds a submissions period for each upcoming issue of Fireside Quarterly. In 2020, Fireside will be open to submissions for short stories during the following periods: June 15, 2020 to June 19, 2020 Submissions period for the Spring 2021 Issue August 23, 2020 to August 27, 2020 Submissions period for the Summer 2021 Issue November 30, 2020 to December 4, 2020 Submissions period for the Autumn 2021 Issue Guidelines We welcome previously unpublished work (‘published’ includes work posted on Patreon or on a blog) in English or Spanish from all writers, and we are especially interested in seeing work from people of color, LGBTQIA people, disabled people, members of religious minorities, and people outside the United States. We strongly encourage submissions from people of those backgrounds, and all others whom traditional publishing has historically excluded. If you have any questions about how to submit please email us at: [email protected]. Accessibility We use an online form to gather submissions, but we understand that this may not be universally accessible to disabled people. If you have questions related to accessibility, please email us at [email protected] with the subject line: Accessibility Query. Accessibility Queries should only contain a request to submit by alternate means, and not be a submission. Any submissions sent via email will be deleted unread. Short Stories We accept short stories up to 3,000 words. Our budget allows us to pay for up to 7,000 words per month, which means we are always going to buy more shorter fiction than longer stories. Please submit: Stories in English or Spanish Stories that have never been published before. Short...

Deadline: June 22nd, 2020 Payment: An advance against royalties for either though novellas can be royalty only if preferred Theme: novels and novellas across the breadth of the horror genre—from the cosmic and Lovecraftian; to the beloved undead tropes of zombies, ghosts, and slashers; to the more uncanny and internal terrors of isolation, lost love, and aging. Note: My apologies for the short window, I just found this one! GAH! Nightfire Submission Guidelines Nightfire is open to submissions. Nightfire : Novellas Open Closes to submissions on June 22, 2020 4:00 AM (UTC) Nightfire : Novels Open Closes to submissions on June 22, 2020 4:00 AM (UTC) Welcome to the Nightfire submissions program. Please see our submissions guidelines to find out what we're looking for, or for more information on our program. « Back to Nightfire The following guidelines outline how to submit novels and novellas. Note: Tor/Forge Books’ submission information is here, and Tor.com’s submission information is here. To learn more about the Tor/Forge, Tor.com, and Nightfire editorial teams, check here. What We’re Looking For: The Nightfire team is looking for novels and novellas across the breadth of the horror genre—from the cosmic and Lovecraftian; to the beloved undead tropes of zombies, ghosts, and slashers; to the more uncanny and internal terrors of isolation, lost love, and aging. We are actively looking for submissions from writers from underrepresented populations. This includes, but is not limited to, writers of any race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, class, and physical or mental ability. We believe that good stories reflect the incredible diversity and potential of the human species, and want our catalog to show that. We encourage you to listen to our free audio anthology, Come Join Us By the Fire, to get a sense of our vision and tastes. Good luck—we look forward to reading your work! What We’re Not...