Events

Submission Window: July 17th-31st, 2023 Payment: 10 cents per word Theme: science fiction, fantasy, horror (everything must have a speculative element, even horror). Our planned windows are: July 17-31, 2023: General submission window David Steffen is the editor, who you may also know from reading The Long List Anthology series or from the Submission Grinder, which you can use to find markets for your writing and track your submissions.  Diabolical Plots is a SFWA-qualifying market, so if you have a personal goal to join SFWA, making a sale here would help you toward that goal. If you have already read our guidelines and are ready to submit, you can SUBMIT HERE. FICTION Accessibility Note:  We recognize our submission form may not be accessible to all users. Please send us a message at our contact form or email editordiabolicalplotscom and we will make sure you can submit your story. Genres:  science fiction, fantasy, horror (everything must have a speculative element, even horror). Word count:  3500 words or less.  This is a firm limit.  If you submit a longer story, it will be rejected unread and that will count as a submission.  Do not query to ask permission to submit something longer–the answer will be no. Pay rate: 10 cents per word.  Paying by PayPal is preferred by us, but we can mail a US bank check if you live in the US, and if you live somewhere where neither of these things are options, we are exploring other options.  We don’t want unavailability of payment apps for you to be a deterrent to you submitting! Multiple submissions:  No.  In the past, Diabolical Plots accepted two submissions per author per window, but now we ask that you only send one submission per window.  Even if you receive a rejection before the window has ended, we ask that you wait until our next window to submit a...

Deadline: July 31st, 2023 Payment: $25 CAD Theme: choose a mood (e.g. melancholy, frustrated, calm) and a film, TV show, or even a director/actor (as long as the connection to your chosen mood is clear) to write about in any format/genre What are your viewing habits, highs, and hang-ups? In other words, why do you look away and then look again? Why are you so obsessed with the exact shade of pink of Suki’s car in 2 Fast 2 Furious? Or the look on Marnie’s face after she’s fired the shotgun? We want to hear all about it, but you should know that we are terrible at keeping secrets. So… are you in the mood? Submissions are OPEN for In The Mood Magazine Issue 8: MOODS! We’re doing things a little differently this time, so please read the call carefully... Inspired by our Film Recommendation Generator, we’re asking our contributors to choose a mood (e.g. melancholy, frustrated, calm) and a film, TV show, or even a director/actor (as long as the connection to your chosen mood is clear) to write about in any format/genre they wish. The film/show can match the mood or be an antidote. We welcome creative non-fiction, poetry, fan fiction… surprise us! Explore our Film Recommendation Generator for inspiration 😉 - Submission deadline: July 31st, 2023 - Theme: Moods—please indicate the mood you’re pitching - Please note we like to focus on post-1970s media - Word count for final piece: maximum 700 words - Honorariums: $25 CAD upon publication While we prefer pitches, we also welcome completed pieces. If pitching, please include a writing sample—it doesn’t need to be a published piece! ‍ Submissions are always OPEN for our newsletter—pitch us your ideas for short features or film diaries about what you've been watching lately! SEND SUBMISSIONS/QUERIES TO: [email protected] Via: In The Mood Magazine.

Deadline: July 31st, 2023 Payment: $25 Theme: Unconventional Ghost Stories Flash Frog is currently only open for Flash Frogtober submissions until July 31st. This means we want your GHOST STORIES! Send us your traditional ghost stories, the ones that haunt and scare. Send us your unconventional ghost stories, the ones that make us rethink what a ghost story can be. We are open to your interpretation, so surprise us! Please put “FLASH FROGTOBER — your story title” in the subject line. Please do not send us general submissions during this time. They will be returned unread. We will reopen for general submissions on August 1st. All of the standard guidelines below still apply: WRITERS: Flash Frog publishes flash fiction only (no poetry or CNF please). 1,000 words maximum. Please email stories to [email protected]. Please attach the story as .doc, .docx, or .rtf. Please use this format as the subject: FLASH FROGTOBER — your story title Cover letters are okay, but please do not explain or set up your story. Let it speak for itself. Please do include a third-person bio (100 words max) in the body of the email. Simultaneous submissions are encouraged, but please email to withdraw your piece as soon as it has been accepted elsewhere. We’d love to congratulate you! Multiple submissions are not okay. Please send only one story at a time and wait until you hear back before sending another. All submissions should be the author’s original work and not previously published elsewhere (this includes blogs, social media, etc.) Publication rights: We ask for the right to display the work for the duration of the journal. Copyright remains with the writer in all cases. If your work is subsequently reprinted elsewhere, please acknowledge Flash Frog as the site of first publication. Response time: Typically within a week, but occasionally longer. Please do not inquire about your submission until 2 months have passed. Payment: Flash Frog pays $25 per story upon publication. Payments are issued via...

{"source":"other","uid":"AF5F7DFE-95CB-4D94-92BC-11058578C73C_1650375698517","origin":"gallery","is_remix":false,"used_premium_tools":false,"used_sources":"{"version":1,"sources":}","premium_sources":,"fte_sources": Deadline: July 31st, 2023 Prizes: 2 Grand Prizes of $500 for grand winners of Fiction and Non-Fiction., 1 Grand Prize of $250 for Poetry. , 1st prize for each qualifying category – $50 cash prize, plus double royalties for their published submission., 2nd prize for each qualifying category – $25 cash prize plus 1.5 times standard royalties for their published submission.,. 3rd prize for each qualifying category – Free copy of a SOOP Anthology, plus standard royalties for their published submission., Curator’s Choice Award –$50 cash prize each time a “heat” of 25 Qualified Submissions is achieved in a specific category. Theme: Just about anything under the sun, organized by category, see below Something Or Other Publishing provides an extraordinary chance for aspiring authors to show off their work, compete for cash awards, and get their writings published. Our Annual Short Story Contest honors excellence in writing short stories by awarding talented writers with numerous guaranteed cash prizes (totaling over $5,000 this year) and a publishing contract to get their stories out to the world. In addition to the winners, qualified writers can receive a contract offer to publish their work in one or more carefully curated anthologies like 25 Servings of SOOP, Women Write Now: Women In Trauma, Midwest Road Trip Adventures, and other projects under production with royalties generally above industry standards. Overview AT ANY TIME IN THE YEAR: The Author qualifies by submitting a valid story within a category and obtaining 50 votes. AT ANY TIME IN THE YEAR: Once 25 qualified submissions (a heat) are received in a category the Curator reviews them, awards a cash Curator Award, and passes 3 entries on to the semi-finals to be reviewed by our independent panel of judges. AT ANY TIME IN THE YEAR: Authors may receive an invitation for their story to be...

Deadline: August 1st, 2023 Payment: $5 Theme: Graveyard-themed Horror Madame Gray is excited to announce a call for graveyard-themed submissions for her new anthology, Madame Gray's Graveyard of Blood! Open to all subgenres of horror, as long as the story takes place in, or is connected in some way to a cemetery. The more ghoulish, the better! The scarier, the merrier! And a bit of gallows humor is always welcome, but not required. Well-written tales that are off the beaten path with a twist ending stand the best chance of getting accepted. Compiled and edited by Gerri R. Gray (Madame Gray's Poe-Pourri of Terror, Toilet Zone 2 & 3) and published by Hellbound Books, this anthology (the fourth in the popular Madame Gray series) is open to undiscovered writers and established voices alike. Stories must be original and previously unpublished. Multiple and simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know straight away if your story is accepted elsewhere. No poetry or flash fiction, please. Payment is $5.00 plus a free contributors copy (ebook). PLEASE read and adhere to our submission guidelines...  * Word format saved in .doc, or .docx * 12 pt times new roman * Double spaced * Absolutely NO extra lines between paragraphs! * 2.5K - 8K word count * Write 'GRAVEYARD' 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: Aug 1st, 2023 NO REPRINTS - ORIGINAL UNPUBLISHED WORKS ONLY Capped at...

Deadline: August 1st, 2023 Payment: £20 and a contributors copy Theme: Evil or demonic toys Title: Terrors from the Toy Box Story Length: 2K words – 7K words Pay: £20 regardless of story length plus a paperback and digital (pdf & Epub.) copy. Deadline: 1st August 2023 Release Date: 1st October 2023 In a dark corner of the attic lies a wooden box burgeoning with forgotten relics from bygone decades. Evil effigies of plastic claw their way out of their dusty confines into your very nightmares. Devil dolls and terrifying teddies, abominable action figures and gruesome games all lying in wait for the opportunity to be free to wreak terror once again. What we want: For our anthology, ‘Terrors from the Toy Box’, we are looking for original short horror stories, from 2K words to 7K words max, with a toy theme.  Works slightly under 2K words or slightly over 7K words may still be considered. We ask for five months exclusive print and digital rights, and non exclusive rights thereafter. You will retain copyright ownership of your work. What we don’t want: We don’t accept simultaneous submissions. We don’t want stories about existing toy brands, toy lines or real people; it needs to be fully fictional, although mentioning toy lines here and there in your story is acceptable. We don’t want to read anything detailing animal cruelty, harm to children, gratuitous sex or any sort of prejudice. We don’t accept flash fiction or poetry.  Format: The anthology will be released in paperback print and ebook formats and sold via Amazon. How to submit: Send your manuscript as an attachment to [email protected] or [email protected] Please follow the Shunn Manuscript Format leaving out headers and page numbers. On the first page, please include: Your pen name, The story title, Approx. word count, Your email...

Deadline: August 1st, 2023 Payment: $10 Theme: High-End Cannibals It’s that time again. PsychoToxin Press is issuing an open call for our next anthology. What we’re looking for this time is cannibal stories. Now when we say cannibal stories, we’re not looking for stereotypes like headhunters or TCM style hillbillies. What we’re looking for is elevated cannibals. Stories that occur in places like high-end restaurants or secret societies. Maybe it’s a cannibal cooking show on the darkweb. Maybe it’s an exclusive invitation to a dinner. Anything outside of the same tired stories. Submissions should be between 2,000-10,000 words. Pay is $10 plus a digital contributors copy. Please include contact information both in your email and on the first page of your submission. Given that we’re asking for cannibal stories, our guidelines are a little more relaxed for this one, however please keep the following in mind… No excessive gore or violence without a reasonable explanation. If it fits the story that’s great, but gore for the sake of gore is just lazy. No graphic sexual assault or violence against animals or children. Again it’s just lazy and oftentimes only used for shock value. You must hold the rights to publish the submitted work. You wouldn’t want anyone stealing your work, and we expect the same honesty from all contributors. PsychoToxin Press does not claim to hold copyright over your work if chosen for publication, all we ask is that you don’t reprint the story anywhere for at least 3 months after publication of the anthology. All submissions must be submitted by August 1st to be considered for inclusion. All submissions should be sent to [email protected] with your name and title in the subject line. Thanks in advance and we look forward to reading your work. Via: PsychoToxin Press.

Deadline: August 1st, 2023 Payment: $.03 per word Theme: Alternative Leadership B Cubed Press is pleased announce an Open Call for Alternative Leadership.    An anthology about leadership. Leadership by the under-represented, by those too often forced to watch as those less qualified, less capable rise in a system that cannot see the value of diversity and change. We’re looking for broken barriers of all kinds.  Can a man lead the National Organization of Women? Can a woman lead the NFL Players Association?  Not in our current world, perhaps, but maybe in alternative worlds? This will be a book about those things, in government, in the PTA, in the Horde, in the town or village.  In the world. About the Orc would be King of the Goblins, the woman who would be Pope.  The only limits are those of your own imagination. So understand there is no magic formula for sex, orientation or race of your protagonist.  We want our readers to enjoy the story, sometimes laugh, but always think. The Alternatives series often uses humor and satire as a way of looking at issues.  You don’t have to write satire or humor to sell us a story, but it sometimes helps. We are unabashedly social justice fans and love redemption.  Your story doesn’t have to reflect progressive perspectives, but again, it helps. But most of all, we want our readers to think about the story after they’ve put down the book. We are looking for good writing, first and foremost. We also want imaginative scenarios, and a good bit of humor in stories, essays or poetry is always appreciated. Write of successes. Write of failures. Write of the perfect, the imperfect, the noble, and the wretched. Write the story of the person who said, “I can be more.” This book...

Deadline: August 1st, 2023 Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 - $10.00 for poetry Theme: Story must begin with: "As soon as Harriet entered the building, she headed to the seventh floor." Fall: As soon as Harriet entered the building, she headed to the seventh floor. Due date: August 1, 2023 We love that writers around the world are inspired by our first lines, and we know that not every story will be sent to us. However, we ask that you do not submit stories starting with our first lines to other journals (or post them online on public sites) until we've notified you as to our decision (usually four weeks after the deadline). When the entire premise of the publication revolves around one sentence, we don't want it to look as if we stole that sentence from another writer. If you have questions, feel free to drop us a line. Also, we understand that writers may add our first line to a story they are currently working on or have already completed, and that's cool. But please do not add our first line to a previously published story and submit it to us. We do not accept previously published stories, even if they have been repurposed for our first lines. And, just to be clear, we do not accept simultaneous submissions. One more thing while I've got you here: Writers compete against one another for magazine space, so, technically, every literary magazine is running a contest. There are, however, literary magazines that run traditional contests, where they charge entry fees and rank the winners. We do not - nor will we ever - charge a submission fee, nor do we rank our stories in order of importance. Occasionally, we run contests to help come up with new first...

Deadline: August 1st, 2023 Payment: Royalties: one (1%) per cent of net sales Theme: “Life is the dance between choice and chance.” “Life is the dance between choice and chance.” How did you come to the point in life where you now find yourself? Two factors were likely in play: choice and chance. The choices you make are clearly a factor in shaping your life. For example: a woman in one universe elopes with her high school sweetheart, but they are too young to make the marriage work and divorce at any early age; in a second universe, she marries him after they graduate from university and happily becomes a stay-at-home mom; in a third universe, she doesn’t marry him and pursues a successful career. Making different choices about the same life goal can lead to very different lives. It’s also true, though, that chance, forces that are out of our control, shapes the choices that are available to us. This may be because of the choices of others which directly affect us, or it may because of the society into which we are born. For instance: a black man sleeps in his car in the drive-thru lane of a fast food restaurant. In one universe, two white cops are sent to deal with him; forty-five minutes later, one of them has shot him dead. In a second universe, one of the white cops and a psychiatrist are sent to deal with him; after a tense confrontation, he is arrested and his car impounded. In a third universe, the psychiatrist and a social worker droid are sent to deal with him; he is sent home to sleep it off and told he can pick up his impounded car the next day. The different outcomes are a product of chance, the...