Events

Deadline: May 1st, 2021 Payment: Advance and royalties Theme: Suspense/Thriller, Dark Fantasy and Crime/Noir Genres Grey Matter Press has been publishing exceptional dark psychological fiction for nearly a decade. Established in 2012 with a focus on producing only the highest quality volumes, work from our Chicago-based independent press has been embraced by readers and lauded by critics worldwide. Our submission windows are limited and do not open that frequently, but we’re thrilled to announce a few of our publishing needs for the remainder of the year. This submission window closes on May 1, 2021.   Seeking Fiction in the Suspense/Thriller, Dark Fantasy and Crime/Noir Genres In an effort to complete our publishing schedule for the remainder of 2021 and throughout of 2022, we are currently looking for submissions of exceptional long-format fiction in the novel and novella categories that comfortably fit within the suspense/thriller, dark fantasy and crime/noir genres. As a publisher that has established itself as a leader in the dark fiction category, we are not specifically looking for work in the horror genre, although your fiction may (but it’s absolutely not required) feature supernatural themes. We are only looking for work that has not been previously published anywhere via any venue whatsoever. We are unable to accept queries for reprints of any kind. Word count for novellas should ideally be within the 20,000-40,000 range, while word count for novels should be within the 60,000-90,000 range. We are not accepting short stories at this time. How to Submit Your Fiction Write a synopsis (500 words or less) that effectively outlines your novel/novella and provides us with a full grasp of your story’s plot from start to finish. Provide us with your publishing history (if any) that includes previous publications, recognitions or awards. Supply us with your complete manuscript in...

Deadline: May 1st, 2021 Payment: $20 and a contributors copy Theme: Stories that feature assassin type characters that are also "extremely or utterly foolish or silly" or "of, relating to, or resembling an ass" Smart Rhino Publications is excited to announce that we’ll be publishing a new anthology, ASININE ASSASSINS. Publication is tentatively scheduled for late 2021/early 2022. The first two books in this series, UNCOMMON ASSASSINS and INSIDIOUS ASSASSINS, were well-received and reviewed. Most readers enjoyed the diversity of genres and styles in these books, and we’d like to continue that diversity with the new anthology. The graphic to the right is our early cover illustration by Austrian artist Georg Schultschik. The initial cover design was created by Ju Kim, who also handled the covers for Smart Rhino’s A Plague of Shadows and Green Tsunami. We hope you’ll consider submitting a story for our consideration. Deadline for submissions is May 1 or until the anthology is full. There is no guarantee of acceptance—we’re hoping for an abundance of submissions and competition is likely to be high. What We’re Looking For asinine adjective 1: extremely or utterly foolish or silly 2: of, relating to, or resembling an ass   Synonyms: absurd, balmy, brainless, bubbleheaded, cockeyed, crackpot, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dippy, dotty, fatuous, featherheaded, fool, foolish, half-baked, half-witted, harebrained, inept, insane, jerky, kooky, loony, lunatic, lunkheaded, mad, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, senseless, silly, simpleminded, stupid, tomfool, unwise, wacky, weak-minded, witless   ASININE ASSASSINS seeks stories involving a character (e.g., assassin, gun for hire) with the above synonyms in mind. The "asinine" element must be critical in the plot—we particularly like dark humor, but we’ll also consider anything comedic, zany, or surreal. Stories can be any genre (although the focus is on suspense), but they must fit the anthology’s theme. We’re intentionally broad here. Stretch your imaginations and surprise us!   What We’re NOT Looking For While this is an R-rated anthology, please no stories involving graphic rape, child molestation, or animal torture. No gratuitous sex—if you include sexual content, make sure it is germane to the plot of your story....

Deadline: May 1st, 2021 Payment: £5 and a contributors copy Theme: food, hauntings, memory and consumption, both independently and combined. Please email all submissions to [email protected]. We accept fiction and creative non-fiction up to 1000 words on the topics of food, hauntings, memory and consumption, both independently and combined. Please do interpret our theme! We are also open for visual art submissions of all kinds! Please send up to five JPG or PNG files. We accept (and encourage) hybrid, experimental and creative-critical work. Unfortunately, we cannot publish poetry at this time. All accepted work will go through a brief, collaborative editorial stage. Please make sure your writing is double-spaced (where possible) and presented in a readable font. The email subject line should include your name and the type of submission, for example: – fiction. Writing should be sent as a word document and accompanied by a PDF if necessary. Tell us a bit about you in your cover letter, and include a brief bio of up to 50 words. Our submissions are open to everyone, and we particularly encourage marginalised and emerging writers to submit. We have reserved five spaces in our first issue for previously unpublished writers, so please let us know if you qualify! Upon publication, contributors will be sent £5 (via PayPal) and a print copy of the issue. Copyright remains with authors and artists, but we ask that you credit us if your work appears elsewhere. We only accept unpublished work. We encourage multiple (1–3) and simultaneous submissions, but do let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere so we can congratulate you! Our response time is currently less than a week, but please allow up to thirty days before querying. Plagiarism and hateful content will never be tolerated. Submissions close on May 1st. Thank you for your support! Via: The Hungry Ghost Project.

Deadline: May 1st, 2021 Payment: Poetry: £15 per poem upfront payment upon publication + 0.5% revenue share scheme., Flash Fiction: £50 upfront payment upon publication + 1% revenue share scheme., Short Fiction: £100 upfront payment upon publication + 2% revenue share scheme. Theme: Elevate us, and share thrilling stories of horror and romance, betrayal and bloodlust. Wherever you go regarding genre or form, we yearn to read what great works have yet to be read. Currently, we're in the process of establishing our first publication - The Needle Drops... Whilst we welcome all submissions, currently we are only moving forward with those within the horror genre, to be featured in Volume One releasing in the Summer / Fall of 2021. The preliminary end date for submissions is the 1st of May 2021. However, we especially encourage submissions at any time from BIPOC and those from LGBTQI+ community, as it is important to prioritise underrepresented voices and experiences, especially within the publishing industry - something which has been dominated by the white cis experience.   The Needle Drops... features an illustrated comic strip, original soundtrack, curated design by our in-house team and more. Dive into our blog for more information. One contributor will have the opportunity to work with our composer on an original soundtrack piece that will feature in the OST, available physically in the Limited Edition of The Needle Drops... as well as digitally via our Urhi Supporter scheme.   Once we receive your work, our editor will take it onboard, considering how it could be placed in our current roster, and whether it is the right fit for us. If we are ready to collaborate, we will then get in touch, detailing the next steps on the process of publication. In the spirit of collaboration, all of our...

Deadline: May 1st, 2021 Payment: Fiction: $20. Flash fiction: $10. Poetry at $10 per poem. Full details below Theme: Mad Queens; mad, bad, and ready to murder Last Girls Club Summer Issue Theme is Bees: Mad Queens; mad, bad, and ready to murder. No more than two fiction or flash fiction stories per author per submission period. Fiction is limited to 2,500 words or less. Authors are paid $20 upon acceptance Flash fiction is limited to under 1,000 words. Authors are paid $10 upon acceptance. No more than three poems per poet. Poems are limited to 200 words or less for each poem. Poets are paid $10 upon acceptance. I prefer to use PayPal to pay authors, but will work with authors where PayPal is not available. Nonfiction columns will must be pitched to editor in chief before submission. Email your idea to [email protected] The Last Girls Club Magazine is a quarterly feminist horror magazine that publishes international short stories and poems from the female gaze. It is an homage to the scary comics and zines of the late 20th century. Please check on the website for the theme in detail. Submissions will be accepted from Jan 1-Feb 1, April 1-May 1, July 1-Aug 1, Oct 1-Nov 1. Final notifications will be Feb 15, May 15, Aug 15, Nov 15. No more than two fiction stories per author per submission period. Fiction is limited to 2,500 words or less. Flash fiction must be under 1,000 words, no more than two from an author. No more than three poems per poet. Poems are limited to 200 words or less for each poem. I prefer to use PayPal to pay authors, but will work with authors where PayPal is not available. Nonfiction columns will must be pitched to editor in chief before submission. Email your...

Deadline: May 2nd, 2021 Payment: 1 cent per word for prose, and a flat fee of $10 for poetry Theme: Industrial Revolution NonBinary Review is a quarterly digital literary journal that joins poetry, fiction, essays, and art around each issue's theme. We invite  authors to explore each theme in any way that speaks to them: re-write a  familiar story from a new point of view, mash genres together, give us a personal essay about some aspect of our theme that has haunted you all  your life. We also invite art that will accompany the literature. All submissions must have a clear and obvious relationship to our theme. Submissions with no clear relationship to the theme will be rejected. We are open to submissions which relate to the idea of THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.   What we don't want: Henry Ford, cotton gins, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fires. Instead, think about things that might have been subject to the assembly line approach that weren't. Or how life may have changed for someone who did a job that wasn't made obsolete.  Or the story of a particularly Rube Goldberg or chindogu invention. PROSE, WHICH INCLUDES FICTION, CREATIVE NON-FICTION, AND FLASH NonBinary Review accepts fiction and creative non-fiction of up to 3,000  words in length, although shorter is probably better. Fiction should be double spaced, 12-point type, in Times New Roman in a  Word document or text file. We do not accept .pdfs. Authors may submit up to 5 pieces of flash fiction, no more than 1000  words each, in this category. Please upload each piece as a separate document on this submission. Flash (fiction or CNF) is the ONLY category where multiple pieces related to the same theme may be selected for  publication. POETRY NonBinary Review accepts poetry of up to 3 pages in length. Poetry should be single spaced,...

Deadline: May 2nd, 2021 Payment: $100 if for the magazine, $50 for online publication Theme: Character-driven, speculative short stories such as science fiction, fantasy, superhero fiction, horror, utopian and dystopian fiction, fairytale fantasy, and supernatural fiction Note: Only open for black women writers We are looking for previously unpublished, character-driven, speculative short stories written by Black women writers Speculative fiction is a broad genre encompassing fiction with certain elements that do not exist in the real world, often in the context of supernatural, futuristic, or other imaginative themes. This includes, but is not limited to, science fiction, fantasy, superhero fiction, horror, utopian and dystopian fiction, fairytale fantasy, and supernatural fiction. Please submit your short story no later than May 2, 2021. Stories must meet our minimum 1,500 word count requirement. Submissions should be submitted in proper short story manuscript format with your name, email address, and the story’s total word count on the first page. For our purposes, you do not need to include a mailing address or phone number. Click here for an example of proper short story manuscript format. All submissions will be considered for publication on a rolling basis on midnightandidigo.com or in our annual Speculative fiction special issue (online and/or print - October 2021). We offer $100 for Short Stories accepted for publication in our annual Speculative issue (eBook, print, and/or audiobook - October 2021) and $50 for Short Stories accepted for publication on midnightandindigo.com. We accept only previously unpublished work. Responses will be provided by July 25, 2021. ***** Optional Add ons We DO NOT charge a fee for submissions but do offer optional add-ons should you wish to participate. Again, these fees are optional - you are not required to pay to submit your work. Standard Submission ($0) You are not required to pay for submission. You will be notified of acceptance/decline by July 25, 2021. Expedited Reading option ($25) If you choose...

Deadline: May 2nd, 2021 Payment: $100 if for the magazine, $50 for online publication Theme: All genres, character driven fictional short stories Note: Only open for black women writers Deadline: May 2, 2021 at 11:59pm ET CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT! short stories. essays. melanin. Whether you’re an established writer or are just starting out, we want to hear from you! midnight & indigo, a new literary magazine celebrating Black women writers, has issued a call for submissions to review short stories and narrative essays. We publish content on our digital platform and in our literary journals (paperback/ebook/audiobook). In 2021, we will publish our first long-form anthology! Writers are invited to share their original, fictional, or personal stories. Stories can funny, entertaining, serious, or sincere. Stories must be character-driven and leave readers with something to think about. All genres are welcome! How to Submit: Format:  All submissions should follow proper manuscript format and Microsoft Word .doc format. We will not accept submissions that do not follow our guidelines. All stories must be submitted via Submittable — we will not accept stories via email. You may submit up to three stories at any time. Our average response time is 120 days. Word length:  Short stories: min. 1,500 words. Narrative essays: min. 1,200 words Please note:  Call for Submissions will be held on a rolling basis with deadlines three times per year: January 10th, May 2nd, and September 5th. Submission does not guarantee that your work will be published. All submissions will be considered for our long-form anthology. Genres: All genres and writing styles are welcome. It may be helpful to view our current short stories, essays, and literary journals to get a general sense of what we publish, but don’t be afraid to push the needle! Compensation: We do pay for content. Information is available below. Fiction Guidelines General Fiction We are looking for previously unpublished, CHARACTER-DRIVEN fictional short...

Deadline: May 2nd, 2021 Payment: $10 Theme: Atmospheric horror that is emphasizes disturbing and suggestive settings Submissions: OPEN (Inaugural Issue) • Submission deadline for our first issue: Sunday, May 2nd, 2021, 11:59p. • Editorial decisions: Sunday, June 6th, 2021. • Publication of inaugural issue: Friday, August 20th, 2021 Fiction Length: We prefer short, compressed stories that are nevertheless complete and cohesive narratives (1500 to 2500 words). These limits are firm. No more, no less. Fiction Style: We prefer atmospheric horror that is emphasizes disturbing and suggestive settings. We prefer renderings of supernatural horror to be artfully sketchy and sublime. Documentary descriptions of monstrosity rarely works for us. We generally prefer the first person perspective. We are open to experimental narrative techniques. Poetry Length and Form: Submit up to three short poems, no more than 500 words of verse total. We are open to both formal and free verse poetry. We have a soft spot for sonnets. Publication, payment, and rights: Issues will be published as .pdf files. If work is selected for publication in WITCH HOUSE, authors will (1) be paid an honorarium of $10 and (2) will be asked to provide, by contract, "First North American Serial Rights." In our opinion, this means that copyright is NOT transferred. All copyright stays with you, the writer; however, you will have sold/transferred a form of "exclusive use rights" called "First North American Serial Rights" (FNASR). This is the right to publish your unpublished work for the first time, and ONLY the first time, no more. The important thing to remember is that some professional publications may ask for FNASR upon acceptance of a specific work; you are not legally permitted to provide those for that specific work after publication in WITCH HOUSE, for you have already rendered their use to us....

Deadline: May 2nd, 2021 Payment: £50 payment Theme: “One thing is certain. The high street landscape has now irrevocably changed and there is no point clinging on to a sentimental vision of the past.” Tales From The Cyber Salon Event #2 – The High Street Throughout 2021, Cybersalon will host ‘Tales of the Cybersalon’, a series of interdisciplinary technology and policy investigations through science-fiction storytelling. We want your stories and we want you. Help us imagine the future of our digital revolution in industry and society, and to identify and explore its emerging cultures. Each event will feature new speculative short stories purpose written for the exploration of Healthcare, The High Street, Social Communities and Political Representation. Each short story will interrogate where we are and where we might be going. The series kicks off on March 30th with the first event, New Normals in Health. And we’d like your submissions for the second of the four events. An open call for events three and four will follow. Selected writers will be expected to engage with the panel experts ahead of the event to finesse the technological aspects of their fiction. Each event will have three or four new short stories which will be released in advance to the audience on Cybersalon’s Medium page. The stories will be read on the night by their authors, followed by a panel discussion between the writers and the technologist domain experts who inspired them, with an open invite to audience questions to wrap up. We’re looking for submissions of approximately 1000 words that explore the future by extrapolating from the present. Please bear in mind that we are not looking for the post-apocalyptic or utopias on other planets; the stories need to be plausible enough for our experts and audience to engage with...