Events

Deadline: July 31st, 2019 Payment: 3 cents per word and a contributor's copy. 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of one of the greatest horror movies of all time: Alien. Yes, it is a horror movie, but set in space. There are also plans for a new branch of the military -- in space. We’ve explored loneliness, isolation, and solitude in our first anthology. We Put the Love Back in Lovecraft in our second anthology. We explored the creatures of cryptozoology in our recent pair of anthologies. Now we will go where all good series eventually go... ...to space. What We Want: Finely crafted works of Dark Speculative fiction which feature one (or more) classic monsters. Vampires, mummies, creatures built from dead body parts, lycanthropes, mad scientists, and zombies -- yes, even zombies -- but we want to see them in space. We want to see these creatures floating around in zero g, attacking astronauts and colonists, and generally menacing those brave enough to go beyond the confines of our pale blue dot. Each story must take place somewhere other than the Earth. It can happen on a spaceship, on a colony, on a new terraformed planet. There should be humans involved, but they do not have to be the protagonists. Each story must also feature (at least) one classic monster. We are looking for new takes on the old classics. Feel free to explore, but they should still be recognizable to the average reader. What We Don’t Want: Actual characters from other books or films. As much as we love the idea of Dracula in Space, we are pretty sure that Universal owns the rights to that particular vampire. The vampire doesn’t have to be Dracula in particular (for example: Bubba Ho-Tep has a great mummy, but not THE mummy). We don’t like...

Deadline: July 31st, 2019 Payment: Royalties, 4 contributor copies if story is over 40k Creature Feature — LGBTQIA Collection Call — MONSTERS OUT OF MYTH AND LEGEND WITH INTENTIONS MOST FOUL! THEY CRAWL OUT OF YOUR NIGHTMARES WITH UNSPEAKABLE DESIRES! Some call them monsters; some call them imaginary; and some call them misunderstood. But what is the truth behind the creatures we find ourselves so fascinated by? LESS THAN THREE PRESS invites you to send your most scintillating, subversive, and scary monster stories for consideration as part of our CREATURE FEATURE collection. Editor’s note: This collection is an homage to movie monsters of yore and the popularity of paranormal fiction. We’re happy to see stories queered and subverted about classic monsters or those of your own creation—and we suggest authors using classic movie or pulp monsters make sure their creature is in the public domain. Here’s a list to start with. Also, authors should note works accepted for publication from this call will have covers designed to fit the collection’s theme of B-movie nostalgia. THE DETAILS: Deadline is July 31, 2019 Stories should be at least 20,000 words and should not exceed approx 60,000 words in length. Please put “Submission – Creature Feature” in the subject line Stories must feature at least one monster/creature as part of a relationship (romantic, sexual, platonic, etc.). Stories must have a happily ever after (HEA) or happy for now (HFN) end. The primary genre is by nature speculative, but can contain any sub-genre or genre mashup: mystery, historical, contemporary, space opera, cyberpunk, etc. All usual LT3 submission guidelines apply. Creature Feature is a collection, meaning stories will be sold individually and authors paid royalties. Examples: For the Hoard, Peacock, Intertwined. Authors will receive one copy each of the ebook formats LT3 produces. Authors with works 40k or longer will receive...

Deadline: July 31st, 2019 Payment: Royalties “The Monsters We Forgot” is an anthology based on urban legends, folktales, and fairy tales that nobody knows. In essence: we want you to make up an urban legend, folktale, fairy tale, cryptid, or piece of town lore and either write it, or write a story about people who have to deal with it one way or the other. For example: people who encounter the subject of the legend; how the legend came to be; how the legend affects people; people who lived through (or with?) it, and so on. The submission deadline is 31 July 2019. Our target is 30 stories. Authors may submit as many stories as they wish, but each author will be limited to three accepted stories. As payment, authors will receive royalties divided by word count. These are general guidelines for ALL anthology submissions. We’re looking for stories between 500 – 7500 words. A few words under or over won’t necessarily disqualify a story, but please keep as close to the guidelines as possible. Stories MUST fit within the horror genre. First and foremast, all submissions must be horror. However, we recognize that horror is a very broad and often nuanced genre. To that end, we’ll read stories that fit into other genres (thriller, family drama, coming of age, science fiction, fantasy, comedy, romance, et cetera) as long as the story contains horror, and as long as horror is integral to the narrative. ALL submissions must be within the horror genre, and MUST meet the following requirements: Submit all documents as an attachment in .docx or .pages format 12 point Arial, Calibri, or Courier font Double-spaced Submit via email to [email protected] In the body of the email, include your name and contact information. PLEASE NOTE: If your piece is accepted for...

Deadline: July 31st, 2019 We will be OPEN to submissions from June 1-July 31, 2019.  Note: Manuscripts received outside the official  submission window will be deleted unread. Guidelines for all submissions: We want horror in all its forms—from literary to weird, Gothic to psychological, and (almost) everything in between. We’re looking for amazing stories from amazing authors, regardless of race, gender, religion—if you’ve got something good, we want it. Need a firm idea of what we’re looking for? Check out the JournalStone website. Please do not submit romance, erotica, or religious fiction. The title of your email subject line and file name should read: “Submission – – ”. For example: Submission Novel – Carrie – King. This should also be the title of your manuscript document. In the body of your email, please give us the word count, genre, and a brief synopsis (300-500 words) of the plot. Submissions without this information will be automatically deleted. Do not include your synopsis as an attachment. Submissions should be sent to [email protected]. Attach the full manuscript as a .doc, .docx or .rtf file (no PDFs). Do not paste your manuscript in the body of the email. For proper formatting of your manuscript, please follow the Shunn way. Minimum word count for novels and fiction collections: 50,000. We consider the quality of the editing in our review process. Please fully proofread and edit manuscripts prior to submission. Do not submit sample chapters or a work in progress. We accept only completed works. Allow up to eight months for a response to your submission. We may respond more quickly, but we cannot guarantee timing. Please do not send follow up e-mails. We will notify you when we place your work in the queue, and will contact you when we have completed our review. Submissions are free. We do not charge any...

Deadline: July 31st, 2019 Payment: $50 CAD and a contributors copy If you think cats and water don’t mix, think again. I’m putting together an anthology full of feisty felines on the high seas! I want pirate cats, and Viking cats. Submariner cats and explorer cats. This book is going to be filled with adventure-loving cats, puns and fun. I want it to be a wild, rollicking ride complete with sword fights, sea monsters, treasure hunting, discovering new worlds and lots and lots of kittehs. Be careful not to get too caught up in the fun and forget to include a strong plot and detailed characters for your story, though. I’m a sucker for a great setting, three-dimensional characters and high stakes. And if your story elicits real emotion from me–laughter, tears, anger or anything in between–you will have increased your chances of success significantly. Rights and compensation: Payment: $50 CAD flat fee and a paperback copy of the anthology. In exchange we are seeking first world rights in English and exclusive right to publish in print and electronic format for six months after publication date, after which publisher retains nonexclusive right to continue to publish for the life of the anthology. Open submission period: June 1, 2019 – July 31, 2019 Length: Under 9,000 words Publisher: Tyche Books No simultaneous or multiple submissions. No reprints. Canadian spelling, please. Via: Rhonda Parrish.

Deadline: July 31st, 2019 Payment: Royalties The first entry in an anthology series showcasing horror in every state, “50 States of Fear: California” is all about the terrors, horrors, creeps, and shrieks found in the Golden State. Stories must be horror, they must be original (no urban legends, creepypasta, or retellings of true crime), and must take place in California. The submission deadline is 31 July 2019. Our target is 30 stories. There is no limit on the number of submissions per author, but we reserve the right to limit the number of accepted stories per author. As payment, authors will receive royalties divided by word count. Guidelines First and foremast, all submissions must be horror. However, we recognize that horror is a very broad and often nuanced genre. To that end, we’ll read stories that fit into other genres (thriller, family drama, coming of age, science fiction, fantasy, comedy, romance, et cetera) as long as the story contains horror, and as long as horror is integral to the narrative. ALL submissions must be within the horror genre, and MUST meet the following requirements: Submit all documents as an attachment in .docx or .pages format 12 point Arial, Calibri, or Courier font Double-spaced Submit via email to [email protected] In the body of the email, include your name and contact information. PLEASE NOTE: If your piece is accepted for publication, we take First Print and Electronic Publishing Rights. A copy of our publishing contract is available upon request. Open Submissions: Anthologies These are general guidelines for ALL anthology submissions. We’re looking for stories between 500 – 7500 words. A few words under or over won’t necessarily disqualify a story, but please keep as close to the guidelines as possible. Stories MUST fit within the horror genre. Via: Soteira Press.

Deadline: July 31st, 2019 Payment: Contributor’s copy with chances at a $25, $50, or $100 prize! Do you have a scary story to share?  Fiction, fact, or otherwise, share your prose with us and you, too, can win up to $100* and get your story printed.  Enter your submission today!  Contest will be judged by a panel of impartial judges, all of whom have a vested interest in the unknown.  Scare us, terrify us, and thrill us!   Contest Rules: Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please only send us one story at a time and if your story is accepted elsewhere please email us and let us know ASAP. We are seeking original fiction only.  In other words, NO REPRINTS. Many will enter, few will win. Entrants cannot be related, legally or otherwise, to OPQ staff Entries must be submitted via our Green Submissions Manager (located here ) by July 31st, 2019 to qualify. Entries must match one of the following themes: ‘True Tales of Terror,’  or ‘Fantastic Frights’ No entry fee necessary! Note: entries will be judged based on quality, thematic appropriateness, and writing chops. Though we want to be scared, there are some things that are off-limits.  As with our normal morality policy, OPQ will automatically reject stories that involve pedophilia, excessive gore, violence for violence’s sake, and non-consensual sex.  As always, we would prefer stories that use religion and/or spirituality as an uplifting theme or a bridge towards a larger, thematic discussion, rather than being derogatory towards one specific religion.  That being said, we enjoy looking forward to what your twisted imaginations come up with!   Themes: Entries must follow one of the following themes: ‘True Tales of Terror’ are reserved for true experiences you’ve witnessed.  Ritual gone wrong?  Cryptid got a little up close and personal?  Alien attacks at night? ...

Deadline: July 31st, 2019 Payment: $25 for original work, $12 for reprints Note: Reprints welcome Amara looked up to the sky; the moon showered her with pale light. The sign was clear. She lowered her gaze to the field before her, to the bodies laying there, contorted in death. With a heavy sigh, Amara walked forward to her fate . . . ​ ​ What We Want Catacombs: Martyrs on Earth and Elsewhere is an anthology of stories about fictional martyrs past, present, and future, on Earth or some fictional world. The title is tentative so keep in mind that the final product could have a different title.   This anthology has some specific rules. Please read carefully.   Stories must be historical or speculative fiction; a combination of the two would also be fantastic. ​ We are looking for stories about individuals who give up their lives for their faith or for some cause greater than themselves. Judeo-Christian history is replete with stories of individuals who died for their faith, who sacrificed their lives rather than renounce God. Many of these martyrs, such as Sts. Stephen, Sebastian, Agatha, and Lucy, for example, are well known, recognized by one Christian sect or another, and are listed as Saints. For this issue, please send us plausible stories of unknown martyrs from any historic period or some future period or alternate reality, so long as the martyrs are martyred for the faith as understood by traditional Judeo-Christianity.   Please be sure to invent your own martyr and not use an actual historical or legendary figure.   We are also open to stories of individuals who died for other causes dear to the heart of Western civilization. If your hero died for a freedom enshrined in the Bill of Rights for instance, go...

Deadline: July 31st, 2019 Payment: 1.5 cents per word Submission Guidelines: New Myths will no longer consider submissions of fiction, nonfiction and poetry outside of specific reading periods. These periods run from June 1-July 31 and from January 1-February 28. Artwork, requests for book reviews, and other correspondence can still be submitted at any time. No Multiple Fiction Submissions Please do not send more than one fiction submission at a time. Wait until you receive an answer before sending a second story. No more than three fiction submissions total from any one author will be considered during a given reading period. Poetry is different. See below. Contact information: Please send fiction, nonfiction and poetry to [email protected]. Please send queries for book reviews to [email protected] All other correspondence, including art submissions, to [email protected] NewMyths.com publishes speculative fiction of every stripe except graphic horror. We like each issue to have an eclectic variety of stories:  funny, frightening, hard and soft sci-fi, adventure, thoughtful, etc. Every issue includes at least one nonfiction piece dealing with some aspect of science, myth, folklore, or literature as it relates to speculative fiction, usually of the well-researched essay variety rather than opinion or editorial. Speculative poetry is welcome. We tend to receive a lot of free verse and not enough "form" poetry. We also buy one piece of artwork per issue, and occasionally commission one. We publish book reviews of recent releases about every two weeks. If you have written a review, or have a book coming out soon, please contact us. Reading an issue is the best way to know if your submission is a fit for NewMyths.com or not. Responses take 60-90 days on average. Feel free to send a follow-up query after that point. Submissions made outside the submission windows may be deleted, unread. We save email...

Deadline: July 31st, 2019 Payment: $3 (.15 cents per word!) Haunted Waters Press seeks exceptionally small works of flash fiction to be showcased in Penny Fiction, a regular feature of the literary journal, From the Depths. Stories will also appear in the Penny Fiction Poster Collection. Tell us a story in exactly 19 words—no more, no less. Extra points will be awarded for those writers who adhere to the guidelines. Not really. There are no points. Just read the guidelines below and impress Penny with your ability to follow instructions. WORKS CONSIDERED We seek flash fiction stories told in exactly 19 words—no more, no less. Original fiction only. No poetry, taglines, or jokes. Please include a title for each story submitted. One active Penny Fiction submission per author, per reading period. Multiple stories per submission encouraged. One is fine. Four is cool. Twenty is borderline obnoxious...we like obnoxious! No previously published works. Need inspiration? Follow Penny Fiction on Facebook for tips and prompts. THE DREADED COVER LETTER Include one interesting fact about yourself in 13 words or less. Undertakers and cat herders earn extra points. If we do not find you interesting, we reserve the right to make you appear more interesting. No long lists of previously published works. No cut ‘n paste author bios. Confused? Check out The Lovely Penny bios from any past issue. COMPENSATION $3.00 per published piece. (That’s a professional rate of .15 cents per word— enough for a hot cup of coffee to sip on while you pen your next brilliant work of incredibly short fiction!) THE DETAILS Free to submit. Accepting submissions in the months of December/January, March/April, June/July Limited to 200 submissions per month. Submit early! Notifications to be sent as decisions are made or within 60 days of closing. Please review full guidelines prior to submitting,...