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Deadline: June 1st, 2020 Payment: 2.5¢ per word (maximum of $100 per story.) Theme: We are looking for short story submissions that explore the shape of sex and sexuality in the decades and centuries to come. Must be science fiction themed in nature. What will sex look like in the future? What will change about physical interaction? What new challenges will sexuality face a hundred years down the line? Five hundred? A thousand? Future//Tense: Sex is an anthology of transfuturistic science-fiction. The stories within will explore the way sex, intimacy, and kink may change over time, from the near future to far, on Earth or other planets, in humans or those from the stars. How will society change? How will we? About the anthology Future//Tense: Sex is an anthology of short fiction edited by Madison Scott-Clary. It will comprise several pieces from diverse authors. The anthology will be released in both physical and e-book formats, as well as, depending on interest, audiobook format. Here is what HYBRID will be looking for: Submission content We are looking for short story submissions that explore the shape of sex and sexuality in the decades and centuries to come. There is no restriction on gender of characters or perceived orientation, including anywhere on the asexuality spectrum. Neither is there a restriction on the sexual content of the story. We are particularly keen on featuring #OwnVoices authors. Do keep in mind that Future//Tense: Sex is, at it’s core, an anthology about sex. HYBRID Ink will not, under any circumstances, publish content that portrays any of the following without justification or in a positive light: Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or other forms of discrimination Pedophilia or sex with characters under the age of 18 Rape, torture, dubious consent, or forced seduction Gratuitous violence, gore, or death For more information, please see here, and remember that...

Deadline: June 1st, 2020 Payment: $750 for fiction, $300 for poetry Theme: Climate Change Note: Looking for work by immigrants, asylum-seekers, and non-immigrant artists who have experienced displacement as a result of climate disaster PLEASE NOTE: The following submission guidelines apply to Volume 4, a special climate-themed issue of The Bare Life Review. They differ slightly from our usual guidelines, so please read carefully before submitting. ​ The Bare Life Review is pleased to accept unsolicited manuscripts in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Your cover letter should list the type of submission, a rough word count (or line count, in the case of poetry), and include a short bio. ​ The Bare Life Review does not consider proposals or queries. Please submit completed work only. ​ Please note that our rates have changed: We now offer $750 for accepted full-length prose pieces, and $300 for accepted poems or shorter prose. This small reduction will allow us to publish more authors, and to expand our online presence. ​ Eligibility: Please note that our eligibility criteria have been amended for Volume 4 only. For this special climate-themed issue, we are accepting submissions not only from immigrants and asylum-seekers, but also from non-immigrant artists who have experienced displacement as a result of climate disaster. For more information about these eligibility criteria, and the reasoning behind the temporary change, please read this note from our founders. ​ Translation: The Bare Life Review welcomes work in translation. Any writers not working in English, who have not yet secured translation of their work, may contact TBLR via email. In some cases we may be able to help find a translator. Subject Matter: As always, submissions will be judged on artistic grounds. However, for Volume 4 only, priority will be given to work that explores the issue's theme: Climate. Length: Fiction submissions should be no longer than 8,000 words. Please submit only one story at...

Deadline: June 1st, 2020 Payment: $8 Theme: Love gone wrong. Note: Female authors only Deadline: June 1, 2020 Payment: $8 flat fee per story (author must have a valid PayPal address as that will be used for payment) Publisher: Twisted Wing Productions Theme: Love Gone Wrong The theme can explore ANY type of love: romantic or platonic, obsessive, mother/daughter/son relationship, father/daughter/son, bestfriends, siblings, unrequited love, loss of love, falling in love with the wrong person, addiction, love/attachment for a specific place, location or building, student/teacher relationship, etc. The genre is HORROR. Stories MUST have elements of horror in them. Requirements: For this edition of Women in Horror Anthology we’ll be focusing on longer pieces, meaning the word count will be at LEAST 10,000-30,000 words. The author submitting MUST BE FEMALE (or identify as female). The author must retain full rights to the work intended for our consideration and that the work itself is complete and not published anywhere else (including personal websites or social media). Having been previously published isn’t a requirement, if you have a compelling story, send it to us! Format: Word doc, 12 font, double space Times New Roman. Not a reprint. We are asking for exclusive first worldwide electronic and print rights for 18 months and the right to keep the story in print, and nonexclusive right to continue to publish for the life of the anthology. We do not place any limits on what the author does with the story after the exclusivity period. We are not looking for poetry or screenplays. Bonus: Characters in stories are own voices, POC, or LGBTQ Submission method: Please send story as an attachment (.doc or docx. Only) to azzurranoxyahoo.com Please include the following with your submission: Author (Legal Name) Pen name (if applicable) Email Story Title Word Count Third person biography The anthology will be published both...

Deadline: June 1st, 2020 Payment: Flat rates $5-$30 depending on length and type (listed below.) Theme: Genre, literary, poetry, and beyond! Sadly, not spelled out directly below but they do have an area for genre fiction. Note: Apologies for the short window, we just found out about this one! Page & Spine is a paying site (paid via PayPal or company check in USD only).  Because of the large number of submissions, we will no longer accept work that does not comply with our requirements.  Emails containing attachments will be deleted unopened and without notice. Please research our site for appropriate style and content of submissions.  Our readers like what we publish. Page & Spine considers only unpublished work conforming to the requirements listed below."Published" is defined as any piece that has been on public view anytime, anywhere.  Members only critique sites where work is viewed only by paying members is not a publication venue.  Reprints will not be considered. Because we have bulging pending files in our short story and poems categories, submissions will be accepted only between October 1 and June 1 in these categories and may take 8 months to be vetted. Simultaneous submissions will not be considered.  Please plan your submissions accordingly. If you haven't heard from us after eight months, please check back with us.  Sometimes the volume of submissions causes further delays, but be assured we're not ignoring you.  Author generated photography will not be paid, but may be published at the editor's discretion with the understanding that Page & Spine can neither control dissemination nor protect copyrights and will not be held responsible for theft or misuse. Do not send photos to which you do not hold the copyright.(If you did not snap the shutter or purchase or inherit the copyright--not permission to use, but the actual copyright--don't send it.)    For additional information...

Deadline: June 1st, 2020 Payment: $20-$55 according to the category and length of their submission. Theme: Afrofuturism Submissions are OPEN from March 23 – June 1 for Issue 9: Afrofuturism (see below). Every issue of Speculative City is defined by a distinct theme. We are excited to announce our Issue 9 theme will be Afrofuturism. Writer Stefani Cox and writer/visual artist Jacqueline Barnes will act as guest editors for this issue. We are looking for afrofuturist fiction, poetry, and essays written by authors who are specifically of Black and/or African descent. And, as per usual, we seek provocative works that are centered within a cityscape. Writers published will be paid $20-$55 according to the category and length of their submission. We do not accept submissions exceeding 5500 words. All submissions should be the original, unpublished work of the submitter. We will accept simultaneous submissions, but please inform us if the submission has been accepted by another publication. We do not accept multiple submissions for fiction or essays. Please submit word (.doc, .docx) or rich text format (.rtf) files and format your submission according to our format guide. Please send all inquiries to info @ speculativecity .com . We try to respond to all submissions, but as a team of two, we may not always be able to. All submissions should be sent through Green Submissions. Green Submissions requires users to create an account. Please see link to sign up and submit at https://greensubmissions.com/1024/speculative-city/index.php. Before submitting work, please also be familiar with our contract. THEME afrofuturism noun|af·​ro·​fu·tur·​ism​ | \a-frō-fyü-chə-ˌri-zəm\ Definition of AFROFUTURISM noun literary works that use the frame of science fiction and fantasy to explore what Black futures could look like and to reimagine past and present experiences of the African diaspora Via: Speculative City.

Deadline: June 1st, 2020 Payment: 3 cents per word and a contributors copy Theme: Extreme horror which includes tools Bludgeon Tools, inc. will be expanding their sales and distribution lines. The company will be accepting applications for employment and looking for creative employees with excellent customer service. Open position announcements begin May 1, 2020. 3,000 word max Must have elements of Extreme Horror. This is a “Tool” themed anthology. NO REPRINTS No simultaneous submissions No violence/sex towards children Pay: 3c per word paid through Paypal + (1) print contributor copy 1-year exclusive rights Send as a .DOC or .DOCX attachment to [email protected] with the subject line: TOOLS SUBMISSION: Title by Author Name Do not copy/paste story in body of email. Include a very brief bio just to break the ice. Open Call begins June 1, 2020 Do not send any submissions prior to June 1, 2020. Via: The Evil Cookie.

Deadline: June 1st, 2020 Payment: $20 Theme: 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? “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...

Deadline: June 1st, 2020 Payment: Royalty Split Theme: Stories of lights in the sky, further explanation below! Note: Reprints Welcome Submission Open: March 1, 2020 Submission Close: June 1, 2020 12:00 a.m. EST Publishing timeline: August 2020 SOON Horror/ Dark Speculative Fiction Rated R ​ Theme: Send me your stories of lights in the sky, a storm that brings with it more than rain, comets that crash, aliens that secretly invade, or a wishing star that is hell-bent on revenge. The stories themselves do not have to take place in the sky, but the evil bad does need to come from it in some way or form. We are requesting the stories take place in "our world". Fantasy and fantastic creatures are welcome, but they should occur within our reality. Word count: 1000 - 10000 (preferably over 2k under 8k but we will read all within these) ​ Compensation: Equal royalty split per story. Digital copy emailed to you. ​ Formatting guidelines: See our Submission Format guide below All fiction manuscripts should be in standard manuscript format. Most important: Pen name, title and email on top, double-spaced, 12 pt standard font (e.g. Times, Arial, Courier), and page numbers. ​ How to submit: Please submit using this FORM when the submission window is open. ​ Multiple Submission: Yes - We will be happy to read up to FOUR stories per author. However, we will publish a max of two stories per author, per book. Please send each story in a separate form. ​ Reprints: Yes we are accepting a small number of reprints. ​ Things that are a hard pass: any animal erotica and all forms of rape Click through for the submission form link: Via: Eerie River Publishing.

Deadline: June 2nd, 2020 Payment: 6 cents per word for original, 2 cents for reprints Theme: Well written original work in science fiction, fantasy, myth, legend, fairy tales, and eldritch, in written, podcast, video, and/or graphic story form, and from around the world. Note: Reprints welcome     Submissions Schedule We have a new submissions schedule as of June 1, 2020: The first and second day of every month, 12 am of the 1st to 12 am of the 3rd, E.S.T. Only one submission per person. For reading impaired individuals, our submissions manager and ‘forget password’ have a captcha compatible with screen readers. We pay 6¢ per word for new fiction, 2¢ per word for fiction reprints, 2 – 6¢ per word for new fact-based work, 1- 4¢ per word for reprinted fact articles. For new poetry, we pay $1 a line, reprints would be 50¢ a line, up to 40 lines. We’ll look at longer poems but that would be a hard sell, and words over 40 lines would be paid at 6¢ per word. We began The Kepler Award to recognize and encourage writers of excellent science fiction and fantasy stories that creatively extrapolate on known science in constructive and exciting ways. You can learn about The Kepler Award here. You can read a copy of our standard contract here.   It can be varied as needed to include the rights of translators, voice actors, etc. Writers Guidelines We accept new work as well as reprints, prose and poetry, anywhere from 1000 word flash fiction on up, but all else being equal, shorter pieces will be favored.   We have tough standards but only care about the quality of the writing, storytelling ability, characters, plot, and ideas, not whether you’re new or established.  Submit only work you are proud of —...

Deadline: June 5th, 2020 Payment: 1c/word for fiction , with a cap of $50.00 for fiction, 1c/word, with a cap of $30.00 for non-fiction Theme: Ocult detectives! Welcome to Occult Detective Magazine, and the world of the occult detectives. Enochian sorcery in London’s alleys, the dust-tinged magicks of ancient Khem, and the horrors of an indifferent cosmos – these are the stories we offer. That first step over the threshold of a ruined Victorian mansion; the pounding hatred which surrounds you in a far-off jungle. The chill of a well-lit study, as you stare into your brandy; those last few words in the shadows, whispered by someone whose body is no longer their own… we bring you tales which are subtle and disturbing, and tales which reek of unnatural forces. We are a magazine of many styles and approaches. We love both old-style and modern, cutting edge weird fiction, and we love folk horror; we embrace unashamed arcane adventure, and we also draw gritty noir mysteries into our domain. At the heart of all these tales are the occult detectives. Such folk take many guises – they may be a hardened private investigator, or simply a bystander determined to act. They may be a mistress of strange forces, a seasoned psychic, or a burned-out law officer who has nothing left to lose. And they come from every continent, and every walk of life. All we ask is that there is a mystery, there is something strange and dark is on the air – and someone has to buckle up and face it. 2020 Submissions Status SUBMISSIONS WILL BE OPEN 3RD APRIL UNTIL 5TH JUNE, MIDNIGHT GMT Except by invite, submissions sent outside this period will not be read or accepted. We are buying for ODM #8, due late Summer 2020, and...

Deadline: June 5th, 2020 Payment: $5 for anything under 5000 words. $10 for anything over 5000 words. Theme: New Tales About The Hookman Note: Reprints Welcome For this anthology, we’re looking for the best of the many variations of The Hookman tale along with some classic slashers. If you are unfamiliar with the legend or just want a refresher, follow this link:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hook  What makes The Hookman legend fun is that it changes so much depending on location. Sure, the formula is the same, but the details change, the killer changes, and the motivations behind the madman's crimes change. In the small town where I grew up we have a local legend that follows the Hookman formula pretty closely, but varies in a few major ways: he is called Pig Man, he uses an axe instead of a hook, he wears the head of a pig instead of a dark coat, he haunts a lonely stretch of road instead of lovers' lane, and he's a reclusive country killer instead of an escaped convict, but his crimes are just as horrific and his tale just as chilling. For one of the other editors, growing up in California, it was the Beer Can Killer Man they were warned about. A madman in the woods murdering people with beer cans for hands, but, you know, still essentially Hookman. We're looking for more stories like these with a few classic slasher stories in between. Whether you have your own local take on Hookman, want to make up a completely new take, or have a new sadistic slasher you've been wanting to bring to life, send us your best horror stories paying homage to the escaped madman hunting teens on lovers' lane.  Submission Deadline: June 5th, 2020 Word Count: 2,000 - 7,500. A little over or...

Deadline: June 6th, 2020 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: A collection of horror tales for Halloween. Rigor Morbid 2 A collection of horror tales for Halloween. Editor: Sandra Ruttan Submission Information Note: We will not process or respond to submissions sent to the wrong email address. Only submissions sent to [email protected] will be processed. Note: Each story should be submitted in its own email. Do not send a submission as a response to a rejection or email query. Do not send multiple stories in the same email. Pro Tip: Read Rigor Morbid: Lest Ye Become to get a sense of what the editor is looking for in stories. The tone is appropriate for Disturbia and Rigor Morbid 2. We welcome submissions from diverse authors. We encourage individuals to opt to include a bio (100 words, written in third person) and author photo that can be used with the publication when submitting.  *Diverse can refer to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or those that are specially abled Payment $0.08 U.S. per word We will not publish stories that are donated — all writers must be prepared to receive payment through one of our approved payment methods. All payments to U.S. writers will be made by check. All payments to international writers will be made by Paypal to a verified Paypal address that is in the writer’s name. Guidelines Stories should be 3000 words or less Stories should be attached as a .doc or .docx file Text in stories should be in black ink No underlined text in stories Use a standard font (Times New Roman or Courier) stories should be sent to the proper email address submissions should be addressed to Sandra Ruttan submissions should have the requested information in the subject line submissions do not need to be accompanied by an email. An author bio is preferred. Email Send...

Deadline: June 8th, 2020 Payment: £25 Theme: Wildlife Note: Women only ISSUE 87: WILDLIFE For Issue 87 we’re inviting submissions on all creatures great and small. Whether it’s a mosquito or marmoset, a flea or a ferret, we’re itching to read your zoological creations. Deadline: 8 Jun 2020 Twice annually we ask for themed poetry and prose submissions for the Showcase (previously New Writing) section of the magazine. Winners are selected by our Guest Editors (in the past they have included Julia Blackburn, Nicci Gerrard, Pascale Petit, Rachel Cusk and Sarah Dunant) and are published in the magazine. We also make a small payment for most submissions we publish. We look for stories of up to 2,200 words, poems of up to 40 lines, and short scripts (for theatre, radio or film) of up to 1,000 words (including character names and stage instructions). Please note: we only accept up to four poems, two short stories and two short scripts per entrant. Submitting your work Entries are judged anonymously, so please put your name on a separate cover sheet and omit your name from your poem or story. To send us your submissions online, fill in the form below and upload your submission document . To send your entries by post, write to Mslexia Publications PO Box 656 Newcastle upon Tyne NE99 1PZ. If you would like an acknowledgement of your submission’s arrival, please include a SAE. If you have any questions regarding your submissions, please read the Themed Writing FAQs. In the unlikely event your query is not answered there, please email us or call 0191 204 8860. Good luck with your writing! Via: Mslexia.

Deadline: June 10th, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: Cosmic Horror Title of anthology: FORBIDDEN DREAMS THEME: Cosmic Horror Submit to [email protected] Subject line: DREAMS SUBMISSION: insert title Please include a short author bio Word count minimum/ 2000 words Word count Maximum/ 5000 words What we are looking for: stories of horror of the unknown, stories beyond our understanding, the insignificance of humanity, anything that credits to love craft is a plus. Payment plan: this is a shared anthology where royalties will be split. authors will get 70% of net pay divided evenly to all participants and the remaining 30% goes to publisher. We look forward to seeing your submissions! Via: Emerald Bay's Facebook Page.

Deadline: June 15th, 2020 Payment: $20 Theme: Speculative fiction with non-human protagonists Stories take us beyond the bounds of our own lives—into new worlds and new situations. Perhaps most importantly, they invite us into new minds. Through the eyes of the characters we temporarily become, we not only live other lives, but discover new ways of looking at our own. Speculative fiction takes us a step farther—beyond the bounds of humanity, itself. Through Other Eyes is an anthology of tales featuring non-human protagonists. Become someone—and something—else. Submissions are now open! We're eager for monsters, androids, vampires, elves, and aliens, but we're especially excited to meet species of your own design. Familiar or new. Humanoid or non. Your imagination is in charge. Submissions will be open until at least June 15th but may run longer. The expected publication date is November 2020. Open to word counts ranging from 1500 words to 5000 words. Open to all speculative genres (fantasy, sci-fi, horror, slipstream, weird fic, etc) as long as the main POV character isn't human. No reprints. Accepted stories will receive a $20 honorarium. The anthology will be roughly double the length of a standard issue of All Worlds Wayfarer and feature both physical and digital editions. All standard submission guidelines, when not in contradiction with this list, apply. Standard Submission Guidelines We love stories that take us on tours through the fantastic—whether in other dimensions or in the hidden spaces of our own world. We're looking to highlight an often unseen side of speculative fiction: we want to encounter characters so vivid that our souls slip into their bodies, themes that challenge and move us, and language that makes us swoon. Immersive world-building and twisting plots are awesome aspects of our genres, but we're looking for stories where these factors are shaped around the...

Deadline: June 15th, 2020 Payment: AU$5.00 for stories under 2500 words / AU$10.00 for anything above 2500 words Theme: Treasure Colp is our 'anything goes' anthology collection. Expect to see a little bit of this and a little bit of that within each issue, so feel free to submit stories from any genre. Current theme: TREASURE Treasure. As soon as you hear the word, you know that there is some sort of story hidden away there waiting to be dug up. For me, it is gold and silver in a rusty chest, buried somewhere beneath a cross on a desert island. For this collection, we would like your stories that feature a treasure, whether they be buried treasure, cultural treasures or any other interpretation of the word. Colp is for everyone and therefore we are willing to read stories that fall into any genre. So, no matter whether your story is a horror, adventure, romance, sci-fi or historical fiction piece, please send it on through. Be original. We also encourage new and unpublished writers to take the leap and get in touch. Please ensure that you read through the general guidelines below and format your submission accordingly. If you have any specific questions please contact us using the form on the home page or via the listed social media accounts. To help make sure that your submission gets to the correct place, please include the following in the subject line of your email: Colp - Treasure - Story Title. Word count: 1000 - 5500 words Deadline: June 15 2020 Payment:  AU$5.00 for stories under 2500 words / AU$10.00 for anything above 2500 words General guidelines: Please no extreme erotica or stories that feature excessive violence or vulgarity (unless otherwise specified). All stories should be formatted appropriately. Please see here for more details. Ensure that your name, address, and email contact and word...

Submission Period: June 15, 2020 to June 19, 2020 Payment: 12.5 cents per word Theme: Fireside has two goals: to find and publish great stories regardless of genre, and to pay our writers and artists well. Fireside holds a submissions period for each upcoming issue of Fireside Quarterly. In 2020, Fireside will be open to submissions for short stories during the following periods: June 15, 2020 to June 19, 2020 Submissions period for the Spring 2021 Issue August 23, 2020 to August 27, 2020 Submissions period for the Summer 2021 Issue November 30, 2020 to December 4, 2020 Submissions period for the Autumn 2021 Issue Guidelines We welcome previously unpublished work (‘published’ includes work posted on Patreon or on a blog) in English or Spanish from all writers, and we are especially interested in seeing work from people of color, LGBTQIA people, disabled people, members of religious minorities, and people outside the United States. We strongly encourage submissions from people of those backgrounds, and all others whom traditional publishing has historically excluded. If you have any questions about how to submit please email us at: [email protected]. Accessibility We use an online form to gather submissions, but we understand that this may not be universally accessible to disabled people. If you have questions related to accessibility, please email us at [email protected] with the subject line: Accessibility Query. Accessibility Queries should only contain a request to submit by alternate means, and not be a submission. Any submissions sent via email will be deleted unread. Short Stories We accept short stories up to 3,000 words. Our budget allows us to pay for up to 7,000 words per month, which means we are always going to buy more shorter fiction than longer stories. Please submit: Stories in English or Spanish Stories that have never been published before. Short...

Deadline: June 22nd, 2020 Payment: An advance against royalties for either though novellas can be royalty only if preferred Theme: novels and novellas across the breadth of the horror genre—from the cosmic and Lovecraftian; to the beloved undead tropes of zombies, ghosts, and slashers; to the more uncanny and internal terrors of isolation, lost love, and aging. Note: My apologies for the short window, I just found this one! GAH! Nightfire Submission Guidelines Nightfire is open to submissions. Nightfire : Novellas Open Closes to submissions on June 22, 2020 4:00 AM (UTC) Nightfire : Novels Open Closes to submissions on June 22, 2020 4:00 AM (UTC) Welcome to the Nightfire submissions program. Please see our submissions guidelines to find out what we're looking for, or for more information on our program. « Back to Nightfire The following guidelines outline how to submit novels and novellas. Note: Tor/Forge Books’ submission information is here, and Tor.com’s submission information is here. To learn more about the Tor/Forge, Tor.com, and Nightfire editorial teams, check here. What We’re Looking For: The Nightfire team is looking for novels and novellas across the breadth of the horror genre—from the cosmic and Lovecraftian; to the beloved undead tropes of zombies, ghosts, and slashers; to the more uncanny and internal terrors of isolation, lost love, and aging. We are actively looking for 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 believe that good stories reflect the incredible diversity and potential of the human species, and want our catalog to show that. We encourage you to listen to our free audio anthology, Come Join Us By the Fire, to get a sense of our vision and tastes. Good luck—we look forward to reading your work! What We’re Not...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: $15 Theme: Speculative fiction, primarily horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Formatting Guidelines This is proving to be a recurring problem, so we're putting it up front. Please, for all our sakes, read this next part carefully. All submissions should be sent by e-mail (no letters or telephone calls please) to [email protected]. Below are some formatting rules to help us process your submission more quickly. EMAIL AND COVER LETTERS Email is accepted in both text and HTML formats. When submitting, please put this in the subject line: Submission: (Title) - (First and Last name) Include the following in the body of the email and in the attached submission: Your name Name to use on the story (byline), if different Your preferred email address Your mailing address The story's title The story's word count You may also include a cover letter in the body of the email. We get a lot of strange stuff in cover letters, so if you're unsure of what goes in them (and especially what doesn't) please refer to these cover letter tips: How to write a cover letter | What not to put in a cover letter by Jed Hartman SUBMISSION FORMATTING We ONLY accept submissions as attachments! All stories submitted as an attachment must follow standard manuscript formatting. We will no longer read any story not properly formatted. (And we much prefer Courier New to Times New Roman) For explanations and tips on what SMF is and how to do it with word processing programs, please see this article. Please send your submission as an attachment in Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx) or Rich Test Format (.rtf) only. Other formats, such as Works, WordPerfect, Open Office, etc., have proven difficult to open. Please note that we no longer accept "inline" submssions; that is, submissions with the stories pasted directly into the...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: $25.00 and a contributors copy Theme: A strong female Main Character who will do whatever it takes to protect/avenge those she loves and must be written in the horror genre Do you want your story to appear in the next volume of the Better Off Dead Series? IF I DIE BEFORE I WAKE: Volume 3 Submission Guidelines ​ Please read carefully. Submissions that don't meet the guidelines will be automatically rejected. ​ All submissions will be reviewed after the submission deadline and chosen stories will be published in IF I DIE BEFORE I WAKE- TALES OF DEADLY WOMEN AND RETRIBUTION - The Better Off Dead Series Volume 3, which will be released in the fall of 2020 Submissions must be between 5,000 and 10,000 words Title, submitter's name, pen name (if different), word count and email address must be centered at the top of your submission Submissions must be 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double spaced with special first-line indentation of 0.5" Submissions must be in .Docx format with 1" margins all around Submissions should be clean and edited Submissions must have a strong female Main Character who will do whatever it takes to protect/avenge those she loves and must be written in the horror genre Submissions cannot contain graphic sexual or rape scenes Submissions must not have been published elsewhere before in any medium The number of stories published will depend on word count of the chosen stories, but will be no less than ten stories and no more than twenty Authors may submit as many stories as they want for review, however, there will be a limit of one published story per author The deadline for submission is June 30th, 2020 Authors will be notified by July 31st, 2020 if their story was selected Authors...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: $25 Theme: Humans as the aliens What This Is  In science fiction, humans are usually boring compared to other spacefaring races: small, weak, with no claws or tentacles, and no special abilities to speak of.  If we’re lucky, humans have an indomitable spirit when the chips are down.  Not much more than that. But we don’t have to be boring.  We can be the impressive ones, the unsettling ones, the ones talked about by all the other aliens.  Maybe body heat is rare.  Maybe the most civilized species all eat very specialized diets, and have never heard of an omnivore.  Maybe other aliens don’t tend to domesticate animals, and don’t understand cats or dogs or horses or the ability of that one stranded crew to tame a half-dozen monsters by the time they were rescued — and no they most certainly can’t bring the things on board; I don’t care if they are “friend shaped”! The possibilities are endless.  Writers online have been exploring these ideas, taking them in fascinating directions, and there’s enough material out there to fill many books.  I’m putting together an anthology of the best.  Vivian Caethe blazed the trail with the Humans Wanted anthology, which focused on the ways a human can be valuable in space.  This collection will explore the many ways that humans can be weird. Even by our own planet’s standards, our endurance tops the charts.  We take a fondness to inanimate objects, granting them names and personalities.  We teach our young to imitate other animals’ calls, and get unnervingly good at it.  Our teeth grow back once.  We navigate by something called “eyesight.” If this sounds like your kind of story, then come join the adventure!  There’s plenty of adventure to be had.  You’ll never think of humans as boring again....

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Prize: $350 Theme: a personal history of how you dealt with being isolated from your community, we would prefer stories of a more distracting nature Note: Apologies for the short window, thought we published this one already! Send us your stories, be they poetry or prose, to be published in a forthcoming compilation In 1348, the Black Plague hit Florence, Italy, and it would kill tens of thousands of the city's residents by the time the pandemic was over in 1351. Among those who lived in Florence at the time was Giovanni Boccacio, who would become famous for writing The Decameron. A collection of 100 short stories, The Decameron's main narrative tells the tale of seven young women and three young men who escape the plague by travelling to a countryside villa. There, they each tell one story each night for ten nights. The title "Decameron" combines the Greek words for "ten" and "day." The stories themselves were not about the plague. The 10 characters wanted to escape its horrors mentally as well as figuratively. They told stories of love, of lust, greed, of the fickleness of fortune, of the power of the human will. These stories would inspire the likes of Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Moliere, to name a few. We're now living through a similar moment in time, as we each do our part in fighting the global COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. At Muskeg Press, we look back and admire the attitude of Boccacio, who, in the midst of a terrible pestilence, wrote a great work of art that survives to the present day. With that in mind, we are putting out a CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS for any author out there who would like to spend this time in self-isolation to write a story for a forthcoming publication of Muskeg Press....

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: Contributor's copy Theme: Horror that contains a main character named Marisa and a garden statue Submission deadline is June 30, 2020. MARISA’S RECURRING NIGHTMARES GUIDELINES Thank you for choosing to submit to the sixth annual Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers (GLAHW) mini-anthology. We are looking for horror fiction, between 2,000 and 5,000 words, along with the following requirements. 1. A feature character named Marisa. She can be the protagonist, antagonist, monster, victim, friend, etc. As long as she (or, I suppose they, since gender fluidity is fine) plays a significant, if not pivotal role in the story. 2. The story must contain a garden statue. How you use the statue is up to you. Please follow the standard format rules. Here’s a handy site, in case you’re not conversant with those: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html. I will be editing the stories, but I will not make any changes without first discussing them with you, the writer. I’m a writer, too, and I know what it’s like to have my story altered without my consent. I won’t do that to you. Having said that, however, I will try my best to make each of the stories in this anthology the best they can be. So, if I give you notes, I’d appreciate it if you’d consider them carefully. I’m not saying you have to agree with me (I’ve had plenty of writers argue with me, and sometimes, I see their point and concede the edit). Just that you listen. The cover art for Marisa’s Recurring Nightmares will be handled by the talented Steve Bejma PAYMENT All acceptances will receive one (1) Contributor’s Copy and our humble thanks. We’re happy to mail it to you anywhere in the U.S. Authors outside the U.S., you will get our eternal thanks and a digital copy. Accepted members will...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: Contributor's Copy Theme: How did the elves vanish? A Collection of Short Tales Zimbell House is holding open submissions for short tales about how the elves vanished. Let your imagination roam and put our readers in the middle of the action. We want complete stories that explain the last war of the elven race. Who was it between? How did it start? Where did the elves go after the war ended? What realm was the war fought on? What was life like before the war, and then show us the after-effects. 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 19,500. This anthology is a great opportunity to showcase emerging writers and allow them to build their professional platforms. Submission Deadline: June 30, 2020, with a targeted release date of late August 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 automatically disqualified for this anthology. The work must not have appeared in print or online anywhere before. All submissions must be in English. Each author may submit up to three (3) unique works—please submit them separately. Work must be in Microsoft Word or RTF, double-spaced, 12-point font-no headers/footers....

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: USD $0.05 (five cents) per word Theme: Original flash fiction stories in the gothic fiction genre Note: My apologies for the short window, this one didn't hit my radar sooner. Love Letters to Poe seeks original flash fiction stories in the gothic fiction genre. We’re open to submissions now through the end of June 2020. Fiction Guidelines What we’re looking for:  - Original, previously unpublished gothic flash fiction - Stories that evoke wonder and terror, romance and horror - Complete story arcs with character growth - Avoid explicit sexual content - Avoid excessive gore Word Count: Up to 1,500 words, with a preference for shorter works. As this is a firm limit, sadly, longer submissions will be rejected unread. Please do not inquire about longer submissions. Payment: USD $0.05 (five cents) per word of original fiction. Payment via PayPal. Our payment is at the professional Horror Writers Association qualifying market level. Rights: We claim first worldwide rights, non-exclusive reprint rights, non-exclusive audio rights, and non-exclusive anthology rights for our annual anthology. Language: English Preferred format: Standard manuscript format Cover letter: Brief is best! Please note the length of your story, the title, a short reference to relevant publishing history, and a link to your website, if you have one. If your submission is set in the world of a work of gothic fiction in the public domain, please also note this. Fiction Submissions Process After reading the above guidelines and making sure your story meets them, you can submit your story by going to Moksha. Unfortunately, submissions sent by email or any other means than Moksha as well as submissions sent outside open submissions periods will be deleted unread. SUBMIT Submissions FAQs Do you take multiple submissions? While your first submission during an open submissions period is free, if you’re interested in submitting additional stories during an open...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: $20 for stories between 300 and 8,000 words, $10 for flash fiction (under 300 words not counting the title), and $10 for poetry. Theme: Global warming causing or exacerbating a global epidemic or pandemic. The initial submission window closed on January 1st, 2020, but I'm briefly reopening the anthology (until June 30, 2020) for submissions of an additional, very specific type of global warming story: I'd thought the anthology was complete, but recent events proved that there's one type of story missing from the cli-fi anthology: a story or stories about global warming causing or exacerbating a global epidemic or pandemic.  For example, malaria mosquitoes have been moving farther north, but rather than using malaria, write about a fictional pandemic that's caused or exacerbated by global warming.  You can build on what we currently know about COVID-19, or even mention that your fictional pandemic is "worse than the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020/the early 2020s/the 2020s" (God help us if the COVID-19 pandemic lasts the entire decade), but your pandemic story must also have a tie-in to global warming. For an idea of some real science behind such a story, read this article: "The Next Pandemic Could Be Hiding in the Arctic Permafrost". ​ Please follow the guidelines below. Payment is $20 for stories between 300 and 8,000 words, $10 for flash fiction (under 300 words not counting the title), and $10 for poetry. Again, the submissions window is now open only for pandemic stories involving global warming. To all authors who submitted works in 2019: Feel free to submit a second story involving an epidemic or pandemic caused (or exacerbated) by global warming. All submissions from 2019 have been reviewed, and 36 stories and poems were accepted, written by authors from nine (9) different nations representing four of Earth's continents!  All authors have been notified if their story or poem was accepted.  I'm now in the process of sending out contracts...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: $15 and 3 contributors copies Theme: Feminist speculative chapbooks — that can mean poetry, prose, fantasy, sci-fi, fairy tales, folklore, fabulism, horror, slipstream, solarpunk, or anything else speculative CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Sword & Kettle Press is seeking manuscript submissions for Cup & Dagger, our mini-chapbook series. Each chap will be 12 total pages, including covers, printed on three sheets of cardstock and bound together by hand. We’re looking for feminist speculative chapbooks — that can mean poetry, prose, fantasy, sci-fi, fairy tales, folklore, fabulism, horror, slipstream, solarpunk, or anything else speculative! We would love to see OwnVoices speculative writing. Please note that you do not need to be female or femme to submit a piece; writers of any gender identity and expression are welcome. Submission are open from June 1-30, 2020. SUBMISSION & PUBLICATION PROCESS To submit your chapbook manuscript, please fill out this submission form. We’re looking for up to 2000 words for prose, and up to 8 poems for poetry. You’re welcome to include your own cover, artwork, photos, or collages if you like, or just send us your writing and we’ll lend a hand with the design. Please submit only one chapbook. If your manuscript is accepted, we’ll notify you via email and send you a contract. After the contract has been digitally signed, we’ll send payment confirmation and get to work on your chap! We offer an honorarium of $15 for each accepted chapbook, and will send 3 contributor copies. Copies of the chapbooks will be sold in our online shop and at local craft fairs and markets. EDITORS The Cup & Dagger series will be edited by Kay Allen, Naseem Jamnia, and Jessie Ulmer. Kay wants to see pieces with hopeful visions of what life could be like, whether that's...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: $100 for stories and $25 for poems Theme: Heroic fantasy — in both prose and poetry Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is generally open to fiction and poetry submissions four months per year. The months you can submit are: March June September  December  If you submit fiction or poetry in any other month, you will receive an auto-response and your tale will not be reviewed. * * * As its name suggests, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is a quarterly ezine dedicated to publishing heroic fantasy — in both prose and poetry. We are unrepentant in our goal of elevating unapologetic sword and sorcery to a rightful high place. We pay $100 for stories and $25 for poems, upon publication.  (Scroll down for info on art submissions.) We purchase first world English language electronic rights, electronic rights for 90 days, archival rights for twelve months, and excerpt rights. Our fiction word limit is a soft 10,000 words, although we are willing to serialize at a maximum of 50,000 words over four issues. You may submit up to three poems, with a cumulative maximum of 30 pages.   No simultaneous submissions, please. While we don’t have iron-clad rules regarding our fiction payment, we roughly pay $25 for stories under 1,000 words, $50 for stories between 1,000 and 5,000 words, $75 for stories between 5,000 and 7,500 words and $100, for stories of 7,500 words and over. Tolkienesque (as in really long) poetry epics/sagas/vedas will most likely be treated — and paid — like fiction. Similarly, prose pieces of fewer than 1,000 words will be paid at poetry’s standard rate of $25. Art: HFQ is looking for quality banner art to accompany each new issue. Please review art from the past two issues to see the style we prefer. Image dimensions should be approximately 850 x 250...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: 5 cents ($.05) per word for nonfiction and prose fiction. Poetry pays $50 flat per poem. Theme: Work inspired by Ligotti WE WANT: Nonfiction from 2,000 to 7,500 words. Scholarly and/or critical articles pertaining to Ligotti or associated authors (see below) or the kind of thematic and topical issues in which we’re interested. As for contemporary authors to add to this list, Livia Llewellyn, S. P. Miskowski, Junji Ito, Matthew M. Bartlett, T. E. D. Klein, Kelly Link, Helen Marshall, Gemma Files, Ramsey Campbell, Allyson Bird, Laird Barron, Caitlín Rebekah Kiernan, Nicole Cushing, Victor LaValle, Mark Samuels, and many more have produced work that we would love to see subjected to intelligent critical analysis and discussion. Literary Horror Fiction from 750 to 6,000 words. We are looking for original work inspired by Ligottian and/or related themes (regarding which, see the list on our main page). Poetry at a length of no more than 50 lines, dealing with subjects and themes that fall within our area of interest. Artwork that similarly addresses our subject matter. DIVERSITY STATEMENT: Vastarien believes in promoting a range of excellent writing and artwork from authors of diverse backgrounds, genders, and sexual orientations. We encourage submissions from authors and artists traditionally underrepresented in horror and pieces that reflect these varying perspectives. The following authors and their work are of especial interest to Vastarien: Charles Baudelaire Thomas Bernhard Aloysius Bertrand Jorge Luis Borges William S. Burroughs Angela Carter Louis Ferdinand Celine E. M. Cioran Charlotte Perkins Gilman Douglas Harding Shirley Jackson U. G. Krishnamurti H. P. Lovecraft Vladimir Nabokov Emile Nelligan Michael Persinger Edgar Allan Poe Maurice Rollinat Arthur Schopenhauer Bruno Schulz Paul Valery Peter Wessel Zapffe LENGTH: See the specific guidelines above for length requirements for different types of submissions. Additionally, in no case will a submission over 7,500 words be considered...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: One cent per word Theme: The lore, myths, and legends of women who dwell in the forest. Women of the Woods is an upcoming collection about the lore, myths, and legends of women who dwell in the forest. Historically, it's the witches, artists, and outcasts who make the dark forest their home. Whether you retell a piece of folklore or create something altogether new, Fabled Collective would love to see your story. We are looking for spooky, eerie, gothic tales that leave out the gore and focus more on a feeling of dread and foreboding. We're interested in stories with rich, haunting settings. Think dark fantasy or quiet horror. Give us complex characters, ghosts, witches, magical realism, and more! Submission Guidelines: Stories between 2,000-8,000 words. Please format all submissions TNR 12pt, double spaced, with page numbers. Word documents preferred. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but please let us know immediately if you've accepted publication elsewhere. No previously published stories. Only one submission per author. Please Include: A short bio. Links to your social media and website. Payment: One cent per word to be paid upon acceptance. ​Examples: 2,000 words = $20 5,000 words = $50 8,000 words = $80 Rights: Fabled Collective is free to publish your work in ebook, print, and audiobook formats, but the author retains rights to sell, publish, and distribute their work in the future if desired. All work must be original. Fabled is free to grammatically edit all works. Send to: Please send your work to [email protected]. Via: Fabled Collective.

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: Alternate history set in Australia Australia: the youngest continent in terms of recorded history, the smallest in population unless one counts Antarctica, yet still packed full of What If? possibilities. From Aboriginal civilisation to Gallipoli, from Cook and La Pérouse to Maintain Your Rage, the Land Down Under is begging to be the subject of more alternate history tales. Now's your chance to write one. This anthology will be edited by none other than @Jared Kavanagh, author of the greatly ambitious and justly popular Australian timeline Lands of Red and Gold (whose first volume was recently published by SLP). His submission guidelines are listed below. - Alternate history set in (or mostly in) Australia, or otherwise which has a very strong link to Australia. - Aiming for around 10-12 stories with a total length of 60-70,000 words - Average story length should be 3000-8000 words, but flexible - Focus is on realism rather than supernatural aspects, but contact me if unsure - Closing date for submissions is 30 June 2020. If you're interested in submitting an entry, first contact Jared Kavanagh at [email protected] to discuss. Will consider all entries, but lodging a submission does not guarantee inclusion in the final anthology. Please make sure you use the email address [email protected] to submit stories or make queries (rather than PMs or social media messages), as we want to limit the number of avenues of discussion to make sure no-one is overlooked by accident. Come on over and give AH writing a go, we'll throw another shrimp on the barbie for you. Via: Sea Lion Press.

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: Royalties Lethal Impact (Rated R) Deadline – June 30th, 2020 Publication – September 2020 Word Count – 5,000-15,000 Theme – In this post-apocalyptic anthology, nothing matters except survival. In a world full of humans pitted against each other, how can there be anyone left to trust? 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 Soul Press.

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: $.005 per word Theme: Horror and humor mixed together Horror. Comedy. Two totally different genres. Yet something amazing happens when they are able to combine in a way that keeps both the horror, and the humor. In Coffin Blossoms, we seek those rare stories that make us chuckle while giving us goosebumps. They are usually full of one-line zingers, and absurd situations. The ability to combine humor with horror in a respectable work of fiction is rare, but at Jolly Horror Press, we know these stories exist. That’s why WE exist, to give them their proper home. Bring us your funny horror, the ridiculous situations that are both scary and make you roll on the floor. You can write about whatever you want, there is no theme for this one. The only requirement is that it is horror, and hilarity. Your story must include elements of both horror and comedy. We wanna chuckle when we read it, in between sh*tting our pants. Specific guidlines are below: Coffin Blossoms Guidelines Here are a couple of tips to put your story in better position to be accepted. 1. Fit the theme. Horror/Comedy. Scare us and make us laugh. If we don't laugh a few times, we're not going to accept your story. If all we do is laugh, same thing. 2. Be within our word count guidelines (for Coffin Blossoms, 2000 to 6000) or query us for shorter/longer. 3. No matter how good your story is, if it hasn't been edited, there is a big chance we won't accept it. In the past, we've accepted stories that needed a lot of editing work, but it took so much effort to make them presentable. We aren't doing that anymore. If within a page or two of reading the story we...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: 50% of net revenue Theme: Bizarro! WE ARE CURRENTLY OPEN TO SUBMISSIONS APRIL 1 – JUNE 30, 2020 All submissions will receive a reply on July 31, 2020. What we are looking for: Eraserhead Press is seeking original novellas and novels of 20,000 to 100,000 words in length that fit into the Bizarro Fiction category. We want surprising, unique, well-crafted weird stories with compelling plots, eccentric characters, and never-before-seen concepts. We want a balance of both plot and character – we love weird characters with weird problems in weird places. We are looking for exciting concepts that make people say “I have to read that!” and well-developed characters they can fall in love with along the way. We’re most drawn to darkly absurd tales that are addictive to read and contain a strong emotional core. We love fiction that is both heart-rending and fun. While it may or may not be funny, we are interested in more than just a joke. If you can make us both laugh and cry or creep us out and draw us in, we will love your book. We are looking for entertaining and accessible stories that speak to a specific audience. Will your book appeal to vegan punks? Riot grrls? Overworked airline pilots? Cos-players? Fans of 80s New Wave? If you’ve identified the audience for your work, please tell us in your book description. Multiple submissions are okay – during our open submission period we are open to reading as many manuscripts as you feel would meet our criteria but we are only interested in your best work. Bring it on! We are interested in 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 to work with open-minded, creative people who are interested in connecting...

Deadline June 30th,2020 Payment: 80/20 split. 80% will go to the contributing authors to be paid within 10 days of Amazon payments for the book. Are you an Edgar Alan Poe fan? Would you like to be in an Anthology dedicated to his style of writing? Stories are to be in the fashion of Poe's writing. 5k can be a little bit over. Completed stories must be edited, but not formatted. Deadline June 30,2020 Release: July 2020 No buy-in. Published by Heart's On Fire Publishing, LLC https://www.facebook.com/groups/1172927172906061/ Payment will be an 80/20 split. 80% will go to the contributing authors to be paid within 10 days of Amazon payments for the book. 20% goes to the publisher for the cost of the cover, formatting, and an extra round of edits on all stories. Each author will receive a .mobi copy of the anthology to use specifically for giveaways. Paperbacks will be able to be bought from the publisher at cost. Stories should be submitted to [email protected]. Please put Poe in the comments of the email. Thank you!!  

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: $25 advance, royalties, 2 contributors copies Theme: A horror wester anthology Six Guns Straight From Hell was a western horror anthology first published by Science Fiction Trails in 2010.  A second volume came out in 2014. We’re going to bring a third volume in late 2020. The project is being edited by David B. Riley and J. A. Campbell. We are looking for original western horror.  Look at the title. Scare us or shoot somebody. Better yet, do some of both.  We’re not requiring gunplay, but it would help.  The preference will be for active stories. Any type of horror is okay, including dark fantasy, although we’re not fans of excessive sex or gore.  Have some sense of danger or peril.  Unlikely heroes or villains are especially wanted.  Above all else, give us a flavor of the Wild West along with whatever supernatural elements you bring to the table. Stories should take place in the western United States between 1850 and 1900. This can include western Canada and northern Mexico. Preferred length is 1k to 5k words, although we will accept stories to 8k words. We tend to see too many sheriff stories. There were plenty of other people out west, including merchants, photographers, reporters, ranchers, Indians, miners, soldiers, telegraph operators, saloon keepers and prostitutes. We encourage stories involving these folks.  If you do feel the need for a lawman, make that person interesting—not simply a walking badge. Over the years, we’ve noticed some common mistakes a lot of writers make.  We thought we’d mention a few of them. Ships. The names of ships are italicized.  Yep, they are. A lot of folks don’t seem to realize this. Short stories: Titles of short stories are not underlined. They should be put in quotation marks.  Names...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: AUD$80 per accepted story as our standard rate Theme: Climate Change Bushland is burning. Forecasts say the Arctic will be ice-free in the summers to come. Oceans are swelling with the run-off, and heaving with plastics and endocrine disruptors. Coral is dying, and the knock-on effects have barely begun. Climate change is here. Now what are we going to do about it? Do we need to help the environment change as fast as the climate? Release chemical mutagens into the ecosystem to drive natural selection at a hundred miles an hour so we can see what survives on the other side? Is it time to reinvent our social, political, and economic systems from the top down – or the bottom up? Our current lifestyles could become as alien to the next generation as the Aztec civilisation now is to us. In a world of guerrilla-style eco warriors, or digitised barter economies, or robot socialism, or ageographical nation states, what will we preserve? Which threads will we weave forward? Or could it be that a more gradual transformation of our destructive policies is the way to safety, taking each set of problems one box at a time? Our future could look much like our present, but with supercharged carbon sequestration, genetically modified bacteria safely breaking down plastics, and next-generation smart phones. How does it start? What drives it onward? Or do we need to move backwards? Our answers may not lie in the new, but in the old. Perhaps our best future is a radical rebuilding of history, and all we need to decide on is whose. And Lately, The Sun explores such ideas in a short story anthology slated for publication in November 2020. We are currently calling for submissions until midnight (GMT) on the 30th of...

Deadline June 30th, 2020 Payment: $25 and a contributors copy Theme: A strong female Main Character who will do whatever it takes to protect/avenge those she loves and must be written in the horror genre Do you want your story to appear in the next volume? IF I DIE BEFORE I WAKE: Volume 3 Submission Guidelines Below ​ Please read carefully. Submissions that don't meet the guidelines will be automatically rejected. All submissions will be reviewed after the submission deadline and chosen stories will be published in IF I DIE BEFORE I WAKE- TALES OF DEADLY WOMEN AND RETRIBUTION - The Better Off Dead Series Volume 3, which will be released in the fall of 2020 Submissions must be between 5,000 and 10,000 words Title, submitter's name, pen name (if different), word count and email address must be centered at the top of your submission Submissions must be 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double spaced with special first-line indentation of 0.5" Submissions must be in .Docx format with 1" margins all around Submissions should be clean and edited Submissions must be have a strong female Main Character who will do whatever it takes to protect/avenge those she loves and must be written in the horror genre Submissions cannot contain graphic sexual or rape scenes Submissions must not have been published elsewhere before in any medium The number of stories published will depend on word count of the chosen stories, but will be no less than ten stories and no more than twenty Authors may submit as many stories as they want for review, however, there will be a limit of one published story per author The deadline for submission is June 30th, 2020 Authors will be notified by July 31st, 2020 if their story was selected Authors That Are Selected For Inclusion...

Deadline: June 30th, 2020 Payment: $40 and a contributors copy Theme: Silence is the theme of this anthology. From tales of what lurks in a world without sound to characters whose voice are taken or go unheard, we want them all. Open for Submissions until June 30th 2020 Sonorous silence Silence is the theme of this anthology. From tales of what lurks in a world without sound to characters whose voice are taken or go unheard, we want them all. ​ We hope to keep the theme loose to allow the author creative freedom. If you think an idea fits, let us have it. ​ The word count for short stories should be between 2k and 10k. Formatting When submitting, please format your works using the industry standard. You can find a lovely guide here. ​ Basically:        -Courier or Times New Roman (The former is preferred)        -12pt font        -Double Spaced        -Include a header with your legal name, address, and e-mail        -Give us a word count on the first page        -Subsequent pages should be numbered and labelled with the author's last name ​ ​ ​ ​ Submissions should be made to:       [email protected] ​        -In the subject line tell us the submission type and title.         (ex. "Anthology- Book Title") ​ ​ ​ ​ Pay Since we are new and will be paying for expenses out of our own pocket for the time being, pay isn't going to be as great as we'd like. In time, we hope to be able to offer our authors more. For now, rates are as follows. ​ ​ Short Stories:        A flat rate of $40 + contributor copy Via: Pavor Press.

Deadline: July 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: July 1st, 2020 Payment: $100 Theme: Alien races, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic futures, colonization, cyberpunk, etc. Remember, first and foremost, this is a science fiction anthology. It’s okay if your story has some genre crossover, but we are less likely to except an alien invasion that reads like zombie novella. The first edition of The-Binge Watching Cure encompassed a huge variety of genres. The second edition centered on horrific themes that kept us up at night. For the third volume, we are abandoning earthly conventions entirely in favor of the weird, wild worlds of science fiction. So what is science fiction? SF features stories based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social, environmental, and evolutionary changes. That is just a textbook definition. Science fiction has a huge range of subgenres, and I’d love to see them all. Alien races, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic futures, colonization, cyberpunk, etc. Remember, first and foremost, this is a science fiction anthology. It’s okay if your story has some genre crossover, but we are less likely to except an alien invasion that reads like zombie novella. For the SF volume, we are offering a one-time payment of $100 for each story. We will be licensing the non-exclusive print and electronic book rights, including foreign-language rights (but not audio, film rights, or magazine rights). Your name and bio will be included along with your story. Submissions will open January 20th and close July 1st. Use “Last name – SF – word length category” as the subject line of your email. Questions? Visit our FAQ page. Our FAQ page has more detail about the kind of stories we’re looking for as well as details on formatting and publication details. Ready to submit? Hop over to our submissions page. Via: The Binge-Watching Cure.

Deadline: July 1st, 2020 Payment: $5 for 500 to 1000 words, $10 for 1000 to 3000 words, $25 for 3000 to 5000 words Tell-Tale Press now has submissions open to SHORT STORIES ONLY for at least one year, from July 1, 2019 through July 1, 2020. We plan to read through submissions as they are received and choose stories to publish on the Tell-Tale Press website online as they are selected. The stories may also be selected for digital and/or print anthologies in the future. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS 500 to 5000 words ONLY. Shorter or longer pieces will not be considered, even if it's just a few words. Word count does not include title, author's name and contact information, and any section numbers or section breaks. Original work only. No reprints, unless you are an author who has previously published with Tell-Tale Press. No simultaneous submissions. Only four submissions total per author during this time period. If you send more than four submissions, all of your stories will automatically be rejected. PLEASE FOLLOW STANDARD MANUSCRIPT FORMATTING. This includes one-inch margins, double spacing, either Times New Roman, Calibri, or Courier New font in 12 point, and consecutive page numbers. ANY STORY THAT IS POORLY FORMATTED WILL NOT BE READ. Click here for guidelines on how to create a standard manuscript. YOU MUST USE THE SUBMISSION FORM ON THE WEBSITE, including the upload link as to where to upload your story. Any stories submitted not using this format will not be considered. Your file must be in the format of .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf. STORY REQUIREMENTS The story must fall in the genre of fantasy, horror, mystery/crime, and/or science fiction. There is no specific theme at this time. Some examples of what will be considered are crossover work, such as sci-fi horror or horror western, and subgenres such as historical fiction, steampunk,...

Deadline: July 1st, 2020 Payment: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10 Theme: The Tiny Red Suitcase 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 the U.S. For those living outside the U.S., submit manuscript as an email attachment (readable by MSWord ― either as a DOC file or an RTF file), and include the following information on the...

Deadline: July 1st, 2020 Payment: 750-1500 words - $10, 350-749 words - $5, Reprints at $5 and $3 for the previous word counts. Theme: POC characters that turn Lovecraft's racism and monsters on his/their heads. Note: Reprints Welcome People of Color Destroy Lovecraft  ​Lovecraft wrote some hella scary monsters, on that most horror scholars agree, but he was terribly racist. I would like to see for this issue, POC characters that turn Lovecraft's racism and monsters on his/their heads. My preference for this issue is to have the majority of stories written by writers of color, if not all. Queer writers of color are especially encouraged to submit. Flash/shorts (750-1500 words. No more, no less) for $10 per piece original, previously unpublished. Microfics (350-749 words) will pay at a $5 per story rate for original, previously unpublished stories. NO POETRY OR DRABBLES FOR THIS ONE. Reprints will be accepted on this one. BUT will pay at a $5 rate for flash/shorts (750-1500 words) and $3 for microfics (350-749 words). You must identify your story as a reprint on the cover page of the manuscript and provide the market and date (mo/yr) where it was last published. Please follow instructions on the Guidelines page and include your name, PayPal email, and word count (total, not approximate) on the first page of your story document. Deadline July 1st, 2020.  Via: The Were-Traveler.

Deadline: July 1st, 2020 Payment: One cent U.S. per word ($2 minimum) Theme: Fantastic Fiction You really NEED to read the description below. The Cafe Irreal is a quarterly webzine that presents a kind of fantastic fiction infrequently published in English. This fiction, which we would describe as irreal, resembles the work of writers such as Franz Kafka, Kobo Abe, Clarice Lispector and Jorge Luis Borges. As a type of fiction it rejects the tendency to portray people and places realistically and the need for a full resolution to the story; instead, it shows us a reality constantly being undermined. Therefore, we're interested in stories by writers who write about what they don't know, take us places we couldn't possibly go, and don't try to make us care about the characters. We would also suggest you take a look at the current issue, archives, and theory (especially the essay, "What is irrealism?") pages on this web site. We accept unsolicited fiction up to 2,000 words in length. Translations are welcome. There is no minimum length. We accept only electronic submissions via e-mail at [email protected]. We cannot, due to the various computer viruses and worms, accept attachments anymore, so please paste your story into the body of the e-mail. Also include your name, address, e-mail address, and a short bio in the text of the submission; please put the word "submission" in the subject heading of the e-mail to ensure that your submission doesn't get lost among all the spam. We pay an honorarium of one cent U.S. per word ($2 minimum) to buy first-time internet rights (the story will then be archived). Payment is made upon publication. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DON'T ACCEPT SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS and are only interested in reprints in unusual cases (e.g., the story has appeared in print but...

Deadline: July 1st, 2020 Payment: Royalties Theme: Dark fantasy that includes elemental magic Submission Open: April 1, 2020 Submission Close: July 1, 2020 Publishing timeline: December 2020 SOON Theme: Think Elemental Magic This title is a work in progress Think Elemental Magic DARK FANTASY - Rated R Stories welcome ​ Theme: Elemental Magic - Earth, wind, fire, water and spirit. Dark versus light. We are giving a lot of leeway for story building, but magic must play a part in your world and there must be a dark fantasy element. Create a fantasy world for this to all play out in, or build something in ours. The choice is yours. The only requirement is that you must feature elemental magic. Fae and other realms, magic and witches, dragons or orcs, all magical and fantastic creatures are welcome. This one has opportunities for a lot of world-building so the call out is for larger stories. We will only be accepting a limited number of stories for this project, but volume II is under consideration. Stand-alone stories only, no to be continued. ​ Word Count is 7000 - 15000 (not a hard limit) we are looking for longer stories and small novella's. ​ Compensation: Equal royalty split per story. Digital copy. ​ Formatting guidelines: See our Submission Format guide below ​ How to submit: Submission form will open in April 2020 ​ Multiple Submission: Yes - We will be happy to read up to two stories per author, but note we will only be accepting one story per book. Please send each story in a separate form. Reprints: No. ​ Things that are a hard pass: any animal erotica and all forms of rape Remember to read the submission guidelines in full. Failure to comply could result in your submission being rejected or sent back for correction. At this time we are only accepting manuscripts in English. Word...

Deadline: July 2nd, 2020 Payment: 6 cents per word for original, 2 cents for reprints Theme: Well written original work in science fiction, fantasy, myth, legend, fairy tales, and eldritch, in written, podcast, video, and/or graphic story form, and from around the world. Note: Reprints welcome     Submissions Schedule We have a new submissions schedule as of June 1, 2020: The first and second day of every month, 12 am of the 1st to 12 am of the 3rd, E.S.T. Only one submission per person. For reading impaired individuals, our submissions manager and ‘forget password’ have a captcha compatible with screen readers. We pay 6¢ per word for new fiction, 2¢ per word for fiction reprints, 2 – 6¢ per word for new fact-based work, 1- 4¢ per word for reprinted fact articles. For new poetry, we pay $1 a line, reprints would be 50¢ a line, up to 40 lines. We’ll look at longer poems but that would be a hard sell, and words over 40 lines would be paid at 6¢ per word. We began The Kepler Award to recognize and encourage writers of excellent science fiction and fantasy stories that creatively extrapolate on known science in constructive and exciting ways. You can learn about The Kepler Award here. You can read a copy of our standard contract here.   It can be varied as needed to include the rights of translators, voice actors, etc. Writers Guidelines We accept new work as well as reprints, prose and poetry, anywhere from 1000 word flash fiction on up, but all else being equal, shorter pieces will be favored.   We have tough standards but only care about the quality of the writing, storytelling ability, characters, plot, and ideas, not whether you’re new or established.  Submit only work you are proud of —...

Deadline: July 5th, 2020 Payment: $50 and a contributors copy Gothic Blue Books were short fictions popular in the 18th and 19th century. They were descendants of the chap book trade and are now a thing of the past. Burial Day Books is now open for submissions for Gothic Blue Book Vol. 6 to be available October 31st 2020. What was a Gothic Blue Book? Gothic Blue Books were abridgements of full-length Gothic novels. The subjects of these books fell into one of two categories; the first being set in a monastery or convent and the second being set in a castle. In terms of the physicality of the book, they were three and a half to four inches in width and six to seven inches in height, with a page count of thirty-six to seventy-two pages. These little pieces of terror were popular at the time because they were affordable, a sixpence or a shilling each. Their cost affordability led them to be nicknamed Shilling Shockers or Sixpenny Shockers. What are we looking for? Original Gothic Blue Books typically took place in either a monastery, convent or castle. In years past we have asked for short stories that take place in one of these locations, or a modern day location such as a morgue, haunted house or cemetery. This year, we have added a new theme – Krampus, Christmas, and ghosts / lore from the globe revolving around a major celebration. Christmas ghost tales have a history stretching back that includes Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL and more. Please submit a short story or poem no longer than 3,500 words that follows one of the following: A single mention or setting in one of the original Gothic Blue Book settings: a) Monastery b) Convent c) Castle OR – A single...