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Deadline: September 30, 2014 Payment: 1 contributor copy, $5.00 for poetry/flash; $10.00 for short stories Submissions are NOW OPEN for Fossil Lake II: The Refossiling! Anticipated Release Date: February 2015 in print and ebook. What we’re looking for: the dark, the transgressive, the controversial, the surreal. Horror, humor, bizarro, erotica, suspense, fantasy, historical, Lovecraftian … pretty much anything goes genre-wise and content-wise as long as it’s well-written and entertaining to read. Bonus points for somehow involving thematic elements of fossils and/or lakes. What we’re NOT looking for: Crap writing (hey, let’s be honest).  Some editorial pet peeves and tough sells include adverbs, non-”said” dialogue tags, passive voice, “was (verb)ing” and “could (sense)” phrasing, excessive blocking or stage direction. What we’re hoping for: close communication with authors who are willing to work with an editor, can handle criticism, and are just generally personable and fun. What we’re asking: One-time non-exclusive anthology rights. Reprints are welcome; just let us know where and when the piece has appeared before. Deadline: September 30, 2014. Word Limit: poetry/flash fiction up to 1000 words; short stories 1000-5000 words. Compensation: contributor copy, $5.00 for poetry/flash; $10.00 for short stories. Standard manuscript format; Times New Roman 12-point preferred. Italics for italics and whatnot.  Send submissions attached as a .doc or .rtf to: [email protected]. “Fossil Lake II” in the subject line, please. Via: Fossil Lake.

Deadline: 9/30/14 Payment: Royalties, along with a free E-boo Vampires, werewolves, zombies, demons, creatures from the deep, and all things hideous and terrifying in between! Monsters in exotic locales, monsters in space, monsters laying waste to entire cities, microscopic creatures wreaking havoc on the ecosystem. Use your imagination and scare us silly with your abominable creation. Graphic violence is acceptable if integral to the story. We are not interested in excessive profanity or erotica. Focus on crafting a well-written narrative with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Be sure to give plenty of thought to the following elements: setting, character, plot, conflict. No simultaneous submissions, multiple submissions, or reprints. We are only interested in original fiction. We do not discriminate on publication status. We are actively seeking emerging writers. Please use standard manuscript format for all submissions. See our Short Story Submissions Guide. Deadline: September 30, 2014 or until filled Length: 500-4500 words Payment: Royalty plus contributor e-book copy. Via: Papa Bear Press.

Deadline: September 30th, 2014 Payment: $50 and contributor copy (paperback edition). Firbolg Publishing presents our fifth release in the Enter at Your Own Risk series. Enter at Your Own Risk: Dreamscapes into Darkness is open for submissions. Passions become obsessions. Obsessions become manias. And sometimes, manias turn into nightmares. What happens when one wants so badly that all else, including sanity and self, is consumed by the bonfires of desire? What happens when one achieves the dream, only to discover the nightmares lurking behind the illusions? Firbolg Publishing’s fifth anthology, Enter at Your Own Risk: Dreamscapes into Darkness, explores the old adage of “Be Careful What You Wish For.” We are looking for stories that step behind the veil of dreams and wishes into the unanticipated horrors of fulfillment. Journey down wishful thinking’s twisted pathway and discover what dark ends and detours await–send us your story and share a TOC with D.H. Lawrence, Mary Shelley, A.M. Burrage, H.P. Lovecraft, and more Gothic masters from yesteryear in Enter at Your Own Risk: Dreamscapes into Darkness. Submission Guidelines: 3000-5000 words (this is strict) Avoid excessive gore/ violence. We are most interested in gothic dark fiction rather than splatter style horror. We are not interested in stories that are gratuitously violent, sexual, or graphic. If these elements occur within a story, they must be an integral part of the narrative, but note that we are inclined to pass on tales that rely on these elements for plot. Stories that rely on mood, atmosphere, well-crafted dialogue, and character-driven narrative find a home at Firbolg Publishing over violence and gore. LGBT-friendly press. RTF format as an attachment (include author biography, links to blogs/ websites) Standard manuscript format (http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html) A few formatting musts: No double spaces between punctuation and next sentence. No double spaces between paragraphs...

Deadline: Sept. 30th, 2014 Payment: $10 and two contributor's copies GIVE is the first in a two-part anthology about organ donation. The stories in GIVE will focus on the donor. Publication date is set for February 14th, 2015 (National Donor Day). General Info: We want you to think beyond the traditional organs that get donated. Consider those parts of the human that come in pairs but aren’t necessarily donated. Everything is shareable, transplantable and rejectable, if you are creative. We will be including only one story per body part, so if you are going to write about a more common body part, the story had better be special. Stories should be darker in nature. Horror, sci-fi, and dark humor are all appreciated. Reprints: Reprints will be considered, but previously unpublished workis preferred. Please inform us if you are submitting a reprint. You must hold reprint rights to the work. Word Count: Submissions should be between 500-2,500 words (yes, we want these short and to the point). Submission Instructions: Submissions should follow standard manuscript format, and be sent as .doc, .docx, or .rtf files via email only. Please send to [email protected] with the subject: GIVE-(the body part you are writing about)-your name Rights: One year exclusive worldwide online, ebook, and print rights. The Publisher assumes no rights to the Work beyond those essential to publishing and promoting the Website. All characters, intellectual properties and universes of the Work shall remain the property of their original Authors Submission deadline: All stories must be submitted before 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 30th, 2014. Fee: There is no fee to submit to GIVE. Payment: $10 and two free contributor copies of the anthology (GIVE one to a friend!). All other profit made will be channeled into marketing efforts for this and the second anthology. A portion of the profits from second anthology will be donated to the National Foundation for...

Deadline: September 30th 2014 Payment: 5 cents per word The detective blowing dust off of evidence boxes at 2am after her commanding officer ordered her to leave that particular cold case unsolved; the horrid, unloved rodent-human hybrid who skips ahead in his textbook, ignoring the warnings of his necromancy tutor; the young woman picking at the tape on a box clearly labeled All The Trouble In The World; the whip-scarred homunculus palming a sharp stone; the mad Admiral in his airship ordering a hard bank to starboard and loose all harpoons at his floating Kraken overlords. For our third issue, "Troublemake," we're looking for short and flash Weird fiction and poetry about biters of the hands that feed, timid folk acting out against their tormentors, unlikely disturbers of the status quo, hell-raisers both literal and figurative, and creatures who just plain don't like being told what to do. While we're happy to read sf, fantasy, crime, alternate history and other, non-horror genres, all work should contain strong elements of the macabre. Our reading period is a tidy six weeks, from August 15th through September 30th. Any questions can be directed to hellophobos (at) gmail.com Submission Guidelines: We will only be accepting work that fits with the set theme. Your work could be terrific, but if it's a bad thematic match we can't use it. For general questions, including our rates and rights acquired, see our FAQ Word limits as follows: Short stories and poetry to 2,500 words, flash stories to 1,000 words. With this in mind, here's how you format your email submission: 1. Subject Line: Submission, (your story title & approximate word count), (submission theme) 2. Email Body: Please summarize in a few lines how your story fits the theme. Any submission that doesn't include this will not be...

Deadline: September 30th, 2014 Payment: AUD2c/word and one contributor copy   “Werewolves are much more common animals than you might think.” — Daniel Pinkwater SNAFU brought the pain. SNAFU: Wolves at the Door will bring the bite. In the blackest night or under the full moon, danger is lurking. It’s survival at all costs when you’re fighting against an enemy that could tear you apart – or convert you to the other side. Against the backdrop of an untamed wilderness or the dark depths of the city, the ultimate clash between the forces of man and nature rage on. You could be battling the monster within or a war around you – where the cost could prove too great. Whether it’s personal survival or submission of the pack, we want it all. Bring on the blood, guts and gore. We want military combat: guns and ammo, tooth and claw. Suspense. Tension. Conflict. Whether the wolves are fighting with you or against you is your choice… ~ ~ ~ We STRONGLY suggest you read the first SNAFU volume to see what it is we like. SNAFU – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LNXHLJG ~ ~ ~ SNAFU: Wolves at the Door will be an anthology of short stories on the theme of werewolf-based military horror. *Payment: AUD2c/word and one contributor copy *SNAFU: Wolves at the Door will be released as an ebook only *Wordcount range: 2,000 – 6,000 words *Submission window: 1st September, 2014 – 30th September, 2014 (anything submitted outside of this window will be deleted without being read) *Projected publication date: Last Quarter 2014 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...

Deadline: October 1st 2014 Payment: .05/word + royalties and author copies I AM THE ABYSS Now Open to Fiction Submissions for Adventure Stories of Horror and/or Dark Fantasy! We are happy to announce that Dark Regions Press is open to public fiction submissions for the first time in a very long time for our new upcoming anthology I AM THE ABYSS. This very special project will consist of ten original adventure stories of horror and/or dark fantasy each illustrated with an original two-page color spread by award-winning artist Les Edwards. The book is planned to be published in Q4 of 2015. Find the submission guidelines below, and please read them from start to finish before sending us your manuscript. Thank you and we look forward to reading your fiction!   I AM THE ABYSS Submission Guidelines (Must Read Before Submitting) The Idea When each of us reaches the end of our life in this world our consciousness enters a new perpetual reality during the seconds before the brain loses activity. This world is based on the subconscious and experiences we had during our mortal lives. The structures, landscapes, creatures and cities are amalgams of what we perceived during our short journeys on earth, and there our consciousness will stay (unless we find a means of escape). These are ten stories of tortured souls and dark minds whose difficult mortal lives have come to an end. Their consciousnesses have been transported into underworlds of their own making. It is here that they rediscover forgotten corners of their minds, creatures that they never thought their imaginations could conjure, cities grander or more bizarre than anything they had experienced in their mortal lives. In these underworlds the characters will truly discover themselves; their darkest fears and deepest desires will manifest. But within these realms...

Deadline: October 1st 2014 Payment: All royalties from anthologies will be split evenly between all authors. Note: Just as a warning, since this posting has gone live we've had over 15 e-mails that the press is being run by people who don't pay their authors. Serrated is a collection of short stories and poetry/prose of horror. Examples; Hospitals, insane asylums, all there to help but what if they were stashing body parts, or running experiments on patients. Serrated is about your worst nightmare coming true behind closed doors of a morgue, hosptial, funeral home, or asylum. This is a no holds barred piece. Make it violent, make it bloody. Blurb Behind closed doors, secrets lurk, and madness begins. Trapped in a never-ending nightmare of torture and pain, I welcome you to tales of the macabre. Night falls everywhere, what you don't see is what happens when the shadows hit the walls of the inner-sanctum of the dead. Serrated will show you the likes of which horrors you've never seen behind the walls in the modern-day dungeons of the world. Guidelines Short Stories and Poetry/Prose accepted Supernatural/Paranormal/Non-Paranormal Min Word Count: 800 Words (if it is a bit short talk with me) Max Word Count: 7,000 Words (if you go over talk with me) Poetry does not have a word count Submit to [email protected] Word doc 12-14pt. Georgia or Times New Roman Editing will be provided unless author prefers their own editor Via: Phoenix Fire Publishing.

Deadline: October 1st, 2014 Payment: 5 cents per word December--Arthurian Legend What ho! (No, we don't mean Guinevere.) For centuries, the magic and mystery of King Arthur and Camelot have enthralled readers. Thanks to great authors like Marion Zimmer Bradley and T.H. White, there's a strong tradition of Arthurian books on the fantasy bookshelf. So add your own myths to the Round Table; send Lancelot out on one more quest. Let's play in Camelot and Avalon until the mists gently cloak us from the modern world. CALL BEGINS AUGUST 1, 2014 CALL ENDS OCTOBER 1, 2014 Penumbra is looking for original, unpublished stories of 3500 words or less. We prefer that writers use Standard Manuscript Format for submissions. (You can read this article by Chuck Rothman on the SFWA site on preparing a manuscript for submission if you are unfamiliar with SMF.) Please send your stories as file attachments in .rtf or .doc formats only. Please include a cover letter in the body of your email, with the manuscript title, you pen name if applicable, the exact word count of the story not including title and byline, and a publication history if applicable. Penumbra is a professional rates paying publisher, paying 5 cents per word. We will evaluate poetry submissions for each issue. We will also consider previously published stories with rights reverted to the author. Penumbra has multiple issue calls open at the same time, therefore it is imperative that you include the issue theme in the subject line of your email. Submissions that do not include this information risk getting lost in our queue and not read before the deadline. Penumbra uses Musa Publishing’s house style guide, which relies upon the Chicago Manual of Style. All accepted stories will be edited to reflect Musa house style. If you have never...

Deadline: October 13th, 2014 Payment: $15 and contributor’s copy Theme: Fears fade as years pass. They are never as salient or real as they were when you were a child. Unless they are. For this anthology, we’re looking for the real, true terrors. The creatures that plagued you in the dark hours of the night. The bumps in the night that kept you awake. The characters need not still be children, but the fears must stem from childhood. Think Stephen King’s It, Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, and ghostly slumber party games. Though the theme is child-centric, the anthology is not. This is not horror for children. Scare us. We are looking for fiction prose only, 500 – 13,000 words. We may consider pieces longer than that, but if you send it in, make sure it’s awesome. Must be original works, no fanfiction. Simultaneous Submissions: No Multiple Submissions: Yes Reprints: Yes, but let us know where it has been previously printed and make sure you have the rights to have it reprinted. Questions? Send them to [email protected]. Excited and ready? Click that button! Source: A Murder Of Storytellers.

Deadline: October 15th, 2014 Payment: Contributor's Copy 'Robbed of Sleep' will be publishing volume 2 in December of 2014. We are currently looking for a sampling of the strangely dark, the darkly humorous, the starkly beautiful, and the hauntingly deranged to feature in its pages. If you are interested in submitting, send your very best work to: [email protected] Subject Line: 'SUBMISSION (Robbed of Sleep, Vol 2.) - , ' An example subject line is as follows: 'SUBMISSION (Robbed of Sleep, Vol 2.) - THE DAY THE EARTH TURNED INTO A WOOLY SCREWDRIVER, 2,500' Failure to follow subject line guidelines is an instant poor first impression. Submissions close on October 15th, 2014. You are strongly encouraged to track your submission with our DuoTrope listing. Guidelines: We are looking for stories anywhere from 100-1,000 word flash pieces, up through 2,000-4,000 word larger pieces. Something falling in between 1,000-2,000 words will be considered, especially if it's great. I am willing to look at pieces above 4,000, but not very. This means that if you are sending me something super long, it better be twice as good as it is long to even stand a chance at inclusion. You are much more likely to get something within the guidelines accepted. Pieces must be submitted in proper manuscript formatting. I remember when a writing friend asked me where I found the format I was submitting pieces in. I responded: "I just tried to make it look nice." That's when I found about proper manuscript formatting. I don't compose any other way now, and I definitely don't submit in other ways. That was a big day for me! So if you don't already use this formatting, I suggest you learn about it now: it'll really make your work look professional. The first installment of 'Robbed of...

Deadline: October 15th, 2014 Payment: 2 copies of anthology and Aus 2 cents/word (GST inc., maximum payment $150)   A new anthology edited by Amanda Pillar Blood will tell... blood holds memory... blood is sacrifice... blood is thicker than water... blood is life. Bloodlines will feature non-traditional horror stories, which take place in an urban fantasy setting. Give me stories about creatures that need blood to live, or blood to do magic, or whose blood is magic. Witches, shamans, faeries, ancient gods and humans can feature in this collection, so long as your story exudes magic and mystery. So long as you enchant me. As for the nitty-gritties: No science fiction stories will be accepted; Romance is acceptable, as long as the story is dark and has horrific themes/elements; Do not send stories written in the second person; While vampire stories can be submitted, please note that it would be in your best interests to wow me with something other than vampires. Lastly, the story must be on theme and meet the above guidelines. It must have blood (its need, use, potency etc.) as a major focus. If it does not, your story will be rejected. The anthology will be published by Ticonderoga Publications in late 2014/early 2015. Submission guidelines: Send me your best dark urban fantasy story. Story length 1,000 to 7,500 words. Original stories only: no reprints, multiple, or simultaneous submissions (please only submit one story). Stories may be submitted via email at [email protected]. Manuscript format: double spaced, large margins, Times New Roman font, Australian English spelling. The editor reserves the right to use their discretion in selecting stories. Submission period: 1 August 2014 to 15 October 2014 Payment: 2 copies of anthology and Aus 2 cents/word (GST inc., maximum payment $150) on publication.   Via: Ticonderoga Publications.

Deadline: October 15th Payment: 6 cents per word, receive a free 12-month subscription to Apex Magazine and a short story critique from an Apex editor. Stories for critique can be up to 5,000 words long. Halloween is coming and with it the vampire, zombie, witch, and ghost stories will creep into your hands and whisper “Boo” in your ear. Now I love a good ghost story. Witches are wicked. Zombies give me the chills. And vampires are grand. But… But there’s more out there. Monsters waiting in the wings to give you a fright. And they want their moment to shine! I went to Twitter to ask you, the Apex readers, what monsters you’d like to see steal the spotlight, and did you ever have suggestions. Everything from wendigos to banshees to Jekyll and Hyde. So tell me a story. After the huge success of our Christmas micro fiction contest last year (over 500 submissions!), we’ve decided to do it again. This time with the monsters that are often forgotten. The ones who’s stories don’t get told. Here’s the nitty-gritty: There will be five categories: sea monsters, black dog/Hellhounds, banshees, science experiments gone wrong, and demons (this can include wendigos, succubus, be creative). Write a story to fit one of these five categories, then submit it to [email protected] with the subject line formatted as Title, Author, Category. This is a micro fiction contest. Stories must be 250 words or less. If a story is more than 250 words, it will be deleted unread. You can submit one story per category, five stories total. If you submit two banshee stories, we will consider the first story your submission. Send each story as a separate email with the story in the body of the email. No attachments, please. Submissions are open September...

Deadline: October 24th, 2014 Payment: Exposure and Royalties. 0.01 cents per word. Deadline: October 24th, 2014 – or until full (12 Stories). Payment: Exposure and Royalties. 0.01 cents per word. Flash fiction & Short Stories (1,000 – 1,400 words). Poetry and re-prints will also be considered. Explore the endless madness and horrors which lie within each soul… The only limits are your imagination! Dark fairy tales, bizarre, horror, surrealism, dark science-fiction and steam punk are all cool here. Submission guidelines: Deadline for submissions – October 24th, 2014 – or until full. Word Count: 1,000 – 1,400 words. Please submit your manuscript as a *.rtf, *.doc or *.docx file (all other formats will automatically be rejected. Contact me prior to submitting if this presents an issue for you.) Font and formatting: Please submit in Times New Roman, 12 point font; single line spacing. Please format the document to 1st line indentation of 1″. The page margin should be set to .1″ on all sides. No headers, footers or page numbers. Please check grammar. PLEASE!!! Upon acceptance into the anthology, you agree that Miskatonic Press holds exclusive publishing rights for six months from the date of publication; after that date has passed, all intellectual property rights revert to the author with the proviso that Miskatonic Press retains distribution rights in the format of the contracted anthology. This title will be available as an e-book and eventually trade quality paperback. Michael Porter will be presiding over this anthology. Email your submission as an attachment to: [email protected] The email subject line must read “SUBMISSION – ASYLUM – ‘your story title’” or your submission will not be considered for this anthology. Successful applicants will be notified before the deadline has expired.

Deadline: October 24th, 2014 Payment: Exposure and Royalties. $20 per story. Flash fiction & Short Stories (1,000 – 1,400 words). Poetry and re-prints will also be considered. Witness the horrific, unknown things from beyond time… This anthology is a celebration of H.P. Lovecraft themed stories. Other than that, feel free to be creative. Dark fairy tales, bizarre, horror, surrealism, dark science-fiction and steam punk. Submission guidelines: Deadline for submissions – October 24th, 2014 – or until full. Word Count: 1,000 – 1,600 words. Please submit your manuscript as a *.rtf, *.doc or *.docx file (all other formats will automatically be rejected. Contact me prior to submitting if this presents an issue for you.) No headers, footers or page numbers. Please check grammar. PLEASE!!! Upon acceptance into the anthology, you agree that Miskatonic Press holds exclusive publishing rights for six months from the date of publication; after that date has passed, all intellectual property rights revert to the author with the proviso that Miskatonic Press retains distribution rights in the format of the contracted anthology. This title will be available as an e-book and eventually trade quality paperback. Michael Porter will be presiding over this anthology. Email your submission as an attachment to: [email protected] The email subject line must read “SUBMISSION – ABYSS – ‘your story title’” or your submission will not be considered for this anthology. Successful applicants will be notified before the deadline has expired. Via: Miskatonic Press.

Deadline: October 24th, 2014 Payment: Exposure and Royalties. $20 per story. Flash fiction & Short Stories (1,000 – 1,600 words). Poetry and re-prints will also be considered. The Knights of the Realm go to war....against the damned and forsaken! For this anthology we are looking for medieval horror, scifi, etc. Other than that, feel free to be creative. Dark fairy tales, bizarre, horror, surrealism, dark science-fiction and steam punk. Submission guidelines: Deadline for submissions – October 24th, 2014 – or until full. Word Count: 1,000 – 1,600 words. Please submit your manuscript as a *.rtf, *.doc or *.docx file (all other formats will automatically be rejected. Contact me prior to submitting if this presents an issue for you.) No headers, footers or page numbers. Please check grammar. PLEASE!!! Upon acceptance into the anthology, you agree that Miskatonic Press holds exclusive publishing rights for six months from the date of publication; after that date has passed, all intellectual property rights revert to the author with the proviso that Miskatonic Press retains distribution rights in the format of the contracted anthology. This title will be available as an e-book and eventually trade quality paperback. Michael Porter will be presiding over this anthology. Email your submission as an attachment to: [email protected] The email subject line must read “SUBMISSION – SWORDSMAN – ‘your story title’” or your submission will not be considered for this anthology. Successful applicants will be notified before the deadline has expired. Via: Miskatonic Press.

Deadline: October 31st, 2014 Payment: $75 per story and a print copy of the book (Not clarified if USD or AUD) Horror from the emptiness of the space between the galaxies Robert N Stephenson, Editor Altair Australia Publishing 'From Out of the Dark' PO Box 475 Blackwood SA 5051 Australia U.S.A. Subject explanation: I am seeking short stories to a maximum length of 10 000 words with a minimum length of 5 000. All stories are to he set in the gap between galaxies, the immense darkness of space and all the frightening aspects and contemplation of billions of light years of unseeable entities can bring. These are not just first encounter ideas as the bent is strong horror memes within science fiction framing. This is not horror added the SF or SF added to horror by slight of hand. What is required is a true as possible journey into a place we cannot and will never imagine outside of telescopes and maths. This is science fiction, so no fantasy worlds please. Space ships and rays guns are fine, but if I spot a dragon I might not reply. From Out of the Dark requires some deep thinking and frightful manipulations of emotion and events to create fiction that can cause a sweat and a gasp for air lost to vacuum. There are no entry fees, no costs other than postage if using mail or a few nips on your bandwidth if emailing. Please, no queries, you either understand what is being asked or you don’t. I will be able to read if you do not get what is being sought after here. The editor is me, Robert N Stephenson, I am an award winning author of several novels and non fiction/fiction collections with over 100 published short stories. I...

Reading Period: August 1 – October 31, 2014 Payment: AUD8c/word Edited by Bram Stoker® -nominated and Australian Shadows Award-winning editor, Marty Young. Payment: AUD8c/word Maximum word length: 5,000 words Submission window: August 1 – October 31, 2014 (anything submitted outside of this window will be deleted without being read) Publication Date: Early 2015 Publisher: Cohesion Press Do you really know what’s real and what isn’t? A man called Arnold Paole was accused of being a vampire in 1732 in Yugoslavia, after his body was dug up five years after his death and found with long pointed teeth and nails, with blood in his mouth. The Mothman of West Virginia was a winged man-sized creature with glowing red eyes and huge moth-like wings sprouting from its back, seen repeatedly during 1967 and 1968. In 1977, a dead creature that looked a lot like a plesiosaur was caught in the nets of a Japanese fishing vessel, the Zuiyo-maru, offshore east of Christchurch, New Zealand. The sage Apollonius of Tyana, born in Turkey at the start of the first century AD, hunted demons, and once saved one of his students from a vampire who was going to drink his blood and eat his soul. These are all supposedly true stories. And there are more, more tales of monsters that shouldn’t exist, of demons and devil possession, of serial killers wearing human skin, ghosts terrorizing families… But these tales also sound like fiction, don’t they? What we’re looking for: Blurring the Line (working title) is seeking to blur the line between what is fiction and what is non-fiction. We want horror stories, tales that are serious and frightening, hard-hitting and imaginative. We want monsters; vampires and zombies and werewolves and the mummy and creatures from the Black Lagoon and giant killer plants and mutated...

Deadline: October 31, 2014 Payment: $10 and a paperback copy of the anthology from World Weaver Press. Anthologist: Rhonda Parrish Corvidae are the family of birds which include such iconic species as crows, ravens, magpies, rooks and nutcrackers. They are known for their high intelligence (they use tools and recognize themselves in mirrors!) and appear in fiction and mythology all through the ages and in a great many different cultures as well. Corvids are seen as mystical creatures, known to be companions to both Odin and Apollo, believed by the Haida to have created the earth and credited (in the form of Raven the Trickster) for stealing fire and bringing it to earth, but they are also associated with death, disease and madness. According to legend, the Kingdom of England will fall if the ravens leave the Tower of London and so are a kind of good luck charm, but they are also associated with battle and war through their connection with The Morrigan and Badb from Irish mythology. Such paradoxical creatures, it’s easy to be fascinated by them, and a great many of us are. We are looking for well-written speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror with speculative elements, etc.) of up to 7,500 words long. Nothing gratuitously gory or violent. Corvidae will be published alongside a companion anthology, Scarecrow. We intend for the two books to be in conversation with one another and so would like some overlap between the authors included in each title. Thus we encourage writers to submit to both anthologies. Please do not submit the same story to both books (if the anthologist believes a story is more appropriate for one than the other she will let you know). Rights and compensation: Payment: $10 and a paperback copy of the anthology from World Weaver...

Deadline: October 31, 2014 Payment: $10 and a paperback copy of the anthology from World Weaver Press.     Anthologist: Rhonda Parrish Scarecrows have been portrayed as everything from empty-headed geniuses to malevolent demons. They’ve appeared in literature and mythology, from as far back as ancient Japan where Kuebiko, the god of agriculture is represented as a wise scarecrow who cannot walk, to more modern representations in Doctor Who. They are  supervillains and storybook heroes, hapless and powerful. Wonderfully paradoxical creatures, much like the birds they are (in their most practical forms) meant to scare away. It is no wonder they capture our imaginations the way they do. It’s time the world had an anthology filled with scarecrow stories. I will be looking for fresh twists on these ancient characters, exotic locations (both real and imagined), three-dimensional characters, and engaging voices. Scarecrow will be an anthology of well-written speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror with speculative elements, etc.) of up to 7,500 words long. Nothing gratuitously gory or violent. Scarecrow will be published alongside a companion anthology, Corvidae. We intend for the two books to be in conversation with one another and so would like some overlap between the authors included in each title. Thus we encourage writers to submit to both anthologies. Please do not submit the same story to both books (if the anthologist believes a story is more appropriate for one than the other she will let you know). Rights and compensation: Payment: $10 and a paperback copy of the anthology from World Weaver Press. We are looking for previously unpublished works in English. Seeking first world rights in English and exclusive right to publish in print and electronic format for six months after publication date, after which publisher retains nonexclusive right to continue to publish for the life of the anthology. Open submission...

Deadline: October 31st, 2014 Payment: 4%] royalties per story published in ebook and paperback form and you will receive a contributor’s ebook copy only. We all like a dash of romance in our lives. So here’s hoping you like it in your fiction! Published by KnightWatch Press, Once Bitten will be an anthology of stories telling tales of horrific love. As you can see by the beautiful artwork by Stephen Cooney, we are looking for stories which are horror, with that elusive hint of romance. We don’t like ‘googly-eyed chicks’ and we don’t like paranormal romance (not saying a word about the publishing director Theresa though!) Think of love turned sour, or love that works well in extraordinary circumstances. Could these two peas in a pod really be pod people? What if Harry was a spider and Sally was his victim? As long as it combines a thematic element of love in a horror story, that’s all we ask. Oh, and we’d like it to be original and well written too! All submissions should: Be between 2,000 and 6,000 words in Standard Manuscript Format (http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html). Be typed in Courier or Times New Roman 12 Include your full details (name/address/telephone number/email address) at the top of your document. Be sent to [email protected] as .doc or .rtf documents with the email subject header “SURNAME/LOVE/WORDCOUNT”. Previously published stories WILL be considered for this anthology. Authors will retain copyright. Multiple submissions up to a maximum of two stories per author can be submitted. We will write to you within approximately four to eight weeks of the submission deadline to let you know if you have been successful. We will pay royalties per story published in ebook and paperback form and you will receive a contributor’s ebook copy only. Failure to comply will result in...

Deadline: October 31st, 2014 Payment: $150 Autumn Cthulhu is an upcoming book of original short stories by various authors.  It will be published byThe Lovecraft eZine. I sent some private submission invitations out a while back, so I have some great stories lined up already.  Now, though, I’d like to temporarily open submissions to everyone. Here’s what I’m looking for: Well, the wordsAutumn Cthulhu sum it up somewhat.  But, though pastiche can be done well, I don’t want it here.  In other words, less “Mythos” and more “Lovecraftian”.  I’m talking about the themes of Lovecraft: cosmic horror, deep time, man’s irrelevant place in the universe, horrific truths about reality, etc… So the story should be Lovecraftian, set in the fall.  You could include Halloween, and in fact I very much hope some of you do, but it’s not a necessity.  There’s a mood and a magic and a mystery to autumn; think colorful falling leaves, crisp days, rainy afternoons and evenings.  A cold drizzle. Quiet horror. I’m going to point out some stories that show the kind of mood I’m looking for.  (This is very important.)  But as I do, please bear in mind that I’m not asking you to write like that author.  And I’m not talking about the plots, either.  It’s the mood.  Quiet horror, mixed with Lovecraftian themes and Autumn. Here are those stories: The Sea of Ash, by Scott Thomas. The Nocturnes collection, by John Connolly.  Specifically the following stories: Mr. Pettinger’s Daemon, The Erkling, The Shifting of the Sands, Deep Dark Green. The Crevasse, by Nathan Ballingrud and Dale Bailey.  (Set in winter, but I love this “quiet horror” story.) As I say, the plot is up to you.  But I hope this gives you some idea about the mood and the setting. This will be the first print anthology of original stories published by Lovecraft eZine… so...

Deadline: October 31, 2014 Payment: 12.5 cents per word Fireside is open for submissions through the end of the day Oct. 31. We have very few slots open for short stories at this time, but are looking to buy at least a dozen pieces of flash. Please read ALL of the guidelines below before submitting. They have changed slightly since our June reading period. Lengths, payment, etc. Fireside publishes original, previously unpublished flash fiction of up to 1,000 words and short stories of 1,500 to 4,000 words. (Firm limit.) We pay 12.5 cents per word, with payment on completion of edits. We buy first world publication rights and six-month exclusivity, as well as the right to reprint the story once, non-exclusively, in a Fireside anthology.   Please DO NOT resubmit stories that we have previously rejected, even if you have revised them. They will be rejected unread. We do not accept simultaneous or multiple submissions. (We are not looking for poetry, nonfiction, reviews, or anything else but fiction.) What we are looking for Fireside’s goal is to publish great storytelling, regardless of genre. What do we mean by great storytelling? We want stories that go somewhere, with plot and a beginning, middle, and end. We’re not looking for character studies or metafiction or hallucinatory visions. (We LIKE those things; it’s just not what we publish in Fireside.)   I’ll let Neil Gaiman say it again, as I have in our Kickstarters. This is from his introduction to his “Stories” anthology, writing of his response to a question about what quote he would want inscribed on the wall of the kids’ section in a public library. He captured the reason why we love good stories in his response:   I’m not sure I’d put a quote up, if it was me, and...

Deadline: November 1, 2014 Payment: Royalty Split and contributor copy As part of the State of Horror Anthologies, Charon Coin Press under the guidance of editor Jerry E. Benns, will begin accepting stories based in the state of Tennessee. Submitted stories meeting the guidelines below will have the opportunity to be included within the upcoming release of this popular anthology series. Before we get to the guidelines, let’s take a look at the featured state for this release. Tennessee has a unique past which helps to give the state its own flavor. Settlers looking for farmland spread out from the original 13 states to the rugged wilderness of Tennessee following Daniel Boone’s path through the Cumberland Gap. From its humble beginnings Tennessee soon became a land of opportunities with a fiercely proud culture. Home to the Tennessee sharpshooters under the command of Andrew Jackson, Jack Daniels spirits, Civil War battle sites, and the Great Smoky Mountains, there are many tales to tell about the state. Whether you enjoy the grassy roots of bluesy Memphis, with its dry rub and saucy BBQ, or the country music capital of Nashville- home to singers and songwriters trying to make it big, Tennessee has a rich culture to entice a good story. Tennessee is southern-facing but acts as a gateway to the Midwestern region. The state lends itself well to scary stories. You could set your yarn in the misty Smoky Mountains, maybe atop Lookout Mountain. Great place names like Chickamauga or Chattanooga could be prominent in your story. Or you could incorporate the Mississippi River or any number of lakes into a dark tale. Horrors from a farm or the middle of the woods could play a part in your account of the dark side of Tennessee. Maybe you are more inclined to the upscale urban...

Deadline: November 1st, 2014 Payment: $.05/word or $25 depending on status (read below) CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: BlackWyrm Publishing is opening several positions in its spring short fiction anthology for general submissions. We offer professional rates (typically $.05/word) for full members of professional organizations such as the HWA, MWA, RWA, and SFWA; other stories accepted through general submissions receive a flat semi-professional rate of $25. All contributors receive copies. The collection, tentatively titledReel Dark: Twisted Fantasies Projected on the Flickering Page, focuses on the infection of (prose-fictional) worlds by movies. We want innovative approaches: if you think endless references to films or characters stepping into or off of the screen is innovative, reconsider submitting. Although the anthology as a whole will be dark in tone, it will speak to a range of audiences interested in horror, science-fiction, fantasy, and/or romance (particularly paranormal). Stories should not exceed 3,500 words. Submissions are open now and close November 1, 2014. We intend to launch the collection at the World Horror Convention in May 2015. Submit stories in standard manuscript format [email protected]. Direct questions about the focus, rates, etc. to Editor-in-Chief L. Andrew Cooper via [email protected]. Submissions sent directly to the editor will be deleted unread. Authors accepted or invited to submit may join the group at www.blackwyrm.com/movieantho for more information. Via: L. Andrew Cooper.

Deadline: November 1st, 2014 Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction 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. Note: We are open...

Deadline: November 1st, 2014 Payment: $30 and two copies of the published book upon publication Payment & Rights: $30 and two copies of the published book upon publication. Contributors retain the rights to their work. Editor: Ily Goyanes Publisher: Liz McMullen Show Publications Guidelines: Previously unpublished work only Desired length is 3,000 – 4,000 words (exceptions made for exceptional work) Multiple submissions okay, simultaneous submissions not okay Use a standard font such as Times New Roman – no funny business Size does matter – 12 pt. is perfect Double-space, por favor Include your contact information in both the document and body of the email If you’re on the down low, include your pseudonym in your contact information Send your submission to [email protected] as an attachment in Word format (.doc). In the subject line, include ‘appetite antho,’ the title of your story, and your last name. Subject line should look like this: Appetite antho/Hungry Like a Wolf/Gonzalez. If you have any questions, please direct them towards the same email address. Hard deadline is November 1, 2014, but the sooner you submit, the better you’ll feel. If you have not received a response by January 1, please feel free to query me at the email address above. Editor: Ily Goyanes is a widely-published and award-winning author, editor, and journalist. Girls Who Score: Hot Lesbian Erotica, a Lambda Literary Award finalist, was Goyanes’ first full-length anthology and won a Golden Crown Literary Society Award in 2013. She has also served as a judge for the Lambda Literary Awards and as a mentor for the GCLS writers’ program. Tweet her @realily. Via: The Liz McMullen Show

Deadline: November 1, 2014 Payment: 6¢ per word The Journal of Unlikely Coulrophobia: For 2015′s April Fool’s Day, we want to screw with everyone’s head. And what better way than with clowns? Officially, Coulrophobia is the fear of clowns, but we don’t want to just just get rehashes of It. So the issue is open to anything involving clowns in some significant way. Think Stephen King’s Pennywise and Danny Kaye’s Jacamo in The Court Jester, think Sacred Clowns and Holy Fools. Horror, humor, existential angst, and tears of, we’re open to all that and more, in any combination. Heck, why not see how many different genres you can fit into a piece of flash fiction? We’re looking for flash fiction (1000 words or less) for this issue, but just like a clown car, this issue’s flash fiction can fit more words than you’d expect. Specifically: 1038 words. Why 1038? Well, that’s your standard flash fic limit, plus the number of clowns that fit into a 1968 VW bug, plus the number of clowns that fit into an original Mini Cooper, plus the value of The Fool in the Major Arcana. Unlikely Story Submissions Guidelines What we’re doing: Unlikely Story publishes three themed issues a year: The Journal of Unlikely Entomology, The Journal of Unlikely Cryptography, and The Journal of Whatever Tickles Our Fancy This Year. We reserve the right to put out an indeterminate number of further sub-themed mini-issues on an irregular basis, or not, depending on how we feel. See below for specific details regarding each issue. What we’re looking for: Beautifully-written fiction, characters that grab us by the throats and refuse to let go, worlds that draw us in and demand to be explored. Genre isn’t particularly important to us—speculative, mainstream, slipstream, and the unclassifiable tales in between—we’ll...