Events

Taking Submissions: Hellbound Books’ Anthology of Splatterpunk 2

Hellbound Books Publishing

Deadline: September 30th, 2024 Payment: $5 Theme: Tales of blood, gore, and sloppy bits - the bloodier and more viscera-strewn the better! It seems that HellBound readers just can't get enough of Splatterpunk! So, without further ado, here's our second outing in this fabulously grotesque sub-genre! Gross our editors out with tales of blood, gore, and sloppy bits - the bloodier and more viscera-strewn the better! 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-8K word count (although we are incredibly flexible for awesome stories!) * Write 'SPLATTERPUNK2' 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 2024 Payment - $5.00 for first rights. Capped at 100K words in total. Via: Hellbound Books.

Taking Submissions: Santa Rage: 12 Tales of Murder and Mayhem

Misti Media, LLC

Deadline: September 30th, 2024 Payment: $25 Theme: Very dark Christmas horror stories Inspired by a suggestion from legendary book reviewer, author and multi-term Short Mystery Fiction Society President Kevin R. Tipple, here’s the holiday anthology that’s definitely NOT going to fill you with Christmas cheer. It will, however, be sure to entertain the darker side of your imagination. Christmas time is a season full of stress. Cooking, decorations, trying to find the perfect gift for people you barely know. It’s enough to make anyone snap. Now, imagine you’re Santa Claus and you’ve got the entire world to take care of. Yeah, cookies and milk isn’t going to make that kind of pressure go down any easier. Add in reindeer, elves who slack and Mrs. Claus nagging that you never spend enough time with her during the holidays and it’s enough to make your Kris wanna Kringle, if you know what we mean. Welcome to Santa Rage: 12 Tales of Murder and Mayhem in which Santa Claus finally snaps and gets his just desserts…and we’re not talking gingerbread. This anthology is based on the idea that one night, while out making deliveries, Santa snaps thanks to the holiday stress and goes on a killing spree. Bonus points awarded for story elements involving meth or drug dealing, strippers, and the best dose of karma Santa ever dealt that did not involve coal. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 1. In case it isn’t readily obvious, we’re looking for dark, dark, dark fiction here. Violence welcome. Cursing welcome. This is NOT an anthology for kids. If you think you’ve gone over the top, you may not have gone far enough for our tastes. Look at the stuff Chuck Tingle gets away with and everyone loves him. 2. With the above being said, there are still some limits here. Absolutely no misogyny or violence against...

Taking Submissions: Leviathan: An Anthology of Industrial Horror

Sentinel Creatives

Deadline: September 30th, 2024 Payment: $125 - $200 Theme: Weird tales set in the Victorian period that explore the human (and inhuman) experience through the lens of horror. LEVIATHAN: Submission Brief Sentinel Creatives has opened up for submissions for “LEVIATHAN: An Anthology of Industrial Horror.” Deadline for Submissions: 30 September 2024 Wordcount: 3,000 - 6,000 Remuneration: $125 - $200 Simultaneous Submissions: Yes WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR We’re looking for original weird tales set in the Victorian period that explore the human (and inhuman) experience through the lens of horror. Some clarifications: Victorian: There is a tendency to view the Victorian Age as beginning and ending with the reign of British monarch Queen Victoria (1837-1901), but this is so strict as to be crude. Rather, the period will be what is referred to as The Long Nineteenth Century (1789-1914), which begins with the French Revolution and ends just short of World War I. This expanded timeframe serves to foreground the transformations that took place within British society and brings those changes into stark relief. This period usually takes England as its geographical norm, and often a particular city: London. But for the purposes of this anthology, the region will also include Scotland, Ireland, Wales, as well as India and the furthest reaches of the British Empire. There is considerable scope here, and the period is rich in conflict and upheaval, which any excellent story cannot do without. Show us primitive science, at once enlightened and profane, the obscure craft of learned mutilators who frighten all, even the dead. Or the Resurrection men, who do their bidding by midnight, and fear more moonlight than the noose. Give us tales of strife and privation, loss and alienation; rural homesteads replaced by hypnotic topographies of stone and glass, cloaked in smog; of choking workhouses and tumbledown tenements. Show us who built this world, mixing mortar with bone,...

Slashic Horror Press Is Open For Queer Horror Novels And Novellas

Slashic Horror Press

Deadline: September 30th, 2024 Payment: 40% royalties for both eBook and paperback. If a hardcover book is produced, authors will receive 35% royalties due to the higher cost of production Theme: Queer horror novels and novellas We love the fresh smell of dead things, so our submission window is currently open for 2025/206! Please carefully read below for specific guidelines, including what we‘re currently looking for. The submissions are so easy a brainless zombie could do it (between meals). What we need in the email The subject line: SURNAME—TITLE—SUBMISSION TYPE (e.g., novel, novella)—WORD COUNT In the body of your email: please let us know if this is an original submission or a resubmission. If you are resubmitting an updated manuscript, please indicate the revised sections to help us assess your manuscript ​​ What we need attached A synopsis approx. 300 words, detailing the key themes, plot, characters, and twists Your brief author bio, including any previous publications The first 30 pages of your manuscript ​ Submission email: [email protected]. ​ Formatting Manuscripts should be presented in TNR, size 12, justified, 1.5 line spacing, as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or.docx. Any other file type won’t be read). Please, for the love of all that is unholy, do not use tabs for new paragraphs. Any variant of English will be accepted. What we want We are a horror press. Any horror sub-genre is welcome, but the manuscript must have clear elements of horror. Preferred length: approx. 30K—100K. Manuscripts outside this are more than welcome, but we are more likely to consider manuscripts in the suggested length Preferred horror sub-genres: slashers, psychological, creature feature/monster (vampires, werewolves, demons etc.), YA, extreme, body, supernatural, cosmic, horrormance, gothic, grief. We don’t shy away from gore Forms: novels, novellas ​​ What we don’t want Fantasy* Poetry Screenplays Erotica Series Short story collections...

Taking Submissions: Error Code (Tentative Title)

Riverfolk Books

Deadline: September 30th, 2024 Payment: $100 Theme: Horror shorts that revolve around technology Pay: $100 for accepted story.Rabid Otter, the horror imprint of Riverfolk Books, is putting together a collection of short stories.Hey everyone, my name is Zaq and I work as the creative director of Riverfolk Books, a progression fantasy indie publication. As much as I enjoy working for Riverfolk, my true love will always lie in horror, and after talking with my boss, he gave me the go ahead to put together a short story collection to get our foot in the door of horror publishing. Tentatively titled Error Code, I'm looking for horror shorts that revolve around technology. Whether that is something as simple as a killer app or something deeper like someone slowly replacing their body parts with cyborg parts, as long as it leans toward technology in any form, I'm interested. Think Black Mirror, but more horror.We're looking for shorts between 6,000 and 10,000 words with the payout being $100 if accepted. Also only asking for SIX months exclusivity after publication.Interested? Send your manuscripts to [email protected] Via: Riverfolk Books' Facebook.

Taking Submissions: Bright Mirror

Oddity Prodigy Productions

Deadline: September 30th, 2024 Payment: $10 and a contributors copy Theme: Uplifting Science Fiction Oddity Prodigy Productions is proud to announce we are open for submissions on our latest anthology: Bright Mirror!! This will be the first science fiction anthology from Oddity Prodigy Productions, following our horror and urban fantasy offerings. There is a planned Kickstarter to cover publishing costs. Publishing date and distribution is as yet undecided. The deadline for Submissions is September 30, 2024 WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR Have you ever looked up at the stars in the night sky and imagined what it would be like to visit them? Have you ever felt awe and wonder when you look forward to the future? We are looking for stories that capture that feeling of hope and excitement? So much of our science fiction is rooted in cynicism about what’s next, and we are looking for stories that deal in the opposite. We want to read stories of discovery and promise! Stories set in worlds filled with marvels and imagination. In short, we would love to read your best utopian science fiction story. Star Trek is the best example, but movies like the Fifth Element, Arrival, or Contact would also be examples of the kind of stories we’re going to collect for this anthology. WHAT WE WERE NOT LOOKING FOR We aren’t looking for dystopias, bleak futures, cyberpunk, nihilism, or darkness. Some sexual content is ok, but nothing too graphic or excessive. We will NOT consider stories that feature abuse or assault of a sexual nature. THE EDITORS Oddity Prodigy Productions is a creative team that shares duties on all projects. This anthology will be co-edited by the entire team. Submission Process: We are looking for stories between 2000 and 5000 words. Exceptions can be made but anything...

Taking Submissions: You, Human, Vol. 2 – September Window

Written Backwards

Submission Window: September 1st - 30th, 2024 Payment: 10 cents a word and a contributor's copy Theme: What does it mean to be alive? What does it mean to be real? What does it mean to exist? What does it mean to be human? Once again, Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics will be re-evaluated and revised to help define humanity Written Backwards is not open to submissions at this time, but due to high interest and numerous inquiries about You, Human, Vol. 2 (to be released in 2025), we are announcing an early open call for submissions for the month of September, 2024. Do not send submissions yet (unless invited). The open call for submissions will begin September 1st and end September 30th later this year. YOU, HUMAN The first volume of You, Human (2016) won the Benjamin Franklin Award for science fiction and is the most successful and widely-read anthology published by Written Backwards. Josh Malerman’s story “The Jupiter Drop” was also nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction and is currently in development as a major motion picture. If you need to catch up, it is highly recommended to read the first volume of You, Human before submitting work for consideration. The second volume will again not only feature legends of the craft but showcase today’s emerging talent, and will be coedited by Michael Bailey and Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki. The anthology is currently invite-only (with more announcements to be revealed soon), but submissions will open to the public in September. What does it mean to be alive? What does it mean to be real? What does it mean to exist? What does it mean to be human? Once again, Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics will be re-evaluated and revised to help define humanity, this time by novelettes (7,500 – 15,000 words max). Three Laws of Humanity: A...

Taking Submissions: Imagitopia September 2024 Window

Imagitopia

Submission Window: September 1st - 30th, 2024 Payment: 1 cent USD per word for previously published flash fiction and short stories with a $10 USD minimum Theme: Reprints of fantasy stories IMAGITOPIA is a new fantasy fiction podcast and digital magazine produced by Android Press and featuring narrated fantasy fiction plus other fun stuff like author and editor interviews, news and events, and nerd-outs on fantasy tropes and other related topics.  We currently accept submissions of previous published fantasy short stories for REPRINT ONLY to be narrated for the podcast. We'll also publish in print here on the webzine.  ​​ Our first submission window opens on September 1, 2023. For more information on when we're open and closed to submissions throughout the year, please see our Schedule. Submissions are only accepted through IMAGITOPIA's Moksha submission portal. Any submissions received via email or any other method will be deleted without review or response. Email accounts inevitable get tons of spam. So this policy helps make sure we don't lose your submission in the email shuffle. But if for some reason you're unable to submit via our Moksha portal, for example due to accessibility issues, please message us using the form at the bottom of this page, and we'll be happy to make alternative arrangements for your submission. *We're a womxn and trans run publication. We hope authors of all types and stripes will submit work, but we especially encourage BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, womxn, people living with disabilities, those living in the Global South, and authors from other marginalized populations. ​ WORD COUNT flash fiction: up to 1,500 words short stories: up to 5,000 words ​ PAY RATE We currently pay 1 cent USD per word for previously published flash fiction and short stories with a $10 USD minimum. ​ GENRES We accept submissions of fantasy and all its...

Taking Submissions: Hearth Stories 2024 September Window

Hearth Stories

Submission Window: September 1st - 30th, 2024 Payment: 1¢ per word Theme: Speculative fiction that explores connection, family, relationships, comfort, and the natural world. Reading periods/When to send Submissions will be open as follows: March 1st–31st (closing at 10pm PST on the 31st), for a June release September 1st–30th (closing at 10pm PST on the 30th), for a December release What to send Hearth Stories publishes speculative fiction (fnatasy & science-fiction in our case) slice-of-life stories with a focus on connection, family, relationships, comfort, and the natural world (we love stories prominently featuring nature, as opposed to tech). We accept works from 1,000 words up to 10,000. However, the ideal length may be something in the 1,500-3,500 word range. We do not currently accept poetry, non-fiction, or non-speculative work (there needs to be a fantasy or science fiction element present in the work). Some things we like: Cozy, sweet, cute, kind, hopeful stories Caregiving, parenting, friendship, romance, and partnership stories Rural/pastoral life and less technologically advanced settings Works that take place in nature Stories involving food and cooking. However, we are vegan; stories that feature animal products may result in a pass on the story or a request for removal of the animal products 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) You may notice that none of those things have anything to do with science fiction or fantasy. We would like speculative stories with the above themes and settings. We are very into slice of life stories, the ruralism of Richard Jefferies (ruralism in general, extending to so-called “cottagecore”), and stories in general that take place in wooded places. We like witches and magic, new world stories (usually terraformed planets), alien worlds, and the small...

Taking Submissions: Short Story Substack September 2024 Window (Early Listing)

Short Story Substack

Submission Window: September 1st - 30th, 2024 Payment: $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue Theme: Any genre, short story Mission = Revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful. Payout = Base Pay of $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Wait, you mean if this substack gets thousands of subscribers, the winner would get thousands of dollars? Yes! The New Yorker pays roughly $7,500 per story and I sincerely hope to go way past that. What does the timeline look like? Submit stories by the end of the month, winner to be announced on the 15th. There is ONE story that wins and receives the full payout. Where do I send submissions? [email protected] What are the rules for submitting? 1. No Fees 2. Send in Microsoft Word or Google Doc form 3. Any genre 4. 6- 10,000 words. Yes, just 6 words, like Hemingway's famous 6-word story "For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn." 5. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute. 6. Acknowledge Distribution Rights on this Substack - You can still sell your story elsewhere but we need to be able to save and publish it here. The goal is to create a library for subscribers. 7. Only the winner will be published and rights will only transfer for the winning story. What do I get for subscribing? One beautiful story every month. The complete library. The joy of supporting artists and doing something interesting. What if I can’t pay right now? That’s ok! If you publish a blurb about this site on your website, blog, or social media, I will send you one full story of your choosing. Best of all, it is...