Events

Taking Submissions: Stone’s Throw May 2023 Window

Rock and a Hard Place

Submission Window: May 1st-7th, 2023 Payment: $25 Theme: Someone going through the longest day of the year, the summer solstice. JUNE SUBMISSIONS (opens May 1 - 7, 2023) — The twenty-first of June is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. But our longest days (or nights) aren’t measured by minutes but by worry, hardship, or struggle. We’ve all had days like that, where it feel as if hours have passed only to see a couple minutes have vanished off the clock. So to honor the solstice, we want stories about somebody’s longest, unending day. Send us tales of what someone is going through that is making every Stone’s Throw is the monthly online companion to Rock and a Hard Place Magazine, delivering shorter, sharper content on a regular basis in an electronic medium, before collecting all 12 stories for an annual print anthology. Each month, writers will be given a submission prompt, and the best of the best, by our estimation, will be posted here the following month. INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING? Stone’s Throw will open for submissions the first week of every month, from 12AM on the first through 11:59PM on the seventh. We’re looking for all the same dark fiction, crime and noir as our usual submissions, but with a target length between 1,000 and 2,000 words, and aligned with the monthly submissions prompt (see below). We’ll read through the best, choose the one story that shines brightest, and publish it online the following month, paying $25 per accepted story. After a year, we’ll collect all twelve stories into a Stone’s Throw Anthology, to be published alongside our other print issues. PLEASE NOTE — If you have been accepted within the calendar year for Stone’s Throw, you are ineligible to submit again during that same calendar...

Taking Submissions: Solarpunk Magazine May 2023 Window

Solar Punk Magazine OR, United States

Submission Window: May 1st - 14th, 2023 Payment: Fiction: 1500-7500 words ($.08 per word, $100 minimum), Poetry: up to 5 poems or 5 pages of poems, whichever is shorter. ($40 per poem), Nonfiction: 1000-2000 words ($75 per essay or article), Cover Art: $100 for reprints, $200 for original unpublished, Interior Art: $50 for reprints, $100 for original unpublished Theme: Solarpunk is a prefigurative, utopian artistic movement that envisions what the future might look like if humanity solved major modern challenges like climate change, and created more sustainable and balanced societies. As a genre and cultural aesthetic, it encompasses literature, visual art, fashion, video games, architecture, and more. Solarpunk carries many aspects of punk ideologies such as rebelliousness, humanitarianism, egalitarianism, animal rights, decolonization, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-authoritarianism, anti-corporatism, and anti-consumerism. Similar to the cyberpunk genre, the big difference between the two is that in solarpunk technology and nature are in harmony with one another rather than in conflict. (At the moment, our nonfiction department is always open for submissions. If the fiction portal is closed and you submit fiction through the open nonfiction portal, your submission will be rejected.) All submissions to Solarpunk Magazine are done via Moksha. Any submissions received via email will be deleted without a response. Please don’t email us to describe your story and ask if it’s something we’d be interested in before submitting. We appreciate the consideration, but its easier if you just submit the story through Moksha. Please read the full submission guidelines on down below or on our Moksha page before submitting your work. All submission periods end at 11:59 pm PST on the 14th of their given month. 2023 Submission Window Schedule: January 1-14 March 1-14 (Colorful Roots: BIPOC authors only) May 1-14 July 1-14 September 1-14 2023 Issue Release Schedule: Issue #7 – January 10 Issue #8 –...

Taking Submissions: Road Kill: Texas Horror By Texas Writers Volume 8

Hellbound Books Publishing

Deadline: May 15th, 2023 Payment: Two cents per word Theme: Horror stories that take place in Texas by Texas authors DEADLINE: MAY 1, 2023 HellBound Books is pleased to announce plans for the 2023 edition of Road Kill: Texas Horror by Texas Writers, Vol. 8. Horror author and editor Patrick C. Harrison, III will edit Vol. 8 of the series, which has featured the works of Joe R. Lansdale, Stephen Graham Jones, Robert E. Howard, O. Henry, Jeremy Hepler, Madison Estes, David Bowles and others. Harrison is looking for original horror stories 1,500-10,000 words in length. The stories must be written and submitted by Texas authors and must be set (based) here – hence the title. Two cents per word and contributing writers will receive one free copy and a 50% discounted wholesale price on any copies of the book that he or she purchases to carry and sell on their own. Writer stipends will look something like this: 10,000 words – $200, 7,500 words – $150, 5,000 words – $100, 2,500 words – $50, 1,500 words – $30. All payments will be made after official acceptance, and when acceptance is communicated, each author will need to send a short bio. HellBound will be requesting two-year non-exclusive rights. This means we will use your story in this anthology and we can print excerpts of it online and otherwise (for promotional purposes, etc), but two years down the road you can do with it what you like. The Submission Period begins on February 1, 2023. The deadline to turn in stories is May 15, 2023, and our intent is to have the book printed and available by October 1, 2022 - in plenty of time for Halloween. Please send submissions to [email protected] CONTACT INFORMATION Questions / submissions: [email protected] - Make sure that you...

Taking Submissions: Eidolotry Digital #7

Pyschotoxin Press

Deadline: May 15th, 2023 Payment: $10 plus a contributor copy Theme: The best LGBTQ etc voices out there in the world of horror. No limits, no theme, just your very best stories. Come out, Come out, whoever you are. I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but I wanted to open up the submission call as soon as possible for our June issue. We here at PTP are all about good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. In June we will be celebrating Pride month and we're on the hunt for the best LGBTQ etc voices out there in the world of horror. No limits, no theme, just your very best stories. This issue will be double sized so we look forward to seeing your work. Oh and like all of our work, our writers and artist get paid. ​Pay is $10 plus a contributor copy. ​ Send submissions to [email protected] with Pride in the subject line, or upload a .doc, .docx, or pdf file below. Via: Pyschotoxin Press.

Taking Submissions: Unnerving Books Untitled Crime Anthology

Unnerving Books

Deadline: May 15th, 2023 Payment: 1 cent per word and a contributors copy Theme: Crime Fiction In the near future, Unnerving will be dipping its claws into CRIME fiction, and to launch into this avenue, I’m compiling an anthology. Meaning, I need stories. Short ones: 1,500-8,000 words, preference being 2,500-4,000 words in length. Renumeration is $0.01/word USD + a paperback copy. I’m asking for six months exclusivity. Reprints are okay, as long as they were last printed more than five years ago (personal collections excluded in this period) and are not available to read online (Audio excluded from this request). I want gritty stories. Think Jim Thompson, James M. Cain, Sara Gran, Jo Nesbo. I also like humorous stuff with a dark edge. Think Donald Westlake, Adam Howe, Brian Evenson. I like twists. I like oddity. I like violence. Now, for what I don’t want: no police procedurals, no copaganda, nothing supernatural, no rape revenge stories, nothing pro-religion, and nothing cozy or soft. ​ Stories written using AI tech will not be considered. ​ Send stories to [email protected] in a .docx or .doc file. No PDFs. Double-space your manuscripts. Please use the word ANTHOLOGY in the subject line. Submissions close May 15, 2023. Via: Unnerving Books.

Early Details On PitDark May 2023

Pitch Date: May 25th, 2023 Prizes: A book contract from a publisher; contracts vary between publishers. Generally royalties with the possibility of an advance. Themes: Darker literature (horror, or other forms of fiction that are dark or are mixed genres. Welcome to #PitDark, the only Twitter pitching contest for dark literature! #PitDark is the first and only Twitter pitch event to highlight literature of a “darker” nature. Importantly, this is not limited to horror works; however, any pitched manuscript must contain an element of horror or darker writing. Examples of such categories include pure horror novels, dark fantasy, murder mysteries, psychological horror stories, non-fiction works about darker subjects, etc. MG, YA, NA, and adult age categories are welcome. The next #PitDark will take place on May 25, 2023. You can find the agents and publishers that participated in previous #PitDark events here. Please follow the @PitDark_ Twitter account for up-to-date information about the event. The Basics The contest will happen on Twitter under a common hashtag (#PitDark). During a 12-hour window on the chosen day, authors with completed manuscripts who are seeking representation or publication can tweet a pitch for their books (at most, once per hour). Agents and publishers will make requests by marking pitches as a like on Twitter. If your tweet is liked, please follow the agent or publisher’s submission guidelines. General Pitch Party Rules Pitch limit. Please do not pitch more than once an hour, per manuscript. Time-frame: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. Please do not pitch before or after this twelve-hour period. Please follow these guidelines to keep this event fair to everyone involved! When to Pitch This event happens biannually. The next #PitDark is scheduled for May 25, 2023. On pitch day, we will go from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. What to Pitch Participants get one pitch per hour, per manuscript. This contest...

Taking Submissions: The Drabblecast 2023 Weird West Edition

The Drabblecast

Deadline: May 26th, 2023 Payment: 6 cents per word for original, 3 cents per word for reprints Theme: Weird West Stories Note: Reprints allowed Starting next week, April 26, the Drabblecast will be accepting submissions for a special Weird West event. We want weird west (emphasis on the WEIRD) stories 500-4000 words and pay $.06/word for original fiction and $.03/word for reprints. The Drabblecast is an award-winning online speculative fiction magazine and podcast that publishes “Strange Stories for Strange Listeners,” often also classified as “Weird Fiction.” Loosely, this encompasses any and all genres, but largely centers around those of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. We’re looking for powerful stories that are simultaneously relatable and a good degree off the beaten path. We’re looking for stories that will work particularly well when read aloud and treated with full cast audio production. We’re looking for submissions that are humorous, bizarre, gross, disturbing, badass, interesting, and original — your favorite story that we both know would be a hit if only it found the right home. We’ve been expecting you! Please wipe your feet on the various dismembered feet on your way in. What We Buy Short Fiction — 500 – 4,000 words We Also Run Drabbles — Exactly 100 words. Twabbles — Exactly 100 characters. Episode Art — See the Art page. Payment Considerations: The Drabblecast currently pays $.06/word for original fiction, with a cap of $300.00. The Drabblecast accepts reprint submissions at a pay rate of $.03/word, with a cap of $300.00. Stories under 500 words (including Drabbles and Twabbles) are published on a pro bono basis. The Drabblecast accepts Simultaneous Submissions (please let us know if someone else accepts before us) Drabblecast does NOT accept Multiple Submissions, unless specifically requested or solicited by Drabblecast editorial staff. Your Submission Should: Submit...

Taking Submissions: The Other Stories #93

The Other Stories

Deadline: May 27th, 2023 Payment: 15GBP Theme: Mazes If you think you’ve got what it takes to terrify, scar and haunt our audience of 150k+ monthly listeners, then we want your stories! If accepted, we’ll get our fantastic narration team to lend their voices, our editor will sprinkle some magic pixie dust on the track, and you could have your story heard by thousands of listeners each week. (Vol 93) Mazes: deadline 27th May 2023 SUBMIT YOUR STORIES USING THIS FORM If this form isn’t working, please email your submission to [email protected] as a last resort. Title your email with the following syntax: “SUBMISSION | STORY TITLE | THEME | WORDCOUNT”  (e.g. SUBMISSION | THE MARTIAN | SPACE | 1,982) Submission Guidelines • Stories must be 2,000 (10% tolerance +/-) • Save stories in a Word document - Times New Roman font, size 12 • Include a 1-2 sentence log line for your story at the end of the document • Ensure that your name and an email address are somewhere on the document • Stories must fit an upcoming theme • By submitting your story to us, you are confirming that you are the original creator of the story • We will consider entrants whose work has been entered and published elsewhere, however please ensure you state where and when your story has been used elsewhere on the document • You will be allowed to place one call-to-action for your own work at the end of the episode. Be sure to include this at the end of your document, underneath the log line • Payment per accepted story is 15GBP • 2x entries per theme permitted   When will I hear if my story has been accepted or not? We carefully review every single submission that comes through our door. If you’ve...

Taking Submissions: Cry Baby Bridge: A Collection of Utter Speculation

Speculation Publications

Submission Window: April 27th – May 29th, 2023 Payment: $20 and a contributor’s copy for US residents Theme: What is behind mysteries and legends around bridges? The stories can be based on facts or complete fiction. They can be rooted in real world explanations or supernatural causes, but they need to answer the question, what causes this? Fifth Anniversary Edition Submissions Open April 27 – May 29 Pay: $20 and a contributor’s copy Paperback for US Residents Ebook for authors outside the US Please read and Follow All Guidelines Carefully or your story may be discarded without being read. Email your submission to [email protected] Cover letter and bio should be in the body of the email. Stories are 2500 – 8000 words Story should be sent as a separate .doc or .docx attachment, Formatted in Shunn format style Title your file and subject Crybaby-Authorname-title The Collection of Utter Speculation series speculates about what is behind mysteries and legends. The stories can be based on facts or complete fiction. They can be rooted in real world explanations or supernatural causes, but they need to answer the question, what causes this? Cry Baby Bridge Across the United States there are Bridges that belong to another time. Some aren’t even attached to roads anymore, but they are well known. People who cross them, especially at night, have stories to share of phantom cries, sometimes like a baby, sometimes like a woman. There are legends attached to explain these cries, tragedies of women seeking to flee from horrible situations. How strange that these stories are so prevalent. That so many states have one or more bridge that the residents know of not by its name, (Van Sant, Rouges Hollow, De Kalb Rd) but by the sound both skeptics, believers and unprepared pedestrians hear when...

Taking Submissions: Demonic Workplace: Safer to Call in Sick!

4 Horsemen Publications

Deadline: May 30th, 2023 Payment: 2 contributors' copies Theme: Work with a hell-ish twist The Prompt: Work sucks. We’ve all had a boss or coworker we swore was a demon or held a job where we think we are surrounded with little hellions trying to ruin our day. At times, all we have to do is walk into a strange and unusual business to send unnerving tingles down our spine. An ethereal voice whispers that we might not last if we stay too long. Sometimes, those feelings are correct. Luckily, you can read about those encounters from the safety of your favorite chair instead of experiencing them for yourself. So, use that sick day you’ve been holding onto and save your soul from eternal damnation with Demonic Workplace (Safer to Call in Sick). Deadline May 30th 2023 at Midnight EST Publication By End of 2023 Award 2 complimentary paper copies. US Only. Access to buy author copies at a discounted rate. We retain first publication rights for the first 90 days of publication. After that feel free to sell and republish your entry as you wish. All entries will solely belong to you. Wide distribution. By sending in a submission, you are agreeing to the rights above and will receive confirmation to further information regarding contest. Contest Guidelines Here’s what we need from you to include: 12 pt font Calibri or Times New Roman Double-spaced throughout (without extra spaces between paragraphs) Indented for new paragraphs 1-inch margin all around Include a title page with pen name & author name Title of work Header with pen name, title, and page number in top right-hand corner. 2,500 – 5,000 words You must be 18+ to participate or we must receive permission from your parents or guardian. Important Notes: If you do not follow...