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Deadline: May 25th, 2021 Payment: $3 Theme: Aliens, use the image linked below as inspiration May 2021 "The truth is out ...WHAT?!" THE IMAGE YOU NEED TO REFERENCE CAN BE FOUND HERE: http://www.withpaintedwords.com/current.php. submissions now open, close on the 25th Submissions Please make sure to read ALL the instructions on this page (especially the sections on 'Copyright' and 'Compensation' before submitting a piece of writing or artwork. We take a submission to With Painted Words as your permission for us to publish your work and do not send out other formal contracts. Thank you. Piece of Writing We accept works of fiction - and poetry - of up to one thousand (1000) words, at most, in length. This is the maximum amount - if you can tell a compelling story in as little as fifty words, for example, then you are more than welcome to do so. All submissions must be inspired by the current section Key to fiction types: Flash Fiction 501-1000 words Micro Fiction up to 501 words Poetry   Please make sure to include your full name/s, e-mail address, and bio (including a link to your personal site/blog) with your submission and, if you so choose, the thought process behind your story. Please send your submissions by the deadline stated in the current section .  Pieces received after the deadline cannot be considered for publication. 'With Painted Words' reserve the right to reject any submission without explanation. Deadline:- This will usually be the 25th of the month, each and every month - any exceptions will be clearly notified.     Piece of Artwork 'With Painted Words' is always open to artwork submissions - they are the heart and soul of the site and inspire the stories! We prefer .jpeg files for artwork submissions. Please don't upload files larger than...

Deadline: May 25th, 2021 Payment: US: $40 + author copy/non-US: $45 + ebook author copy Theme: Stories that contain witches/magical elements. Creative twists are encouraged - extra points for maintaining a gothic feel. “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble. Fillet of a fenny snake, In the caldron boil and bake; Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog, Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg and howlet's wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble. Cool it with a baboon's blood, Then the charm is firm and good.” ​ Quill & Crow Publishing House is teaming up with Jazz House Publications to bring you an autumn anthology full of witchy delights! This marks our second collaboration with our sister press, and we are on the hunt for gothic horror stories that revive tired witchy tropes. For this anthology, we are looking for short stories (5,000 - 8,000 words) that contain witches/magical elements. Creative twists are encouraged - extra points for maintaining a gothic feel. Things we are looking for: stories about witches gothic horror historical horror themes of magic gothic/macabre elements modern adaptations considered if they maintain a gothic feel Things we are not looking for: young adult extreme horror rape/child abuse high fantasy heavy sci-fi Submission Requirements Please note: Submissions that do not follow requirements will not be considered. 1. We are accepting original works only. You must own the copyright to your submission. 2. Submissions period is from April 13th - May 25th, 2021. Please submit all stories to [email protected] with the subject line: The Witches Ball / Your Title / Genre. 2. All submissions must be in English and follow standard MLA formatting (double...

Submission Window: May 15th — May 29th, 2021 Payment: 2 cents per word Theme: An Anthology on the Lengths One Might Go To. An Anthology on the Lengths One Might Go To.  Edited by Scott J. Moses  (Published in ebook and paperback formats) “What one wouldn’t do for…what?  Power?  Safety?  Love?  Revenge? I’m looking for sacrifices, risky wagers, high stakes, and especially—if you’re familiar with my own writing—the unintended consequences and fallout of said things. I’m interested in the lengths characters would go to “fill-in-the-blank-here.” I’m open to anything in the dark speculative fiction realm. I think blending genres/sub-genres around this theme could make for something special. Here’s to the lengths one might go to for anything, everything.  GUIDELINES— *Stories should be between 1,000 and 4,500 words. *Multiple submissions are prohibited, though simultaneous submissions are allowed AS LONG AS you withdraw your submission immediately if it gets accepted elsewhere. *Original stories only please, no reprints. *Submissions open May 15th — May 29th your time zone *Responses will be sent no later than July 7th. *Anthology will be published in Fall 2021. Additional Information— *There’s a difference between writing “bigoted characters” and “bigoted stories.” I’ve no use for the latter. *For the sake of disclosure, one person has been invited to contribute and I will have a story included as well, but the rest of the entries will come from this open call. Please know that while rejection sucks—sending rejections isn’t something I’m looking forward to—it’s anything but personal. My goal is to gather the best stories that form a cohesive manuscript when paired with the others. That’s just the nature of the beast. Have I mentioned I’m not looking forward to sending rejections? FORMAT— *Use standard manuscript format and send as a doc / docx attachment. For the love of hell and...

Deadline: May 30th, 2021 Payment: 7 cents a word Theme: Dark, scary stories featuring a classic monster or monsters. Note: This does NOT open until April 8th 2021 but the competition will be FIERCE so I'm trying to give you as much time as possible I am editing the CLASSIC MONSTERS UNLEASHED anthology for Black Spot Books and Crystal Lake Publishing. KICKSTARTER IS LIVE! We’re looking for dark, scary stories featuring a classic monster or monsters (think famous creatures from pre-1960 horror movies). While we prefer new angles that subvert or re-imagine the monster, we are also interested in really good traditional monster stories. Stories can also star secondary characters, such as a well-known sidekick, assistant or love interest, from the classic monster universe. ​ We are NOT looking for general monster types, such as a Cyclops, Bigfoot or Dragon. We are NOT necessarily looking for mythological monsters or old monsters. Check out the list below for possible characters. ​ GUIDELINES: Payment: 7 cents a word (but could increase) Length: 1000 to 5000 words Submission Period: April 8 to May 30, 2021 (don't send before April 8) Expected Release Date: December 2021 Kickstarter Launch: March 8, 2021 No reprints, multiple subs or simultaneous subs Note: A Kickstarter campaign to fund the anthology launches in March, after which we’ll open to submissions. (Of course, the campaign has to fund successfully, but we're confident it will.) This is an invitation and open-submissions anthology (with about 75% invited and 25% open). With the top-notch lineup of writers we’ve already signed, send only your very best. ​ Use classic Shunn formatting. Send as an attachment in doc or docx. In the subject line, put "Classic Monsters," the name of your story, and author name. Example: Classic Monsters – Story Title – Author Name. ​ Email story submissions to [email protected] We want to publish your first...

Deadline: May 31st, 2021 Payment: Royalties Theme: LitRPG genre. Playing Virtual Reality games is a favorite pastime, but getting trapped in them due to a glitch is another story. It’s a true fight for survival now and the only way out is to finish the game. Deadline – May 31st, 2021 Publication – August 2021 Word Count – 5,000-15,000 Theme – LitRPG genre. Playing Virtual Reality games is a favorite pastime, but getting trapped in them due to a glitch is another story. It’s a true fight for survival now and the only way out is to finish the game. * 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...

Deadline: May 31st, 2021 Payment: $10 per printed (or printed-out) page for accepted prose, and $20 per page for accepted poetry, up to a maximum of $150 and 2 contributors copies Theme: This has to be literature. They don't print genre work but you can borrow from genre work for your story. Essentials to remember Reading period September 1st - May 31st Response time Two to four months Submission methods Electronic and postal Simultaneous submissions Accepted Word limit No hard-and-fast length limit We look for writing that catches experience before the crusts of habit form—poetry and prose that resist ideas about what a certain kind of writing “should do.” We seek out writers who tell their truths in their own words and convince us as we read that we’ve found something no one else could have written. When to submit AGNI welcomes manuscripts between September 1st and May 31st. Submissions mailed in June, July, or August will be returned unread, provided sufficient return postage is included. Things to know when submitting Nearly everything we publish is unsolicited. We encourage submissions from writers of all identities, living anywhere, published and unpublished. We will not consider writing that has already been published in English, whether in a book, magazine, newspaper, or on an app, a website, a social media feed, or a publicly accessible online community. We consider only work written in English or translated into English. We have no word limits, though space is at a premium and length sometimes affects our decisions. We do not publish genre romance, horror, mystery, or science fiction; however, we are open to writing that borrows elements from any of these. We will consider excerpts if they read as if they were meant to stand alone. We are interested in personal essays, think-pieces, memoir, prose...

Deadline: May 31st, 2021 Payment: $15.00 flat rate plus equal share of 50% of the anthology’s royalties. Theme: FIERCE Dragons! Note: Do not submit prior to January 15th, 2021 Everyone loves Dragon Stories – especially the ones where the heroic knight rescues the damsel in distress from the evil dragon and they go off to live happily ever after. Yeah right! Have you seen a dragon – they are truly badass m*****f*****s. Armor plated, huge, breathe fire, huge teeth and claws. Yeah, right, a single knight with a sword is going to defeat that. -- What we are looking for are stories that feature really badass dragons – they can be evil or good – or somewhere in between. The point is they need to live up to the power and strength we picture when we imagine a dragon. If your dragon is able to be defeated by a human knight – it should be because…well, I’m not sure what it should be because of – but it needs to be believable to someone who knows beyond all doubt dragons are the biggest, baddest predators out there. Show us why you should never meddle in the affairs of dragons as they may consider you crunchy and taste good with ketchup. Break the story-writing rules if you want. If you use a tried and true plotline, twist it in an original and interesting way. Original stories are preferred. Query for reprints. ALL writers are encouraged to submit. Doesn’t matter if you’re a pro with years of credits, a beginner just starting out, or a teenager - please feel free to send the editor a story. In your cover email, please tell the editor a bit about yourself and a quick one-line synopsis of the story. Include genre. If experimental, please explain...

Deadline: May 31st, 2021 Payment: $10 Theme: Science fiction set in the far future in space with aliens (not on Earth.) Submissions are now open for the July 2021 release of Alien Dimensions – Space Fiction Short Stories #20. Submissions Deadline is 31st May 2021. Submissions will be read in June 2021. Alien Dimensions is now part of the Maldek House department ‘Space Fiction Books‘ and will only be publishing short stories set in deep space from now on. To get an idea of what kind of stories are likely to be accepted for Alien Dimensions in the future, please check out Space Fiction Collection 1. What is Space Fiction? Nothing set on Earth. Or, if there is a part of your story on Earth, it should be so futuristic that we don’t recognise it. If so, you can name the planet something else! Aliens. Mandatory! Real aliens, with tusks, tentacles and blobby, leafy, electric, silicon bits! Avoid humanoid aliens. If you’re stuck, play Pokemon Go for a while and get some ideas! Space, with extrapolated science. I want to read explanations of how your spaceship drive works. I want to imagine how the engineering of your future operates. I want to hear the impossible details of the alien planets your characters visit. Adventurous and fun.   Write for Alien Dimensions Thank you for your interest in submitting to Alien Dimensions Submissions Read further for what stories I’m now looking for. Lots of detail below so that it saves us both time, and there’s less chance of a rejection! In summary: 3,500-4,500 words only. “Set it in space, in the far future, and include some friendly non-humanoid aliens helping to solve a pseudo-scientific problem. More cerebral than stomach! Space Fiction! Written in the restrictive third person.” US$10 flat rate. Rights retained for 2 years. First...

Deadline: May 31st, 2021 Payment: $10 and a contributor's copy Theme: Dark science fiction stories related to the military and war. Note: Must be a reprint Pole to Pole Publishing is seeking short, re-print fiction for the Re-Enlist anthology to be published in late 2021. Re-Enlist will join our previous submission calls (now closed) for Re-Launch, Re-Enchant, Re-Quest and Re-Terrify and others in the Re-Imagined Series of anthologies. Re-Enlist requires dark science fiction stories related to the military and war. Send us military science fiction stories, ones you’ve had published before, for which full rights have already reverted back to you. We have open minds about what constitutes “military” and “science fiction” but we’re insisting on good stories told well. For this anthology, we want stories with engaging characters, thrilling action, rational plot lines, a compelling writing style, and meaningful themes. Our preference is for hard science fiction. We’re okay if you bend the laws of physics for the sake of the story, but don’t break them completely. It’s unlikely we’ll accept fantasy stories with magic elements. In keeping with the common element of Pole to Pole Publishing’s other reprint anthologies, Re-Enlist seeks stories that are dark in tone, but not strictly horror tales. Give us fear, death, and the disturbing side of your characters’ natures, but be mindful of the restrictions listed below under “Hard Sells” and, especially, “What We Don’t Want.” Payment: Payment is $10 per story, paid on acceptance (contract must be signed), via PayPal only; plus, one electronic and one print copy of the antho. (If you do not have a PayPal account, please do not submit your work.) Right Purchased: – The non-exclusive right to collect the stories into an anthology, published in 2021 and sold thereafter. Re-Enlist may be included in book bundles with the other books in the series. – The non-exclusive right to publish the story to the Pole to Pole...

Deadline: May 31st, 2021 Payment: CAD 1/2 CENT per word for originals; 50% for reprints (i.e. CAD 1/4 CENT per word) Theme: Christmas horror with a dark and subversive theme that doesn't include Krampus Note: Reprints Welcome Note: Relisted due to deadline extension Wight Christmas is an anthology of holiday horror, and in particular stories that subvert Christmas tropes and seasonal clichés. We are seeking dark reinterpretations of seasonal traditions, and stories that reimagine holiday characters as ghosts, demons, spirits, supernatural entities, or other paranormal phenomena. Fantasy and science fiction genres are both okay, but in all cases, submissions are more likely to be successful if they are dark and subversive. No Krampus. Details: Length: up to 5000 words Genre: Christmas/horror Pay: CAD 1/2 CENT per word for originals; 50% for reprints (i.e. CAD 1/4 CENT per word) Reprints allowed: Yes (paid at 50% the rate of originals) Multiple submission allowed: No, send your best shot Simultaneous submissions: Yes, just please tell us if it is accepted elsewhere Rights sought: worldwide print and digital rights, exclusive for three months for originals, non-exclusive for reprints Poetry allowed: Yes, paid at a rate of CAD 1 cent / word for originals; reprints are paid at 50% the rate of originals. Submission Window: submissions will be open for a limited window of one week. Submissions open Monday March 15th at 12AM. Submissions close on Sunday March 21st at 11:59PM. How to Submit: we accept submissions through our submission form. Additional Information: Q: Does it have to be typical white North American Christian Christmas tropes? Are other traditions okay? A: Other traditions are okay, but these are much more likely to be successful if you are an #ownvoices writer. Subverting tropes of the dominant/majority culture is great because it’s punching up; subverting tropes of minority cultures is something we’d prefer to leave to people from those cultures. For this...