Events

Deadline: March 31st, 2022 Payment: Contributor's Copy (charity anthology) Theme: Stories of troubadours, minstrels, and bards teaming up with princesses feisty and bold. Scifi or Fantasy Since its beginnings in the early 1980s, the Life, the Universe, & Everything Symposium has been a staple of the Utah and Intermountain West author and artist community. Many authors, artists, and editors have found inspiration for their careers at the feet of scores of symposium guests. Influential professors and others have mentored those planning and running the symposium, but many of these mentors have passed on. The symposium helps students of all ages by providing greatly discounted student memberships. Hemelein Publications—in conjunction with LTUE Press—created a series of memorial benefit/charity anthologies to help the symposium continue to help these aspiring creators learn about their crafts at a reasonable cost. Author, artist, and editor royalty proceeds from the anthology go to LTUE to help students attend for a very low cost. The sixth of these anthologies, Troubadours and Space Princesses, is a science fiction and fantasy adventure anthology, created in honor of Dave Wolverton. Best known under his pseudonym David Farland, Dave passed away in January 2022. He was a fixture at LTUE from the beginning. He mentored many, many writers and artists through his workshops, his work with Writers and Illustrators of the Future, conferences and conventions, and just personally. He was always kind and generous with his time and knowledge. Theme At heart, Dave was a storyteller, a spinner of yarns fantastic. To honor his memory and connection with LTUE, we want stories of troubadours, minstrels, and bards teaming up with princesses feisty and bold. We want them to save the kingdom or the spaceship, or maybe only the tavern or spaceport bar, or even just the cat. We want tales of adventure and mischief. But most of all, we want...

Submission Window: March 1st, 2022 – March 31st, 2022 Payment: $.03 USD per word Theme: Body horror in sports and fitness Note: Extended submission period for women and non-binary writers is April 1st – 7th, 2022. This fiction anthology from Eric Raglin (writer of NIGHTMARE YEARNINGS, editor of ANTIFA SPLATTERPUNK) will feature stories of body horror in sports and fitness. Submit your most grotesque, strange, frightening, and thought-provoking stories—ones with complex characters, unapologetic weirdness, and horror that takes bold narrative risks. *Before reading the rest of the submission guidelines, note that the existence of this project is contingent on the success of its Kickstarter campaign. Consider donating a few bucks or sharing the campaign link.* Submissions are open to all writers, but I especially encourage submissions from writers of marginalized groups. Note that some writers have specifically been invited to contribute. The anthology will be a mix of solicited stories and stories selected from the open call submission period. Stories should be between 2,000 and 4,500 words. Multiple submissions are not allowed. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but withdraw your submission immediately if it gets accepted elsewhere. No reprints. Open for submissions March 1st, 2022 – March 31st, 2022. The extended submission period for women and non-binary writers is April 1st – 7th, 2022. I will announce accepted submissions by April 15th, 2022. Anthology will be published as both an electronic and print book in July 2022.   OTHER SUBMISSION CONSIDERATIONS If you’re retreading old ground and well-established tropes, make it fresh. I’m fine with horror that has erotic elements, but emphasis should be on the horror. Don’t be moralizing. I want nuance. Stories that deal with bigotry are fine, but bigoted stories are not. I don’t want stories with graphic depictions of sexual violence. It’s a body horror anthology, so I’m fine with gore...

Deadline: March 31st, 2022 Payment: $50 Theme: You must include some sort of abandonment, whether real or virtual, that concludes by the end of the story to meet the theme requirements. Legion of Dorks Presents: Abandoned – An Anthology of Vacant Spaces is searching for short stories no more than 7000 words exploring the phenomenon of full spaces gone empty. Submissions are open from January 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022. Your story must be an original, never-before-published creation that centers around this theme. You must include some sort of abandonment, whether real or virtual, that concludes by the end of the story to meet the theme requirements. You cannot write in anyone else’s world. Otherwise, have fun and let your imagination dominate. A videographer meets a ghost in a haunted house. A lone explorer finds an abandoned spaceship. An old base on the bottom of the ocean offers treasures to a deep-sea scientist. But who built it? The ideas are endless. We are offering $50 per accepted story. Fifty percent of all revenue after cost of production will be donated to Toys for Tots in conjunction with the Legion of Dorks December fundraiser. Email all submissions to [email protected] in standard short story format with the subject “Submission for Abandoned (last name).” One story per email please and no more than three submissions total. If you’re curious about the stories we like, check out the others in the series: Laundered – An Anthology of Monster Messes and Horizons – An Anthology of Epic Journeys. Manuscript Submission Guidelines: We are accepting submissions of complete, previously unpublished manuscripts in the speculative fiction genre that have series potential. Speculative fiction encompasses horror, fantasy, and science fiction—and all of the niche categories under those large umbrellas. We’re only considering full length novels between 40K and 100K words. If it’s...

Deadline: March 31st, 2022 Payment: 1.5¢ per word (one and one-half cent), with a $25 (U.S.) minimum (paid via PayPal) and 2 contributor's copies Theme: Weird Horror WEIRD HORROR SUBMISSIONS WILL OPEN IN MARCH Weird Horror has two reading periods each year - March and September. FICTION GUIDELINES OPENS: March 1, 2022 CLOSES: March 31, 2022 Fiction must be in English, and previously unpublished in English anywhere, in any format, on any platform. Please do not query about reprints. We will consider works translated to English, as long as you are offering first English-language publication rights. Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please inform us if your story is accepted elsewhere. No multiple submissions. Please send 1 story only per reading period. We are seeking horror and weird fiction from 500 to 6,000 words. (Please respect our word counts. Query first for longer pieces.) We are not interested in extreme horror. We receive 600 to 800 manuscripts each period, and accept less than 2% of submissions. Do not be discouraged by a form rejection. Payment is (U.S.) 1.5¢ per word (one and one-half cent), with a $25 (U.S.) minimum (paid via PayPal) for first worldwide English-language rights, for use in the print, eBook, and online edition. Contributors also receive 2 copies of the print edition. We ask for a 6-month exclusivity. Copyright remains with the author, and a contract will be provided. Submit stories in Standard Manuscript Format as a Word document or PDF, and e-mail as an attachment to: WeirdHorrorMag gmail com NOTE - There is no need to provide a mailing address on your manuscript. Format the subject line of your e-mail thusly: Submission - Story Title - Author Name We are not currently seeking any art or non-fiction submissions. Please query if you have any questions. -Michael Kelly Via:...

Deadline: March 31st, 2022 Payment: "Split proceeds among all contributing authors." Theme: A gothic horror story collection centered around sound Note: Open to all trans and nonbinary authors LISTEN: The Sound of Fear Things that go bump in the night, real or imagined; that certain song or sound that threatens madness; the warnings we heed…or don’t heed… NineStar Press is seeking submissions to LISTEN, a gothic horror story collection centered around sound, featuring trans and nonbinary authors from our community. While we want a terrifying tale, it must have gothic elements. Rather than relying on gore for scares, give us the fear that lives within. Anthology theme: terrifying tales with gothic elements with “sound” as an important detail Examples of story themes you might include (but are not limited to): psychological fear, doomed romance, family curses, homes haunted either by actual ghosts or ghosts of the past, your other great idea! Submission deadline: March 31, 2022 Requirement: open to all trans and nonbinary authors Story length: up to 15K Heat: from sweet to erotic; fade to black to explicit Content: the story must feature an LGBTQA+ character; any romantic pairing; HEA, HFN, or unhappy ending Genre: all (contemporary, fantasy, PNR, literary fiction; with gothic horror elements) What to do: Send an email to [email protected] with the following: Subject line:  LISTEN ANTHOLOGY: , In the email body (include as a bullet list): Category (romance fiction or literary story) Genre (contemporary, fantasy, PNR) Pairing (ie: MM, FF, trans, NB, ace, genderfluid, etc.) Length Previously published (Yes / No) A short description of the story (one paragraph) Previous author credits, if any Manuscript requirements: Attachments: All attachments should be in .docx, .doc, or .rtf format Manuscripts should be complete and edited to the best of your ability. Please use the following formats when preparing your manuscript for...

March 31st, 2022 Payment: $.08 per word + contributor copy Theme: Lunarpunk Story Length: 500 to 7,500 words Story Payment: at least $.08 per word + contributor copy Poem Length: 5 poems or 5 pages Poetry Payment: $30 per poem + contributor copy Submissions Open: March 1 - 31, 2022 Expected Publication: 2023 Editor: Justine Norton-Kertson ​ This will arguably be the first Lunarpunk anthology to be produced. As such, it is an opportunity for you, as an author, to help guide and define a relatively new science fiction subgenre. Please read the full guidelines before submitting. The submission link is at the end of these guidelines ​ ​ What is Luarpunk? Lunarpunk is a relatively new subgenre of science fiction and fantasy that is closely related to and is an offshoot of Solarpunk. Like it’s sibling subgenre, Lunarpunk tells optimistic and hopeful stories about future societies led by genuinely diverse communities and powered by renewable energy, where nature and technology coexist in harmony rather than in conflict. It’s is a subgenre that’s about restoring the web of life that connects us all. It’s about a desire to protect all life, not just human life. It’s about the drive to embrace and empower life, and restore the planet. ​ Lunarpunk futures aren’t usually “perfect” utopias. Such a thing will never actually exist. But even when lunarpunk communities come close to that ideal, they are still never without conflict and challenges. One thing is certain though, lunarpunk societies are absolutely not dystopias. ​ If lunarpunk and solarpunk societies haven’t yet reached some sort of utopian ideal, then the communities in these stories have still either solved, or are at least in the process of optimistically working together to solve or adapt to the climate crisis and other global challenges. They are consciously...

Deadline: April 1st, 2022 Payment: $10 or a contributor's copy Theme: Vampire stories based on traditional folklore from around the world. Title: They Come by Night: Original Vampire Stories Based on Traditional Lore   Deadline: April 1st 2022 or until filled.   Payment: 10 USD via PayPal upon acceptance or contributor’s copy in printed form upon publication. (We know this is an insult to your talent and hard work, but it is all we can offer at this time.  We hope to offer more on future projects.)   Theme: Vampire stories based on traditional folklore from around the world.   3000-10000 words, double spaced, Times New Roman font, 12pt. Original stories, no reprints.  We ask for 6 months exclusive worldwide rights from date of publication after which all rights revert to author.   Email submissions to [email protected] with Submission: Title in subject line.  Send story as an attachment in .doc. .docx or .pages format.  In body of email, include a brief bio.   Shining Autumn Press is a new publishing house based in Cluj-Napoca, Romania conceived with the desire to promote quality fiction with supernatural themes.  This collection is indeed our first project and we are excited to receive submissions from talented writers.  Our projected date of publication for both ebook and print form is June 1st 2022.   At Shining Autumn Press we are avid lovers of vampire fiction but in recent years, decades really, we have been disappointed with the quality of vampire stories and novels and have decided to compile this anthology for readers who crave a more traditional portrayal of the children of the night.   We want vampires who are repelled by crosses, garlic, silver, wild roses and holy water and retreat to their graves at the first sign of dawn and the sound of...

Deadline: April 1st, 2022 Payment: 4 cents per word Theme: sapphic horror - short fiction by a diverse group of authors Moonflowers and Nightshade is an anthology of sapphic horror short fiction by a diverse group of authors. Chilling horror stories ranging from psychological character studies to terrifying tales of body horror, from supernatural nightmares to Gothic ghost stories--and everything in between, but all with prominent sapphic themes and content.  There is currently so much room and need for more sapphic content in the horror literary genre. Moonflowers and Nightshade will include a diverse group of stories, including but not limited to stories involving genderqueer, non-binary, BIPOC, genderfluid, lesbian, trans, bisexual, and pansexual characters.   ​ Submission Specs:  ~ 2,000 - 5,000 words ~ MS Word or Google Docs file  ~ Times New Roman, pt. 12 font, double-spaced ~ Please include your name, your story title, word count, and a brief bio in your email cover letter.  ~ Stories must prominently include sapphic themes, characters, and/or content, and be in the horror genre. All subgenres of horror welcome.  ~ Submission deadline: April 1st, 2022 ~ Simultaneous submissions welcome. ​ Payment:  Payment will be $0.04/word upon publication, via Paypal. Contract will be for 6 months exclusive ebook and paperback English language rights, non-exclusive thereafter.  ​ Please send submissions to [email protected].  ​ Notifications will be sent by June 1st, 2022 at the latest.  ​ Tentative publication date is October, 2022.  ​ Please note: This submission call is running concurrently with a Kickstarter campaign for the anthology to offset publication costs. Donating and/or contributing to the Kickstarter will NOT influence or hold any bearing on submission status.    Support on Kickstarter Via: Samantha Kolesnik.

Deadline: April 1st, 2022 Payment: $1,000 advance, with a royalty share at 60% to author Theme: Psychological, folk, quiet, supernatural, paranormal, body, found-footage, coming-of-age, spiritual, demonic, occult, cosmic, slasher horror. Hello, my name is Sadie Hartmann but I’m also known in certain circles as Mother Horror. My favorite thing is to find fresh, talented voices in the genre of horror. It’s difficult to get readers to notice you out there in the wild, so this is your opportunity to come into My Dark Library and share with me the strange, cold, dark well within you from which you draw your stories. I am editing and presenting a series of novellas through Cemetery Gates Media and will write an introduction for each selection, then we’ll promote your work to a hungry legion of horror fans. I am specifically interested in: Authors who have found themselves in a genre-trap and are looking for a way to showcase another storytelling voice for a different fanbase. In My Dark Library you will find psychological, folk, quiet, supernatural, paranormal, body, found-footage, coming-of-age, spiritual, demonic, occult, cosmic, slasher horror. I’m not currently interested in extreme, science-fiction, bizarro, erotic, apocalyptic, creature/cryptid, zombie, eco, comedy horror. I especially love cultural folklore and urban legends from BIPOC, Native American, and LGBTQ voices. This is an open call to anyone and everyone—not limited to new or unpublished voices. Even if I have read and admired your work one hundred times, I would still be over the moon to see a submission from you. From February 1st – April 1st we will accept submissions between 25,000-40,000 words. Please submit a complete, unpublished manuscript in DOC or RTF format and include a publishing bio and brief story synopsis in the email body. No reprints, please don’t ask. Simultaneous subs are fine. Send submissions to: [email protected] Cemetery Gates is paying a $1,000...

Deadline: April 1st, 2022 Payment: One cent U.S. per word ($2 minimum) Theme: Fantastic Fiction You really NEED to read the description below. The Cafe Irreal is a quarterly webzine that presents a kind of fantastic fiction infrequently published in English. This fiction, which we would describe as irreal, resembles the work of writers such as Franz Kafka, Kobo Abe, Clarice Lispector and Jorge Luis Borges. As a type of fiction it rejects the tendency to portray people and places realistically and the need for a full resolution to the story; instead, it shows us a reality constantly being undermined. Therefore, we're interested in stories by writers who write about what they don't know, take us places we couldn't possibly go, and don't try to make us care about the characters. We would also suggest you take a look at the current issue, archives, and theory (especially the essay, "What is irrealism?") pages on this web site. We accept unsolicited fiction up to 2,000 words in length. Translations are welcome. There is no minimum length. We accept only electronic submissions via e-mail at [email protected]. We cannot, due to the various computer viruses and worms, accept attachments anymore, so please paste your story into the body of the e-mail. Also include your name, address, e-mail address, and a short bio in the text of the submission; please put the word "submission" in the subject heading of the e-mail to ensure that your submission doesn't get lost among all the spam. We pay an honorarium of one cent U.S. per word ($2 minimum) to buy first-time internet rights (the story will then be archived). Payment is made upon publication. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DON'T ACCEPT SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS and are only interested in reprints in unusual cases (e.g., the story has appeared in print but...