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Deadline: December 1st, 2023 Payment: Royalties Theme: Military Science Fiction about common soldiers protecting their ship from an invasion. Genre: Military Science Fiction Theme: Uncommon courage was a common virtue that day. These are a collection of stories about the common soldier rising to the occasion and defending their ship against enemy hordes. Or they can be those same heroes capturing the enemy ship, but regardless of which side of the boarding party they’re on, courage is the underlying theme. Concept: We’re looking for stories about intense boarding actions in a science fiction setting. We want plenty of high-intensity action and all the pews that were capable of pew-ing! Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000 (standard word count) Opening Essay by: TBD Edited by: JR Handley & Bayonet Books Anchor Author: TBD Due Date: December 1, 2023 Email Submissions to: [email protected] with “Assault Team” 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. MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 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...

Deadline: December 1st, 2023 Payment: $25 Theme: Writing that attempts to salvage something pure from the collision of warmth and cold, that says what it can about the world it finds itself in. Schedule We publish two issues a year, September 1 and March 1. We accept general submissions for poetry, nonfiction, and fiction between two reading periods, and the first 300 submissions to each are free. We also run a collaborative writing contest in August. We also accept visual art all year. General Submissions: March 1 – May 1 General Submissions: October 1 – December 1 Collaboration Contest: July 15 –  August 31 Payment We are thrilled to finally be able to say that, starting with issue 17, we will be able to offer our contributors a small payment of $25 upon publication. Hopefully, with time it will be more. A Note on Our Aesthetic We believe there is beauty in scars on smooth skin, in the small fissures where things begin to break apart. Sundogs are not the sun itself but phantom stars appearing on the horizon, illusions produced by the play of the sun’s heat with crystals of ice. They shed their light all the same. Many are tinged with color. We look for this same quality in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. We want writing that attempts to salvage something pure from the collision of warmth and cold, that says what it can about the world it finds itself in. We seek a diversity of voices speaking from visceral, lived experience. We like truth we can stare at until our eyes water, words so carefully chosen we want to reread them as soon as we have finished. Practical Matters We are grateful to be a part of a literary community that is taking action against systemic racism. We will also...

Deadline: December 1st, 2023 Payment: A contributor's copy Theme: A non-fiction guide that is looking for 300-word proposals for articles on writing military-themed genre stories Note: This is a little different than usual but I felt it would be an interesting exercise for some of our non-fiction writing authors. Middle West Press LLC, an independent micro-publisher of military-themed and -adjacent literary projects, has issued a call for 300-word proposals regarding craft essays on the writing of Military-themed Science-Fiction and Other Genres. Editors there write: In 2019, we published "Why We Write: Craft Essays on Writing War," a 250-page anthology featuring tips, techniques, and insights from more than 60 established and emerging authors, each of whom tell stories involving military themes and topics. With this newly proposed project, we are aiming at similar targets, but viewed through a specific scope: how military-writers write and publish creative, genre, and speculative fiction. For the purposes of this project, "Military-themed Science-Fiction and Other Genres" can be defined to include, but be not limited to: MilSciFi and related/adjacent sub-genres such as Space Opera, Space Marines, Alien Invasion, Space Noir, Post-Apocalyptic, Galactic Empire, Colonization ... Military Sci-Fantasy (Wizards, Warlocks, Airships, Dragons, etc.) Military Thriller and Espionage Military Romance Military Horror Historical Fiction and/or Alternative Histories Speculative Fiction and/or "Slipstream" Military Memoir, Creative Non-fiction, or other Non-fiction Military Humor While the editorial make-up of the anthology is not yet determined, editors anticipate concentrations in at least three types of approaches: Tactics, Topics & Technologies: What do today's military-focused writers need to know about tomorrow's infantry, armor, ships, robots, drones, climate change, AI, genetics, Space Force, etc.? Examples: "The Kill Chain vs. Blockchain: Release the BitDoges of War"; "Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics as Applied to the Law of War"; "What We Write About When We Write About 'Star Wars'" How-to-Write Techniques: Must-have tropes, taxonomies and mini-histories of given genres/sub-genres, insights on character- and world-building, collaborative techniques such as co-authoring and world-sharing, etc. Examples: "Military Humor:...

Submission Window: December 1st - 2nd, 2023 Payment: 8 cents per word for original, 2 cents for reprints, For artwork: $10 for the non-exclusive right to use each image, for as long as the site is online.  If we publish a print collection we will pay a pro-rata share for each image used. Theme: Well written original work in science fiction, fantasy, myth, legend, fairy tales, and eldritch, in written, podcast, video, and/or graphic story form, and from around the world. Note: Reprints welcome     Submissions Schedule We have a new submissions schedule as of June 1, 2020: The first and second day of every month, 12 am of the 1st to 12 am of the 3rd, E.S.T. Only one submission per person. For reading impaired individuals, our submissions manager and ‘forget password’ have a captcha compatible with screen readers. We pay 8¢ per word for new fiction, 2¢ per word for fiction reprints, 2 – 6¢ per word for new fact-based work, 1- 4¢ per word for reprinted fact articles. For new poetry, we pay $1 a line, reprints would be 50¢ a line, up to 40 lines. We’ll look at longer poems but that would be a hard sell, and words over 40 lines would be paid at 6¢ per word. We began The Kepler Award to recognize and encourage writers of excellent science fiction and fantasy stories that creatively extrapolate on known science in constructive and exciting ways. You can learn about The Kepler Award here. You can read a copy of our standard contract here.   It can be varied as needed to include the rights of translators, voice actors, etc. Writers Guidelines We accept new work as well as reprints, prose and poetry, anywhere from 1000 word flash fiction on up, but all else being equal,...

Deadline: December 4th, 2023 Payment: Contributors Copy Theme: War Poems about Emerging & Future Tech Middle West Press LLC, an independent micro-publisher of military-themed and -adjacent literary projects, has issued a call for human-generated poems engaging with  “Giant Robot” technology themes. This is a "speculative poetry" market.   What is a "Giant Robot" theme? For this project, the term "Giant Robots" can include examples of technologies in timelines both real and imagined, and of any size or (even formless) form. Living Ships. Loitering Drones. Taxi-cab AI. Robot Tanks. Virtual Soldiers. Space Explorers. Mecha-suits. In short, any vessel for exploring themes of human-electro-mechanical-cyber interaction, connection, and competition. The working title of this project is Giant Robot Poems: Poetry About Mecha-Human Science, Culture & War. Editors of the project write: Our intent with this project is to have fun, but also to illuminate, interrogate, and challenge (via the still-human domain of poetry!!!) the ways people think about emerging and future technologies such as robots and drones, Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybernetic enhancements, etc. We are looking for terrain-shifting, mind's-eye-bending, firmament-rending expressions of new and future realities. Be provocative. Be poignant. Be human. Even if you write like a Giant Robot. Ideally, many of the works submitted will engage such questions as: How does technology potentially change human behavior / culture / society? How does technology potentially change human behavior ethics / values? How does technology potentially change the ways humans fight / love / think / feel? Many examples of "Giant Robot-ness" exist in today's news and culture. As a starting point or prompt, our editors offer a list of examples and inspirations. In creating and crafting their own, original concepts and works, poets might consider various modes of commenting, observing, or even inhabiting technologies, mythologies, or stories depicted in these and other...

Submission Window: December 1st - 7th, 2023 Payment: Drabbles and Flash - £5, Short Stories 1001 to 4000 words - £10, Short Stories 4001 to 8000 words - £15 Theme: Speculative fiction, no set theme, though they do like stories inspired by the season you're submitting for Note: Only publishes creators from under represented and/or marginalized communities. WE ONLY PUBLISH CREATORS FROM UNDER REPRESENTED AND/OR MARGINALISED BACKGROUNDS AND/OR COMMUNITIES We don't ask for any proof, we take this on trust with the expectation that anyone not from a marginalised background or underrepresented community wouldn't take up the space of someone who is. We ask you to consider this before submitting. QUARTERLY ONLINE ANTHOLOGY: BRIEF We’re looking for stories you’ve poured your soul into but haven’t been able to find the right home for. We’re looking for stories that make us feel something. Warmth, love, melancholy, rage. We want it all.  All genres, styles and themes will be considered and we especially love stories that are outside the box in their telling. Ambiguous endings? Non-linear storytelling? Antagonist’s point-of-view? A story told in just one scene? We love it all. ​ Quarterly Online Anthology Submission Schedule: December 1st - 7th (Spring Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions March 1st - 7th (Summer Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions June 1st - 7th (Autumn Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions September 1st - 7th (Winter Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions ​ we do not have set issue themes but feel free to be inspired by the season, seasonal occasions and events. We are unlikely to publish stories with seasonal events out of season - for example a story set in the Winter isn't likely to make it into our Summer issue even if we adore it. ​ Click Here...

Deadline: December 9th, 2023 Payment: 15GBP Theme: The End If you think you’ve got what it takes to terrify, scar and haunt our audience of 150k+ monthly listeners, then we want your stories! If accepted, we’ll get our fantastic narration team to lend their voices, our editor will sprinkle some magic pixie dust on the track, and you could have your story heard by thousands of listeners each week. (Vol 100) The End: deadline 9th December 2023 SUBMIT YOUR STORIES USING THIS FORM If this form isn’t working, please email your submission to [email protected] as a last resort. Title your email with the following syntax: “SUBMISSION | STORY TITLE | THEME | WORDCOUNT”  (e.g. SUBMISSION | THE MARTIAN | SPACE | 1,982) Submission Guidelines • Stories must be 2,000 (10% tolerance +/-) • Save stories in a Word document - Times New Roman font, size 12 • Include a 1-2 sentence log line for your story at the end of the document • Ensure that your name and an email address are somewhere on the document • Stories must fit an upcoming theme • By submitting your story to us, you are confirming that you are the original creator of the story • We will consider entrants whose work has been entered and published elsewhere, however please ensure you state where and when your story has been used elsewhere on the document • You will be allowed to place one call-to-action for your own work at the end of the episode. Be sure to include this at the end of your document, underneath the log line • Payment per accepted story is 15GBP • 2x entries per theme permitted   When will I hear if my story has been accepted or not? We carefully review every single submission that comes through our door....

Deadline: December 15th, 2023 Payment: $20 Theme: Stories about things that are carried in the blood. Be it magic, disease or something else – it must be Borne in the Blood. Blood is thicker than water. // You can spill your life’s blood. // Blood Brothers All of these are sayings that are associated with blood. Our blood carries the oxygen we breathe throughout our body. Our blood carries our immune system’s defenses against disease and infection. And sadly our blood can also carry infection and disease that will attack our body. WolfSinger Publications is seeking stories about things that are carried in the blood. Be it magic, disease or something else – it must be Borne in the Blood. We will be donating proceeds from Borne in the Blood to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. Any time, any place from ancient civilizations to far in the future as well as fantasy realms are acceptable. 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: Blood, Title of your story, your last name. Attach as a .rtf format. Send to: [email protected] Submissions open: Jun 15th and close: Dec 15th (DO NOT SUBMIT PRIOR TO Jun 15th)...

Deadline: December 15th, 2023 Payment: $0.01/word for fiction, $20/page for art Theme: Found fiction (aka epistolary, found footage, or found file fiction) Archive of the Odd is a biannual magazine of found fiction—stories told in the style of found footage, also known epistolary, neo-epistolary, found file, or found document fiction. Essentially, stories told in the form of other documents. All submissions must be found fiction. We realize this is oddly specific, so if you’re not sure what we’re looking for, the best way will be to look at the stories on our website, or buy an issue to see the full zine treatment (in fact, if you email us or DM us on Twitter we’ll give you a coupon code for being a savvy author… just saying). Alternately, think about all the things you read on a daily basis that aren’t fiction. Newspapers? Emails? Product support guides? …Submissions calls? If you read all of this and still have questions, please refer to our FAQ, or query! Alright, let’s dive in! Writing: Basics: All submissions must be found fiction. We do not accept traditional prose or poetry. Submissions sent before opening dates will be deleted unread. Feel free to resubmit after opening, however! Mistakes happen. We read blind, so please do not include personal information (name, address, email, etc.) in the document. Please include your name in your cover letter, though! We pay 1 cent/word USD + a share of royalties. We are currently pursuing grants and other means of additional funding. 500-8,000 words is preferred for the main magazine, but will consider 5,000-12,000 for a standalone chapbook publication. This is a new venture for us, so expect more details coming soon! Microfiction is also accepted, though it may be harder for us to place. Shunn formatting is nice, but if it doesn’t work for your story, don’t worry! As long...

Deadline: December 15th, 2023 Payment: US 4¢/word rounded up to nearest dollar; minimum US $4, maximum $25 Theme: Speculative Poems related to Death Eye to the Telescope 51, Death, will be edited by Robin Wyatt Dunn. This bourn, boundary stone, from where no traveler— Die is said to be a borrowed word in English, used out of “superstitious dread.” Douglas Harper tells us the Dutch euphemism is “to give the pipe to Maarten.” He will not give it back. These pipe dreams, doors and canyons into which we dive, some willingly, some not, some with trepidation, some with relief, are less final than they appear: For our Neil Gaiman she was second only to Destiny: the one we all share. A bodiless zone beyond all reach, or earthly cave filled with the standing bodies awaiting some unknowable future. Give me death, since we cannot have liberty. Give me death, in all its colors. As a gift it is a strange one, non-returnable, non-exchangeable. As an exile, like other exiles, there are occasional modes of return. He or she who rules it orbits the human spirit like a malevolent moon, spinning faster: with a beautiful face. Submission Guidelines SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS Use the form at  to submit. Please submit 1–3 unpublished poems in English (ideally, attached as .docx or .txt) and include a short bio. Translations from other languages are acceptable with the permission of the original poet (unless public domain). Inquiries only to [email protected] with “ETTT” in the subject line. Deadline: December 15. The issue will appear on January 15, 2024. Payment and rights Accepted poems will be paid for at the following rate: US 4¢/word rounded up to nearest dollar; minimum US $4, maximum $25. Payment is on publication. The Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association normally uses PayPal to pay poets, but can also send checks. Eye to...