Events

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Deadline: May 30th, 2023 Payment: 2 contributors copies Theme: Fantasy stories The Prompt: Set in a time and place of magic, these fantastic tales contain wizards, dragons, fairies, and warriors. Want to explore a world of dragons and wizards yearning to break free? Dreaming about a guardian saving the town of creatures and talking animals from lurking evil in the forest? Dreams can come true, but they can also be crushed. Sometimes, winged fiends win the day. Let your imagination run wild amid these stories of magic and mayhem. 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 Must be 18+ or have written permission from parent or guardian. Important Notes: If you do not follow the submission and formatting guidelines you will be rejected without feedback and should resubmit. We will not review submissions that fail to follow instructions nor answer the questions we need. You must have your first manuscript completed before submitting. You are only sending us the first 10K words, but it is...

Deadline: May 30th, 2023 Payment: 2 contributors copies Theme: Behold, the four horsemen of the apocalypse and … the other guy. The Prompt: Behold, the four horsemen of the apocalypse and … the other guy. The cataclysm is said to be heralded by a barrage of hoofbeats, each fearsome rider wielding a mighty weapon. The horsemen are so ubiquitous that they have been depicted in art, film, television, video games, comic books, literature, and music. The conqueror, astride a white horse, carries a bow with the string pulled taut. The warlord, riding a roan as red as blood, wears a sword upon his hip. On the black horse sits a rider with hollowed cheeks caused by famine, a pair of scales balanced upon his palm. Finally, on a pale horse, rides death himself, hefting his archetypal scythe. But who didn’t make the cut? Surely, there were other horsemen that auditioned but missed the mark. Perhaps their horse was just a pony or they carried the common cold instead of pestilence. Maybe their audition ended in tears because the other horsemen were too mean. The Other Horsemen is a collection of stories by big names and talented newcomers answering just that. 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...

Deadline: May 30th, 2023 Payment: 2 contributors' copies Theme: Offices that have Supernatural Beings in them The Prompt: Sometimes we think our co-workers could be from another planet or our boss from another dimension, but what if that was true? What if the guy in the cubicle next door gets his work done quickly because he has two heads or four arms? Or maybe your boss can be anywhere in the office because he can walk through walls as a ghostly spirit? A fun and “horrific” collection of tales from the office where coffee breaks include drinking joe with the vampire accountant or working a weekend with your shape-shifting boss. Paranormal Incorporated: Office Memo 2 brings horror and humor together as the classic witch, ghost, demon, shifter and other horror stories readers love find themselves in the corporate environment of fax machines, office memos, and that never-ending smell from the fridge. Well, that might be a zombie co-worker in there! Your story could be part of this variety of paranormal fables, so enter your entry into our anthology contest today, and your story could be the latest offering of spine-tingling and belly-laughing literature from 4 Horsemen Publications! 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...

Deadline: May 30th, 2023 Payment: 2 contributors' copies Theme: Sentient life in the multiverse The Prompt: When last did you look to the night sky and wonder what might loom in the far reaches of the universe? Did you imagine meeting someone among the stars? These are the tales of sentient life in the multiverse… Of the strange and diverse sophonts, hive minds, anarcho-syndicalist collectives, and anyone—or anything—you can encounter among the star systems, galaxies, and universes that surround us. Some linger lovingly on the jagged edge of horror. Some offer immortality, others knowledge or hope or comfort beyond imagining. These tales dare to explore the endless diversity of intelligent life in the multiverse. Are you brave enough to come along for the ride? Discover and experience first-hand as these tales answer the question: Is there life out there? Is it intelligent? Can we talk to them? What do these sophonts look like, feel like? How do they smell and taste? Very importantly, Do They Party? These twelve short stories offer fully immersive science fiction that bring us into space and push us beyond a pale definition of sentient life. From the organic to the artificial to something in between—from the fully embodied to the fully simulated—so many aliens, so little time! 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...

Deadline: May 30th, 2023 Payment: $0.08 CAD per word Theme: short fiction and poetry focused on long-term relationships in any genre (though they prefer uplifting so probably better for Scifi/Fantasy.) Note: Looking for at least 50% Canadian authors We're looking for short fiction and poetry focused on long-term relationships: platonic, romantic, or familial. We don't want the blaze of new love or the obsession of a new friend. We want pieces that show that comfort that develops when people know each other for years. Give us deep space, dusty frontiers, or dreamy fantasy. We want stories and poetry with strong, confident relationships amid all the sci-fi/fantasy. While we are primarily looking for stories with happy endings (yeah, yeah), we also want endings that are earned. If things get a little teary or gory, that's ok. We are especially interested in stories featuring queer platonic relationships, ace/aro love stories, and polycules. Payment Payment is $0.08 CAD per word for short fiction (1,000-3,500 words) and $60 CAD flat per poem. We are purchasing first publication rights, to revert back to the author after one year. Canadian Writers Since Heartlines Spec is primarily a Canadian magazine, we're looking to feature writers identifying as being from Canada/Turtle Island. This includes expats, refugees and displaced people living in Canada, new immigrants, and people who refuse/resist Canadian Identity*. Heartlines welcomes submissions from writers of all identities. If you are comfortable, we encourage writers to indicate their intersections in their cover letter. Disclosure is not a requirement to submit, and we recognize that not all people are safe to disclose their identities. We are committed to addressing barriers and systemic discrimination faced by equity-deserving groups, which includes (but is not limited to): Racialized people People with disabilities LGBTQIA+ people Indigenous people Women Neurodivergent people Our goal for each issue...