Events

Deadline: July 9th, 2021 Payment: Two-Sentence Stories: $10, Flash Fiction: $25 per story, Short Stories: $50 per story Theme: Deadly Love Note: Reprints welcome at a lower, undisclosed pay rate. The second issue of Dark Dispatch will be a themed issue, featuring stories on Deadly Love. Let your mind wander to the dark places and share your horror love stories about relationships gone wrong. This submission call opens May 5, and will be open until July 9, 2021. Submission Guidelines Opens May 5 to submissions of original works focusing on the theme of deadly love. Clarification: romantic horror should be an element in the story. It should focus on love gone wrong. The stories can fall within the dark fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and crime genres. Submission window closes July 9 at midnight EDST. We accept submission of the following: Two-Sentence Stories Flash Fiction (we favor submissions 300 to 999 words in length) Short Stories (we prefer submissions 2,000 to 5,000 words in length) Pay: Two-Sentence Stories: $10 Flash Fiction: $25 per story Short Stories: $50 per story Reprints will be considered on a case by case basis and will be subject to a different pay rate. Submission format for original unpublished works: All submissions should be attached as .doc or .docx files. – .rtf and PDF files will not be read. All submissions should use Times/Times New Roman/Courier New font. Text should be in black ink, text size should be 12pt, and the file should not display editing changes or comments. The email’s subject line should have the type of content-submission title-author’s name-word count-submission date. For example, if Windbags McBlowhard is submitting a 2,200-word story called Foul Wind, their subject line should read as follows: Short Story-Foul Wind-Windbags McBlowhard-2,200-May 16 The email should include the following: Paypal address 50-100 word bio written in third person A pitch or summary of...

Deadline: July 11th, 2021 Payment: $20 Theme: Stories about the other, moodier season of change from Summer to Fall AUTUMN NOIR: A Crime, Mystery, Noir, Suspense & Thriller Anthology Announcing our FALL anthology! The slide from Summer into Fall can sneak up on you, like footsteps keeping pace until they speed up and overtake you. We’re inviting fellow writers and artists to create original pieces that sweep us up in stories about the other, moodier season of change. Send us work that skews toward the gritty, the atmospheric, the strangely, dangerously beguiling. Whether the mystery unfolds as gently as a wisp of chimney smoke or brings the heart-thumping thrills of an end-of-summer storm is up to you. Just make sure to bring your creations to life with language as vibrant as Fall foliage and dialogue as crisp as Autumn air. *We’re looking for stories, poems, and/or artwork that follow these THREE guidelines: Respect the genre norms from the Crime, Mystery, Noir, Suspense, and/or Thriller genres (and their associated sub-genres). For an excellent overview of the elements within and differences between these genres, check out this link. Feature the Autumn season prominently in the setting of their story or are depicted in their poem or artwork. Are inspired by and/or incorporate an element* from any ONE of the following (four) quotations in a way that is important to your storyline, poem, or image: “In Greek tragedy, they fall from great heights. In noir, they fall from the curb.” (Dennis Lehane) “The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let the dead things go.” (Unknown) “Dark sides are important. They should be nurtured like nasty black orchids.” (Gillian Flynn) In the autumn of a woman’s life, there comes always one mad moment when she longs for romance, for...

Deadline: July 11th, 2021 Payment: 12.5 cents per word for accepted stories. Theme: Work loosely themed around science and technology: the joy of discovery, the systemic barriers in place that prevent equal access to advanced knowledge, and how new tools and machines can both empower and disenfranchise marginalized voices. At that time, we will be open to short stories and poems for consideration by guest editor Hal Y. Zhang. Hal would especially love to see work loosely themed around science and technology: the joy of discovery, the systemic barriers in place that prevent equal access to advanced knowledge, and how new tools and machines can both empower and disenfranchise marginalized voices. Don’t limit yourself to strictly future settings or science fiction — think broadly in terms of any method or system that explores the world through experimentation, such as an ancient sorcerer investigating rules of magic. We have no other submissions dates to announce at this time. Please subscribe to our newsletter if you’d like to be the first to find out about our future submissions dates. During open submissions periods, there will be a form on this page for uploading your submission. (Click the link at the bottom of this post to get to the page with the form.) General Guidelines We welcome previously unpublished work (where “published” includes work posted on Patreon or on a blog) in English from all writers anywhere in the world, and we are 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]. (Any submissions sent via email will be deleted unread.) Accessibility We use...

Deadline: July 15th, 2021 Payment: 8¢ a word for original work, 4¢ a word for reprints Theme: Visions from a Gender-Inclusive Future Note: Trans, nonbinary, and genderqueer artists and writers Note: Reprints Welcome About Issue 1: Visions from a Gender-Inclusive Future Inclusive Future Magazine is an anthology of speculative prose, poetry, and art in the guise of a pop culture  magazine from the future. IMAGINE: It’s the year 2068, and we’ve achieved gender equality in the broadest sense. Not only are  genders outside the binary widely acknowledged and accepted, but people of all genders are paid equally for equal work, have equal opportunity, are included in scientific studies, and are marketed to equally. You are writing and making art from this future, roughly fifty years from now, and you are submitting a piece of work to an international culture magazine whose target audience includes English-speaking adults of all genders living anywhere in the world.    What does this gender-inclusive future look like? What language do we use around gender? In what ways have our societies been reshaped in order to include people of all genders? How might inclusion look different in different cultures and systems (including religious ones)? How might advancements in science and technology change our perceptions of gender? What challenges might trans, non-binary, and genderqueer people still face and be fighting to overcome? ​ While your submission does not have to be about gender, it definitely needs to contain elements that make it gender-inclusive. A simplistic example: a pop science article about Mars colonization that uses pronouns beyond the binary. Via: Inclusive Future Magazine.

Deadline: July 15th, 2021 Payment: $20 per story Theme: Electric Spec prefers science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we're willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres. Please don't query us about your story submission. We don't have the manpower to answer such queries. An editor will email you back as soon as possible with the decision about your story. This can take a few days, or, up to three months. We make every effort to get back to authors in a timely manner but we get a lot of submissions so sometimes it's not possible. A note on our editorial policy: before publication we may work with the author to edit the story for length or readability. However, we always remain true to the spirit of the story and the author has final approval. Issues are published at the end of February, May, August, and November. We reserve the right to shift publication date slightly, as necessary. We have reading periods for each issue, though we never close to submissions. February closes January 15 May closes April 15 August closes July 15 November closes October 15 Please do not submit the same story more than once, and please submit only one story at a time. We consider any story between 250 and 7000 words with speculative fiction elements. We prefer science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we're willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres. We do not consider poetry, stories with over-the-top sex or violence, serials, novels, fan fiction, or non-fiction. We don't accept multiple submissions; in other words, only submit one story at a time and wait for a response before submitting another. We accept simultaneous submissions as long as you let us know up front and tell us as soon...

Submission Window: July 1st - 15th, 2021 Payment: $25 Theme: Horror/thriller stories that take place in or near the woods. The Cellar Door - Issue #1: Woodland Terrors Compiled and Edited by Aric Sundquist Submissions: July 1 - 15, 2021 (EST) opening soon The Cellar Door is a biannual digest of dark, speculative fiction. Each issue will contain 8 to 10 stories based around a specific theme and will include a brand new story from a featured author. The majority of the digest (80%) will be filled from the open submissions. Title: The Cellar Door - Issue #1: Woodland Terrors Theme: Horror/thriller stories that take place in or near the woods. Type: Creature feature, thriller/suspense, gothic/ghost story, serial killer, witchcraft, cult, cosmic horror. Featured Author: Daniel Barnett Word Count: 2,000 - 7,500 words. Payment: $25.00 + digital copy. Rights: We are seeking first time rights for 1 year after publication. After that time all rights revert back to the author. The publication will appear in both print and digital formats and will eventually be reissued in The Cellar Door Compendium. Reprints: None. Previously unpublished only. Multiple Submissions: None. Simultaneous Submissions: None. Please wait until you hear back from us before submitting your piece to another market. File Format: Include your story as an attachment in MS Word, LibreOffice, or Rich Text Format. Manuscript Format: Use the Modern Shunn Format. Include a short bio in the body of your email. Your subject line should read, WT Submission: ("Title") by (Author's Name). For Example, WT Submission: "To Build a Fire" by Jack London. Attach the story as a separate document. Response Time: 3 - 4 weeks after submissions close. Submission Period: July 1 - 15, 2021 (EST). Stories sent before or after will be deleted unread. Send Submissions to: darkpenpress (at) gmail (dot) com Influential Movies: The Evil Dead, The Ritual, Dog Soldiers, Here Alone, The Edge, Wrong Turn, The Blair Witch...

Deadline: July 15th, 2021 Payment: $25 Theme: Fun stories about horses, magic, and magic horses—unicorns, winged horses, horses, donkeys, zebras… basically anything in the Equus genus will do. Untethered will be filled with fun stories about horses, magic, and magic horses—unicorns, winged horses, horses, donkeys, zebras… basically anything in the Equus genus will do. And, as the name suggests, I want the stories to be a little untamed, a little wild. I’m looking for whacky, whimsical, funny or feisty stories to bring a little levity to some tricky times. That is not meant to imply you shouldn’t explore real conflicts and issues, but all stories should have happy endings. Open for Submissions: June 2021 Extended to July 15, 2021 Expected Publication: Spring 2022 Story Length: up to 7,500 words Payment: $25 USD + electronic contributor copy Simultaneous submissions = okay. Multiple submissions = no. Previously published stories will be a tough sell but I’m willing to consider them. Please include the details of when and where they were originally published in your cover letter. Submit here: https://niteblade.submittable.com/submit/195708/untethered via: Rhonda Parrish.

Deadline: July 15th, 2021 Payment: $10 Theme: Horror with a blend of fun themes Thurston Howl Publications is now accepting submissions for its seventh volume of its HOWLERS series, Fearful Fun. Deadline: July 15, 2021 Word count: 2,500-8,000; a little above and a little below will be acceptable In the past, our HOWLERS series played some Gruesome Games, but we were thinking about other ways people could have fun. A carnival. A circus. An escape room. An amusement park. A haunted house attraction or corn maze. And each of these has its own history in horror. Movies like FREAKS, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, and ESCAPE ROOM. The Legend of McKamey Manor. Remember those times we were all scared of killer clowns? Or the urban legend of the person who actually killed someone in a haunted house attraction? Sometimes fun just isn't so fun, huh? Sometimes, it's more fearful fun. We will take preference with stories that are unique. Don’t just write another killer clown story or a basic demonic carnival story, UNLESS your story genuinely has a unique take on that trope. We will NOT accept: Racism, sexism, or discrimination presented in a positive light. Pedophilia or sex with characters under the age of 18 presented in a positive light. Rape, torture, dubious consent, forced seduction presented in a positive light. Snuff or Necrophilia presented in a positive light To submit, please use this submittable link! If you are in doubt, ASK. Better to ask then to get a straight up rejection! If you are unsure, just shoot me an email at [email protected].(restrictions borrowed from Voice: https://t.co/MWykJ6RY36) You can submit up to three stories, but we will only accept one per author (if any). Reprints are fine, but you have to own full permission of the work in order for us...

Deadline: July 16th, 2021 Payment: 40% royalties for net eBook sales with a chance to increase to 50% should a specific threshold of sales be met. Sales on the print books will be paid 25% Theme: We are seeking high-quality, stand-alone novels, novellas and potential novella series in HORROR. Submission Window:  June 16 - July 16   Hello! We are excited to announce that Eerie River Publishing is opening for non agented manuscripts in horror!   We are an inclusive company that accepts submission from anyone regardless of race, gender or sexuality. We accept agented and non-agented submissions during our submission window. What are we looking for? HORROR We are seeking high-quality, stand-alone novels, novellas and potential novella series in HORROR.  At this time we are not interested in short story collections, erotica, strictly religious fiction, YA Fiction, or poetry.     We want unique, well-crafted worlds with compelling plots, exciting adventures, entertaining characters,  for mature audiences. Most importantly we want to be scared! Give us your grim, heart-wrenching twist. The perfect story would balance the light and the dark pieces of the storyline with humour, alongside the emotional twists and turns. In essence, if you can evoke a gambit of emotion throughout the story then we will be hard-pressed to say no.   Manuscripts should be written in good taste, and be aimed for a mature audience. As this is horror we expect the scary and horrible, and we encourage a step toward darker, more horrific tones within the storyline. We won't shy away from some use of violence and gore. However, we will not be accepting any manuscripts with detailed rape scenes, pedophilia, sexual torture, or untoward behaviours regarding animals of any kind (you know exactly what we mean).   Novel submissions should be under 100,000 words.  Novella submissions should be approximately 25,000...

Submission Window: July 1st – 17th, 2021 Payment: $0.02/word or $25/story, whichever is greater. Theme: Horror (unthemed) Heads up, Horror Fans! Crone Girls Press will be opening soon for submissions for our third (and last!) volume of Stories We Tell After Midnight. The submission window will be July 1 – 17, 2021. (Please do not send any submissions until the window opens or we will regretfully delete them without response.) Here is what we’ll be looking for: Name: Stories We Tell After Midnight, Volume 3 Genre: Horror (unthemed) Deadline: Submissions open July 1 and close midnight, EDT, July 17, 2021. Release Date: October 7, 2021 Word Counts: * Flash Fiction (500-1,500 words) * Short Stories (3,000-6,000 words) * Novella (12,000-25,000 words) Pay: $0.02/word or $25/story, whichever is greater. Editor: Rachel A. Brune, she/her Send submissions to: [email protected]; Subject line: SWTAM3 “Title” Wanted: Send me your chilling horror, your stories that are set firmly in the genre, tagging the tropes and atmospherics of things that will cause you to have nightmares and not be able to escape the dark, even when you pull the covers over your head and sleep with the light on. Scroll down for the full list of submission guidelines. General Submission Guidelines Submit a .doc, .docx, or .rtf that adheres to Shunn manuscript format. No other formats, please. Follow submission guidelines and use the Crone Girls Press Style Guide if you have any additional formatting or style questions. If you have any questions, a good place to get a feel for who we are is the Crone Girls Press Facebook Group. Come on in. We won’t bite. Most of us won’t, anyway. Cover letters should include: a logline, story title, and word count. For Midnight Bites, include the theme or potential theme. We publish debut and established authors, so I prefer not to see...