Events

Deadline: October 1st, 2021 Payment: $10 and a contributor's copy Theme: Holiday monsters with a furry twist Deadline: October 1, 2021 Word count: 2,000-8,000; a little above and a little below will be acceptable The horned Krampus. The Rat King of the Nutcracker. The giant cat Jolakotturinn. The Mari Lwyd. There are so many holiday monsters. And there are other holiday characters who could be monstrified! Rudolph. The snow-wolf. Jack Frost. Santa. The editor of 12 Days of Yiffmas is back with another holiday erotic anthology for furries, but this time, it's horrific, too! Stories must be furry in nature. That means anthropomorphic animals that walk on two legs and can talk. Stories must be erotic in nature. Stories must be horror as well. And of course, stories must focus on Christmas, Yule, etc. The winter holiday! 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 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 to consider it. We will not accept simultaneous submissions. Payment: Authors will receive 10 USD per story accepted and discount on author copies. This book may be illustrated. It also may get a soundtrack. We will inform all authors regarding decisions within a week or two after the deadline. Via: Weasel Press's Submittable.

Monthly Submission Window: October 1st-2nd, 2021 Prizes: First prize: $300, optional second and third prizes of $200 and $100 Theme: Using modern science facts to create a science fiction story The Kepler Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy   The mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler wrote "Somnium" (The Dream), a science fiction/fantasy story to present his research and thoughts on astronomy and lunar geography in a way he hoped religious and scientific authorities of the day would find acceptable.  Through his science fiction/fantasy filter he put forth ideas on moon-based astronomical observation, likely lunar life forms, and space travel. The purpose of the Kepler Award is to recognize and encourage writers of excellent science fiction and fantasy stories that creatively extrapolate on known science in constructive and exciting ways.  Fantasy elements that don't contradict established scientific fact may used. So far, 2021 Judges of the Finalists will Include: Professor Virginia L. Trimble --  Professor of physics and astronomy, University of California, Irvine, specializing in the structure and evolution of stars, galaxies, the universe; the communities of scientists who study them; history of science; and scientometrics.  She has published more than 600 works in Astrophysics and dozens of works in the history of other sciences. She received the NAS Award for Scientific Reviewing "for informing and enlightening the astronomical community by her numerous, comprehensive, scholarly, and literate reviews, which have elucidated many complex astrophysical questions," the Klopsteg Memorial Award from the American Association of Physics Teachers, and the George Van Biesbroeck Prize  for "many years of dedicated service to the national and international communities of astronomers, including her expert assessments of progress in all fields of astrophysics and her significant roles in supporting organizations, boards, committees and foundations in the cause of astronomy."  She is known for an annual review of...

Submission Window: October 1st-2nd, 2021 Payment: 8 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...

Submission Window: October 1st-3rd 2021 Payment: $50 Theme: Healers, Midwives and Cunning Folk. Hi there! We’ll no doubt write more about this later in the next year, but for now, what follows below will tell you all you need to know. And the theme? It’s “Healers, Midwives and Cunning Folk.” (No more submissions are being accepted for publication in December of 2020–but we will be publishing stories that have already been accepted.) The following is relevant to all submissions for 2021, and the first submission window opens Jan. 1. More below.   Writing opportunities for 2021 include:   New Fairy Tales: Fairy tales that are almost or entirely new or are just new takes on old tales are all welcome. Mashups of existing fairy tales are welcome as well. Submissions must follow the theme below to be considered.   Essays: Nonfiction articles about any aspect fairy tales and folklore are being sought. The term “essay” just means you’ll be writing about fairy-tale related matters in a nonfiction article.  Creative nonfiction is welcome. You do not have to stick to the theme, but you can.   Poetry: Poetry inspired by fairy tales and that follows the theme is also welcome.   Please read the following in its entirety before submitting.   Want to know what is likely to get published here? There are well over 10 years of stories, essays and art on this current site. It’s the best place to start if you want to be published here.   HERE IS HOW YOU SUBMIT AND FORMAT   Only the kind of submissions outlined below will be accepted at EC in 2021.   * Writers will have a chance to submit fairy-tale inspired stories/essays/poems 11 times this year. Since we will be choosing four works per publishing month, there are 44...

Deadline: October 5th, 2021 Payment: US: $40 and a contributor's copy / non-US: $45 Theme: Short stories that give Grimm's Fairy Tales a unique and creative twist Quill & Crow Publishing House is putting together their third anthology just in time for the end of the year when the leaves are dead and the wind becomes chill. For this anthology, we are looking for short stories (5,000 - 8,000 words) that give Grimm's Fairy Tales a unique and creative twist - extra points for maintaining a Gothic feel. We are excited to see some of the less common stories come to life and even more excited to see some of the horrific aspects of the original tales come back in a fresh way. Things we are looking for: deconstructed Grimm's tales gothic horror historical horror dark folklore gothic/macabre elements modern adaptations considered ONLY if they maintain a Gothic feel Things we are not looking for: young adult extreme horror rape/child abuse heavy sci-fi overtly modern adaptations ​ 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 August 20 - Oct 5, 2021. Please submit all stories to [email protected] with the subject line: Grim & Dread / Your Title / Genre / Title of the Tale You're Retelling/Twisting. 2. All submissions must be in English and follow standard MLA formatting (double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font). Work must be polished and edited (to the best of your ability). Please submit as a .docx file and include your name, title, and word count on the front page. 3. Story length is 5,000 to 8,000 words. Submissions below 5,000 words and above 8,000 words will not be considered. 4. Accepted authors...

Deadline: October 6th, 2021 Payment: $5 for stories under 1,000 words and $10 for stories 1,000 words to 1,500 words. Theme: Rebirth, renewal, resurrection with an erotic element for Halloween On November 1st of last year I made a very heartfelt post surmising that the Circlet Press Halloween Microfictions had met their end. We were in the thick of the pandemic and Circlet Press had been bought out by Riverdale Avenue Books. Our understanding, at that time, was that we would eventually lose control of the website and no longer have posting access. Bye, bye, microfictions. Life has a funny way of doing what it wants to do though. Due to circumstances out of everyone’s control we’re still here and still have posting access. So why not make the best of it? In that spirit, I am reviving the Halloween microfictions. And since this is a bit of a resurrection I’d like to stick with that theme. Rebirth, renewal, resurrection. Pick your flavor. Or if you want to go more in the horror direction you could pick the rising/raising/reanimation of the dead. Whatever floats your boat. Just remember the following: Stories must contain erotic elements. Consent must be EXPLICIT. Nothing under the age of consent. No fan fiction. Please familiarize yourself with our work before submitting. We prefer character driven stories. No Adult Content without plot. While all are welcome to submit work we STRONGLY encourage marginalized writers to submit. And, of course, we welcome (and love!) stories featuring LGBTQ+ characters. Word count limit is 1,500. No reprints. Multiple submissions are okay. Please send as a Word doc or RTF (or in the body of the email) and follow standard manuscript formatting guidelines. Look up William Shunn if you aren’t familiar with manuscript formatting. The deadline is October 6th. Payment...

Submission Window: October 1st-7th, 2021 Prizes: 1st place: $100, 2nd place: $50, 3rd place: $25 Theme: cosmic horror, dark science fiction, or weird Submissions will be ongoing and open the first week of every month for that month’s contest. THREE stories will be chosen per month to be published the month after they were submitted. (If you submit a story on October 3rd and it is chosen, it will be published in November.) Submissions are open monthly from the 1st to the 7th. One entry per writer per month please! No simultaneous submissions. All stories accepted must be currently unpublished. Once a story has been submitted, please no resubmissions! We are looking for flash fiction (500 words or less) that can be classified as cosmic horror, dark science fiction, or weird. If you are unsure if your work qualifies, submit it and let us be the judge! Payment 1st place: $100 2nd place: $50 3rd place: $25 Make all submissions to [email protected]. Paste a cover letter with your information, publishing history, and word count into the body of the email. Attach the manuscript as a word document (.docx). Thank you and best of luck! Via: Cosmic Horror Monthly.

Deadline: October 10th, 2021 Payment: $15AUD and royalties Theme: A travel guide of the fantastic, far fetched and freaky things in Australia and New Zealand. Note: Must be written by Australian or Kiwi author Submissions are now open for ‘WHERE THE WEIRD THINGS ARE’ – an upcoming location-specific speculative fiction anthology. ‘WHERE THE WEIRD THINGS ARE’ will read like a travel guide of the fantastic, far fetched and freaky things in Australia and New Zealand. Read on to find out more about what we are looking for.   Stories must be speculative in nature, as per this definition: “Speculative fiction is an umbrella genre encompassing narrative fiction with supernatural or futuristic elements. This includes, but not limited to, science fiction, fantasy, superhero fiction, science fantasy, horror, utopian and dystopian fiction, supernatural fiction as well as combinations thereof.” Stories must be set in a specific location, and we are wanting stories that bring the setting to life (whether it be a city, coastal town or inland scrub). While we would love you to write about places that you are intimately familiar with, we will accept stories about places that may not exist – or may not yet exist – as long as you make us believe in them. Word limit is 7,000 words. Stories must be original, and written by Australian or Kiwi authors. Submissions will open in July 1st and will close 10th October 2021. Payment: $15AUD for each accepted story, plus an ongoing percentage of royalties and free e-copy of the anthology. Stories must be in .doc/docx format, double spaced and in 12 point font. Please use double quotation marks for dialogue. E-mail submissions with story title and ‘WEIRD THINGS’ in the subject line to [email protected] Via: SPeculative Fiction Australia.

Deadline: October 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. Fiction Submission Guidelines   submissions at electricspec (dot) comPlease 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...

Deadline: October 15th, 2021 Payment: $100 and a 1-year subscription tot he magazine Theme: Science fiction, science fantasy or fantasy tales where at least one scene takes place in outer space or another planet. Sexy Fantastic Magazine features the absolute highest quality of fiction, comics, book and movie reviews, articles, photos of sexy fantastic heroines, and other cultural delights by top professionals and award-winning authors and artists. CURRENT ISSUE GUIDELINES We are currently accepting stories for Issue 5: Interplanetary. Science fiction, science fantasy or fantasy tales where at least one scene takes place in outer space or another planet. What We Want The absolute best literature possible in the field of fantastic stories. The greatest emphasis of this magazine is the quality of writing. Whether an orthodox narrative tale, a dreamlike vignette, or a poetical prose scene, a story should be comprehensible on some level, stay truthful to the literary world that the author has created, and be pleasing or satisfying. Any type of story with fantastic elements is acceptable, such as a metaphysical or surreal modern tale, magic realism, a dark fantasy thriller, science fiction satire, historical legend, an imaginary world fantasy adventure, etc. The fantastic element may be blatant or only perceived or hinted at. We are simply looking for great literature. We have published stories that would be considered mainstream science fiction or fantasy, but also at least one story that would be considered literary with no “fantastic” element. We do favor stories that are either fantastic or deal with eroticism or romantic relationships. In terms of quality and style, some examples would be stories by Jorge Luis Borges, Fritz Leiber, Catherine Lucille Moore, Gore Vidal, Lawrence Durrell, John Fowles, Harlan Ellison, Ray Bradbury, Michael Moorcock, Jody Scott, Robert Heinlein, Carlos Fuentes, Anne Rice, Robert Aickman, Jack...