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Deadline: July 31, 2024 Payment: Royalties and Digital Copy Theme: Scary Campfire Stories You're sitting around the campfire; it's dark, the moon is high in the sky, the wind is whistling through the trees, and the sense of isolation is pervasive. You hear a twig snap in the darkness, everyone is tense. What's the story you tell your friends to terrify them? What's in the dark, stalking the camp: an axe murderer, a werewolf, or something so far beyond our mortal understanding that just the sight of it will drive each of us insane? Tell me a ghost story, I want to be afraid and I want everyone reading to be afraid of what they'll read yet feel brave enough to turn the page. Submission Requirements: This will be a horror anthology, so tell me a scary story. Content doesn’t entirely matter but it should make sense (I do not object to erotica or gore if it makes sense, stories should include a content warning if it's appropriate), which means the story should be a complete story. I’m not looking for any story that attacks a specific ethnic group, gender, religion, etc (if your story is about a ghost that only attacks women, that’s different, I’m talking about pure hate speech); if I read it I’ll reject it. The deadline is July 31; I’ll strive to make a final decision by August 10, and contracts will be sent out soon after with a 2 week deadline (the sooner they come in, the sooner the book goes to the printer). I am one person so, while I’ll strive to contact everyone who submits, that’s not always possible. The distributor is Draft2Digital which primarily releases ebooks but also offers print books to physical retailers (it’s a large market that includes Amazon, Barnes...

Deadline: July 31st, 2024 Payment: 2 Contributors Copies Theme: Tales from the darkside. Its contents range in tone from the quiet horror of Shirley Jackson to the bleak stylings of Thomas Ligotti — and everything in between. Note: Chthonic Matter Quarterly is open to submissions. Close date is July 31st, 2024. Chthonic Matter is a quarterly offering of tales from the darkside. Its contents range in tone from the quiet horror of Shirley Jackson to the bleak stylings of Thomas Ligotti — and everything in between. In order to better understand the type of fiction I am looking for, be sure to review my previous series, Nightscript. All eight volumes are available for “free” via Kindle Unlimited. Each edition of Chthonic Matter will include eight stories. New editions will appear at the outset of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, and will be published in paperback and eBook formats. Authors should submit their original tales (between 2,000 and 6,000 words) via the email provided below and allow up to two months for a response. > Submit: .doc or .pages files to: [email protected]  Send only one story per submission — and, please, no reprints. Simultaneous submissions are welcome — just let me know. Payment is two contributor copies. Thank you for your interest, and I look forward to reading your work! C.M. Muller, editor & publisher Via: Chthonic Matter.

Deadline: July 31st, 2024 Payment: $20 and a contributor's copy Theme: A store that takes place in the 1980s or 1990s that features a porcelain doll found in a unique private collection, details below Deadline: July 31st, 2024 at 11:59pm CST Length: 5,000-10,000 words   Format: Must be submitted as a Google Doc file which must have [email protected] as an owner with editing turned on. You will provide the shareable link in the form upon submission. Use only one tab and do not use spaces to start a new paragraph. Do not write "The End" at the end of the story. In the header, please include the following: 1) your name, 2) the title of the story, and 3) the word count of the story. Submissions that do not follow these guidelines will not be read.   Compensation: Selected authors will receive (1) contributor mass market paperback copy of the anthology as well as a one-time payment of $20, along with two copies of the audiobook, and a copy of the ebook. You will also receive a discount on author copies when purchasing through Terrorcore.   International Submissions: While Terrorcore Publishing loves receiving submissions from international writers, the truth is that is very costly to ship items across the world. At this time, we ask that if you are international (outside of the U.S.A.) that you provide the difference. Terrorcore will pay at most $10 to ship the contributor copy and anything in excess will need to be covered by the author. In lieu of shipping the item, international writers can receive $25 (which is the standard commission + the cost of the one copy you would have received).  Rights: The author will retain all rights to their story. It can be published elsewhere in full. The publisher will not keep said rights nor prevent the author from selling their story elsewhere. However, it is...

Submission Window: July 15th - 31st, 2024 Payment: $10 for flash – 2 per issue, $25 for shorts – 4 per issue, $30 for cover art Theme: Stories that are both funny and scary What we want: That sweet spot of horror comedy that is genuinely funny but also genuinely scary. Can be as goofy, gory, or smutty as you like! Work that punches up, not down. (“If the person on the gallows makes a grim joke, that’s gallows humor. If someone in the crowd makes a joke, that’s part of the execution.” – Alexandra Erin, Twitter.) Do not self reject! (Unless your story has one of the below unfunny things, in which case feel free to self reject.) For cover art submissions, please see toward the bottom of the page. What isn’t funny? Overall, bigotry (racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, antisemitism, fatphobia, etc, etc) has no place here. (Laughing AT bigots is fine, BEING bigoted is not – as Ria’s mom once said, making fun of fascists is a Mitzvah.) Sexual assault as a punchline or Holocaust jokes will have your story yeeted into the sun faster than you can say “you just don’t understand my comedic genius!” Mel Brooks says comedy is tragedy plus time, but we prefer to avoid specific and true tragedies when it comes to humorous horror. When is Die Laughing accepting submissions? We’ll be accepting submissions for Issue 1 from July 15-31, 2024. Anticipated date of publication is October, 2024 (spooky!). When submissions open, the link will be at the bottom of the page. More details: Word count: Up to 1000 (flash), 1001-5000 (shorts). We tend to prefer stories less than 3000 words long, and have a soft spot for the ever cursed 1000-2000 word region. Payment: Token ($10 for flash – 2 per issue, $25 for...

Submission Window: July 1st, 2024 – August 1st, 2024 Payment: $25.00 (USD) per piece Theme: Quiet Horror and Intimate-Scale Dystopian Fiction Accepting: Short Stories up to 3000 Words Flash and Micro Fiction up to 1200 Words Fiction-in-Verse up to 1200 Words Author Compensation: $25.00 (USD) per piece Rights: We request first worldwide and digital rights for four months following publication. Thereafter all rights revert to the author. All copyright remains with the author. Genre: Quiet Horror and Intimate-Scale Dystopian Fiction (see our updated FAQ page for more on how we define Quiet Horror and Intimate Dystopia). Publication: Digital Format (PDF) Submission Period: July 01, 2024 – August 01, 2024 Decisions By: September 30, 2024 Release Date: October 31, 2024 EMail Submissions To: [email protected] ~ Submission Guidelines ~ For all open calls, submit your work by email to [email protected] with the subject line formatted as such: “ ” (ex.“2024 – Vampires Of Mars – Emily Young – Adult”). Please submit your work as an email attachment in .doc/.docx format. Authors may submit up to two pieces per issue. We request that each piece be submitted via its own individual email. Annual issues of The Quiet Ones do not have a specific theme, but keep in mind that your submission should be within the realms of quiet horror and/or intimate dystopia. Ensure your document contains your story title, your name (or pen name), and an approximate word count. In the event that your story is selected for publication, we will need your legal name for the contract. Please include a header on each page of your document with your surname, title and page number. Your document should be formatted in Times New Roman, 12pt., with double line spacing and indented paragraphs (double line spacing does not apply to poetry). We presently do not accept works in translation, visual art, non-narrative poetry, or nonfiction. In case of acceptance, please also include a brief...

Deadline: August 1st, 2024 Payment: $10 for poetry, $25 for artwork, 1 cent per word for fiction Theme: False Memories Note: Reprints Welcome NonBinary Review is currently open for submissions on the theme of FALSE MEMORIES. False memories first came to public consciousness in the 1980s when a group of pre-schoolers at a California preschool were coached by well-meaning social workers and police investigators into "remembering" Satanic abuse that never happened. The fallout from that episode wasn't just the persecution of an innocent family, but a nationwide mass delusion now known as "the Satanic Panic," where authorities were warning the public about supposed widespread satanic cults committing heinous acts of abuse. Not a single one of these warnings were founded in fact, and it is now known that a large number of them were propaganda. But false memories aren't always bad. There is a common phenomenon wherein people hear stories of their early childhoods so often that those stories turn into "memories." It is common in dreams to have "memories" of things that happened to the dream self, but not to the real self. Or a person might believe that they took their regular medication, brought in the garbage bins, or picked up the mail when they haven't. We're looking for weird and wonderful stories of not just the memories themselves, but of their production, their repercussions, their wider meanings. We're looking for false memories that might have changed history, that led to remarkable discoveries, that impacted lives. We're NOT looking stories of recovered memories. Recovered memories are memories of real events that have been suppressed because they're traumatic, and are a widely disputed phenomenon. We would also like to avoid stories centering abuse, trauma, and violence. Zoetic Press publishes the best in speculative lit - experimental, interstitial, luminous. We welcome submissions from EVERYONE....

Deadline: August 1st, 2024 Payment: $0.01 per word for new stories or $25 for reprints. Theme: Pirate Horror Editor: Austrian Spencer Note: Reprints Welcome In conjunction with the successful Kickstarter campaign for DarkLit Sails and the editor that brought you The Sadeiest, comes a new collection of piratical horror stories that are certain to plunge readers into the heart of darkness on the high seas, where cursed pirates and spectral ships reign with terror and betrayal, promising no soul safe passage through their nightmarish waters. THE ROUGHER THE SEAS, THE SMOOTHER WE SAIL Please read carefully. Submissions must meet the guidelines to be accepted. Submissions will be accepted up to August 1st, 2024. Please submit to [email protected] , ensuring In The Gallows Wake is in the subject line. What we are looking for: Diverse voices in pirate stories transform the high seas into a vibrant canvas of human experience, weaving a rich tapestry that blends historical accuracy with untold narratives, ensuring every wave and whisper carries the weight of authenticity and boundless imagination. This approach not only breathes life into the sails of traditional tales but also charts a course toward a more inclusive and multifaceted exploration of freedom, identity, and adventure. What we are NOT looking for: Please, do not submit stories that do not fit the theme. Submissions cannot contain graphic rape scenes. Please ensure any scenes of a sexual nature are necessary and non-exploitative. Submissions must be between 4,000 and 6,000 words. Title, Author’s name, pen name (if different), word count, and author's email address must be centered at the top of your submission. Submissions must be written in 12 pt. Times New Roman and double-spaced. We do not require exclusivity. You hold the copyright, licensing us for this publication. If your story is a reprint, please include its...

Deadline: August 1st, 2024 Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 - $10.00 for poetry Theme: Story must begin with: "When she was eight, Alice Henderson briefly held the world record for filling her mouth with marbles." Fall: When she was eight, Alice Henderson briefly held the world record for filling her mouth with marbles. Due date: August 1, 2024 We love that writers around the world are inspired by our first lines, and we know that not every story will be sent to us. However, we ask that you do not submit stories starting with our first lines to other journals (or post them online on public sites) until we've notified you as to our decision (usually four weeks after the deadline). When the entire premise of the publication revolves around one sentence, we don't want it to look as if we stole that sentence from another writer. If you have questions, feel free to drop us a line. Also, we understand that writers may add our first line to a story they are currently working on or have already completed, and that's cool. But please do not add our first line to a previously published story and submit it to us. We do not accept previously published stories, even if they have been repurposed for our first lines. And, just to be clear, we do not accept simultaneous submissions. One more thing while I've got you here: Writers compete against one another for magazine space, so, technically, every literary magazine is running a contest. There are, however, literary magazines that run traditional contests, where they charge entry fees and rank the winners. We do not - nor will we ever - charge a submission fee, nor do we rank our stories in order of importance. Occasionally, we run contests...

Deadline: August 1st, 2024 Payment: $100 Theme: Real World Based Zombie Horror WORKING TITLE: Zombies in the New Normal STORY QUANTITY  - 12 TO 15 WORD COUNT - 3000 TO 12,000 PAY - $100/Story GENRE - Real World Based Zombie Horror SUBMISSION DEADLINE - 1/August/2024 RELEASE DATE 1/October/2024 FORMAT - Word document. Un-indented. Single space with double spaces between paragraphs. Stories from editor's prompts have the best chance of acceptance. SUBMIT TO - [email protected] The stories in this anthology will be by individual writers, but each story will share a common thread of parameters as background. ANTHOLOGY PARAMETERS * No Zombie is just a Zombie. They were all once human and deep inside they still have aspects of their general and personal humanity. They know they have become Zombies, but that doesn't mean they all have to like it. They can't help what they have become. * All Zombies must eat human brains. There is something within human brain tissue that Zombies ingest in order to stay in their undead state. If they don't consume enough of this tissue, they will die-die. There is no coming back from this state of dead. * Zombies can't speak in the way humans do but they can communicate with other of their kind telepathically. This is a learned skill and the better one becomes, the more Zombies they can reach out to and communicate with at once. Most Zombies can only communicate with those they know, and for many there must be a direct line-of-site between them. When a Zombie tries to speak using their mouth, the only sounds they can make are monster-like gibberish, full of snarls and growls. * Just like Humans, any Zombie with a physical or mental handicap will have limitations based on that handicap. A Zombie with a damaged...

Deadline: August 1st, 2024 Payment: Royalties Theme: Car Wars GameLit Fiction Genre: Car Wars GameLit Fiction Theme: Have you ever looked at someone, and just know that they have one hell of a tale to tell? First-hand accounts from the road, told by the bounty hunters, highwaymen, and Federal Marshals out there in the mix. Concept: We’re looking for stories from those trying to make a difference out there in the wastes. No matter if they are upholding the law, or tending to their small flock of survivors, these are the stories that inspire others to get off their tail and get something done. We want plenty of high-intensity action and carnage possible, backed by compelling character-driven stories. Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000 (standard word count) Opening Essay by: TBD Edited by: William Joseph Roberts Anchor Author: TBD Due Date: August 1, 2024 Email Submissions to: [email protected] with “Broken Highways” 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 affiliate, Tanglewood press...