Events

Deadline: October 22nd, 2023 Payment: $20 AUD Theme: Apocalyptic stories featuring neurodivergent characters Note: Australian and New Zealand authors who identify as neurodivergent EMBRACE THE SILENCE: A Neurodivergent Anthology is now open for submissions. We want apocalyptic stories featuring neurodivergent characters, and we welcome submissions from all Australian and New Zealand authors who identify as neurodivergent, and will also encourage submissions from neurodivergent Indigenous and LGBTIQ authors. EMBRACE THE SILENCE will be assembled – from the cover to the footnotes – by a team of neurodiverse individuals, including the wonderful E. J. Dawson and the sleep deprived Austin P. Sheehan. The anthology will be open to all speculative fiction subgenres (an apocalypse can occur as easily in a fantasy realm as it can on a futuristic earth), and we should advise that an apocalypse need not be all doom and gloom – tales of hope, strength, and survival are encouraged. The idea behind the title EMBRACE THE SILENCE refers to characters accepting and embracing their neurodiversity, as well as adapting to a changing and challenging new world. We encourage you to be as creative as you like in your approach to the theme. Our preferred length for short stories is between 4,000 and 6,000 words, however this is just a guideline, we won’t auto-reject stories based on word count alone. Submissions will open on July 1st and close at midnight on Sunday the 22nd of October. Please only submit unpublished pieces. We will not be accepting AI-written stories. We will be paying contributors $20 each when the anthology is published. Please send you submissions to [email protected] with the story title, word count and ‘EMBRACE’ in the subject line. (Pleased to Unmeet You – 4,000 words – EMBRACE) We can’t wait to read your stories!   Via: Dead Set Press.

Free Submission Window: September 22nd - October 22nd, 2023 Payment: $50 Theme: Stories about how we seek out, discover, and grasp onto connection Note: This market alternates between free and pay periods, The next free window is listed above At Astrolabe, we’re looking for work about how we seek out, discover, and grasp onto connection. Into the woods. Across a line. Beneath the ocean. Along a seam. Into the branches of an alternate present or the crevasse of an alternate future. Across the rifts between one another. And then, once we find one other, the myths we make. We’re excited to see as many interpretations of this broad theme as there are stars in the night sky. We’re open to work of all genres, with a particular fondness for anything that moves beyond realism in form or content or spirit. Read about Astrolabe for details on our mission and what we’re doing with the Universe. The details Astrolabe is open for submissions year-round. We pay a $50 honorarium upon publication of one or more pieces from your submission. To help fund those payments, we alternate between free and paid submission periods throughout the year. Our free periods begin the day we publish new work—on the spring equinox, summer solstice, autumnal equinox, and winter solstice—and stay open for a month. Here are the free periods for 2023: March 20th to April 20th June 21st to July 21st September 22nd to October 22nd December 21st to Jan 21, 2024 Some additional details: We currently accept three types of work: fiction, creative nonfiction, and photography & art. See below for genre-specific instructions. We’re not a market for lineated poetry at the moment. We do accept simultaneous submissions, but please let us know if your work was accepted for publication elsewhere—we’ll be thrilled for your good news! No multiple submissions—and if we...

Submission Window: October 23rd-30th, 2023 Payment: €0.01 per word, with a €20 minimum Theme: Diverse sci-fi and fantasy fiction. Submissions received outside of these dates will unfortunately be lost and therefore not responded to. When open, we seek and offer the following: Length: 1,000-5,000 words. These are firm limits, not absolute ones. Generally speaking, the further a story goes beyond these bounds the more it will need to impress, but the door is not shut in advance. Compensation: €0.01 per word, with a €20 minimum. Please be aware that payment is via PayPal only. If you do not receive an acknowledgment within 24 hours of submission, please get in touch. We aim to accept or reject within 14 days of acknowledgment, but rl (real life) and rl (reading load) can get in the way. If you do not hear from us after 30 days, feel free to query. REQUIREMENTS We acquire First Print and Digital rights with a six month period of exclusivity from the date of publication. We also ask permission to potentially include accepted pieces in future anthologies; in event of agreement, an additional payment and digital copy will be offered in compensation. All other rights remain entirely with the author. Simultaneous submissions are not only accepted, they are encouraged. Please tell us if you sim-sub, and we merely ask that you notify us of acceptance at another market as soon as possible. In the event that we accept first, we expect a positive and timely confirmation. Therefore we recommend sim-subbing to markets of equivalent status – we won’t wait for someone else you’d like better to turn you down. If a story has previously been rejected by Mythaxis, please do not resubmit or inquire regarding doing so, unless explicitly invited to by the editor during the original rejection. Feedback: Unfortunately, due to...

Deadline: October 31st, 2023 Payment: $0.01 CAD per word Theme: Cryptids of all kinds! Engen Books is now accepting submissions to the latest From the Rock anthology, for release in 2024. Editors Ellen Curtis and Erin Vance are accepting submissions for short fiction under 7000 words that focus on cryptids, animals whose existence permeate urban myths but are not recognized within the scientific community.  Popular cryptids include Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Mothman, the Ogopogo, the Jersey Devil, and the Loveland Frog, but stories concerning lesser known cryptids or creatures of the writer’s own imagination are also welcomed. ​ Stories for this collection might include close encounters with a cryptid, dealing with a cryptid hoax, be written as a horrifying ordeal, or as historical fiction. Writers are encouraged to let their imagination play, but we ask that you read the following carefully before submitting. ​ As always, the From the Rock collections are intended to highlight the fantastic, varied writers Newfoundland and Labrador has fostered. When submitting, we request that authors indicate if they are current or former residents of the province, and if their story is linked to the province in any way (though it need not be). While we will accept submissions from across Canada and internationally, authors with a connection to the province are given preference for this series, and this information will be given to editors during the jurying process. ​ As with all content at Engen Books, misogynistic, racist, ethnocentric, homophobic, or transphobic messaging will result in the submission being rejected and may result in the author being barred from future submissions. Authors should take care to avoid cultural appropriation or fetishization of historically marginalized and underrepresented groups and are responsible for avoiding the use of harmful stereotypes in their submissions. In an effort to...

Submission Window: July 31st to October 31st, 2023 Payment: 4c per word for original stories, 1c per word for reprints (Australian currency) Theme: Body horror that deals with the anthology's title Note: Open to Australasian writers only, where Australasia means Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and the neighbouring islands of the Pacific. This call-out is open to Australasian citizens, residents and ex-pats. To be edited by award-winning author and anthology editor, Deborah Sheldon. Spawn 2: More Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies will comprise stories from Australasian writers obtained entirely from open callout. On-spec submissions are welcome from Australasian writers of every persuasion including non-parents. Stories must be between 1500 and 5000 words. Stories outside of these word counts risk being deleted unread. Reprints will be considered, but must not be available for free anywhere online. The anthology will have only a small number of reprints, regardless. The anthology will be a visceral, frightening read. Each story must nominally tick the box of “body horror” but there is no restriction on subgenre: anything from sci-fi to fantasy to gothic to supernatural to psychological and beyond will be given equal consideration. Feel free to play with the theme and not take it too literally. Ideally, your story should make the reader feel uncomfortably aware of their physicality, morbidity or mortality. While graphic violence and swearing are acceptable, submissions must have a literary bent. Spawn 2: More Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies aims to deliver an elegant—and elevated—anthology of body horror. For a clearer understanding of requirements, we recommended that you read Deb’s first anthology in this IFWG franchise, the multi-award-winning and multi-award-nominated Spawn: Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies, which comprises stories by Australian writers. What to avoid: Gratuitous gore used purely for shock value. Familiar tropes, such...

Deadline: October 31st, 2023 Payment: $15 Theme: Unique ocean-themed horror stories Broken Brain Books is now taking submissions for our first anthology, Screams From The Ocean Floor. We are looking for roughly 15 stories with a mix of invited authors and open call submissions. Welcome to the scariest place on the planet. The bottom of the ocean. No air. Complete Darkness. Immense pressure. Bizarre Creatures. No chance of survival. We are looking for unique ocean-themed horror stories that will leave the reader thinking twice before stepping near the sea again. *Cover art coming soon* Submission Guidelines All stories should include the ocean as a major theme. Stories should be between 3,000 and 5,000 words in length. Stories will be accepted from August 1st to October 31st, 2023. Previously unpublished works only No AI generated works. Broken Brain Books will retain exclusive rights to the story for one year from the date of publication. Both parties will hold joint rights after one year. Payment of $15 + ebook copy for accepted authors Selected stories will be edited by Heather Ann Larson and reviewed with the author. Payment will be sent to the author upon return of a signed contract. Expected publication February/March 2024 Email completed stories to [email protected] as a Microsoft Word attachment. Via: Broken Brain Books.

Deadline: October 31st, 2023 Payment: 1 cent per word for short stories, $10 for poems Theme: Speculative fiction slice-of-life stories with a focus on connection, family, relationships, comfort, and the natural world. We are open to submissions from: February–April, for a June release August–October, for a December release What to send Hearth Stories publishes speculative fiction slice-of-life stories with a focus on connection, family, relationships, comfort, and the natural world. We accept works of up to novella length. However, the ideal length may be something in the 2,000-6,000 word range. We also accept poems that fit our themes. Some things we like: Quiet stories Kindness, tenderness, hope, and support Caregiving, parenting, and partnership Stories that give us butterflies in our stomachs and/or make us smile Works that border into nature writing or touch on ecological topics Animal and non-human perspectives (but we like human stories, too) Writing that evokes senses other than just sight and sound (things with a lot of smell, touch, and taste) Stories involving food and cooking Stories involving hermits, issolated places, or wandering in the woods Bonus points for stories backed by vegan, anarchist, eco-conscious, and anti-capitalist themes (while still fitting the above) There is some overlap between what we do and various genres, such as: slice of life, hopepunk, and solarpunk. Those genres often exist within or alongside fantasy, science fiction, and surrealism; though we are happy to read literary fiction that suits the above criteria as well. We accept translations and reprints. We also accept simultaneous submissions. Please wait to hear back regarding your submission before submitting another piece. There is no wait time or cool off period for submitting another story (whether your first story was passed on or accepted). If some—but not all—of the above describes your work: send it. Definitely do not rule out your...

Deadline: October 31st, 2023 Payment: $5 Theme: Laughter and Tears Each Issue will be themed. However you interpret that theme is up to you. We do NOT need your reasoning behind it. Please Note: Deadlines may close earlier if the issue fills!~ Laughter and Tears - Oct. 31 - This time of year becomes an odd mix of happiness and sadness, let’s explore those elements, both individually and where they intersect. What’ve you got to show us? Stories and / or Poems For Stories: We’re open to micro works all the way up to 10,000 words. Just keep two things in mind: We want to be engaged and the submission must be completed (no pitches, please!) For Poems: We’d love to see up to five poems from you, but you can always just send one, too. Art As long as it has some tie to the current issue’s theme, we’re open to see any art created in any medium at any time. Just know that it will need to “work in print” and—might—be presented in black and white. We WILL NOT Accept any AI-Generated art. For ART ONLY, you may choose to submit via email by sending jpgs, PDFs, or PNGs to chrisatquarterpress(at)gmail(dot)com Graphic Stories Show us your comic strips or complete short works; we’d love to see them all! Please try to keep submissions to 20 pages or less. Feel free to also send a collection of comic strips / one shot comics, as well. (Please note that our publication size / dimensions might change between issues. Our “Norm” is 6x9”). These must be COMPLETE works. For Graphic Work / Comics, you may choose to submit via email by sending jpgs, PDFs, or PNGs to chrisatquarterpress(at)gmail(dot)com Analysis / Interviews / Reviews As long as it is tied to the...

Submission Window: October 1st - 31st, 2023 Payment: 8 cents per word and $500 for custom cover art and $100 for cover art drawn from an artist’s existing portfolio. Theme: Fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. Note: You must identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms. This includes, but is not limited to, first- and second-generation immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, persons who identify with one or more diaspora communities, persons who have been displaced or whose heritage has been erased due to colonialism/imperialism, and anyone whose heritage and history includes ‘here and elsewhere’. khōréō is a quarterly publication of stories, essays, and art: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. We’re especially interested in writing and art that explore some aspect of migration, whether explicitly (themes of immigration, colonialism, etc.), metaphorically, or with a sly nod and a wink. Most importantly, we’re a new magazine and we’re still finding our identity: therefore, please don’t self-reject because you’re not sure if your work is a good fit. We won’t know until we see it, so please give us a chance to look! See submission requirements & how to submit at the following pages: Fiction Non-fiction Art Voice actors Who can submit? khōréō is dedicated to diversity and amplifying the voices of immigrant and diaspora authors and artists. We welcome, but do not require, a brief description of the author’s/artist’s identity in their cover letter. We invite you to submit if you identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms. This includes, but is not limited to, first- and second-generation immigrants, refugees, asylum...

Submission Window: October 1st - 31st, 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...