Events

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 All stories accepted must be currently unpublished.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...

Deadline: October 15th, 2021 Payment: 6¢/word on acceptance. Theme: A fairy tale involving a mirror MIRROR, MIRROR: Modern Myths Executive Editors: Kevin J. Anderson and Allyson Longueira   When you’re alone with your reflection, are you prepared for what you see? A prince in disguise? A monster revealed? An alien race? Mirrors can be truth-tellers, wish-granters, face-concealers, illusion-makers, even monster-summoners. Maybe the mirror shows an evil twin, or an echo of the life that should have been. Or a portal to another world. What happens when it shatters? Once upon a time, no one knew the phrase “Once upon a time.” You’ve read the classic stories. Now write the lore you’ve always wanted to read. Reflect in your own creative mirror, informed by your roots, culture, and background. Imagine a canon of diverse characters for today’s readers to love and loathe. Tell us new stories, fables, folklore, and fairy tales about mirrors, real or metaphorical. What do you see, and what looks back at you? We are looking for original short stories (prose poems will also be considered), to include a mix of fantasy, science fiction, horror, magical, history, and romance elements. Classic or genre-bending, grim or whimsical, as long as it is new and fresh. Must be appropriate for a “PG-13” audience. Please, no copyrighted characters. Previously unpublished stories only. Women, BIPOCs, LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse individuals, and other minorities are strongly encouraged to submit. Length: up to 5000 words (firm limit) Rate: 6¢/word on acceptance. Rights: First Anthology Rights and audio rights as part of the anthology; rights revert to author one month after publication; publisher retains non-exclusive right to include in the anthology as a whole. Due: We are open to submissions from August 30 through October 15, 2021.   Submit: A Microsoft Word or RTF file in standard manuscript...

Submission Window: October 1st-15th, 2021 Payment: 1 winner each month will win $10 Canadian Theme: A story at exactly 50-words If you’d like to have a 50-word story that you wrote featured on FiftyWordStories.com, first make sure that you understand exactly what a 50-word story is, and then read the submission requirements below closely. Submissions System Each month, submissions will be open between days 1 and 15 of that month. Any stories received on days 16 to 31 of a month will be deleted, but can be resubmitted the following month. You may only submit one story per month. From the stories received in those 15 days, the best stories will be selected to be published that same month. Only enough stories will be selected to publish two stories per weekday. There is no payment associated with stories. However, each month a “Story of the Month” is selected, and receives a prize of $10 Canadian. Stories that were not selected will not be published, will not roll over into the following month, and cannot be resubmitted in following months. Authors will be notified whether their story has been selected or not once all stories from the month’s submissions have been reviewed. How to Submit Please email your submission to [email protected]. Paste the story into the body of the email. Please include a title, your name, and a brief third-person bio. Feel free to include a link to your website! If you are submitting a story related to a specific date or holiday, please include that information in the Subject line of your submission. You can also send your story in using the form at the bottom of this page. Tips and Guides Looking for help with writing microfiction? Check out Bob Thurber’s Anatomy of a Microfiction page. Terms and Conditions Please keep the content of your submissions appropriate for...

Submission Window: October 1st-15th, 2021 Payment: $10 Theme: Un-themed, general horror flash fiction. Preference to dread-inducing stories. Submissions OPEN (Monthly, 1st – 15th). Un-themed, general horror flash fiction. Preference to dread-inducing stories. Length: 500 – 1,000 words. Firm. Author Compensation: $10, paid via PayPal. Publication: Dread Stone Press website (Dose of Dread). Reading Periods: Monthly, 1st to 15th. Any stories submitted outside of each reading period will not be read. Two (2) stories will be selected out of each reading period for publication the following month. Rights: First World Electronic Rights. Non-exclusive rights thereafter. No reprint restrictions after publication. Original stories ONLY. No reprints. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but NO multiple submissions. You may submit again the next month if rejected. If your story is accepted, please sit out one reading period before submitting again. Please, for everyone’s sake, no rough drafts. Successful pieces will require little to no proofreading edits. Email your submission as a Word document attachment to [email protected] with “DOSE – – ” in the subject line. Please see the General Submission Guidelines below for additional formatting information. General Submission Guidelines Rejections for Dose of Dread submissions will be sent by the end of the month submitted. If you have not received a reply by then, feel free to follow-up. All rejections will be form rejections. It’s not personal, promise. Which also means please don’t respond to rejections. It’s unnecessary. For Dose of Dread submissions, please send your work by email to [email protected] with the subject line format: “DOSE – – ”. Address your email to “Editor” or “Alex”. Please provide a brief cover letter in the body of the email (title, word count, relevant info, etc). Do not stress over or overthink this. Please include an author bio of 100 words or less, written in third person, plus any links (e.g. to a website / Twitter) if you wish to...

Deadline: October 15, 2021 Payment: $10 usd Theme: Deals involving the devil Thurston Howl Publications is now accepting submissions for its eighth volume of its HOWLERS series, Devilish Deals. Deadline: October 15, 2021 Word count: 2,500-8,000; a little above and a little below will be acceptable What do Needful Things, the state of Georgia, and details have in common? They all have the Devil. And in two of those, the Devil is known for making deals... This anthology challenges you to come up with stories where people make unique deals with the Dark Lord. I want to see people summoning Satan so they can have a once-in-a-lifetime orgy in hell. I want to see people doing unspeakable things in order to just pass a college chemistry test. I want to see Baphomet making deals with humans just so he can have a chance to try kimchi for the first time. Horrific. Erotic. Comedic. As long as it's unique and has that Satanic deal! Submit at Submittable! 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. Via: Weasel Press.

Deadline: October 20th, 2021 Payment: 1 cent per word ($10 for every 1,000 words prorated, $50 for every 5,000 words prorated, and so on) Theme: Short horror stories with a focus on ghosts, the supernatural, paranormal, monsters, and dark tales. Scare Street is accepting submissions for short horror stories with a focus on ghosts, the supernatural, paranormal, monsters, and dark tales. Unpublished short stories must be 3,000-7,000 words and will be included in our Night Terrors anthologies consisting of ~65,000 words each. These stories will be published in e-book, print, and audio formats in English within 6 months after the submissions close date. Based on reader reception, we may also publish them in e-book, print, and audio formats in German and Spanish. WHO ARE WE? Scare Street is a horror publishing company dedicated to helping fellow horror lovers experience sleepless nights. We’ve been around since September 2015 and have published 200+ e-book and paperback titles along with 150+ audiobooks (and counting!). WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? Get visibility from thousands of horror readers. We will promote your work on our email list (12,000+ subscribers), Facebook Page (30,000+ followers), Facebook Group (12,000+ members), Pinterest (nearly 200k+ monthly views) and the rest of our social media channels. Afterwards, thousands of readers on Amazon and other retailers will organically find your stories. Our first few volumes clenched the top 3 new release spots in horror anthologies category and continue to be found on the first page of various horror categories. Work with an experienced publisher. We’ve been publishing high-quality manuscripts, non-stop for 5+ years. We’ve ironed out the kinks and know what it takes to bring stories to the masses, operationally. And we know a few things about getting your stories read, too! Distribution in e-book, print, and audio formats, in various languages. You’ll also receive a...