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Deadline: March 1st, 2024 Payment: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10, artwork, $25 for cover, $10 for interior page display. Theme: Bookmarks The Missing Piece of the Puzzle (November 1, 2023) ALL SHORT STORIES, ESSAYS, POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS and ART MUST RELATE TO ONE OF THE PREMISES SPECIFIED ABOVE. NOTE: Previously published pieces are welcome, provided that the submission fits the theme and that the author owns the copyright. The premise (target theme) must be an integral part of the plot, not necessarily the central theme but not merely incidental. NOTE: Stories longer than 20 double-spaced typewritten pages will not be considered. Indicate premise (target theme) on title page. Be sure to Indicate target theme in cover letter or on first page of manuscript. Include self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with each submission. Rejected manuscripts unaccompanied by an SASE will not be returned. Response time: 3 months after premise deadline.  NO READER'S FEE. Mail to: THEMA, Box 8747, Metairie, LA 70011-8747. Outside the US: email [email protected] On acceptance for publication, we will pay the following amount: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10; artwork, $25 for cover, $10 for interior page display. Copyright reverts to author after publication. THEMA isn't for everyone. To find out why, click here. New to submitting manuscripts to journals? Click here to download a PDF file of a few basic guidelines. Unlike many publishers, we prefer works submitted by the authors themselves, without the involvement of an agent. Be sure to indicate premise and include SASE for each submission.  BE SURE to include a separate SASE for each premise. No handwritten manuscripts will be considered. NOTE: We do not accept e-mailed submissions EXCEPT from authors who live outside the U.S. For those living outside the U.S., submit manuscript as an email attachment (readable by MSWord ― either as a DOC file or an...

Deadline: March 1st, 2024 Payment: Royalties Theme: Horror and dark romance novellas and novellas, series or stand alone Eerie is and has always been an inclusive publishing house. We would love to read manuscripts from all walks of life including BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA and marginalized humans. If you have a horror story, we want to read it. Eerie River Publishing only publishes a handful of novels a year. Regrettably, this means we will have to pass on some fantastic writing. We wish we could publish them all but the truth is we wouldn't be able to put the resources needed behind each project to make them a success. And that is what we are here to do.  ​ We are an inclusive company that accepts submission from anyone regardless of race, gender or sexuality. We accept agented and non-agented submissions during our submission window. What are we looking for?HORROR & DARK FANTASY We are seeking high-quality, novel and novella series in horror and dark fantasy. The series should be two or more books within the same world or following the same characters throughout. At this time we are not interested in short story collections, erotica, strictly religious fiction, YA Fiction, or poetry. ​ We want unique, well-crafted stories with compelling plots, terrifying twists, and entertaining characters, for mature audiences. Give us your grim, heart-wrenching twist. The perfect story would balance the light and the dark pieces of the storyline with humour, alongside the emotional twists and turns. In essence, if you can evoke a gambit of emotion throughout the story then we will be hard-pressed to say no.  ​ Manuscripts should be written in good taste, and be aimed for a mature audience. As this is horror we expect the scary and horrible, and we encourage a step toward darker, more horrific tones...

Deadline: March 1st, 2024 Payment: $30 Theme: Quiet horror Note: Apologies on the short deadline, this just hit our inbox Submission Call! Read veeery carefully. There's a lot of information here. GASPS is an anthology of Quiet Horror ... from splatter authors. Proving our versatility and skill ... this collection sets out to unnerve and chill. No theme other than the requirement that it fit into the "Quiet" category. Meaning no graphic gore or gross out content. Other than that ... you write whatever you want! I want a variety of creative and unique stories, rather than stories that blur together with an overarching theme. Also, of note, just because we're writing more subtle stories doesn't mean I want authors to avoid mature or dark themes. This is going to be a book marketed to adult readers, not children. If you are not familiar with Quiet Horror, seek out the works of authors like Charles L. Grant, Ramsey Campbell, and T.M. Wright. If you're struggling with the definition, the easiest way to describe it is that quiet horror is the exact opposite of extreme horror. Submissions open January 20th and close on March 1st. I'm hoping to have a finished book released by July, but I'm still working on dates. As I've learned from SCRAPS ... anything can happen. 3k to 6k words. Six open spots! Absolutely NO tabs key indents. Size 12, Times New Roman, Double Spaced paragraphs. Double lined too. Anything that doesn't meet these requirements is automatically rejected. Title your emails AND word documents GASPS SUBMISSION. In all caps. If you do not use this title for your email or word document, it will be automatically rejected. Emails must be sent to [email protected]! Invited authors are all splatterpunks, but YOU don't have to be an established or...

Deadline: March 1st, 2024 Prize: Audio narration and $50 Theme: Secret Societies They thrive in the shadowed corridors of history, shrouded in mystery and clandestine pursuits. Unlike cults, secret societies are not defined by coercive ideologies or charismatic leaders, but rather by the allure of exclusive knowledge, shared rituals and covert influence. These clandestine organizations operate beyond the prying eyes of the mainstream, their members bound by oaths of secrecy. Within their hidden chambers, ancient rites and esoteric wisdom are passed down through generations, shaping destiny and the world as we know it. Contest Rules The story must have horror elements and relate to the theme of Secret Societies. Secret societies are distinct from cults in that they don’t operate based on a specific dogma and focus on manipulating outcomes to further their own nefarious agendas. Other than this distinction, how you choose to interpret that theme is up to you, but it must be central to the story. The image included on this page is for interest purposes only and not intended as a prompt. Deadline to submit is March 1, 2024 (11:59pm CST) It must be previously unpublished. Submissions must be in English, but authors from anywhere in the world are welcome to submit. A minimum of ONE winner will be announced on or before May 1, 2024. The top flash piece will be produced for audio narration on Tales to Terrify and receive $50 (USD). Up to four runners up may also be considered for production. Authors retain the rights to their submitted stories. Submission Format up to 1,000 words Microsoft Word or Rich Text Format Double spaced 12 pt. Courier New or Times New Roman font Please include author, title and word count on first page. Stories pasted into the body of an email will be rejected without being read.  ...

Submission Window: March 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 We have a new submissions schedule as of June 1, 2020: The first and second day of every month, 12 am of the 1st to 12 am of the 3rd, E.S.T. Only one submission per person. 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 – 6¢ per word for new fact-based work, 1- 4¢ per word for reprinted fact articles. For new poetry, we pay $1 a line, reprints would be 50¢ a line, up to 40 lines. We’ll look at longer poems but that would be a hard sell, and words over 40 lines would be paid at 6¢ per word. We began 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 about The 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, anywhere from 1000 word flash fiction on up, but all else being equal, shorter pieces...

Submission Window: March 1st – 7th, 2024 Payment: Drabbles and Flash – £5, Short Stories 1001 to 4000 words – £10, Short Stories 4001 to 8000 words – £15 Theme: 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. 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. 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. PLEASE NOTE: We will close submissions early if our cut off point is reached Quarterly Online Anthology Submission Schedule: March 1st – 7th (Summer Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions June 1st – 7th (Autumn Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions September 1st – 7th (Winter Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions December 1st – 7th (Spring 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...

Submission Window: February 15-28 for all authors and March 1-7 for BIPOC creators only Payment: Fiction: $0.05 per word, a minimum of $50.00 USD, Poetry: $50 per poem Theme: MERCURIAL Apparition Lit is a speculative fiction magazine that publishes themed issues four times a year. We publish poems and stories between 1k-5k words in January, April, July, and October. We also hold monthly flash fiction contests between the 1st and 15th of each month. Flash stories must be under 1000 words and be inspired or based on the chosen theme. Read our submission guidelines and submit your work through our Moksha portal. Payment Apparition is a semi-pro rate magazine, paying $0.05 per word, minimum of $50.00 dollars for short stories and a flat fee of $50 per poem. If we accept your story, we are purchasing the right to publish the story online and in the quarterly edition. Rights will revert back to the artist after one year. Equity Initiative As Apparition Lit works to create a more equitable publishing community, we recognize that our open submission period is concurrent with some other really great literary magazines where marginalized writers also like to submit. Voices should be heard and we want to help increase that opportunity. Our submission window will remain open for an additional week each quarter for writers who identify as BIPOC and self-identify in their cover letter.  We will also accept simultaneous submissions from writers who identify as Disabled, BIPOC, or LGBTQIA+. Please just note how you identify in your cover letter, that it is a simultaneous submission, and see further details in the menu below on how to submit for each category. Past Contributors Once you are published by Apparition Lit, you join our tiny but mighty family. We love our alumni and will always do what we can to support their...

Deadline: March 7th, 2024 Payment: Royalty Split Theme: Valkyries, mythical female figures from Norse mythology. Submissions should prominently feature valkyries and explore their roles, adventures or interactions with other mythological creatures. Deadline – 7th March 2024 Publication – 30th March 2024 Word Count – 500 words exactly not including title/author details Theme – Valkyries, mythical female figures from Norse mythology. Submissions should prominently feature valkyries and explore their roles, adventures or interactions with other mythological creatures. Genre – Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Horror Compensation – 30% of royalties split between all authors within the anthology for one year from the date of publication.  Reprints – No Simultaneous Submissions – No When submitting to Iron Faerie Publishing please remember the Submission Guidelines. Each submission should include a brief and polite introduction addressed to the Editor. Please make sure to include the following: Your name, legal name and pen name (if you use one). The title of your submission. The submission’s word count. The title of the anthology that you are submitting to. Author Bio written in 3rd person (150 words or less). Up to three (3) links. No amazon author page links. The following formatting is more or less industry standard, and our preference. Your submission should be in Shunn Short Story Format, and in Times New Roman 12 point font. No tabs. .doc and .docx. only. When sending your submission, please remember the following: All submissions should be sent to: [email protected] All submissions close at midnight of the specified date according to Australian Western Standard Time (AWST; UTC+08:00), unless filled early. Email subject lines should read in the following format: ANTHOLOGY NAME – Title – Author Name (eg. HAWTHORN & ASH – Brid’s Lament – A.N. Author) Responses to submissions will be sent no later than 28 days after the SUBMISSION CALL has CLOSED. We always respond to each and every submission. At this...

Deadline: March 10th, 2024 Payment: $20 Theme: Any genre of fiction Deadline: 2024/03/10 $20 Contributor’s Payment if Accepted No Reprints Submit once per reading cycle If accepted, wait 24 months before submitting again We are a non-genre specific publication. Read our previous issues to get a sense of what we publish. Submission Guidelines Samjoko purchases first worldwide English-language serial and electronic rights from the date the contract is signed and paid for up until 6 months after publication date. After initial publication date, Samjoko Magazine will maintain non-exclusive rights to publication. Paid submissions must not use the intellectual property of any other author or company. Just To Clarify: your work will not appear, and will not have appeared, in any other available format (blogs and public forums included) until 3 months after the release date of the story in Samjoko Magazine. After 3 months, we’ll retain ongoing non-exclusive distribution rights, but you can self-publish your work or sell your story to another paying market. Each piece we acquire will be published on samjokomagazine.com in an electronic seasonal issue. We may also excerpt pieces for promotional purposes. The author retains all other rights. We pay up to 6 months after publication through PayPal only. Payment projected to happen sooner. Current payment is $20 per accepted submission, though we hope to increase this with greater support from readers. Cover letter should have contact information, PayPal email, and author’s bio less than 100 words. Email subject should read: Example - SUBMISSION: The Grey Wolf (FICTION - 3200) by Lauren Hill See below for detailed submission guidelines. Submissions that do not follow the guidelines will be deleted unread. Notification of receipt and rejections will be form letters to save time. There will be no personal responses except in the case of general queries and acceptances. Cover Letter...

Submission Window: January 1st – March 12th, 2024 Payment: $25 Theme: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror The Empyreal Tree is a genre fiction magazine. Our main purpose is to share stories, populated in a strange new world, only connected by the similarities of character and emotions that entangles humanity together. Please check out the What We Are Looking For section to see the kind of stories we like. We are looking to release 3 issues throughout the year, each issue containing 5 short stories. The submission period will be between: January 1 – March 12 May 1 – July 12 September 1 – November 12 The anthology will be released within two months after the submissions ended. (For example, if the submission periods ends in November 12, the issue should be released between November 13 and December 31). There will be a theme that ties the edition together, so please be on the lookout for that! In addition, please send a cover letter discussing how the theme ties into your story. Rules:     Word Count: 1,000 – 15,000 words. Be aware that we’ll be strict with the word count, and if anyone sends a story over the word count, we hope the story is incredible, because we’ll unfortunately send in an immediate rejection.     Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror     Payment: We offer $25 per short story, although we hope to give more in the future.     Response Time: Depending on the severity of the slush pile, we’ll be hoping to give out responses within 3-4 days. However, if the submission pile grows to difficult to handle, the response time is generally within 12 weeks. Please be patient as we are a small group (and by group, it is one person) working hard to get through these lovely stories. Format: All submissions must...