Events

Deadline: May 5th, 2025 Payment: $25 and a contributors copy Theme: short comedic fiction Eggplant Emoji, the comedy literary journal is currently seeking previously-unpublished comedic short fiction submissions for its fifth volume. Eggplant Emoji Volume 5 will be a print and eBook collection of hilarious short stories that are character-driven and culturally striking. We are not looking for essays; we want scenes with dialogue, and stories with a beginning, middle, and an end. For a better sense of what we’re looking for, check out previous Volumes of Eggplant Emoji, available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. Submissions should be 1,000 – 8,000 word prose, with a comedic tempo of at least one witty line or funny moment per page, but ideally more than one. The intended audience will be 17+ and we encourage adult or sexual themes. Submission Guidelines: We use a blind submission process. That means your name, email address, or any other identifying information should be absent from the pages of your .doc/.docx piece. Please title your work and reference it in the body of your email. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please immediately advise us if your piece is accepted elsewhere. A maximum of 2 pieces will be accepted per person for consideration. Contributors will receive a $25 one-time payment and author copy per accepted piece. Please send submissions to [email protected] Deadline: Monday, May 5, 2025. Decisions will be rendered by Thursday, July 30, 2025. Projected release date: September 2, 2025. Read “Advice on Writing for Eggplant Emoji, and Biggest Mistakes Made by Submitters“ on Eggplant Emoji’s Substack. Via: Eggplant Emoji.

Deadline: May 7th, 2025 Payment: 8 cents per word and a contributor's copy Theme: Speculative Fiction, ideally with sci-fi elements if not sci-fi itself People of the World! Planet Scumm accepts submissions from writers across the world. Our pages have hosted the imaginative work of authors from every contintent but Antartica. We want to hear from writers with as various experiences, identities, and points of view as possible. Please do not busy our big-hearted slush readers with AI-generated tripe. Stories generated in part or whole by AI are in violation of our author contract. Specs WHAT TO SUBMIT Hard sci-fi, soft sci-fi, sci-fi that melts in your mouth-brain not your hand-brain Speculative fiction, weird fiction, slipstream Basically anything that pleases Scummy, our megaphone-toting slime buddy, will be considered for entry to the interstellar archive aboard Scummy’s saucer HOW TO SUBMIT Include submissions as a .doc or .docx attachment to [email protected] along with a brief cover letter in the email body. Please attach only your story (no images, do not put your story in the body text of the email). Stories, or collections of flash fiction, should be no more than 5,000 words in length, and submitted in standard manuscript format. Submit only ONE previously unpublished short story or flash collection. We do not accept multiple submissions from the same author in one reading period. Simultaneous submissions are okay, as long as you promptly withdraw a story accepted elsewhere. SCHEDULE, RIGHTS, AND PAYMENT Accepted authors receive 8 cents a word and one contributor copy. Our publication operates in print, e-book, and audiobook. Some accepted stories will also be published on our website. We purchase exclusive English-language print, audio, and electronic publishing rights for six months, with non-exclusive rights thereafter. Authors will receive payment within 3 months of finalizing story edits. Via:...

Submission Window: May 1st - 7th, 2025 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Science fiction stories under 300 words We open from the 1st-7th of each month, beginning April 2025. What we want: Anomaly is interested in science fiction stories under 300 words in length, for publication on their Patreon, with the right to collect stories into a future anthology. We're looking for dark and disruptive stories that have strong emotional resonance. We like stories that stick with us after reading, that get us thinking about the twisted use of technologies, the way the world may be, or how characters might react to an evolving technological future. What we're asking for: First rights with 90 days of exclusivity after publication, and the nonexclusive right to republish the story in a future anthology that collects Anomaly stories, with permission from the authors. Compensation: .08 per word for original fiction and an electronic copy of any future anthology. Submission Guidelines: Please attach your file to this form in .doc/.docx format. Use Times New Roman 12 point font with Shunn standard manuscript format. Stories must be 300 words or less. No simultaneous submissions. No multiple submissions. No stories written with AI. No reprints at this time. If you need any further assistance, please email us at [email protected]. SUBMIT HERE Via: Anomaly's Patreon.

Deadline: May 13th, 2025 Payment: $20 for original fiction. $10 for poetry. $5 for reprints, $5 for short articles, poems and spells on winter rites, traditions and rituals - Payment and a contributor's copy for US authors Theme: Stories of how winter relates to rest and rejuvenation and refinement of dreams involving fantasy, folklore, and magic Winter Lore Book 3: Aurora: Tales of Winter Dreams: Submission Open March 25 to May 13, 2025 Word count 2,000 to 6,000 Pay: $20 for original fiction $10 for poetry $5 for reprints $5 for short articles, poems and spells on winter rites, traditions and rituals Payment and a contributors copy Paperback for US residence Ebook for Non-US residence Please read and Follow All Guidelines Carefully or your story may be discarded without being read. Use QueryManager to submit your story. https://QueryTracker.net/query/SpecPub To submit to the query manager you need to upload your complete manuscript, .doc and .docx files, formatted in standard Shunn Format, (double spaced, times new roman ect) Have your name, word count and email at the top of the story document. Format files with the project title, story title and author name in the name. For example : Winter Dreams- Booger Nights- Jensen This is a collection of fantasy, folklore, and magic. It can be dark or light, but try to keep it within the bounds of fantasy. Stories of how winter relates to rest and rejuvenation and refinement of dreams. Stories will be about astral projection and lucid dreaming, dream spells, dream rituals, the magic of dreams, and subconscious desires and manifestations. What dreams come in the longest nights? What is imagined in the long cold months? -Stories of all faiths and spiritualities -Folklore, myth and Magic around dreaming and Winter -Stories of Winter Holidays and Traditions that tap into...

Submission Window: May 7th - 14th, 2025 Payment: 3 cents per word Theme: Sword & sorcery, dark fantasy, and science fiction stories under 6,000 words What do we want?  Sword & sorcery, dark fantasy, and science fiction stories under 6,000 words When do we want it?  Once per year: May 7-14 How do we want it?  Submitted via Publications | Moksha. Please do not submit fiction submissions by email. Other Stuff! Please submit your work only once, and please submit only one work per submission period. Please only resubmit works that have already been rejected if invited. Diversity is important and we wish to see that viewpoint reflected in our fiction content and submission queues. We are especially interested in hearing from those whose voices are underrepresented in the fantasy space. If comfortable, feel free to drop this information in your cover letter. We strongly favor stories that use contemporary narrative styles. Prose Poetry and other types of fiction with unique formatting/spacing are not a good match due to the print layout of the magazine. Please submit manuscripts that work in digital and print formats. If you aren’t sure how to format, check out Shunn. It’s not required to rigorously stick to formatting standards, but it helps. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please withdraw immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. We pay 3 cents (USD) per word for original fiction. We do not take unsolicited reprints. What we don’t want We do not take any work that used AI in its creation, work that uses established genre tropes in a standard way, and queries. Art OPEN What do we want?   Pieces that you feel might be fitting to appear on the cover or in the interior of the magazine When do we want it?  We take art submissions all year long. How do we want it? ...

Submission Window: April 1st - 30th, 2025 Extended Window May 1 - May 15th (Exclusively for Disabled, Neurodiverse, BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+, and other underrepresented voices.) Payment: $31 Theme: Halloween Death by TBR Books is a woman/disability owned indie online bookshop and indie press. We will be opening submissions for our upcoming Halloween horror anthology set to be released in August 2026! If you don't know the owner of Death by TBR Books then you may not be aware of her obsession for all things fall and Halloween. THIS anthology will be all about Halloween. This could be a nostalgic memory from your childhood or a more recent Halloween experience. We strongly encourage lovers of Halloween to apply even if you don't have prior publishing experience. From folk horror and vampires to psychological and werewolves and beyond. Think of nostalgic media that you watch every year. We want those who miss Halloween and October every year to have a way to stop and savor it every day of the month. Submissions Scary Stories to Tell in October A Halloween Horror Anthology Open call submission window: April 1st - April 30th Extended submission window: May 1st - May 15th (Exclusively for Disabled, Neurodiverse, BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+, and other underrepresented voices.) We are looking for 31 flash fiction/short stories so people can spend every day of October reading a very short story. Payment Royalties are $31 for the story and one electronic copy of the anthology. Word Count Between 1,000 and 3,000 words. What We Don’t Want Please do not send stories involving: - Graphic scenes of violence for the sake of violence - Stories that promote hate speech, defamation, or racial/ethnic stereotypes - Graphic scenes of sexual violence, especially those involving children - Work created by or with the assistance of AI in any...

Submission Window: April 15th - May 15th, 2025 Payment: $15.00 for short stories $5.00 for poems and flash (<1000 wds) fiction pieces. $5.00 for reprints Theme: SF/Fantasy stories that feature strong / complex female characters The Lorelei Signal is a quarterly SF/Fantasy electronic magazine - one that will feature strong / complex female characters. This does not mean your female character has to be the main hero or villain in the story. What it does mean is no shrinking violets, or women who serve only to get into trouble so the male hero can rescue them.Each issue I hope to publish:7 short stories, 1 flash fiction piece and 2 poemsthat meet the following guidelines:My primary guideline is simple:Write a good fantasy story with strong/complex characters.What I am NOT looking for - erotica / slash / or other such stories.Although well written love scenes that are IMPORTANT to the story will be considered on a story-by-story basis. 1) Stories should be no longer than 10,000 words.However, tell the story - if it takes more than 10,000 words to tell the story properly so be it.Just try to cut it down if possible - but remember the story is the important part. NOTE: stories in the 2500 - 5000 wd count range will have a better chance at acceptance.2) Stories must feature 3 dimensional / complex characters.3) I will accept reprints as long as it has been at least 1 year since the story was previously published,rights have reverted back and you tell me where it previously appeared.These will be limited to 2 per issue.4) Please keep the graphic gore down to a minimum(only what's needed for the story).5) Please keep the obscene language to a bare minimum(again, only what's needed for the story).6) Simultaneous Submissions will be considered IF:a) You tell me up frontb)...

Deadline: May 15th, 2025 Payment: 1.5 cent/word USD + a share of royalties Theme: 500-8000 word Speculative fiction Archive of the Odd is a biannual magazine of found fiction—stories told in the style of found footage, also known epistolary, neo-epistolary, found file, or found document fiction. Essentially, stories told in the form of other documents. All submissions must be found fiction. We realize this is oddly specific, so if you’re not sure what we’re looking for, the best way will be to look at the stories on our website, or buy an issue to see the full zine treatment (in fact, if you email us or DM us on Twitter we’ll give you a coupon code for being a savvy author… just saying). Alternately, think about all the things you read on a daily basis that aren’t fiction. Newspapers? Emails? Product support guides? …Submissions calls? If you read all of this and still have questions, please refer to our FAQ, or query! Alright, let’s dive in! Writing: Basics: All submissions must be speculative found fiction. We do not accept traditional prose or poetry, and all submissions must be speculative in nature. Submissions sent before or after opening dates will be deleted unread. Feel free to resubmit after opening, however! Mistakes happen. We read submissions sight unseen, so please do not include personal information (name, address, email, etc.) in the document. Please include your name in your cover letter, though! We pay 1.5 cent/word USD + a share of royalties. We are currently pursuing grants and other means of additional funding. 500-8,000 words is preferred for the main magazine, but you can check the Long Fiction Guidelines for longer pieces that you feel may fit! Microfiction is also accepted, though it may be harder for us to place. Shunn formatting is nice, but if it doesn’t work for your story, don’t...

Deadline: May 15th, 2025 Payment: $5 Theme: Flood Memory Note: Must live in: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, or British Columbia The theme for our Monsoon Issue is Flood Memory. Our original inspiration comes from a river that is straightened for the ease of those who live around it. When the river floods, however, it reclaims its original pattern. The water remembers. What else is water trying to tell us these days? What memories rush forward when the dam can no longer hold? Most importantly, how will you bend and mold and reclaim this theme for your own? Please review Guidelines as well as the following reminders prior to hitting Submit: Must be 18 years or older and a current resident of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, or British Columbia. 5000 word maximum, per fiction piece; 2 page limit, per poem. Two submission limit e.g., one poem, one short; two shorts; two poems. Preferred formats: .doc or .docx. All work must be edited for grammatical errors. We may ask for additional edits in preparation for publication. Unfortunately, we cannot comment on all submissions. We will only consider submissions written in English or translated to English (with author permission). Please inform us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. If submission is accepted, $5 honorarium paid upon publication. By submitting, you attest that all work is original and in no way utilizes AI word-processing, i.e., ChatGPT. Guideline deviations may disqualify submissions from consideration. We encourage donations. Issue 09 Submissions Open Now through May 15 Monsoon Issue Coming July 2025 Via: HamLit.

Deadline: May 16th, 2025 Payment: Contributors Copy (as this is a charity anthology outside of that.) Theme: Humorous, weird western science fiction This is a humorous, weird western science fiction anthology, created in honor of Ken Rand. Ken was a fixture at Utah writing events, whether it was workshops, conventions, LTUE, or just hanging out. He’s perhaps best known for his The 10% Solution writing book, where he helps writers learn how to effectively edit their own work in order to greatly improve their stories. He also wrote a lot of weird westerns, science fiction, fantasy, and horror short works throughout his career, and almost all of his stories had humor in them. We want humorous, weird west, science fiction tales and poetry (as long as the poetry tells a story, and long-form poetry would be awesome). Think The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr., The Wild Wild West TV series, and Cowboys and Aliens. Make your stories fun to read, make the characters interesting, and make us grin. The tales must have heart, must be solid stories, and must be positive in their outlook. About the charity and more details for submissions: Since its beginnings in the early 1980s, the Life, the Universe, & Everything Symposium (LTUE) has been a staple of the Utah and Intermountain West author and artist community. Many authors, artists, and editors have found inspiration for their careers at the feet of scores of symposium guests. Influential professors and others have mentored those planning and running the symposium, but many of these mentors have passed on. The symposium helps students of all ages by providing greatly discounted student memberships. Hemelein Publications—in conjunction with LTUE Press—created a series of memorial benefit/charity anthologies to help the symposium continue to help these aspiring creators learn about their crafts at a reasonable cost. Author, artist,...