Events

Deadline: December 16th, 2024 Payment: 5 cents per word Theme: Suspenseful stories about what goes bump in the night It’s the fear—not of the dark—but rather what lurks in the dark. The terror that the mind can feel, but cannot see. The whisper on the wind, heard but not understood. The ephemeral mist that curls around your legs and sends chills deep into your bones. You know that you shouldn’t go out in the night, shouldn’t heed its seductive call. Night after night the darkness beckons. You know that one day soon you’ll lose your resolve, give in, and become the darkness. There’ll be no going back once you do. These are the tales whispered in dark corners. Of good people pushed too far. Stories of revenge and redemption for past wrongdoings. Stories that excite the mind where what seems to be true isn’t always the case. Dark, foreboding, full of suspense, can you weave the story of what happens during the moonless night?   Submission Guidelines for Once Upon a Moonless Night All genres welcome. Submissions must be all ages appropriate. Original, never before published content (no reprints) Submissions are to be 250-15,000 words Standard manuscript format (https://www.shunn.net/format/classic/) No AI generated work No simultaneous submissions Period of exclusivity until three months past publication Author grants non-exclusive global, English language hardcover, paperback, eBook, and audiobook licenses in perpetuity for use of the work in the anthology “Once Upon a Moonless Night.” Those authors whose stories are selected for inclusion within “Once Upon a Moonless Night” will receive a complimentary copy of the book, access to a special author discount rate for copies of the book, and paid at a rate of $0.05 per word, maximum payout of $400 (submissions longer than 8,000 words will only be paid for 8,000 words)....

Deadline: December 16th, 2024 Payment: Royalties Theme: "Wicked" women hiding in plain site CALLING ALL WOMEN HORROR AUTHORS: WE ARE FINALLY DOING ANOTHER INSTALLMENT IN OUR #WomenOfHorror Anthology Series! ANTHOLOGY TITLE: PRETEND YOU DON’T SEE HER: Kandisha Press 2025 Women of Horror Anthology Description: The Invisible Woman: You barely notice her, sitting alone in the corner of the smoky bar. She walks through the streets at night, undetected until the moment she reveals her true self underneath that unremarkable form. Give us your shapeshifters, your werewolves, your witchy women, your wicked little creatures and demonic entities, all hiding in plain sight as harried housewives, college students, bartenders, business execs, Instagram influencers–ordinary, often forgotten ladies with dark secrets. Show yourselves! FORMAT: Open submissions and a few (limited) invites WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR: – 3000-5000 words maximum. – Please send in a word doc file in standard format – Reprints accepted – Yes – Simultaneous Submissions – No WHAT WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR: – No sexual assault, child abuse/harm, animal abuse/harm, or graphic sexual scenes. No hate or insensitivity toward any race, belief, sexual orientation, or gender. (You are absolutely free to discuss these themes but we do not want submissions that are pro-hate toward any group.) – No toilet or bodily function references whether human or animal. Just don’t do it. – We will not accept any stories created with the use of AI HOW TO SUBMIT: A panel of judges will be reading your stories through three rounds. – Note* please add this email to your address book so our response to your sub does not go to your spam folder. Send submissions to: [email protected] DEADLINE: December 16th, 2024 PUBLICATION DATE: TBA (2025) PAYMENT: – Royalties will be paid through either Pubshare. The exact amount depends on the final number of authors in...

Deadline: December 20th, 2024 Payment: 10 cents per word and royalties Theme: Stories on the potential consequences of the 2024 Presidential election told in current, near future or even similar situations where such a leader is in power We are buying stories for 10 cents a word for an anthology on the potential consequences of the 2024 Presidential election told in current, near future or even similar situations where such a leader is in power. As such while we refer to our time line, we are open to submissions to life under such a regime in alternative settings. The incoming President of the United States will be authoritarian with underlying elements of white and christian nationalism, an unapologetic oligarchy, has announced his interest in ending US involvement with NATO, siding with the Soviets and Koreans against Europe, putting RFK Junior in charge of health care, using the armed forces to police Americans, and becoming a dictator on day one.  This is a short list, two minutes of research will tell you more. This anthology is our vision what these next years will look like.  Not just in the White House, but in the day-to-day world on our planet. Under such conditions people will adapt, people will suffer, people will prosper, people will actively and passively resist. Project 2025 will rule. There will be oligarchs and red state theocracies, blue states struggling to protect their citizens and citizens struggling to protect their states, cities, towns, families and businesses. There will be teachers struggling to teach, prisons filling up, work camps, deportations, and the liberation of hate, and maybe even a dawning awareness that this might have been a mistake. I want stories of people who fight the change, endure the change, or embrace the change.  But key word is People.  I...

Deadline: December 23rd, 2024 Payment: $20 and a contributor's copy Theme: Horror that includes childbirth Childbirth Horror Anthology Open call for very short stories Stories should be emotional, unexpected, incredibly well-written, and raw. Must include a childbirth, all other elements open. Except, no rape scenes. It's okay to be weird. All voices welcome! $15/story 500-2,500 words. Send the story and bio to [email protected] Please format your submission as follows: Word doc Double spaced Title, name, word count, and email at the top Standard font No tabbed indents Questions: [email protected] Via: Ruth Anna Evans.

Deadline: December 26th, 2024 Prize: £25.00 monthly for chosen story Theme: Embrace the macabre (horror and darkness). Uncage Your Dread: A Spine-Tingling Microfiction Competition for Our Yearly Horror Anthology Dark Descent: Whispers from Beyond  - Vol 1 Calling All Horror Weavers! Dark Holme Publishing dares you to unleash your darkest fears in a chilling microfiction competition that will feed the nightmares of our prestigious horror anthology, Dark Descent: Whispers from Beyond vol 1 Embrace the Macabre and Haunt the World: Pen nightmares: Craft terrifying tales, 250-500 words each, that explore the depths of human darkness. Push boundaries, win acclaim: We seek narratives that linger, instilling dread and terror long after the final line Be Part of Something Bigger: Your participation fuels the very essence of Dark Descent. This competition is a pay-what-you-feel initiative to help us create a chilling yearly anthology. Every contribution, large or small, directly supports the costs associated with publishing—printing, editing, and bringing your nightmares to life!  Your support makes the horror real! Contribute using the secure PayPal button at the top of this page! Unleash Your Darkest Fears and Be Immortalized: Become a Champion of the Night: One monthly winner will be crowned, receiving a £25.00 cash prize and guaranteed publication in our yearly horror anthology, Dark Descent: Whispers from Beyond. Fuel the Horror and See Your Work Shine: Ten chilling shortlisted pieces, alongside the winner, will be published in the anthology, amplifying the chorus of dread. More Than Just a Competition: Unleash Your Voice and Be a Founding Member: Dark Descent is not just about chills and thrills; it's a celebration of all things macabre. Here at Dark Holme Publishing, we champion diverse voices and unique perspectives. This is your chance to showcase your talent, leave your mark on the horror genre, and be a founding member of a passionate horror community we're building Ready to...

Deadline: December 28th, 2024 Payment: £20 Theme: Unpublished sci-fi, fantasy and horror stories of between 2,000 and 6,000 words based on tabletop games 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 point to the editors which...

Submission Window: October 5th - December 30th, 2024 Payment: $50 and royalties Theme: Horror WE WILL ACCEPT ONLY THREE SO MAKE YOUR STORY THE VERY BEST IT CAN BE! Max. word count: 50,000 We ask for 1st publication rights to new stories only. We accept ONE submission per author, so send us your best! Contract with all details will be provided to accepted authors. Submissions will Close on DEC 30th USE OUR SITE CONTACT FORM We will provide an email address to send your story to. Payment: $50 + Great Royalties. See our Royalties page for details. SEND US A FRIGHTENING TALE! When I refer to 'Other Publisher' I am estimating based on my experience thus far. These numbers should be quite accurate. BASED ON $1,000 IN SALES OTHER PUBLISHER An average royalty is about 20% of net sales. Publisher covers Editing costs, Cover Art, Formatting, other related costs. If there is anything left; here, let's say $100 The author gets their 20% - $20 RDG BOOKS PRESS The author gets paid first! 10% of gross sales, $100.00 Publisher covers Editing costs, Cover Art, Formatting, other related costs - Out of our share, not yours! he RDG BOOKS PRESS process You Submit Your Story An author may submit ONE story to any open category. Currently, Horror Short Story, and Horror Novella. You can submit one story to either or both. Simultaneous submissions are fine. We have no commitment until contract is signed. Once we sign a contract, you have committed to publishing your story as stated in contract. All submitted stories must be in Word, Times New Roman, 12, Double Spaced. Your Story Got Accepted! What happens next? First, you will be offered a contract. Once we are signed, we go to work! Novella or Novel: You will be assigned a...

Submission Window: October 5th - December 30th, 2024 Payment: $20 Theme: Horror of all types There will be ten short stories accepted. Word count: 3,000-5,000 We ask for 1st publication rights to new stories only. We accept ONE submission per author, so send us your best! Contract with all details will be provided to accepted authors. Submissions will Close on DEC 30th USE OUR SITE CONTACT FORM (Link will be available on site starting October 5th) We will provide an email address to send your story to.   Payment: $20 SEND US A FRIGHTENING TALE! The RDG BOOKS PRESS process You Submit Your Story An author may submit ONE story to any open category. Currently, Horror Short Story, and Horror Novella. You can submit one story to either or both. Simultaneous submissions are fine. We have no commitment until contract is signed. Once we sign a contract, you have committed to publishing your story as stated in contract. All submitted stories must be in Word, Times New Roman, 12, Double Spaced. Your Story Got Accepted! What happens next? First, you will be offered a contract. Once we are signed, we go to work! Novella or Novel: You will be assigned a RDG BOOKS Full-Service Editor free of charge. Must successfully complete the editing process to move on. This is to make sure your story is the very best it can be. Then, on to production. Short Stories: A RDG BOOKS editor will perform a Line edit on the work, to be sure it is clean, then on to production. Production When editing is done, production department takes over. We will format the interior of the book to optimize appearance. Novella or Novel: RDG BOOKS artists will provide three completely different cover concepts - author will choose one. We will make any...

Deadline: December 30th, 2024 Payment: $20 or a contributors copy Theme: All horror SUBMIT: HORROR ANTHOLOGY There will be ten short stories accepted. Word count: 3,000-5,000 We ask for 1st publication rights to new stories only. We accept ONE submission per author, so send us your best! Contract with all details will be provided to accepted authors. Submissions will Close on DEC 30th USE OUR SITE CONTACT FORM We will provide an email address to send your story to. Acceptance Letters Will Go Out By Jan 28, 2025 Payment: Author may choose $20 or a Paperback copy of the book. All authors will receive a epub copy. SEND US A FRIGHTENING TALE! (Please Note: We do not accept AI stories) The RDG BOOKS PRESS process You Submit Your Story An author may submit ONE story to any open category. Currently, Horror Short Story, and Horror Novella. You can submit one story to either or both. Simultaneous submissions are fine. We have no commitment until contract is signed. Once we sign a contract, you have committed to publishing your story as stated in contract. (Please Note: We do not accept AI stories) All submitted stories must be in Word, Times New Roman, 12, Double Spaced. Your Story Got Accepted! What happens next? First, you will be offered a contract. Once we are signed, we go to work! Novella or Novel: You will be assigned a RDG BOOKS Full-Service Editor free of charge. Must successfully complete the editing process to move on. This is to make sure your story is the very best it can be. Then, on to production. Short Stories: A RDG BOOKS editor will perform a Line edit on the work, to be sure it is clean, then on to production. Production When editing is done, production department takes over....

Deadline: December 31st 2024 Payment: $5-15USD depending on word count. Theme: Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, and Horror Short Stories We are seeking FANTASY, SPECULATIVE FICTION and HORROR short stories. Holly and Broom (Hawthorn & Ash Vol 6, 2024) Past volumes are: Hawthorn & Ash 2019, Rowan & Oak 2020, Alder & Ebony 2021, Ivy & Sage 2022, Willow & Rose 2023) Word count : Between 100 and 500 words, excluding title (Maximum of 1 500 word story and 5 drabbles per author) Reprints : No Simultaneous Submissions : No Multiple Submissions : Yes. Each story must be in a separate attachment. Publication : Print and digital formats for publication in an anthology. Online via our blog. Submission Window : January 15th 2024 – December 31st 2024 Author Compensation : $5-15USD depending on word count. The Fine Print : We ask for non-exclusive rights on these pieces so that we can: Keep them online indefinitely Publish them in a ebook and print anthology to help fund the site How to Submit :  See our submission guidelines for further formatting details. Send your story as a .doc or .docx format to : [email protected] Your email title should read: Hawthorn & Ash – – Please include a short (100 word) bio in third person and up to THREE links. Via: Iron Faerie Publishing.