Events

Submission Window: March 1st - 31st, 2023 Payment: $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue Theme: Any genre, short story Mission = Revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful. Payout = Base Pay of $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Wait, you mean if this substack gets thousands of subscribers, the winner would get thousands of dollars? Yes! The New Yorker pays roughly $7,500 per story and I sincerely hope to go way past that. What does the timeline look like? Submit stories by the end of the month, winner to be announced on the 15th. There is ONE story that wins and receives the full payout. Where do I send submissions? [email protected] What are the rules for submitting? 1. No Fees 2. Send in Microsoft Word or Google Doc form 3. Any genre 4. 6- 10,000 words. Yes, just 6 words, like Hemingway's famous 6-word story "For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn." 5. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute. 6. Acknowledge Distribution Rights on this Substack - You can still sell your story elsewhere but we need to be able to save and publish it here. The goal is to create a library for subscribers. 7. Only the winner will be published and rights will only transfer for the winning story. What do I get for subscribing? One beautiful story every month. The complete library. The joy of supporting artists and doing something interesting. What if I can’t pay right now? That’s ok! If you publish a blurb about this site on your website, blog, or social media, I will send you one full story of your choosing. Best of all, it is...

Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: $40 USD Theme: Eerie stories that would be perfect to be told around a campfire! Pull up a seat, roast a marshmallow, and tell us a tale. We want the stories you’d whisper in the dark. The kind that linger and leave readers with more questions than they answer. We want a little bit of campiness and a whole lot of speculation on the world around us. We prefer stories set in a rural backdrop with the intimate feeling of a small town. We want sparse populations and a closeness to nature. The stories don’t need to be about camping necessarily, but they should evoke the eerie feeling of a story told around a campfire with the strange sounds of the forest just beyond the firelight. All stories will need to be previously unpublished (this includes your own website/blog/etc.) and must feature a speculative element, whether it’s magic or monsters or anything in between. All subgenres of speculative fiction are welcome, although sci-fi will be a harder sell. We will judge all stories by their own merits though, so if you think you have something that fits, we want to read it. A note on horror: we are not looking for gratuitous violence, grimdark, or gothic romanticism. We will not accept any stories featuring bigotry, hateful language, or sexual assault of any kind. This is an anthology for adults so some sex/violence/profanity is fine, as long as it directly pertains to the story and isn’t used solely for shock value. We do want our grandmothers to read this though, so any sex should preferably be fade-to-black rather than overly descriptive. Guidelines: Deadline: March 31st, 2023 at 11:59 EST Word count: 2,000-5,000 words Payment: $40 USD per accepted story, paid through PayPal. Rights: First world print and digital publication rights...

Submission Window: March 1st - 31st, 2023 Payment: 2 contributors' copies and 1 cent per word Theme: Short fiction and narrative poetry that are horror and horror-adjacent, and particularly well-suited for traditional storytelling. Opens: March 1, 2023 Closes: March 31, 2023 Before submitting, please read about our magazine so you know our mission and our literary interests. Our list of influences may also give you a sense of the types of work we’re looking for. We accept submissions from creators of every ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, creed, nationality, ability, and economic background. Further, we encourage submissions from those whose voices are underrepresented or frequently silenced. You are welcome here. Please don’t self-reject by not submitting. Fiction/Poetry The Deeps seeks to publish pieces of short fiction and narrative poetry that are horror and horror-adjacent, and particularly well-suited for traditional storytelling. We have a special interest in stories that are gothic, folkloric, cosmic, or psychological in nature. Please do not submit works that have been previously released in any format: online, digital, audio, or print. (Distribution on social media and Pateron (etc.) count as online publication.) We are currently not considering reprints, nor are we interested in nonfiction. Please no extreme or erotic horror. Requirements: Submissions must be no longer that 6,000 words, firm. Simultaneous submissions should be clearly indicated as such in your cover letter; please notify us immediately if your submission is accepted elsewhere. Fiction: no multiple submissions, only one story per submission. Poetry: up to three poems in a single document, the total word count not exceeding 6,000 words. For accepted submissions we pay 1 cent ($0.01) per word; a minimum of $20 will be paid to each contributor. Each contributor will also receive 2 print copies after publication. We ask for 6-month exclusivity and the first worldwide rights...

Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: horror, fantasy and science fiction Our editorial team would be happy to hear from you. Below is an overview for paid and unpaid submissions. PAID SUBMISSIONS MetaStellar Magazine has two cycles for paid submissions each year, where we pay 8 cents a word for flash fiction. Unfortunately, we cannot pay for submissions outside these two cycles. To keep up with our paid submissions windows, you can subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Twitter. If you are interested in submitting, please see our fiction submission page. Original flash fiction submissions are closed. Our next submission cycle opens March 1 and runs through March 31. Accepted authors will be notified by April 15. To keep up with our paid submissions windows, you can subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Twitter. We are able to pay for original flash fiction through the kind generosity of our Patreon supporters. Your donations allow us to accept and publish original speculative fiction at a time when publishing opportunities for new writers are extremely limited. Please direct your questions related to original fiction to [email protected]. Please see our overview for non-paying opportunities with MetaStellar. Via: MetaStellar Magazine.

Deadline: March 31st 2022 Payment: 10 cents per word Theme: Gambler's Grief NOTE: The magazine also runs a monthly contest with a $3000 prize, though the contest is only open to members who pay the $10/month fee The stakes rise, your eyes gleam. Slowly, carefully, you reach for the card up your sleeve. One big win and everything changes, but the deck is stacked against you. Is the risk worth the reward? Gambling, a favorite past-time dating back thousands of years. From friendly wagers to deadly deals. Win the bet; reap the reward. But no streak can last forever. Losses mount, loans are made, and we lie: just one more game. Double or nothing. Deeper into the hole. Every choice is a gamble on your future. Chance is a fickle mistress and regret stalks close behind. Bet your livestock, your coin, your soul. Don’t dance with the devil—the game is rigged. Take a person’s last coin and they’ve got nothing to lose. Card sharks, casinos, and carnivals. Tailored suits reduced to rags. The rich bet higher but fall harder. Flash your wealth and gain entry to the back room. The illegal game. The blood sport. Dodge the law and deposit the spoils. When the chips are down and all bets are off, what’s in your hand? This contest invites you to explore gambler’s grief, whatever that means to you. Fantasy, contemporary, romance, crime. All genres are welcome. All new writers can submit work to the magazine. It’s free. We don’t believe publications should charge authors to be published. However, we have a specific submission process you must adhere to in order to have your work considered. Our submissions window opens on the first and closes at midnight on the final day of each month. Each issue of the magazine is themed...

Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: $15 USD and a contributors copy Theme: sub-dermal body horror about terrors lurking under the skin SUBMISSION PERIOD: January 9 - March 31st PUBLICATION: July 2023 Submissions open Jan 9. for our debut short story collection: CRAWLING. We're looking for sub-dermal body horror about terrors lurking under the skin: infestations and transformations with an emphasis on the embodied experience. What are we looking for? Body horror short stories (3,500-6,500 words) FRESH perspectives on the body horror genre from othered voices (women, non-binary, trans, and queer perspectives). Themes: sub-dermal horror, infestations, body horror, possessions, and transformations. Submission Requirements Your work must be 100% your work. You must own the copyright to your submission. In your email include: short author biography and links to your social media. Story length must be 3,500 to 6,500 words. Please submit your work in the period stated, this is from January 9 through to March 31 2023. When submitting your short story, please send them to our email address [email protected] Include trigger warnings with your submission Accepted authors will receive compensation per our contract agreement of $15 USD + physical author copy. Via: Hear Us Scream.

Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: 2 cents per word Theme: Science fiction, dark or horror, involving military or military-like characters Submissions will be open 3/1/23-3/31/23 Stories must be flash fiction, less than 1,000 words in length. Stories must be science fiction, must be dark or have an element of horror, and must be about or centered around military or paramilitary characters. Read the first volume in the series if you’re not sure what we’re looking for. The anthology will appear in digital, print, and audio formats. A simple contract will be sent outlining terms but we are requiring no exclusivity. Once your story is published, you are free to sell it elsewhere. Compensation: .02 per word and a digital copy of the finished anthology. Submit each story with the subject line “Dread Space Submission: by ” to [email protected]. Send stories attached as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf. If submitting more than one story send each in a separate email. Please include a bio in third person of no more than 50 words. Reprints are welcome and will be accepted at half the rate of original submissions. Please state in your email if the submission is original or a reprint and where it was originally published. Multiple submissions are welcome (up to three at any given time). Simultaneous submissions are also welcome. Via: Shacklebound Books.

Submission Window: April 1st - 30th, 2023 Payment: 1 cent per word for fiction, $5 for poetry, 1 cent per word for non-fiction, $35 for cover art Theme: Speculative fiction Note: Apologies for the delay, this was meant to go up in January and never published. It's our goal to publish diverse voices from around the world, and to do that, we are actively seeking stories, poems, and non-fiction pieces by authors from backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented in the science fiction and fantasy canon. Our submission cycle is therefore split into two categories, where every other month is explicitly reserved for submissions by authors of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups. The interposing six months remain open to everyone. Guidelines for Fiction We are seeking stories in the English language up to 6,000 words by writers from around the world. We favor submisions that have not been published before (including on your own website), though we do accept a limited number of reprints not currently appearing anywhere online. For our two issues focused on the climate crisis, we're particularly interested in publishing stories from people displaced by or threatened by the climate emergency (see our themes below). For our other four issues, we're open to a wide variety of stories across the SFF and weird spectra. We pay 1¢ per word for fiction, and we try to respond to all submissions within ten weeks. We will also accept a limited number of previously published stories, so please indicate on the form if your submission is a reprint. All submissions must use the Shunn manuscript format (we prefer Courier New) and be either .rtf, .doc, or .docx. We like stories that are subtle in their telling and stick with us long after we've finished. We're...

Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: $10 Theme: Recipes that hint at a deeper narrative without violating the recipe structure, for this issue, recipes with representation Note: LGBTQ+ authors for this installment Calling all chefs! Send us your darkest goulash, your most violent sachertorte, your transformative aperitif. Pass down your great-aunt’s potluck dish for a party that ended … poorly. We are a cookbook for a dreadful feast, in the style of a recipe blog. Submissions: Subs are open! We will be open March 15-31, 2023. Submissions from BIPOC and LGBTQ+ writers, writers with disabilities, and early-career writers are especially encouraged. If you need any accommodations to submit, please email! Pride Month Special: Our June recipes will be themed for Pride month. We’re looking for recipes with representation, or which touch on themes that would be appropriate. If you are an LGBTQ+ author and would like to submit a recipe for our June Special Menu, the subject line of your email should read “RECIPE SUBMISSION - - Pride” during the March submissions period. FAQ about this: Any authors are welcome to submit anything, but the Pride Month Special portion of the call is limited to LGBTQ+ authors. LGBTQ+ authors, however, are not limited to submitting for the Special Menu. You do not need to out yourself— submitting for the Special Menu will be considered a promise that you consider yourself to be included. If you are sending two recipes please note which one is for the Special (or if both are). How to submit: Email your recipe in the usual formatting (loosely, Shunn, but we do not need your address). Send it to deathcapandhemlock at gmail.com as an attachment with the subject line “RECIPE SUBMISSION - ”. You should receive a receipt confirmation and all submissions will receive a response (acceptance/rejection)....

  Deadline: March 31st, 2023 Payment: 1 cent CAD per word Theme: The element of cups, does not require it to include anything tarot related Welcome to our four-book series, dedicated to horror inspired by the Tarot.  Does the story have to be about Tarot Cards... NO. Think cups, knives, wands, and pentacles. We are looking for the theme to be the element, not necessarily the card itself, although we would love to read that as well.  Chalice - Pentacles - Blades - Wands ​ **Patron Members get an extended submission window** ​ March 1- 31: Chalice  (Patron dates Feb 21 - April 7) June 1- 30: Pentacles (Patron dates May 23 - July 7) Sept 1- 30: Blades/Swords  (Patron dates August 24 - October 7) Dec 1- 31: Wands (Patron dates November 23 - January 7) ​ ​ Each book will have an overriding theme of a Tarot suit and be between 50k - 60k words in length. They will be stand-alone books but will make up a four-book series. ​ ​​Word count: 1500 - 7000 firm. Payment: Flat rate payment ¢1 per word CAD after approved edits. Reprints? No ​Multiple Submission? No ???? Only one submission per author per theme/quarter. ​Formatting: Please use 12 pt Times New Roman, 1.5 line spacing, set auto-indent new paragraphs. Add the story title to the top of the manuscript. Do not include your name or email in the manuscript. These stories will be read "blind" by our reading team. Title your manuscript "Title of Story - Theme" for example "Borderline Nuisance - Tarot Wands" Please make sure the title of the story and the title on the manuscript match. ​ How to submit? Submit via the Form - Which will open on the start of each quarter. (A button will appear) IF you have issues...