Events

Deadline: January 30th, 2020 Payment: 2 cents a word, up to 1500 words ($30 max) for prose stories For the first time, Murder Park is open to submissions from the world at large. While we started as a small zine showcasing the work of L.A.-area authors, we have decided to expand the scope to consider work from anywhere, so long as it’s spooky! Submissions will be open through January 30, 2020, or until we have enough acceptances to fill the volume. What we want: Original horror or dark fantasy stories of no more than 2000 words. Sci-fi is also welcome so long as it’s scary. We don’t have a strong preference for any particular style or subgenre, but we do prefer writing that is more literary than pulp, that achieves its scares from impacts to fully realized characters as opposed to splatter, gore, or shock value.  We would rather be unsettled than grossed out. We will happily consider formats outside of traditional prose. Comics, email chains, tweet threads, and other methods of spooky storytelling are welcome. Don’t be afraid to surprise us. But please, no poetry. We are open to authors of all backgrounds and publication histories. Preference will be given to authors based in Southern California (we are an L.A. zine, after all) and to authors of underrepresented backgrounds. However, the strength of the writing and impact of the story is by far the biggest consideration. Hard sells: Parody/horror-comedy. Zombies. Clowns. Serial killer protagonists. Stories featuring gratuitous violence and gore at the expense of plot or character arcs. Anything with an explicit or implicit message of racism, sexism, queerphobia, or other bigotries is a definite no. Compensation: 2 cents a word, up to 1500 words ($30 max) for prose stories, and $30 flat for comics or other visual stories. Payment...

Deadline: January 30th, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: Dystopian and post-apocalyptic science fiction Volume 2, Issue : Spring 2020 Coming in May 2020 Theme: Shattered Worlds Preferred Genres*: dystopian and post-apocalyptic science fiction Word Count: We are looking for short stories and novelettes ranging from 2,500 to 15,000 words, and poetry of up to 20 pages in length**. Submission Deadline: January 30, 2020 Some men just want to watch the world burn, and our Editor in Chief B.K. Bass is one of them! We’re looking for dystopian, apocalyptic, and post-apocalyptic science fiction for our Spring issue! Dystopian: Send us your visions for a grim future. What’s your version of a nightmare world? Is it a place of government oppression, constant war, or scarce resources? Is anybody fighting back, or is mankind trapped in a prison of his own making? Apocalyptic & post-apocalyptic: How does the world end? Whether it’s caused by climate change or nuclear war, we want to see what you think it would be like to experience the apocalypse or survive after it. *We hope to ensure that the majority of each issue fits a theme, but will consider other submissions for each issue. Stories in the Preferred Genres will receive primary preference, related genres and or themes will be considered next, and unrelated content will be given tertiary consideration. ** 20 pages in an 8.5″ x 11″ Word doc at 12 pt TNR or Courier, single-spaced with spaces between stanzas. Submission Guidelines Please read through this section thoroughly before sending your story! Submissions that do not follow these guidelines may not make it through our initial screening process. What to Include in the Email An introduction is always nice. Tell us who you are. Have we met, or did somebody refer you to us? Here is a good...

Deadline: January 31st, 2020 Payment: Royalties Reign of Queens (ROQ) (Rated R) Deadline – January 31st, 2020 Publication – May 2020 Word Count – 5,000-15,000 Theme – In these stories, women rule and worlds governed by men are a thing of the past. Whether righteous or downright sadistic, these authoritative female figures shape their worlds for better or worse despite the trials thrown their way. Note: No limitation on genre, setting, etc. After receiving edits back, the author has two weeks to return the submission for formatting. View our blog post on the topic of how to submit to a publisher.   Rating – Check each anthologies‘ rating. Word count – Check each anthologies‘ word count requirements. E-mail address to submit to – [email protected]   NOTICE –  Failure to submit correctly will result in refusal of submission. Via: Dragon Souls Press.

Deadline: January 31st, 2019 Payment: 8 cents per word Rebuilding Tomorrow is a followup anthology to Defying Doomsday, which was an anthology of apocalypse-survival fiction with a focus on disabled characters. Rebuilding Tomorrow will again focus on disabled and/or chronically ill protagonists but, rather than focussing on survival in the immediate aftermath of an apocalypse, we want stories set a significant time after an apocalyptic disaster. We want stories that show society getting back on its feet and people who have moved past (or are in the process of moving past) subsistence-level existence into a new, sustainable world, even though it’s one that has been irrevocably changed by an apocalypse. We already have some fantastic stories lined up, but we want more! If you have an apocalypse story featuring a character with a disability, we would love to read it.   Submission Guidelines:   (One of) the protagonist(s) must be a character with a disability or physical impairment, chronic illness, mental illness or neurodiversity etc. We will consider stories with characters experiencing all kinds of disability and illness and hope that submitting authors will be creative with the possibilities. We feel strongly that disability or chronic illness (etc) should have a frequent (if not daily) impact on the character’s life. For example, a character with a deadly peanut allergy in a world where peanuts have been wiped out by a plague isn’t going to quite cut it. However, we are not looking for issue stories or stories where disability is the sole focus of the narrative. Some sort of cataclysmic event must have occurred well before the start of the story. We are open to a variety of past events, including apocalypses, alien invasions, devastating war, natural disasters etc. Be creative! The important thing is that these events should be in the past, although...

Deadline: January 31st, 2020 Payment: $130 and 2 contributor's copies I’m seeking all-new true crime stories for THE BEST NEW TRUE CRIME STORIES: SMALL TOWNS (to be published by Mango Publishing Group USA) Subject: True crime in small towns What I’m looking for: Well-developed thoughtful non-fiction content that offers readers more than dry reportage. Known, lesser known and obscure cases are welcome. Add something new to the discussion, a different viewpoint or angle. First-person accounts are especially welcome from writers with some connection to the crimes. Stories can take place anywhere in the world and during any time frame. Material must be meticulously fact-checked before submission, including dates, names, locations etc. No reprints accepted. Word count: 4,000-7,000 words One-time payment per story: USD $130, and 2 print copies of the book. Contributor fees paid approximately 1 month after publication. (Preferred payment method: PayPal.) For: Non-exclusive rights with one-year’s exclusivity from date of publication. Deadline for submissions: Jan 31, 2020 Note that I’ll be selecting material on an on-going basis. Writers are strongly encouraged to submit their stories in advance of the deadline date. Contact me with suggestions/queries at: TheBestNewTrueCrimeStories @ gmail.com Submission requirements: Format: double-spaced Arial 12-point Word document (sent as attachment). Do not indent paragraphs; instead enter one space between them. No irregular spacing between words or sentences. No footnotes or endnotes. If you wish to include a bibliography (optional), please use Chicago Manual of Style. American spelling and punctuation (i.e. double quote marks, etc.). Include your legal name, postal address, and an author bio of 50-100 words written in the third person. No simultaneous submissions please. In the subject line of your email: True Crime submission. If you don’t receive an acknowledgement within a week of submitting your material, definitely follow up! (For non-US-based writers, editor is not responsible for payment of VAT, if...

Deadline: January 31st, 2020 Payment: 1000-3000 words is $5 and longer is $10 Unfading Daydream is looking for unique and exceptional fiction to be showcased in our quarterly literary magazine. We strive to feature stories within the genres that have inspired us (sci-fi, fantasy, horror, etc) as well as stories that feature LGBTQ+ themes. We are currently not open for submissions. Basic Details We are open to established and new, emerging authors. In terms of length, we’re looking for stories between 1000 and 7000 words. Shorter or longer stories will be evaluated on a case by case basis. No previously published works. Please no simultaneous submissions If you are under 18, we require parental permission and have made a permission form. The form can be found HERE Reading periods are May to July and November to January. All submissions must be in by 11:59pm CST on the last day of the reading period (July or January). Be advised that if we get enough stories before the end of a submission period, we may close submissions early. Please do not send submissions outside of our reading periods. Submissions received outside of reading periods will not be considered. Expect a decision within four weeks of the reading period closing See full guidelines below Payment Stories that are between 1000-3000 words will receive $5. Stories that are longer than that will receive $10.  All contributors receive a hard copy of the magazine. In time, we would like to pay contributors more! Submissions We accept submissions only by email. Free to submit! Please send your submission to submit  unfadingdaydream com with the title of ‘Unfading Daydream Submission’. Full Guidelines We want to see your unique sci-fi, fantasy, horror, etc. We prefer stories that are between 1000-7000 words, but if you feel that your 8000 word story or your 700 word story is brilliant, we’d love...

Deadline: January 31st, 2020 Payment: $25 and a contributors copy Theme: Fiction set before 1996, rooted in history and voice-driven Timeworn Literary Journal welcomes unpublished historical fiction submissions in English under 5,000 words. They should be set before 1996, rooted in history and voice-driven. We're looking for "Historical Fiction from the fringe." Work with a bend toward the surreal, the dream-like, the strange. The offbeat kind of story that settles into your heart long after reading. That said, we also value beauty and warmth and a generally well-written story with soul. Romance, Mystery, Crime and the Gothic are all acceptable. Speculative elements strongly encouraged. ​ Think, The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'Neill. Think, The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt. Think, Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. Think, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ​ While we love a tasteful sex scene, no erotica. No gratuitous violence or rape. ​ History can vary a great deal based on the perspective it's written from. We aim to publish stories from all walks of life and encourage submissions from those in marginalized groups. ​ PLEASE NOTE we do not accept novel excerpts or poetry. For Book reviews and Essays please see Guidelines. ​ Guidelines (updated for 1/2020 call)   Story should be between 2,000 and 5,000 words. Send via e-mail to [email protected] Include a short cover letter in the body of the e-mail. Attach submission in .docx format. Use Standard Manuscript Format in Times New Roman, 12-point font, double spaced. Subject line should read: SUBMISSION: . Simultaneous submissions ok, but let us know as soon as the story is accepted elsewhere. One submission per person per cycle. ​ Stories will be published in a limited quantity of hand-bound, saddle stitch publications twice a year, available for purchase in October and April for $10. Stories will also be available on our website for all to enjoy. ​ Payment of $25 will be sent to authors upon acceptance + print...

Deadline: Jauary 31st, 2020 Payment: $50 Theme: Stories that are "scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad" What We Publish At 34 Orchard, we like dark, intense pieces that speak to a deeper truth. We’re not genre-specific; we just like scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad. We like things we can’t put down and things that make us go “wow” when we’ve finished. But our main goal here at 34 Orchard is to publish the stuff we like to read, and you’re not in our heads. So don’t over think it. Just submit. Word Counts Short fiction from 1000 to 7500 words Poetry any style or length When We Publish We publish two issues per year, one in the spring (April) and one in the fall (November). Issues are hosted on this site as PDFs. Reading Period Our reading period for the Spring Issue is January 1-January 31. Our reading period for the Fall Issue is July 1-July 31. We only accept submissions, therefore, during January and July. Anything submitted to us outside those months will be deleted unread. Simultaneous Submissions Yes, we welcome and encourage them! Just notify us at [email protected] if it’s been accepted elsewhere as soon as you know. Multiple Submissions No. We only consider one piece per writer at a time. Reprints No. We don’t accept anything from our open submissions call that has been previously published. Formatting The usual: Times New Roman 12 point font/Double spaced Send as a .doc only (no docx, rtf, pdf) attachment to [email protected] Cover Letter: Just the nuts and bolts. Your name and contact info, the story/poem title, word count, if it’s a simultaneous submission, third person 100 word or fewer bio. Email Subject Line should read: Submission: “Story Title,” Last Name or Submission: “Poem Title,” Last Name Response Time Writers will hear back from us no later than February 28 for the spring...

etDeadline: January 31st, 2020 Payment: $25 AU Theme: Horror shorts We're looking for fantastic fantasy, super-duper science fiction,  Wonderfulliy Weird, and Macabre. ​ Think classic outer-worldly.  Think swashbuckling adventure.  Think stuff that would give Lovecraft the shivers.  Mad professors, demons of the dark, heroes, monsters, giant robots...  We could could go all day.  You get the idea. ​ New, unpublished writers are welcome! ​ Think you've got the chops?  Here are the rules: Under 18? No problem. Just send a note from your teacher or guardian with your submission, telling us it's ok for you to write for us. No gratuitous sex or excessive profanity.  No nasty sex of any kind unless it's inherent to the story, and not glorified.  Gore is fine if it's written well.  Hate speech, or material we might find offensive is not. ​ We pay a flat rate of $25 AU per original piece of fiction.  That’s low right now, but Rufo’s Dog is still a pup.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to pay more soon.  The best way for that to happen is for you to you tell all your friends to buy a copy and or subscribe, then we’ll have more moolah to throw at the next issue. We pay a flat rate of $100AU for any original colour artwork that makes the cover, and $25AU for any other artwork.  For commissioned work, payment is subject to negotiation with the individual artists. ​ For contributors with an Australian bank account, payments made via bank transfer are possible.  For international contributors, we prefer to pay via PayPal.  We do not pay via Western Union or similar services which charge payment fees.  WU charges $15 AU per transaction, and we just can't afford that. ​ Rufo's Dog will also provide a password and login for the full zine, valid for 12 months, for each contributer we publish. ​ No...

Deadline: January 31st, 2020 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Speculative stories--science fiction, fantasy, horror--with Christian themes, characters, or cosmology We are looking for speculative stories--science fiction, fantasy, horror--with Christian themes, characters, or cosmology, and for artwork for this site. Fiction Guidelines Technical details Stories can be up to 9000 words (thanks, Patreon supporters!). This is a hard limit--our submission system will enforce it. We pay 8 cents/word for original stories (or original translations of stories that have not previously appeared in English), and 4 cents/word for reprints (thanks again, Patreon!). Authors are paid once we've agreed on edits and signed a contract, prior to earliest publication (generally on our Patreon page). We are seeking 6 months' exclusive worldwide publication rights for original works (with exceptions for established Best of the Year anthologies), and non-exclusive worldwide print and electronic rights thereafter for both original works and reprints. We want to publish your story online in our webzine and keep it there indefinitely. We're also acquiring the right to offer ebook versions of the stories we publish, as Patreon rewards or for purchase; and to publish a print and ebook anthology of all the stories that appeared in the webzine over a given 1- or 2-year period. For original fiction, we want to be the only place publishing it for the first 6 months; after that, you're welcome to publish it anywhere else in any format you like. No multiple or simultaneous submissions. If multiple writers co-write a story, we consider each distinct group of writers a different submitter. In other words, if two people co-write a story, and they submit the co-written story, and each of them also submits a story written on their own, that would not violate our no multiple submissions policy. Submitting two stories co-written by the same two people would violate...

"Deadline: January 31st, 2020 Payment: 1 cent per word, a flat rate of $20 if under 2,000 words. Theme: Speculative fiction, whatever that means to you, be it Science Fiction, Fantasy, Steampunk, Magical Realism, Slipstream, or an as-yet-unnamed genre. The Overcast is currently open to submissions three times a year, during the months of January, April, and October. (Note we are no longer reading during July.  Our summers have just gotten too hectic.  Sorry for the inconvenience.  Thank you for understanding.)   What We Want We are interested in speculative fiction, whatever that means to you, be it Science Fiction, Fantasy, Steampunk, Magical Realism, Slipstream, or an as-yet-unnamed genre.  Anything that looks at the world and life from an unexpected angle.  We want the original vision of William Gibson.  The magic and beauty of Erin Morgenstern.  The uncompromising voice of Margaret Atwood.  The technical brilliance of Ted Chiang.  We want to read stories that transport us to places that we've never imagined.  We want to still be thinking about a story days after reading it.  Be original.  Be amazing. We are based in Portland, OR, and shine a spotlight on writers hailing from, living in, or connected in some way to the Pacific Northwest, as loosely defined by the bioregion of Cascadia.  We feel there is an exceptionally strong talent pool of speculative writers in Cascadia, and we want to celebrate and promote them to a larger audience.  Roughly half the stories we publish are by PNW writers.  That said, we are not exclusive, and the other half of our stories come from authors all over the globe.  So no matter where you live, send us your stories.  If they make us laugh, cry, or turn cartwheels of astonishment, preferably all at once, we will find a place for them on...

Deadline: January 31st, 2020 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Short stories in the lesbian historic fiction genre The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast will be open for submissions in January 2020 for short stories in the lesbian historic fiction genre, to be produced in audio format for the podcast, as well as published in text on the website. Technical Details We will accept short fiction of any length up to 5000 words, which is a hard limit. We will be buying a total of five  stories. (If we get some really great flash fiction, there’s the possibility of more.) We will be paying professional rates: $0.08/word. The contract will be for first publication rights in audio and print (i.e., the story must not have appeared in either format previously) with an exclusive one year license. (Exceptions can be arranged by mutual consent for “best of” collections within that term.) Instructions on how to submit are given below. NO SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED OUTSIDE THE SUBMISSION PERIOD OF JANUARY 2020. What We’re Looking For Stories must be set in an actual historic culture--i.e., a specific time and place in history--and the plot and characters should be firmly rooted in that time and place. (No time-travel or past memories, please.) NEW THIS YEAR: Stories may include fantastic elements that are appropriate to the historic setting. For example, they can include fantastic or supernatural events or beings that people of that era considered to be real. Or stories may be modeled on the fantastic literature of a specific historic era and culture. The limits to this will necessarily be subjective. Stories must be set before 1900. We’d love to see stories that reach beyond the popular settings of 19th century America and England unless you do something new and interesting in them. Romance is optional, and romance stories...

Submission Window: January 15 - 31, 2020 Payment: $50 Theme: A story similar to the "survival horror genre of video games" Note: I don't usually post calls before they open but as there is a limited window and I like the theme, here you go! Status: Will re-open for submissions January 15 - 31, 2020 Our first fiction anthology, Negative Space, will focus on the survival horror genre of video games, made popular by such legendary franchises as Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Amnesia. Although the term "survival horror" was first coined for Capcom's 1996 release of Resident Evil, it is now a widely used term in video game verbiage. Overall, our main goal of this anthology is to incorporate elements of the survival horror tradition into narrative fiction writing. So, in essence, what is survival horror? It is a sub-genre of horror video games in which the protagonist(s) must face dire situations in locations far off the beaten path by using the environment, or items found in the environment, to survive. While it's safe to assume that "survival" is a common element in most horror stories, there is an extra emphasis in a survival horror story. It could mean finding escape, or fortifying a position and awaiting rescue, or fighting the threat head on with the use of traps and/or under-powered weaponry. Think of Neil Marshall's film The Descent, or the last thirty minutes of Predator; that's what we're looking for. We are looking to publish around twelve pieces of original fiction for this anthology. Please keep in mind that this will be an experimental collection that favors active horror stories over quieter, literary pieces. When writing your story, think of dangerous locales, overwhelming odds, makeshift weapons, cryptic journals, secret underground facilities, and deadly traps. For inspiration read Stephen King's "The Mist," or play the new Resident...

Deadline: January 31st, 2020 Payment: For 500-3000 words – $10 USD Theme: Horror/dark tales related to 1920s. Can be based anywhere – Wild West, 20’s socialites, UK ala Peaky Blinders, etc Note: Reprints Allowed Note: Sorry for the short notice, didn't realize this had opened to the public Submission Deadline : Midnight 31st January 2020 Anthology : GROUP SPECIAL EDITION #4 Title : TWENTY TWENTY Theme : Horror/dark tales related to 1920s. Can be based anywhere – Wild West, 20’s socialites, UK ala Peaky Blinders, etc Word count : Drabbles or 500-3000 words. Author eligibility : Open to all authors Reprints : Only if rights have reverted back to you Simultaneous Submissions : Not allowed Multiple Submissions : Maximum of two submissions, one acceptance. Publication : Expected to release February 2020 in Print and Digital formats Author compensation : For drabbles – One digital copy For 500-3000 words – $10 USD plus one digital copy How to submit : See our submission guidelines for formatting. Send your story as an attachment in Word format to [email protected]. Your email title should be Anthology Name – Your Story Name – Author Name. For example; “TWENTY – My Story – A N Author” Please include an author bio of upto 100 words and no more than two links. Via: Black Hare Press.

Deadline: February 1st, 2020 Payment: $10 RAYGUN RETRO: A Science Fiction Anthology is now open for submissions. We're seeking science fiction stories 2000-6000 words in the style of 50s and 60s classic science fiction. Send us your best stories reminicent of Heinlein, Asimov, Clarke, Dick, Bradbury, and Vonnegut. Tell today's stories through the lens of yesteryear. One submission per author. Submissions close 1st Feb, 2020. Pays accepted stories $10 and an ebook copy. Send your stories to [email protected] No simultaneous submissions or reprints. SUBMIT YOUR STORY Submitting to Zombie Pirate Publishing is easy. Simply email your manuscript to [email protected] following the submission guidelines at the bottom of this page. We DO NOT accept reprints or simultaneous submissions. Your email should have your name, the story title, the word count, and the anthology you are submitting towards in the header and the body of the email. The attached word document should be labeled with this information as well. For example: 'Daddy-Adam Bennett-Full Metal Horror 2-6500 words.doc' Your submission should have a Word document attached to your email. Do not paste the story into the body of your email. Most programs including Google Docs will allow you to save your finalised work as a word document before submission. If you are unsure exactly what to do to set up your file correctly, download this document before you start writing. It is set up to be ready to go ASAP. Simply highlight the title, or author name or body of the document to replace with your own text. Google Docs version is available here for those without Word. Simply copy the document and change the name, and then click the 'download as' option in the file menu, and select word doc. This will save as a word document which you can then attach to your email.      SUBMIT YOUR...

Deadline: February 1st, 2020 Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 - $10.00 for poetry We love 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 three to four 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 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...

Deadline: February 1st, 2020 Payment: $0.03 per word (USD) + contributor copy Theme: Stories that acknowledge humans as part of a larger ecosystem, for characters who strive for balance with (rather than dominance over) the creatures surrounding them, for settings that depict an optimistic balance of nature and technology. MULTISPECIES CITIES A science fiction anthology in partnership with the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature in Kyoto, Japan Open for Submissions: January 1 - February 1, 2020 Story Length: 500 to 5,000 words Payment: $0.03 per word (USD) + contributor copy In order to attain better futures, we first must imagine them. But at this crucial tipping point for our planet, it’s important to imagine futures that include the many other species we share our world with. Cities tend to be anthropocentric—designed for the comfort and convenience of humans, often with little regard for the plants, animals, and insects local to that area. Science fiction tends toward anthropocentric as well, concerned with either the great achievements or failures of humankind. For this anthology, we want to see more-than-human stories that investigate humanity’s relationship with the rest of the natural world. We’re looking for stories that acknowledge humans as part of a larger ecosystem, for characters who strive for balance with (rather than dominance over) the creatures surrounding them, for settings that depict an optimistic balance of nature and technology. Authors may wish to envision futuristic cities where people and wildlife can thrive together, or urban landscapes re-designed to heal past ecological destruction. Characters might need to make tough decisions to maintain the multispecies ecosystem of a city, struggle to negotiate coexistence between human and non-human residents, or fight back against a project that would threaten the balance of that ecosystem. Stories could focus on conservation efforts for currently living species, or explore...

Deadline: February 1st, 2020 Payment: Contributor's Copy Theme: What happens when we transform the much beloved style and stories and characters of Dr. Seuss into something much more nefarious? Thurston Howl Publications is now accepting submissions for its horror parody anthology The Grinch Has Eyes. ​ Deadline: February 1, 2020 Word count: 100-8,000; a little above and a little below will be acceptable ​ Everyone knows Dr. Seuss. He is famous for works like Fox in Socks, Cat in the Hat, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and many, many more. But what happens when we transform the much beloved style and stories and characters of Dr. Seuss into something much more nefarious? This horror anthology seeks to celebrate horror in a tongue-in-cheek way that is all too...grinchly. ​ I am anticipating three possible ways to read this prompt (but I am open to others): Telling a unique horror story as if you were Dr. Seuss Turning a Dr. Seuss story into a prose horror story Throwing Dr. Seuss characters into a horrific world outside Dr. Seuss’ universe All of these are fine and valid! I encourage all kinds of horror: sci fi horror, slashers, erotic horror, creature horror, body horror, etc. ​ We will NOT accept: Racism, sexism, or discrimination presented in a positive light. Pedophilia or sex with characters under the age of 18 presented in a positive light. Rape, torture, dubious consent, forced seduction presented in a positive light. Snuff or Necrophilia presented in a positive light If you are in doubt, ASK. Better to ask then to get a straight up rejection! If you are unsure, just shoot me an email at [email protected].(restrictions borrowed from Voice: https://t.co/MWykJ6RY36) You can submit up to three stories, but we will only accept one per author (if any). Reprints are fine, but...

Deadline: February 1st, 2020 Payment: Potentially royalty split Theme: All "great" sci-fi themed ones are welcome but the general ideas they're looking for are Antarctica, climate change or AI Note: This is way off base from what we'd usually list but I came across it and it sounded interesting, so there you go! Science Fiction Theatre Festival: Antarctica 19th - 23rd May 2020 London,UK  7pm, 3:30pm Submissions for Horatio Productions' Science Fiction Theatre Festival 2020 are open! ​ This will be the third edition of the festival. The festival is headlined by Horatio Productions' latest show, which is on every day of the festival followed by short plays. This year's production is called Antarctica written and performed by Juan Echenique, directed by Fumi Gomez. The short plays are selected and curated carefully by the core members of the company: Juan and Fumi. Please keep in mind that the short plays DO NOT need to be inspired by Antarctica, climate change or AI. If they are great, if they aren't that's great too. We just want mind-blowing sci-fi short plays! ​ Submissions open: ​ We're looking for groundbreaking short science fiction plays, for writers coming from all walks of life, for daring and innovative creators, for new ideas, revolutionary dreams, crazy stories, for the bold, the daring, and the unique. These are the details: ​ Length: Up to 15 minutes per play. Cast: Up to 4 performers. Set restrictions: The stage will be shared with several other companies; time for setting up will be minimal, so don't submit anything that involves complicated set design, or too many props. Submission limit: Writers can submit as many plays as they want. We will do our best to read all the material sent, and to get back to every applicant in due time. We do not encourage re-submissions unless substantial edits have been made to the script....

Deadline: February 10th, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: Classic trickster trope: have them fearlessly playing pranks on the powerful – not picking on the weak.   If you get them in deep trouble, get them out before the end of the story. It’s finally time! We’ve been looking forward to this since the very first Grumpy Old Gods.  We’re inviting you to submit your trickster stories. That’s right. We’re gearing up for Grumpy Old Trickster Gods (to be released April 1st). Send us your best tales of conniving tricksters that are past their glory days, tricksters that find their mojo again after being retired.   We want to see the classic trickster trope: have them fearlessly playing pranks on the powerful – not picking on the weak.   If you get them in deep trouble, get them out before the end of the story. We want the readers to finish each story with a grin. Trickster myths are all about the canny and clever winning.  We want stories where they defend the less powerful from those who are in power: have them take on the IRS, the local homeowners association, a diamond smuggling ring, or Zeus when he’s being rapey. In many cultures, tricksters are generally male, but we’re equal-opportunity editors, so we’ll take tricksters in any form they come in, though we’d prefer most of the stories to keep the trickster in human form for at least part of the story, because it works better with the modern setting we’re asking for. Trickster Gods In April Call for Submissions V7 Stories need to be 3000-4000 words and include a Grumpy Trickster God – preferably one that’s coming out of retirement, or planning to retire (though he’s not required to actually retire; the world needs the tricksters today more than ever). We try to only use...

Deadline: February 14th, 2020 Payment: Royalties VOLUME ONE: THE ONCE AND FUTURE KINGDOM Theme: Camelot. King Arthur. Merlin the magician. Knights in shining armor. It's one of the most frequently told stories in the history of Western civilization... But we haven't heard YOUR story yet. Tell us your tale of Camelot, Avalon, the Once and Future King, any of the Knights of the Round Table or their ladies (faithful or otherwise). Genre: Fantasy and all of its subgenera - as light or as dark as you want to go Heat level: PG to R; if there are enough submissions, we will do a volume of Camelot-related erotica. Length: 5,000 - 10,000 words NO TV OR FILM RELATED STORIES - THIS IS NOT A FAN FIC COLLECTION DEADLINE: 2/14/20 PUBLICATION DATE: 3/17/20 IRISH HORSE ANTHOLOGIES is a small publisher specializing in themed anthologies. We will accept submissions according to the theme of each anthology. Submissions should be provided electronically to our email or via private message on Facebook. Submission guidelines: 12 pt. Times New Roman 1.5 line spacing Indent 0.5" All submissions should at a minimum be proofread and spell checked before being sent. NO simultaneous submissions. NO buy-in ever. word length 5k-10k Royalty structure: 40/60. Publisher retains 40% to recoup editing and cover art costs. 60% will be split evenly between the authors. Via: Irish Horse Productions' Facebook.

Deadline: February 15th, 2020 Payment: Equal royalty split per story. Submissions Open: Now Submissions Close: February 15, 2020 12:00 a.m. EST Publishing timeline: April 2020 Style: Dark Specualtive Fiction/Horror Theme: Give me your tales of monsters in the woods, urban legends, a family that mysteriously goes missing, a haunted cabin, a hiker that stumbles upon something unthinkable. Anything that happens in the woods or is from the woods is welcome. ​ Word count: 1000 - 4000 (hard limits) ​ Compensation: Equal royalty split per story. PDF digital copy. ​ How to submit: See our Submission Format guide below - stories will be rejected or sent back. ​ Send your story as an attachment in Word format to  [email protected] Your email title should be read: "Submission: Forest Anthology - Story Name - Author name" ​ Multiple Submission: Yes - Please send no more than five. Up to three acceptances. Must be sent in a separate email. What is speculative fiction? Think paranormal or anything that cannot be rationalized. Here is a better description. Things that are a hard pass: any animal erotica, rape or unnecessary violence. Via: Eerie River Publishing.

Deadline: February 15th, 2020 Payment: $5 USD Theme: "Most" Speculative fiction, read below for specifics. Note: Open only for women-identified authors. Submissions for Luna Station Quarterly close on February 15th. Simply follow the schedule below to be notified when we close and open for submissions. Criteria Luna Station Quarterly publishes speculative fiction written by women-identified authors. We think women write awesome characters and really cool stories and we want to show it to the world. We will consider stories submitted by any woman writer, regardless of experience or writing resume. If you consider yourself on the woman end of the gender spectrum in any significant capacity, you’re welcome here! Stuff we want: Fantasy Science Fiction Space Opera New Fairy Tales (not retellings) Some creepiness Stories that explore the nooks and crannies of an original world Big events from the everyman perspective Unique settings and storytelling forms Well written stories with strong characters Stuff we don’t want: Anything biased toward any religion, race or moral preference Extreme gore or sexual content, in particular no explicit rape or sexual assault. (everything in moderation) Bizarro fiction Poetry Fan Fiction (original stories only, please) Bad grammar/punctuation (please proofread and watch your sentence structure!) Plagiarism A further note about sex and violence in submissions. Science fiction has a long-standing tradition of pushing boundaries and asking difficult questions. It is meant to challenge us and ask us to look at ourselves and how we treat each other and the world around us. That said, LSQ is centered on uplift and so any story that contains explicit sexual situations or violence especially toward women will be considered more carefully than other stories and the content must be justified within the story’s arch. Format and Details Stories should be 500 to 7000 words in length. We may publish longer...

Deadline: February 16th, 2020 Payment: 04 per word for original work, $0.01 per word for reprints, and a contributors copy Theme: Fairytale related-stories based on non-mainstream characters Note: Reprints welcome Inverted Fairy Tales & Folklore (Title Pending) We’ve all heard the stories of Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, the Princess and the Pea, and other faithful classics. We're sure that more than a few are familiar with the mythology of ancient Greece, Egypt, and others. Great! That’s NOT what we're looking for, with a few exceptions. ​ We're looking for folklore, mythology, or fairy tales from other places, and fantasy stories that invoke these. Have a story about Baba Yaga? Toss it over here. One about Raw Head and Blood Bones? Sure, would love to see it! We want tales that have been lost to time, but we want you to twist it into being your own story. Give us something new and imaginative! What we DO NOT want: Explicit Gore – You’ll have a much better shot at being selected if we can make it through your story without feeling physically ill. Horror without explicit gore is more than fine. Explicit Sex/Erotica – Not that kind of anthology. Romance or alluded intimacy among characters is fine, but nothing that would require us to use a brown paper covering. The intended audience for this is 14+, so if you wouldn't feel comfortable with a 14-year-old reading the story, don't send it in. "Zipperbacks" (meaning characters that are animal-people, and the fact that they are part animal has no significance to the story) – Some examples of what you can do to avoid having "zipperbacks": if your story has wolves in it and they don’t engage in canine behavior (the occasional scratching, boundless energy, a fixation on scents, etc), then...

Deadline: February 21st, 2020 Payment: $5 for anything under 5000 words. $10 for anything over 5000 words. Theme: Ghost stories! 'Nuff said Note: Reprints Welcome For this anthology, we’re looking for the best of the best ghost stories. The kind you tell around a crackling campfire holding back the darkness surrounding you. The kind that stick with you as you make the dark trek to your car through an empty parking garage. The kind that make you sit wide eyed in the middle of the night because the rhythmic tapping from the other room is just a little too inconsistent and, somewhere deep down, you’re sure it’s getting closer.  Give us new and exciting takes on old tropes, give us original horror, give us classic ghost stories told expertly, give us comedic stories of spirits that are more a nuisance than a threat. We’re hoping to make this anthology larger than our first two so there’s plenty of room for all types of stories in this one, as long as they're about ghosts.   Anthology Title: TBD Word Count: 2,000 - 7,500. A little over or under is fine. Payment: $5 for anything under 5000 words.                  $10 for anything over 5000 words. Authors will have the opportunity to purchase an author copy at print cost plus shipping after release. Submission Deadline: 2/21/2020 Multiple submissions welcome.  Reprints will be considered.  Important Bits: Please send all submissions as a .docx or .rtf attachment with the subject line of your email as: DBND - Ghost Stories - Story Title  If you email is not titled this way it may end up in the wrong folder and go unread. Stories sent after the submission deadline will be rejected unread. Don't sit on your submission! If we reach the word count for the anthology, we will close submissions...

Deadline: February 22nd, 2020 Payment: 8 cents per word Silk & Steel: An Adventure Anthology of Queer Ladies Edited by Janine A. Southard Submissions due: February 22, 2020. Princess and swordswoman. Scholar and mecha pilot. Warrior women… and the courtly ladies who love them. The Silk and Steel anthology was initially inspired by artwork from Al Norton (see below). She’s put so much tension into these characters! Yet, among all that edginess and conflict, there are also romantic feelings… and a definite sense that both women have the upper hand. We’re looking for stories of high adventure that feature one weapon-wielding woman and one woman whose strengths lie in softer skills, but who is just as powerful in her own right. You’re free to choose any setting – from historical to modern to wildly futuristic. You can expect to share a Table of Contents with distinguished authors such as: Ellen Kushner, Aliette de Bodard, Amal El-Mohtar, Arkady Martine, Claire Bartlett, Django Wexler, Freya Marske, Jennifer Mace, JY Yang, K.A. Doore, Kelly Robson, Nibedita Sen, and Yoon Ha Lee. Editor’s Note: I’m looking for all speculative genres except straight-up erotica or hard-core horror. (We’re aiming this anthology at general audiences, after all. Erotic and horror elements within your story’s context are definitely okay! But if they’re the thrust of the story, then you’ve gone off genre.) I think the idea lends itself well to swashbuckling romance and operatic comedy, but it’s really up to you. Other Inclusions: Yes! I would love to see trans women, bi, pan, and ace characters. Art by Al Norton (and used with her permission) How to submit: Send your story in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format to Janine A. Southard at [email protected] Note about conflict: Yes, this is an f/f anthology, but that doesn’t mean your women need to be fighting against homophobia! While this is...

Deadline: February 24th, 2020 Payment: $25 Theme: Your work MUST also contain elements of the natural world. (Not fans of genre heavy work.) NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS THROUGH FEBRUARY 24TH FOR ISSUE FOUR: EQUINOX Theme: STRIPES We look forward to surprising and evocative interpretations of this theme!   NEW: Submissions are now initially read BLIND. Please do not include your name anywhere in your uploaded file. WHAT Please familiarize yourself with Claw & Blossom’s About page to get an idea of the type of work we seek. (For instance: your work MUST contain elements of the natural world.) For more detailed information on our submission hopes-and-dreams, it’s also a good idea to check out our interview at the Six Questions blog. For POEMS, send one poem per submission. We are partial to free verse and NOT keen on publishing traditional forms (haiku, haibun, sonnet, rhymed couplets, etc.). For PROSE, send up to 1,000 words. This can be one piece or linked micros. Feel free to send what moves you, but it’s safe to say we are not big fans of gore/thriller/slasher stories, or romance/erotica. Genre work that comes our way will probably be a tough sell. We do not consider multiple submissions. We ask that you wait for a response before submitting a new piece. We do not consider unsolicited submissions of previously-published work. We encourage simultaneous submissions. Should your work be accepted elsewhere while under consideration with Claw & Blossom, please withdraw the piece from us as soon as possible by using the Withdraw option in Submittable. There is no submission fee. We pay $25 USD per acceptance upon publication via PayPal. (Linked micros are considered one acceptance.) WHITHER By submitting your work to Claw & Blossom for consideration, it is understood that you understand and accept the following terms: That you have actually read our About page, as well as perused some earlier Issues, so that you are not sending...

Deadline: February 25th, 2020 Payment: $3 Theme: Ideas: Spring Break, International Women's Day, Purim, Daylight Savings, Ides of March, St. Patrick's Day, first day of spring (Vernal Equinox), Feast of the Annunciation We are looking for some suitable stories for March 2020, including: Spring Break International Women's Day Purim Daylight Savings Ides of March St. Patrick's Day first day of spring (Vernal Equinox) Feast of the Annunciation The deadline for these stories is February 25, 2020, at the end of the day (11:59 PM Pacific Time). Writing Guidelines Every Day Fiction is looking for very short (flash) fiction, of up to  1000 words. There’s no such thing as too short — if you can do the job in 50 words, have at it! — but our readers prefer pieces that tell or at  least hint at a complete story (some sort of action or tension rising  to a moment of climax, and at least a clue toward a resolution, though  it doesn’t have to be all spelled out). All fiction genres are acceptable, and stories that don’t fit neatly into any genre are welcome too. While personal experiences and other  non-fiction can be great sources of inspiration, please turn them into  fiction for us, or send them elsewhere. Our readership is adult, so children’s stories are unlikely to be accepted unless they are relevant to adults as well. On the other hand, we are not impressed by gratuitous sex and violence, or pointlessly foul  language; edgy content should be necessary and appropriate to the plot  and characters. It ought to go without saying that any story submitted to Every Day Fiction must be your own unpublished original creation. If  you publish a story on a blog, even your own personal blog, or any  website accessible to the general public (i.e., if the...

Deadline: February 28th, 2020 Payment: $5 Trigger Warning is our annual celebration of upsetting stories. Each year we choose a theme and ask for your grossest, most violent , most genuinely upsetting stories in your arsenal. For 2020, our theme is psychosis, specifically we want the most horrendous hallucinations driving the most terrible actions. Stories of the things only the mad can see. Give us the decline of the upstanding member of society into something changed, different and monstrous. Bring our own anxiety to life and make us wonder if the thing we see out of the corner of our eye is real, just the first stages of the end. We will not accept any stories about rape. Racism/Sexism/Bigotry of any form will never be accepted here. Minimum word count is 1500. Double check your grammar and spelling. Format your story correctly. Please submit all stories in DOC/RTF format. We prefer stories that have not been published before. We prefer to avoid multiple and simultaneous submissions. We retain exclusive publishing rights for 12 months. We pay $5.00 for stories Acceptance/Rejection letters will be sent out once submissions are closed. Submissions Will Be Closed Once Enough Stories Are Accepted or On 2/28/20 Via: Madness Heart Press.

Deadline: February 28th, 2020 Payment: $10 per flash, $1 per drabble Theme: Weird fiction where the setting is a carnival, theme park, circus or fair/festival Now Issuing a Call for Submissions for the theme of SuperFreak—Freakpunk Issue 2. Freakpunk is a genre I named that encompasses weird fiction where the setting is a carnival, theme park, circus or fair/festival. That's kind of broad, I know, but I'd like to give the writers options when crafting their tales. Clowns can be part of the story, but they don't have to be. A creepy carny is just as good. Can there by a science fiction or dark fantasy freakpunk story. Hell yes! To get a good idea of what Freakpunk is, read some of the stories in the first Freakpunk issue: Issue 13: Come One, Come All! To the Southern Fried Freak Show! Send flash stories less than 1500 words and more than 700 words (any more or any less and your submission will be rejected). Flash will pay $10 upon acceptance, with first rights. Send drabbles of 100 words (exactly, not counting title). Drabbles will pay $1 No double or triple drabbles this time around. Only looking for 3-5 flash stories and 2-3 drabbles. No reprints on this one. Submission Deadline is February 28th, 2020, launch to be April or May 1st 2020 Submissions may cut off prior to this date as the submission manager only gives us 100 submissions per month. If your submission bounces back, check this page to see if the call has been closed. Be sure to read the guidelines before you submit. Via: The Were-Traveler.

Deadline: February 28th, 2020 Payment: $10 Theme: We’re looking for speculative literary poems that touch the heart as much as the head; poems of the liminal, the fluid, and the fantastic. In anthropological terms, liminality is the midpoint of a ritual: the threshold where a person is no longer quite who they were, not yet who they might become. In between masks, what face might you have? What might you be in transit? Where will you go? Everything is possible in that moment; change is its own goal. Liminality is the space between. Liminality is an online quarterly magazine of speculative poetry edited by Shira Lipkin (co-founded and co-edited through our third year by Mattie Joiner). We are very pleased to meet you. We’re looking for speculative literary poems that touch the heart as much as the head; poems of the liminal, the fluid, and the fantastic. We’d love to see work that shifts shape, refuses to be to be easily pinned down or categorised. We actively welcome diversity; we want to hear new as well as established voices. Tell us tales we thought we knew, the way only you can tell them. Give us new myths. Liminality pays $10 per poem, for first worldwide publication rights and non-exclusive anthology rights. We will be open: January 1-February 28 April 1 – May 31 July 1 – August 31 To submit, send up to five poems to liminalitypoetry AT gmail.com with the subject line “SUBMISSION – ”. Please include your poems in the body of the e-mail; if you have formatting that makes that untenable, you may attach the poem as an .rtf. You may send up to five poems per reading period. We do not accept reprints or simultaneous submissions. (If the poem has been publicly viewable online, yes, it would be a reprint.)  “Dear Editor”, “Dear Shira”, and “Dear Mx. Lipkin” are...

Deadline: February 28th, 2020 Payment: $.01/word Theme: We publish an annual anthology of the best vegan science fiction and fantasy of the year. We are open for submissions in the winter of every year. Note: Reprints Only! We publish an annual anthology of the best vegan science fiction and fantasy of the year. We are open for submissions in the winter of every year. What ‘vegan’ means here: We’re looking for stories happen to be vegan – no meat, no hunting, no horse-riding, no leather. Stories don’t have to be about veganism (though we don’t mind that). Still not sure? Here’s one definition of veganism: https://www.vegansociety.com/try-vegan/definition-veganism Formal requirements: Vegan – Stories must be entirely vegan, and they must have been vegan when originally published. Reprints – We’re only looking for stories that were published in the previous year. Length – 1,000 – 8,000 words Venue – We’re restricting eligibility to stories originally published in venues that paid $.01/word or more. Original form – The stories must be presented as originally published, except for correction of typographic errors and similar minor corrections. Again, we don’t want stories that have been ‘veganized’ for this anthology. Simultaneous: Yes. Simultaneous submissions are fine. We’re buying non-exclusive rights. Sell your story as often as you can. Multiple: You may submit a total of two stories. Choose your best. Format Follow the industry standard format defined by William Shunn. He has templates available, or you can use ours. We prefer a proportional, serif font like Cambria or Caladea. Use italics for emphasis, not underlining. Use smart/curly quotes. Use em dashes, not double hyphens. Your story should be in one of the following file formats: ODT, DOC, DOCX. If you’re submitting an ODT, please add a few blank lines at the bottom. Otherwise Submittable’s presentation manager will cut off the last line of your story. Pay We pay $.01/word for non-exclusive...

Deadline: February 28th, 2020 Payment: $0.03 per word, minimum of $30.00 dollars for short stories. $30 per poem Theme: Transfiguration Note: This call doesn't officially open until the 15th but is going live early due to the short submission window Apparition Lit is open for poetry and short story submissions four times a year. February 15-28 May 15-31 August 15-31 November 15-30 Submissions received outside of posted open dates will be deleted unread. Our themes for 2020 will be: Experimentation (Submission period November 15-30, 2019 CLOSED, Published January 2020) Transfiguration (Submission period February 15-28, 2020, CLOSED Published April 2020) Redemption (Submission period May 15-31, 2020, CLOSED Published July 2020) Satisfaction (Submission period August 15-31, 2020, CLOSED Publishing October 2020) Our previous themes for 2019: Resistance (Published January 2019) – Ambition (Published April 2019) – Retribution (Published July 2019) – Euphoria (Published October 2019) for 2018: Apparition (Published January 2018) – Delusion (Published April 2018) – Vision (Published July 2018) – Diversion (Published October 2018) Apparition Lit also holds monthly flash fiction contests. These stories will follow selected themes and be published online. For more information on themes and submission guidelines, please see the flash fiction drop down below. PAYMENT: Apparition is a semi-pro rate magazine, paying $0.03 per word, minimum of $30.00 dollars for short stories (excluding flash contest. See details in the Flash Fiction dropdown for flash rates) and a flat fee of $30 per poem. If we accept your story, we are purchasing the right to publish the story online and in the quarterly edition. Rights will revert back to the artist after one year. WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR: (Click on the sections to see detailed guidelines for each classification.) SHORT FICTION SHORT FICTION: We will only accept stories between 1000-5000 words. If the story is complete with an extra hundred words, then it will still be considered. Any stories over 5,100 words, or incorrectly formatted, will automatically be rejected. PAYMENT: Apparition is a semi-pro magazine, paying $0.03 per word, minimum of 30.00 dollars...

Deadline: February 28th, 2020 Payment: A contributors copy and: £50 for original work, £20 for reprints. Theme: An upcoming mass extinction. Note: Reprints Welcome The next Midnight Street Anthology (#4) will be published in the New Year. The submissions window will close on 28th February 2020. WHAT I WANT: The world is in a mess. It seems that from a human perspective, we’re pretty well screwed. Is that TRUE? Maybe the generation that comes after ours will be able to save the planet for human habitation. Who knows? It seems that this generation has pretty well messed up everything that would ensure the long-term survival of humanity. Why is that? Greed, political imperatives, narrow- minded thinking, poverty, ignorance. There are many reasons. It remains true that we are experiencing very strange days. There’s a mass extinction happening and it may well include our species. What do you think? Can you come up with an original story that reflects this approaching catastrophe? I’m looking for stories – sci-fi, horror, slipstream, weird – that reflect the strange times we are living in and that sum up the precariousness of modern existence. WHAT I DON'T WANT: Badly written and constructed stories. To me, spelling and grammar are important. That doesn’t mean you can’t push the boundaries, but remember that you have to know the rules before you can break them. Slasherfests that rely on violence and cliché to propel the stories. Poor, badly constructed characterisation whose only function is to drive the plot towards an unconvincing, or contrived conclusion. Waffle that bears no relationship to the plot, but only serves to slow down or unnecessarily bulk out the story. Excessive strong language that does not help to shape characters or events. If it’s necessary & appropriate: no problem. RESEARCH: As part of your research, read...

Deadline: February 29th, 2020 Payment: Maybe. Funds are being raised on the side to pay contributors if they hit a certain goal. Note: I don't usually list markets that won't be a guaranteed paying market but it is for a good cause AND I love the concept of the anthology. Many writers and creatives are plagued by depression and anxiety, often referred to as “The Black Dog.” Ironically, it is during these dark days that our furry friends become our strongest supporters.I’m working with a fantastic team to put together a horror/dark fiction anthology with a strong, canine theme where all sales go towards supporting mental health and suicide prevention charity: The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand. Open call for submissions We are excited to share this open call to writers of horror and dark speculative fiction. We want you to submit your best short story between 2,000 and 6,000 words for our forthcoming charity anthology “Black Dogs, Black Tales”. This will be a dark, doggy-themed collection where absolutely anything with a canine connection goes, with one essential caveat – the dog does not die. Everyone else can be slaughtered by zombies, or lost in the depths of deep space, but the dog (or dogs) will always survive. What are we looking for? We want you to think outside the box (or kennel) with this one. Perhaps the dog is the killer, or maybe the dog kills the killer. The dog might be your protagonist, unreliable narrator, or any other major character. We welcome robot dogs and Frankenstein-creature dogs, mutated or evolved dogs, dogs with a sixth sense, or dogs that are just very special in their own right! They can be real life dogs, ghost dogs, demon dogs, or the proverbial black dog. Most importantly, surprise us with your best writing....

Deadline: February 29th, 2020 Payment: 3 cents per word Theme: Extinction Triangulation is open for submissions. We are Parsec Ink’s speculative fiction anthology, now in our 16th year. We’re looking for outstanding fantasy, science fiction, weird fiction, and speculative horror–from new and established writers. Take the theme and run with it. Tell us a story we won’t forget. Theme: Triangulation: Extinction Every day, another species creeps closer to extinction, often brought on by things out of their control. The world changes every time an insect, a rhino, a macaw ceases to exist. These changes are tangible. Tell us about them. Bring us stories of imposing threats, extraordinary creatures brought low, stories of those warriors who fight tooth and nail for their survival. What does extinction mean to you? We like our stories to be profound, relatable, poignant yet familiar. Tell a tale for the ages. While we appreciate and value creative freedom, please note that this issue of Triangulation has a strict theme. We don’t want to read a hundred stories about dinosaurs and asteroids; we want gritty commentaries and hopeful ruminations. Last year’s issue, Dark Skies, wrestled with light pollution, and similarly, this issue addresses an equally as challenging—and real—topic. Let’s do it justice. Submission Requirements Submissions Open: December 1, 2019 Submissions Close: February 29, 2020 Word Count: We consider fiction up to 5,000 words, but the sweet spot is 3,000. There is no minimum word count. Stories over 5000 words will be rejected unread. Genre: We accept science fiction, fantasy, and horror–and enjoy intelligent blends of the three. Stories without a speculative element will not be considered. We do not accept reprints, multiple submissions, or simultaneous submissions. If we reject a story before the end of the reading period, feel free to send another. We love creative interpretations of our themes, but we do require...

Deadline: February 29th, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: “You know what this Christmas party needs? Ghost stories.” “Bring back the tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas!” “You know what this Christmas party needs? Ghost stories.” “Why does Nightmare Before Christmas have to be a Halloween or Christmas movie? Why can’t it be both?” Immortal Works has heard your pleas and we are excited to announce our latest anthology, A Haunted Yuletide, slated for publication December 2020. And we need your submissions! We’re looking for stories that send shivers up and down your spine and make you want to check under your bed for monsters. We want stories that will make you afraid to to go sleep on Christmas Eve, because who is this Santa person, really? Tell us about the family home in New England where Aunt Enid is buried under the floor. We want to know about the ghost of that little kid who keeps hanging around the bakery downtown. In addition, please note the following: Contributions should be short stories (between 1,000 and 10,000 words in length) that include ghosts and Christmas, although other winter solstice holidays will be welcome also (Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc). Stories should adhere to Immortal Works’ submission guidelines, i.e. they should be free from graphic sexuality, gory violence, and use of the f-word. Send your work to [email protected] as an attachment in .docx format, and put Haunted Yuletide in the subject line. Use the standard Shunn short story format (found here: https://www.shunn.net/format/story.html) The submission deadline is midnight MST on 29 February, 2020. The editors of A Haunted Yuletide will be Jay and Julie Barnson. Jay Barnson is the author of the Blood Creek novel series. His short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines. Julie Barnson is a professional storyteller of the oral tradition...

Deadline: February 29th, 2020 Payment: Contributor's copy and potential payout depending on crowdfunding. Theme: The anthology will include all original stories centering around the idea of boys’ lives being disrupted in some way. Anthologists: Ronald Linson and Deidre J Owen Genres: Varied; previous volume (“Little Girl Lost”) included Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Crime Drama. See below. Submissions: Dec 1, 2019 – Feb 29, 2020 (or until anthology is filled) Compensation: Contributor copy (print & ebook); cents/word dependent on crowdfunding. See below. LITTLE BOY LOST: MORE TALES OF YOUTH DISRUPTED will be a companion volume to our newly released anthology Little Girl Lost: Thirteen Tales of Youth Disrupted (released Oct 15, 2019). The anthology will include all original stories centering around the idea of boys’ lives being disrupted in some way. It could be through vanishing mysteriously, experiencing a life-altering event, or…? We are seeking well-written, imaginative tales that explore this idea to its fullest. Use your own interpretation as to the meaning of ‘lost.’ Surprise us! Submissions period opens DECEMBER 1, 2019 and will remain open until February 29, 2020 at 11:59PM (EST) or until the anthology is filled. Submissions received outside of this period will not be considered. We are seeking original, previously unpublished stories of the highest quality between 2,000 (hard minimum) and 7,500 words. We are willing to look at stories up to 10,000 words, although they are less likely to be accepted. Genre: Your story can be in nearly ANY genre so long as it fits the theme of the anthology, with the firm exception of erotica/adult content. Subjects we WILL NOT accept include (but are not limited to): Erotica or adult content Pedophilia Depictions of rape Graphic depictions of child abuse Sexual activity involving persons under the age of eighteen (18) Gratuitous or excessive violence or gore Racism, bigotry, or slander...

Deadline: February 29th, 2020 Payment: Contributors Copy Theme: A Collection of Time Traveling Tales A Collection of Time Traveling Tales Zimbell House is holding open submissions for short time-traveling tales. Let your imagination roam and put our readers in the middle of the action. We want complete stories from the POV of the time-traveler. Background: Begin your story at the ‘assignment of correction.’  This is the meeting of the League of Guardians where the council assigns a traveler to a particular time in history to correct an imbalance. It is up to you to pick the time in history, what the ‘imbalance’ is and how it will be corrected. Will your traveler be successful? Will he/she have help from other travelers? What happens if the traveler decides not to follow through? Give our readers a well-plotted tale that draws them in and leaves them wanting more. Please keep foul language to a minimum-it loses its punch if over-used. Dialogue needs to be believable, and please keep dialects/slang to a bare minimum if you must use them. No head-hopping or POV changes. Pick one point of view and stick with it. Please show more of the action than just telling the reader what happens. Submissions of both short stories and novellas to this anthology are welcome, please keep in mind the minimum word count is 4,500 and the maximum word count is 20,000. This anthology is a great opportunity to showcase emerging writers and allow them to build their professional platforms. Submission Deadline: February 29, 2020, with a targeted release date of late April 2020. Submit your best work. Poorly formatted and unedited work will be turned down. Please use Americanized English spellings. We will be doing light editing as necessary to fit the standards we strive to maintain. Submission Guidelines: Any work under 4,500 words will be...

Deadline: February 29th, 2020 Payment: $10 for one thousand words or less. One cent a word for stories 1,000 words to 3,000 words in length., $10 per poem Theme: Science fiction, Weird Fantasy, Horror with SF aspects, Lovecraftian horror. Note: Contributors must be Canadian or a resident of Canada. Note: Reprings accepted Contributors must be Canadian, or at least resident in Canada. I prefer Science Fiction over Fantasy, though of course SF can include fantasy elements, so I’m flexible. Weird Fantasy would intrigue me. Also interested in Horror with SF aspects. Have a weakness for Lovecraftian Horror. Nothing obscene or ultra-violent. Idea-driven combined with character-driven would be ideal. Particularly interested in beginning writers who haven’t made a sale yet. The primary purpose of this zine is to encourage beginning writers. I welcome experienced authors but will judge unpublished writers as a separate category so they won’t have to compete with pros. Ideally at least two to three first-sale stories will be in in every issue. Be sure to mention whether you have been published or not so I’ll be sure to place you in the proper category. SPECIFICS: I offer First Publication English Language World Serial Online (PDF) Internet Rights with a post-publication exclusivity period of just one week, after which the author/artist is free to sell as a reprint to anyone anywhere. The exclusivity period is unusually short because I have no financial stake in holding on to rights and am more than willing to encourage the author to sell again ASAP. Note that reprints are less desirable to most publishers and are more difficult to place. On the other hand, my payment rates are so low you might even make more money selling your work as a reprint than you did selling it to me as a first publication!...

Deadline: February 29th, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: Looking for anything that fits the "How the Internet has impacted your life" category, including genre work Cyber Lives, has transformed into Cyber Smut. To those who have already submitted under Cyber Lives, rest assured, your submissions will not be affected by this. The theme remains the same: we want to know how the internet has impacted your life. We are seeking poetry and short stories (fiction & nonfiction) from the UK and Ireland. Closing date for submissions is 29 February 2020. This is wide open in terms of interpretation, and anything goes - poetry, memoir, erotica, literary fiction, sci fi, essays, etc - as long as it aligns with the theme. Things to consider: our daily lives are saturated with the internet, impacting our minds and behavior. Miscommunications and mishaps. Lust and desire for fame and money. Hilarity and tragedy with Tinder or Grindr. This is rich and fertile ground, and surely there are countless ways to approach this theme. We are thrilled about our next anthology and hope you are too. Closing date for submissions - 29 February 2020. Short stories (fiction & nonfiction) - 1000-5000 words. Poetry, up to 5 pages. Writers from the UK & Ireland - this includes anyone living or born in the UK or Ireland. Unpublished work only please. We are not able to accept previously published work, print or online. Standard Royalty Contract for successful submissions. Click here to submit via Submittable. Memoir Submissions We are also open for memoir submissions. Seeking bold writers with ballsy stories. We are interested in narratives about cyber life, art, music, travel, although any topic is fine. If you would like to submit your work, please send the first 5000 words of your manuscript, a one-page summary and your bio. Send to gutspublishing gmail.com....

Deadline: March 1st, 2020 Payment: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10; artwork, $25 for cover, $10 for interior page display. Upcoming premises (target themes) and deadlines for submission : Not of this World To download a PDF file of the guidelines, click here . ALL SHORT STORIES, ESSAYS, POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS and ART MUST RELATE TO ONE OF THE PREMISES SPECIFIED ABOVE. NOTE: Previously published pieces are welcome, provided that the submission fits the theme and that the author owns the copyright. The premise (target theme) must be an integral part of the plot, not necessarily the central theme but not merely incidental. Fewer than 20 double-spaced typewritten pages preferred. Indicate premise (target theme) on title page. Be sure to Indicate target theme in cover letter or on first page of manuscript. Include self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with each submission. Rejected manuscripts unaccompanied by an SASE will not be returned. Response time: 3 months after premise deadline. NO READER'S FEE. Mail to: THEMA, Box 8747, Metairie, LA 70011-8747. Outside the US: email [email protected] On acceptance for publication, we will pay the following amount: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10; artwork, $25 for cover, $10 for interior page display. Copyright reverts to author after publication. THEMA isn't for everyone. To find out why, click here. New to submitting manuscripts to journals? Click here to download a PDF file of a few basic guidelines. Unlike many publishers, we prefer works submitted by the authors themselves, without the involvement of an agent. Be sure to indicate premise and include SASE for each submission. BE SURE to include a separate SASE for each premise. No handwritten manuscripts will be considered. NOTE: We do not accept e-mailed submissions EXCEPT from authors who live outside...

Deadline: March 1st, 2020 Payment: Pro-order split and six contributor copies Note: Must be a subscriber to Chris Morey’s free e-mail newsletter As a lifelong fan of survival horror I've been aching for years to create a project in that vein. I'm very excited to announce to you Survive the Night - Three at Dusk, One at Dawn, a new survival horror anthology from Dark Regions Press. Now available for preorder at darkregions.com/survivethenight and 10% of the total preorder sales are added to the writing contest prize pool until the last day of the contest timeline. Thanks to everyone who joins us for this fun and exciting new Dark Regions Press writing contest. If you have any questions or concerns please contact darkregions.com/contact We can't wait to read your survival horror stories! SURVIVE THE NIGHT - THREE AT DUSK, ONE AT DAWN WRITING CONTEST GUIDELINES   THEME: Survival horror story involving three central characters (optional secondary characters) who become trapped at dusk with one or more forces outside that are capable of killing them. Only one of the three central characters survives until dawn.   WORD COUNT: 3,000 to 8,000 PAY: Contest with growable $3,000 prize pool (10% of Survive the Night preorder sales at darkregions.com/survivethenight get added to the prize pool until contest ends March 1st 2020) – Prize pool will be evenly divided among the selected authors. Editors will select at least 7 up to 10 winning stories from the open submissions contest. Selected authors receive 1 ebook and audio option, 5 trade paperbacks and 1 deluxe signed & numbered hardcover as free author copies.   ENTRY FEE: None but you must be a subscriber to Chris Morey’s free e-mail newsletter at chrismorey.com/newsletter to qualify.   SUBMISSION RULES: No reprints or stories published anywhere else before including author websites. No multiple or simultaneous submissions. Only...

Deadline: March 1st, 2019 Payment: $20 “Turning words into art is unnatural. It begins with a contrary attitude. It says, I am unhappy with the way things are and desire to make things different. Rather than represent the world, I will make something wildly and savagely new. I will defy logic. I will invest in new perceptions. I will combine and recombine and fabricate and juggle until something that I have never experienced is experienced. The process is alchemical. The process is violent. It goes to the heart of creativity. It disrupts and shatters. It is splendid with provocation. It is an aggression against banality. It is sharp and loud like a janitor scraping frost from a window. The hectic bounce of steam on a street after a truck roars by. The anarchy of waters, the comedy of the face, dangerous feelings vented from a cage of skin.” ~ John Olson Poetry — We believe poetry is contrary by nature, always defying, always tonguing the tang of novelty. We look especially for plurality of meaning, for dual reverberation of beauty and concern. Contrary’s poetry in particular often mimics the effects of fiction or commentary. We find ourselves enamored of prose poems because they are naturally contrary toward form – they tug on the forces of exposition or narrative – but prose poems remain the minority of all the poetic forms we publish. Please consider that Contrary receives vast amounts of poetry and that we can publish only a small percentage of that work. Please submit no more than three poems per issue. Our poetry editor is Shaindel Beers. Fiction — We ask our fiction writers to imagine their readers navigating a story with one finger poised over a mouse button. Can your story stay that finger to the end? We have published long stories on the belief...

Deadline: March 1st, 2020 Payment: $25 flat rate per story Theme: Short story submissions that explore the implications of non-cisgender life within the context of furry. As furries, we base large swaths of our identity around species. We search for what fits, we let our species choose us, and find ways to be happy as such. Species isn’t the only portion of identity that we explore within this subculture, though; given the relative safety of our community, gender is also something that we frequently explore. More than 8% of furries describe themselves as non-cisgender, and a further 6% describe their gender as ‘complicated’ (via the 2016 Furry Survey). Furry is often a means of wish-fulfillment for us, the players of our characters and the bearers of our avatars, so we often present ourselves as we desire to be seen. Within a fictional furry world, though, there’s little reason to expect that similar statistics around gender identity and expression would not also be the case. Genderful: Green and Gold — How would those in a such a world explore their gender in a day-to-day context? What are the mechanics of hormone replacement therapy - transdermal patches obviously being out of the question - or of gender affirming surgery? What are the social implications of gender transition in a society already differentiated by species? Genderful: Blue and Silver — How would those in a such a world explore their gender in a sexual context? What are the effects of hormone replacement therapy or of gender affirming surgery on one’s sexuality? How does sex and sexuality work in a setting with complex scents and sensitive noses? Dating, already scary, gains a new layer of tension; romance, already complex, gains a new layer of difficulty; and sex, already fraught with gender, becomes even more complicated. About...

Deadline: March 1st, 2020 Payment: Short story: $10/printed page (up to a maximum of $100), Flash: $25 per piece Theme: fiction and poetry that shocks, surprises, moves, and tickles - not genre work Funicular Magazine publishes quality fiction and poetry that shocks, surprises, moves, and tickles us. Maybe all of those things in a single piece. We are a Canadian magazine and we want to publish Canadian voices, but don't be shy if you aren't Canadian. We love sharing international writers with our readers too. General Guidelines ✅ Font: We don't care, just make sure we can read it or, y'know, we won't ✅ File Type: PDF, Word, Text file ✅ Simultaneous Submissions (please withdraw your piece if it is being published elsewhere) ✅ Multiple Submissions (see specific submission limits below) ❌ No previously published stories (in print or online). Self-published is fine. ❌ No genre fiction. There are places for genre fiction. One of those places is not here. ❌ Do not put your name anywhere in the document or filename. We read submissions blind. What We Want If we like your work, we will ask for online and/or serial publication rights. Short Fiction Julio Cortazar said that the novel wins by points, the short story by knockout. Think about that when sending us your work. A short story can normally be read in one sitting, and if your sciatica is acting up you usually won't be sitting for very long. 3000 words max. You can go a little over the limit. Don't stress. Everything is going to be fine. Submissions Allowed Per Entry: 1 Poetry William Carlos Williams, Ford Maddox Ford, Elizabeth Barret Browning, Henry David Thoreau, William Butler Yeats, Edward Estlin Cummings. These are the names of some poets we know with three names. If you are...