Events

Deadline: August 1st, 2015 Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction and a contributor's copy We love the fact 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 two to three 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. 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 to help come up with new first lines, or we run fun, gimmicky competitions for free stuff, but the actual journal is not a contest in the traditional sense. Fiction: All stories must be written with the first line provided. The line cannot be altered in any way, unless otherwise noted by the editors. The story should be between 300 and 5,000 words (this is more like a guideline and not a hard-and-fast rule; going over or under the word count won't get your story tossed from the slush pile). The sentences can be found on the home page of The First Line's Web site, as well as in the prior issue....

Deadline: August 1st 2015 Payment: AUD3c/word and one contributor copy in each format released SNAFU: Wolves at the Door brought the bite. SNAFU: Hunters will bring the thrill of the chase. For this anthology, we want hunters of the supernatural. Sam and Dean… Grimm… Van Helsing… with soldiers, hunting along the edges of reality, watching their backs while others watch them from the shadows. Take us along for the ride while your soldiers or hunters take the fight to their enemies. Both hunter or hunted may die, but above all, show us the hunt. We still want ORIGINAL military-style combat from any period, don’t get me wrong, but we also want fear… we want suspense and tension… we want originality in the monster/antagonist. Most of all we want action, action, ACTION! We want something jaw-droppingly amazing. If there are no soldiers in the tale, make the hunters and the action military in nature. We STRONGLY suggest you read the first, second and/or third SNAFU volume to see what it is we like. SNAFU – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LNXHLJG SNAFU: Heroes – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MSVEY2Y SNAFU: Wolves at the Door – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RQ56AUG Edited by Geoff Brown, Amanda J Spedding, and Dawn Roach Payment: AUD3c/word and one contributor copy in each format released Wordcount range: 2,000 – 10,000 words (query for shorter or longer) Submission window: May 1st 2015 to August 1st 2015 (anything submitted outside of this window will be deleted without being read) Projected publication date: October/November 2015 Please follow these guidelines when submitting to us: 1. Please put your full contact details on the first page of the manuscript top left, with word count top right. 2. Standard submission format, with minimal document formatting. 3. Courier or Times New Roman set at 12pt. Italics as they will appear. No underlining. 4. Double spaced. 5. Please don’t...

Deadline: August 1st, 2015 Payment: $5.00 flat rate plus equal share of 50% of the anthology’s royalties. Trolls, Imps, Orcs, Gargoyles and Other Bit-Part Fantasy Characters The literature has given them a bad name—or only a casual mention. “Troll” is the name for anyone who posts an obnoxious, often anonymous comment on the Internet, or for a cute doll with neon hair that stands on end. In real life, trolls hang out under a bridge and cause various kinds of mischief. Same with imps, orcs, brownies, and other bit-part characters in fantasy. What would they do if they had conTROLL? Authors: here’s your chance to cast a bit-part creature in a lead role. They can be bad, good, or misunderstood, but this time the little people get center stage to tell their side of the story. Any time, any place from ancient civilizations to far in the future is acceptable. Fantasy realms, mythological and folklore creatures, horror and sci-fi monsters, even your own constructs are welcome. 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 : Misunderstood : Title of your story : Your name. Attach as a .doc format, please send...

Deadline: August 1st, 2015 Payment: $25.00 and electronic copy SLAYPUNK: A sub-genre of fictions that features apparatus, devices and methods employed in an effort to capture, dispatch or otherwise combat monsters. The prefix is inspired directly by Saint George and the Dragon as a symbol of monster slaying. The suffix refers to the irreverent way in which this process sometimes occurs, implying immediacy, emergency and the occasional need to do anything possible to just put the damned things down. This is where you should unleash the action, the clichés and the blood. The requirements here are to include diabolically clever traps, intense use of weapons and final-option strategies that fit with the Slaypunk definition. Go for action that keeps us riveted to the page, extreme creativity and don't hold back. Edited by: Miles Boothe Submission Period: 2/1/15 through 8/1/15 Reading Period: 8/2/15 through 10/2/15 Acceptances will be announced 10/2/15 Tentative Publication Date: Holidays 2015 Payment: $25.00 and electronic copy of the book upon publication. Word Limits: 2000 to 8000 words. Please query if longer. Format: Submissions should be .doc (.docx is fine) or .rtf formats. The entire text will be reformatted, so no need to worry about margins, spacing, etc. Please use a standard font. Genres Accepted: Dark Fiction, Horror, sci-fi. Reprints Accepted: No Simultaneous Subs: (submitting to Emby and another press at the same time) can be avoided by requesting an early response. Multiple Subs: Each author may submit up to 2 stories. Only one story per author will be accepted. Exclusive Rights: The contract will stipulate 1 year exclusive worldwide print and electronic rights. However, the contract does also state that under certain circumstances, Emby Press will consider granting permission to the author to place the story with additional publications. Via: Emby Press.

Deadline: August 1, 2015 Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction Fall: The old neighborhood was nearly unrecognizable. We love the fact 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 two to three 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. 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 to help come up with new first lines, or we run fun, gimmicky competitions for free stuff, but the actual journal is not a contest in the traditional sense. Fiction: All stories must be written with the first line provided. The line cannot be altered in any way, unless otherwise noted by the editors. The story should be between 300 and 5,000 words (this is more like a guideline and not a hard-and-fast rule; going over or under the word count won't get your story tossed from the slush pile). The sentences can be found on the home page of The First Line's Web site, as well as in...

Deadline: August 1, 2015 Payment: $100 The current reading period runs from June 1 - August 1. All submissions during that time will be considered for Issue 18. The theme for this issue is "Enemies." Please note, we are unable to accept any submissions sent to us via email or post. The maximum word count for submissions is 5,000 words. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable as long as you withdraw the work immediately if it is selected for publication elsewhere. All work should be previously unpublished. Please allow up to three months for us to reply to your submission. Submitting to Slice Slice magazine welcomes submissions for short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. We're looking for anyone with a fresh voice and a compelling story to share—basically any work that really knocks our socks off. We're not drawn to experimental or heavy-handed genre fiction. The best way to get a sense of Slice's content is to read the magazine. You can subscribe here. At the core, Slice aims to bridge the gap between emerging and established authors by offering a space where both are published side-by-side. In each issue, a specific cultural theme becomes the catalyst for articles and interviews from renowned writers and lesser known voices alike. Along with these pieces, we publish fiction and poetry that isn’t bound by the theme—we simply look for works by writers who promise to become tomorrow’s literary legends. We offer all contributors of Slice a monetary award for their work ($100 for stories and essays and $25 for poems). Via: Slice's Submittable.

Deadline: August 8th, 2015 Payment: 3¢/word max $100 “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.” — Ernest Shackleton The small press anthology Tales from the Miskatonic Library is now soliciting stories for submission.  This is an anthology of tales about, found in, inspired by, or stolen from the Miskatonic University Library. Your editors are Darrell Schweitzer & myself, and we are looking for tales that: Are good stories. Can be included in an anthology titled Tales From the Miskatonic Librarywithout involving us in elaborate explanations. Aren’t “Boy Reads Book; Book Eats Boy.” So, your chance to have a bit of grim fun: What sort of tales might be found in the Miskatonic University Library?  Kept perhaps in the secure reading room?  Shared by Chief Librarian Henry Armitage over faculty sherry with only a trusted few? And how did Dr. Henry Armitage acquire his position as Chief Librarian?  And what of his successor(s)? What unexpected problems might be faced by an acquisitions librarian at Miskatonic University?  Or a cataloger? Is the Necronomicon quite as rare as it is made out to be? What is the real explanation for the curious gaps in the Dewey Decimal System? What might it take to see the unexpurgated account of the Pabodie’s 1930 expedition to The Mountains of Madness?  Together with their troubling cross-correlations with Shackleton’s private diary? The US Treasury Departments internal report on the incident at Devil Reef off Innsmouth? Why are no students allowed within the stacks?  Are rumors of non-Euclidean spaces within merely rumors?  Why was Einstein called in for a consult in 1944?  And his frequent correspondent Schrödinger brought over  secretly from Ireland that same year? And are series like Warehouse 13 or The Librarian or Charlie Stross’s The Laundry...

Deadline: August 8th, 2015 Payment: $25.00 and contributor's copy The calendar says the first day of spring, but a jealous snow still wraps the world tightly in a white straitjacket.  Winter will not relinquish its throne and the polar vortex is plunging even further south as icebergs gleam in the Bermuda Triangle and snow falls on the Amazon. Blizzards swirl across the Sahara and the world has become a snowglobe from pole to pole.        Is this just global warming? The coming of the next Ice Age?  Or could this endless winter be the result of an ancient curse, an alien attack, the revenge of the Yeti, a weather experiment gone horribly wrong, the wrath of an ignored winter deity, or a nuclear mishap?       Give us those or your own unique reasons for why winter still rules and what tales can be told as humans battle the persistent ice and snow deep into a heatless summer. Is all lost? Can anything be done to thaw the Big Freeze?        Send us your chilliest tales of horror, fantasy, and science fiction from between 3,000-7,000 words. Submissions will be accepted until the last tick of the clock on 8 August 2015 (the 149th birthday of Arctic explorer Matthew Henson) and we intend to publish in the dead of winter 2016. Contributors will receive one print copy and USD $25.00.      We earnestly hope to get to the point where we can pay professional rates, and those willing to work with us as we grow will share in the rewards to come. This anthology is the first step we can take together, so we hope you will join us.      Writers are nothing if not explorers of the vast reaches of imagination, so pull on your parka and take us out into that howling night of...

Deadline: August 13th 2015 Payment: AU4c/word and a contributor copy For this military/sci-fi/horror anthology, we want warriors competing on a futuristic battlefield, fighting against forces threatening humankind, the balance of the galaxies, or life itself. Think Aliens, Halo, Predator, Starship Troopers, and Terminator. Have your heroes defending their way of life against inconceivable odds. Take us along for the ride while your future soldiers take the fight to their enemies. Expect casualties! We want ORIGINAL military-style combat with strong elements of future technology/sci-fi, and we want horror. Give us fear… suspense and tension… we want originality and speculation about future aspects of war. Most of all we want action, action, ACTION! We want something jaw-droppingly amazing. We STRONGLY suggest you read the first, second and/or third SNAFU volume to see what it is we like. SNAFU – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LNXHLJG SNAFU: Heroes – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MSVEY2Y SNAFU: Wolves at the Door – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RQ56AUG Edited by Geoff Brown and Amanda J Spedding Payment: AUD4c/word and one contributor copy in each format released Wordcount range: 2,000 – 10,000 words (query for shorter or longer) Submissions are open now.Closing date is August 13th, 2015 (anything submitted after this time will be deleted without being read) Projected publication date: February 2016 Please follow these guidelines when submitting to us: 1. Please put your full contact details on the first page of the manuscript top left, with word count top right. 2. Standard submission format, with minimal document formatting. 3. Courier or Times New Roman set at 12pt. Italics as they will appear. No underlining. 4. Double spaced. 5. Please don’t use TAB or space bar to indent lines. Use ‘styles’ only. If unsure or using a program that has no styles, do not indent at all. That’s still cool. 7. NO SPACE between paragraphs unless a line-break is...

Deadline: August 13, 2015 Payment: an advance upon their acceptance on a sliding scale based on length of their contribution, 1 digital and 1 printed copy of the anthology Note: Reprints Allowed Hello, I’m Fox Emm. I currently write for Wicked Horror, Gores Truly, and Zombie Apocalypse Defense Force. I’m trying to create a splatterpunk anthology and am currently seeking horror short story submissions. If you’d like to come aboard, please keep reading! It’s true, the splatterpunk horror anthology I have wanted to get off the ground for over six months is finally in the gurgling stages of infancy, and that is where you come in! I’m looking for 20+ talented writers (and possibly poets..? Is splatterpunk poetry a thing? If not, can we make it a thing..?) to contribute to a horror anthology with a theme based around the word “home”. There are of course, a variety of interpretations to the word home within the horror genre. From aliens seeking a new home planet, zombies driving a young family from their home, home invasion by escaped convicts or some other creation you devise… The topic is no more limiting than your own imagination, so I hope to get a variety of interesting and action-filled submissions! For those who aren’t familiar with the term splatterpunk but who love horror, the basic definition would be a horror story with graphic and or gory depictions of violence and which stretches boundaries. For more details on the subject, I would suggest you check out the Wikipedia entry on splatterpunk as well as this thoughtful article by my colleague at Wicked Horror, Nat Brehmer, on Why Splatterpunk Should Make a Comeback. If you’ve ever written a horror story that has been rejected for being too “out there” or had someone read over your work and respond with...