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Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: Alternate history set in Australia Australia: the youngest continent in terms of recorded history, the smallest in population unless one counts Antarctica, yet still packed full of What If? possibilities. From Aboriginal civilisation to Gallipoli, from Cook and La Pérouse to Maintain Your Rage, the Land Down Under is begging to be the subject of more alternate history tales. Now's your chance to write one. This anthology will be edited by none other than @Jared Kavanagh, author of the greatly ambitious and justly popular Australian timeline Lands of Red and Gold (whose first volume was recently published by SLP). His submission guidelines are listed below. - Alternate history set in (or mostly in) Australia, or otherwise which has a very strong link to Australia. - Aiming for around 10-12 stories with a total length of 60-70,000 words - Average story length should be 3000-8000 words, but flexible - Focus is on realism rather than supernatural aspects, but contact me if unsure - Closing date for submissions is 30 June 2020. If you're interested in submitting an entry, first contact Jared Kavanagh at [email protected] to discuss. Will consider all entries, but lodging a submission does not guarantee inclusion in the final anthology. Please make sure you use the email address [email protected] to submit stories or make queries (rather than PMs or social media messages), as we want to limit the number of avenues of discussion to make sure no-one is overlooked by accident. Come on over and give AH writing a go, we'll throw another shrimp on the barbie for you. Via: Sea Lion Press.

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: $25 Theme: Humans as the aliens What This Is  In science fiction, humans are usually boring compared to other spacefaring races: small, weak, with no claws or tentacles, and no special abilities to speak of.  If we’re lucky, humans have an indomitable spirit when the chips are down.  Not much more than that. But we don’t have to be boring.  We can be the impressive ones, the unsettling ones, the ones talked about by all the other aliens.  Maybe body heat is rare.  Maybe the most civilized species all eat very specialized diets, and have never heard of an omnivore.  Maybe other aliens don’t tend to domesticate animals, and don’t understand cats or dogs or horses or the ability of that one stranded crew to tame a half-dozen monsters by the time they were rescued — and no they most certainly can’t bring the things on board; I don’t care if they are “friend shaped”! The possibilities are endless.  Writers online have been exploring these ideas, taking them in fascinating directions, and there’s enough material out there to fill many books.  I’m putting together an anthology of the best.  Vivian Caethe blazed the trail with the Humans Wanted anthology, which focused on the ways a human can be valuable in space.  This collection will explore the many ways that humans can be weird. Even by our own planet’s standards, our endurance tops the charts.  We take a fondness to inanimate objects, granting them names and personalities.  We teach our young to imitate other animals’ calls, and get unnervingly good at it.  Our teeth grow back once.  We navigate by something called “eyesight.” If this sounds like your kind of story, then come join the adventure!  There’s plenty of adventure to be had.  You’ll never think of humans as boring again....

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: $15 Theme: Speculative fiction, primarily horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Formatting Guidelines This is proving to be a recurring problem, so we're putting it up front. Please, for all our sakes, read this next part carefully. All submissions should be sent by e-mail (no letters or telephone calls please) to [email protected]. Below are some formatting rules to help us process your submission more quickly. EMAIL AND COVER LETTERS Email is accepted in both text and HTML formats. When submitting, please put this in the subject line: Submission: (Title) - (First and Last name) Include the following in the body of the email and in the attached submission: Your name Name to use on the story (byline), if different Your preferred email address Your mailing address The story's title The story's word count You may also include a cover letter in the body of the email. We get a lot of strange stuff in cover letters, so if you're unsure of what goes in them (and especially what doesn't) please refer to these cover letter tips: How to write a cover letter | What not to put in a cover letter by Jed Hartman SUBMISSION FORMATTING We ONLY accept submissions as attachments! All stories submitted as an attachment must follow standard manuscript formatting. We will no longer read any story not properly formatted. (And we much prefer Courier New to Times New Roman) For explanations and tips on what SMF is and how to do it with word processing programs, please see this article. Please send your submission as an attachment in Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx) or Rich Test Format (.rtf) only. Other formats, such as Works, WordPerfect, Open Office, etc., have proven difficult to open. Please note that we no longer accept "inline" submssions; that is, submissions with the stories pasted directly into the...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: Contributor's copy Theme: Horror that contains a main character named Marisa and a garden statue Submission deadline is June 30, 2020. MARISA’S RECURRING NIGHTMARES GUIDELINES Thank you for choosing to submit to the sixth annual Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers (GLAHW) mini-anthology. We are looking for horror fiction, between 2,000 and 5,000 words, along with the following requirements. 1. A feature character named Marisa. She can be the protagonist, antagonist, monster, victim, friend, etc. As long as she (or, I suppose they, since gender fluidity is fine) plays a significant, if not pivotal role in the story. 2. The story must contain a garden statue. How you use the statue is up to you. Please follow the standard format rules. Here’s a handy site, in case you’re not conversant with those: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html. I will be editing the stories, but I will not make any changes without first discussing them with you, the writer. I’m a writer, too, and I know what it’s like to have my story altered without my consent. I won’t do that to you. Having said that, however, I will try my best to make each of the stories in this anthology the best they can be. So, if I give you notes, I’d appreciate it if you’d consider them carefully. I’m not saying you have to agree with me (I’ve had plenty of writers argue with me, and sometimes, I see their point and concede the edit). Just that you listen. The cover art for Marisa’s Recurring Nightmares will be handled by the talented Steve Bejma PAYMENT All acceptances will receive one (1) Contributor’s Copy and our humble thanks. We’re happy to mail it to you anywhere in the U.S. Authors outside the U.S., you will get our eternal thanks and a digital copy. Accepted members will...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: $25.00 and a contributors copy Theme: A strong female Main Character who will do whatever it takes to protect/avenge those she loves and must be written in the horror genre Do you want your story to appear in the next volume of the Better Off Dead Series? IF I DIE BEFORE I WAKE: Volume 3 Submission Guidelines ​ Please read carefully. Submissions that don't meet the guidelines will be automatically rejected. ​ All submissions will be reviewed after the submission deadline and chosen stories will be published in IF I DIE BEFORE I WAKE- TALES OF DEADLY WOMEN AND RETRIBUTION - The Better Off Dead Series Volume 3, which will be released in the fall of 2020 Submissions must be between 5,000 and 10,000 words Title, submitter's name, pen name (if different), word count and email address must be centered at the top of your submission Submissions must be 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double spaced with special first-line indentation of 0.5" Submissions must be in .Docx format with 1" margins all around Submissions should be clean and edited Submissions must have a strong female Main Character who will do whatever it takes to protect/avenge those she loves and must be written in the horror genre Submissions cannot contain graphic sexual or rape scenes Submissions must not have been published elsewhere before in any medium The number of stories published will depend on word count of the chosen stories, but will be no less than ten stories and no more than twenty Authors may submit as many stories as they want for review, however, there will be a limit of one published story per author The deadline for submission is June 30th, 2020 Authors will be notified by July 31st, 2020 if their story was selected Authors...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: $20 for stories between 300 and 8,000 words, $10 for flash fiction (under 300 words not counting the title), and $10 for poetry. Theme: Global warming causing or exacerbating a global epidemic or pandemic. The initial submission window closed on January 1st, 2020, but I'm briefly reopening the anthology (until June 30, 2020) for submissions of an additional, very specific type of global warming story: I'd thought the anthology was complete, but recent events proved that there's one type of story missing from the cli-fi anthology: a story or stories about global warming causing or exacerbating a global epidemic or pandemic.  For example, malaria mosquitoes have been moving farther north, but rather than using malaria, write about a fictional pandemic that's caused or exacerbated by global warming.  You can build on what we currently know about COVID-19, or even mention that your fictional pandemic is "worse than the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020/the early 2020s/the 2020s" (God help us if the COVID-19 pandemic lasts the entire decade), but your pandemic story must also have a tie-in to global warming. For an idea of some real science behind such a story, read this article: "The Next Pandemic Could Be Hiding in the Arctic Permafrost". ​ Please follow the guidelines below. Payment is $20 for stories between 300 and 8,000 words, $10 for flash fiction (under 300 words not counting the title), and $10 for poetry. Again, the submissions window is now open only for pandemic stories involving global warming. To all authors who submitted works in 2019: Feel free to submit a second story involving an epidemic or pandemic caused (or exacerbated) by global warming. All submissions from 2019 have been reviewed, and 36 stories and poems were accepted, written by authors from nine (9) different nations representing four of Earth's continents!  All authors have been notified if their story or poem was accepted.  I'm now in the process of sending out contracts...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: One cent per word Theme: The lore, myths, and legends of women who dwell in the forest. Women of the Woods is an upcoming collection about the lore, myths, and legends of women who dwell in the forest. Historically, it's the witches, artists, and outcasts who make the dark forest their home. Whether you retell a piece of folklore or create something altogether new, Fabled Collective would love to see your story. We are looking for spooky, eerie, gothic tales that leave out the gore and focus more on a feeling of dread and foreboding. We're interested in stories with rich, haunting settings. Think dark fantasy or quiet horror. Give us complex characters, ghosts, witches, magical realism, and more! Submission Guidelines: Stories between 2,000-8,000 words. Please format all submissions TNR 12pt, double spaced, with page numbers. Word documents preferred. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but please let us know immediately if you've accepted publication elsewhere. No previously published stories. Only one submission per author. Please Include: A short bio. Links to your social media and website. Payment: One cent per word to be paid upon acceptance. ​Examples: 2,000 words = $20 5,000 words = $50 8,000 words = $80 Rights: Fabled Collective is free to publish your work in ebook, print, and audiobook formats, but the author retains rights to sell, publish, and distribute their work in the future if desired. All work must be original. Fabled is free to grammatically edit all works. Send to: Please send your work to [email protected]. Via: Fabled Collective.

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: $100 for stories and $25 for poems Theme: Heroic fantasy — in both prose and poetry Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is generally open to fiction and poetry submissions four months per year. The months you can submit are: March June September  December  If you submit fiction or poetry in any other month, you will receive an auto-response and your tale will not be reviewed. * * * As its name suggests, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is a quarterly ezine dedicated to publishing heroic fantasy — in both prose and poetry. We are unrepentant in our goal of elevating unapologetic sword and sorcery to a rightful high place. We pay $100 for stories and $25 for poems, upon publication.  (Scroll down for info on art submissions.) We purchase first world English language electronic rights, electronic rights for 90 days, archival rights for twelve months, and excerpt rights. Our fiction word limit is a soft 10,000 words, although we are willing to serialize at a maximum of 50,000 words over four issues. You may submit up to three poems, with a cumulative maximum of 30 pages.   No simultaneous submissions, please. While we don’t have iron-clad rules regarding our fiction payment, we roughly pay $25 for stories under 1,000 words, $50 for stories between 1,000 and 5,000 words, $75 for stories between 5,000 and 7,500 words and $100, for stories of 7,500 words and over. Tolkienesque (as in really long) poetry epics/sagas/vedas will most likely be treated — and paid — like fiction. Similarly, prose pieces of fewer than 1,000 words will be paid at poetry’s standard rate of $25. Art: HFQ is looking for quality banner art to accompany each new issue. Please review art from the past two issues to see the style we prefer. Image dimensions should be approximately 850 x 250...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: 5 cents ($.05) per word for nonfiction and prose fiction. Poetry pays $50 flat per poem. Theme: Work inspired by Ligotti WE WANT: Nonfiction from 2,000 to 7,500 words. Scholarly and/or critical articles pertaining to Ligotti or associated authors (see below) or the kind of thematic and topical issues in which we’re interested. As for contemporary authors to add to this list, Livia Llewellyn, S. P. Miskowski, Junji Ito, Matthew M. Bartlett, T. E. D. Klein, Kelly Link, Helen Marshall, Gemma Files, Ramsey Campbell, Allyson Bird, Laird Barron, Caitlín Rebekah Kiernan, Nicole Cushing, Victor LaValle, Mark Samuels, and many more have produced work that we would love to see subjected to intelligent critical analysis and discussion. Literary Horror Fiction from 750 to 6,000 words. We are looking for original work inspired by Ligottian and/or related themes (regarding which, see the list on our main page). Poetry at a length of no more than 50 lines, dealing with subjects and themes that fall within our area of interest. Artwork that similarly addresses our subject matter. DIVERSITY STATEMENT: Vastarien believes in promoting a range of excellent writing and artwork from authors of diverse backgrounds, genders, and sexual orientations. We encourage submissions from authors and artists traditionally underrepresented in horror and pieces that reflect these varying perspectives. The following authors and their work are of especial interest to Vastarien: Charles Baudelaire Thomas Bernhard Aloysius Bertrand Jorge Luis Borges William S. Burroughs Angela Carter Louis Ferdinand Celine E. M. Cioran Charlotte Perkins Gilman Douglas Harding Shirley Jackson U. G. Krishnamurti H. P. Lovecraft Vladimir Nabokov Emile Nelligan Michael Persinger Edgar Allan Poe Maurice Rollinat Arthur Schopenhauer Bruno Schulz Paul Valery Peter Wessel Zapffe LENGTH: See the specific guidelines above for length requirements for different types of submissions. Additionally, in no case will a submission over 7,500 words be considered...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: $15 and 3 contributors copies Theme: Feminist speculative chapbooks — that can mean poetry, prose, fantasy, sci-fi, fairy tales, folklore, fabulism, horror, slipstream, solarpunk, or anything else speculative CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Sword & Kettle Press is seeking manuscript submissions for Cup & Dagger, our mini-chapbook series. Each chap will be 12 total pages, including covers, printed on three sheets of cardstock and bound together by hand. We’re looking for feminist speculative chapbooks — that can mean poetry, prose, fantasy, sci-fi, fairy tales, folklore, fabulism, horror, slipstream, solarpunk, or anything else speculative! We would love to see OwnVoices speculative writing. Please note that you do not need to be female or femme to submit a piece; writers of any gender identity and expression are welcome. Submission are open from June 1-30, 2020. SUBMISSION & PUBLICATION PROCESS To submit your chapbook manuscript, please fill out this submission form. We’re looking for up to 2000 words for prose, and up to 8 poems for poetry. You’re welcome to include your own cover, artwork, photos, or collages if you like, or just send us your writing and we’ll lend a hand with the design. Please submit only one chapbook. If your manuscript is accepted, we’ll notify you via email and send you a contract. After the contract has been digitally signed, we’ll send payment confirmation and get to work on your chap! We offer an honorarium of $15 for each accepted chapbook, and will send 3 contributor copies. Copies of the chapbooks will be sold in our online shop and at local craft fairs and markets. EDITORS The Cup & Dagger series will be edited by Kay Allen, Naseem Jamnia, and Jessie Ulmer. Kay wants to see pieces with hopeful visions of what life could be like, whether that's...