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Submission Window: July 1st - August 1st, 2022 Payment: Short Story-2,500 words or less. $0.01 USD per word/$25 USD max, Poems-less than 200 words $10, Flash Fiction-less than a 1,000 words $0.01 USD per word/$10 USD max Theme: Dark Shadows: The Gay 90s; closeted, cast out, or converted. The Last Girls Club Magazine is a quarterly feminist horror magazine that publishes international short stories and poems from the female gaze. It is an homage to the scary comics and zines of the late 20th century. This season's theme is Dark Shadows: The Gay 90s; closeted, cast out, or converted. This issue is dedicated to my dear friend Paul, who died of cirrhosis in '00s. We worked the graveyard shift together at a Texas gas station in the 90s. The stories he shared with me of growing up gay in the South, with a deeply religious emotionally scarred mother broke my heart. The 80s Satanic Panic led to a religious fervor that cast a long shadow over society and personal freedoms. If you lived it, you know exactly what I'm referring to: the friends on the streets in their early teens, the weird homophobic rants of priests and relatives, the amazing clubs and hangouts hidden in seedy alleys that were occasionally raided by truckloads of skinheads or rednecks, sometimes cops looking for "underage drinking", the disgusting older repressed trolls who paid for oral in the dark, while in the daylight stood in government buildings and expounded on family values and morality, the overall perception that AIDS was a punishment for sin not a disease/pandemic that should be addressed. That is the backdrop for our stories in the Fall issue. Paul loved Rosemary's Baby, the Wizard of Oz, and Dark Shadows. If you manage to insert a swanky older Euro trash cousin...

Submission Window: August 1st - 3rd. 2022 Payment: 8 cents per word for original, 2 cents for reprints, For artwork: $10 for the non-exclusive right to use each image, for as long as the site is online.  If we publish a print collection we will pay a pro-rata share for each image used. 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,...

Submission Window: June 1st to August 15th, 2022 Payment: $.08/word Theme: When We Were Getting High, My Last Trick ‘r Treat, Body Grotesquerie, Ominous Visitors From Deep Space, and Out in the Fields, Forests, and Lakes From June 1st until Aug 15th we’ll accept original 500-1500 word flash horror fiction for the second installment in our Campfire Macabre series. No reprints. Paying $.08/word. Send stories to [email protected] attached in doc or rtf. There will be four to five themes. Please only write one story per theme. You may submit stories for more than one theme, but please submit all your stories at one time in the same email. In the subject line of your email please put your story title, theme, wordcount. If you sub more than one story put the wordcount, theme, and titles of the other stories in the body of your email. Below we’ll give you some hints at stuff we like, but you’re welcome to interpret the themes more broadly. Story themes subject to change before June 1st. Themes: When We Were Getting High Oasis. The Chronic. 90s. That kid in HS that dropped acid every morning before school. My Last Trick ‘r Treat You’re 12 or 13 out trick-or-treating with your pals, having the time of your life–and somewhere in the back of your mind you knew this was probably the last night of your childhood. Make it spooky. Body Grotesquerie “Your body is like a charcuterie board for worms and maggots.” -Something I think I read on social media. Ominous Visitors From Deep Space Everyone knows that aliens love 80s slashers, so they emulate them when they land in your backyard. It’s like with kids and violent video games and movies; except for real. Out in the Fields, Forests, and Lakes Out here in the fields,...

Deadline: August 15th, 2022 Payment: 5 cents per word Theme: horror/dark fiction 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   While not a requirement, we strongly suggest you pick up a copy of the digital magazine to help better understand the types of work we’re looking for. All submissions must be sent via e-mail to: [email protected] as an attached word document or .rtf with the word “Fiction Submission – STORY TITLE” in the subject line. In the body of the email include a word count. A short bio is welcome, but not mandatory. 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...

Deadline: August 15th, 2022 Payment: 10 Euro Theme: Any stories related to trains Note: Reprints welcome Wanted: Stories about trains, tracks and railway stations. Especially welcome: Creepy, spooky tales about haunted trains Stories with strong settings Locations in Africa, Asia, Australia, NZ, South America Unusual trains – e.g. a suspended train, an underground train Genre Gothic, Horror, Fantasy, Mystery Mood Suspenseful, atmospheric, creepy Length Any Reprints (previously published stories) Yes – very welcome, provided you own the copyright Multiple submissions (submitting several stories to this anthology) Yes Simultaneous submission (submitting to other markets at the same time) No problem Payment Flat fee, 10 Euro per story on publication (This anthology is essentially a reprint market, featuring previously published stories, and the fee reflects this.  We’ll consider previously unpublished stories as well, but they won’t get a bigger payment.) Rights One-time publication rights for this anthology. The writer retains all rights to the story and can publish it elsewhere. We believe strongly that writers, not publishers, should own the copyright to their stories. Note regarding previously unpublished stories:  we will consider new works, and you will keep the copyright and can also sell the stories elsewhere. However, keep in mind that some markets  buy only previously unpublished stories. Once your story has been published in this anthology, it will no longer be eligible for those markets. Editor Rayne Hall Submission Period 2 June – 15 August 2022 Decisions Selected authors will be notified before 30 September 2022, probably much earlier. If we like your story, but it’s not quite right, we may ask for changes (especially in the case of previously unpublished stories).  You can decide whether you want to make those changes and have the story included. Requested changes need to be made promptly. Similar Anthologies This anthology will be...

Deadline: August 15th, 2022 Payment: $0.02 per word and a contributor's copy Theme: Horror stories with a specific theme, read below. Ends On Monday, August 15, 2022 5:20 PM Description Dirt in the Sky is the new horror mini-anthology from Filthy Loot focusing on juxtapositions. We’re looking for stories about the haves and have-nots, but also seeding elements of genres like alt-lit with body horror, or dirty realism with transgressive horror. Heady themes in the sugarcoating of genre fiction. Since I only said it 3 other times in this paragraph, this is horror.  We’re looking for things that are general, but very specific—so if you have any questions, please just contact us. What we’re not looking for: sci-fi/fantasy, experimental, torturous adult content, anything too humorous or bizarro. Guidelines Stories 2-5k, edited & ready for print, reprints accepted. One submission per release, please include word count, title and name on the attached Word Document Authors retain all rights Payment of $0.02 per word + a physical copy upon release (with the option to buy more at cost) Please contact us with any questions. Submit Notes on what this press likes: Focused on misfit fiction (transgressive, existentialist, horror, and other cult fictions) and odd other ideas — we publish zines, art stuffs, & books in both limited edition and open formats. Via: Filthy Loot.

Deadline: August 15th, 2022 Payment: $25 Theme: Magic and mystery, gods and goblins, curses and crystals. Give us your fleeting fantasies. Magic and mystery, gods and goblins, curses and crystals. Give us your fleeting fantasies. All of them. From traditional to epic to urban to science to whatever you can come up with as long as it is fantasy. Give me fantastical stories that delight, amaze, frighten, and mystify. Gritty and low level to universe shaking. Swords and sorcery. Djinns and elder gods in the garden. Fairy rings in space. Spells gone awry. Broken curses. Stolen artifacts. Prophecies come true. Wishing wells with personality. Any type of fantasy is on the table as long as it has a fantastical element to it. Simultaneous and Multiple Submissions: We do not accept simultaneous submissions. We will allow one (1) submission per author. Send us your best. Instructions: All fiction must be submitted through our Moksha online submission system. Please do not email your submissions. Manuscript must be in either .RTF, .DOC, or .DOCX format. Submit your manuscript in double-spaced 12-point Times New Roman or Courier font. Please include your byline as you’d like it to appear in publication. Keep your cover letter short and sweet. The Editor wants your story to do the talking. Crunchy Bits: • Limited time open call: July 15-August 15. • Flash fiction wordcount: 500-999 (firm) • Genre: Any flavor of fantasy. • Payment: $25.00 • Rights: Non-exclusive (story will only be published as part of the anthology as a whole) print, ebook, and audio rights in all languages throughout the world. What the Editor is looking for: • A wide range of protagonists in age, race, orientation. • Neat twists or unexpected turns. • Atmospheric and interesting settings. • Stories that stick with the reader. • Must have an...

Deadline: August 21st, 2022 Payment: 6 cents per word Theme: Dark and scary stories — no parodies or humor pieces — based on Shakespeare’s plays or characters Shakespeare Unleashed, edited by James Aquilone and published by Monstrous Books and Crystal Lake Publishing, is an anthology of horror short stories and sonnets inspired by the Bard's works. Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet... all get the horror treatment...by some of the biggest names in the genre — including Joe R. Lansdale, Jonathan Maberry, Gemma Files, Seanan McGuire, Philip Fracassi, Lisa Morton, and Ian Doescher, author of William Shakespeare's Star Wars, William Shakespeare's Avengers and Deadpool Does Shakespeare. SHAKESPEARE UNLEASHED SHORT STORY GUIDELINES: Payment: 6 cents a word Length: 1500 to 6000 words Submission Period: July 22, 2022 - August 21, 2022 Expected Publish Date: April 2023 Kickstarter Launch: Summer 2022 No reprints, multiple subs or simultaneous subs We're looking for dark and scary stories — no parodies or humor pieces — based on Shakespeare’s plays or characters. Stories can be set in time periods other than the Elizabethan era, and can be updated or reimagined. Please, include which play or character your story is based on with your submission. Use Classic Shunn formatting. Send to james at monstrousbooks.com and use this format for the subject heading: Shakespeare Unleashed Story - Title - Author Name. Include a short bio in your email. SHAKESPEARE UNLEASHED SONNET GUIDELINES: Payment: $35 flat fee Length: 14-line Shakespearean sonnet Submission Period: July 22, 2022 - August 21, 2022 No reprints, multiple subs or simultaneous subs We're looking for horror sonnets — no parodies or humor pieces. Sonnets should be based on one of Shakespeare's sonnets or plays or characters (let us know which one when you submit) or they can be totally original,...

Submission Window: August 12th - 21st, 2022 Payment: $.08/word for original fiction, $100 flat rate for short story reprints, and $20 flat rate for flash fiction reprints Theme: General Note: Reprints accepted PseudoPod is always looking for quality fiction to feed our listeners. If you’re a writer with a short horror story that you’d like to hear narrated by one of our talented performers, we’d like to see it. Probably. When we’re open, you can send it to us through our Moksha portal. Check to see if we’re open by reviewing our schedule. Multiple and Simultaneous Submissions For the submission period in 2021, we will consider one original and one reprint per author. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable WITH DISCLOSURE. Let us know that you are submitting this to multiple markets simultaneously. We’ll be transparent with you, and expect the same level of professionalism in return. The only exception to this is simultaneous submission of a particular story to multiple Escape Artists podcasts (Escape Pod, PodCastle, Cast of Wonders, and PseudoPod), which we ask that you avoid. When submitting to one Escape Artists podcast, please wait to hear back about it before submitting the same story to another. What We Want PseudoPod is a genre magazine in audio form. We’re looking for horror: dark, weird fiction. We run the spectrum from grim realism or crime drama, to magic-realism, to blatantly supernatural dark fantasy. We publish highly literary stories reminiscent of Poe or Lovecraft as well as vulgar shock-value pulp fiction. We don’t split hairs about genre definitions, and we do not observe any taboos about what kind of content can appear in our stories. Originality demands that you’re better off avoiding vampires, zombies, and other recognizable horror tropes unless you have put a very unique spin on them. What matters most is that...

Submission Window: July 1st - August 30th, 2022 Payment: 0.06 USD per word and a contributor's copy Theme: Erotic Horror Inspired by Fairy Tales, Mythology & Folklore SUBMISSIONS OPEN JULY 1ST for this major new anthology edited by Evelyn Freeling. This will be our first pro-paying anthology, to be funded by a Kickstarter campaign in June 2022. We anticipate around a 50/50 split between invited authors and those chosen via our submission call. We’re looking for erotic horror stories inspired by fairy tales, mythologies, and folklore from around the world. Retellings about sexuality, desire, and fantasies that take dark turns. We love a good spin on the classics, but want to see fairy tales, mythologies, and folklore from outside the Western Euro catalog as well. We want all of the hallmarks of a great horror story: rich characters, dynamic settings, tension, pacing, with well written erotic scenes that make our hearts race, then rip the rug out and terrify and disturb us (though we ask you to please refrain from submitting rape fantasies). The erotic elements don’t need to be the source of horror and there may be elements of adjacent genres, but the story should be firmly grounded in horror. We want the unexpected. This is an inclusive anthology: M-F, F-F, M-M, threesomes, orgies, etc. Bring your kinks. A word on consent: As mentioned above, please do not submit rape fantasies. We all know rape is horrifying. Erotic scenes should feature consenting adults only. Absolutely no children. Consent in the stories does not need to be enthusiastic, but there needs to be at the very least implied consent. Length: 1k-5k words (hard limit, ideal is anything from 2k-4k). Payment: 0.06 USD per word (via PayPal) and a paperback contributor’s copy. Publication: E-book and print. Deadline: 30th August 2022. Rights: We request first worldwide and electronic...