Events

Deadline: August 1st, 2018 Payment: $5 for flash fiction and $10 to $20 (depending on length) for short stories Issue #11: A is for Aliens, Apocalypse and Armageddon  (Fall/Winter 2018) Alien abduction, human experimentation and assault by anal probe. Deadly deep space. Invasive artificial intelligence. Invaders from Mars, extraterrestrial beings and big-eyed, naked Greys. It's the end the world as we know it, and we do not feel fine. ​          A note from the editors: we're looking for boundary-trampling, genre-splicing stories here. Skip the standard brain-eaters and ho-hum zombies. Give us something different, something much, much worse. Submission deadline: 8/01/2018 We are not afraid." Body Parts Magazine is an online literary magazine of horror, erotica, speculative fiction, essays and art. Each themed issue honors Eros and Thanatos, the Greek gods of libido and mortido—life and death. We celebrate the vast and various expressions of dreams and darkness, our primitive desires and urges, and seek to encounter—and embrace—those shadowy monsters who dwell in the dimly lit corners of human experience.  Upcoming Themes Submissions for each issue are accepted through the last day of each reading period (if specified). You are welcome to submit material for any issue, simply indicate which issue you would like your work to be considered for. Be advised: we generally begin reading submissions for ​a particular issue after the close of its submission deadline, so don't panic if you haven't heard back before then. Body Parts accepts well-written, thoughtfully structured horror, erotic horror, speculative fiction, dark fantasy (including fairy tales and mythology), exceptional stories about ghosts, ghouls, monsters and wretched creatures, Gothic fiction, and all combinations of the above. Our boundaries are few and far between. Before you submit, please note that: We no longer accept reprints. Emails with attachments and stories submitted after the deadline will be deleted unread.  Fiction Flash Fiction: 1,000 words or fewer. Short Stories: up to 8,000 words. Serialized or Longer...

Deadline: August 1st, 2018 Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 - $10.00 for poetry Fall: The window was open just enough to let in the cool night air. Due date: August 1, 2018 We love the fact 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 two to three 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.) 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 lines, or we run fun, gimmicky competitions for free stuff, but the actual journal is not a contest in the traditional sense. Fiction: All stories must be...

Deadline: August 1st, 2018 Payment: £10 per 1,000 words for prose, and £10 per poem. Note: Reprints Allowed Blood Bath Litzine is open for submissions of short fiction and poetry on the theme of BODIES Bodies are sites of terror and desire; they can be politicised, policed and possessed, becoming either a haven of pleasure or a hellish prison of flesh. We want to read your weirdest, most innovative stories on BODIES. THIS COULD BE: Body horror; Gory existential dread. We want to feel uncomfortable inside; give us stories that leave a dark, greasy mark on your soul. The body politic; oppressive control over bodies. Ideas surrounding body autonomy, dystopian regimes, AI and robotics, all welcome. The creepier the better. Changing bodies; Violent possessions, Weird transformations. If it involves dentata or an unexpected hunger for flesh, send it our way. Body snatchers, visceral displays, personal hauntings; we’re into it. Just to be clear these are not chapters or subheadings, just some ideas to get you going. We’re open to any and all types of horror, dark fantasy, speculative or science fiction, so don’t hold back. WE LOVE: Experimental poetry or prose; we’ll do our best to print your original language or innovative typography. Socially aware fiction. Stories that have something to say (or scream) about the modern world. Stories told through a feminist lens are always going to make us happy. We particularly encourage submissions from people of colour, trans people, nonbinary people, women, femmes and other members of the LGBTQ community. Genre fiction; though it has to contain an element of horror. We are interested in fantasy, science-fiction, erotica…as long as it has a dark edge. For a more visual representation of what we love, check out our Instagram page, @bloodbathlitzine. WE DON’T LOVE: Exploitative or otherwise offensive portrayals of harmful...

Deadline: August 1st, 2018 Payment: $50 Old Sins, a (very) small publishing cooperative, is soliciting for the following mixed-genre anthology. We are following up the Beyond Steampunk anthology with its sequel, Beyond Steampunk: Fake News. Real conspiracies are everywhere in history, from failures like the Gunpowder Plot to the successful Gulf of Tonkin incident to the variously successful Russian attempts to infiltrate multiple governments. Let’s not write about those. Let’s write about conspiracies that have been debunked thoroughly but do so through the lens of Alternate History, where they have actually happened. Let’s write about the second shooter, chemtrails, the Illuminati, Lizard People, Greys, the Loch Ness monster, Pope Joan, Templars worshipping Satan, and so many other rumored conspiracies throughout history as if they were real. In keeping with theme of Beyond Steampunk, no stories will be accepted if they are set in the British Isles during the Victorian era or are steampunk. Nor will we be accepting stories set during World War II as those have been done to death. Technical issues: We will be paying a flat rate of $50. We are looking for works between 1000 and 6000 words. The due date is August 1st. The earlier, the more time we have to consider it and offer suggestions. We will be publishing roughly a dozen works, depending on the total length of all of them. If this is successful, or we get enough good submissions, we will be creating another volume of this anthology. All works must be PG-13 or less. Authors will retain all copyright to their works and will be able to resell or reuse them. We only retain distribution rights for said works for the duration of the publication of this volume. Contact us at [email protected] or via our facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/oldsins/

Deadline: August 1st, 2018.  Payment: $10.00 per 1000/w (to a max of $100). No Reprints allowed. We are seeking short stories based on our ongoing cryptozoology comic series "Beastly". These will be prequels, and explain how the various cryptids came to be captured. You can check out the comic at https://tapas.io/series/Beastly Your work has to include at least one of the two main characters (Graeme and / or Mr. Rutherford) in some capacity. Other than that, you are free to chose from most Cryptids (although if unsure just get in touch), and kill off who you please! Submission Information: Copyright to be included, but you will have the right to use as part of your CV / writing samples. Simultaneous submissions: okay. Multiple submissions: okay. Submission window: Now through August 1. Payment: If selected, rate of $10.00 per 1000/w (to a max of $100). Accepted lengths: anything (but noting the maximum payment of $100). Send your submissions or queries by e-mail to: dannyrichardwriter @ hotmail.com

Deadline: August 1st, 2018 Payment: $25 We’re all grown up right? Or are we? Do things in the night still make you wanna cry to mama? Well you can’t anymore, she doesn’t live here. Time to face your demons, man or woman. Mama ain’t here, but all she ever wanted was to hear your laughter, and to know you’re safe. You’re not safe. It’s just you now. But you won’t let mama down, right? Did mama tell you if you did that thing with your face it would freeze that way? Or that pop rocks and cola would make your stomach explode? Give us your funniest, grossed out horrors about the things and creatures you were warned about by your mama, God rest her soul (if applicable, of course). We want stories that tread that line between cringe worthy and shudder filled, tales that will make you laugh uncomfortably while being genuinely terrified. If you can strike that balance, we want your story. Your story must include a reference to Mama, or it won't fit the anthology theme. Diversity and Inclusiveness: Yes, we want stories from all sectors, from all kinds of people! We encourage submissions from women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community. We seek to include writers from all walks of life who have a scary/funny story to tell. The Details: Please see our generic submission guidelines page for how to submit. Submission Period: May 27, 2018 to August 1, 2018 Reading Period: August 2, 2018 to December 31, 2018 Author Payment: $25 per accepted story. Via: Jolly Horror.

Deadline: August 1st, 2018 Payment: Royalty Split Stories: You keep copyright and all rights associated with the story. You give Millhaven Press first North American print rights, and permission to use the story in any anthology stemming from the original printing (such as a “best of” type anthology). Stories should be between 2,000-8,000 words (we may accept something shorter than 2,000 words or something longer than 8,000 but it has to be phenomenal). Do not submit a story for reprint. We are only interested in previously unpublished material (a story published on a personal blog is ok). No simultaneous submissions. Please do not submit the story to another outlet while waiting for a response from us. Multiple submissions are ok, but we will only print one story per author, per issue. If you aren’t sure which is your best, send more than one and we’ll decide. Use an easily readable font, double-space as .doc or .docx. Send as an e-mail attachment to [email protected]. Send a cover letter with contact information. Use story title, genre and approximate word count in the subject header of the e-mail. This is a quarterly print publication and the deadlines for the genre themes are as follows. Spring: Science Fiction/Fantasy (Submission Deadline 2/1/19) Summer: Mystery/Crime/Espionage (Submission Deadline 5/1/19) Autumn: Horror/Dark Fantasy (Submission Deadline 8/1/18) Winter: Action/Adventure/Western (Submission Deadline 11/1/18) We realize a lot of stories cross genres (the best usually do). Submit your story with all possible genres in the subject and we’ll sort it out. Not all submitted stories will be published. Stories are chosen solely by the publishers. We will read all submissions and respond with an acceptance or rejection letter via e-mail (Generally, within 2 weeks). If accepted, a standard royalty contract will be sent shortly after the closing submission deadline for that...

Deadline: August 1st, 2018 Payment: Royalties Note 1: Canadians only! Note 2: My apologies for the short window, was just notified of this one! Open for submissions from April 1, 2018 – August 1, 2018   SUMMARY Canadian Dreadful will be a collection of short stories between 2,500 and 10,000 words, each one set in one of the provinces or territories of Canada. We are looking for horror stories written by Canadians that employ elements of dark fantasy or magical realism. We welcome new authors and well experienced authors. Dark Fantasy combines fantasy and horror and creates a suspenseful, dread-inducing mood for the reader. A movie like “Pan’s Labyrinth” is an excellent example of this genre. You are welcome to utilize the darker elements of fantasy just as long as the story takes place the real world, not a mythical one. Magical Realism or “The Unreliable Narrator” is a style of fiction where magical, fantastical, or supernatural elements are brought into the “real world” of the story—and by the end of it, your reader will have to decide whether or not the magical events actually took place or not. Is the narrator crazy, telling the truth, or deliberately lying? Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” is an example of this. So are the novels (and movies) “The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel and “Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson. Another movie that employs magical realism is “Big Fish”, directed by Tim Burton. Tell us a horror story that leaves the reader questioning whether or not the narrator was reliable. Leave “clues” for the reader to interpret as either confirmations or negations of the narrative. And most of all, let your reader feel a weighing sense of dread from the first to the last page. Another goal for this anthology...

Deadline: August 5th, 2018 Payment: First place: $120 | Second place: $80 | Third place: $40 3-IN-1 CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: 3 Themes—1 Submission Period PRIZES PER THEME: First place: $120 | Second place: $80 | Third place: $40  SUBMISSION PERIOD: July 1, 2018–August 5, 2018 4,000 to 8,000 words, with three winners selected from each theme. NO REPRINTS. The winners of each call will be published in the ASTERISK ANTHOLOGY VOLUME 2 releasing on Halloween 2018. THEMES: Southern Gothic Southern Gothic wallows like a feral hog in the ambiance of the Gothic macabre, fused with the dark underbelly of the American South. With its lingering themes of insanity, desperation and decay, the Southern Gothic exhumes the pervasive specters of bygone rituals and pervasive racial obsessions of the South in lushly lyrical fashion. Nosetouch Press welcomes original short stories of the Southern Gothic, and encourages writers to expand its frontiers, while embracing its terrifying traditions. Email entries to [email protected] | .doc or .rtf format • Please state “AA2-Southern Gothic” in your subject line. One entry per category, per person. ————————–————————–——– CREATURE FEATURES Monsters have always enticed people. They can embody larger than life, elemental forces that threaten the everyday, established order of nature, itself. The aberrant nature of monstrosity communicates a fundamental wrongness or evil. Nosetouch Press wants writers to summon unforgettable creatures in their stories, unique monsters that shake the ground and make waves, bringing terror wherever they go. Email entries to [email protected] | .doc or .rtf format • Please state “AA2-Creature Features” in your subject line. One entry per category, per person. ————————–————————–——– Cursed Things The history of cursed things—objects and places—is an ancient one. The supernatural threat implied in curses carries a special kind of narrative weight that can terrify and haunt anyone who encounters them. Nosetouch Press...

Deadline: August 13th, 2018 Tor.com Publishing will soon be reopening to unsolicited novella submissions! Starting July 30, 2018, Lee Harris, Carl Engle-Laird, and Ruoxi Chen will be reading and evaluating original novellas submitted by authors to https://tor.moksha.io/publication/tornovellas. You can find full guidelines here, and we highly recommend you read the guidelines before submitting. We will be open for two weeks beginning on July 30 around 9:00 AM EST (UTC-1:00) and ending on August 13 9:00 AM EST (UTC-1:00). For those of you who held off submitting in May, this is your moment! If you did submit in May and have not yet received a response, fear not: we are still reading and will be responding to every submission. Until the end of this open period, Tor.com Publishing will be considering novellas of between 20,000 and 40,000 words in both the science fiction and fantasy genres. If it’s speculative and fits the bill, we want to take a look at it. Lee Harris, Carl Engle-Laird, and Ruoxi Chen all actively request submissions from writers from underrepresented populations. This includes, but is not limited to, writers of any race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, class and physical or mental ability. We believe that good science fiction and fantasy reflects the incredible diversity and potential of the human species, and hope our catalog will reflect that. In addition to reviewing the guidelines, we also encourage you to take a look at our existing list to get a sense of the work our current authors are producing and Tor.com Publishing’s vision and tastes. Good luck—we look forward to reading your work. Via: Tor.com.