Events

Deadline: October 15th, 2022 Payment: $20 Theme: Stories about escaping the darkness Out of the Darkness will be a charity anthology – with proceeds being donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. We are looking for stories about escaping the darkness. The darkness of depression, the darkness of being a victim – any and all types of darkness will be considered. Stories do NOT have to have happy endings – but they should still show ways out of the darkness. Maybe one character wasn’t able to escape, but those left behind are able to find a path forward out of the darkness created by their loss. This is a bit open-ended as far as story guidelines so authors are free to explore what this means to them. Break the story-writing rules if you want. If you use a tried-and-true plotline, twist it in an original and interesting way. Original stories are preferred. Query for reprints. ALL writers are encouraged to submit. Doesn’t matter if you’re a pro with years of credits, a beginner just starting out, or a teenager - please feel free to send the editor a story. In your cover email, please tell the editor a bit about yourself and a quick one-line synopsis of the story. Include genre. If experimental, please explain the type or how so the editor doesn’t edit out the form or reject it out of hand. Thank you. In the Subject line please put Submission: Darkness: Title of your story: Your name. Attach as a .rft file, please send to: [email protected] Submissions Open:  Aug 15, 2022 (DO NOT SUBMIT PRIOR TO THIS DATE) Submissions Close:  Oct 15, 2022 Release Date:   Dec 2022 Payment:  $20.00 flat rate. ​ All payments will be made via PayPal. If you do not want to obtain and...

Submission Window: September 22nd to October 15th, 2022 Payment: $0.07/word. Payment for reprints is $0.03/word, Poems are paid at the rate of $25 to $100 Theme: All SF and Fantasy genres, but horror is unlikely to find a home here. Ideally stories with a message of hope. Note: Reprints are welcome To accept submissions, DreamForge uses our own “Submissions Portal.” The link to that portal will be supplied on this page at about Midnight on 9/21/22 and remain open through Midnight 10/15/22. When you submit stories through our portal, you will be able to provide a brief cover letter, tell us why you feel the story is right for DreamForge, and upload your manuscript doc. Our response time? At DreamForge, all staff and readers are volunteers. While we’re all set to devote time to this, our day jobs and personal lives can set us back. So, expect 2-3 weeks minimum for us to get back to you. If we respond more quickly, or take significantly longer, those are just the breaks and don’t necessarily mean anything specifically regarding your story. Because submitting stories can sometimes feel like you’ve dropped your manuscript into a time warp, we don’t mind simultaneous submissions.  If your story sells elsewhere, we’ll help you celebrate! Most stories will be returned without editorial comment. You will always get a polite response, but providing feedback often takes time we don’t have.  A quick calculation shows you the problem. Let’s say we receive 500 hopeful submissions this period and we spend just 5 minutes each giving each one some feedback.  That’s 2500 minutes.  41.6 hours.  That’s time we really don’t have, and honesty it takes more than 5 minutes to provide insightful and politely crafted commentary. However, if you want to engage with us and other writers as we welcome guest...

Deadline: October 15th, 2022 Payment: $5 for stories under 1,000 words and $10 for stories 1,000 words to 1,500 words. Theme: Erotic Halloween Stories It’s that time of year again. Pumpkin spice. Halloween decor. Scary movies. And Circlet Press Halloween Microfictions. For our Halloween microfictions we want stories that reflect our sensibilities—literary, erotic, exploring and celebrating gender and sexuality—while also harnessing the spirit of Autumn and October and Halloween. Horror is welcome so long as it is erotic and character-driven. Let your imaginations run wild. Stories can be funny or heartbreaking, steamy or sweet, and full on Pumpkin Spice Latte or just dusted with a hint of cinnamon, metaphorically speaking. A few things to bear in mind: A happy ending is not necessary. HOWEVER, I will not accept any stories where one spouse kills the other. Halloween party hookups, night club hookups, demon summoning, and hot to trot ghosts have been done to death. If you’re going to send those PLEASE make it original. I am 100% open to classic monsters. I love vampires and zombies and werewolves and lots of other creatures. Just make sure to give them your own unique spin if that’s what you do. I STRONGLY encourage authors to read the works posted to our website in order to familiarize yourselves with what we publish. REQUIREMENTS: Stories must contain erotic elements. Consent must be EXPLICIT. Nothing under the age of consent. Nothing with animals. No fan fiction. The details: Word count limit is 1,500. No reprints. Multiple submissions are okay. Please send as a Word doc or RTF (or in the body of the email) and follow standard manuscript formatting guidelines. Look up William Shunn if you aren’t familiar with manuscript formatting. The deadline is October 15th, 11:59 pm EST. Payment will be $5 for stories...

Deadline: October 16th, 2022 Payment: $0.01 per word for short stories, $25 per poem and a contributor's copy Theme: An anthology of sea horror stories SAND, SALT, BLOOD is an anthology of sea horror stories, aiming to raise money for the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution – https://rnli.org). We’re looking for horror stories set on, in or around the sea, including coastal areas and islands, as long as the sea plays a key part. Let’s face it – the sea is terrifying! What’s lurking down there? What happens when that comes to the surface? What about isolated communities on small islands, or dock workers loading and unloading ships? Although the editor likes stories with sirens, mermaids, and other sea creatures, think beyond that too. Horror isn’t just about the shock and gore – consider the creepy and eerie, too, the kind of atmosphere that raises the hair on your neck and makes you feel like you’re being watched… SAND, SALT, BLOOD will be edited by Elle Turpitt and published by Sliced Up Press. What we’re looking for: Submissions must be in the horror genre. All subgenres are welcome including bizarro, splatterpunk and extreme horror, but don’t shock for the sake of shock. Poetry is also welcome. We’re especially interested in submissions from women, BIPOC, disabled and LGBTQIA+ authors. All submissions must be original. We will not accept reprints, or stories published elsewhere, including on blogs, social media, etc. (This does not include stories published on password protected websites for the intention of critique.) Submit your best work in modern or classic manuscript format (as outlined on www.shunn.net/format), as an MS Word .doc or .docx attachment. Anything sent in a different format will be rejected without reply. Authors may submit 3 (three) stories or poems maximum for consideration. Please ensure these are sent in separate...

Deadline: October 22nd, 2022 Payment: $.06/word, $.03/word for reprints - for stories in the 500 – 4,000 word range Theme: All forms of speculative fiction, prefer 'weird' fiction The Drabblecast is currently open for submissions until Oct. 22. The Drabblecast is an award-winning online speculative fiction magazine and podcast that publishes “Strange Stories for Strange Listeners,” often also classified as “Weird Fiction.” Loosely, this encompasses any and all genres, but largely centers around those of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. We’re looking for powerful stories that are simultaneously relatable and a good degree off the beaten path. We’re looking for stories that will work particularly well when read aloud and treated with full cast audio production. We’re looking for submissions that are humorous, bizarre, gross, disturbing, badass, interesting, and original — your favorite story that we both know would be a hit if only it found the right home. We’ve been expecting you! Please wipe your feet on the various dismembered feet on your way in. What We Buy Short Fiction — 500 – 4,000 words We Also Run Drabbles — Exactly 100 words. Twabbles — Exactly 100 characters. Episode Art — See the Art page. Payment Considerations: The Drabblecast currently pays $.06/word for original fiction, with a cap of $300.00. The Drabblecast accepts reprint submissions at a pay rate of $.03/word, with a cap of $300.00. Stories under 500 words (including Drabbles and Twabbles) are published on a pro bono basis. The Drabblecast accepts Simultaneous Submissions (please let us know if someone else accepts before us) Drabblecast does NOT accept Multiple Submissions, unless specifically requested or solicited by Drabblecast editorial staff. Your Submission Should: Submit stories to [email protected] Include your name and story title in the subject of the email. Include bio (including preferred gender pronouns), story word count, information regarding the submission’s publication history or indication if the work is original and unpublished in the...

Deadline: October 28th, 2022 Payment: 6 cents per word and a contributors copy Theme: Coming of age with a horror twist A Coming of Age Horror Anthology open call for submissions! Do you love the nostalgic feel of the Amblin movies of the 80s and 90s? Tales that may well have impacted on your own childhood. The Goonies, Stand by Me, ET, Jurassic Park etc.? Nowhere Fast pays homage to the well-loved theme, Coming of Age, and then adds a horror element. Did you ever just wish you could have made The Goonies a little gorier? That ET was actually evil or that Hook was based on the Hookman urban legend rather than just a bumbling pirate? What if The Explorers was as violent as Aliens or The Craft had a Blair Witch vibe? Now is your chance to make your twist on these classics a reality. PLEASE NOTE – these movies and characters are IP and cannot be used without permission. Your story should be a tribute, not a sequel. Any work featuring actual characters from these movies will be rejected. Nowhere Fast is a COA anthology which is a mixture of invite and submissions. We can tell you that everyone involved is very excited about this and we have a fantastic foreword and cover lined up. TOC so far … Brian Keene Josh Malerman Jonathan Janz CJ Tudor Cynthia Pelayo Adam Cesare Richard Chizmar Hailey Piper Gwendolyn Kiste Stephen Graham Jones Kathe Koja Kasey Lansdale   INTRO BY SADIE HARTMANN TO BE EDITED BY JANINE PIPE, LEZA CANTORAL AND CHRISTOPH PAUL We would like to see varied interpretations of this sub-genre and invite diverse and own voices to bring their own flair and unique flavour to their narrative. This is open to anyone; we actively encourage all writers,...

Deadline: October 30th, 2022 Payment: €200 Theme: Defending nature and empowering communities In partnership with OceanCare, Stormbird Press’ opens a call for Our Ocean’d Earth contributions. This call is for nonfiction or fiction writing that conveys one clear and unified message: that our oceans are worth fighting for. To help restore a culture of inspiration and reverence towards Earth’s oceans we are looking for masterfully woven stories from a range of perspectives—from marine life researchers to conservationists, free divers to writers with a deep connection to the sea, and more—who can reveal secrets of the oceans and their inhabitants, or have in some way formed a unique bond with an ocean or its marine life. The ideal submission will be a short essay or story of 1000 to 3000 words that will reflect Stormbird Press’ core principle: defending nature and empowering communities. The anthology will be distributed by OceanCare and featured in Stormbird Press’ 2023 catalogue. Deadline for submissions: October 30, 2022 (11.000pm AEDT) Payment: Each published piece will receive a payment of €200. Each author will be featured on the Stormbird Press author page and receive unlimited Our Ocean’d Earth ebook downloads for one year. The copyright will remain with the author. SUBMISSIONS Please include (in a single word document) a 1000-3000 word essay, a less than 300 word author bio, and your best contact details, including current mailing address and phone number. In the subject line of your email, please write: ‘Ocean Anthology Submission’, the title of the submission and the country in which your story is set. For example: Ocean Anthology Submission: Requiem for Hope (Brazil) Send submissions to [email protected]. Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered. Please refer to our submission page for further style, tone, and editing expectations, including principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent. Via: Storm Bird press.

Submission Window: October 23rd-30th, 2022 Payment: $20 Theme: Science fiction and fantasy Mythaxis is published four times a year, and is open to submissions within the following periods: January 23rd-30th April 23th-30th July 23rd-30th October 23rd-30th Submissions received outside of these dates will unfortunately be lost and therefore not responded to. When open, we seek and offer the following: Length: 1,000-7,500 words. This is a firm limit. Generally speaking, the further a story goes beyond 5,000 words the more it will need to impress, but the door is not shut in advance. Compensation: $20 on acceptance and return of contract. Payment via PayPal only. If you do not receive an acknowledgment within 24 hours of submission, please get in touch. We aim to accept or reject within 14 days of acknowledgment, but rl (real life) and rl (reading load) can get in the way. If you do not hear from us after 30 days, feel free to query. We require First Print and Digital rights with a six month period of exclusivity from the date of publication. We also ask permission to potentially include accepted pieces in future anthologies, in event of which an additional full payment and digital copy will be offered in compensation. All other rights remain entirely with the author. Simultaneous submissions are not only accepted, they are encouraged. Please tell us if you are, and we merely ask that you notify us of acceptance at another market as soon as possible. In the event that we accept first we would expect a positive confirmation, so we recommend sim-subbing to markets of equivalent status - we won’t want to wait for someone else you’d like better to turn you down… Please wait until receiving a rejection notice before submitting a second time. If a story has previously been rejected by Mythaxis,...

Deadline: October 31st, 2022 Payment: $15 and 3 contributors copy Theme: No genre, fiction, poetry, essays, art The World Unknown Review has taken an unexpected hiatus in the past few years, but we are proud to announce plans for it to return on a new schedule for a potential late 2022/ early 2023 release! The submission period for the World Unknown Review runs annually from January 1st to October 31st. We’re looking for a little bit of everything, so please send us your best fiction, poetry, essays, art, or whatever else in between. There are no genre, theme, or word limitations, although anything over 17,500 words will fall automatically into the novella competition. There is no entry fee, and writers may send in as many works as they like, though only one is likely to be chosen. Authors will receive $15 USD ($30 for the winning novella) and three contributors copies. Please send submissions or questions to [email protected] , preferably in .doc, .docx, or .rft form. Please, no PDFs. Via: L.S. Engler.

Deadline: October 31st, 2022 Payment: £0.005 per word Theme: Daytime-themed horror This daytime-themed horror anthology is going to be absolute FIRE! We want your original, unpublished, short horror stories set in daylight. That's it. Go wild. Think Midsommar, The Wicker Man, Benchley's Jaws, IT, The Silence of the Lambs. All great storylines, all packed with daytime fear proving you don't have to be in the dark to be afraid. Sleeping with the lights on won't help you this time. Howl at the sun, create reverse vampires, solar-powered cryptids, photosynthesising swamp monsters, make it eco-horror if you like, create an alternate world where the sun never sets, it simply grows hotter and hotter, closer and closer... You could even write about zombies (but only if you've something new to offer-zombies have been done to death, excuse the pun). Write whatever you like as long as the bulk of the action happens in broad daylight and is horror-themed. Elements of sci-fi, fantasy, dark and speculative fiction are fine, encouraged even, as long as your story is creepy, dread-inducing, and/or downright horrible. We're giving you a long time for this one, time to get those creative cogs turning so you can squeeze out something truly awful for us. Deadline: October 31st 2022 (midnight, last place on earth, yes we know that's Halloween) or until full. To be published Spring 2023. We're looking for flash pieces (500-1500 words) and longer stories (3-5k) but if you've something somewhere in between, we'd still like to read it, send it in. You may enter up to 3 pieces of flash and up to 3 longer stories, if you wish. £0.005 per word (after edits). An anthology of selected stories will be published in print and as an e-book publication. See our 'Submission Guidelines' section for information on...