Events

Submission Window: February 1st-2nd, 2022 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 8¢ 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...

Deadline: February 6th, 2022 Payment: £0.04 per word, with a minimum payment of £10 per accepted piece. Theme: Original stories related to ghosts AND folklore Note: Apologies for the short window, I only stumbled across this one just now I’m delighted to launch an exciting new project in collaboration with the fantastic Alternative Stories & Fake Realities podcast: GHOSTLORE: An Audio Fiction Anthology And we’re now open to flash fiction submissions! Ghostlore is a genre of folklore concerning ghosts, and I can’t wait to read creative responses to this. The anthology will form part of Alternative Stories & Fake Realities’ Season 6, in Spring 2022, and will link to a folklore discussion panel on a similar theme. WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR Original stories related to ghosts AND folklore – stories should contain at least an element of both. We would love to see stories representing folklore from around the world. For this call we’re looking for fiction 800 words or less, with a preference for shorter pieces. We’re looking for a combination of micro-fiction and flash fiction pieces, and will be able to accept more shorter pieces than longer pieces. Stories from a range of genres are welcome – as long as they contain the elements mentioned above! Whether funny, dark, heartbreaking, weird, uncanny, atmospheric, gothic, or horror, I want to read them all! Stories that would translate well to audio. (Experimental structures may be a hard sell for this reason.) New and established writers welcome. The anthology will be a mix of invited writers (to be announced soon) and open submission (roughly 30% invited/70% open submission). We particularly welcome submissions from underrepresented writers. TERMS AND PAYMENT Payment: £0.04 per word, with a minimum payment of £10 per accepted piece. Publication format: The selected stories will be read and recorded by professional actors and compiled into an audio...

Deadline: March 1st 2022 Payment: £20 Theme: Stories involving bizarre monsters. Open Jan 1st 2022 - March 1st 2022 (Stories sent before or after will not be read) Your chance to be a part of Planet Bizarro’s first EVER anthology. We are looking for 4000-7000 word stories involving bizarre monsters. They could be bloodthirsty, benevolent, pets, or whatever else you can dream up. Keep in mind that this is first and foremost BIZARRO, although we also love horror, humour, and stories with a message (subtle). Keep it weird, wacky, and bizarre. Expected to be published in April 2022. To give you an idea, some of the stories we particularly enjoy are by Carlton Mellick III, Michael Allen Rose, Danger Slater, Brian Allen Carr, David W. Barbee, Douglas Hackle, Shane McKenzie and many, many more. We recommend you familiarize yourself with the genre before submitting. FORMATTING: Standard Shunn formatting. Nothing fancy, please. Word doc/docx attachment to an email, as well as a short bio of no more than 100 words and up to two author links. PAYMENT: £20 plus a digital copy of the anthology upon publication. RIGHTS: Exclusive rights for 1 year. Full rights return to author after. No simultaneous submissions. No multiple submissions. Reprints may be considered but originals are preferred. SEND TO: [email protected] FAILURE TO FOLLOW SUBMISSION GUIDELINES WILL RESULT IN YOUR STORY BEING AUTOMATICALLY REJECTED Via: Planet Bizarro.

Deadline: February 11th 2022 Payment: $.01 per word advanced against royalties Theme: Science Fiction Note: Reprints Welcome Rockets and Robots is looking for science fiction adventure stories set on alien worlds, space ships, or the post-21st century future. NO FANTASY! Word Balloon Books sells print editions at comic cons, Ren Fairs, and book festivals. We've noticed that most books at these event target adult readers,  so in 2022 we're launching a line of anthologies appropriate for readers 10 and up. We're open to challenging themes and subject matter, but language, graphic violence, and sexual content should be rated G. Child or teen protagonists preferred. Pay for all anthologies is $.01 per word advanced against royalties, with a possible bonus based on crowdfunding. Publication is NOT dependent on crowdfunding, however. Contributor copies will be provided as well. No firm word count limit, but under 3k is preferred. REPRINTS WELCOME! Email submission in standard manuscript format to [email protected]. Please specify the anthology you're submitting to, and if the story has been previously published.  Deadline for all February 11. 2022, though watch this space for adjustments! NOTE: These are preliminary covers. Final covers will be revealed closer to publication date. Via: James Maxey.  

Deadline: February 11th 2022 Payment: $.01 per word advanced against royalties Theme: Giant bugs! Note: Reprints Welcome Beware the Bugs is open to stories about giant bugs (or, perhaps, normal sized bugs and tiny humans). Fantasy or science fiction are welcome. Word Balloon Books sells print editions at comic cons, Ren Fairs, and book festivals. We've noticed that most books at these event target adult readers,  so in 2022 we're launching a line of anthologies appropriate for readers 10 and up. We're open to challenging themes and subject matter, but language, graphic violence, and sexual content should be rated G. Child or teen protagonists preferred. Pay for all anthologies is $.01 per word advanced against royalties, with a possible bonus based on crowdfunding. Publication is NOT dependent on crowdfunding, however. Contributor copies will be provided as well. No firm word count limit, but under 3k is preferred. REPRINTS WELCOME! Email submission in standard manuscript format to [email protected]. Please specify the anthology you're submitting to, and if the story has been previously published.  Deadline for all February 11. 2022, though watch this space for adjustments! Via: James Maxey.

Deadline: February 11th 2022 Payment: $.01 per word advanced against royalties Theme: Wondrous pets Note: Reprints Welcome Paradoxical Pets is open to stories about wondrous pets, be they alien, magical, artificial, or common pets with some special power. Fantasy or science fiction are welcome. Word Balloon Books sells print editions at comic cons, Ren Fairs, and book festivals. We've noticed that most books at these event target adult readers,  so in 2022 we're launching a line of anthologies appropriate for readers 10 and up. We're open to challenging themes and subject matter, but language, graphic violence, and sexual content should be rated G. Child or teen protagonists preferred. Pay for all anthologies is $.01 per word advanced against royalties, with a possible bonus based on crowdfunding. Publication is NOT dependent on crowdfunding, however. Contributor copies will be provided as well. No firm word count limit, but under 3k is preferred. REPRINTS WELCOME! Email submission in standard manuscript format to [email protected]. Please specify the anthology you're submitting to, and if the story has been previously published.  Deadline for all February 11. 2022, though watch this space for adjustments! Via: James Maxey.

Deadline: February 14th, 2022 Payment: $150 upfront payment; 40% royalties Theme: General Horror, prefers Weird, Cosmic (though generally not the Cthulhu Mythos), Folk, and Body Horror. Note: Send in pitches only Note: I dropped the ball on this and meant to post on February 1st, my apologies. **This is a pitch call. Please do not submit full story manuscripts (more info on this below)** *Open February 1 – February 14. Submissions sent before or after will be deleted unread.* Background/About: Dread Stone Press is seeking novelette length horror stories for an as yet untitled “Novelette Split Book Series”. Each book in the series will contain two novelette length stories from different authors. The goal is to provide an outlet for that “hard-to-sell” length of story, as well as give more individual exposure to authors in a multi-author setting. Remember Split Albums/EPs that the music industry used to do? Kind of like that. The initial plan is to release two of these books this year to gauge interest and measure success. If they prove worthwhile, the series will continue into next year with more books released. One author has already been invited and will appear in Volume 1 of the Split Series. So, this call will be selecting three additional stories. All of that said, if you don’t have anything ready right now, don’t fret! There will *most likely* be another pitch call for this series later in 2022. Theme: No specific theme required; consider this a general horror call. However, subgenres I (Alex) like to read: Weird, Cosmic (though generally not the Cthulhu Mythos), Folk, and Body Horror. Length: 10,000 – 20,000 words will be considered, though stories closer to 15,000 words preferred. Author Compensation: $150 upfront payment; 40% royalties (Meaning each book’s royalties will be 40/40/20 with the two featured authors getting...

Deadline: February 15, 2022, 11:59 PM PST. Payment: 1 Free print edition. Authors are entitled to purchase additional copies at 50% discount for resale. Theme: Unopened Doors Word count: 500-7,000 max Sunbury Press is now accepting submissions for an anthology themed and titled, Unopened Doors, edited by Catherine Jordan. No need to query. Send completed, edited, previously unpublished stories in .doc/docx format. E-mail submissions with “Unopened Doors” and title in the subject line to: [email protected] Stories must be horror or dark fiction. These stories will be published by Sunbury Press in e-book and print. No erotica; no stories with a lot of spelling and grammar errors; no stories that glorify, minimize, or inaccurately represent child abuse, animal abuse, or sexual assault; no stories with intolerance of race, religion, nationality, physical or mental ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. This anthology is open to a diversity of viewpoints, and we welcome a wider interpretation of the theme, including those perspectives faced by women, minorities, and marginalized persons from around the world. We want to feel your dread, grief, anxiety, and fear when faced by an unopened door.  ​MANUSCRIPT FORMAT: Story must be written using American English spelling and terminology 12 pt. Georgia or Times New Roman font, normal margins, and double spaced Include author’s name, title, and word count on the first page Do not use any special formatting like headers, page numbers, images, and page/section breaks Indicate scene breaks with three stars, no space (***) Use double quotation marks for dialogue   A note on editorial: 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. We reserve the right to shift publication date slightly, as necessary....

Deadline: February 15th, 2022 Payment: $100 and a paperback copy Theme: Collection of traditional Sherlock Holmes stories that must somehow connect to the theme of “medical mystery”. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: Medical Mysteries Description: A collection of traditional Sherlock Holmes stories that must somehow connect to the theme of “medical mystery”. This could include Holmes investigating a crime committed at Bart’s hospital, having a nurse as a client, or figuring out the cause of a strange illness killing off some of London’s wealthiest citizens. The topic is quite broad on purpose and we invite authors to be creative with their submissions. This anthology is in collaboration with Dr. Ed Chan who is raising awareness of lung disease caused by Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria, a very difficult-to-treat (often times incurable) and increasingly prevalent form of pneumonia (related to tuberculosis) caused by microorganisms that are acquired from our home and outdoor environments. A portion of the proceeds raised from the book will go to help fund research work on this disease to the Denver Research Institute, one of several non-profit (501c3) organizations mandated by the U.S. Congress to help orchestrate research relevant for military veterans. DRI is affiliated with the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System. NONE of the proceeds will go for Dr. Chan's salary. Guidelines: a 5,000 - 10,000 word pastiche (okay to go over or under some) that is canonically accurate (i.e. Holmes and Watson should be the Holmes and Watson we encounter in Doyle’s writings) and connects to the medical theme of the anthology. Authors may submit multiple stories to the anthology. Rights: All authors shall retain the rights to their submitted work outside of the anthology and may reprint their submission one year after the anthology’s publication date. Payment: Authors shall receive $100 for each accepted submission and...

Deadline: February 15th, 2022 Payment: 5 cents per word Theme: horror/dark fiction QUARTERLY PRINT MAGAZINE   Breakdown of content:   8 fiction pieces (approximate word lengths) – 1x 5000, 1x 3000, 1x 2500, 2x 1500, 3x 500 3-5 non-fiction pieces – 1 article, 1-2 briefs, 1 interview and/or review – Fiction:   We are looking for horror/dark fiction pieces between 500-5000 words firm. Common sense when submitting please. We do not accept stories that involve the sexual abuse/exploitation of minors direct or implied. We are not looking for pure shock value. All components of your story should have merit. Gore for gore’s sake is not what we are looking for.   Our pay rates 5 cents per word All payments are made in US funds via PayPal.   We accept submissions during the following reading periods , with an expected response time of up to 16 weeks. This way we are able to accommodate all the submissions we receive. If you have not heard back from us after 16 weeks, please feel free to send us an update query.   WINTER ISSUE: August 15 – November 15   SPRING ISSUE: November 16 – February 15   SUMMER ISSUE: February 16 – May 15   FALL ISSUE: May 16 – August 15   All submissions must be sent via e-mail to: [email protected] as an attached word document with the word “Fiction Submission – STORY TITLE” in the subject line. Please also include if you wish your story considered for both the quarterly print and the website publication. Note compensation rates are different for website so be certain.   ***VERY IMPORTANT: Stories embedded in the body of an email will go unread.***       MANUSCRIPT FORMATTING: 12 point standard font standard margins left side of header: name, contact info right side of header: word count top of first page:...