Events

Deadline: November 20th, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: Previous works are primarily fantasy We are opening a submission window for novel manuscripts (over 60k). The limited reading period will run from 20 September through 20 November 2020. We are looking for books to release for our 2021-2022 calendar. Anything submitted before 20 September or after 20 November will be deleted unread. BEFORE you submit, please read ALL of our guidelines. Submissions that plainly ignore the guidelines will be deleted unread. Kindly send your English language manuscript to [email protected] as follows: Query letter, with novel synopsis and first three chapters pasted into the email, in standard manuscript format. No attachments, please. (For a good example of standard manuscript format, both classic and modern, kindly go here.) Kindly place in the subject line: Title: Author Name, Genre Full manuscripts ONLY UPON REQUEST BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and international authors are particularly welcome to submit. PLEASE BE AWARE: We are a very small press and, as such, cannot pay advances at this time. Royalties are paid on a quarterly basis for books sold. Before you submit, bear in mind our mission statement: Forest Path Books has been formed as a specialty publisher of divergent speculative fiction, with an especial focus upon literary, diverse, and expressive prose. We publish the books we want to read; ones that aren’t merely ‘consumed’ then forgotten, but ones that give a lingering, provocative, and extraordinary reading experience. The work published by Forest Path Books is written, not to ever-narrowing specifications controlled by a status quo of marketers, but to readers like ourselves, who often find themselves dissatisfied with the boundaries that genre fiction can set. FPB welcomes authors from varied walks of life, many of whom have voices and viewpoints sorely underserved in much of the mainstream publishing industry. Our especial focus includes not only well-written...

Deadline: November 20th, 2020 Payment: $100 (Canadian) per page of their story and a contributors copy Theme: Scary stories appropriate for From the publisher of Bones of the Coast and The Witching Hours comes a fantastically spooky new comics anthology! The Cloudscape Comics Society is proud to announce that FANTASTIC FRIGHTS, the all-ages fantasy/horror comics anthology, is now open for submissions! Fantastic Frights is a modern day love letter to the retro-pulpy horror of the 90s and early 2000s but with a fantasy twist. Think fantasy Goosebumps, but in comic book form. CLICK HERE TO APPLY Why Fantastic Frights? Despite the rising demand for more kid friendly graphic novels, we’ve observed a great deficiency in content, ESPECIALLY in the horror genre. Fantastic Frights seeks to fill that gap, providing kids with a safe and engaging way to jump into the genre by literally transitioning them into it! Stories will be ordered by least to most spooky (as judged by the editors), culminating in the most horrific (but still safe) stories we have to offer. The book will challenge readers by posing the question of how far into the book are they willing to get, and warning them that it only gets scarier from here! What we’re looking for The main theme of the anthology is the Fantasy/Horror cross. While stories can lean more heavily towards one genre, they must contain elements of both. Stories that can come up with unique and creative ways to weave the genres together are more likely to catch our attention. Some examples of what we’re looking for are Are You Afraid of the Dark, Goosebumps, and Tales from the Cryptkeeper (the cartoon), but leaning slightly more heavily on the fantasy element. By “Fantasy” we mean it in the broad sense of the world. You’re welcome to create a high fantasy setting with extra terrestrial creatures and locations, but a low/urban fantasy story...

Deadline: November 27th, 2020 Payment: $5 USD per 1000 words Theme: Solarpunk, cyberpunk with a hopeful outlook, futuristic fantasy Note: Reprints welcome Note: Sorry for the short window, I was just notified of this market. Solarpunk, cyberpunk with a hopeful outlook, futuristic fantasy, we're looking for your spec-fic stories of all kinds that leave us with the idea that despite the doom and gloom in the universe, things can possibly work out if we strive to make life better, even if in a small way. Send us your stories! Submissions deadline November 27th. NOTE: We are currently only accepting short stories for the anthologies and cannot accept full-length novel manuscripts at this time. ** Please put the anthology you're submitting to in the subject line of the email!** Payment for stories will be $5 USD per 1000 words for all current anthologies (excepting contests). We're looking for speculative fiction across all anthologies (unless otherwise specified). That includes everything from high fantasy to hard scifi and anything in between. We do accept reprints, simultaneous submissions, and multiple submissions, though these will slow down our response time. Story lengths should be anywhere from flash-length to about 15k words, but we have at times made exceptions. We know a story is complete when it's complete, and arbitrary word count requirements are not always helpful. If you have an amazing story that exceeds 15k words, let us know. We may be able to make special accommodations. :) With regard to copyright, we request the non-exclusive right to publish your story in the anthology to which it was accepted. You retain the rights to your individual story to do with as you wish. Please let us know if you have any questions. Note: We do have long lead times with our anthologies, because we want to ensure...

Deadline: November 30th, 2020 Payment: Royalties Deadline – November 30th, 2020 Publication – February 2021 Word Count – 5,000-15,000 Theme – It is rare for soul mates to be discovered early on in life. These characters have begun creating their own fairytale happily ever afters. Whether it be the boy next door, a loyal princess, or a supernatural being, all of these stories have two things in common: everlasting love and * Introduction of yourself should be a short biography in 3rd Person between 100-200 words. Upon acceptance, this will be used within the anthology. Send a bio with every single anthology submission. We work with hundreds of authors and will not take time to retrieve yours from a previous anthology. * Poetry submissions: All poetry needs to be contained within a single e-mail. Each poem should be in a separate document. Haikus may be grouped together. * All e-mails should be addressed to “Dear Editor.” After receiving edits back, the author has two weeks to return the submission for formatting. All submissions will be reviewed within thirty (30) days of the anthology’s submission deadline. This ensures submission calls do not close early and gives everyone a chance to submit. You will know your submission has been received for consideration by receiving a generic response. Whether accepted or rejected, you will always receive a response. View our blog articles on how to submit to a publisher and how to write a proposal.   Failure to submit following all of the guidelines will result in an immediate refusal. You are able to submit again before the submission call deadline.   Rating – Check each anthologies‘ rating. Word count – Check each anthologies‘ word count requirements. E-mail address to submit to – [email protected]   NOTICE –  Failure to submit correctly will result in refusal of submission. Via: Dragon Soul Press.

Deadline: November 30th, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: Wolf shifters Wolf Night (Rated R) Deadline – November 30th, 2020 Publication – March 2021 Word Count – 5,000-15,000 Theme – Wolf shifters galore! We are looking for romantic tales of wolf shifters in any setting or genre. The spicier, the better. Publisher INFORMATION Company name:        Dragon Soul Press Anthology Submission Email: [email protected] Website:                    http://dragonsoulpress.com/ Facebook:                  http://www.facebook.com/dragonsoulpress/ Duotrope:                   https://duotrope.com/listing/26543/dragon-soul-press The Grinder:              https://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/Market/Index?id=9529   CHECKLIST Introduction of author                                                        This is not where the biography goes. Author Contact Information / Pen name MUST be included with real name. If real name is same as pen name, state so in email. Author Biography in Third Person in 100-200 words        Mandatory minimum of 100. Submission Word Count                                                   Also applies to poetry. Word count. Not line count.   Submission Formatted in Times New Roman 12 PT Font. One-inch margins. No indentations. No double-spacing. No extra spacing between paragraphs. No chapters. Only DOC and DOCX accepted.   Summary/Query Letter                                                      Summarized outline of all major events within the story. All emails should be addressed as “Dear Editor” Email subject and file name must be as follows – “Story Title by Author Name for (Name of) Anthology” All of the author’s social media links, including website if applicable Author must have an active social media account.   Important information Maximum of two submissions per anthology per author. Authors can submit to all anthologies simultaneously. Reprints from third party sources accepted IF author currently holds full rights. We will not publish duplicate stories within DSP. Authors get 30% Royalties for first year from date of publication. Afterwards, 30% of all proceeds go to a charity chosen by the Publisher. Story rights - The Publisher permanently reserves the right to publish the Work within the Anthology while the Author keeps ownership rights to the Work. Do not submit...

Deadline: November 30th, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: Steampunk Deadline – November 30th, 2020 Publication – March 2021 Word Count – 500-15,000 Theme – Steampunk! We’re looking for steampunk stories. Additional subgenres are accepted (ex. Dieselpunk, Valvepunk). * Introduction of yourself should be a short biography in 3rd Person between 100-200 words. Upon acceptance, this will be used within the anthology. Send a bio with every single anthology submission. We work with hundreds of authors and will not take time to retrieve yours from a previous anthology. * Poetry submissions: All poetry needs to be contained within a single e-mail. Each poem should be in a separate document. Haikus may be grouped together. * All e-mails should be addressed to “Dear Editor.” After receiving edits back, the author has two weeks to return the submission for formatting. All submissions will be reviewed within thirty (30) days of the anthology’s submission deadline. This ensures submission calls do not close early and gives everyone a chance to submit. You will know your submission has been received for consideration by receiving a generic response. Whether accepted or rejected, you will always receive a response. View our blog articles on how to submit to a publisher and how to write a proposal.   Failure to submit following all of the guidelines will result in an immediate refusal. You are able to submit again before the submission call deadline.   Rating – Check each anthologies‘ rating. Word count – Check each anthologies‘ word count requirements. E-mail address to submit to – [email protected]   NOTICE –  Failure to submit correctly will result in refusal of submission. Via: Dragon Soul Press.

Deadline: November 30th, 2020 Payment: Flash (700-1500 words, no more and no less*): $10 per piece Drabbles (up to 100 words for drabbles; 200 words for double drabbles*): $1-3 per piece up to triple drabbles (300 words). Poetry (up to 30 lines-no fancy formatting*): $5 per poem Theme: Retro Science Fiction Note: Female authors only Note: Reprints Accepted Women authors only (Transwomen authors accepted because transwomen are women). Retro Science Fiction. What is retro sci fi? It's also known as retro-futurism, and described as "the future that never was." Something like the science fiction stories of the 40s and 50s. John DeNardo wrote a nice article about it in Kirkus Review. Link: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/features/why-i-love-retro-science-fiction/ I want you to imagine me a future of women characters that shine and live in a world (that they created or helped to create) filled with impossible wonders. Flash and short stories only. Flash are (750 to 1500 words) Short stories are (1501 to 2500 words (no more) Reprints will be accepted on this one, just let me know where it was previously published. Deadline is November 30th at 11:59 pm. Further submission guidelines can be found here. Via: The Were Traveler.

Deadline: November 30th, 2020 Payment: 1-cent-per-word Theme: Pulpy dark fiction in the weird fiction and horror genres Welcome to the new pulp! Weird Horror magazine is a new venue for fiction, articles, reviews, and commentary. The best way to determine what we want is to pick up our inaugural issue, in print or eBook. FICTION GUIDELINES OPENS: October 1 CLOSES: November 30 Weird Horror Magazine is open to submissions of fiction only from October 1 through November 30. The submission period covers 2 issues - March and October. Fiction must be original and previously unpublished anywhere, in any format, on any platform. Please do not query about reprints. As we'll be reading for 2 issues, it may take the full submission period to respond. Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please inform us if your story is accepted elsewhere. No multiple submissions. Please send 1 story. We anticipate buying 12 - 18 stories only for our 2021 issues, but they will all come from the slush pile. We are actively seeking new and underrepresented voices. We accept submissions from anyone, regardless of race, gender, or sexuality. As our title suggests, we are seeking pulpy dark fiction in the weird fiction and horror genres of 500 to 5,000 words. Monsters, ghosts, creatures, fiends, demons, etc. Dark crime. Suspense. Mutants. Killers. Ghouls. Golems. Witches. Pulpy goodness! We are hoping to bring some fun (and terror) to our readers. Payment is 1-cent-per-word (paid via PayPal) for first worldwide English-language rights, for use in the print and eBook editions. We ask for a 6-month exclusivity. Copyright remains with the author, and a contract will be provided. Submit stories in Standard Manuscript Format as a Word document or PDF, and e-mail as an attachment to: WeirdHorrorMag gmail com Please format the subject line of your e-mail thusly:...

Deadline: November 30th, 2020 Payment: $75 Theme: The horrors of capitalism Note: This market does not open until November 1st and will not take submissions prior to that. ProleSCARYet: Tales of Horror and Class Warfare will be a print and e-book anthology about the horrors of capitalism. We want monstrous bosses, jobs from literal Hell, working class folks fighting back against great cosmic evils, and any other wild idea you can come up with. As long as it’s anti-capitalist and horror, it’s good. We also welcome dark weird fiction and horror-adjacent sci-fi. The anthology is open to all writers, but we would especially like submissions from anti-capitalist writers of marginalized groups. Stories should be between 1,000 and 4,500 words. Multiple submissions are not allowed. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but withdraw your submission immediately if it gets accepted elsewhere. No reprints. Open for submissions November 1st, 2020 – November 30th, 2020. We will announce accepted submissions by January 15th, 2020. Anthology will be published in spring 2021. OTHER SUBMISSION CONSIDERATIONS If you’re retreading old ground and well-established tropes, make it fresh. We’re fine with horror that has erotic elements, but emphasis should be on the horror. Yes, make it anti-capitalist, but don’t be moralizing. We want nuance. Stories that deal with bigotry are fine, but bigoted stories are not. Splatterpunk is fine, but gore and extreme elements should serve story, character, and theme. FORMAT Use standard manuscript format. Send a doc/docx attachment. Do not copy-paste your story into the body of the email or submit it in any other format — we won’t read it if you do. Please send submission to [email protected]. Include your name, story title, and word count in the subject heading (e.g., Karl Marx — “Capitalism Bad” — 3,500 Words”). Include an author bio of under 100 words and...

Deadline: November 30th, 2020 Payment: 5 cents per word and a contributor's copy Theme: Silence Note: This anthology is open to those from any oppressed group: examples include Women, People of Color, LGTBQ+, Persons with a Disability. Guidelines: This anthology is open to those from any oppressed group: examples include Women, People of Color, LGTBQ+, Persons with a Disability. If you do not fall into this category, please refrain from submitting. There are plenty of other opportunities for you out there. The theme of this anthology is Silence. How you interpret that is up to you, so long as it’s clearly a significant part of the story. Do not send a story with Silence tacked on as an afterthought. You will waste my time and yours. Stories should be horror. We are open to most types of horror though prefer, for this anthology, to shy away from the more extreme: no splatter. Sex and gore are acceptable, provided they are not gratuitous. It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, just so we’re absolutely clear: no stories that glorify the oppression of any of the Silenced groups listed above (or any we may have left out). This is an automatic rejection and we will probably never speak to you again either. Standard Manuscript Formatting, please: Times New Roman (or something equivalent) preferred, 12-point font, double spaced. First page, upper left, should contain your contact information and approximate word count (round to the nearest hundred). Word count is between 3,000 and 5.000. There is some wiggle room at both ends but please try to keep it close to that. Your subject line should read Submission: (story title), (your name). Failure to follow this may result in your story getting lost in the shuffle. We are only looking for original...