Events

Deadline: June 30th, 2022 Payment: $5 Theme: Scary Kids You don't have to be a parent to know just how horrifying children can be. We want your stories innocent youngsters turned malevolent (think: The Omen, Children of the Corn, The Midwich Cuckoos, etc.)- the more terrifying the better! PLEASE read and adhere to our submission guidelines...  * Word format saved in .doc, or .docx * 12 pt times new roman * Double spaced * Absolutely NO extra lines between paragraphs! * 4K-10K word count * Write 'KIDS' along with your name and story title in the header of your email *The body of your submission email will be considered the cover letter. * The submission documents are to be separated and Word (.doc or .docx) documents are to be attached to your submission email. To submit, email your polished story to [email protected] - Make sure that you check your mss for grammar and punctuation, use our guidelines to help you: DOWNLOAD YOUR HBB GUIDE TO GRAMMAR HERE (PDF) Deadline: 30 June 2022 NO REPRINTS - ORIGINAL UNPUBLISHED WORKS ONLY Payment - $5.00 for first rights. Capped at 120K words in total. Via: Hell Bound Books.

Deadline: June 30th, 2022 Payment: A flat payment of $25-$75 Theme: The theme of coming of age as a queer pagan Rites of Passage: An Anthology of Queer Pagan Fiction Coming of age as a queer person can be a difficult but exciting time. Queer people know that they’re different growing up but it’s during this coming of age that they finally connect the dots and understand what is so different about themselves. Previous generations identified heavily with labels such as gay, bi or lesbian and with various queer subcultures. The current generation has largely eschewed these labels and allowed their identities to be more fluid in terms of both sexuality and gender. Along similar lines, the current generation of Pagan have had ample resources available such as books and the internet. They haven’t taken the traditional road of finding a teacher or initiating into a tradition. This sets up a tension between the generations as the older generations attempt to gatekeep based on initiations, traditions and labels while the younger generations live more fluidly. This anthology will explore the theme of coming of age as a queer pagan. We are also interested in exploring this difference between the generations with one generation identifying their difference through labels while the other refuses to label what makes them different. The genre or setting of the story is less important than the exploration of the theme. Please submit your stories of 2500 – 7500 words that have not been previously published. Simultaneous submissions are fine. Payment will be a flat payment of $25-$75 within 30 days following publication. To submit, please end an email to [email protected]. Put the title of the anthology in the subject line. Deadline: June 30, 2022 Via: Periculum Press.

Deadline: June 30th, 2022 Payment: $20 and a contributor's copy, or $35 for authors outside the USA Theme: Solid stories in a cosmic horror/Lovecraftian vein Note: Reprints welcome Yes, we're starting our third year. Thank you for your interest and support. The guidelines are below. Strange Aeon: 2022 (Hopeful Monsters) is a continuation of the Strange Aeon anthology series. As always, I want good, solid stories in a cosmic horror/Lovecraftian vein.  I specifically say Lovecraftian rather than Cthulu because I’d like stories across the entire Mythos, including additions by the original group of Mythos authors like Robert Howard and Clark Ashton Smith. . In fact, I’d like to use more stories that do not have specific Lovecraftian references and that move away from the traditional Lovecraft style and voice. Try to avoid pastiche and tell fresh new stories in your own settings. Style preference applies to gore and sex as well: think early Weird Tales, no excessive language or explicit sexual references. I am especially interested in stories of mad science, monster-based horror, weird western, and stories that “peel the onion.” Indeed, I cannot emphasize strongly enough the need for these categories. Victoriana and Lovecraft era period pieces will have a much harder time finding acceptance. This year’s anthology is slanted more towards stories showing protagonists “fighting the good fight” in the face of implacable horror and fewer stories that are mood based rather than plot driven. That being said, please send anything you consider a good story. Feel free to query for any questions. If you are planning to write a story especially for this anthology, by all means query the idea first. For this anthology I’m asking for non-exclusive rights and will happily take reprints. Simply tell me the publication history so that I can give proper copyright acknowledgement. Simultaneous and multiple submissions...

Deadline: June 30th, 2022 Payment: $0.04/word and a contributor's copy Theme: Dark Speculative fiction which combine humor and something from the Cthulhu Mythos. CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: LOLcraft: An Compendium of Eldritch Humor “Comedy and horror are opposite sides of the same coin.” Robert Bloch There is a long history of blending comedy and horror, two genres which shouldn’t work together, but movies from Beetlejuice to Cabin in the Woods show that they can. Both genres evoke visceral, physical reactions. Horror generates fear and dread. Our hearts race. The stress rises and we feel the need for a release, to scream. Humor generates similar physical reactions, but the release comes in the form of laughter. When done well, the feelings don’t leave us when the story is finished, they stay with us. And this is what we want from you. Make us laugh. Make us cry. Reduce us to maddened, mindless, lumps of goo. Make us long for that release, whether it be in the form of laughter or shrieking in dread.  In Eldritch Embraces: Putting the Love Back in Lovecraft we were looking stories which combined the elements of the Cthulhu Mythos and romance. This time around we want you to mix humor with your favorite Mythos elements. What We Want: Finely crafted works of Dark Speculative fiction which combine humor and something from the Cthulhu Mythos. The humor can be light or dark, subtle or over the top. We want the laughter but we also want that sense of helplessness and dread that comes with a good Lovecraftian tale. While not strictly necessary, it would certainly be helpful to have a strong Mythos knowledge base. Read the originals, but also read recent works which put a new spin on the material.  To get an example of what we have published in the past, feel free...

Deadline: June 30th, 2022 Payment: $5 or a contributor's copy Theme: Show us your spin or retelling of old tales; create some new ones; tell us of your childhood—or current—obsessions. A Literary Journal with Some Art and Analysis Thrown in for Good Measure As Quarter Press continues to grow, we’re adding another coin to our pocketful of change. We want to offer a space for shorter works to mingle with art and other bits of nonsense, so we bring you The Quarter(ly): It just makes cents. Each issue will be themed; however, we will consider any interpretation of said themes. Myths, Fables, and Folklore (June 30) What’ve you got to show us? Stories and / or Poems For Stories: We’re open to micro works all the way up to 10,000 words. Just keep two things in mind: We want to be engaged and the submission must be completed (no pitches, please!) For Poems: We’d love to see up to five poems from you, but you can always just send one, too. Graphic Stories Show us your comic strips or complete short works; we’d love to see them all! Please try to keep submissions to 20 pages or less. Feel free to also send a collection of comic strips / one shot comics, as well. (Please note that our publication size / dimensions might change between issues. Our “Norm” is 5x8”). These must be COMPLETE works. Art As long as it has some tie to the current issue’s theme, we’re open to see any art created in any medium at any time. Just know that it will need to “work in print” and—might—be presented in black and white. Analysis / Interviews / Reviews As long as it is tied to the theme in some way, we’d love to see any and...

Submission Window: June 1st to June 30th, 2022 Payment: A contributor's copy and Stories: $0.08 a word, Poems: $50 a poem, Drabbles: $50 a drabble Theme: horror or dark fantasy stories, poems, and drabbles about malevolent mermaids, sinister sirens, scary selkies, spirits, and other deadly and dangerous women of the sea. Submissions Open: June 1 st to June 30th Title: Dangerous Waters: Deadly Women of the Sea Type: Anthology of short stories, poetry, and drabbles Editor: Julia C. Lewis Theme: We’re looking for horror or dark fantasy stories, poems, and drabbles about malevolent mermaids, sinister sirens, scary selkies, spirits, and other deadly and dangerous women of the sea. Stories including the ocean or sea are the focus of the anthology, but we will consider stories involving rivers as well. No explicit sexual content, no racism or anti-LGBTQIA+, animal cruelty, extreme horror, or violence just for violence’s sake. No reprints. What: Submissions should be a Word doc or docx. On the first page of your piece, only put the title, word count, and trigger warnings. Do not use headers or footers. Stories: 500-3,500 words Poetry: up to 350 words Drabbles: exactly 100 words Titles are not included in word counts Multiple submissions will be accepted (up to 3 pieces per author), but only one piece will be printed. Simultaneous submissions are fine, please let us know if your piece is accepted elsewhere. Please include an author bio (including any social media or website links you want displayed) as a separate document. Where: Email all submissions to [email protected]. In the subject line put DANGEROUS WATERS. Compensation: Complimentary ebook and paperback copy of the anthology. Stories: $0.08 a word Poems: $50 a poem Drabbles: $50 a drabble Questions about the anthology? Send an email to [email protected] Via: Brigids Gate Press.

Deadline: June 30th, 2022 Payment: $15 Theme: Speculative fiction, primarily horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Note: Reprints welcome Formatting Guidelines This is proving to be a recurring problem, so we're putting it up front. Please, for all our sakes, read this next part carefully. All submissions should be sent by e-mail (no letters or telephone calls please) to [email protected]. Below are some formatting rules to help us process your submission more quickly. EMAIL AND COVER LETTERS Email is accepted in both text and HTML formats. When submitting, please put this in the subject line: Submission: (Title) - (First and Last name) Include the following in the body of the email and in the attached submission: Your name Name to use on the story (byline), if different Your preferred email address Your mailing address The story's title The story's word count You may also include a cover letter in the body of the email. We get a lot of strange stuff in cover letters, so if you're unsure of what goes in them (and especially what doesn't) please refer to these cover letter tips: How to write a cover letter | What not to put in a cover letter by Jed Hartman SUBMISSION FORMATTING We ONLY accept submissions as attachments! All stories submitted as an attachment must follow standard manuscript formatting. We will no longer read any story not properly formatted. (And we much prefer Courier New to Times New Roman) For explanations and tips on what SMF is and how to do it with word processing programs, please see this article. Please send your submission as an attachment in Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx) or Rich Test Format (.rtf) only. Other formats, such as Works, WordPerfect, Open Office, etc., have proven difficult to open. Please note that we no longer accept "inline" submssions; that is, submissions with the stories pasted...

Submission Window: June 1st - 30th, 2022 Payment: Drabbles and Flash - £5. Short Stories 1001 to 4000 words - £10, Short Stories 4001 to 8000 words - £15 Theme: 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. Note: Only publishes creators from under represented and/or marginalized communities. 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. ​ SUBMISSIONS: February 1 - 28 (for June issue) April 1 - 30 (for August issue) June 1 - 30 (for October issue) August 1 - 31 (for December issue) October 1 - 31 (for February issue) ​December 1 - 31 (for April issue) ​ we do not have set issue themes but feel free to be inspired by the season, seasonal occasions and events SUBMISSION GUIDELINES How to submit: Please submit via the form at the bottom of this page. If you have any problems using the form please email us for assistance. Who should submit: Please ONLY SUBMIT IF: you are aged 18 or over you belong to an underrepresented or marginalised community. These include, but are not limited to: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and disabled people. Whilst we also love stories about diverse characters, it is not compulsory that your story feature them. What to submit: Drabble (exactly 100 words) Flash Fiction (101 to 1000 words) Short Stories (1000 to 8000 words)...

Deadline: June 30th, 2022 Payment: £200 and 15% royalty rate on print sales, 50% on audiobook and ebook sales. Theme: Gothic, horror, and dark fiction genres (read below for more details.) Closing date: Friday 1st July @ noon BST The below guidance is in place for transparency about our submissions process. Information About the Publishing Process. We are a book publisher and welcome submissions from both agented authors and those without agents. Please see these guidelines for an idea of what we are looking for. Our aim Haunt is a small press dedicated to Gothic, horror and dark fiction. Our aim is to shine a flickering candle on Gothic and horror in new areas. Think Frankenstein in Baghdad and the film Under the Shadow. We also love traditional Gothic! If this sounds like it fits with your writing, we want to hear from you! Learn more about us here. Genres we publish in We are looking for books in the Gothic, horror and dark fiction genres. We particularly look for work that is engaged in some way with Gothic preoccupations, such as doubling, decay, occultism, supernatural monsters or beings, hauntings, the blurring between reality and the supernatural, or death. To give an idea of our book tastes, here are some books we love: Beloved by Toni Morrison Frankenstein by Mary Shelley The Girls by Emma Cline The Vegetarian by Han Kang Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado Things We Say In The Dark by Kirsty Logan What we are looking for We want books with the curse of unputdownability, that keep a reader up all night. Books that provoke unease, terror and dread. Basically, we want books...

Submission Window: June 1st, 2022 to June 30th, 2022 Payment: $0.08/word Theme: "the next season of Black Mirror that never got aired" Dark Matter Presents: MONSTROUS FUTURES is a brand new sci-fi horror anthology, edited by Alex Woodroe of Tenebrous Press and produced by Dark Matter's new trade imprint, DARK MATTER INK. The anthology will publish in both print and digital in 2023, and will be available to purchase right here on our shop in all formats, and wherever else books are sold. MONSTROUS FUTURES is Book Two in the Dark Matter Presents: Monsters series. Book One, Dark Matter Presents: HUMAN MONSTERS, edited by Sadie Hartmann and Ashley Saywers, features 35 brand new tales of terror and is available for pre-order now. HUMAN MONSTERS publishes October 18, 2022. Order your copy today! THE SUBMISSION PORTAL OPENS JUNE 1 AT MIDNIGHT (CST) Check back here at the end of May for a direct link to the portal. The submission portal for MONSTROUS FUTURES will open June 1, 2022, and close June 30, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. CST. To be considered, stories must be submitted via the anthology’s Moksha portal. Emailed or late entries will not be considered. From Alex: I’ve been referring to this anthology as “the next season of Black Mirror that never got aired” and that’s exactly what I’m looking for--dark sci-fi with an emphasis on exploring our connection with technology and one another through speculative concepts and backdrops. I want every piece to look at some aspect of our lives through a “what if” lens and only lean on science as much as strictly necessary to show those human experiences. Think about that Twilight Zone episode, “The Lonely”, where an inmate serving time on an asteroid receives a synthetic companion. We don’t need to know a thing about the propulsion of the ship or the makings of the AI in...