Events

Deadline: January 1st, 2017 Payment: $500 and 3 contributor's copies The intoxication from a pint of vodka, the electric buzz from snorting cocaine, the warm embrace from shooting heroin – drinking and drugging provides the height of human experience. It’s the promise of heaven on earth, but the hell that follows is a constant hunger, a cold emptiness. The craving to get high is a yearning not unlike that of any other blood-thirsty monster. The best way to tell these truths of addiction is through a story, and dark truths such as these need a piece of horror to do them justice. It’s with great enthusiasm that I invite submissions to an addiction-themed horror anthology with an expected spring/summer 2017 publication date.  Garden of Fiends is the working title. Submissions should be from 16k to 25k words. The publisher will have one title in the anthology, and from 3 to 4 additional works will be included. Characters should be individuals and not caricatures, and the substance use should ring true with verity of terms and modes of transmission. Any type of substance can be featured, including alcohol, with any point of view. There does not have to be an anti-drug message, and addiction can just be part of the setting (a drug dealer, for example) but should be a major part of the conflict.  Some compassion for the plight of addiction is preferred, but the insidious nature of both addict and addiction should certainly shine through. The publisher is a recovering addict/alcoholic who has worked in the field of addiction for 20 years. Supernatural elements are welcome. Blood, guts and gore only if it is part of the story. Powerful emotions and visceral elements are expected. Nothing is too challenging or controversial. Tropes such as zombies, werewolves, and vampires are...

Deadline: January 1st, 2017 Payment: $50 upon acceptance and an equal share of profits from sales Note: The deadline was JUST extended so some of the dates below haven't been updated to reflect that as of yet. Pine Float Press is pleased to open a solicitation for its latest anthology project, PALOOKAVILLE. Powell Heights has always kept its distance from the City. The town, half an hour away from the Federal Penitentiary and the State Hospital and twenty minutes by train from the City, has made a handy living from crime since Vincenzo “Pretty Vinnie” Buonatesta muscled his way into defacto ownership of the prison during his incarceration and rebuilt the town as a place where his crew and hangers-on could regroup and live out from under the eye of the law. The locals started to call their town “Palookaville.” The name stuck, changing from a mark of shame to a badge of pride as more Mob soldiers and the freelance muscle that served the growing ranks of supervillains settled in the town and the town grew to accommodate their needs. They left the struggles of their workaday world in the City for the most part, blowing off steam on the Boardwalk or mixing it up in the roving barfight by the docks and then going home to their families. They felt secure in Palookaville, knowing that they were as close to invisible and untouchable as anyone could be in a world where the gods walked and titans battled in the skies. Untouchable and invisible until Gaia of the Five Freedoms was found dead in Buonatesta Park. PALOOKAVILLE, tenatively scheduled for release in Q4 of 2016, is a blue-collar supervillain antholology set in the shadows of the superheroic world. Second-string criminals, masked mooks and clued-in henchmen leave the stresses of the criminal world behind and live “normal lives,” until the outside world muscles its way in. Fortunately, the citizens of Palookaville know all about muscling in. THE DREARY, PEDESTRIAN...

Deadline: January 30th, 2017 Payment: Unannounced Royalty Split Note: The publisher's online presence has been removed. Dense Weed Publications is putting together an anthology of horror shorts and looking for submissions. The stories can be any length up to ten thousand words. That doesn’t mean you have to aim for that figure. If you can tell a good horror story in one hundred words, that is equally acceptable. The story can be about anything and take place in any setting, as long as it contains a strong element of horror; be it psychological, body, gore or monster based. We’re aiming for a broad range. The only absolute no-no is zombies unless it’s a pre-Romero Haitian/voodoo style zombie story. Post-Romero, Walking Dead type zombie stories will just be binned. Really. Don’t bother. We are completely zombied out and frankly, you can do better than that! Pitch stories using contact form or send completed stories to [email protected] Deadline: January 30th, 2017, for publication late Spring 2017. To be sold via Amazon, Smashwords and as a limited run of paperbacks. Terms of submission is “About” section. Via: Dense Weed Publications.

Deadline: January 15th, 2017 Payment: $20 Please don't query us about your story submission. We don't have the manpower to answer such queries. An editor will email you back as soon as possible with the decision about your story. This can take a few days, or, up to three months. We make every effort to get back to authors in a timely manner but we get a lot of submissions so sometimes it's not possible. A note on our editorial policy: before publication we may edit the story for length or readability. However, we always remain true to the spirit of the story. Issues are published at the end of February, May, August, and November. We reserve the right to shift publication date slightly, as necessary. We have reading periods for each issue, though we never close to submissions. February closes January 15 May closes April 15 August closes July 15 November closes October 15 Please do not submit the same story more than once, and please submit only one story at a time. We consider any story between 250 and 7000 words with speculative fiction elements. We prefer science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we're willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres. We do not consider poetry, stories with over-the-top sex or violence, serials, novels, fan fiction, or non-fiction. We don't accept multiple submissions; in other words, only submit one story at a time and wait for a response before submitting another. We accept simultaneous submissions as long as you let us know up front and tell us as soon as it's accepted elsewhere. We do not publish reprints, including anything that has appeared on a website. We pay $20 for each story we publish. We buy first-printing world exclusive rights for four months....

Deadline: January 15th, 2017 Payment: Contributor's Copy As part of the Nosetouch Press ongoing short fiction contest, we are looking for ghost stories of all kinds in Round 2. Short stories (3,000 to 9,000 words) will be accepted until JANUARY 15, 2017. We will choose two winners. The first place winner will receive $10 and e-publication of their story on Nosetouchpress.com. The runner-up will also have e-publication on the website. The stories will remain online until the next round of winners is announced. Winning stories will be part of the upcoming ASTERISK ANTHOLOGY, to be published in twelve months. No reprints, please. Prose only. A paperback contributor’s copy will be provided to the winning contributors once the book is published. A signed contract will be required for publication online and in the anthology. Email entries to [email protected] .doc or .rtf format • Please state “Asterisk ANTHO-Round 2” in your subject line. One entry per person. Via: Nose Touch Press.

Deadline: January 15th, 2017 Payment: 6c/word Liminal is currently open for fiction submissions.  We'll close on January 15. Liminal is searching for stories of a particular tone and tenor, regardless of form.  We like stories that are strange and unsettling, sharp-edged and evocative.  Although we will consider any genre, we have a soft spot for weird fiction, magical realism, soft science fiction, and those uncategorizable stories that straddle the line between genres.  Liminal stories should linger in the mind and evoke emotion in the reader. We will consider stories up to 10,000 words, and pay 6c/word on publication. Liminal isn't a market for reprints, or non-fiction. We don't accept simultaneous or multiple submissions of fiction. Seeking Diverse Voices The editors of Liminal believe that fiction is enriched by diverse voices. We welcome and encourage submissions from writers of every nationality, race, sexual orientation, religion, and gender. How to Submit Send submissions in .DOC or .RTF format to [email protected]. Please use Submission:  as your subject line. Include your story's title and length in your cover letter. Don't stress over what to call us. We'll answer to Editors, Shannon and Kelly, or Ms. Peavey and Ms. Sandoval. Please use Standard Manuscript Format for all Liminal submissions.   Liminal Poetry Guidelines Liminal is currently open for poetry submissions. We'll close on January 15. Like its fiction, Liminal is searching for poems of a particular tone.  We like poems with strong imagery and precise language.  Fantastical elements are encouraged, but not required.  Some of the editor's favorite poets include, but are not limited to, Claudia Emerson, Jamaal May, Judy Jordan, Jack Gilbert, Ai, and David Kirby. We will consider poems of any length, and pay $50 per poem on publication. To submit, send 1-3 poems in DOC format with the subject line POETRY SUBMISSION: to [email protected]. If you include a...

Deadline: January 15th, 2017 Payment: MICRO FICTION: Drabbles are strictly 100 words. Titles should be no longer than 3 words. Paid $0.06USD per word. FLASH FICTION: 500 to 1000 words. Paid $0.02USD per word. SHORT STORIES: 1001 to 1500 words. Paid $0.03USD per word. SERIAL STORIES: Total word count 5000 to 10000. Needs to be engaging, completed, and last two or four issues. Stories that are action driven/have a pulp feel to them are preferred. Paid $0.03USD per word in segments. Helios Quarterly Magazine aims to publish quality fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art that illuminates the darkness. HQM wants stories and poems that grab ahold of a reader from the opening lines all the way to the finish line. Works that push boundaries, are succinct, and well developed are smiled upon. UPCOMING ISSUE The final frontiers are populated with lawlessness and redemption. Science fiction is immersed in tales of those who have ventured to galaxies far far away, bringing home their stories and monsters from the infinite black abyss. The horror genre is filled with black widows, dark avengers, and holy warriors ready to fight against evil. Fantasy literature’s cornerstone is the gathering together of a band of strangers to set off on a grand adventure. Commercial Cosmonauts & Hired Guns wants stories that delve into various journeys of unwilling and daring adventurers. What propaganda forces these individuals to battle against the universe and formidable foes? What are the stories being left untold in these narratives dominated by the lone white male savior against the world? Open to submit between January 1- January 15 11:59PM EST FICTION, POETRY & NON-FICTION IDEAS A young woman is tasked with piloting the last airship containing seeds that will repopulate her dying world. An occult ritual gone haywire has forced a city boy to deal with demons closer to home...

Deadline: January 24th, 2017 Payment: Split Royalties Participating Poets so far: Josh Darling, Anais Chartschenko, John Kaniecki, Norbert Gora, Ashley Dioses, Erin Lee, Marian Finch, Xtina Marie and Le' Vian Dae. No set word count; up to 3 poems for submissions; must be dark poetry/anti-love Times New Roman Font 12 pt Please include real name and pen name in submission Deadline is January 24th For "'Til Death..." please send submissions to [email protected] Split Royalties for payment Via: Azoth Khem Publishing.

Deadline: January 30, 2017 Payment: 3 cents (CDN) per word What’s that rumbling sensation under your feet? Is it the subway train? Or perhaps the return of the Cabbagetown Monster? What ghosts lurk in the castle? Who whispers in the tunnels? What strange lights flicker in the windows of Casa Loma late at night? Those rolling patches of fog from Lake Ontario could be lake fog or perhaps they’re the ghosts who haunt the Legion Road streetcar stop? What lures the broken hearted to fling themselves from the Bloor Street viaduct? Why do they film so many horror movies in Hart House and other U of T properties? Is the lighthouse keeper on Toronto Island lonely even though he’s been dead for years? Who was buried between the walls at the old Sanctuary Vampire Sex Bar? If you’re familiar with the dark history of Toronto, you may know the answers to some of these questions. You may even be tempted to create some of your own. Dark Toronto is looking for fictional horror stories set in Toronto.  This anthology is open to anyone who can write a horror story about Toronto and make us feel like we’re there. Stories originally set in Boston or Dublin and transposed to Toronto, will be easy to spot. There are many unique characteristics about Toronto. There are many creepy, dark, and strange places that may or may not harbour creatures of the night. So be certain you’re intimate with the setting before you submit. Toronto The Good? Dark Toronto aims to bury that nickname. At the bottom of Lake Ontario. Where many of the city’s skeletons rest. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 3000 to 6000 words. 12 pt Times New Roman, Standard Manuscript Format  Please include name, mailing address, and word count on page 1 of manuscript Email...

Deadline: January 31st, 2017 Payment: .03CAD per word and 2 contributor's copies As long-time readers and authors involved with MMP know, our annual anthology project takes a seed story or concept from the history of Weird Fiction and allows that seed to grow in strange and interesting new ways. We encourage our authors to unshackle themselves from the standard tropes that can weigh down the imagination and move into truly authentic dimensions of fear, awe, and cosmic wonder. We want to see the Weird move with confidence into the 21st Century, and want our authors to share that commitment. For A Breath from the Sky: Unusual Stories of Possession, the seed story will be H P Lovecraft’s classic The Colour Out of Space. This is easily one of his best works, and will be included in the anthology. Colour presents many interesting entry points into our theme of unusual possession: the titular entity — an unknown, sentient being from beyond the stars that manifests as an unearthly, unplaceable hue — is released from a fallen meteorite and proceeds to infect and alter everything around it. The earth, plants, animals, and humans within its sphere of malign influence change and suffer. The Colour pollutes the ground water like a common toxic spill, yet also spreads like radiation. It appears to be a brute force of nature, affecting its surroundings on the molecular and genetic levels, but can also attack specific individuals with something approaching intelligence, inhabiting their minds and reducing them to shambling wrecks both physically and mentally. A Breath from the Sky: Unusual Stories of Possession will offer the reader just that: tales that subvert and challenge the common ideas of what it means to be “taken over” by something that is not yourself. We do not want to see...

Deadline: January 31, 2017 Payment: $0.06/word and 2 contributor's copies WE’RE LOOKING FOR STORIES THAT: Have a main character that a middle grade reader (ages 8-12) can identify with; Show a diverse set of real characters; Are well written, fun to read and encourage a love of reading science fiction; Tell of adventure, space, science.  Give us rockets, robots and alien encounters, and we’re pretty happy. Steampunk, time travel, weird west and alternate history are all fine. To be super clear – we’re looking science fiction, in all it’s variants. While we love fantasy as well, please don’t submit fantasy stories for this anthology. Are between 3,000 and 6,000 words. We’re especially looking for stories: Of adventure!  We love a good dystopia as much as the next robot, but remember – this is the young explorer’s adventure guide. Where the main character is of a population that has traditionally been under-represented in science fiction, e.g. girls, people of color, differently abled people; Where the main character has agency, exercises it, and isn’t just along for the ride. We are strong supporters of both the #weneeddiversebooks and #ownvoices movements.   We’re not interested in: Stories where the female characters primarily exist to be rescued or as a prize for the males; Stories where the primary plot or subplot is romantic in nature; Stories with graphic violence or any form of sexual activity; Stories with any violence towards animals; Stories about the first girl to do X, surprising everyone; Stories that depict any ethnicity or gender as universally bad or stupid. Please note:  although we’re aware kids have a wide and varied vocabulary, we’d prefer not to have swearing in the stories. If your story has swearing, please rephrase before submitting. Submission deadline, mechanics and planned schedule Anthology will be open for submissions from...

Deadline: January 31st, 2017 Payment: Contributor's copy, £10, and royalty split An anthology of science fiction and speculative stories exploring how science and technology could change what it means to be human. We’re looking for stories that explore ideas including, but not limited to: bio implants, cybernetics, genetic modification, and age reversal and the human experience of undergoing such procedures. You are encouraged to populate and create your own world with original characters and to set the tale as close or as far away from present time as you wish. We’re after fresh and engaging work that makes us laugh, cry, and think. Show us what the future holds should technology continue to advance at unprecedented speed. We’re asking that stories are between 6-10k in length and polished to perfection. Submissions period is open until the end of January 2017. Please send all stories to us via our submittable link: Kristell Ink SUBMIT NOW! Via: Kristell Ink.

Deadline: January 31st, 2017 Payment: Contributor's copy, £10, and royalty split An anthology of science fiction stories exploring the many different reactions and experiences of people during the 24 hours leading up to the end of the world. We’re looking for stories that show us a range of emotions and reactions to the news of the apocalypse. How and why is entirely up to you, but some examples include nuclear warfare, alien invasion, ecological disaster, an impact event, dysgenics and so on. Our base instinct is to survive, but when the end is nigh, do we simply lie down and die? Or do we celebrate our life and achievements? Exploring the uncertainty of our future can sometimes force us only to look at misery, but we encourage you to have fun. Whatever the reaction, make us feel the many emotions of your characters. Love, loss, forgiveness, revenge, or just that final goodbye… We’re asking that stories are between 6-10k in length and polished to perfection. Submissions period is open until the end of January 2017. Please send all stories to us via our submittable link: Kristell Ink SUBMIT NOW! Via: Kristell Ink.

Deadline: January 31st, 2017 Payment: Contributor's copy, £10, and royalty split Land belonging to no-one. An anthology of speculative fiction that explores the colonisation of our Solar System and far beyond, where pioneers carve out a new existence under other stars. New worlds and new challenges bring the potential for rich stories filled with alien races and strange technology, but against this backdrop we want to experience the many facets of human emotion during the struggle to make a new home. Show us human life on the final frontier. We’re looking for stories that leave us thinking about the characters long after The End. We’re asking that stories are between 6-10k in length and polished to perfection. Submissions period is open until the end of January 2017. Please send all stories to us via our submittable link: Kristell Ink SUBMIT NOW! Via: Kristell Ink.

Deadline: January 31st, 2017 Payment: 8 cents per word Following on our anthology Tomorrow's Cthulhu, we're launching a themed anthology series of weird horror set in or inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos. The next release is Ride the Star Wind: Cthulhu, Space Opera, and the Cosmic Weird, presenting tales that combine space opera with cosmic weird horror, either set within the Cthulhu Mythos or inspired by it. It is now open to submissions. Send us into space, away from earth, and bring the weird! Give us adventure and wonder, spaceships and monsters, tentacles and insanity, determined struggle and starborne terror. Whether sprawling in scope or tightly focused and personal, make sure to give us a taste of the greater universe of your story, such as the culture and politics. Make us long to know more of your universe. We want diverse stories with modern sensibilities from many different voices that show the immense and diverging possibilities ahead for weird horror. We want to forge ahead and explore the new and the strange. We are actively seeking submissions from writers from underrepresented populations. (This includes, but is not limited to, writers of any race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, class, and physical or mental ability.) We want stories that mesh space opera with cosmic weird horror. For the elements of space opera, modern touchstones include James SA Corey (Expanse series), Ann Leckie (Imperial Radch series), Iain Banks (Culture series), Nnedi Okorafor (Binti), David Brin (Uplift trilogy), and Becky Chambers (Wayfarers series). For mixing elements of space opera and cosmic weird horror, the short story "Boojum" by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette is a great touchstone. The technology level for submissions can fall anywhere in the soft- to hard-science range. Stories should also be set within or be inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos. We want to see the Mythos continue...

Deadline: January 31st, 2017 Payment: Varies on length - See below! MASHED : The Culinary Delights of Twisted Erotic Horror! (Tentative Title) Short Story Anthology – A Food Related Erotic Horror Anthology What We Want: Stories that make us laugh, make our skin crawl and leave us feeling inappropriately aroused. Preferably all three! Combine food, eroticism and horror. Have fun! Any sub-genre sci-fi, western, just keep it interesting and unexpected humor is always encouraged! Must be your own original work of fiction. No fan fiction and no copyrighted material you do not own the rights to. Story Length: (See Anthology Payment Guidelines For Details on Rates) 4-8 Stories 500-2500 pieces Pays up to $10, ($0.01c per word up to a maximum of $10) 4 Stories 2500-5k pieces (20k) Pays up to $20 ($0.005c per word up to a maximum of $20) 2 Stories 5-10k pieces (20k) Pays $30 ($0.005c per word up to a maximum of $30) We will be purchasing first world anthology rights for E-book Format, Print & Audio. Rates above are for each individual format. The initial payment will be for E-book & Print Rights(Double the amounts listed above), The final payment(if executed) for audio rights will be only the amount listed above. We will update the above story needs as spaces are filled. Payment to Authors: Will be via Paypal, See the Anthology Payment Guidelines for full details. Simultaneous Submissions: As an author myself, I get it! We accept simultaneous submissions, just let us know if your work gets accepted elsewhere as quickly as possible. Multiple & Reprint Submissions: We do not accept multiple submissions. If your first piece is rejected, you may query about a second piece, but do not send until given approval. We do not accept reprints. Response Time: We will strive to respond...

Deadline: January 31st, 2017 Payment: 1cent/word, drabbles pay more Note: Reprints Allowed December 1st, 2016 – January 31st, 2017 11:59 EST Anything submitted outside of this window will be deleted unread. Artists and photographers can submit year round. CURRENT THEME Year One: Saturnalia ISBN-13: Coming Soon ISBN-10: Coming Soon sat·ur·na·li·a ˌsatərˈnālyə/ noun the ancient Roman festival of Saturn in December, which was a period of general merrymaking and was the predecessor of Christmas. an occasion of wild revelry. noun: saturnalia; plural noun: saturnalias A time of revelry and reversal, Saturnalia represents the breakdown of what has been deemed the natural order. Hyperion and Theia’s inaugural volume wants stories and poetry that runs the gamut of genres and turns expectations on their heads. Submit a fantastical murder-mystery set in the biggest carnival in Atlantis. Wow us with a sweeping romance in space where gods and goddesses serve their creations after a bloody war. Deadline January 31st, 2017 11:59 EST. RIGHTS SOUGHT FOR FICTION & POETRY First world electronic and print rights in English with exclusivity for 8 months from the date of publication Non-exclusive archival rights as long as the website(s) hosting the work are online If your story is selected to be podcast and approved in the future, or an audiobook is produced, payment is $0.01USD per word for non-exclusive electronic audio rights Copyright remains with the author at all times Please query if anything listed is of concern. Here is a good explanation of what this entails. LENGTH & GUIDELINES COVER ART: To be used in the electronic and print editions, can be art or photography, and is usually solicited. ARTWORK: Usually solicited. Payment dependent on the artist. POETRY: Up to 100 lines. Paid $0.25USD a line. MICRO FICTION: Drabbles are strictly 100 words. Titles should be no longer than 3 words....

Deadline: January 31, 2017 Payment: Poems (4-100 lines): $50 plus one contributor’s copy Short-short stories (under 1000 words): $50, plus one contributor’s copy Fiction (6000 words max.) 1000-2999 words: $125 plus 2 contributor’s copies plus a One year subscription 3000-4999 words: $175 plus 2 contributor’s copies plus a One year subscription 5000-6000 words: $200 plus 2 contributor’s copies plus a One year subscription The story coffers have run dry once again and we are looking for your best speculative short fiction! Please read the Style Guide carefully and keep it wholly to ensure your story is read. During our last submission period we received over 400 stories; we thinned the field by rejecting without reading any story which didn’t follow the guide. No, yours will not be an exception. Deadline for submissions is January 31, 2017 at 11:59pm MST. All submissions must be made through our Submittable page; stories received in any other way will not be considered. We are a volunteer-run publication, so we promise to get through all the submissions as quickly as we can. We will provide feedback as time allows, but please understand we simply don’t have the time to provide detailed feedback for every submission. If you do sell your story elsewhere before we have made a selection, please let us know at [email protected].   Poetry Submissions are Open In fact, poetry submissions are open year-round. Please follow the link to our Submittable page and click the appropriate button. To increase the chances of a successful poetry submission, please take a moment to read the guidelines once you are there. As with the stories, you can track the progress of your submission via Submittable. Cover Art Submissions are Open And like poetry submissions, are always open. You can submit your art for consideration on our...

Deadline: January 31st, 2017 Payment: $50 Summary Tales to Terrify is a volunteer-run fan podcast featuring short horror, dark fantasy, and other disturbing fiction. We are looking for works up to 10,000 words long. All submissions are welcome and encouraged from writers of every race, religion, nationality, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Feel free to challenge the definition of horror. Standard tropes and monsters are welcome just as much as blood, sex and gore. Scare us with your Gothic stories of haunted buildings, but do your best to honor the diversity within the genre. We want to be terrified by your concepts, by your implications, by your story’s possibilities. We want to read works that threaten to bleed into our reality and corrupt something as ordinary as a toaster. Scare us. Make our breath stop and disturb our minds. Anything is allowed as long as it’s well-conceived and well-written. Terrify the hell out of us with your tales. What We Are NOT Looking For: Stories that are not horror, dark fantasy or some form of disturbing fiction Fan fiction Manuscript Format Microsoft Word or Rich Text Format Double spaced 12 pt. Courier New or Times New Roman font Please include author, title and word count on first page. Submission Procedure All fiction must be submitted to the District of Wonder’s Moksha account: https://districtofwonders.moksha.io Please use the cover letter field for biographical information and any links to websites or social media that you would like included. Simultaneous submissions (submitting the same stories to other publishers at the same time) and multiple submissions are allowed. Each author may submit up to two stories during the submission period. Any story beyond the first two or which is received outside of the submission period will be rejected unread. Response Times Most submissions will receive a...

Deadline: January 31st, 2017 Payment: $3 Haunted Waters Press seeks exceptionally small works of flash fiction to be showcased in Penny Fiction, a regular feature of the literary journal, From the Depths. Stories will also appear in the Penny Fiction Poster Collection. DETAILS Penny Fiction is open to all new, emerging, and established writers. We seek flash fiction stories told in exactly 15 words—no more, no less. One submission per author, per reading period. Multiple stories per submission encouraged. No previously published works. Penny Fiction submissions are welcome in three reading periods: December (2016)/January, March/April, June/July Expect a decision within 30 days of the close of each reading period. See full guidelines below. PAYMENT $3.00 per published piece. (That’s a professional rate of .20 cents per word— enough for a fresh brewed cup of coffee to enjoy while reading the next edition of Penny Fiction Pages!) SUBMISSIONS All entries accepted via Submittable. Free to submit! PENNY FICTION 2017 FULL GUIDELINES Tell us story in exactly 15 words—no more, no less. Extra points will be awarded for those writers who adhere to the guidelines. Not really. There are no points. Just read the guidelines below and impress Penny with your ability to follow instructions. The Lovely Submission: One submission per author, per reading period. (Contributors are encouraged to submit multiple stories in a single file, but may only transmit one submission per reading period.) One story is fine. Four is cool. Twenty is borderline obnoxious. We like obnoxious! Just remember: a single submission with multiple stories! Each Penny is a short story told in exactly 15 words—no more, no less. Titles are not included in word count, but should not be an extension of the story. No theme requirements. Looking for inspiration? Follow Penny Fiction on Facebook for prompts and inspiration. No poetry, tag lines, or jokes....

Deadline: February 1st, 2017 Payment: Contributor's Copy Locker Shockers: Urban Legends is a Young Adult horror anthology. Deadline February 1, 2017 Edited by Cassie Carnage We are looking for 5,000 word stories about young adults and their encounters with the paranormal entities of urban legends. Such as: Creatures living in the rain sewers Aliens Vampires living next door Children who mysteriously died when breaking into school at night Bloody Mary Slenderman Possessed/haunted school objects- computers, phones, furniture, appliances, pictures, trophies, mirrors etc. Ouija boards that keep showing up, even after they are burnt and their ashes are thrown out Paranormal Games, like the Charlie, Charlie Challenge When you were a teenager did your friends tell you scary stories about your home town or school? Think back to your own childhood for inspiration. What scared you then? Channel that into your young character’s psyche and run with it. Submission Guidelines: 5,000 Firm Word Count. Please note that you  can go over the word count, but not under this amount. The main character must be between the ages 13 and 18 years of age for it to be considered a Young Adult horror story. Keep your story PG-13. No graphic sex, no hate speech, no gratuitous violence, no adult content. Keep swearing to a minimum. (Anything that can be said on night time television is acceptable.) Please follow the proper manuscript format, which can be found here for your reference:  http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html Submissions that do not follow the proper manuscript format will not be considered for publication. Multiple submissions are accepted. However, simultaneous submissions with other publications are not. All authors published in Locker Shockers will receive a contributor’s copy. Locker Shockers: Urban Legends Deadline February 1, 2017 Please email all submissions to [email protected] Via: GLAHW.

Deadline: February 1st, 2017 Payment: 0.03 cents USD What we are looking for: Non-themed short horror stories that arrests readers and leave them haunted for months to come. Since horror is the only genre of fiction defined by an emotion, your story must have the following: Believable, three-dimensional characters just as real as your friends and neighbors. A real world—hitting all the senses—these characters inhabit. Originality is just as important—we don’t want your version of someone else’s story from yesteryear. Although our arms are wide open, we’re more interested in fiction that reflects the modern. Joe Hill, and Mercedes M. Yardley are prime examples of current dark fiction writers encapsulating the above in their work. Quality of the work must be top notch! The following authors have appeared in previous Tales from The Lake anthologies: Jack Ketchum, Ramsey Campbell, Rena Mason, Graham Masterton, Lisa Morton, Tim Lebbon, and Tim Waggoner. That’s the high-water mark you must strive for. If you want to write a story about vampires, werewolves or ghosts, then your story needs to evolve that trope. You must have a unique premise. I cannot stress that enough. If you wish to submit an “extreme horror” or “splatterpunk” story, that’s fine with us. However, you’ll have to make sure that your emotional foundations are solid, and your characters actually have an arch. We will not accept stories that just go for the gore and offer nothing more. What we are not looking for: Stories that are not short horror stories. Novels or novellas. Stories bereft of characters that readers can believe in and root for. The only exception to this rule would be the “terror tale,” which is best kept as short as possible. Think a thousand words or less. Stories with flat worlds. Trunk stories. Stories about serial...

Deadline: February 1st, 2017 Payment: Royalties Supervillains have been invited by the proto-villain, G-Force, and are all seated around the huge table at the old gothic hotel in an undisclosed location. They have decided to come together to pool their resources against the superhero interlopers, who always seem do a much better job of teaming up. The only way the villains can make a new association of misunderstood metahumans work is to choose a leader. So they each give their case, explaining why they should be selected as the Supreme Archvillain. You are invited to submit your writing where your original supervillain pleads his or her case as to why they are the best suited to become the Supreme Archvillain. It can be through their dramatic battle(s), humorous, or some other unique device. The Supreme Archvillain Election is a superhero prose fiction anthology project open to anyone, until February 1, 2017. It is a vehicle for published authors of prose superhero fiction to promote their work. New writers are also welcome to contribute. Stories and characters must be original, or public domain. No fan fiction. This is not a Creative Commons project. Submission does not guarantee acceptance. You may be required to rewrite or edit, or your piece may be rejected. Or, I may do some light editing on my own. The contributions should be around 3,000 to 5,000 words long.Reprint excerpts that fit may be used. Upon acceptance, you will be giving one-time rights to use your piece. Bear in mind that most publications will not publish pieces that have already been published, so after your work is published by us, it can only be marketed again as a reprint, which severely limits the number of markets that will accept it, and drastically reduces the pay rate it can receive. If you submit a contribution, I...

Deadline: February 1st, 2017 Payment: 1 cent per word and a contributor's copy NonBinary Review is a quarterly digital literary journal that joins poetry, fiction, essays, and art around each issue's theme. We invite authors to explore each theme in any way that speaks to them: re-write a familiar story from a new point of view, mash genres together, give us a personal essay about some aspect of our theme that has haunted you all your life. We also invite art that will accompany the literature and be featured on our cover. All submissions must have a clear and obvious relationship to some specific aspect of the source text (a character, episode, or setting). Submissions only related by a vague, general, thematic similarity are unlikely to be accepted. We are open to submissions which relate to the entirety of Edgar Allan Poe's work--poetry as well as prose. We encourage you to explore Project Gutenberg for reference, and suggest Volume I, Volume II, Volume III, Volume IV and Volume V of Poe's Complete Works, or The Complete Poetic Works as your source of inspiration (and accuracy.)  Submissions which do not tie into the plots or make use of characters/settings from the stories WILL NOT be considered--there needs to be a clear connection to the source material.  We want language that makes us reach for a dictionary or a tissue or both. Words in combinations and patterns that leave the faint of heart a little dizzy. FICTION, CREATIVE NON-FICTION, FLASH & HYBRID/EXPERIMENTAL NonBinary Review accepts fiction and creative non-fiction of up to 5,000 words in length, although shorter is probably better. Fiction should be double spaced, 12-point type, in Times New Roman or similar font in a Word document or text file. Authors may submit up to 5 pieces of flash fiction, no more than 1000 words each, in this category....

Deadline: February 1st, 2017 Payment: $25.00 Note: Reprints Allowed Do you have a pet?  Do you want a pet? Do you dream of pets?  Most importantly, do you write about pets? Smoking Pen Press is issuing a Call for Submissions for  an anthology of short stories about pets.  Real or fantasy, usual or unusual, ordinary or not so ordinary.. The deadline for submission is February 1, 2017. Stories should be between 1500 and 7000 words.  Submissions should be in Word (.doc or .docx) format and should be sent to [email protected] As always, there is no submission fee.  Authors of selected stories will receive a one-time payment of $25.00.   No simultaneous submissions. Multiple submissions accepted, and welcomed. Previously published work may be submitted, as long as any exclusivity has expired, all rights have reverted back to the author, and author must fully disclose  all details about the previous publication. For more information on any of our Calls for Submission, or if you have questions, use our Contact Us form, and make sure to indicate in your comment that this is in reference to the Read on the Run series. Via: Smoking Pen Press.

Deadline: February 1st, 2017 Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 - $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction and a contributor's copy Spring: Eddie tended to drift into whatever jobs were available that would pay the rent. Due date: February 1, 2017 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. (Also, we understand that writers may add our first line to a story they are currently working on or have already completed, and that's cool. But please do not add our first line to a previously published story and submit it to us. We do not accept previously published stories, even if they have been repurposed for our first lines.) 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...

Deadline: February 1st, 2017 Payment: Split Royalties Do you remember that guy or girl you did everything for? The one you walked on water for, bent over backward for and sacrificed your own happiness to please them... The one who ended up leaving you distraught, numb, and dying on the floor? Revenge of love is the best remedy to soothe your burning soul! Piece by Piece is an Anti-Valentine's Day Horror Anthology for short stories. Massacres, heartbreak hotel, obsessive love; the one thing they all have in common: The color red that smears the walls and allays the maniacal laughs of the once dying and broken soul. 3k-10k word count Times New Roman 12 pt font Deadline: February 1st Crisp, clean, polished work Must be Valentine themed Please send submissions to [email protected] Split royalty payment Via: Azoth Khem Publishing.

Deadline: February 1st, 2017 Payment: Unlisted but "will always meet or exceed SFWA minimum compensation guidelines" Retro Future is a bi-monthly pulp magazine that searches for diverse, surprising, and progressive science fiction in art, prose, essay, and comics. Issue #2: "Love" - February 1, 2017 Issue #2: Relationships and love in the future. Submissions Guidelines We welcome submissions of art and writing that approaches retrofuturism through a progressive lens. Essays and flash fiction of approximately 250-500 words is especially welcome; longer works may be serialized. Comic submissions should be 1-8 pages of finished work. Anything longer may get serialized across multiple issues. Please note that inside art should be in grayscale (please refer to art and comic templates for details.) Galileo Books acquires first serial rights; upon publication, these rights revert back to you, the author. We ask that you acknowledge Retro Future (Galileo Books) as the venue of original publication when the work appears in your book or is otherwise collected. If a work becomes unavailable while under our review, please contact us via email. Submitted work for specific issues may be considered for other issues if themes fit. Art and comic templates are located here. (Dropbox will ask you to join, you can ignore that and click the 'continue to download' link) Retro Future is a progressive publication. Subjects such as sexual violence, un-examined racism, and other potentially offensive material are often used as fodder for exposition in genre stories–this is not appropriate for inclusion in Retro Future. We are looking for forward-looking and optimistic science and science-fiction. Sensitive topics can be part of a good story, but a vision of a future better than our present is the focus of Retro Future. Keep this in mind when submitting. Submission Email [email protected] In the subject, please format as follows for artwork:...

Deadline: February 5th, 2017 Payment: Royalty Split Submissions Call! Jan 5th – Feb 5th Spark and Fizz Books is accepting submissions to the inaugural issue of its quarterly science and speculative fiction zine Planet Scumm. We’ll be accepting submissions January 5th to February 5th, or until we fill the collection. What We’re Looking For Previously unpublished short fiction that doesn’t lean heavily on genre tropes. Hard sci-fi, soft sci-fi, sci-fi that melts in your mouth-brain not your hand-brain. Speculative fiction, weird fiction, slipstream, glitterlit, analogpunk. Basically anything that pleases Scummy, our megaphone-toting slime buddy. Include submissions as an .RTF or .DOC attachment sent to [email protected] along with a brief cover letter in the email body. Stories, or collections of flash fiction, should be 1000-7500 words in length, and submitted in standard manuscript format. Use the subject line “Planet Scumm Submission” followed by your story title. Submit only one short story or flash collection. We will not accept multiple submissions from the same author in one reading period. Simultaneous submissions are okay, as long as you promptly withdraw a story accepted elsewhere. Submissions that are too long or short will be rejected immediately, as will those that are incorrectly formatted. In addition, submissions covering the topics below aren’t likely to play well with our slush readers. The No-No List Zombies, vampires, werewolves, pirates, ninjas Cthuloid/Mythos tales Straight horror without a clear speculative element Erotica Fan fiction Sword-and-spell fantasy Steampunk Anthropomorphic animals Stories that end with “It was all a dream” or “Turns out they were in a simulation” Use With Caution Time travel Political allegory Satire/Comedy Lasers (pew-pew handheld ones, and big blue planet-killers) FTL travel Schedule, Rights and Payment Issue 001 will be released July 4th, 2017 as an e-book with a limited print run. Most accepted stories will also be...