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Deadline: January 31st, 2014 Payment: $100 flat rate per each manuscript accepted into the anthology Now Accepting Short Story Submissions What happens after death? That’s the question Grey Matter Press would like you to answer. For our next anthology–working title “Death’s Realm”–we’re looking for dark, horrifying tales exploring themes from “the great beyond.” We do not want to limit your creativity with a narrowly themed collection, so “Death’s Realm” will include works of truly terrifying dark fiction that investigate the concepts of hauntings, spirits, life after death, ghostly encounters and just about any other subject that pertains to the afterlife and the horrifying things that might reside just beyond the veil. Be prepared to scare the hell out of us. Please review our Submissions Guidelines below, and feel free to contact us here on the site with any questions. or send a message to [email protected]. We thank you for your interest in considering Grey Matter Press as a potential home for your work. *”Death’s Realm” is a working title. Grey Matter Press reserves the right to change the title as necessary.   GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS Word Count: 3,000 – 10,000 words Deadline: January 31, 2014 Payment: $100 flat rate per each manuscript accepted into the anthology Formats: *.doc, *.docx, *.txt, *.rtf Contact Address: [email protected] Acceptable File Formats: Grey Matter Press wants to make your submission process easy and painless. We accept manuscripts that are *.doc, *.docx, .txt or .rtf file formats. If you have any questions about the formatting of your manuscript, feel free to contact us directly [email protected] Digital Submissions: Unfortunately, we cannot accept manuscripts of previously published pieces. (Published work includes work that have appeared online in magazines, journals and/or personal websites.) Only previously unpublished work will be accepted. We will accept your submission via email at [email protected]. Subject lines should...

Deadline: January 31st, 2014 Payment: Exposure Only Women in Horror - Issue #13 Hard to believe a year has gone by, but it has! It's almost February again, which means 'Women in Horror Recognition Month' is almost here!!! The 13th issue of The Sirens Call eZine is all about celebrating women in the horror genre! Rule One: You have to be a woman! Rule Two: It has to be a work of horror! Rule Three: See rules one and two again if it isn't clear by now... Ladies, send us your creepiest, darkest, most twisted submissions. Deadline: January 31, 2014 Sirens Call Publications is currently accepting submissions for our bi-monthly e-zine, focusing on edgy & dark fiction including Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Suspense genres. We welcome short stories (1000 - 2500 words), flash fiction (300 - 500 words), and dark poetry in the dark fiction/horror realm. Artwork, photography, film and literary reviews are also accepted as long as they are horror related. Submissions should be sent to [email protected] with the subject line of "eZine(number)Submission_(YourStoryTitle)_(YourName)" Formatting: The file should be a .doc or .docx; Times New Roman 12 point font; single spaced; first line indented. Please do not include a header. Please inquire if you have any questions, or visit our Submission Guidlines page. Interviews with both up and coming or established authors will also be featured. Take advantage of this superb opportunity to gain exposure for your work and email [email protected] with your submissions, or contacting [email protected] with any queries. Ad space is available for books, web sites and organizations supporting the literary or artistic community. A full page ad is $25. Please contact [email protected] for information. We ask for one time publication rights only; stories that are previously published elsewhere are accepted provided that you hold the rights...

Deadline: January 31st, 2014 Prize: $10 and read in audio form   Current Contest: Aliens Invade History Aliens. What’s up with these guys anyway? They’re always flying across the unimaginable interstellar void to conquer earth, and somehow, despite being vastly outgunned, those plucky earthlings always manage to blow them out of the sky. It’s like, guys, if you have the technology to traverse the great gulf of darkness, how do you not have the ability to terraform Mars? Or one of the other planets in your own system for that matter? What? Oh, right the prompt. See, Aliens are sort of a recent idea. You can probably trace the alien invasion genre back to H. G. Wells and the War of the Worlds, and you could argue the whole flying saucer sighting thing got kicked off with the Great Airship Scare in 1896, both pretty recent on the scale of human civilization. But what if the flying saucers had shown up earlier? How would the fictional aliens of today fare against the Roman Empire or the Genghis Khan’s Mongol army? That’s the idea we want to explore in this month’s flash fiction challenge. You get a thousand words. Send your entries in to [email protected] with “Aliens Invade History” in the subject-line of your email. We prefer “.doc” attachments. The winner of the contest will receive ten dollars and have their story produced in audio form to air on the podcast. Good luck and happy writing! The deadline for this contest is January 31st, 2014. Story Examples: To get an idea of what we are looking for, check out these stories. Expecting by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt Zombies Have No Respect for Plumbing by Tony Southcotte

Deadline: January 31st, 2014 Prize: £15/$20 Amazon voucher Do you like a challenge? Can you write short and snappy horror? Why not enter our spring flash fiction contest? Take a look at the photograph below…   Now, write a story in no more than 250 words, drawing inspiration from the photo. Remember, we are looking for horror, the strange, the weird and worrisome, the macabre and mysterious. When done, paste your story directly into the CONTACT form in the top menu. Please add SPRING CONTEST to the ‘Subject’ line. Closing date is 31st January 2014. We will pick one winner who will receive a £15/$20 Amazon voucher and have their story published in Massacre Magazine. Our decision is final, any moaners will be mangled. Good Luck! Source: Massacre Publishing.

Deadline: February 1st 2014 Payment: 5 cents per word April--Issac Asimov Of all the greats, who's easier to recognize than Asimov? We want to see stories that are written in the style of this master, that are in homage to him, or that include Asismov as a character. Also, please include a brief paragraph at the beginning of your story, letting the reader know what Asimov story inspired you to write this one. CALL BEGINS DECEMBER 1, 2013 CALL ENDS FEBRUARY 1, 2014 Penumbra is looking for original, unpublished stories of 3500 words or less. We prefer that writers use Standard Manuscript Format for submissions. (You can read this article by Chuck Rothman on the SFWA site on preparing a manuscript for submission if you are unfamiliar with SMF.) Please send your stories as file attachments in .rtf or .doc formats only. Please include a cover letter in the body of your email, with the manuscript title, you pen name if applicable, the exact word count of the story not including title and byline, and a publication history if applicable. Penumbra is a professional rates paying publisher, paying 5 cents per word. We will evaluate poetry submissions for each issue. We will also consider previously published stories with rights reverted to the author. Penumbra has multiple issue calls open at the same time, therefore it is imperative that you include the issue theme in the subject line of your email. Submissions that do not include this information risk getting lost in our queue and not read before the deadline. Penumbra uses Musa Publishing's house style guide, which relies upon the Chicago Manual of Style. All accepted stories will be edited to reflect Musa house style. If you have never been published before, please tell us. Penumbra likes publishing new authors...

Deadline: February 1st, 2014 Payment: $25 and two contributor’s copies     Call For Submissions for: Boroughs of the Dead II – An Anthology of New York City Ghost Stories  We are looking for your best original short horror and ghost stories set in and around New York City. This anthology of urban horror will focus on telling tales of terror from the five boroughs. Any style of horror is welcome, from the weird tale to supernatural stories, and nothing is off limits. Stories can be historical fiction or pure imagination – the only parameter is that your tale must take place in one of the five boroughs or within a reasonable distance (e.g. Yonkers, or in a tunnel under the Hudson River). The city plays a huge part in this anthology, and it is critical that the setting contribute to the story in a significant way. Think of New York City as a character in your tale, and let the story tell us why it is so. For an idea of the type of story we’re looking for, check out   Boroughs of the Dead Volume 1 or The Friendly Horror and Other Weird Tales.   Word count is generally limited to 3,500 words but you may query longer stories up to 5,000 words if you feel they fit the parameters of this anthology. Flash fiction and poetry will be considered, but preference is given to short stories between 1,000 – 2,500 words. Contributors will receive payment of $25 and two contributor’s copies. This anthology will be edited by Anthony Burdge, Jessica Burke, and Andrea Janes and published by Myth Ink Books. Sub stories in body of an email to Myth Ink Books (Click here to open email) (no attachments, please). Please include a brief note with your submission telling us where in NYC your...

Deadline: February 1st, 2014 Payment: $0.02 USD per word and contributor's copy Aercastle Narratives:  Speculative Fiction Magazine is currently reading submissions for Issue 1. Accepted submissions will be featured in Aercastle Narratives’ debut issue, scheduled for publication in March 2014. We are open to writers and voices of any genre (adventure, fantasy, horror, humor, mystery, occult, psychic, paranormal, supernatural, romance, science fiction, thriller and western stories, and very interested in reading writers who are unafraid of combining any of these genres). We are open to debuting and seasoned writers alike. We’re looking for quality tales that take us away, make us think and make us feel. To be considered, speculative elements must contribute to your story. We’re looking for those tales which have the potential to keep our readers engaged, on a plane, commuter train, library, or in the comfort of their living rooms. 2014 SUBMISSION DEADLINES: Issue 1, March 2014 deadline: February 1, 2014 Issue 2, June 2014 deadline: May 1, 2014 Issue 3, September 2014 deadline: August 1, 2014 Issue 4, December 2014 deadline: November 1, 2014 MANUSCRIPT FORMAT Submitted manuscripts must be at least 500 words and no longer than 2,000 words in length. Use a professional, easy to read font, 12pt in size. SUBMISSION Please e-mail manuscripts as an attachment, in either *.doc, *.docx, or OpenOffice *.odt files. In the subject of the e-mail, begin your subject line with “Submission” and the title(s) of your submission. We are seeking First Electronic Rights, First Print Rights, or Reprint Rights where applicable. Please include a brief author bio in your e-mail submission, with publication history and/or website with us. We’d love to tell our readers about you. E-mail submissions to:  [email protected] PAYMENT Payment for accepted works is $0.02 USD per word (i.e. $10 for 500 words, $40 for 2000 words) Payment in the form of PayPal transfer or money order (contributor’s preference) upon publication. Contributor’s copy....

Deadline: February 1st, 2014 Payment: 1-cent-per-word to a maximum of $50. Contributors will also receive 2 copies of the journal.   The submission window is August 1 through to February 1. (Note, I may close to subs if the book fills up before February 1).   Thank you for your interest in Shadows & Tall Trees. From issue 6 onward, Shadows & Tall Trees is an annual trade-paperback and eBook anthology published in May.   Fiction Guidelines It’s evident potential contributors are not reading the guidelines below, so here are some quick bullet points. Unfortunately, it’ll mostly read like a laundry list of things I don’t want, as most of the submissions I receive are inappropriate. But please read the full guidelines. I’ll know from your cover letter if you haven’t. - I want literary horror, weird fiction, strange tales, à la Robert Aickman. (If you aren’t familiar with Aickman, you are unlikely to place a story at Shadows & Tall Trees). - Original, previously unpublished fiction only, please. - Manuscripts should be no more than 7500-words - Payment is a princely 1-cent-a-word to a maximum $50, plus 2 copies, for first English-Language rights - No overly long and effusive cover letters. I don’t read them. - Do not summarize your short story! Do not summarize your short story! Please. - No multiple or simultaneous submissions. I shall respond fairly promptly. - No familiar tropes. i.e. vampires, werewolves, and zombies. - No science fiction. Telling me that your horror story is set on Mars does not cut it. - No elves, dragons, or faeries. Seriously. If I read one more story of evil faeries in mystical woods, I will likely die in an all-consuming rage. Full guidelines below. I publish quiet, literary horror fiction. Fiction that is offbeat and eclectic; dark, bizarre and psychological....

Deadline: Feb 20th, 2014 Payment: Exposure & Royalties Dark in the Limelight Deadline: Feb 20th, 2014 Payment: Exposure & Royalties Flash fiction & Short Stories (1,000 – 4,000 words) Poetry and re-prints will also be considered “I promise you, one and all, that fame will not change me.” - Harietta Morgan Old stage lighting burns centre stage on a budding actor, singer, dancer? They’ve made it to the middle mark. Fame and fortune await them. But just how did they get so lucky as to have their dreams fall into their laps? Was it hard work that got them where they are today, determination, talent, even? Or perhaps it was something else, something much more sinister that gave them their gifts and their powers. There’s something dark in the limelight. Can those held beneath its spell survive the curse their greed has brought upon them, or will they perish like so many others? The price of fame can be Hell. No taboos, just let your imagination run wild. Dark fairy tales, bizarre, horror, surrealism, dark science-fiction and steam punk are all cool here. Submission guidelines: Deadline for submissions – February 20th, 2014. Word Count: 1,000 – 4,000 words. Please submit your manuscript as a *.doc or *.docx file - rtf is acceptable also (all other formats will automatically be rejected. Contact me prior to submitting if this presents an issue for you). Font and formatting: Please submit in Times New Roman, 12 point font; single line spacing. Please format the document to 1st line indentation of 1″. The page margin should be set to .1″ on all sides. Please check grammar. Upon acceptance into the anthology, you agree that Horrified Press holds exclusive publishing rights for six months from the date of publication; after that date has passed, all intellectual...

Deadline: February 20th, 2013 Payment: $10 per story   Each monthly flash fiction call has a theme. We ask you to write an SFF story (SciFi, Fantasy, Horror, or related sub-genres) that fits the theme in some way. You’ll find a list of upcoming themes below. Please only submit a story for a particular theme during that theme’s submission period. Stories submitted during the wrong submission period will be deleted unread. Though this is a flash fiction contest, we’re still looking for stories with a strong narrative arc. We want stories that introduce us to character, world, and conflict in the opening 1-2 graphs. (Conflict isn’t just a fight, by the way.) We want a middle free of too much backstory; we want forward momentum. Last, we want an ending the resolves the plot, directly or subtly. We only want stories between 500 and 1,000 words, inclusive. We pay a flat rate of $10 per story, regardless of length. Now, without further ado, let’s showcase the themes, shall we?   Send your submission in an email to kazkasubsgmail.com. Attach your file to the email. Don’t forget to include your cover letter in the body of the email. Subject Line: Flash Fiction Contest (e.g. “Flash Fiction Contest ” for the ‘Sax & Violins’ prompt). Imprecise subject lines may result in lost submissions. Here are the rules and details. Word Count: We’re looking for a piece of flash fiction that is between 500 and 1000 words long. Thus: 499 < YOUR STORY < 1,001 We won’t publish stories north or south of this mark. Deadline: At midnight, as the 20th rolls into the 21st in California, we’ll stop accepting submissions for the current month’s contest. All dates and times relate to California time (Pacific PST/PDT). Manuscript & Cover Letter: Please get close to standard manuscript formatting. However, we’ll be formatting your...