Events

Deadline: September 1st, 2024 Payment: $25 (US) or two copies of the book, if you're local to me (Maryland, USA) or the shipping is reasonable. Theme: Science fiction short stories that take place in a shared universe (details below) that feature a mysterious space station, strange aliens, and more! Enigma Station is a ShareVerse anthology featuring a mysterious space station, strange aliens, and more! Planned for publication in late 2024 or early 2025. General Setting information Situated in a solar system lightyears from Earth, the Banahatti Station is home to thousands of humans and aliens of several different species. It lies on a convenient path between several major planetary systems, and the solar system it lies in is home to mineral rich asteroids, seven planets and their moons (none habitable without environmental domes). Nominally under the Earth Republic's jurisdiction, its location means little oversight. The Earth Republic keeps one destroyer-class ship, the Antioch, docked at the station, but the administration of the station itself is handled by a security force (basically police) at the station. The station has shops, ship repair, medical facilities, hydroponics for growing food, ample living space, even a few areas where people can raise animals such as chickens or pigs. The space station still has unused areas that haven't been converted to human (or alien) use. However, a few adventurous explorers have reported strange happenings throughout the station, particularly in the unexplored areas. Strangely-shaped objects appear, change shape, then disappear. Rooms and hallways change their shape. Unexplained signals of energy - far below the level that would endanger anyone - burst into existence, then vanish. Some inhabitants also report feeling strange sensations within their body, but cannot find an explanation. The news has spread throughout the Earth Republic and the alien civilizations, and more superstitious folks...

Submission Window: September 1st - 2nd, 2024 Payment: 8 cents per word for original, 2 cents for reprints, For artwork: $10 for the non-exclusive right to use each image, for as long as the site is online.  If we publish a print collection we will pay a pro-rata share for each image used. Theme: Well written original work in science fiction, fantasy, myth, legend, fairy tales, and eldritch, in written, podcast, video, and/or graphic story form, and from around the world. Note: Reprints welcome     Submissions Schedule The first and second day of every month, 12 am of the 1st to 12 am of the 3rd, E.S.T. For reading impaired individuals, our submissions manager and ‘forget password’ have a captcha compatible with screen readers. We pay 8¢ per word for new fiction, 2¢ per word for fiction reprints, 2 – 8¢ per word for new fact-based work, 1- 4¢ per word for reprinted fact articles. For new poetry, we pay $1 per line, and for reprints we pay 50¢ a line  We’re looking for poems up to 40 lines. We’ll consider longer poems but that would be a hard sell, and words over 40 lines would be paid at 8¢ per word. We sponsor The Kepler Award to recognize and encourage writers of excellent science fiction and fantasy stories that creatively extrapolate on known science in constructive and exciting ways. You can learn aboutThe Kepler Award here. You can read a copy of our standard contract here.   It can be varied as needed to include the rights of translators, voice actors, etc. Writers Guidelines We accept new work as well as reprints, prose and poetry, from a minimum of 1000 words on up.   All else being equal, shorter pieces will be favored, and we have yet to find a story over about 9-10,000 words we...

Submission Window: July 4 - September 6th, 2024 Payment: $20.00 for original fiction, $10.00 for poems , $5.00 for reprints Theme: As cold and silence envelopes the earth, and all things lie dormant, we all move inward and lean toward hibernation, shadow work and self-reflection. Note: Reprints Welcome Opens for Submissions July 4 The next edition to our popular YULE anthology will be opening this summer for submissions. Submissions open July 4 - September 6 Send manuscripts to [email protected] Subject EVERGREEN SUBMISSION Word Count: 2,000 to 7,000 for stories Up to 4 pages for poetry $20.00 for original fiction $10.00 for poems $5.00 for reprints Format your story in Shunn Manuscript Format The more submissions we get, the less exceptions we are able to make. Title your file - Author Name - Evergreen - Story Title EX: Spears-Evergreen-Toxic **Make sure your name and email are at the top of your document **Your cover letter and bio NEED to be in the body of the email. As cold and silence envelopes the earth, and all things lie dormant, we all move inward and lean toward hibernation, shadow work and self-reflection. From all over the world, within the darker days live many celebrations of good triumphing over evil, light's victory over darkness and of seeds planted deep, waiting to slowly reach for the sun and burst into life. What we want: Your unique, fictional stories of the dark and stillness and what light brings out of the shadows. Stories of transformation. Stories of cold forests, elves and magickal places. Stories of witch magick, the occult and ghosts. We want modern retellings of Yaldā, Soyal, Roman Saturnalia or the Dongzhi Festival. Stories of the winter solstice, Bodhi Day, Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas, Omisoka, and Kwanzaa. Look into your ancestral roots and tell us about...

Submission Window: September 1st - 7th, 2024 Payment: Drabbles and Flash – £5, Short Stories 1001 to 4000 words – £10, Short Stories 4001 to 8000 words – £15 Theme: Any form of speculative fiction, feel free to be inspired by the season of the issue but that isn't a requirement Note: Only publishes creators from under represented and/or marginalized communities. WE ONLY PUBLISH CREATORS FROM UNDER REPRESENTED AND/OR MARGINALISED BACKGROUNDS AND/OR COMMUNITIES We don’t ask for any proof, we take this on trust with the expectation that anyone not from a marginalised background or underrepresented community wouldn’t take up the space of someone who is. We ask you to consider this before submitting. QUARTERLY ONLINE ANTHOLOGY: BRIEF We’re looking for stories you’ve poured your soul into but haven’t been able to find the right home for. We’re looking for stories that make us feel something. Warmth, love, melancholy, rage. We want it all. All genres, styles and themes will be considered and we especially love stories that are outside the box in their telling. Ambiguous endings? Non-linear storytelling? Antagonist’s point-of-view? A story told in just one scene? We love it all. Quarterly Online Anthology Submission Schedule: September 1st – 7th (Winter Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions December 1st – 7th (Spring Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions March 1st – 7th (Summer Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions June 1st – 7th (Autumn Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions ​We do not have set issue themes but feel free to be inspired by the season, seasonal occasions and events. We are unlikely to publish stories with seasonal events out of season – for example a story set in the Winter isn’t likely to make it into our Summer issue even if we adore it....

Deadline: September 9th, 2024 Payment: Royalties Theme: Monsters and/or magic in the old west Because we KNOW we’ll get a bunch, here we go with Volume 2! Witches, and werewolves and cowboys, oh my! Strange things are done in the midday sun, especially when there’s magic around. Tell your tales about monsters and magic in the Old West. Opens: 7/6/24 Closes: 9/6/24 Contracts: 9/21/24 Publication: 10/18/24 5,000 to 8,000 words. Length and genre are negotiable, as long as the story fits the concept, and is entertaining. Any submission must be in Times New Roman (preferred, but you can use Georgian or other readable font), 12PT, double spaced, with your name, title of the story, and your email on it. Name the file as -—. Send it in a .docx format as an attachment—no links. Refer to the submission guideline graphic below for how to format your story—It has all the information you need! Feel free to download it for reference. Raconteur Press will hold the rights for one year after publication, after one year the rights will revert to the author, but we continue to pay you as long as the anthology is selling. Authors receive an equal percentage share of the proceeds from the anthology, along with the Press, our editors, and administration. Yes, you read that right. We don’t take 80% off the top and split the 20% left over between all the authors. We’re all in this together. This is why our anthologies are limited to ten stories. IMPORTANT: PLEASE do NOT submit stories until the date the call opens. We don’t want to hang on to your piece for longer than necessary. You might find another market for it, or it decides to grow into a novel, or…..so go ahead and write it, but tuck it away, and revisit...

Submission Window: June 15th - September 15th, 2024 Payment: $10 Theme: Stories that constitutes the ever-moving edge of its kind, as a place between light and dark, consciousness and un, today and tomorrow; work exhibiting the strange, the bizarre, that which is not of the world we know, but more of a twilight realm or even altogether alien place. I would love to see submissions representing not only multiple cultures but subcultures, exploring issues of race, ethnicity, gender, orientation, and many things I haven't thought of. Does this mean you have to represent everybody and everything in 1000 words? Of course not. But be aware that we are creating a magazine that overall reaches and represents the true diversity of the world we live in. In terms of genre, I am looking for work that constitutes the ever-moving edge of its kind, as a place between light and dark, consciousness and un, today and tomorrow; work exhibiting the strange, the bizarre, that which is not of the world we know, but more of a twilight realm or even altogether alien place. Not necessarily science fiction, not necessarily fantasy, not necessarily horror, and not necessarily not these things. In short, ideally edgy. Maybe even idealistically edgy. I am NOT looking for porn. Penumbric generally accepts submissions in the following categories: fiction, poetry, illustration, graphic narrative, animation, music, or combinations of these (e.g., a spoken-word version of a poem). If you have something that fits some other category that can be displayed to advantage on the web, try me; I'll take a look. All works must be the creation of the author(s) submitting them, and must not infringe upon any right of any other person or entity. We buy non-exclusive worldwide periodical rights to publish your work in Penumbric, and will accept reprints...

Deadline: September 15th, 2024 Payment: $15, 5 contributors copies Theme: Valentine's themed horror stories “Eat Your Heart Out, Volume 1” Submissions  June 10, 2024-September 15, 2024 ‘Love is patient’, lurking behind a pristine row of bushes; keeping vigilant watch, being certain to narrow the timing down to the exact second the living room lamp shuts off and the shades pulled. Love turns a copy of the house key around and around in a gloved hand. ‘Love is kind’ of expensive sometimes— when all is said and done, often the price is grief, security, emotions, possessions, or even our very lives… Campfire Publishing is excited to announce that we are currently accepting submissions for, “Eat Your Heart Out, Volume 1”, the first in our collection of Valentine’s themed horror stories! Please read below to ensure that your story will be a good fit, and feel free to reach out to us–via the form located on our main page or by sending an email to [email protected]–if you have any questions. “Eat Your Heart Out, Volume 1” is the first volume in a horror collection dedicated to Valentine’s- themed horror stories. Campfire Publishing aspires to publish multiple volumes in the “Eat Your Heart Out” collection, along with collections specific to a variety of themes in the horror genre. What are we looking for? We are looking for WELL-EDITED stories close to 10,000 words that offer a horrific, bloody, or unique lens to view the subject of love, lust, or that looks to the idea of Valentine’s Day—corporate greed, the illusion of social influencers, lust, scorn, or just whatever journey your creativity offers up to you! Campfire Publishing is keeping its eye out for a wide range of chilling voices from seasoned to novice that offer unique perspectives into the often frightening world of...

Deadline: September 15th, 2024 Payment: 2 cents per word, lore from these stories will also be featured in the upcoming Starspawn videogame which is cool for bragging rights but you won't be paid extra for it which is an honest sticking point for many Theme: Stories set in a variation of the Lovecraft universe which is listed below Note: Be sure to read the legal at the bottom, it is very straightforward as this is for a videogame, but might be news to some Ancient horrors… secret countermeasures… a cosmic cold war, turning hot… This is the world of Starspawn: A Miskatonic Mystery, an indie video game in development by our team of two. We will be doing a Kickstarter later this year, and we would like to offer an original short story anthology as a reward; portions of the stories will also be included in the game, with the full text available as bonus achievements. These stories will flesh out the lore of the game’s universe, and should be based on the prompts listed below. We are offering $0.02 per word (to a maximum of $100), and looking for stories in the 2,500 - 7,500 word range. Submissions are open now, and close on September 15, 2024. We will evaluate all submissions after the closing date. Requirements & Instructions Stories must be set in the game universe, which is a variation of the Lovecraft universe, and described below. Horror, please. Action/horror, comedy/horror, etc. are all fine, but horror, please. Cosmic horror, please; not just a creature feature. Tentacles dripping with eyeballs are great imagery, but there’s more to it. Stories must be based on one of the provided prompts. (You may send us a message if you would like to pitch a new one before you write it; info-at-the...

Deadline: September 15th, 2024 Payment: US 4¢/word rounded up to nearest dollar; minimum US $4, maximum $25 Theme: Outlaws Eye to the Telescope 54, Outlaws, will be edited by Melissa Ridley Elmes. Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Butch Cassidy, Belle Star, Wyatt Earp, Bonnie and Clyde … Robin Hood, Aladdin, Zorro, Jean Valjean, the Joker, Villanelle … Malcolm Reynolds, Zoe Washburne, Peter Quill, Gamora, Han Solo, Sam and Dean Winchester … outlaws have a perennial hold on our imaginations, equal parts romanticized and demonized, revered and reviled, admired and loathed, depending on whose side you’re on. Outlaws are anti-heroes. They destabilize existing systems of power, erasing the illusion of control in societies. They bring with them and leave in their wake disorder, chaos, violence, destruction, loss, and death. But on the other hand, they also point to possibilities—of throwing off the shackles of propriety and authority; of living life on their own terms and according to their own ethical codes, standards, and values; of the possibilities that exist beyond established socio-political and cultural structures. I’m looking for your take on outlaws, defined broadly—give me your space cat renegades, your dryad anti-government environmental activists, your fed up monsters ready to throw down against the powers that be, your alien mercenaries, your dynamic lover-robbers, your charming assassins, your child-thieves: make them loud, make them stealthy, make them in-your-face, make them subtle, make them violent, make them pacifist, make them winners or losers, lovable or loatheable—whatever you do, just make sure it’s in verse form, memorable, vivid, and speculative. Submission Guidelines SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS Use the form at https://bit.ly/SFPAettt54 to submit. Please submit 1–3 unpublished poems in English (ideally, attached as .docx or .txt) and include a short bio. Translations from other languages are acceptable with the permission of the original poet (unless public domain). Inquiries only to [email protected] with “ETTT”...

Deadline: September 15th, 2024 Prizes: 10 winners will each receive $10 Theme: Something so strange that the reader feels that they've entered the Twilight Zone Ever look around the world and feel like you've entered the Twilight Zone? Tell me about it! But tell me about it in 600 words or less! From September 1st to September 15th, WWW will accept submissions for our micro fiction competition. 10 winning stories will be selected, and the winning authors will receive $10 each and publication on the website.   THEME: I want to read about behavior so strange, I feel like I've entered the Twilight Zone!     If you need an example of how to establish strange behavior in 600 words or less, I recommend reading these two stories:       War of the Clowns by Mia Couto  No Matter Which Way We Turned By Brian Evenson      Up to 3 submissions per entrant allowed!   Send stories pasted into the BODY of the email to: [email protected]   NO SOONER THAN SEPTEMBER 1st!   Reprints are OK, as long you own the rights. Simultaneous subs are OK. Just tell us *right away* if you need to withdraw your entry. SUBJECT LINE SHOULD READ: "Micro Fiction Competition - Title"   DEADLINE: September 15th Via: Weird Wide Web.