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Deadline: January 31st, 2020 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Short stories in the lesbian historic fiction genre The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast will be open for submissions in January 2020 for short stories in the lesbian historic fiction genre, to be produced in audio format for the podcast, as well as published in text on the website. Technical Details We will accept short fiction of any length up to 5000 words, which is a hard limit. We will be buying a total of five  stories. (If we get some really great flash fiction, there’s the possibility of more.) We will be paying professional rates: $0.08/word. The contract will be for first publication rights in audio and print (i.e., the story must not have appeared in either format previously) with an exclusive one year license. (Exceptions can be arranged by mutual consent for “best of” collections within that term.) Instructions on how to submit are given below. NO SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED OUTSIDE THE SUBMISSION PERIOD OF JANUARY 2020. What We’re Looking For Stories must be set in an actual historic culture--i.e., a specific time and place in history--and the plot and characters should be firmly rooted in that time and place. (No time-travel or past memories, please.) NEW THIS YEAR: Stories may include fantastic elements that are appropriate to the historic setting. For example, they can include fantastic or supernatural events or beings that people of that era considered to be real. Or stories may be modeled on the fantastic literature of a specific historic era and culture. The limits to this will necessarily be subjective. Stories must be set before 1900. We’d love to see stories that reach beyond the popular settings of 19th century America and England unless you do something new and interesting in them. Romance is optional, and romance stories...

Deadline: January 31st, 2020 Payment: For 500-3000 words – $10 USD Theme: Horror/dark tales related to 1920s. Can be based anywhere – Wild West, 20’s socialites, UK ala Peaky Blinders, etc Note: Reprints Allowed Note: Sorry for the short notice, didn't realize this had opened to the public Submission Deadline : Midnight 31st January 2020 Anthology : GROUP SPECIAL EDITION #4 Title : TWENTY TWENTY Theme : Horror/dark tales related to 1920s. Can be based anywhere – Wild West, 20’s socialites, UK ala Peaky Blinders, etc Word count : Drabbles or 500-3000 words. Author eligibility : Open to all authors Reprints : Only if rights have reverted back to you Simultaneous Submissions : Not allowed Multiple Submissions : Maximum of two submissions, one acceptance. Publication : Expected to release February 2020 in Print and Digital formats Author compensation : For drabbles – One digital copy For 500-3000 words – $10 USD plus one digital copy How to submit : See our submission guidelines for formatting. Send your story as an attachment in Word format to [email protected]. Your email title should be Anthology Name – Your Story Name – Author Name. For example; “TWENTY – My Story – A N Author” Please include an author bio of upto 100 words and no more than two links. Via: Black Hare Press.

Deadline: February 1st, 2020 Payment: $10 RAYGUN RETRO: A Science Fiction Anthology is now open for submissions. We're seeking science fiction stories 2000-6000 words in the style of 50s and 60s classic science fiction. Send us your best stories reminicent of Heinlein, Asimov, Clarke, Dick, Bradbury, and Vonnegut. Tell today's stories through the lens of yesteryear. One submission per author. Submissions close 1st Feb, 2020. Pays accepted stories $10 and an ebook copy. Send your stories to [email protected] No simultaneous submissions or reprints. SUBMIT YOUR STORY Submitting to Zombie Pirate Publishing is easy. Simply email your manuscript to [email protected] following the submission guidelines at the bottom of this page. We DO NOT accept reprints or simultaneous submissions. Your email should have your name, the story title, the word count, and the anthology you are submitting towards in the header and the body of the email. The attached word document should be labeled with this information as well. For example: 'Daddy-Adam Bennett-Full Metal Horror 2-6500 words.doc' Your submission should have a Word document attached to your email. Do not paste the story into the body of your email. Most programs including Google Docs will allow you to save your finalised work as a word document before submission. If you are unsure exactly what to do to set up your file correctly, download this document before you start writing. It is set up to be ready to go ASAP. Simply highlight the title, or author name or body of the document to replace with your own text. Google Docs version is available here for those without Word. Simply copy the document and change the name, and then click the 'download as' option in the file menu, and select word doc. This will save as a word document which you can then attach to your email.      SUBMIT YOUR...

Deadline: February 1st, 2020 Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 - $10.00 for poetry 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 three to 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. 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 written with the first line provided. The line cannot be altered in any way, unless otherwise noted by the editors. The...

Deadline: February 1st, 2020 Payment: $0.03 per word (USD) + contributor copy Theme: Stories that acknowledge humans as part of a larger ecosystem, for characters who strive for balance with (rather than dominance over) the creatures surrounding them, for settings that depict an optimistic balance of nature and technology. MULTISPECIES CITIES A science fiction anthology in partnership with the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature in Kyoto, Japan Open for Submissions: January 1 - February 1, 2020 Story Length: 500 to 5,000 words Payment: $0.03 per word (USD) + contributor copy In order to attain better futures, we first must imagine them. But at this crucial tipping point for our planet, it’s important to imagine futures that include the many other species we share our world with. Cities tend to be anthropocentric—designed for the comfort and convenience of humans, often with little regard for the plants, animals, and insects local to that area. Science fiction tends toward anthropocentric as well, concerned with either the great achievements or failures of humankind. For this anthology, we want to see more-than-human stories that investigate humanity’s relationship with the rest of the natural world. We’re looking for stories that acknowledge humans as part of a larger ecosystem, for characters who strive for balance with (rather than dominance over) the creatures surrounding them, for settings that depict an optimistic balance of nature and technology. Authors may wish to envision futuristic cities where people and wildlife can thrive together, or urban landscapes re-designed to heal past ecological destruction. Characters might need to make tough decisions to maintain the multispecies ecosystem of a city, struggle to negotiate coexistence between human and non-human residents, or fight back against a project that would threaten the balance of that ecosystem. Stories could focus on conservation efforts for currently living species, or explore...

Deadline: February 1st, 2020 Payment: Potentially royalty split Theme: All "great" sci-fi themed ones are welcome but the general ideas they're looking for are Antarctica, climate change or AI Note: This is way off base from what we'd usually list but I came across it and it sounded interesting, so there you go! Science Fiction Theatre Festival: Antarctica 19th - 23rd May 2020 London,UK  7pm, 3:30pm Submissions for Horatio Productions' Science Fiction Theatre Festival 2020 are open! ​ This will be the third edition of the festival. The festival is headlined by Horatio Productions' latest show, which is on every day of the festival followed by short plays. This year's production is called Antarctica written and performed by Juan Echenique, directed by Fumi Gomez. The short plays are selected and curated carefully by the core members of the company: Juan and Fumi. Please keep in mind that the short plays DO NOT need to be inspired by Antarctica, climate change or AI. If they are great, if they aren't that's great too. We just want mind-blowing sci-fi short plays! ​ Submissions open: ​ We're looking for groundbreaking short science fiction plays, for writers coming from all walks of life, for daring and innovative creators, for new ideas, revolutionary dreams, crazy stories, for the bold, the daring, and the unique. These are the details: ​ Length: Up to 15 minutes per play. Cast: Up to 4 performers. Set restrictions: The stage will be shared with several other companies; time for setting up will be minimal, so don't submit anything that involves complicated set design, or too many props. Submission limit: Writers can submit as many plays as they want. We will do our best to read all the material sent, and to get back to every applicant in due time. We do not encourage re-submissions unless substantial edits have been made to the script....

Deadline: February 1st, 2020 Payment: Contributor's Copy Theme: What happens when we transform the much beloved style and stories and characters of Dr. Seuss into something much more nefarious? Thurston Howl Publications is now accepting submissions for its horror parody anthology The Grinch Has Eyes. ​ Deadline: February 1, 2020 Word count: 100-8,000; a little above and a little below will be acceptable ​ Everyone knows Dr. Seuss. He is famous for works like Fox in Socks, Cat in the Hat, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and many, many more. But what happens when we transform the much beloved style and stories and characters of Dr. Seuss into something much more nefarious? This horror anthology seeks to celebrate horror in a tongue-in-cheek way that is all too...grinchly. ​ I am anticipating three possible ways to read this prompt (but I am open to others): Telling a unique horror story as if you were Dr. Seuss Turning a Dr. Seuss story into a prose horror story Throwing Dr. Seuss characters into a horrific world outside Dr. Seuss’ universe All of these are fine and valid! I encourage all kinds of horror: sci fi horror, slashers, erotic horror, creature horror, body horror, etc. ​ We will NOT accept: Racism, sexism, or discrimination presented in a positive light. Pedophilia or sex with characters under the age of 18 presented in a positive light. Rape, torture, dubious consent, forced seduction presented in a positive light. Snuff or Necrophilia presented in a positive light If you are in doubt, ASK. Better to ask then to get a straight up rejection! If you are unsure, just shoot me an email at [email protected].(restrictions borrowed from Voice: https://t.co/MWykJ6RY36) You can submit up to three stories, but we will only accept one per author (if any). Reprints are fine, but...

Deadline: February 10th, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: Classic trickster trope: have them fearlessly playing pranks on the powerful – not picking on the weak.   If you get them in deep trouble, get them out before the end of the story. It’s finally time! We’ve been looking forward to this since the very first Grumpy Old Gods.  We’re inviting you to submit your trickster stories. That’s right. We’re gearing up for Grumpy Old Trickster Gods (to be released April 1st). Send us your best tales of conniving tricksters that are past their glory days, tricksters that find their mojo again after being retired.   We want to see the classic trickster trope: have them fearlessly playing pranks on the powerful – not picking on the weak.   If you get them in deep trouble, get them out before the end of the story. We want the readers to finish each story with a grin. Trickster myths are all about the canny and clever winning.  We want stories where they defend the less powerful from those who are in power: have them take on the IRS, the local homeowners association, a diamond smuggling ring, or Zeus when he’s being rapey. In many cultures, tricksters are generally male, but we’re equal-opportunity editors, so we’ll take tricksters in any form they come in, though we’d prefer most of the stories to keep the trickster in human form for at least part of the story, because it works better with the modern setting we’re asking for. Trickster Gods In April Call for Submissions V7 Stories need to be 3000-4000 words and include a Grumpy Trickster God – preferably one that’s coming out of retirement, or planning to retire (though he’s not required to actually retire; the world needs the tricksters today more than ever). We try to only use...

Deadline: February 14th, 2020 Payment: Royalties VOLUME ONE: THE ONCE AND FUTURE KINGDOM Theme: Camelot. King Arthur. Merlin the magician. Knights in shining armor. It's one of the most frequently told stories in the history of Western civilization... But we haven't heard YOUR story yet. Tell us your tale of Camelot, Avalon, the Once and Future King, any of the Knights of the Round Table or their ladies (faithful or otherwise). Genre: Fantasy and all of its subgenera - as light or as dark as you want to go Heat level: PG to R; if there are enough submissions, we will do a volume of Camelot-related erotica. Length: 5,000 - 10,000 words NO TV OR FILM RELATED STORIES - THIS IS NOT A FAN FIC COLLECTION DEADLINE: 2/14/20 PUBLICATION DATE: 3/17/20 IRISH HORSE ANTHOLOGIES is a small publisher specializing in themed anthologies. We will accept submissions according to the theme of each anthology. Submissions should be provided electronically to our email or via private message on Facebook. Submission guidelines: 12 pt. Times New Roman 1.5 line spacing Indent 0.5" All submissions should at a minimum be proofread and spell checked before being sent. NO simultaneous submissions. NO buy-in ever. word length 5k-10k Royalty structure: 40/60. Publisher retains 40% to recoup editing and cover art costs. 60% will be split evenly between the authors. Via: Irish Horse Productions' Facebook.

Deadline: February 15th, 2020 Payment: Equal royalty split per story. Submissions Open: Now Submissions Close: February 15, 2020 12:00 a.m. EST Publishing timeline: April 2020 Style: Dark Specualtive Fiction/Horror Theme: Give me your tales of monsters in the woods, urban legends, a family that mysteriously goes missing, a haunted cabin, a hiker that stumbles upon something unthinkable. Anything that happens in the woods or is from the woods is welcome. ​ Word count: 1000 - 4000 (hard limits) ​ Compensation: Equal royalty split per story. PDF digital copy. ​ How to submit: See our Submission Format guide below - stories will be rejected or sent back. ​ Send your story as an attachment in Word format to  [email protected] Your email title should be read: "Submission: Forest Anthology - Story Name - Author name" ​ Multiple Submission: Yes - Please send no more than five. Up to three acceptances. Must be sent in a separate email. What is speculative fiction? Think paranormal or anything that cannot be rationalized. Here is a better description. Things that are a hard pass: any animal erotica, rape or unnecessary violence. Via: Eerie River Publishing.