Events

Deadline: September 30th, 2018 Payment: $0.01 per word + contributor copy GRIMM, GRIT, AND GASOLINE: An anthology of Dieselpunk and Decopunk Fairy Tales Anthologist: Rhonda Parrish Open for Submissions: August 1, 2018 - September 30, 2018 Expected Publication: mid-2019 Story Length: up to 7,500 words Payment: $0.01 per word + contributor copy Dieselpunk and decopunk are alternative history reimaginings of the WWI and WWII eras beginning with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and ending before the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I’m looking for tales with the grit of roaring bombers, rumbling tanks, of 'We Can Do It', the Great Depression and old time gangsters or the glamour (real or imagined) of flappers, Hollywood starlets, smoky jazz, elegant cars and Radio City Music Hall. Plus fairy tales. For example: a ‘mend and make do’ take on the Elves and the Shoemaker, a trench warfare version of The Emperor’s New Clothes, or Hansel and Gretel as Bonnie and Clyde. The possibilities are limitless. Original fairy tales are welcome, as are retellings. If you choose to retell a familiar favourite, make sure your story offers something new and interesting. I’d rather see stories that reflect the long history of fairy tales as social commentary than those which simply tell the same story with a different setting. And while dieselpunk tends to be focused on North America and Western Europe, this anthology needn’t be. I am open to stories set all over the world, and would love to see ‘Own Voices’ stories. Need inspiration? Check out The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk, Amberlough, or Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Simultaneous submissions = okay. Multiple submissions = no. How to submit: Between August 1 and September 30, upload your story here: https://niteblade.submittable.com/submit About the Anthologist: Rhonda Parrish is driven by the desire...

Deadline: September 30th, 2018 Payment: $300 advance on royalties, with 40% royalties on net revenue from print sales and 30% royalties on net revenue from digital sales thereafter. Excession Press is now open to submissions! Our reading period runs July 23rd 2018 – Sept. 30th 2018. What We Want: Excession Press is looking for original manuscripts 30,000 - 60,000 words in length that can be described as horror, science fiction, weird western, or dark fantasy. Our word count limit is firm, +/- a few hundred words. We want quality, character-driven narratives with imaginative settings and creative conflicts that will engage readers. We want strong, memorable prose - every bit as important as the story itself. We prefer our fiction to be surreal, Grotesque, and thoughtful, but more than anything, we want it well-written and well-paced. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable but we ask that you let us know at time of submission, and we ask that you give us notice if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere. Here's a list, in no particular order, of authors we admire with books and stories we'd like to see more of in the world: Iain Banks Katherine Dunn Stephen Graham Jones China Miéville William Gibson Jeremy Robert Johnson Flannery O'Connor Mieko Kanai Chuck Palahniuk Octavia Butler Joe Hill Brian Evenson K. J. Bishop Philip K. Dick What We *DON'T* Want: No reprints or incomplete manuscripts. No books that are part of a series - your submission should function as a standalone narrative. No short story collections, poetry, or non-fiction. No YA or children's stories. No stories that function primarily as erotica. No experimental formats or images - submissions should be text only. No queries. Please have something submission-ready. Submission Format: File must be in a .doc, .docx, or .rtf format. 12 pt. Times New Roman...

Deadline: September 30th, 2018 Payment: $0.06/word, up to 6,000 for fiction and $30 for poetry THE SETTING The John Silence RPG & Anthology is a collective projective reinvisioning Algernon Blackwood's "John Silence" short stories to focus on non-white/POC/ethnically and racially marginalized psychic detectives in an alternate American noir setting spanning the 1920s to the 1990s. The core rules by Josh Jordan for the collaborative, non-violent gameplay will make up part of the anthology. The other half is stories and poems in settings focusing on the adventures and lives of these psychic detectives and their dealings with the Unseen World. Being gifted (cursed?) with the ability to see and interact with the Unseen World compels you to try and protect others from the destruction being wrought by creatures that come through -- but why are they so destructive? What is it they want? What does protection mean? The wide range of time invites many possibilities-- themes I'm especially interested in is how communities (spiritual, physical, linguistic, ancestral, cross-cultural, adoptive) might deal with unseen threats and living in a world where spiritual gifts, so demonized by hegemonic culture, are now valuable assets. Explorations of historical and cross-cultural queer, trans, gender non-conforming, and unclassifiable experiences of gender and sexuality are welcome as protagonists and themes. So is home/away, diaspora/immigration, belonging and loss, family (found, made, and born) and of course, a good old-fashioned glimpse at the scary and the beautiful in our strange and monstrous otherworldly beings. We also love a classic Detective Romp where underrepresented heroes and their communities get to take center stage and shine as the geniuses who save the day through cunning, compassion, or culturally specific values, practices, or beliefs. Religious stories, particularly from religious minorities (including but not limited to Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, folk/marginalized Christianities, African and...

Deadline: September 30th, 2018 Payment: 6 cents a word up to 6,000 words. Any longer stories accepted, payment will be capped at 6,000 words. Note: open for two short story submission slots to writers from underrepresented demographics (women, people of color, LGBTQ persons, disabled persons, etc.) Thanks to our amazing Kickstarter backers, the upcoming anthology ASHES AND ENTROPY including stories by Laird Barron, Damien Angelica Walters, John Langan, Kristi DeMeester, Jon Padgett, Nadia Bulkin, Matthew M. Bartlett, Lucy A. Snyder, Jayaprakash Satyamurthy, and more will be open for two short story submission slots to writers from underrepresented demographics (women, people of color, LGBTQ persons, disabled persons, etc.) starting on September 1st through September 30th. GUIDELINES: We're looking for phenomenal, original and gritty cosmic horror and noir (or neo-noir) stories with a strong emotional core. Stories should be 6,000 words or less. Anything longer than that will be a hard sell at this point. The content guidelines for this book are open for interpretation however, so don't be afraid to color outside of the lines. Great writing, originality and pushing these genres to new heights will get you to the top of the slush pile faster than anything else. No reprints or multiple submissions, please. PAYMENT: This anthology will pay 6 cents a word up to 6,000 words. Any longer stories accepted, payment will be capped at 6,000 words. If the Kickstarter campaign reaches its Audiobook stretch goal, an audiobook narrated by Jon Padgett will be produced and payment will be doubled. CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT THROUGH  OUR ONLINE SUBMISSION PORTAL Via: Nightscape Press.

Deadline: September 30th, 2018 Payment: 1 cent per word and royalties Black Ship Books is seeking short stories of up to 10,000 words that explore utopiansocieties, past, present, future, or of another world entirely. The theme may be interpreted broadly, but preference will be given to stories that imagine alternate worlds that differ from our own in ways particularly relevant, obliquely or directly, to the current crisis in American democracy. Submissions should be directed to [email protected]. Please include a brief summary of your story and mention of any past publications. Pay is 1 cent per word plus proportional royalties on the finished anthology. Deadline: September 30, 2018 (provisional) Via: Black Ship Books.

Deadline: September 30th, 2018 Payment: $0.02 cents (CAD) per word for short fiction (1250+ words), and a flat fee of $25.00 per flash fiction piece (Under 1250 words, $20.00 CAD per poem Note: Sorry on the short window Augur Magazine is currently OPEN to Fiction & Poetry submissions until September 31! Please use our submission portal, Moksha, to submit. Upcoming submission windows: N/A. Please check back later in the year for our 2019 windows. Read the guidelines below and send us your best original, unpublished work! We can’t wait to see what you have for us. And, in order to keep this magazine going, we offer digital subscriptions*! If you love speculative fiction and want to stay familiar with what we’re publishing, you can check out our store here! *Please note that purchasing a subscription IN NO WAY influences submission decisions! WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR? (Although we always love surprises) We’re looking for dream-touched realism, slipstream, fabulism, magical realism (note: educate yourself before you claim this term) and, for lack of a better descriptor, “literary” speculative fiction. We accept YA and adult pieces, and possibly children’s as well (more likely for comics than otherwise). Our perfect submission defies categorization—pieces that could be “too speculative” for CanLit magazines or “not speculative enough” for speculative magazines. That said, we’re no strangers to rich realism, high fantasy, and science fiction, so if you think you match our tone, give us a try. We recommend checking out our preview issue, free online, or grabbing an issue, to see what we’ve published before. Things we’re not interested in include: gross-out or gratuitously violent pieces, horror that uses neurodivergence or mental health as the horror element, comedy that punches down, stories that are “speculative” because a non-marginalized group suddenly experiences what it’s like to be a marginalized group (e.g....

Deadline: October 1st, 2018 Payment: Contributor's copy, free cover art for a future book. Note: Reprints Welcome Why are we doing this Anthology? My father used to say Well said, O, Toothless One as one of those typical dad jokes. When my dad was diagnosed for the second time with cancer I knew I wanted to put something out into the world to celebrate my father. My dad is dyslexic like I am but he always supported me in my writing. I'm hoping he will get to see a few of these in the time he has left. Those judging the entries will be my sister who is my editor and my mother who along with being my Alpha reader is also a writer herself. I will also be part of the judging process and along with my sister will edit the anthology. When to submit? Submissions are open from now to the 1st of October. The Anthology will be published in December. What are we looking for? The genre is a bit loose but Science fiction or Fantasy would fit fine with what I'm looking for but I will accept other genres as long as it fits in with the tone of the Anthology. The theme for 2018 is to have an inhuman character. This could be a monster or a creature that is more benign. If you can fit a nice guy winning and diversity those are things that appeal to me as well. It will be my family who will be judging the stories as we want to pick stories that either reflects our father or something that would amuse him. So dad jokes allowed. Actually dad jokes encouraged. Humour is certainly sought after in your piece. Keep it PG 13. Swearing and sex can be implied but discretion...

Deadline: October 1st, 2018. Payment: $100 Red Room Press is seeking stories for a new dark crime/thriller/horror anthology, American Psychos: A Serial Killer Anthology. Inspired by the most disturbingly violent and graphic crime thriller novels of our time, including Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho, Shane Steven’s By Reason of Insanity, Michael Slade’s Headhunter, our goal is to make American Psychos a brutal, suspenseful, nightmare-inducing hard ride into hell. Stories must be about a serial killer, obviously. The story can either be based on a real serial killer or a fictional serial killer. Stories should primarily be set in the USA, but the character may travel abroad. We want stories that are brutal, graphic, disturbing and violent. The above referenced books will give you a good idea of what we are looking for. Serial killers must be human; no supernatural elements, monsters, or vampires. They can have supernatural beliefs, however, and they can be any gender or race. Editors: Randy Chandler and Cheryl Mullenax. Deadline: October 1, 2018. Publication Date: Early 2019 Length: 3500-5500 words. (Word count is somewhat flexible) Payment for original stories: $100. Note: If we meet our crowdfunding campaign goal, accepted authors will receive an additional $50 bonus. See sidebar for details. No unsolicited reprints or multiple submissions. What to Send In the body of an email: Author name Story title Word Count A brief bio A short description of the story. Attachment of entire manuscript in rtf, doc, or docx format only. Standard formatting. We’ll send a notification within 48 hours that we received your submission. If you don’t get this, please inquire. We may not have received it. EMAIL TO: [email protected] Via: Red Room Press.

Deadline: October 1st 2018 Payment: 3 cents per word The future is now. At least, that’s what we’re told, but the more advanced technology gets, the more ways people find to hurt each other. Many say that technology changes the way we define ‘human.’ In this anthology, we’ll erase the definition entirely. That’s what you’ll answer. In Crash Code, we want to see the pinnacle of our technology meeting the depths of our depravity. Let’s talk voluntary amputations so we can wear cybernetic limbs as fashion statements. Tell us how commercial interplanetary flight changes human tracking. Show the world what the criminal underworld can do in an age of quantum computers. This anthology is going to focus on just how far human kind is willing to fall in pursuit of the next innovation, whether it’s paying for bionic sex in bitcoins, five-year-olds browsing the Dark Web, bar code tattoos, mainstream holographic snuff films, or corrupted neural implants driving their users mad. Think Neuromancer with even more drugs and crime. Imagine Blade Runner meets Saw. Picture Wrath James White’s version of Brave New World. Imagine a test-tube baby made from George Orwell and Jack Ketchum. If your story makes people think American Mary merged with Altered Carbon, we want it. These are just some ideas. Pick one if you like, or come up with your own sick, twisted future. Just make sure it answers one question: In a world where everything demands a dollar sign and subscription fees, is humanity something we can afford to lose? Stories must be previously unpublished in any form Email: [email protected] Length: 1,500 words up to 7K Deadline: October 1st 2018 Multiple Submissions: No Simultaneous Submissions: No Payment: 3 cents/word Editor: Kevin Holton Publisher: Blood Bound Books Via: Blood Bound Books.

Deadline: October 1st, 2018 Payment: $.01 per word for your story or poem with a $5 minimum Note: This market is open only to individuals who identify as anything other than cisgender. What we're looking for. Send us excellent speculative fiction (fantasy, sci-fi, or horror). We are interested in speculative fiction of any design. As long as it's fiction, and there's a speculative element, send it. Send us short stories, poetry, one-act plays, or comics. Send us your cool weird shit. Who should submit. This market is open only to individuals who identify as anything other than cisgender. If you identify as as anything under the transgender and/or non-binary umbrella, you are encouraged to submit. Please don't self-reject. If you are worried that you are not "trans enough" to submit, please consider submitting. You are quite probably "trans enough." At one time or another, most of us have wondered if we were really "trans enough." How to submit. Submissions should be emailed to SubmitVultureBones at gmail dot com. The header of the email should include SUBMISSION: or else your submission may get caught in the spam filter. Embed your work in the email; no attachments will be opened. Take care to make paragraph breaks clear when you copy/paste your submission in the body of your email. Specifics: There is a hard upper limit of 5000 words. Anything over that will not be considered. This is not an erotica market. Bonus points if content warnings are provided and clearly marked. Multiple submissions are welcome. Simultaneous submissions are also welcome; please let us know if your submission has been accepted elsewhere as soon as possible.   If your work is acccepted. If your work is accepted, it will be published online in Vulture Bones. Vulture Bones does not publish print issues at...