Events

Deadline: August 15th, 2021 Payment: $15 and a contributor's copy Theme: Mother Nature is pissed Mother Nature is pissed and earth is striking back. Give us the dark side of nature, of Gaia. This is a very open concept, but at the end of the day we want to see nature fight back in some way. Submission Guidelines: ​​ Must be clean and edited to the best of your ability Submissions cannot be published elsewhere. Simultaneous submissions okay (but please let us know if yours is accepted elsewhere) 3000-8000 words Submissions must be 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double spaced with special first-line indentation of 0.5" Submissions must be in .Docx or .Doc format with 1" margins all around No child abuse, please. We will not be accepting graphic sexual scenes however use your discretion on what fits the story. Submissions to be sent to [email protected] with the name of the anthology in the subject line  Publication and Payment Submissions closed August 15, 2021 Announcements on accepted stories to be sent by Sept 15, 2021, a memorandum to be sent for signing at this time October 2021 release date A one-time payment of $15 plus author copy per acceptance Additional author copies available at cost 13 stories to be accepted Via: Macabre Ladies Publishing.

Deadline: August 16th, 2021 Payment: $25 plus a contributor’s copy. Theme: gaslamp and dreadpunk stories, which embrace the Victorian gothic Submissions are now open for the DeadSteam II anthology, the second Grimmer & Grimmer Books anthology. DeadSteam II is a collection of more gaslamp and dreadpunk stories, which embrace the Victorian gothic. In this edition, we’re really focusing on driving home the dread. We want your scariest, darkest stories that embrace the classic traditions of horror (monsters, gothic castles & haunted houses, dark and stormy nights, foggy walks through gas-lit cobblestone streets) but pair them with modern sensibilities and pacing. About the anthology Your tale should include at least one monstrous or undead creature, be it a werewolf, a ghost, a witch, a zombie, or something along those lines, and should take place in or before the Victorian era. Bear in mind, this isn’t a typical steampunk anthology, so the cogs and gears should be used sparingly, if at all. I want your chilling tales of haunted London, your ghastly stories of bloodthirsty murderers lurking in gaslit alleyways, your suspenseful tales of dead things coming back to life to consume the blood of the living. Stories should fall between 2,000-8,000 words. I will accept reprints, so long as you have the appropriate rights for republishing, and please let me know if it has been previously published. Payment $25 plus a contributor’s copy. Note, because this is a publication from a small, start-up publisher, we are unable to pay more to contributors at this time (we hope to change that in future publications). I understand how hard writers work (I’m a writer myself) and would like to advise writers that I will be asking for Non-Exclusive Publishing Rights; however, you should be aware that most publications will not publish pieces that have previously been published (in print or otherwise). In other words, after...

Submission window: July 1st - August 20th, 2021 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Astrobiology, alien life, life detection and its social impacts Note: There are only two open slots so competition will be rough! What are we looking for? What would life be like if it evolved in a cold ocean beneath an impenetrable shell of ice? Or on a world obscured by haze, with no view of the universe beyond? Is there a common template for life, or can we expect to find preciously fragile silicon creatures drifting in seas of liquid nitrogen? How would finding alien life change human societies on Earth? Life Beyond Us explores worlds beyond—and within—ours, with the aim to publish brilliant SF and promote science understanding and critical thinking. The book is connected by the theme of astrobiology: searching for life wherever it might arise in the universe. We’re looking for original short stories exploring the unknown: life forms we’re not familiar with on Earth (from extreme environments, to those right beneath our noses) and beyond our planet; strange life’s discovery, peculiarities, and the ethical questions arising from these. Alien life does not have to feature there; consider exploring the implications of finding a potentially life-bearing environment in space, trying to answer a burning question about habitability, or exploring the far past or future of life in the universe. If alien life does appear—microbial to huge, ‘stupid’ to ‘intelligent,’ perceptions similar to ours or very different—the perspective doesn’t have to be human. We love a well-written brainy piece as well as a clever space adventure, experimental as well as classic styles, action-focused pieces or deep character dives. We welcome submissions from writers of all backgrounds, life stages, nationalities, and phases of their career, and we encourage submissions by underrepresented communities. We certainly welcome translations. Hard sells...

Deadline: August 20th, 2021 Payment: $200 and a contributor's copy (as noted by their social media, not their call.) Theme: medieval grimoires, collections of ancient and/or obscure spells, alchemy, symbols, and all things odd and gnostic Our latest anthology series is inspired by medieval grimoires, collections of ancient and/or obscure spells, alchemy, symbols, and all things odd and gnostic. We divide the book into thematic chapters based around the four elements: fire, water, earth, and air, with a fifth “ether” thrown in to catch the truly undefinable. Thus, although the elemental structure of the book should not determine the story, preference will be given to submissions that best fit and reflect the alchemical, elemental theme of the collection. For more specifics, take a look at the structure and content of our first grimoire anthology, Birthing Monsters, published to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Margaret Garner Links/Resources: http://library.cincymuseum.org/aag/bio/garner.html https://www.amazon.com/Speaks-Margaret-Garner-Mark-Reinhardt-ebook/dp/B005MX7DS2/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=margaret+garner&qid=1622861440&sr=8-3 https://ohiomemory.ohiohistory.org/archives/876 https://www.amazon.com/Gendered-Resistance-Slavery-Margaret-Studies/dp/0252079426/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=margaret+garner&qid=1622861440&sr=8-4 https://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/Margaret-Garner.aspx Write-Up: Human beings comprise earth’s only death cult. Since the beginning of recorded history, we have regarded our dead with love, reverence, fear, hatred, sorrow, awe. We have performed elaborate burial rights and sacred rituals. Despite the profound silence of the corpse, we seek to speak with the dead, see them, engage with them through mysticism and supernatural belief. We also hope, not for the finite decay of those which we love, but for its opposite: that they live on after death, and that we will, too. In the fatal knowledge of our own certain demise begins the very human quest to not simply prolong our earthly lives as long as possible, but to extend our existence into some as yet still imagined eternity. In Firbolg Publishing’s second grimoire collection, we bring together an eclectic mix of folklore, literature, anecdotes, artwork, letters and historical documents, and bizarre facts and...

Deadline: August 30th, 2021 Payment: Royalty Split Theme: Needs to use ink (and whatever ink means to you) within the story Open Submission Call Indomitable Ink invites you to submit to the anthology, Unbreakable: Ink, curated by Shebat Legion Genre: Speculative Fiction Rating: R for restricted (a “soft” R). Some material may not be suitable for children. Theme: Unspecified (show me what you got!) What does this mean? The word, Ink, suggests the flow of ink upon a virgin page, an outpouring of a vision, dream, or nightmare. All genres will be considered; diversity is encouraged. Word Count: 500-5000 words No reprints. Simultaneous submissions allowed. No multiple submissions. Guide: Submission deadline: August 30th, 2021 This is a royalty share project with 50% royalties going to the authors and 50% directly back into marketing. The publisher assumes all other costs. Send submissions to [email protected]

Deadline: August 31st, 2021 Payment: Royalties Deadline – August 31st, 2021 Publication – November 2021 Word Count – 5,000-15,000 Theme – Anything involving a twist on old fairy tales, whether it be the classics or lesser known ones. Note: As long as you keep to the theme, originality is fully appreciated. Cliff-hangers are more than welcome. * 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: August 31st, 2021 Payment: $50.00 (CAD) per story Theme: Hard boiled detectives, in space Crime is out there, finding hiding places in the folds of the universe. Laws are being broken by all manner of beings. Murder is sometimes the outcome of shady deals.  Order needs to be brought to the chaos by beings who have the wit and nerve to do it. Sound like you? Tyche Books along with editors Jeff Campbell and Shannon Allen invite you to delve into the mash up world of the hard-boiled detective and science fiction in our anthology, The Astronaut Only Rings Twice. We are looking for stories that have the themes, characters and plot twists of noir crime fiction crossed with all the elements of science fiction. Let your inner Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Jonathan Lethem, Michael Chabon or Adam Christopher out and file your story with us. If you accept our challenge, you will need a look at what is in the file so far. Deadline is August 31, 2021 at 11:59:59pm There are no hard word counts, but ideally 5, 000 – 7, 500 words. Longer works will be considered. Stories need to be in keeping with the theme. Rate of pay is a flat rate of $50.00 (CAD) per story We ask that all submissions are in William Shunn format. Publication date is slated for August 2022. Gratuitous violence of any kind is not acceptable. Submissions should be sent to [email protected] Via: Tyche Books.

Deadline: August 31st, 2021 Payment: $5 Theme: Horror No particular theme, no particular sub-genres, no specific word length - as the title suggests, all we want is some bloody good horror for this anthology! So, send us along your very best horror stories, and see if you can scare our jaded team of readers! PLEASE read and adhere to our submission guidelines...  * Word format saved in .doc, or .docx * 12 pt times new roman * Double spaced * Absolutely NO extra lines between paragraphs! * 2.5K-4K word count (although we are incredibly flexible for awesome stories!) * Write 'BLOODY GOOD HORROR' along with your name and story title in the header of your email *The body of your submission email will be considered the cover letter. * The submission documents are to be separated and Word (.doc or .docx) documents are to be attached to your submission email. To submit, email your polished story to [email protected] - Make sure that you check your mss for grammar and punctuation, use our guidelines to help you: DOWNLOAD YOUR HBB GUIDE TO GRAMMAR HERE (PDF) Deadline: 31 August Payment - $5.00 for first rights. Capped at 120K words in total. Via: Hellbound Books Publishing.

Deadline: August 31st, 2021 Payment: Short Stories: $.05 per word, Poetry: $25 per poem Theme: Ancient Greece, Her/Their Story Type: Anthology of short stories and poetry   Theme: Ancient Greece, Her/Their Story   Open: Unpublished and published authors (no reprints please). At least half of the anthology will be held for unpublished and newer authors.   When & How:   Submissions should be in Word format and submitted by 11:59pm CST on August 31, 2021. Email all submissions to [email protected] Include your full name, the title of your submission, word count, and your email address with your submission   What:   Short stories should be 3500 words or less Poems should be 350 words or less Short Stories: $.05 (five cents) per word Poetry: $25 (twenty-five dollars) per poem Submit up to two stories and four poems We will only print up to one story or poem per author   More on the theme:   Most of the stories and myths that come down to us from Ancient Greece are told from his point of view. It’s time to tell the story from someone else’s point of view. POC can be that of a human, creature, mythical being, or goddess. It can be told from her/she or they/them. Choose anyone identified as woman/female in history, plays, literature, or myth. It can be a classic retelling, a modern retelling, or just give a nod to the original but be a completely new story. All genres and poetry types considered.

Submission Window: August 1 – August 31, 2021 Payment: $0.01/word Theme: Stories that use color in creative, unconventional ways This upcoming anthology will be edited by Bram Stoker Award-winner Sara Tantlinger and released by Strangehouse Books in the fall of 2022. From the editor: “The use of color in literature is something that has been studied, analyzed, and written about for decades. Think of classics like ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ by Edgar Allan Poe. Descriptions of color can entirely change a story’s atmosphere and tone; the imagery can lull us into safety or sickness. I’m looking for stories that use color in creative, unconventional ways. Terrify me with pastels. Use watercolors to invoke dread. Take a classic trope and redye it into something unique. I also welcome stories of chromophobia, stories with characters who have never seen color or who are color blind, or who deal with visual disabilities.   You do not have to use the color in your title — I don’t want a hundred stories titled ‘Red’ in my inbox 🙂 Feel free to run wild with these guidelines; the interpretation of the theme is yours, just make sure it’s horror/speculative fiction.” All writers who identify as women are welcome to submit. One submission per author. Payment: $0.01/word. NO multiple submissions NO simultaneous submissions NO reprints. Submission Length: 1500-6000 words. Expected word count for CHROMOPHOBIA: ~90K The submission window will be open from August 1 – August 31, 2021. Submissions sent outside of this time frame will be deleted. Responses should take no longer than 3 months. Due to the anticipated volume of submissions, there will not be individualized feedback on declined stories. Send submissions to: [email protected] with name and story title in the subject line. Don’t stress about the cover letter! Just get those stories attached and...