Events

Deadline: August 6th, 2023 Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word. Theme: Folk Horror A New Collection of Horror Stories We are very excited to give you advance notice of a new call for submissions on the theme: Folk Horror. Folk horror evokes the spirit of the land. With the steady rhythm of ancient life it breathes in the stories that dwell amongst the shadows, and exhales thick shrouds of darkness to overwhelm the reader with the shivering and writhing of supernatural murmurings. Dark folkloric tales emerge from the forests of the North, the deserts of the south, the mountain passes and the long cold nights under the stars. Can you conjure such fare from your dark imagination? We’re looking for four stories to join the curated selection by Paul Kane and Marie O’Regan which will launch our new series, Beyond and Within, next Summer. Paul Kane and Marie O’Regan are the award-winning authors and editors of many books. Together they have co-edited anthologies such as The British Fantasy Society: A Celebration, A  Carnivàle  of Horror: Dark Tales from the Fairground, Hellbound Hearts, The Mammoth Book of Body Horror, Exit Wounds, Wonderland (a Shirley Jackson Award finalist), Cursed, Twice Cursed and The Other Side of Never, featuring authors such as Neil Gaiman, Joanne Harris, Dean Koontz, Catriona Ward and Stephen King. They have also been involved in organizing conventions for twenty years, co-chairing ChillerCon in Scarborough in May 2022. Find out more at their sites shadow-writer.co.uk and marieoregan.net. Submit to: [email protected] Terms: Multiple submissions are fine but must be in separate emails. Simultaneous submissions are fine but you must have the right to license your story in an anthology. Please only submit unpublished/original/new stories for consideration. Reprints will not be accepted for consideration. For accepted stories we pay Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) rates of 8 cents/6 pence per word. We will aim to read each story and confirm its status within 4 months...

Deadline: August 10th, 2023 Payment: $20 Theme: Shapeshifters September Shapeshifters SUBMISSIONS CLOSE: August 10th 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 Please only submit one previously unpublished story per month.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. Please attach your 50 word minimum (maximum of 20 lines) poem to an email with a brief query, including its title (if applicable). Please specify which month/theme you are submitting for. *Please include a trigger warning in your submissions email for any instances of child/animal...

Deadline: August 11th, 2023 Payment: 1 cent per word Theme: Cozy cosmic horror UNDERLAND PRESS is publishing SHUB-NIGGURATH'S SWEATER, a cozy cosmic horror anthology. This project will be edited by Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito and Mark Teppo, and it will be launching in October 2023. THE PITCH: We acknowledge the futility inherent in cosmic horror. There are no winners in this life. Ultimately, we are insignificant and existence is meaningless. The best minds gibber at the unholiness of it all, and then cack off because they can't comprehend any alternative. Whatever. The rest of us still have to get up in the morning and go to work. We want to see stories about those who continue on. Stories about those who know their spouses are planning on sacrificing them during the next full moon, but in the meantime, these spouses make a solid mac and cheese and they listen when you bitch about the absurd emptiness that is the day job. Send us stories about those who shed a quiet tear as they wait for the tea kettle to boil, knowing who they buried—for the second time—in the yard less than an hour ago. Tell us tales of those who know where the black wool comes from, but they wear the sweater anyway because it was a gift—an expression of love—and, well, screw being alone because that’s worse than the horror of the unknowable, isn’t it? This is Shub-Niggurath’s Sweater. Wrap it tight. Burn some sage. Light a few candles. Yes, the Old Ones are out there, but there's no reason not to be cozy. THE DETAILS: This project is on an extremely short deadline. The submission window is open now and closes August 11th, 2023. Stories should be between 1,000 and 5,000 words. We'll consider longer stories, but we're not interested in novellas for...

Deadline: August 15th, 2023 Payment: ½ cent a word Theme: Flash feel-good fantasy stories Here are the guidelines for our first flash fiction anthology. It must be a fiction short story, not an essay or poem.1000 words maximum.We want a feel-good fantasy story, if not feel-good, make someone in the story happy. Soft revenge and kismet are under the umbrella of feel good or satisfying, (No outright horror, gore, or overall nastiness.)  IRONY AND HUMOR ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED AS WELL AS A GOOD TWIST. We do not want: Sword & Sorcery, animals living in little animal villages, acting and thinking like humans, and dressing in clothing, current politics or religious opinions in the story, we are not a soapbox, no reprints that have ever been published online and are still available online. (Amazon does not carry eBooks with stories that are available online. ) AND NO AI WRITTEN STORIES WHATSOEVER!!!!!!!Opening The Ides Of May 5/15.  Closing: The dog days of August 8/15 11:59 EST  You may submit up to two stories submitted individually. Submit to: [email protected]  Format: Standard manuscript format. If you don't know what that is look up Shunn Format.  If it is not in proper format it will not be read.   Word .doc and .docx. NOTHING ELSE. Subject line should read: SUBMISSION: Title - author's last name - word countPAYMENT:  ½ cent a word via PayPal. Via: Jersey Pines Ink.

  Deadline: August 15th, 2023 Payment: $10 Theme: Halloween We are now OPEN to poetry and fiction submissions for our Halloween 2023 Issue, as well as fiction submissions for our summer challenge, deadline 8/15/23. Tales from the Moonlit Path publishes dark, eerie, speculative stories. Horror is not a necessary element, although fiction should contain some aspect of the weak, frail, changeable human condition. Gore and explicit sex for the sake of visceral shock will not find a home here, though we are not opposed to it in general, if it belongs in the story. We are interested in character-driven stories more so than plot-driven, and we prefer dark fiction that makes us think, makes us feel, wraps us in its well-spun dream. Hard sci-fi and fantasy are a hard sell for us, but not impossible. Revenge and ironic stories are also a hard sell. Although we would love to publish fiction longer than 2,000 words, it is our experience that reading stories longer than that on a monitor can be tiresome and hard on the eyes. So please, fiction must be no longer than 2,000 words. Please include a short cover letter with your story, your name, email address, paypal information for payment, word count (please make sure an accurate word count is included in your short cover letter) and bio if we choose to publish your work. We accept email submissions only at [email protected]. WE DO NOT ACCEPT ATTACHMENTS. If your story is attached, it will be deleted unread. Please submit your story embedded within the email, with this format in the subject line: Your last name: Fiction-submission. Please use regular formatting. 12 point Helvetica or similar font, double spaced is HIGHLY appreciated. We do NOT send received notifications for fiction submissions but feel free to query us after six weeks if...

Deadline: August 19th, 2023 Payment: 15GBP Theme: Masks 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 96) Masks II: deadline 19th August 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...

Deadline: August 25, 2023 Payment: .10 Per Word Theme: Queer Neurodivergent Horror of any sub-genre/trope A Queer Neurodivergent Horror Anthology edited by Aquino Loayza, Lor Gislason, and Roxie Voorhees. Deadline: August 25, 2023 Payment: .10 Per Word Theme: Queer Neurodivergent Horror of any sub-genre/trope Deep in the recesses of our minds are twisted realities that closely mirror our own. In these pages our nightmares are laid bare, made to manifest. There is no waking up, there is no going back once you fall into the tapestry of terrors that await. Are you ready? Aquino Loayza, author of the queer New England folklore horror novel Deep, Roxie Voorhees, author of The Longest Thirst: A Splatterwestern, and Lor Gislason, the mastermind behind the dark and twisted body horror novel Inside Out present   SPECTRUM   Submission guidelines: Submissions open June 16, 2023. Please email all submissions to [email protected]. All writers are welcomed to submit, but editors heavily encourage Own Voices from marginalized communities. No writer will be asked to out themself or prove their racial identity or neurodivergency. What we’re looking for: Horror prose related to neurodivergency of any sub-genre, genre chimera, or trope. What we’re NOT looking for: Fanfiction, abelist/bigoted stories. Abelist/bigoted characters are okay as long as the overall message isn’t derogatory. Word count: Under 4,000 words   Formating: DOC or DOCx only Standard Manuscript format: Attached is a link to help you, we don’t need your address in this information, just an example: https://www.shunn.net/format/ Save document as: Last, First- Title- Word Count   Content warnings will be utilized. Please include any potential content warnings in your cover letter. Authors may send up to TWO stories each. Simultaneous submissions are allowed but notify us if your story is accepted elsewhere as soon as possible. No reprints. All submissions must be the original, unpublished work of the author....

Deadline: August 27th, 2023 Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints. Theme: Ghost Stories by African and African-diaspora writers Following our hugely successful Black Sci-Fi Short Stories, First Peoples Shared Stories, Immigrant Sci-Fi Short Stories and Asian Ghost Short Stories, we're now seeking tales from African and African-diaspora writers to be included in our powerful collection of African Ghost Short Stories. The volume will explore the deep-seated supernatural element in African storytelling – whether reaching back to the spirits, ancestors and ogres of folklore or the vibrantly modern ghosts of today's African horror. New and contemporary stories will complement poignant folktales such as ‘The Story of Takane’ from Lesotho and  ‘The Disobedient Daughter Who Married a Skull’ from Nigeria. The book will delve into the fascinating heritage of African ghostly lore and literature, encouraging it to be reclaimed and retold by contemporary African voices. As with the collections mentioned above, this new title in the Flame Tree Gothic Fantasy series will be supported by a new Foreword (written by award-winning Nigerian-British writer Nuzo Onoh) and a new Introduction. We are also proud to announce that we are working in partnership with outstanding African literature magazine Brittle Paper. Nuzo Onoh (foreword) is an award-winning Nigerian-British writer of speculative fiction. She is a pioneer of the African horror literary subgenre. Hailed as the ‘Queen of African Horror’, Nuzo’s writing showcases both the beautiful and horrific in the African culture within fictitious narratives. She is a Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Nuzo’s works have featured in numerous magazines, podcasts, and anthologies, and have been longlisted, shortlisted and recommended. She has given talks and lectures about African Horror, including at the prestigious Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, London. Her works have also appeared in academic and feminist studies and she has also featured in Starburst magazine, the world’s longest-running magazine of cult entertainment. Nuzo holds a...

Newsletter | Flash Fiction Guidelines Authors submitting must sign up to the Flame Tree Fiction Newsletter, here. Submission window announced in each Newsletter, and on social media, at the beginning of each month. Usually one horror, one sci-fi. Themes to be announced each month. Submit by email to [email protected]. Preferred format is .doc, .docx or .rtf, double-spaced, with author email at the top of the first page. Use the story theme as the subject heading on your email. One entry per author. Add full author details at the end of the story, to include published work, influences, hometown and social media links. Only original, unpublished work, will be considered. (although we do accept reprints for our short story anthologies submissions). 1000 word count. Actually we allow a strict range from 700-1000 words. Please indicate at the top of the submission. Submission window usually 2 weeks. Confirmation will be made in the form of acceptance or (polite!) rejection. Successful authors will receive a simple contract for the primary purpose of publication in the Newsletter, and possible publication in a later printed form. Payment will be 8 cents for each word (SFWA qualifying market rate) and 6 cents for reprints. Once the contract is signed by the author and Flame Tree, payment will be made in 30 days by Paypal, (to reduce costs of money transfer for both parties). Alternative arrangements can be made if necessary. Good luck, and thank you...

Submission Window: July 31, 2023-August 6, 2023 for marginalized voices; August 7, 2023-August 28, 2023 for all submitters Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Disquieting and disturbing New Weird horror set in landscapes and communities on the edge of the sea. The Off-Season is an anthology of disquieting and disturbing New Weird horror set in landscapes and communities on the edge of the sea. These coastal stories defamiliarize the ordinary, evoke dread even in the daylight, and haunt like half-remembered nightmares. Think ocean-loving cults, crumbling seaside mansions, empty resort towns, strange fisherwomen, beachside arcades, eerie lighthouses, literal tourist traps, jellyfish swarms, red tides, oil spills, intertidal zones, salt marshes, gaudy luxury hotels reclaimed by sea, the cosmic indifference of capitalism, creeping urchins, thousand-yard stares, wrecked cruise ships, weird biotech, evening dock workers, and slippery marine metamorphosis. I’m especially looking for uncanny ecology, uneasy atmosphere, and strange characters who are either transcending their environment or subsiding into it. I’d love to see unusual coastal settings from around the world, or traditionally romanticized settings transformed into places of unfamiliarity and subtle wrongness. Most of all, I’m looking for fiction that makes the reader feel uncomfortable dread mixed with intense curiosity. Not sure if your story is New Weird? New Weird is a subgenre of horror-fantasy that slides along the margins of other speculative fiction genres, subverts old tropes and conventions, and/or plays with form, style, and ideas. Its roots are in the subtle ambiguity and mystery of Weird horror and the subversive playfulness of New Wave science-fiction, but it is constantly innovating itself. For me, the best of New Weird blends the mundane with the sublime, the grimy with the divine, and the grotesque with the beautiful. It seduces and horrifies at the same time, filling the reader with a quiet kind of dread-fascination. While the genre dwells...