Events

Deadline: July 8th, 2023 Payment: $15 per poem, $0.01 per word ($40 minimum) for short stories, and $50 per art piece Theme: Gothic stories, any genre From June 1st - July 8th, Diet Milk Magazine will be accepting submissions for its Spring/Summer issue. We will be open to poetry, prose, and visual art of all kinds. While the most detailed information can be found on our website, here's a quick rundown of what potential contributors need to know! GENERAL GUIDELINES: All submissions must fall under the Gothic umbrella, but aren't required to be a specific genre No reprints or multiple submissions Simultaneous submissions permitted, though we ask to be informed promptly if your work is accepted elsewhere! Poetry/Prose submissions should be .doc, .docx, or .pdf // Art submissions should be .jpeg or .png If you receive a rejection, you may submit again (with new work) immediately P O E T R Y : Poets may submit up to three poems at a time. No single poem should exceed five pages in length. P R O S E : Authors may submit one short story at a time, up to 5000 words. This doesn't have to be on the dot, but stories exceeding 5025 words will be rejected automatically. A R T : Artists may submit up to two pieces at a time. We'll consider any type of visual art. If you're unsure whether or not your work falls into this category, query us first. Reach out to [email protected] using the subject line "QUERY: YourName ". We'll let you know within 24 hours if your preferred medium is eligible. Responses, Rights, & Payment Please allow up to three weeks for a response. After that, send a gentle nudge via email Diet Milk Magazine asks for first serial rights. Upon publication, all rights revert back to the creator. A contract will be provided upon acceptance All payments made...

Deadline: July 10th, 2023 Payment: $20 Theme: Feminist Horror The Crow's Quill is an online literary magazine, brought to you by Damon Barret Roe and the rest of Quill & Crow Publishing House's editorial team, that boasts stories horrific, dark, and defiantly macabre.  Are you a writer? Join us! We are looking for short stories that fall under different monthly themes. Submissions Requirements Submissions will be read in the order they are received. Please only submit one previously unpublished story per month. You will receive notification within one week of your chosen month's submission end date. Please be sure to send in your best work; all submissions are final. Do not send us unrequested re-writes after your initial submission. Please note, we will not consider any submissions written, developed, or assisted by A.I. writing tools; please do not submit A.I. written stories to us. We are looking for a total of 4-8 stories per month, so please get your submission in as soon as possible. We are offering $20 per short story. Please attach your 1500-2000 word story in .docx format (12 pt Times/double spaced) to an email with a brief query. Please specify which month/theme you are submitting for. *Please include a trigger warning in your submissions email for any instances of child/animal death/abuse. Poetry Submissions Requirements Note: Poetry submissions close on the 20th of each month, 10 days after the story submissions close. Submissions will be read in the order they are received. Please only submit one previously unpublished poem per month. You will receive notification within one week of your chosen month's submission end date. Please send to the correct email. We are looking for a total of two poems per month, so please get your submissions in as soon as possible. We are offering $10 per poem....

Submission Window: July 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: Hopeful short stories and poetry that strive for a utopian ideal, that are set in futures where communities are optimistically struggling to solve or adapt to climate change, to create or maintain a world in which humanity, technology, and nature coexist in harmony rather than in conflict. 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 – March 14 Issue #9 – May 9 Issue #10 – July 11 (Theme: Colorful Roots)* Issue #11 – September 12 (Theme: Solarpunk Myths)** Issue #12 – November 14 *Submissions for the Colorful Roots themed issue will be accepted during our March submission window. This is to accommodate our guest editor’s (TBA) schedule. **Submissions for the Solarpunk Myths themed issue will be accepted during any open submission window. Please include #SolarpunkMyths in your cover letter. ***More information on 2023 themed issues can...

Deadline: July 14th, 2023 Payment: $15 and a contributors copy Theme: Poems, art, and flash inspired (NOT Fan Fiction!) by shows airing on The CW In 2007, CBS and Warner Brothers’s baby was born–a network that has, since, never been profitable, very sparsely decorated on the awards scene, but nonetheless beloved. We want your Supernatural elegies, your Riverdale impressionistic collages, your Hellcats list essays, Gossip Girl-voice inspired prose poems. Ode to the Charmed reboot. Cut lyrics to a Crazy Ex-Girlfriend number. Anything about the DCTVU. Work that is fun, leaning into obsession, formal, anti-formal, as long as it engages with a show that aired on the CW. This zine will be co-edited by Summer Farah and Lip Manegio. Submission guidelines: Poems: 2-3 pieces, no more than 5 pages total Creative Non-fiction: 1000 words maximum Visual Art: 2-3 pieces, maximum of 3 pages Please no fiction/fanfiction! We love you, though. Submissions are open until July 14th and can be sent through this Google form. All contributors will receive a small honorarium of $15 and a contributor’s copy of the final zine. Via: Ginger Bug.

Deadline: July 15th, 2023 Payment: $20 per story or artwork Theme: Electric Spec prefers science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we're willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres. submissions at electricspec (dot) comPlease don't query us about your story submission. We don't have the manpower to answer such queries. An editor will email you back as soon as possible with the decision about your story. This can take a few days, or, up to three months. We make every effort to get back to authors in a timely manner but we get a lot of submissions so sometimes it's not possible. A note on our editorial policy: before publication we may work with the author to edit the story for length or readability. However, we always remain true to the spirit of the story and the author has final approval. Issues are published at the end of February, May, August, and November. We reserve the right to shift publication date slightly, as necessary. We have reading periods for each issue, though we never close to submissions. February closes January 15 May closes April 15 August closes July 15 November closes October 15 Please do not submit the same story more than once, and please submit only one story at a time. We consider any story between 250 and 7000 words with speculative fiction elements. We prefer science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we're willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres. We do not consider poetry, stories with over-the-top sex or violence, serials, novels, fan fiction, or non-fiction. We don't accept multiple submissions; in other words, only submit one story at a time and wait for a response before submitting another. We accept simultaneous submissions as long as you let us know up...

Deadline: July 15th, 2023 Payment: $25 Theme: Stories blending dreamscapes and reality WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR Stuck inside a dreamworld, stuck inside your head, terrors unfold. We are looking for stories that blend dreamscapes into reality, stories where nightmares come alive, where fears take shape, and we can no longer tell what’s real and what’s not. SUBMISSION INFO Submissions must be between 2,000 and 5,000 (Word counts are firm) Title, submitter's name, pen name (if different), story word count and author email address must be at the top of your submission. Submissions must be sent to [email protected]. Please include NIGHTMARE SUBMISSION in the subject of the email. AI cannot write submissions (Artificial Intelligence.) I will disqualify any author that submits work that is not written by them from submitting to Exploding Head Fiction in the future and all future anthologies. Submissions must be written in 12 pt. Times New Roman font, 1" margins, double spaced. All scene breaks must be three asterisks, centered on the page, with no spaces in between (***) Submissions must be in .Docx or .Doc format. Submissions should be clean and edited to the best of the author's ability. Submissions must contain elements of horror centered on nightmares and/or dreams. Submissions must not have been published elsewhere before in any form. Authors may submit as many stories as they want for review, however, there will be a limit of one published story per author. Please include in the email's body any content warnings (if you chose to use them) Simultaneous submissions are allowed; however, we ask that you inform us immediately if another publisher picks up your story The Nightmare Never Ends will be released October 2023 Submissions must be in by July 15, 2023 Authors will be notified on whether their story was accepted...

Submission Window: July 1st-15th, 2023 Payment: $0.03 per word Theme: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right with a focus on "It Was All A Dream" What is your least favorite horror trope? Why? Has it been overdone? Is it predictable? Is it unrealistic? Here’s your chance to fix it. Open call submission window open July 1 - July 15, 2023. Extended submission window exclusively for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and marginalized writers open July 16 - July 22, 2023. The anthology will be a mix of solicited stories and stories selected from the open call submission period. What are we looking for? Short horror, weird, dark fiction between 1500 and 3000 words (firm limit) that take your least favorite horror trope and make it work. Take a trope that’s well-worn, overused, predictable, tough to swallow, and scare the hell out of us with it. Turn it on its head, or make it bizarre enough to still surprise. Really take some time to understand why your chosen trope often fails and how you can make it into a successful (read: scary, surprising, weird, shocking, heartwrenching, maybe even funny) horror story. This anthology is open to all writers, but we strongly encourage writers from the LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and other marginalized communities to submit. What are we NOT looking for? Stories that deal with bigotry are fine, but bigoted stories are not. Graphic rape or sexual assault scenes will not be accepted. Any story that does not contain elements of horror, weird fiction, or dark fiction will not be considered. Erotic elements are fine, but keep in mind this is not a call for erotica so make sure it contains elements of horror, weird, or dark fiction. How to submit: Word format (.docx), in something approximating standard manuscript format (double-spaced, 12pt font, word...

Submission Window: June 1st, 2023 - July 15th, 2023 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Science fiction and speculative fiction Note: Open to writers that are marginalized members of the sci-fi/spec community GENERAL (i.e. non micro-fiction) GUIDELINES We are currently closed to GENERAL flash submissions. We will open June 1, 2023 for Volume 4 submissions and remain open until July 15, 2023. We want science fiction and speculative fiction. So long as it falls into one of these categories, we will happily read it. If other elements are present, that is fine, but it must include science or speculative fiction. No more than 1000 words. This is a firm limit. Please no queries about longer pieces. NO AI-GENERATED/ASSISTED STORIES Pay rate is professional - $0.08 US/word This is for marginalized members of the sci-fi/spec community—this includes people of color, the LGBTQ2S+ community, members of marginalized genders, and disabled and neurodiverse people. If you are not a person of color, LGBTQ2S+, neurodiverse, disabled, or of a marginalized gender, please DO NOT send us your work. Authors of all accepted pieces will have the option to include a short bio in the anthology. We understand the sensitive nature of gender identity and sexual orientation, so if you wish this status to remain unwritten and/or if you prefer to be anonymous, we will print only what you wish to be printed. If you would like your piece published under a pseudonym, please indicate this on your submission. If you would like your pronouns included, please indicate those as well. DO NOT send us anything hateful. No gratuitous violence, torture, rape, or any work that promotes an ideology unbecoming of an inclusive society – no stories supporting racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, or any other of the many forms of hate. Minutiae Please prepare your...

Submission Window: July 1st - 15th, 2023 Payment: $50 Theme: Stories that are "scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad" What We Publish At 34 Orchard, we like dark, intense pieces that speak to a deeper truth. We’re not genre-specific; we just like scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad. We like things we can’t put down and things that make us go “wow” when we’ve finished. But our main goal here at 34 Orchard is to publish the stuff we like to read, and you’re not in our heads. So don’t over think it. Just submit. We are an international journal and welcome submissions from everyone, all over the world. As of our Fall 2021 issue, we have published work from Africa, Australia, Canada, Croatia, Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Word Counts Short fiction from 1000 to 7500 words Poetry any style or length When We Publish We publish two issues per year, one in the spring (April) and one in the fall (November). Issues are hosted on this site as PDFs. Reading Period Our reading period for the Spring Issue is January 1-January 31. Our reading period for the Fall Issue is July 1-July 31. We only accept submissions, therefore, during January and July. Anything submitted to us outside those months will be deleted unread, and no response will be sent. Simultaneous Submissions Yes, we welcome and encourage them! Just notify us at [email protected] if it’s been accepted elsewhere as soon as you know. Multiple Submissions No. We only consider one piece of fiction per writer at a time. Poetry: you may send up to three at once as three separate documents attached to one email. Reprints No. We don’t accept anything from our open submissions call that has been previously published. How to Submit  Pieces which do not follow guidelines will be rejected unread.  Shunn formatting for fiction or Shunn formatting for poetry .DOC...

Deadline: July 15th, 2023 Payment: $25 Theme: Ghost stories where the supernatural isn't explained Submissions open June 1, 2023 through July 15, 2023. Contact: [email protected] Estimated Publication Date: November 2023. Story Length: Between 2,000 and 3,500 words.  (Hard Limits. Nothing above or below will be considered.) Stories need not take place in December, but all stories must be ghost stories—no supernatural explained. (With apologies to Ann Radcliffe.) Fiction only. No gore, no rape, no gratuitous sex, no agendas, just your best chilling ghost story.  New stories preferred. Edits to style, story, and sentence structure may be required. If you're not open to considering edits, please do not submit. Reprints of exceptional stories will be considered. If your story is a reprint, please include its complete publication history. Please submit your story as a Word.doc or Word.docx file. Please include your name and story's name in email's title.  PLEASE USE INDENTS AND NOT TABS TO SET PARAGRAPHS.  Payment: $25 US (through PayPal or Venmo) per accepted story for worldwide publication, English language rights. (Author retains story copyright.) Apologies, but this anthology MAY be eBook format only, so no free author copies.  General Submission Guidelines: Word.doc or Word.docx format. Double spaced, New Times Roman font, 12 pt preferred. PLEASE USE INDENTS AND NOT TABS TO SET PARAGRAPHS.  If you're a published author, please include your publication history. If you aren't a published author, fear not. Curious Blue Press was created with you in mind.  Send your submission to [email protected]. You will not receive an acknowledgment of receipt, so if it's been more than six weeks without a response, please feel free to nudge.  (Seriously, the goal is to get back to you with an acceptance or nonacceptance within two weeks.) Regarding nonacceptance: Please don't take it personally. A nonacceptance doesn't mean you're a bad writer or...