Events

Deadline: February 15th, 2023 Payment: Word count-based royalty split for 4k+ word stories. Theme: Epic fantasy that includes a dragon Title: A Thunder of Dragons Opens: 15 Oct 2022 Closes: 15 Feb 2023 11:59 pm EST Theme: Epic fantasy tales of any kind, as long as they involve a dragon--rescuing princesses from their clutches, searching for their treasures, capturing one to grant a wish, stopping one from attacking the local village--anything goes! Word Limit: 500-6k words, excluding title Author Eligibility: Open to All Reprints: Not allowed Simultaneous Submissions: Not allowed Multiple Submissions: Max of 2 (two) acceptance per author Author Compensation: One (1) digital copy and word count based royalty split for 4k+. Send your story and up to a 100-word author bio with 2 (two) links as a Word doc attachment to: [email protected] Please include the Anthology Title, Story Title, and Author name in your email subject line, with your document file name as: Author Name - Story Title. Via: Black Ink Fiction.

Deadline: February 15th, 2023 Payment: 7c per word (possibly 10c, depending on crowdfunding) Theme: Fun horror that aims to celebrate all things spooky. Greetings, ghouls! Nothing like a Saturday night to announce a brand-new horror magazine, right? As many of you already know, a few months ago we decided to discontinue the long-running Dark Moon Digest after publishing its final, 48th issue. It was a good run and we are immensely proud of the work we accomplished with the digest. But now it is time to move forward. Which brings us to Ghoulish Tales, our latest experiment with short horror fiction. Behold, Betty Rocksteady’s cover art for issue 1! Cover art by Betty Rocksteady   The art is finished, but the inside of the issue remains to be determined. That’s where you come in! What we are after: short stories that fit our personal definition of the word GHOULISH, which is “fun horror that aims to celebrate all things spooky.” Note that we said fun, not funny. Comedic stories are definitely allowed, but it’s not all we’re looking to receive. We want stories that remind us why we love the horror genre. We want to have a perverted little smile across our face while reading. Make us slobber like idiots. Turn us into the Sickos.jpeg meme. We are also interested in non-fiction about the horror genre. Payment for both short stories and essays will be 7c per word. However, payment may increase to 10c per word if we hit a certain stretch goal on a Kickstarter we plan to launch on January 5th. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when it goes live. GUIDELINES: Deadline: February 15, 2023 (11:59 PM CST) Word count: 5,000 max (short stories); 3,000 max (non-fiction) Payment: 7c per word (possibly 10c, depending on crowdfunding) Simultaneous Submissions: Yes Multiple Submissions: No Reprints: No How to submit: Send all stories...

Deadline: February 16th, 2023 Payment: $20 in Canadian Theme: Science Fiction or Fantasy stories involving: Autonomy We are currently open for science-fiction/fantasy submissions. Upcoming We are accepting submissions for our upcoming Funemployment Quarterly ‘Winter Volume‘ of short fiction. The prompt for the upcoming anthology is: Autonomy. The submission deadline for the upcoming anthology is 11:59PM, Pacific Standard Time, on February 16th, 2023. Here are our rules/guidelines for submissions: Length should be one thousand to five thousand words. Broad canvas to paint on! We only accept previously unpublished stories, in English. All stories should be original. No fan fiction or tales set in existing fictional landscapes. Taste is subjective and the complete discretion of the editors. We’re very open-minded people, but nothing that’s going to require a scouring with brain bleach, please. Nothing that glorifies sexual assault, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, vortexes, any of that. There’s a difference between themes and glorification. You know what we’re talking about, cut it out. If you disagree, alt-f4, thx. Payment and Rights Accepted works shall be paid $20 in Canadian currency, through Paypal. If required, other payment methods can likely be arranged, just let us know. If accepted for publication, we purchase exclusive rights for first publication for both the internet and the anthology. These rights exist for 365 days from first publication (either on the site or in the magazine), after which all rights revert back to the author. Published work will be retained in the archives of Funemployment Press on a non-exclusive basis for as long as the lead editor sees fit. Funemployment Press reserves the right to potentially select certain works published in this publication for inclusion in a hypothetical future “best of” anthology. All authors with their works selected would be notified in advance of such selection for additional publication, and would be given the option...

Submission Window: February 17th - 19th, 2023 Payment: contributors copy and 5 cents per word Theme: Small-town Lovecraftian horror This a very short window for a limited number of story slots available in the forthcoming Shadows Over Main Street Volume 3 anthology of small-town Lovecraftian horror. The ideal length for submissions is 1,500 – 4,000 words. No reprints, please. One-time payment for your story is 5 cents per word. Includes contributor copies and author-discounted copies upon request. Standard (Shunn) or similar formatting on all submissions, submitted as a Word or RTF file. Send your email submission to [email protected] NO SOONER than February 17 and NO LATER than February 19. Submissions received outside of this two-day window will be deleted unread The Shadows Over Main Street anthology series features stories inspired by the idea of small-town America (or elsewhere) pitted against unfathomable cosmic horrors from beyond time and space. We especially welcome stories that challenge Lovecraft's insular and racist worldview rather than traffic in it or celebrate it. If it smacks of antiquated, discriminatory propaganda, the story will be rejected immediately... no further discussion on the matter. Volume 3 is to be the final book in the series, so extra points for stories that are apocalyptic in theme. See the book’s description below: This is the end… …but it’s also just another Friday night in small-town America. High school football teams vie for glory atop green fields while eldritch rot burbles underneath. Mom-and-pop shops shutter their storefronts while moms and dads lock their front doors… unaware that the real threats aren’t of this Earth and already surround them, waiting until the stars are right. The sun is about to set on Main Street once and for all. In Shadows Over Main Street Volume 3, Doug Murano and D. Alexander Ward bring...

Deadline: February 20th 2023 Payment: Contributors Copy Theme: Resolutions Strange stories of a New Year, New You. Twisted tales of renewal, rebirth, revival. Resolutions taken too far, or maybe not far enough. Give us your strange and magical creations. Submissions window: January 20th 2023 - February 20th 2023 What We Accept Short stories Please only submit one piece if submitting a short story Short stories should be between 1000-5000 words Flash fiction Please submit no more than three pieces if submitting flash fiction We would prefer flash fiction to be no more than 750 words, but please do not exceed 1000 words Poetry Please submit no more than three pieces if submitting poetry Poetry should be no longer than two pages Visual art Please submit no more than three pieces if submitting visual art Our audience is middle grade (8-12) and young adult (12-18). We want to publish works of the spooky, the dark, the peculiar, the strange, the magical. give us romance, horror, mystery, adventure. any and all genres are accepted. We want all of it. Submitting Email your submission to [email protected]. Include the name of the submission call, the title of your work, and your name or pen name in the subject line (example: ISSUE FOUR: RESOLUTIONS: TITLE - AUTHOR NAME). In the body of your email, give us a short premise for your piece in no more than three words (example: YA | ROMANCE | DEATH), the word count of your piece (if a short story or flash fiction) and a short bio no more than 150 words about yourself. Please ensure that you put the audience (middle grade or young adult) in your submission email so that we can properly sort it when responding and deciding! IMPORTANT: submit the work itself as an attachment, do not...

Deadline: April 1st, 2023 First Prize: Audio version created and $50. Up to 4 runner ups for audio conversion as well. Theme: Horror elements and relate to the theme of changing seasons Our 2023 flash fiction contest is nearly here. This year, the theme is “Changing Seasons.” The contest is open from February 15th until midnight CST, April 1st. Contest Rules The story must have horror elements and relate to the theme of changing seasons. How you choose to interpret that theme is up to you, but it must be central to the story. Simply setting your tale during a change in seasons or having a tale take place across seasons is not adequate. It must play a crucial role in the development of the narrative. The image included on this page is for interest purposes only and not intended as a prompt. Deadline to submit is April 1, 2023 (11:59pm CST) It must be previously unpublished. Submissions must be in English, but authors from anywhere in the world are welcome to submit. A minimum of ONE winner will be announced on or before June 1, 2023. The top flash piece will be produced for audio narration on Tales to Terrify and receive $50 (USD). Up to four runners up may also be considered for production. Authors retain the rights to their submitted stories. Submission Format up to 1,500 words Microsoft Word or Rich Text Format Double spaced 12 pt. Courier New or Times New Roman font Please include author, title and word count on first page. Stories pasted into the body of an email will be rejected without being read.   For further details on submission criteria and what styles/topics of horror fiction we look for, please check out our standard Submissions page. Submit Your Story Via: Tales to Terrify.

Deadline: February 21st, 2023 Payment: 6 cents per word and a contributors copy Theme: Speculative Fiction, details below NOW READING FOR ISSUE #17 SUBMISSIONS CLOSE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST Planet Scumm accepts submissions from writers across the world. (Our HQ is a roving meteor-sized space station—Earth’s borders mean nothing to us. We want to hear from writers of every race, nationality, and gender identity. WHAT TO SUBMIT Hard sci-fi, soft sci-fi, sci-fi that melts in your mouth-brain not your hand-brain Speculative fiction, weird fiction, slipstream Basically anything that pleases Scummy, our megaphone-toting slime buddy, will be considered for entry to the interstellar archive aboard Scummy’s saucer HOW TO SUBMIT Include submissions as a .doc or .docx attachment to [email protected] along with a brief cover letter in the email body. Please attach only your story (no images, do not put your story in the body text of the email). Stories, or collections of flash fiction, should be no more than 5,000 words in length, and submitted in standard manuscript format. Submit only one previously unpublished short story or flash collection. We do not accept multiple submissions from the same author in one reading period. Simultaneous submissions are okay, as long as you promptly withdraw a story accepted elsewhere. SCHEDULE, RIGHTS, AND PAYMENT Accepted authors receive 6 cents a word and one contributor copy. Our publication operates in print, e-book, and audiobook. Some accepted stories will also be published on our website. We purchase exclusive English language print, audio, and electronic publishing rights for six months, with non-exclusive rights thereafter. Authors will receive payment within 3 months of signing their contract. Via: Planet Scumm.

Deadline: February 25th, 2023 Payment: $20 for every story published Theme: Art, speculative fiction, and non-fiction from artists and writers from Africa and the African Diaspora. Submission to Omenana Magazine is open until February 25 2023. Please send us your speculative fiction! WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR: We want art, fiction, and non-fiction from artists and writers from Africa and the African Diaspora. If you are unsure whether that includes you, please read this definition by the African Speculative Fiction Society about who is African for clarity. Fiction and art must be speculative (Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror or Magical Realism) and must involve characters, settings or themes directly related to the African continent. All stories and art must be in English (translations welcome), must be original works (no fan fiction, sorry), and previously unpublished. We are very much interested in works that explore alternative futures for Africa and people of African descent. We would also like to see explorations of the past as well as new interpretations of myths, folklore and magic. Above all, we are looking for original ideas and excellent writing. Non-fiction can be essays or reviews but must deal with our interest in African speculative fiction. We do not accept poetry, drama or film scripts. We no longer accept simultaneous submissions. OUR REQUIREMENTS: All work must be submitted by e-mail to [email protected] as a single attachment in one of the following file formats: .doc, .docx, .rtf, .odt. Include a cover letter in the body of your e-mail providing your contact details (name – not the pseudonym you write under – address, email and phone number), a brief publication history, a bio of no more than 100 words and a profile photo. Both fiction and non-fiction should please follow this Standard Manuscript Format. Short fiction should be no more than 5,000 words. Creative non-fiction and essays should be no more than 3,000 words. Flash fiction pieces...

Deadline: February 27th, 2023 Payment: $0.01 CAD per word Theme: Thrillers, that can have horror, see details below for full guidelines Engen Books Ltd. and Quadrangle are proud to be teaming up again after the positive reception to 'Acceptance: Stories at the Centre of Us!' Over the last six years, the Engen's has become one of the preeminent publishers of fiction anthologies in Atlantic Canada. We have been home to some amazing established talent and helped some new authors break through that have gone on to dominate their fields, becoming bestsellers in their own genres. The From the Rock series is going strong, and we're happy that our Quadrangle partnership is growing as well! Quadrangle’s mission is to create a community centre for 2SLGBTQAI+ individuals and organizations in Newfoundland and Labrador, a space that is a resource for building community resilience and connection, and that provides supports for existing initiatives of our 2SLGBTQAI+ community. As a registered charity, both working toward having a community centre, and taking up projects like this one contribute to Quad’s vision of contributing to sustainable, positive, community connections. All profits from this collection will go towards that goal. We are currently accepting submissions for the second anthology in our partnership series with Quadrangle. This collection will feature strong fiction by and about members of the 2SLBGTQIA+ community. We decided to pick a different genre and group under the 2SLGBTQIA+ banner with each collection to focus on, and to choose each pairing at random! The dice decided upon BISEXUAL THRILLER for this year's combination! ​ When is the deadline? February 27th, 2023. Expected for publication in Fall of 2023 What is a Thriller? It's a very broad term for a genre that gets your blood pumping, and is largely action-oriented. Action movies fall under thriller, as...

Deadline: February 28th, 2023 Payment: New stories: $50 for 2.5-5k words, $75 for 5-10K words; $100 for 10-15K; Reprints accepted at half the new story rate Theme: Near future hopepunk Note: Reprints Welcome Open for Submissions: November 1st 2022 – February 28th, 2023 Story Length: 2.5-15K Genre: Near future hopepunk Characters: All welcomed. Diversity (race, sexuality, gender, ability) welcomed Payment: One-time flat fee. New stories: $50 for 2.5-5k words, $75 for 5-10K words; $100 for 10-15K; Reprints accepted at half the new story rate Include: Word file (.doc or .docx, see below), short submission letter with story title, word count, problem addressed in the story, solution/adaptation, and if this is a reprint. Submit to: Editor J. Scott Coatsworth, [email protected] Other Submission Notes: One story per author, please, no simultaneous submissions. Submit Your Story The way we do things now as a society is unsustainable. Garbage is piling up in our landfills and oceans, income inequality is getting worse, and our governments are often paralyzed when it comes to seeking solutions. For the third anthology in the Writers Save the World series, “Transform the World,” we’re focusing on new ways of living and of structuring societies. Stories should be near future (in the next 100 years or so) science fiction with a hopeful tone. Stories do not need to be hard sci fi, but the chosen solution/adaptation should be plausible, given what we know about human nature and society today. That said, we have accepted a few whimsical stories that tickled our fancy in the past. Diversity (race, gender, orientation, ability, mental spectrum etc) encouraged. Submit Your Story Examples: A new colony on Mars is run entirely on a barter/exchange system, with expansion credits for hard work that allow the recipients to start sub colonies of their own. A new city is built on the ocean, where people live in a sustainable way with...