Events

Deadline: December 31st, 2024 Payment: Contributor's copy Theme: The stories must be 'trashy' in some way (ideas below.) Deadline for submissions: midnight, 31 December 2024 We are excited to invite submissions for a new anthology of trashy fiction – TRASH TALES – due to be published in August 2025! All profits (after expenses) will be donated to literacy charities in the UK and US. The full submission guidelines are available below. The collection will be produced by me (CriminOlly) and Alex from micro press Kilter and Rammel. Check out Kilter and Rammel’s site here. We’re looking for short story submissions, no longer than 5000 words and previously unpublished. It can be in any category or genre you like, as long as it’s what we might all consider of a trashy nature! Some ideas (this list is non-exhaustive): Naughty nurses and sexy shifters: spicy or sweet category romance One man armies: men’s adventure The Wild, and sometimes Weird West: westerns Trashy Tales of Terror : cheesy horror fiction featuring creepy kids, killer animals, mutants and monsters, etc. Science Fiction Shenanigans: Alien invaders, technology gone haywire Crime, Pulp, That Sort of Thing: Gritty detective fiction, real world or with an added twist of the supernatural/paranormal/occult Mystery-solving Moggies: Cosy crime involving animals, baked goods and such like Level Up: LitRPG (Literary Roleplaying Game) stories. So get thinking up those trashy stories, and we look forward to seeing what you’ve got for us to read! If you have any questions about submitting, or about the project in general, please email us at [email protected]. TRASH TALES Submission Guidelines Stories selected by Olly Clarke, Alex J Gardner and the editorial team. Edited by Alex J Gardner. To be published by Kilter & Rammel Publishing in August 2025. How to Submit: Send a PDF of your story to [email protected] by midnight on 31...

Deadline: December 31st, 2024 Payment: 1 cent per word for short fiction up to 10,000 words (or $100) and a flat rate of $10 for works under 1000 words. Theme: Stories that evoke a sense of confinement, lack of breath/oxygen, and the desperate need for escape. Note: Kind of a sour taste on this one, submitters must be subscribed to their newsletter (free version available) to be able to submit. Storyletter XPress Publishing is opening its official 2025 submission window for our upcoming anthology, “Take a Breath: A Collection of Claustrophobic Horror.” We will purchase notable works capturing this theme from talented, independent authors and publish the collection as a book in hardcover, paperback, and digital eBook. In our previous iteration, 24 authors (mostly from Substack) came together to contribute to “Take Me There: A Speculative Anthology of Travel.” The published hardcover book—along with other goodies—was shipped to annual paid subscribers and contributing authors in our XPress Book Box. The ebook is delivered in our Welcome email for both monthly and annual members. The XPress Book Box will be available to a maximum of 100 annual subscribers due to supplies, time, and shipping reasons. Secure your spot today! This year, we’re delving into the deepest and darkest locations with a focus on stories that evoke a sense of confinement, lack of breath/oxygen, and the desperate need for escape. “Take a Breath” will have you turning the pages faster and faster, not only from the desire to discover how each story ends but because you’ll be holding your breath. We hope this theme will summon the terrific horror writing community on Substack and beyond. We’re accepting submissions until the end of 2024 (December 31). Must be subscribed (free or paid) to be eligible. SXP is eager to work with writers of all...

Submission Window: December 1st - 31st, 2024 Payment: $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue Theme: Any genre, short story Mission = Revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful. Payout = Base Pay of $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Wait, you mean if this substack gets thousands of subscribers, the winner would get thousands of dollars? Yes! The New Yorker pays roughly $7,500 per story and I sincerely hope to go way past that. What does the timeline look like? Submit stories by the end of the month, winner to be announced on the 15th. There is ONE story that wins and receives the full payout. Where do I send submissions? [email protected] What are the rules for submitting? 1. No Fees 2. Send in Microsoft Word or Google Doc form 3. Any genre 4. 6- 10,000 words. Yes, just 6 words, like Hemingway's famous 6-word story "For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn." 5. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute. 6. Acknowledge Distribution Rights on this Substack - You can still sell your story elsewhere but we need to be able to save and publish it here. The goal is to create a library for subscribers. 7. Only the winner will be published and rights will only transfer for the winning story. What do I get for subscribing? One beautiful story every month. The complete library. The joy of supporting artists and doing something interesting. What if I can’t pay right now? That’s ok! If you publish a blurb about this site on your website, blog, or social media, I will send you one full story of your choosing. Best of all, it is...

Deadline: December 31st, 2024 Payment: An unannounced signing bonus (not to be deducted from royalties), and royalties are set at 40% to the author Theme: Horror fiction between 17-40k words LITTLE GHOSTS is open for Novella Submissions! Little Ghosts Press will be open for novella submissions from Oct. 31- Dec. 31st. Please submit with:  your name or pseudonym a short (50-100 word) author bio a synopsis of the piece for submission, up to 1k words. Tell us about the characters, the setting, the plot and tone of the novella. We are looking for horror fiction at a finished length of 17-40k words. Priority will be given to LGBTQA+ stories and BIPOC authors. Little Ghosts Books will only be accepting TWO novellas for this call. As a result, please know that we will receive more exciting pitches than we can take on. A pass on your pitch is not reflective of the quality of the work, but rather the limitations of our submission call. A chapter sample will be requested by January 15th if we are interested in your pitch! All acceptances and passes will be sent by Feb. 1st. Simultaneous submissions are welcome.   Little Ghosts is an imprint of Little Ghosts Books Little Ghosts Books was established in 2022 with the vision of showcasing new and indie horror that lacked a platform in major bookstores. Little Ghosts hosts community events, book clubs, author Work in Progress Nights, and more. In a move to give back to the community that enthusiastically came out for Little Ghosts, we began in 2023 by publishing anthologies- offering pro rates for short stories to authors both established and brand new. 2024 was the first year of the novella, and to date we have published 4 novellas & 3 anthologies- plus a flip book in...

Deadline: December 31st, 2024 Payment: 1 cent USD per word Theme: Eco-horror with a sexy or erotic spin Note: Only open to BIPOC authors Z. K. Abraham (she/her) is a writer and psychiatrist. She has been published in Clarkesworld, The Rumpus, Fantasy Magazine, FIYAH Magazine, JMWW, and more. She will be a Royal Literary Fund Reading Round lector for 2024-2025. She is represented by Carleen Geisler at ArtHouse Literary Agency. Read Abraham's interview here! Eco-horror explores the idea of nature becoming the source of terror; in an article for MUBI, Danielle Burgos describes eco-horror as “nature becomes uncanny and maliciously turned against man.” In a Teen Vogue article “Ecosexuals are Queering Environmentalism,” musician Peaches describes Mother Earth as a lover. “Sex-ecologist” Annie Sprinkle amusingly reflects on how “all this wood here is very sensual.” Ecosexuality might include, “masturbating with water pressure, using eco-friendly lubricant, or literally having sex with a tree.” Nature as setting or character contains so much possibility for the sensual and horrifying. Nature is inherently physical and erotic; we are stripped down to our most grounded, raw selves in nature. We can experience the tactile and sensual when we touch plants, bark, earth, when we smell flowers, when we feel the shift in temperature or moisture in the air. However, nature contains decay as well as growth. Shadows move between distant trees, while legends and folktales come to life in forests and valleys and deserts. In nature’s beauty, there is a sense of power beyond our grasp, an awe-inspiring terror, as well as a delicate intimacy. With this anthology, we are looking for stories between 1500 to 4000 words (firm) that explore eco-horror with a sexy or erotic spin. Please note that for this call, we will only be considering submissions from BIPOC authors. Additionally, while a portion of...

Deadline: December 31st, 2024 (Apologies for the short window!, just found this one!) Payment: Royalties Theme: Science fiction stories inspired by Bon Jobi Announcing the latest anthology by Alpha Mercs Press: A Bon Jovi music INSPIRED anthology. Inspiration: After listening to way too many Bon Jovi singles performed by hundreds of different cover bands I was suddenly hit with the idea of Bon Jovi in space and how well the songs lend themselves to science fiction. After watching Sam Robb take Jethro Tull to the stars, I decided it was my turn to launch the music I love throughout the galaxy. What I'm Looking For:Without using any of the characters from Firefly or any of the lyrics from Bon Jovi, I'm looking for stories that feel like those two things combined. I want a western meets science fiction meets 80s rock story. I'm looking for more character driven stories as opposed to heavy science, although it should be clear that this is science fiction and not just a drama set on a random planet. Story length will be between 5,000 and 10,000 words. Please include the name or names of the songs that inspired your story just under the title of your story. Dates: Open immediately with the final entry being accepted Dec 31st, 2024. The contracts will be sent out Jan 31st, 2025. The anthology will be published Feb 28th. If there are enough awesome stories for more anthologies, you will be informed as to which one you will be included in and when it will be published.   Payment: Payment will be done through Pubshare and will be royalty based.   Rights: I will require the English text exclusivity for one year. You will be paid past the first year, but you can then publish it on your own at that point....

Submission Window: November 1st to December 31, 2024 Payment: $25 and a contributors copy Theme: Music of Blue Öyster Cult SUBMISSION CALL ALERT: Inspired by the success of "Dismember The Coop," a horror anthology inspired by the music of Alice Cooper, I am putting together an anthology of short stories inspired by the music of Blue Öyster Cult. It's tentatively titled "Stories On Flame". These are intended to be dark/horror fantasy and sci-fi stories, which is a consistent theme throughout BÖC's music. Think of songs like "Black Blade," "Monsters," "Godzilla," "I Love The Night," "Sole Survivor," "Take Me Away," "E.T.I.," and so many more. Note that if you base a story on "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," it better be a killer because many other people probably will too, if the flood of stories based on "Welcome To My Nightmare" for "Dismember The Coop" was any indication. I will only accept one story for a particular song, so the more creative and deep catalog you can go, the better your chance of acceptance. Presuming it's a good story, of course. Also, "Astronomy" is already spoken for. Sorry. 😉 Also, though I mentioned it above as an example, you should avoid a story based on "Godzilla," as that's another copyright pitfall waiting to happen. What I expect is to take a song and use it as just a germ of an idea to spin a complete tale from. I don't want simple prose retellings of songs, as that's not creative at all, and they will be summarily rejected. If you need an example of how to do this successfully, check out "Dismember The Coop" on Kindle Unlimited. Note that lyrics cannot be used in these stories. The copyrights on those can be a convoluted maze, and we don't want to go down...

Deadline: January 1st, 2025 Payment: Royalties Theme: Top secret government projects Who doesn’t know the black projects that rolled out of the Skunk Works like the famous SR-71, U-2, or F-117 stealth fighter? What do you think they aren’t telling us about? This anthology dives into the concept of other black projects, their uses, and outcomes. Maybe the crazies are right. What If… the UFO’s are actually ours… Anything from discovery and design to use in application of the Aircraft, Heavy Weapons, Power Armor, Sea Vessels, and more are welcome. We’re looking for new, previously unpublished stories that take us on an adventure and leave us wanting more. Genre: Speculative Fiction Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000 Opening Essay by: TBD Edited by: William Joseph Roberts Anchor Author: TBD Due Date: January 1, 2025 Email submissions to: threeravenspublishing @ gmail dot com with “Skunk Wurks” in the subject line Payment: Stories selected for publication in the upcoming Anthology(ies), will receive a percentage of sales divided equally between the contributing authors. We are looking for amazing stories from any genre that are fun to read and will take us on an adventure of epic proportions. Please download our standards template by clicking here ***NOTE*** We publish genre fiction with aspects of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. If your work does not include one of these aspects, we are less likely to pick up the title unless it is of exceptional quality.   What we are NOT currently accepting: Poetry Single-author collections of short stories. Hard and fast rules of what not to send: Fan-fiction: Just simply don’t. It will be immediately deleted or tossed into the recycle bin. Gratuitous Sexuality: (i.e. smut, softcore porn) (Please, we know that there is a market out there for stories in this genre, but it’s not for us. Contact our...

Deadline: January 1st, 2025 Payment: 8 cents per word for original work, 2 cents per word for reprints Theme: Stories that express black joy written by women and non-binary folk who identify as Black, African, or of Afro-descendent heritage Note: Reprints welcome You are cordially invited to contribute to an anthology of speculative fiction that’s being published through Rosarium Publishing titled Planet Black Joy in Fall 2025. The collection will feature about 20 to 25 short stories by women and non-binary folk who identify as Black, African, or of Afro-descendent heritage exploring and celebrating Black joy and pleasure. What are we looking for? We want to showcase stories of Black joy in the fantastical and the mundane in the present, past, and the future. We’d like a variety of Black joy from catharsis to irreverence to clawing resilience out of the darkness. From Black Twitter after the Alabama Brawl to the kind of joy that has been constructed in the face of white supremacy and patriarchy. We want to know what Black joy means to you. We’d prefer original submissions in English, but we are open to translations and reprints. We’ll be paying professional rates of $0.08 (USD) per word, for original short stories between 3,000 and 7,000 words long and $0.02 (USD) per word for reprints. We’ll be asking your permission to include the work as part of the anthology in the following formats: print, digital, and Braille. Submissions will be open from June 15, 2024 to January 1, 2025. Please email your submissions as an attachment to [email protected]. Via: Rosarium Publishing.

Deadline: January 1st, 2025 Payment: 8 cents per word for original stories, 2 cents per word for reprints Theme: Speculative stories exploring and celebrating Black joy and pleasure. Note: Authors who are women and non-binary folk who identify as Black, African, or of Afro-descendent heritage Note: Reprints welcome Edited by Chinelo Onwualu, Susana M. Morris, and Bill Campbell You are cordially invited to contribute to an anthology of speculative fiction that’s being published through Rosarium Publishing titled Planet Black Joy in Fall 2025. The collection will feature about 20 to 25 short stories by women and non-binary folk who identify as Black, African, or of Afro-descendent heritage exploring and celebrating Black joy and pleasure. What are we looking for? We want to showcase stories of Black joy in the fantastical and the mundane in the present, past, and the future. We’d like a variety of Black joy from catharsis to irreverence to clawing resilience out of the darkness. From Black Twitter after the Alabama Brawl to the kind of joy that has been constructed in the face of white supremacy and patriarchy. We want to know what Black joy means to you. We’d prefer original submissions in English, but we are open to translations and reprints. We’ll be paying professional rates of $0.08 (USD) per word, for original short stories between 3,000 and 7,000 words long and $0.02 (USD) per word for reprints. We’ll be asking your permission to include the work as part of the anthology in the following formats: print, digital, and Braille. Submissions will be open from June 15, 2024 to January 1, 2025. Please email your submissions as an attachment to [email protected].   Via: Rosarium Publishing.