Events

Deadline: December 31st 2019 Payment: $100 Excalibur Books is proud to announce the upcoming anthology, EXCALIBUR 2020: TALES FROM BEYOND TOMORROW VOLUME 3 for print and electronic publication to be published in 2020, and we are asking for authors of any background to get involved. Because Excalibur Books is an independent publisher based in Tokyo, this anthology is intended to celebrate the Tokyo Olympics of 2020, and will be published around the time of that event. With this in mind, we are seeking short stories written by both established and upcoming writers from around the world with an Olympic theme. These are the guidelines: The work must be in the genre of Speculative Fiction (Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror). The work must have a thematic connection to Japan and/or the Olympics. This could include: Works set in cities during their Olympic years; for example – Paris 1924, Berlin 1936, the first Tokyo Olympics in 1964, Barcelona 1992, Beijing 2008, London 2012, and so on (We are also willing to accept non-fiction memoirs of Olympic years, depending on the circumstances). Works of fiction with a theme and setting of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics specifically. Works mainly based on aspects of Japanese society and culture with a tangential connection to the Olympics. If you have an idea for a story connected to Japan or the Olympics that doesn’t fit any of the points above, then contact us on the email address below and we’ll be very happy to discuss it with you. Reprints WILL be considered, so don’t worry if your story fits the guidelines but has already been published somewhere else. Word Count: Strictly 2,500 to 10,000 words. All submissions should: Be typed in Courier or Times New Roman 12 Be typed in line with Standard Manuscript Format. Include your full...

Deadline: December 31st, 2019 Payment: $.02 per word or $10 per poem 2020 will see the release of four quarterly anthologies of original fiction, poetry, and art from Carrion Blue 555 collectively titled Seasons of Rot. These volumes hope to explore seasonal themes in unique, surreal, festering ways. Spring is cancer blossoming in new growth, a single breath of moist soil. Summer begets overripe fruit in Persephone’s withered right hand. True decay is beautiful and clashing in the cordyceptic autumn. All of winter flinches beneath the Wicker King’s gaze, intimidating even the light of day. Interpretations of seasons are purposefully elastic for your artistic benefit. A season’s atmosphere is just as gripping as its setting. Less is more. We seek horror, fantasy, scifi, experimental, bizarro work. The first volume, Seasons of Rot: A Scourge of Storms, will be released March 20, 2020. The following volumes will be released on their respective equinox/solstice, with subtitles to be determined. Deadline: December 31, 2019. Fiction: No word limit, but we are only offering payment up to 5,000 words. $0.02USD per word. $5 minimum, $100 maximum. Poetry: We are open to single poems or multi-poem cycles. $10USD per poem, longer cycles will be negotiated. Art: Black-and-white only. $10USD per piece. All accepted authors and artists will receive one contributor copy of the volume(s) they appear in. We are asking for six month exclusivity for accepted works from time of the respective volume’s release. Important: due to payment issues in the past, we will only make payments via Paypal. Attach word document (doc or docx) or image files as an email to carrionblue555 gmail com. In your subject, please include the season you are submitting to and your name. We aren’t picky, but something like this will work: AUTUMN SUBMISSION: three poems by Oswald Hullad In the body...

Deadline: December 31st, 2019 Payment: Pay rate will be an advance of a minimum of 8 cents per word w/royalties Zombies Need Brains LLC is accepting submissions to its three science fiction and fantasy anthologies APOCALYPTIC, GALACTIC STEW, and MY BATTERY IS LOW AND IT IS GETTING DARK. Stories must be submitted in electronic form as an attachment with the title of the story as the file name in .doc or .docx format. The header of the email should include the name of the anthology the submission is for along with the title of the submission (for example: WERE-: WereJellyfish Gone Wild!). The content of the email should also include which anthology the manuscript is intended for. Please send multiple manuscripts in separate emails; you may submit to any or all of the anthologies as many times as you wish. Manuscripts should be in manuscript format, meaning double-spaced, 12pt font, standard margins on top, bottom and sides, and pages numbered. Please use Times New Roman font. The first page should include the Title of the story, Author’s name, address, and email, and Pseudonym if different from the author’s real name. Italics and bold should be in italics and bold. Stories for this anthology must be original (no reprints or previously published material), no more than 7,500 words in length, and must satisfy the theme of the anthology. APOCALYPTIC is to feature science fiction or fantasy stories set during or after an apocalypse. Stories featuring more interesting apocalypses, settings, and twists on the typical apocalypse will receive more attention than those that use standard tropes. In other words, we don’t want to see 100 stories dealing with a zombie apocalypse. If we do, it’s likely that only one, at most, would be selected for the anthology. We are interested in all...

Deadline: December 31st, 2019 Payment: Pay rate will be an advance of a minimum of 8 cents per word w/royalties Zombies Need Brains LLC is accepting submissions to its three science fiction and fantasy anthologies APOCALYPTIC, GALACTIC STEW, and MY BATTERY IS LOW AND IT IS GETTING DARK. Stories must be submitted in electronic form as an attachment with the title of the story as the file name in .doc or .docx format. The header of the email should include the name of the anthology the submission is for along with the title of the submission (for example: WERE-: WereJellyfish Gone Wild!). The content of the email should also include which anthology the manuscript is intended for. Please send multiple manuscripts in separate emails; you may submit to any or all of the anthologies as many times as you wish. Manuscripts should be in manuscript format, meaning double-spaced, 12pt font, standard margins on top, bottom and sides, and pages numbered. Please use Times New Roman font. The first page should include the Title of the story, Author’s name, address, and email, and Pseudonym if different from the author’s real name. Italics and bold should be in italics and bold. Stories for this anthology must be original (no reprints or previously published material), no more than 7,500 words in length, and must satisfy the theme of the anthology. GALACTIC STEW is to feature stories involving food, whether it be poisoning, a cultural or societal ritual, a trade meeting over dinner, etc. We are attempting to fill half of the anthology with science fiction stories and half with fantasy stories. Stories featuring more interesting takes on the use of food regarding the story will receive more attention than those that are more mundane. Make certain the story is centered on the food!...

Deadline: December 31st, 2019 Payment: 3 cents per word Now that my fundraising campaign on Freedomfy is over with and I know how much capital I have to work with, I’m free to post my submission guidelines for my upcoming open anthology, AGAIN, HAZARDOUS IMAGININGS: More Politically Incorrect Science Fiction. Due to the smaller-than-hoped-for funds available, I’ll be doing this open anthology as a companion volume to my single-author collection on the same theme, HAZARDOUS IMAGININGS: The Mondo Book of Politically Incorrect Science Fiction. My original plan had been to put out a single, really big volume, but since I’ll only be able to purchase about 30,000 words of original fiction from other writers, I figured two volumes would make more sense (otherwise, two-thirds of a sole book would be my fiction, which wasn’t what I intended). Without further ado, here’s what I’m looking for– Science fiction is often called “speculative fiction.” Speculation and extrapolation – asking what if? and why? or how? – is the life’s blood of science fiction. Science fiction writers can’t wrap themselves in yellow CAUTION tape. They need to be free to follow their what ifs? wherever those speculative rabbit-holes may lead… even if they lead to dark, dank, unpleasant places. Recent controversies within the science fiction and pop culture fields illustrate a dramatic and worrisome reversal of what has traditionally been science fiction’s greatest strength: the freedom it has granted its creators to confront, extrapolate, and dissect technological and social trends, from a panoply of viewpoints, using a full arsenal of intellectual and literary tools. Writers who were once lionized as key contributors to the science fiction field are now being drummed out of the community by online zealots who stir up instant outrage mobs in hopes of “canceling” those voices who do not fall in line with the current progressive zeitgeist. Science fiction...

Deadline: December 31st, 2019 Payment: original: $0.08USD per word for the first 1,000 words, and $0.01USD above 1,000 words., reprints: $0.01USD per word. $50USD per poem or $15 per reprint poem. Note: Seeking authors and poets from the African continent and the African Diaspora Note: Reprints welcome Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora seeks speculative fiction that grapples with the question: “What is the legacy and the future of Africa and the African Diaspora?” We want authors and poets from the African continent and the African Diaspora. More specifically, we want horror, science fiction, fantasy, and alternate history in the following sub-genres: Horror Noire, Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism, Sword and Soul, Rococoa, Steamfunk, and Dieselfunk. Submissions are open August 26, 2019, through December 31, 2019. SUBMIT Format using Shunn’s manuscript style. Track your submissions using Duotrope and The Submission Grinder. Submit via email with the subject line “Dominion Anthology: : : ” at subs aurelialeo.com. All of the following information should be in one .doc, .docx (preferred) or .rtf document. A short cover letter is required submitted above the text of your submission in the same document. Please include your legal name, pen name (if relevant), contact information, PayPal email address (if different), recent publications/awards (if any), preferred contributor’s copy (.epup, .mobi for Kindle™ or .pdf), and a third person bio of 50-150 words. A photo may be requested. We take 2-3 weeks to respond to submissions. If you haven’t received a response by then, please query. If you have any questions, email info aurelialeo.com.   POETRY: Any length paid $50USD per poem. REPRINTS: Any length of poetry paid $15USD and 1,000-17,500 words of fiction paid $0.01USD per word. FICTION: 1,000-17,500 words paid $0.08USD per word for the first 1,000 words, and $0.01USD above 1,000 words. RULES Translations are accepted Simultaneous submissions to...

Deadline: December 31st, 2019 Payment: Short stories (2,000 – 7,000 words): $150 USD, Novelettes (<15,000 words): $300 USD, Poetry: $50 USD FIYAH is a quarterly speculative fiction magazine that features stories by and about Black people of the African Diaspora. This definition is globally inclusive (Black anywhere in the world) and also applies to mixed/biracial and Afro-appended people regardless of gender identity or orientation. We will be open to unthemed submissions Oct 1 – Dec 31. We will be open for “Joy” themed submissions Spring 2020. Fiction Guidelines We accept submissions of short fiction 2,000 – 7,000 words and novelettes up to 15,000 words. We are looking for brave works of speculative short fiction by authors from the African continent and diaspora that reject regressive ideas of blackness, respectability politics, and stereotype. Please submit your bravest, blackest, most difficult to sell stories to us. We want to read them. We want stories that are well written, of high quality, and generally easy to read on a screen. We are open to receiving stories around many themes, but we will immediately reject stories that feature any of the following: Graphic depictions of rape or sexual assault Needless brutalization of women and children Depictions of brutalization or abuse of people with disabilities Graphic abuse of animals In addition: We only consider unpublished work, and we do not consider reprints (work that has been published in another magazine or on your blog or other social media) or fan fiction. We do not accept multiple submissions, so please wait until you have heard a response to a submission before submitting again. We do not accept simultaneous submissions. Please do not resubmit previously rejected stories in a new submission period. Resubmissions are by editorial solicitation only. We are only accepting submission from authors from the African...

Deadline: December 31st, 2019 Payment: Royalty split and author copies (with the opportunity to buy more author copies at 50% of list price). GET THOSE MANUSCRIPTS READY AND MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE NEXT BLOODSHOT BOOKS OPEN CALL!! What are we looking for? Original unpublished horror novels (or long novellas) for our 2020/2021 schedule. I am looking for 8-10 novels, but I’m only going to choose 2-3 novellas, so the bar will be very high for that format SUBMISSION PERIOD: October 31st – December 31st, 2019. If needed, I will extend the deadline, but don’t expect it. If you try to cut the line and send it early, I will return it and probably remember you as “that annoying person who can’t follow guidelines” Whether you are a first-time author, or you have published dozens of novels already, we are interested in your original manuscripts. DO NOT ASK ME ANY QUESTIONS WITHOUT READING THIS ENTIRE OPEN CALL FIRST. MULTIPLE TIMES, IF NECESSARY. IF YOU ASK ME ANYTHING THAT IS INCLUDED ALREADY, I WILL SIMPLY DIRECT YOU BACK TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. If your novel/novella is not finished, DO NOT submit it. Length: 25K to 125K (with the sweet spot around 80K-90K). Please query for longer. I do have a soft spot for the fat horror books from the 80s (Think King’s IT or McCammon’s SWAN SONG), so it’s not a hard upper limit. Nothing shorter will be considered, though. Manuscripts in the following subgenres will be favored, but we are willing consider other subjects: • Creature horror (cryptids/multicultural myths especially interest us) • Weird west/other historical horror • Coming of Age Horror • SciFi Horror • Supernatural horror • Apocalyptic TEOTWAWKI scenarios • I will consider YA, but it will have to blow me away for me to choose it. This...

Deadline: December 31st, 2019 Payment: $15 Volume 37/64 Submission Period: November 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019 Publication Date: May 1, 2020 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...

Deadline: December 31st, 2019 Payment: $15 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 directly into the body of the email. FICTION GUIDELINES We're looking for...