Events

Deadline: September 29th, 2023 Payment: 8 cents a word for stories up to 1,875 words, 1 cent per word for reprints Theme: All forms of fiction Note: Reprints Welcome SUBMISSIONS TO OUR MONTHLY MAGAZINE ARE CURRENTLY OPEN THROUGH SEPTEMBER 29TH. Why submit to us? - WE PAY PROFESSIONAL RATES. It’s hard work writing good stories, and you deserve to get paid fairly for it. Or maybe you don’t, and you’re just duping us? Regardless, we pay 8 cents a word for stories up to 2,000 words (well, 1,875, to be exact). Stories longer than this are capped at $150 payment. - NO SUBMISSION FEES. We’re not saying the other guys are getting rich off $3 per submission, but there’s something about the idea that we, as writers, have you pay you, the publisher, just for the privilege of rejecting our work with a form letter, bothers us. (Costs of running an E-zine aside) We’re going to go ahead and coin a phrase right here and now - ‘Write privilege’, get it? Of course, you do. - GET YOUR WORK IN FRONT OF A LARGE AND GROWING AUDIENCE. Our aim is fixed on telling good stories, period, and because of that we have built a massive readership from all over the globe. Want to get your stories out to more than just dear old nana? Then you've come to the right place. - REASONABLE TURN-AROUND TIME. If you haven't heard from us within 90 days, then your story was rejected. Rejections stink - we get it - but its better than forever waiting and wondering. - WORKABILITY. Is that the right term? Well, we're going with it. Unlike large publishers who view you as just a number, we actually work with you to help present the story in its best possible light, while never infringing...

Deadline: September 29th, 2023 Payment: $1 per drabble, up to 10 drabbles. Theme: 100-word Christmas horror stories with exactly a 2 word title. BLACK HARE PRESS is—and has always been—an inclusive publisher. LGBTQ+ characters always welcome. All our calls are for dark speculative fiction or weird/horror. No co-authored projects, please, unless the call specifically says they are allowed. 2 word title 100 word story (excluding title and pen name). A bio of no more than 15 words, plus one link << this is really important. Don’t include links to retailers (ie Amazon) as the books get rejected when they have retailer links. If you want to include one, we suggest you set up something like linktr.ee (here’s ours: linktr.ee/blackharepress) or bio.site (here’s ours:  bio.site/blackharepress) $1 USD per acceptance. Up to 10 acceptances per pen name. Want more? Easy—use another pen name. First three to 10 get a $10 Amazon voucher. First to 10 also gets a paperback copy of the final product. One email, one drabble. We won’t look at submissions with more than one drabble, as we don’t have time to extrapolate them into the read process. Blind submissions for the actual manuscript, please. Reprints are OK, but we’ll have no space for “First Published” acknowledgements, so please check your obligations with previous publishers first (if your first publisher is BHP, then you automatically have permission, as long as it wasn’t published in the last 12 months). No simultaneous submissions, please. Theme: December, holidays around December (Immaculate Conception, St Nicholas Day, Christmas, Bodhi Day, Feast Day of Our Lady Guadalupe, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Zarathosht Diso, and anything else you can think of), myths and legends, etc. Genre: Must be dark, but any genre, including (not an exhaustive list): horror, science fiction, LGBTQ+, romance/ steamy/erotic horror, cosmic, speculative, fantasy. Submit to: [email protected]. Will...

Deadline: September 30th, 2023 Payment: $10 Theme: The love... And hate... Of a narcissist A departure of sorts for HellBound... It's a golden opportunity to tell your tales of terror and woe at the hands of that most heinous of monsters, a narcissist - not necessarily a spouse - and deliver the most delicious revenge in the form of the written word. Of course, names and some details may be changed to protect the innocent (and avoid lawsuits!), but we ask that you tell your true story - it's the ultimate catharsis, and will hopefully serve as a cautionary tale to others. PLEASE read and adhere to our submission guidelines...  * Word format saved in .doc, or .docx * 12 pt times new roman * Double spaced * 0.3" hard paragraph indents (NOT spacebar hits, please!) * Absolutely NO extra lines between paragraphs! * 2.5K-6K word count (although we are incredibly flexible for awesome stories!) * Write 'NARCISSIT' along with your name and story title in the header of your email *The body of your submission email will be considered the cover letter. * The submission documents are to be separated and Word (.doc or .docx) documents are to be attached to your submission email. To submit, email your polished story to [email protected] - Make sure that you check your mss for grammar and punctuation, use our guidelines to help you: DOWNLOAD YOUR HBB GUIDE TO GRAMMAR HERE (PDF) Deadline: 30 September 2023 Payment - $10.00 for first rights. Capped at 120K words in total. Via: Hellbound Books Publishing.

Submission Window: September 15-30th, 2023. Extended submission window exclusively for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and marginalized writers open October 1 - October 7, 2023. Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Horror stories at 1000-2000 words They got sub calls for flash and sub calls for 2000+, but what about those little bastards no one wants? What about those stories YOU wrote for no call at all, just because you wanted to? Those guys that never get picked for dodgeball. Let’s find them a home. Let’s find a place for those treasures, those stories that said all you had to say in 1600 words. Those outcasts, those weirdos, those stories that Goldilocks wouldn’t look at twice. Open call submission window open September 15 - September 30, 2023. Extended submission window exclusively for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and marginalized writers open October 1 - October 7, 2023. This anthology is unthemed and will be made up entirely of stories from the open call. No invites! What are we looking for? We want the stories you love the most, that you wrote in a fit of fury, passion, grief, or worry. Anywhere between 1000 and 2000. Too big for flash, too small for a short story. Horror only, though we count dark fantasy and gruesome or heart-wrenching literary in there too. 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? No cruelty/death to dogs or dog-like creatures. Those will be rejected outright and you will have made an enemy for life. Beyond that, we understand the horrors of bigotry and how that makes for great storytelling, but bigoted/queerphobic/racist/misogynistic stories will be rejected and you run the risk of being put on blast. Don’t be an asshole, though your...

Deadline: September 30th, 2023 Payment: £20 per accepted story Theme: Unpublished sci-fi, fantasy and horror stories inspired by/based on tabletop games - roleplaying games, board games, miniature wargames. We are looking for unpublished sci-fi, fantasy and horror stories of between 2,000 and 6,000 words. Please only submit one story at a time and don't submit if it's already submitted somewhere else. All stories should be self-contained, no "to be continued". Recurring characters across multiple stories will be considered, as long as each story is a solid read in its own right. If you've already been published in an issue of Fanatical you are free to submit again, but we may hold your submission over so as not to publish the same author in back to back issues. Fanatical will pay £20 per accepted story, paid upon publication. We pay via Paypal. Upon acceptance, authors retain rights to the story but we ask they don't publish/submit it anywhere else before it is published in Fanatical. These stories should be inspired by/based on tabletop games - roleplaying games, board games, miniature wargames. Though Fanatical may take it's name from the concept of fan fiction, we're not looking to get sued here.   A story about an adventuring party consisting of a dwarf, an elf, a human and a halfling going into a dungeon to fight a dragon is fine. A story specifically set in a copyright protected world of Dungeons & Dragons, with reference to its locations and characters is not. A story about a genetically engineered super-soldier in power armour fighting aliens in the far future is fine. A story about a Space Marine fighting Xenos in the grimdark universe of Warhammer 40,000 is not. Rest assured the editors at Fanatical will work with you to ensure your stories meet our criteria in this regard.   Authors should be able to clearly...

Deadline: September 30th, 2023 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Gothic romances that are equal parts horror and romance. Editors: Heather & S.D. Vassallo Theme: We're looking for gothic romances that are equal parts horror and romance. The short stories should be mysterious, atmospheric, and include a HEA (or happy for now). This is an open call with no slots reserved for invitation pieces. Women and non-binary authors only (our definition of women includes transgender women and femme-identifying individuals - and always will. If you identify as woman by any definition, or identify as non-binary, this call is open to you). Must Haves:  - Horror and romance - Happily ever after or at least happy for now - Overwhelming sense of menace or dread - Atmosphere (weather) and/or place prominently add to the story - Traditionally spooky locations, such as old manor houses or decaying plantations aren't necessary, but the location should be spooky. - Actual supernatural horror, implied supernatural horror, or psychological horror - Haunted places/houses welcome - Sizzle: anywhere from closed door to super sizzle welcome (but the sizzle must drive the plot forward) - Time period: anytime in the past or present - Location: anywhere on Earth Won't Accept: - Racism - Anti-LGBTQIA+ - Rape - Incest - Extreme Horror (excessive gore, explicit sex just for gore/sex sake) - Reprints - Manuscripts that don't follow the guidelines Guidelines:  - Women and non-binary authors only (our definition of women includes transgender women and femme-identifying individuals -     and always will. If you identify as woman by any definition, or identify as non-binary, this call is open to you).  - Short Stories 2,000 to 6,000 words - First page should have your legal and author name, email address, word count, and title of story - Font 12 pt Garamond - Double Spaced - No headers, footers, or special formatting -...

Submission Window: September 1st - 30th, 2023 Payment: Contributors copy and $50 CDN for shorts or $20 CDN for poetry Theme: Gothic Horror in the Cold Gothic fiction is renowned for being filled with spine-chilling stories in isolated and forlorn places. What better setting could there be than the deep, dark, depths of winter? When snow and storms can isolate remote locations for days or weeks and bundling up to keep the cold away provides a different kind of anonymity and isolation even in the heart of cities. Hauntings and Hoarfrost will be filled with stories of frosty mornings, blood stained snow and ghosts who appear and disappear like breath fogging the air. I will be looking for mysterious messages scratched into frosty windows, the sound of ice skates cutting across an empty pond, wild storms and blankets of soft, white, beautiful death. Rights and compensation: $50 CDN flat fee and a paperback copy of the anthology for stories. $20 CDN flat fee and a paperback copy of the anthology for poems. In exchange we are seeking first world rights in English and exclusive right to publish in print and electronic format for six months after publication date, after which publisher retains nonexclusive right to continue to publish for the life of the anthology. Open submission period: September 1, 2023 – September 30, 2023 Length: Under 7,500 words No simultaneous or multiple submissions. No reprints. Canadian spelling, please. (Just do your best, we don’t judge) Submissions will be handled through Submittable. A link will be provided closer to the submission window opening. Via: Rhonda Parrish.

Submission Window: September 1st - 30th, 2023 Payment: 1 cent per word Canadian Theme: Blades/Swords 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- July 7 Pentacles (Patron dates May 23 - July 14) 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 with the form, please email your manuscript to [email protected] Title your email...

Submission Window: September 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 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 more likely to buy stories that balance a sense of wonder with a bold plot and...

Deadline: September 30th, 2023 Payment: Royalties Theme: New Crystal Lake Entertainment imprint looking for Pulp and Extreme Horror novels and novellas. Torrid Waters is an imprint of Crystal Lake Entertainment, focused on Pulp and Extreme Horror books. Novel and Novella submissions The submission window will remain open from midnight EST August 1st, 2023 to midnight EST September 30th, 2023. Only one submission per author at a time. Simultaneous subs (to other publishers) are allowed, but please inform us of that upon submission. Be sure to let us know if and when your book is accepted for publication elsewhere. No previously published works (this includes self-published titles). Your novel/novella needs to 100% written when you submit your first three chapters, in case we ask to see the entire manuscript. Do not resubmit the same title once it’s been rejected. The submission window will remain open from midnight EST August 1st, 2023 to midnight EST September 30th, 2023. Only one submission per author at a time. Simultaneous subs (to other publishers) are allowed, but please inform us of that upon submission. Be sure to let us know if and when your book is accepted for publication elsewhere. No previously published works (this includes self-published titles). Your novel/novella needs to 100% written when you submit your first three chapters, in case we ask to see the entire manuscript. Do not resubmit the same title once it’s been rejected. Email your submissions to [email protected] with the subject of “Torrid Waters Submission 2023.” In the body of the email, be sure to mention: • The title of your book and the total word count of the finished manuscript. • A one-sentence tagline that encapsulates your main plot. • An author bio • Optional: your writer’s CV, if you want to give a detailed summary of...