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Deadline: January 1st, 2022 Payment: USD $130, and 2 print copies of the book. Theme: Nonfiction, true crime accounts of the “famous and infamous.” Writers Call for Submissions: True Crime/Nonfiction THE BEST NEW TRUE CRIME STORIES: CRIMES OF THE FAMOUS & INFAMOUS I’m seeking original true crime stories for the seventh volume in my true crime franchise. What I’m looking for: Nonfiction, true crime accounts of the “famous and infamous.” Criminal subjects can be from the performing and literary arts (including actors, musicians and composers, radio and TV personalities, authors, journalists, artists, etc.), politicians, sports figures, members of royalty, business entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and so forth. Criminal subjects must already be in the public eye when committing their crimes, not made famous after the fact. Stories can take place anywhere in the world and can cover a wide range of criminal activity/historical time frames. First-person accounts are especially welcome from writers with a connection to their cases. Add something new to the story, a different viewpoint or angle, particularly if your chosen case has received extensive coverage. Material must be meticulously fact-checked and free of errors before submission, including names, dates, locations, etc. Do not send your material until you have crosschecked your facts with several sources (don’t just rely on one source). This is a nonfiction book; everything must be 100% correct. To get an idea of the quality and variety of material I accept, please refer to the previous books in The Best New True Crime Stories series. Criminal subjects already covered in these volumes cannot be considered. Original material only; no reprints or fiction. Important: Writers must contact me in the first instance with a pitch for their story idea—a brief paragraph is sufficient. (Note that acceptance of a proposal does not guarantee acceptance/publication of material.) Word count: 4,000-7,000 words One-time payment per story: USD $130,...

Deadline: January 1st, 2022 Payment: 15GBP Theme: Victorian England II If you think you’ve got what it takes to terrify, scar and haunt our audience of 10,000 daily listeners, then we want your stories! If accepted, we'll get our fantastic narration team to lend their voices, our editor will sprinkle some magic pixie dust on the track, and you could have your story heard by thousands of listeners each week. (Vol 77.) Victorian England II; deadline 1st January 2022 !!!NEW SUBMISSION PROCESS!!! SUBMIT YOUR STORIES USING THIS FORM If, this form isn’t working, then please email your submission to [email protected] as a last resort. But please let us know why as we’re hoping to use the form going forward. Title your email with the following syntax: SUBMISSION | STORY TITLE | THEME | WORDCOUNT (e.g. SUBMISSION | THE MARTIAN | SPACE | 1,982) It is important that your story complies with our Submission Guidelines. Any stories found not to be in compliance will be immediately discarded. Click HERE for details If you think you’ve got what it takes to terrify, scar and haunt our audience of 10,000 daily listeners, then we want your stories! If accepted, we'll get our fantastic narration team to lend their voices, our editor will sprinkle some magic pixie dust on the track, and you could have your story heard by thousands of listeners each week. HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO: • Stories must be 2,000 (10% tolerance +/-) • Save stories in a Word document - Times New Roman font, size 12 • Include a 1-2 sentence log line for your story at the end of the document • Ensure that your name and an email address are somewhere on the document • Stories must fit an upcoming theme • By submitting your story...

Deadline: January 1st, 2022 Payment: Royalties Theme: Starships and their crews, heroic captains, villainous alien armadas etc. TRUE STORY: A few years ago at the back of every single Star Trek novel, there was a physical address for any aspiring writer to send off their own Star Trek manuscripts for publication consideration! As the years have gone on, the laws have tightened up and characters and names have been strictly copyrighted. So what does this have to do with our space opera call, you wonder? Well simple – we’re going to put out an anthology for all of you who always wanted to write an episode inspired by Star Trek, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers or The Orville but missed those days of golden opportunity. If you enjoy the thinking man’s drama of the iterations of Trek or the pulpy exploration elements of say Flash Gordon or even the more comedic chops of something like The Orville, this is your time to shine. We look forward to reading your tales inspired by the space opera greats (including Battlestar Galactica, Firefly etc.), just make sure your story is set in space and that the universe, setting, characters and names are original and completely your own creations. Title: Space Treks Theme: science fiction, space opera, pulp, drama Word count: 2,000 to 12,000 words Submission opens: OPEN Submission closes: January 2022 (or when full) What we would like to see: Starships and their crews, heroic captains, villainous alien armadas etc. Things of the hard pass variety: Horror, rape / excessive gore Compensation: Royalty Split Eligibility: Open to all Multiple submissions: Yes Reprints: Yes Simultaneous submissions: No   At Starry Eyed Press we strive to share the best possible version of your stories with the world. Therefore, all accepted material will receive professional in depth editing and formatting. If you are uncomfortable with this, please do not submit to us....

Deadline: January 1st, 2022 Payment: Accepted stories can expect between $100-$150. Theme: Lovecraftian Inspired Tales of Folklore & Horror Lovecraftian Inspired Tales of Folklore & Horror   Sentinel Creatives has opened up for submissions for the “FOLKLORIC: Tales of Folklore & Horror” anthology.   Deadline for Submissions: 1 Jan 2022 If you’re unfamiliar with Sentinel Creatives, we’re an indie publishing and production house based in Cape Town, South Africa. We maintain a weekly Substack profile, a monthly podcast show, as well as more traditional publishing roles! Though our focus is on books, we have moved into the audiobook and radio-play sphere, and our larger projects include various other creative endeavours (illustration, sculpting, painting, composing etc.) Our most recent project—Lovecraft in a Time of Madness—was fully funded on Kickstarter within an hour and went on to raise over $20,000! The full project included a Cthulhu sculpt, various radio plays, a soundtrack, merchandise, fully illustrated pages of H. P. Lovecraft’s work, as well as half-a-dozen other items we built into the project. We’re hoping to repeat this approach with FOLKLORIC.   WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR With Folkloric, we are hoping to create an original dark fantasy and horror collection of stories inspired by history, folklore, cults, religion, myth, and legend—with just a touch of Cosmic Horror. We want to read about traditional beasties that lurk within the dark places of the world and the slithering tentacles that follow them! While Lovecraftian themes are encouraged, we would prefer it if these submissions were more ‘loosely inspired’ by his works than if they took place within the Cthulhu Mythos, Dream Cycle etc. Show us what the Inuits fear in the North—what horrific creature hunts them and the whales of the Arctic; take us into the black woods of Lithuania, to the Witch Mount and the horrors beneath its ruins!...

Deadline: January 1st, 2022 Payment: One cent U.S. per word ($2 minimum) Theme: Fantastic Fiction You really NEED to read the description below. Our Guidelines 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...

Deadline: January 1st, 2022 Payment: Royalty Split Theme: Trunk stories that haven't found a home elsewhere Down another forgotten hallway lie more unexplored rooms. Each room contains another world waiting to be discovered. Some are wonderful and beautiful, others are dark and terrible. You won’t know which until you step inside. So take a deep breath and open the door… Submissions are now open for Particular Passages 2. Submission deadline is 1/1/2022. If we receive enough stories that we feel are up to snuff, we may begin working on Particular Passages 3! The Particular Passages anthologies are for stories that really need a home, but maybe don’t quite fit in anywhere else. Or maybe they do. That’s up to you. Either way, they can find a home here. We understand the “theme” of this anthology is a bit vague. We’re looking for “trunk stories” that shouldn’t have ended up in the trunk. The theme is: you just don’t know what’s behind that door until you open it. Think of it as an author showcase. We want authors to be able to put out things that they really knew should be out there but were unable to place. For this anthology, please no extreme horror or sex. Please keep content and language limited to the equivalent of a “PG-13” rated movie. We want to be able to share this with our mothers and children. There are no genre restrictions on this anthology. Please remember, Knight Writing Press will not accept a story that glorifies, supports, encourages, or gratuitously includes hate, hate crimes, rape, sex, sex crimes, or any other forms of inhumanity. Please make sure you read and follow all submission guidelines and look over the sample contract before you submit. In the text of your query letter, please include confirmation that you...

Submission Window: January 1st-3rd 2021 Payment: $50 Theme: Weather. A new theme, weather, starts in January 2022. Hi there! We’ll no doubt write more about this later in the next year, but for now, what follows below will tell you all you need to know. Added March 3, 3021: Although it states below that only one work per author per submission, I am suddenly getting multiple poems at a time. Only one story or poem per submission, per author. (Kate Wolford, Editor-In-Chief.) And the theme for 2022? It’s “WEATHER.” (No more submissions are being accepted for publication in December of 2021). The following is relevant to all submissions for 2022, and the first submission window opens Jan. 1. More below.   Writing opportunities for 2022 include:   New Fairy Tales: Fairy tales that are almost or entirely new or are just new takes on old tales are all welcome. Mashups of existing fairy tales are welcome as well. Submissions must follow the theme below to be considered.   Poetry: Poetry inspired by fairy tales and that follows the theme is also welcome.   Please read the following in its entirety before submitting.   Want to know what is likely to get published here? There are well over 10 years of stories, essays and art on this current site. It’s the best place to start if you want to be published here.   HERE IS HOW YOU SUBMIT AND FORMAT   Only the kind of submissions outlined below will be accepted at EC in 2022.   * Writers will have a chance to submit fairy-tale inspired stories/poems five times in 2022. Since we will be choosing eight to 10 works per publishing month, there are up to 50 slots to be filled in 2022. That’s a lot! And it does not...

Submission Window: January 1st-3rd, 2022 Payment: 8 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 8¢ 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...

Submission Window: January 1st-3rd 2021 Payment: $50 Theme: Weather. A new theme, weather, starts in January 2022. Hi there! We’ll no doubt write more about this later in the next year, but for now, what follows below will tell you all you need to know. Added March 3, 3021: Although it states below that only one work per author per submission, I am suddenly getting multiple poems at a time. Only one story or poem per submission, per author. (Kate Wolford, Editor-In-Chief.) And the theme for 2022? It’s “WEATHER.” (No more submissions are being accepted for publication in December of 2021). The following is relevant to all submissions for 2022, and the first submission window opens Jan. 1. More below.   Writing opportunities for 2022 include:   New Fairy Tales: Fairy tales that are almost or entirely new or are just new takes on old tales are all welcome. Mashups of existing fairy tales are welcome as well. Submissions must follow the theme below to be considered.   Poetry: Poetry inspired by fairy tales and that follows the theme is also welcome.   Please read the following in its entirety before submitting.   Want to know what is likely to get published here? There are well over 10 years of stories, essays and art on this current site. It’s the best place to start if you want to be published here.   HERE IS HOW YOU SUBMIT AND FORMAT   Only the kind of submissions outlined below will be accepted at EC in 2022.   * Writers will have a chance to submit fairy-tale inspired stories/poems five times in 2022. Since we will be choosing eight to 10 works per publishing month, there are up to 50 slots to be filled in 2022. That’s a lot! And it does not...

Deadline: January 5th, 2022 Payment: Royalties Theme: Mythology Extraordinary Mythology Deadline: 5 January, 2022 SUBMISSION GUIDELINES We consider stories for two types of publications: Website Anthologies (approximately 20 stories per anthology) Submissions: Open (check the deadlines mentioned above the images) Response Time: We will try our best to respond in four to eight weeks after the submission period ends. The first wave of rejections is usually quick (two weeks after the submission period ends) Word Count: 4,000–15,000 for website and anthologies; 500–2000 for flash fiction anthologies Submission Fee: None Rights: the copyright to the story remains yours. All we ask for are nonexclusive rights to publish your story Payment: Website: Currently, there is no payment for website publications because the blog is not yet monetized and we are in the beta phase (which may last for eight to twelve months). Once we get the numbers, we will come up with a model (probably token advance) that will allow us to pay our writers as well as fund the growth of TGVB (YouTube channel, audiobooks, story podcast, etc). It is an important goal for us to reach the stage when we can pay a decent sum to our authors. However, it will take time as these are some hard times for small presses. But we are sure we will get there if we keep working diligently. While monetary payment is not possible at the moment, we still want to offer some perks! Anthologies: Payment is 40% net profit divided equally among the contributors of that anthology. Net profit accounts for discounts, returns, and printing cost; we do not subtract any cover art, editing, formatting, or promotion costs. In other words, we pay 40% of the money vendors (such as Amazon) pay us. If the anthology doesn’t perform well, we will pay a one-time payment of 5 USD...

Deadline: January 5th, 2022 Prizes: 1st place: $0.03 per word, 2nd place: $0.02 a word, and third place $0.01 per word. Theme: No Way Out. Your January theme is... No theme at all. Since it's the holidays and we're already a third into the month, I don't want to put any unnecessary pressure on anyone. If you do need a theme or a bit of inspiration, let's go with   No Way Out. The word count is anything under 1,500 words, and the deadline January 5th. The winner will receive $0.03 per word, publication, and an Author Spotlight on our newsletter and Patreon page. Second place will receive $0.02 a word, and third place $0.01 per word. Submit your entry in the body of an email to [email protected]. The email subject line should be your story’s name and your author name / pseudonym Please take note… You do not need to be a Crystal Lake Patreon patron to enter. This is a contest and only the top three placing stories will receive payment. I'll personally read all the email submissions and post the best 10 to 20 stories on the Crystal Lake Publishing Patreon page (to our $5 a month and higher tiers). Our patrons will then read all the entries, posted one per day, and vote for a winner. Some editors/publishers may consider having your story posted on a subscription-based platform, like Patreon, as a first publication. If your story does not win, we will remove it upon request. Have fun! Via: Crystal Lake Publishing's Patreon.

Submission Window: January 1st-7th, 2022 Prizes: 1st place: $100, 2nd place: $50, 3rd place: $25 Theme: cosmic horror, dark science fiction, or weird CHM wants to find the very best cosmic horror flash fiction. SHOW US WHAT YOU GOT. Submissions will be ongoing and open the first week of every month for that month’s contest. THREE stories will be chosen per month to be published the month after they were submitted. (If you submit a story on October 3rd and it is chosen, it will be published in November.) Submissions are open monthly from the 1st to the 7th. Submission close at 12 am (midnight) eastern standard time. One entry per writer per month please! No simultaneous submissions. All stories accepted must be currently unpublished. Once a story has been submitted, please no resubmissions! We are looking for flash fiction (500 words or less) that can be classified as cosmic horror, dark science fiction, or weird. If you are unsure if your work qualifies, submit it and let us be the judge! Payment 1st place: $100 2nd place: $50 3rd place: $25 Make all submissions to [email protected]. Paste a cover letter with your information, publishing history, and word count into the body of the email. Attach the manuscript as a word document (.docx). Thank you and best of luck! Via: Cosmic Horror Monthly.

Submission Window: January 1st-7th, 2022 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Original fantasy and dark fantasy stories. All types of fantasy and dark fantasy are welcome. Note: This is an early listing to give you some time to plan ahead for next month or to remember to finish revising your story for the upcoming month! Note: We are trusting that the submission windows listed in the ongoing call are valid for this publisher. If they are not, please let us know and we'll look into revising accordingly. Instructions for submitting to Fantasy Magazine follow. Please read everything on this page and read the magazine before submitting. SUBMISSION PROCEDURES Submission Periods: Fantasy is open to submissions the first week of every month (1st-7th). Please do not query about submitting outside our open submission periods. Anonymous Submissions: Fantasy only accepts anonymous submissions. Do not include your name, address, phone number, or other similar identifiers on the manuscript. All original short fiction, flash fiction, and poetry submissions will be read anonymously on first read: moving out of slush depends on the merits of the story alone. Please make sure the title is on the manuscript. Simultaneous and Multiple Submissions: We do not accept simultaneous submissions or multiple submissions. Please do not submit more than one set of poems at a time, more than one piece of flash fiction at a time, or more than one story at a time. You may, however, submit a single entry in each category at the same time: you can submit one batch of poems, one flash fiction piece, and one short story all at the same (or overlapping) time, and each category will be considered a separate submission. If we are already considering work in any given category, please wait until you have received an acceptance or rejection before submitting again in that same category. Instructions: All fiction must be...

Deadline: January 9th, 2022 Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints Theme: Compelling science fiction Note: Reprints Welcome Compelling Science Fiction About the theme: The Compelling Science Fiction Short Stories collection is looking for new tales which are on the more plausible end of the SF spectrum. Time can be stretched, other worlds discovered, aliens can be present and quantum realms can be explored, but preferably all with a strong spine of internal self-consistency and dose of real-world science. For Compelling Science Fiction submit your story to [email protected] Terms and Guidelines Terms: We do not require exclusivity and do accept reprints Multiple submissions are fine Simultaneous submissions are fine but you must have the right to license your story in an anthology For accepted stories we pay Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) rates of 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints We will aim to read each story and confirm its status within 4 months of the submission deadline Payment for the chosen stories will be made within 30 days of the final advertised publication date (see our website flametreepublishing.com for details), although some may be paid earlier than that Submission does not imply the right to publication. Each story will be read and assessed by the selection panel. Guidelines: Word length is most likely to be successful at 2000-4000 words, but we will still read stories slightly outside this range Let us know in your submission email whether your story would be a reprint or is currently unpublished Please submit in .doc, .docx or .rtf formats, double spaced, with your name and email address in the footer or header of each page If submitting a story that has recently been submitted to us for consideration to another anthology, please state this in the submission email Deadline for submissions is Sunday 9th January 2022   The...

Deadline: January 9th, 2022 Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints Theme: Compelling science fiction Note: Reprints Welcome Christmas Gothic Short Stories About the theme: The Christmas Gothic Short Stories collection (with thanks to author Marina Favila for the suggestion) is a seasonal celebration of the dark and moody, the ghastly, the ghostly and the magical Christmas short story. We're looking for new submissions to join the classic tales of Algernon Blackwood, James Joyce, E.F. Benson and Elizabeth Gaskell. For Christmas Gothic submit your story to [email protected] Terms and Guidelines Terms: We do not require exclusivity and do accept reprints Multiple submissions are fine Simultaneous submissions are fine but you must have the right to license your story in an anthology For accepted stories we pay Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) rates of 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints We will aim to read each story and confirm its status within 4 months of the submission deadline Payment for the chosen stories will be made within 30 days of the final advertised publication date (see our website flametreepublishing.com for details), although some may be paid earlier than that Submission does not imply the right to publication. Each story will be read and assessed by the selection panel. Guidelines: Word length is most likely to be successful at 2000-4000 words, but we will still read stories slightly outside this range Let us know in your submission email whether your story would be a reprint or is currently unpublished Please submit in .doc, .docx or .rtf formats, double spaced, with your name and email address in the footer or header of each page If submitting a story that has recently been submitted to us for consideration to another anthology, please state this in the submission email Deadline for submissions is Sunday 9th January 2022   The Flame Tree Gothic Fantasy,...

Deadline: January 14th, 2022 Payment: $10 for stories over 2k Theme: A sub-genre of speculative fiction, brings readers dystopian, violent worlds with amoral or morally questionable protagonists. OPEN NOW (See Theme: GRIMDARK for close details) Word count : up to 3,000 words (10% leeway) Author eligibility : Open to all Reprints : Not allowed Simultaneous Submissions : Not allowed Multiple Submissions : TWO. Can be submitted at the same time in separate emails. Maximum acceptances : ONE per pen name Publication : In digital and print, launching 2022 Author compensation : One digital copy, plus print discounts, and $10 USD for all stories published over 2k (after edits) Submit to : [email protected] Grimdark, a sub-genre of speculative fiction, brings readers dystopian, violent worlds with amoral or morally questionable protagonists. The tone is always grim and dark—from whence the name comes—and valourises the protagonist’s struggles as they choose between good and evil. Some reading examples; A Song of Fire and Ice—George R.R. Martin The Gaslight Dogs—Karin Lowachee Certain Dark Things—Silvia Moreno-Garcia The Poppy War—R.K. Kuang Lord Foul’s Bane—Stephen Donaldson Gardens of the Moon—Steven Erikson The Court of Broken Knives—Anna Smith Spark Your characters might be human or speculative fiction—vampires, werewolves, androids, aliens, fae. Can include romance elements and comedy, but, as always, err on the very dark side. Submit to : [email protected]   Via: Black Hare Press.

Deadline: January 14th. 2022 Payment: 3 cents per word for original fiction. 5k words = $150, 1 cent per word for reprints. Theme: Cosmic Horror, Lovecraftian, Weird stories, original and reprints. Note: Reprints Welcome Submission Period *SUBMISSIONS OPEN SOON!* – Submission periods are twice yearly from January 1st – January 14th and July 1st – July 14th. January stories accepted will appear in issues from the following July – December July stories accepted will appear in issues from the following January – June SUBMISSION PROCEDURES Instructions: All fiction must be submitted via email to [email protected]. When submitting, include a little background information about yourself in the body and attach the story in the form of a Microsoft Word file. Please include a word count and a brief synopsis of the work. For artwork, please put a link to the gallery/pieces in the body of the email along with any relevant background information. You may also attach example work. Acceptable file formats for attachments are DOCX, JPG, PNG. Guidelines Cosmic Horror Monthly is seeking Cosmic Horror, Lovecraftian, Weird stories, original and reprints. If you aren’t sure if your work qualifies, submit it and we can decide. No subject is off-limits and we do encourage writers to try and push the status quo. Please only submit a single story once and only submit one story per email. Multiple submissions are strongly discouraged. Every email will be checked! Simultaneous submissions are allowed. At this time, we are strongly favoring stories with a contemporary narrative style. Lovecraftian themes and mythos works are welcomed but try to avoid Lovecraft pastiche and styles mimicking that of his writer circle from the early 20th century. Word Count: We are open to stories of 1000-7500 words. Stories in the range of 3000-5000 words are preferred. Art If you are...

Submission Window: December 1st, 2021 - January 15th, 2021 Payment: $25 Theme: Cryptids! Sasquatch, Chupacabra, Jersey Devil. All these things are deemed by Cryptozoologists as creatures that may exist out in the wild, but are dismissed by mainstream media science. Scientists will say it’s all just pseudoscience. Mumbo-jumbo, if you will. They’ll will even go as far as to say it’s all just claims based on fairytales, that there really is no actual scientific research to back up cryptozoology’s assertion that these creatures exist. But what if mainstream scientists are wrong. What if these creatures are out there, lurking in the darkest reaches of our planet. Prepare yourself for Cryptid Carnage! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bxpamj7I9A Open call for Splatter Ink Publishing's Cryptid Carnage starts on Dec. 1st, and we close our doors for submissions on Jan. 15th. We are looking for stories from 2,000 - 10,000 words and we do not want reprints. Simultaneous Submission are okay, as long as you tell us it is a Simultaneous Submission and if it gets picked up elsewhere. We will have exclusive rights to your story for a year, then it switches over to non-exclusive rights after that. Send your stories to [email protected] and we'll get to them as soon as we can! Payout for accepted stories is $25

Deadline: January 15th, 2022 Payment: $20 per story Theme: Electric Spec prefers science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we're willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres. submissions at electricspec (dot) comPlease don't query us about your story submission. We don't have the manpower to answer such queries. An editor will email you back as soon as possible with the decision about your story. This can take a few days, or, up to three months. We make every effort to get back to authors in a timely manner but we get a lot of submissions so sometimes it's not possible. A note on our editorial policy: before publication we may work with the author to edit the story for length or readability. However, we always remain true to the spirit of the story and the author has final approval. Issues are published at the end of February, May, August, and November. We reserve the right to shift publication date slightly, as necessary. We have reading periods for each issue, though we never close to submissions. February closes January 15 May closes April 15 August closes July 15 November closes October 15 Please do not submit the same story more than once, and please submit only one story at a time. We consider any story between 250 and 7000 words with speculative fiction elements. We prefer science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we're willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres. We do not consider poetry, stories with over-the-top sex or violence, serials, novels, fan fiction, or non-fiction. We don't accept multiple submissions; in other words, only submit one story at a time and wait for a response before submitting another. We accept simultaneous submissions as long as you let us know up front and...

Deadline: January 15th, 2022 Payment: £50.00 plus a contributor's copy Theme: Reprints of science fiction published in 2021 Note: Must live in UK or be a British ex-pat Note: Reprints only Submissions for Best of British SF 2021 are now open! Series editor Donna Scott is seeking the very best short stories written by British authors that were first published during 2021. For our purposes, 'British' means authors who are resident in the UK or British ex-pats who currently live elsewhere. Please bear in mind that this is a reprint market and we are not interested in original stories in this instance; nor do we wish to see self-published stories. Also, we are looking specifically for Science Fiction with this one; fantasy and other flavours of genre will not be considered. There is no specific limit on a story's length, though anything over 10,000 words will be a tough sell. Submissions should be sent as attachments to:   [email protected] Please follow standard manuscript formatting. We are interested in seeing your very best work. Therefore, multiple submissions are not encouraged; if you really cannot decide, please submit no more than two stories. This is a paying market, with successful authors receiving payment of 1p a word up to a maximum of £50.00 plus a contributor's copy of each edition of the book. Via: Newcon Press.

Deadline: January 15th, 2022 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Crime stories of the future (not needed but think mixing with science fiction, more details below!) BOOK 2 IN THE REINVENTED ANTHOLOGY SERIES Edited by Jennifer Brozek and Cat Rambo CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS As we move forward into the age of information, what happens to our ideas of detection and crime? How do you handle it when your smart car blackmails you or you need to murder the downloaded personality of your enemy? What acts to enforce society's norms and catch those violating them in the future? Will our definitions of crime — or punishment — change, and what new forms of either might appear? ​ Among the stories we hope to see: Updated tropes like but not limited to the hardboiled detective, the police procedural, or the locked room mystery. Kidnapped AIs, stolen memories and identities, virtual crimes vs physical ones. What constitutes murder when the victim's got a backup? What if you accidentally unplug someone's server? Stories that experiment, astonish, and entertain. This is our open call. Writers of color, QUILTBAG writers, writers with disabilities, and neuro-diverse writers are actively encouraged to apply, as are writers from outside the United States. ​ Guidelines: ​ Open for submissions: November 15th, 2021 through January 15, 2022. All submissions should be submitted through our Moksha portal. Please remove identifying information from the manuscript, but otherwise use standard manuscript format. In the cover letter, list your full author name, the title of your work, and the word count. ​ Length: 1500-5000 words (5k is going to be a tough sell) ​ Buying: Original fiction; exclusive rights for 18 months with standard "best of" anthology exceptions. ​ Paying: 8 cents a word (SFWA pro rates) ​ No multiple submissions. Simultaneous submissions are okay but you must notify us...

Submission Window: January 1st-15th, 2022 Payment: 1 winner each month will win $10 Canadian Theme: A story at exactly 50-words If you’d like to have a 50-word story that you wrote featured on FiftyWordStories.com, first make sure that you understand exactly what a 50-word story is, and then read the submission requirements below closely. Submissions System Each month, submissions will be open between days 1 and 15 of that month. Any stories received on days 16 to 31 of a month will be deleted, but can be resubmitted the following month. You may only submit one story per month. From the stories received in those 15 days, the best stories will be selected to be published that same month. Only enough stories will be selected to publish two stories per weekday. There is no payment associated with stories. However, each month a “Story of the Month” is selected, and receives a prize of $10 Canadian. Stories that were not selected will not be published, will not roll over into the following month, and cannot be resubmitted in following months. Authors will be notified whether their story has been selected or not once all stories from the month’s submissions have been reviewed. How to Submit Please email your submission to [email protected]. Paste the story into the body of the email. Please include a title, your name, and a brief third-person bio. Feel free to include a link to your website! If you are submitting a story related to a specific date or holiday, please include that information in the Subject line of your submission. You can also send your story in using the form at the bottom of this page. Tips and Guides Looking for help with writing microfiction? Check out Bob Thurber’s Anatomy of a Microfiction page. Terms and Conditions Please keep the content of your submissions appropriate for...

Submission Window: January 1st-15th, 2022 Payment: $10 Theme: Un-themed, general horror flash fiction. Preference to dread-inducing stories. **STARTING IN 2022, SUBMISSIONS OPEN JANUARY, APRIL, JULY, AND OCTOBER (1-15th of each month)** Submissions CLOSED. Un-themed, general horror flash fiction. Preference to dread-inducing stories. Length: 500 – 1,000 words. Firm. Author Compensation: 2c/word, paid via PayPal. (Rounded to nearest whole dollar) Publication: Dread Stone Press website (Dose of Dread). Reading Periods: January, April, July, and October; 1st to 15th. Any stories submitted outside of each reading period will not be read. Rights: First World Electronic Rights. Non-exclusive rights thereafter. No reprint restrictions after publication. Original stories ONLY. No reprints. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but NO multiple submissions. You may submit again the next reading period if rejected. If your story is accepted, please sit out one reading period before submitting again. Please, for everyone’s sake, no rough drafts. Successful pieces will require little to no proofreading edits. Email your submission as a Word document attachment to [email protected] with “DOSE – – ” in the subject line. Rejections for Dose of Dread submissions will be sent by the end of the month submitted. If you have not received a reply by then, feel free to follow-up. All rejections will be form rejections. It’s not personal, promise. Which also means please don’t respond to rejections. It’s unnecessary. Please see the General Submission Guidelines below for additional formatting information. General Submission Guidelines Address your email to “Editor” or “Alex”. Please provide a brief cover letter in the body of the email (title, word count, relevant info, etc). Do not stress over or overthink this. Please include an author bio of 100 words or less, written in third person, plus any links (e.g. to a website / Twitter) if you wish to include them. Please submit your work as an email attachment in .doc/.docx format. Any other attachment type or...

Deadline: January 15th, 2022 Payment: For full-length stories, 2,500 words or more, payment is $500. For flash fiction, under 1,000 words, payment is $200. Theme: Short stories that examine lives impacted by policy and politics Adi is seeking new short fiction for our winter 2022 issue. Send us your work! We’re looking for short stories that examine lives impacted by policy and politics. This should be interpreted expansively and imaginatively. Please familiarize yourself with the range and spirit of our archives; Adi tends toward creative, experimental approaches to political writing, with a particular focus on those on the margins and in the global south. We’ve previously published fiction on ghosts in a post-fossil fuel world; love on opposing sides of a military crackdown; intervention through the eyes of a fugitive lion. We’re not interested in the drearily righteous; we want stories that unearth new worlds, that plumb interior lives alongside external conflicts, that satirize and fantasize, that disturb, beguile, challenge, surprise, ignite. Translators: we’d love to hear from you! If you have unpublished work from writers who fit the bill, please get in touch. (If the story’s already been translated, just go ahead and submit, but if not, feel free to email us with a blurb about the potential story and we’ll take it from there). For full-length stories, 2,500 words or more, payment is $500. For flash fiction, under 1,000 words, payment is $200.   The deadline for submissions is January 15th, 2022, though we welcome them earlier. Email your piece in a word document to [email protected] with POLITICAL FICTIONS in the subject line. One submission per author, please. Include a short biographical note and word count on the first page of the document. We aim to make selections by February 15th, 2022.   ***   Adi is a literary journal of global politics. Founded in 2019, we’ve published new...

Deadline: January 16th, 2022 Payment: $10 and a contributor's copy Theme: Edgy, fearless, and experimental subject matter and styles great weather for MEDIA seeks poetry and prose for our annual print anthology. Our reading period runs October 15, 2021 to January 16, 2022. (Midnight PST) Our focus is on edgy, fearless, and experimental subject matter and styles. We highly recommend reading one of our previous collections to see the type of work we are interested in and the design of our books. Our latest anthology is Paper Teller Diorama. (Looking for a bargain? We have a very limited number of slight seconds for $5 at our online store.) Let us know in your cover letter how you found us and what you like about us. We are based in New York City and welcome submissions from both national and international writers. https://www.greatweatherformedia.com/ Guidelines: Surprise us with your fearless best!  We do not consider previously published work, whether print or online. This includes limited edition chapbooks and personal blogs. If your work appears in our most recent anthology, please wait a year before submitting again in any genre. Please submit only once in each genre (poetry / prose) and do not submit again until you have received a response. 1-4 poems of any length and theme. If you are submitting more than one poem, include them all in a single document. Do not submit multiple poems in separate files. Single-spaced please, or how it should appear on the printed page. Start each poem on a new page. One prose/creative nonfiction piece, two if both under 500 words. Maximum word count: 2,500. Please include the word count on the first page. Simultaneous submissions are fine - just notify us with your good news immediately.  If you wish to withdraw individual pieces from consideration, click on the title of your submission, click on Active, and add a note listing the title(s)...

Deadline: January 17th, 2022 Payment: 4 cents a word and one contributor copy Theme: Hard sci-fi and weird fiction Planet Scumm accepts submissions from writers across the world. (Our HQ is a roving meteor-sized space station—Earth’s borders mean nothing to us. We want to hear from writers of every race, nationality, and gender identity. WHAT TO SUBMIT Hard sci-fi, soft sci-fi, sci-fi that melts in your mouth-brain not your hand-brain Speculative fiction, weird fiction, slipstream Basically anything that pleases Scummy, our megaphone-toting slime buddy, will be considered for entry to the interstellar archive aboard Scummy’s saucer HOW TO SUBMIT Include submissions as a .doc or .docx attachment to [email protected] along with a brief cover letter in the email body. Please attach only your story (no images, do not put your story in the body text of the email). Stories, or collections of flash fiction, should be no more than 5,000 words in length, and submitted in standard manuscript format. Submit only one short story or flash collection. We will not accept multiple submissions from the same author in one reading period. Simultaneous submissions are okay, as long as you promptly withdraw a story accepted elsewhere. SCHEDULE, RIGHTS, AND PAYMENT Accepted authors receive 4 cents a word and one contributor copy. Our publication operates in print, e-book, and audiobook. Some accepted stories will also be published on our website. We purchase exclusive English language print, audio, and electronic publishing rights for six months, with non-exclusive rights thereafter. Authors will receive payment within 3 months of signing their contract. Via: Planet Scumm's Submission Page.

Deadline: January 28th, 2022 Payment: $10 Theme: Horror in the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean From 1st November 2021, we’re taking submissions for the first three anthologies in the Dead Seas collection. All three anthologies will have slightly different themes, but for all three we’re looking for aquatic or nautical horror stories - supernatural, realistic or altogether otherworldly - between 1,000-6,000 words (upper limit flexible). 100% of the profits from these anthologies will be going to The Shark Trust, supporting the protection and conservation of sharks and sea life. For more information, please visit https://www.sharktrust.org/ Our submissions process is 50% invite and 50% open, meaning there are 5-6 slots available through open submission for each anthology. But don’t fear! If you submit to one anthology and we like your story, but feel it could be a better fit for another (whether that’s another of these three, or one later in the year), then we’ll email you and see if you’d consider that slot instead. All accepted authors will receive a $10 fee upon the publication date of the volume featuring their work. We know this isn’t a lot, but we’d like to say thank you for helping us support the cause. Themes for the first three anthologies are as follows: Terror in the Trench (coming March 2022): this book will focus on the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean. Feel free to interpret this theme as you wish; we’ll consider stories about the unknown, about strange, leviathan creatures… Submissions close January 28th. Submissions Guidelines Please ensure you follow these guidelines for all submissions. Any stories not following these guidelines may, unfortunately, be rejected. Refer to individual submissions calls for an outline of the theme we’re looking for, but bear in mind that we will be releasing a lot of...

Note: This submission call has closed early. Deadline: January 30th, 2022 -- UPDATE: CLOSED EARLY Payment: Half a cent/word ($0.005/word) Minimum $15.00. Theme: speculative fiction, namely Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Note: Reprints welcome at same pay rate and the main reason that I'm listing this at under a cent per word We are currently open to SHORT STORY submissions for our Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy Anthology to be published in Summer of 2022. We ask for the following: 1) We are looking for great speculative fiction, namely Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Don’t overthink it! Just write an incredible story and you will find yourself in this anthology. 2) Submit your work in the Shunn Standard Manuscript Format. We only accept documents in DOC, DOCX and RTF formats. 3) We accept work in the range of 1500-7500 words. Anything outside this range will be automatically rejected. 4) Payment for original fiction is currently $0.005/word up to 7500 words. Minimum of $15. Reprints paid at full rate. We retain no rights to your work. 5) The Author’s Hand encourages submissions from writers of all races, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, etc. We want and value diverse voices. Saying that, we make editorial decisions strictly based on merit, and we do not collect any information that might clue our editors to any of these attributes other than your name, email, address, and cover letter before any decisions are made regarding your submission. 6) Ready to submit? Then send an email directly to [email protected]. In the subject line, please write “Anthology Submission: “STORY TITLE” or your story will be automatically rejected. 7) No multi-submissions. We try to respond to all submissions within 30 days. Submissions are currently OPEN. DEADLINE: January 31, 2022 **OUR SPECIAL PERK** Regardless of whether...

Deadline: January 30th, 2022 Payment: Short stories: $100 CAD upon publication, Poetry: $50 CAD upon publication Theme: A multimedia project inspired by the electrosymphonic album “Wayward & Upward” by Spinoza Gambit. Note: Look at the submission page at the very bottom to verify the song you want to tackle is still open. A multimedia project inspired by the electrosymphonic album “Wayward & Upward” by Spinoza Gambit. The music already exists. Your job is to fill in the words. This anthology will include one short story and three poems for each track on this album. Short stories and poems must use the same title as the relevant track. Draw inspiration from the title, but be sure to also listen to the track. Imagine that the track is the main theme or opening music in a movie that is your story or poem. All genres welcome. Open to anyone in the world. CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE ANTHOLOGY ON KICKSTARTER! (SUPPORTING WILL HAVE NO IMPACT ON WHETHER OR NOT YOUR SUBMISSION IS CHOSEN, BUT IT WILL HELP US MAKE THIS A REALITY!) Submission Guidelines: Please include a cover letter on the first page of your file. This cover letter must include: A short bio (<80 words) A brief explanation of how your piece relates to the track Short stories: 1500-3000 words (some wiggle room is allowed, but don’t be ridiculous) Payment for accepted short stories: $100 CAD upon publication (more if fundraising goals are met) Poems: maximum 30 lines Payment for accepted poems: $50 CAD upon publication (more if fundraising goals are met) All payments through PayPal (or etransfer where possible). Multiple submissions: Yes. You can submit as many pieces as you like. Please submit each poem or story as a new submission. Simultaneous submissions: No. Format: We aren’t too hung up on formatting. Just make it easy for us to read. No PAGES files. DOC or DOCX...

Submission Window: January 23rd-30th, 2022 Payment: $20 Theme: Science fiction and fantasy As of 2021, Mythaxis will be published four times a year, and is periodically open to submissions within the following schedule: January 23rd-30th April 23th-30th July 23rd-30th October 23rd-30th Submissions received outside of these dates will unfortunately be lost and therefore not responded to. When open, we seek and offer the following: Length: 1,000-7,500 words. This is a firm limit. Generally speaking, the further a story goes beyond 5,000 words the more it will need to impress, but the door is not shut in advance. Compensation: $20 on acceptance and return of contract. Payment via PayPal only. We aim to acknowledge submissions the same day they are received. If you do not receive an acknowledgment within 24 hours of submission, please get in touch. Please limit yourself to a maximum of two submissions within any window, and please wait until receiving a first rejection notice before submitting a second time. We aim to accept or reject within 14 days of acknowledgment, but rl (real life) and rl (reading load) can get in the way. If you do not hear from us after 30 days, feel free to query. We require First Print and Digital rights with a six month period of exclusivity from the date of publication. We also ask permission to potentially include accepted pieces in future anthologies, in event of which an additional full payment and digital copy will be offered in compensation. All other rights remain entirely with the author. Simultaneous submissions are not only accepted, they are encouraged. We merely ask that you notify us of acceptance at another market as soon as possible. In the event that we accept first we would expect a positive confirmation, so we recommend sim-subbing to markets of equivalent status - we won’t want...

Deadline: January 31st, 2021 Payment: $25 per thousand words Theme: Weird westerns set in the world of 'The Widow’s Son' (a link to details below for those who haven't read it. Malahas Press will be publishing a Weird West/Western Horror anthology of short fiction titled A Fistful of Demons from both debut and established authors in the Fall of 2022. We are based in the US, and welcome submissions from around the world. If you’re interested in submitting a short story to A Fistful of Demons, please read the following guidelines. Note that there is no submission fee for this anthology. Zero, niltch, nada. How to submit your story All short story submissions should be made via email to [email protected]. This helps us keep track of the submissions we receive as efficiently as possible. Submit your story as an attachment to the email. DO NOT PASTE YOUR STORY INTO THE EMAIL BODY. Please include only your name and story title in the subject line, e.g. “BOB SMITH – THE DARK RIDER.” Please don’t write to that address with general questions, as it won’t reach the right people. If you have a question you can contact the editor. What we’re looking for A Fistful of Demons is a Weird West/Western Horror short story anthology set in the aftermath of the novel The Widow’s Son. For more details on the setting please read this. It is not necessary to have read the book to submit. Details on the world and setting are provided in the link above. We are looking for stories about adventure in a Wild West beset by supernatural forces and fantastic steampunk technology. While we will accept stories with a romantic narrative, we will not accept erotica. Please note that we do not consider novel excerpts, non-fiction, poetry, or anything with illustrations or photographs. Word Count We’re looking for...

Deadline: January 31st, 2022 Payment: $35 Theme: Grim Fantasy with characters exploring the setting’s past while also being deeply involved with the setting’s religion. Hydra Publications, with Hydra fantasy author, Stuart Thaman, leading the way, is hard at work on our next anthology collection. Read the guidelines below and FOLLOW THEM. Submission guidelines: Genre: epic fantasy / sword and sorcery Tone: grim and bleak Setting: feel free to craft your own unique world exclusive to the story or write in one of your own previously established worlds from other books or series. Historical settings (any story that takes place on Earth) are not permitted. The technology level should fit with traditional epic fantasy. Any gunpowder use should be rudimentary. Steampunk settings are acceptable so long as the technology is not much more advanced than the musket age Theme: stories should fit the overall theme of characters exploring the setting’s past while also being deeply involved with the setting’s religion. Examples include characters hunting for religious artifacts, characters plagued by their previous actions while members of the setting’s religious order(s), religious war / crusade, fanatic proselytizing, etc. As long as your story has a heavy element of a unique and interesting religion, it should fit the theme Length: 6,000 – 10,000 words Submission: please email all submissions in the body of your email to [email protected]. Only completed manuscripts will be considered. You must put the anthology title, Ghosts of the Old Gods, in your submission subject line to be considered Payment: upon acceptance of your manuscript, authors will be paid $35 All authors featured in the anthology will be given one free paperback copy of the anthology after it is published All authors featured in the anthology will be given one full page (~225 words) after their story for an author bio and to advertise...

Deadline: January 31st, 2022 Payment: 0.5 cent per word Theme: Hopeful stories that take place during winter in the following genres: fantasy, slipstream, magical realism, and fabulism Note: Apologies for the short window, this just hit my inbox. Iridescent Words seeks short stories between 800 and 5000 words for our upcoming anthology. Send us well-crafted, polished gems. Writing that is ethereal and dancing with imagery, evocative and enchanting. Stories that glitter with dark magic, exuberant, luscious, melancholic or hopeful. We accept: fantasy, slipstream, magical realism, and fabulism. ​ Send us stirring tales of mischievous creatures, elves, fae or trolls, spell-weavers, or ancient gods. Winter goddesses such as Cailleach, Khione or Skadi. Frost demons and snow sprites. Sugar plum fairies, ice dragons or frost giants. Use creatures, gods or characters from mythology and folklore or make up your own. ​ We would like the stories to be set in this world (though portals to other worlds can certainly be opened), and represent a range of cultures and locations. ​ Consider: What would happen in an encounter with a barbagazi in the Alps?  What kind of bargain could you make with a frost-sprite? ​ ​ Stories must be set at least partially during winter and include a speculative element. Something magical, however you choose to interpret it. ​ Stories should be suitable to read around the fire with your family. ​ Payment: We will raise money through a fundraising campaign, with the aim to pay writers minimum 0.5 cent/word. This will depend on how much is raised and could even increase if more money is raised. Funds will also be used to pay for original cover art. ​ What we do NOT want: -Stories with content unsuitable for ages 16 and up -Graphic violence, sex or foul language -Dystopian, grimdark or depressing...

Deadline: January 31st, 2022 Payment: 1 cents per word Theme: Diverse sci-fi and fantasy fiction. MYTHIC is seeking diverse sci-fi and fantasy fiction. We publish both new, original fiction. Authors are encouraged to submit their stories during the specific reading periods listed below. Reading Periods June 1 through July 31 December 1 through January 31 Guidelines Works should be between 2,000-6,000 words. (No wiggle room above or below.) 1.) Submit in Standard Manuscript Format We prefer Times New Roman or Courier and 12 point type. Double-spaced pages. Do not have tabs in your manuscript; please set first line indents. Please include your name and contact information at the beginning of the story. Submit in .doc, .docx, .rtf format. 2.) Please NO simultaneous or multiple submissions. Rights Purchased: For NEW/UNPUBLISHED FICTION, We are purchasing World English Rights Following an exclusivity period, all other rights revert to the author. MYTHIC retains a nonexclusive right to keep stories in the issue they appear for as long as the issue remains in print. Compensation: At this time, we PAY $0.01 CENTS A WORD for NEW short fiction. We provide authors with one free copy of the issue in which their story appears. Payment made upon publication via PayPal. (We are not responsible for any transaction fees). To submit fiction: Send all stories to [email protected]. Your story should be attached. Put “New Submission: Title of Your Story” in the subject line. Please include your name, title, word count, and contact information in the body of the email. Note on nonfiction: All articles and other content are chosen in-house. Please do not submit queries at this time. If you have further questions, use the contact form.   Thank you for your interest in MYTHIC. Via: Mythic Magazine.

Submission Window: January 1st-31st, 2022 Payment: 35% royalty on print books/45% royalty on ebooks and 10 author copies Theme: Gothic novels and novellas With its emphasis on a sublime atmosphere of picturesque scenery, extraordinary and exotic locations (period or contemporary), mystery, and horror, Gothic Fiction carved an indelible impression in the literary world. Beginning with Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto in 1764, the Gothic has stalked the literary shadows for centuries, delivering tangled and tortured narratives of family trauma, psychological distress, and terrible secrets. The terrifying appeal of the Gothic lies within its ability to invoke a pleasing and memorable dread. Nosetouch Press is excited to open a call for a Gothic novel (60,000 words+) or novella (35,000 words+), encouraging writers to delve into the darkness and send us their best work. Previously unpublished work only—no reprints. No YA, poetry, or short story collections. Diverse voices are welcome. We will not consider stories with excessive gore, splattercore, cosmic horror, exploitation/trauma adult content, romance/erotica-centered plots, or child abuse-driven fiction. Starting January 1, 2022, please email your complete manuscript as an email attachment in .doc/.docx format to [email protected]. Please list GOTHIC FICTION CALL and the author name in your subject line. Please include a cover letter containing the word count, a short description of the work, and an author bio. Submissions sent prior to January 1, 2022, will be discarded. The call ends at MIDNIGHT PST, January 31, 2022, unless an extension to the call is announced via our social media channels. Please expect a 3-4 month reading period for all submitted works. Nosetouch Press will notify all writers of acceptance or rejection by email. Good fits for Nosetouch Press are carefully read and reviewed. We greatly appreciate your patience and understand that we have great respect for writers, and will let you know as soon as we’ve reached our final decision. Thank you for...

Deadline: January 31st, 2022 Payment: 11 US cents / word Theme: Horror that represents you by marginalized authors Quick Specs: Looking for: Short stories Word count: 1000 to 7000 Payment: 11 US cents / word Open to: Mainly marginalized authors; see specifics below Audience: Adult Genre: Horror Subgenre: Horror that represents you Status: Unpublished Simultaneous submissions: YES Multiple Submissions: NO Poetry: Only if it’s a vehicle for a narrative; will be judged as a story first What's it gonna be? This horror anthology comes courtesy of a collaboration between editor Alex Woodroe and the publisher CatStone Books, and will hopefully be the first out of a series of yearly anthologies aiming to give voice to marginalized authors and their stories. CatStone Books is a 501(c)3 nonprofit publishing company that believes in promoting diversity in speculative fiction. This anthology will benefit from CatStone’s full support and resources, and would be released with fanfare in Q4 2022. The total 75.000 words available will mostly come from this open submission call, with a small handful of stories requested from leading voices in the genre.   What We're Looking For: Submissions from marginalized authors: but you get to decide what that means. Does the world need more stories from the daughters of migrants? More authentic Appalachian horror? More women, more nomads, more veterans, more neurodiversity, more non-native English speakers? More thoughts from people who have gone through your experiences; been in your shoes? Then this call is open to you. Horror that represents you: but you get to decide what this means, too. Is it a favourite trope you want to keep alive? A story inspired by your regional myths? Something pulled directly from your family? A personal fear? Something mainstream media has never done justice to? Then this call is open to it. Don’t impose limitations...

Submission Window: January 1st-31st, 2022 Payment: $25 and a contributor's copy Theme: Forbidden Magic Compiled & Edited by Aric Sundquist Short Story Submission Call: January 1 - 31, 2022 (EST) CLOSED The Cellar Door is a biannual digest of dark, speculative fiction. Each issue will contain 8 to 12 stories based around a specific theme and will include a brand new story from a featured author. The majority of the digest (80%) will be filled from the open submissions. Title: The Cellar Door - Issue #2: Forbidden Magic Theme: Horror stories featuring forbidden or taboo magic. Must include some form of spell casting, necromancy, or alchemy. Type: Supernatural horror, voodoo, witchcraft, cosmic horror. Word Count: 2,000 - 7,500 words. Payment: $25.00 + digital/paperback copy. Featured Author: Gwendolyn Kiste. Accepted authors (so far): JC Martínez. Rights: We are seeking first time rights for 1 year after publication. After that time all rights revert back to the author. The publication will appear in both print and digital formats and will eventually be reissued in The Cellar Door Compendium. Reprints: None. Previously unpublished only. Multiple Submissions: None. Simultaneous Submissions: Yes, but state in your email that it is a simultaneous submission, and please email us immediately if the story is sold elsewhere. File Format: Include your story as an attachment in MS Word, LibreOffice, or Rich Text Format. Manuscript Format: Use the Modern Shunn Format. Include a short bio in the body of your email. Your subject line should read, FM Submission: ("Title") by (Author's Name). For Example, FM Submission: "Witch War" by Richard Matheson. Attach the story as a separate document. Response Time: Two weeks after submissions close, if not sooner. Submission Period: January 1 - 31, 2022 EST. Stories sent before or after will be deleted unread. Note: Any stories submitted to our previous submission calls (Negative Space 1 & 2, Violent Vixens, Woodland Terrors) will have already been considered. Please try...

Submission Window: January 1st-31st, 2022 Payment: $1 per accepted piece Theme: horrorku, horror themed tanka, haibun, see below for details The Submission may include any or all of the following: · Up to seven (7) horrorku or horror tanka  · Up to three (3) haibun · Up to five (5) pieces of cover art All submissions must be original, unpublished work that is not under consideration by a print or web-based journal. Posts in closed, critique-oriented groups and social media sites are acceptable for submission, but public posts on forums such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are not. By submitting a piece to us, you are guaranteeing that it is your original work and not under consideration or published anywhere else in the world. E-mail submission is required. Type poems into the body of the e-mail; no attachments of poetry will be opened. For art submissions, please include all five pieces in a .PDF file or send us a link to a private gallery. If we purchase an art piece for our cover, we will ask that you provide a 300 dpi version of said piece. E-mail: [email protected] Subject: Otoroshi Submission Please include a cover letter noting location in the world. Please include handles for Instagram and Twitter for promotional purposes. At this time, only one submission per issue will be considered unless the editors directly request a second submission. Submission periods are one month long: · January for the Spring Issue · April for the Summer Issue · July for the Fall Issue · October for the Winter Issue Acceptances will be sent shortly after the end of each period. Please note: Although most journals may publish your work as is, we are editors, too. This means we will make suggestions to your work as we see fit. This is to...

Submission Window: January 1st - 31st, 2022 Payment: 1 cent per word Theme: Genre-bending and tropes typically excluded from mainstream literary magazines Fiction submissions should be sent to [email protected] with the title of your story in the subject line. In your email, please include a short cover letter outlining past publication credits if any, a brief bio if desired, a word count, and which of our magazines you wish to be considered for. The story should be attached to the email as a word document or other common word processing file. Stories should be in standard manuscript format. We accept simultaneous submissions to other journals, but if your story is accepted elsewhere, please alert us immediately.  Please only submit one story at a time for consideration. While we encourage genre-bending and tropes typically excluded from mainstream literary magazines, elements of the fantastic and unusual in your work should not be used as a crutch. If your story is boring without fantastic elements, it is also boring with them. We’re looking for work by both veterans and those without a single byline to their name. We especially welcome stories in translation (if you have confirmed with the original’s rights holder that English translation rights are available), stories that draw on elements and modes beyond the European tradition, and stories from traditionally underrepresented groups. We have no hard rules regarding story length, but we do cap the whole magazine at 80 pages, so don’t send us more than that. A very long story will need to justify taking space that could have gone to other pieces. A short piece may be easy to squeeze in, but creating a coherent, biting story in 1,000 words is always trickier than doing so in 100,000. Our focus is exclusively on fiction. We welcome experimentation, but...

Deadline: January 31st, 2022 Payment: Stories between 4,000 - 8,000 words will be considered for payment of $25.00 USD. Stories between 2,000 - 3,000 words will be considered for payment of $10.00 USD Theme: Horror in the woods Be it day or night, the forest hides its secrets from our eyes. Whether you find yourself alone or with others, its innocence can be deceiving, and its inhabitants deadly. What horrors await within the wooded land where nature reigns supreme? Be creative! Your story can be supernatural, otherworldly, creature-horror, or down-right evil. Deep in the Woods hides a playground for your imagination! Required theme: All stories must take place in the woods/forest and must be horror or dark fiction. Word count & Compensation: Stories between 4,000 - 8,000 words will be considered for payment of $25.00 USD, an ebook contributor copy, and the right to purchase an unlimited number of print books at discount. Stories between 2,000 - 3,000 words will be considered for payment of $10.00 USD, an ebook contributor copy, and the right to purchase an unlimited number of print books at discount. How to submit: Submissions MUS be sent to [email protected] with the following details included in the SUBJECT line of your email: SUBMISSION - - '' - Example: SUBMISSION - Deep in the Woods - 'Trees' - Lee Andrew Forman Submission deadline: January 31, 2022 Reading & Evaluation Period: Two to three months after close of the deadline. The following will not be considered: ** NO REPRINTS WILL BE CONSIDERED **Multiple submissions will NOT be considered. As per our publishing standards, stories containing pedophilia, or graphic rape scenarios will not be considered. Sirens Call Publications is open to everyone: fledgling writers looking to cut their teeth, indie authors, and authors of note - if you have a tale to...

Deadline: January 31st, 2022 Payment: $0.08/word Theme: Huge robots. Bodies fragile and powerful. General submission notes: Unless the editors are otherwise specified, you can address cover letters to “Dear editors” or “Dear dave.” Please avoid “Dear Mr. Ring.” If you joke about how straight white men are underrepresented in speculative fiction, it will not win you any points. Please query [email protected] if you aren’t sure if your submission went through. We’re happy to check. Thanks for thinking of Neon Hemlock for your work! Please don’t self-reject. Neon Hemlock Press is now open to submissions of short stories for Luminescent Machinations: Queer Tales of Monumental Invention. The anthology, co-edited by Rhiannon Rasmussen and dave ring, will include queer stories of dark speculative fiction across genres featuring mechas and mechs of all stripes. We running a Kickstarter to fund this project. The compensation level for original stories accepted to this anthology is $0.08/word. You can submit stories on Submittable until January 31st, 2022. Please contact us if there are any accessibility concerns for any reason and we’ll work with you. We are looking for: Wordcount: Under 6,000 words. 1-4,000 words is probably the sweet spot. Concept: Speculative stories focusing on queerness in the darker side of science-fiction, fantasy and horror: mechs, mecha and cybernetics as both extensions and perversions of humanity. What we want to see: Starships, piloted and unpiloted machines of war or industry, the occasional cyborg… mecha are a representation of war, of power and resistance, of transcending human limits, a representation of extension of the body itself. We are looking for stories about these machines and the people who interface with them through a queer lens, in the most inclusive definition of queer. Queer, trans, undefinable. We welcome a broad interpretation of speculative genres; give us living metal and...

Deadline: January 31st, 2022 Payment: 8 cents/word and 4 cents/word for reprints Theme: Speculative stories--science fiction, fantasy, horror--with Christian themes, characters, or cosmology Note: Reprints Welcome Open to fiction submissions each year during the months of January and July. Open to art submissions year-round. 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...

Deadline: January 31st, 2022 Payment: $20 Theme: Stories set in deep space and/or on alien planets, far far from Earth March 2022 Issue #22 To have your story considered for Issue 22 due out in March 2022, please submit it before January 31st 2022. Announcement! Since 2017, Alien Dimensions has been working hard to find its feet in the semiprozine world, while still covering costs. I’ve offered a token payment of $10 per story for stories accepted since then as, being a non-profit with no grants, that’s basically all Alien Dimensions can afford. Also, I volunteer my time to edit it. I’ve previously said that if sales increase, I’ll review that token payment. So, whether it was the double issue, covid, reduced number of issues being released, an increase in interest in space fiction worldwide, changing the release time limit from 1 year to 2 years, better advertising, a new algorithm from Amazon, or more people reading via Kindle Unlimited, or, most likely, Issue #21-#22 being just so good, Alien Dimensions has not only been successful in 2021 it has started recovering losses for previous years. As a result, with huge thanks to all the readers and writers, from 2022, payments for accepted stories will rise to USD$20 each. I know that is still far away from professional payments but, I plan to review that every year and increase it when possible. There’s been some contract adjustments for this to happen, too. Future issues will remain online for three years, and the minimum story length for submission is now 4500 words. Also, Alien Dimensions issues will be 200 pages rather than 100. Yes, lots of changes for 2022! So, do you have a space fiction story ready to submit? Submission guidelines Please read everything below to know what I’m looking...

Deadline: January 31st, 2022 Payment: $0.10 per word Theme: Dire Days Theme: Dire Days Is the end of the world approaching? Some days, it sure feels like it. Many people worry about the future. Economies falter, wars rage, and environments are destroyed. It seems like every day brings news of a new disaster. And to top it off there are personal struggles. That sinking sensation in our gut as the world seems to crumble around us. When it feels like nothing is going our way and every bad thing that could happen does. Dire days indeed, when we feel like throwing in the towel and calling it quits. It’s easy to give up when times are tough, but it’s the people who keep fighting even when the odds seem insurmountable who are hailed as heroes. Those are the ones we write stories about. This call invites you to explore a dire situation, whatever that means to you. Mystery, fantasy, romance, crime. All genres are welcome. Anyone can submit work to the magazine. It’s free. We don’t believe publications should charge authors to be published. However, we have a specific submission process you must adhere to in order to have your work considered. Our submissions window opens on the first and closes at midnight on the final day of each month, just like our contest. The theme of each issue of the magazine is the same as the contest. All submissions to the contest are also treated as submissions to the magazine and are eligible to be published. In fact, we highly recommend submitting your work to the contest, as you could win $3,000 in addition to publication. If you cannot, or choose not to submit to the contest, you are welcome to submit your work directly to the magazine. You...

Deadline: February 1st, 2022 Payment: 15GBP Theme: Metamorphosis If you think you’ve got what it takes to terrify, scar and haunt our audience of 10,000 daily listeners, then we want your stories! If accepted, we'll get our fantastic narration team to lend their voices, our editor will sprinkle some magic pixie dust on the track, and you could have your story heard by thousands of listeners each week. (Vol 78.) Metamorphosis II; deadline 1st February 2022 !!!NEW SUBMISSION PROCESS!!! SUBMIT YOUR STORIES USING THIS FORM If, this form isn’t working, then please email your submission to [email protected] as a last resort. But please let us know why as we’re hoping to use the form going forward. Title your email with the following syntax: SUBMISSION | STORY TITLE | THEME | WORDCOUNT (e.g. SUBMISSION | THE MARTIAN | SPACE | 1,982) It is important that your story complies with our Submission Guidelines. Any stories found not to be in compliance will be immediately discarded. Click HERE for details If you think you’ve got what it takes to terrify, scar and haunt our audience of 10,000 daily listeners, then we want your stories! If accepted, we'll get our fantastic narration team to lend their voices, our editor will sprinkle some magic pixie dust on the track, and you could have your story heard by thousands of listeners each week. HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO: • Stories must be 2,000 (10% tolerance +/-) • Save stories in a Word document - Times New Roman font, size 12 • Include a 1-2 sentence log line for your story at the end of the document • Ensure that your name and an email address are somewhere on the document • Stories must fit an upcoming theme • By submitting your story to us, you...

Deadline: February 1st, 2022 Payment: $0.08 per word USD for original fiction, $100 flat rate for reprints over 1,500 words, and $20 flat rate for flash fiction reprints (stories below 1,500 words). Theme: Fun speculative cat stories CatsCast is looking for fun speculative cat stories! A CatsCast story should leave cat-loving listeners a little happier after listening than they were before. Specifically, we’re looking for speculative fiction stories about cats. “Cats” in this context are, well, cats — but since this is a speculative fiction podcast, they don’t have to be exactly the same species as the housecats we have here on Earth. The stories should have happy, or at least hopeful, endings for all featured cats. Humor is strongly encouraged but not required. Some stories we love: Copy Cat by K. A. Teryna and Alex Shvartsman Made of Cats: A Love Story by Judith Tarr The Thing in the Basement by Gerri Leen Stories MUST NOT have graphic descriptions of cruelty to animals (brief references to acts that occur “off-camera” are okay). Romantic storylines are fine, but please, no graphic depictions of sex. We want our fun cat stories to be fun for everyone, so please avoid offensive stereotypes based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, religion, or body size. Feel free to dump on cat-haters, though. Submission Details: Submissions are open through February 1, 2022. We’re open to both original stories and reprints, but please don’t submit a story that has appeared in any of the other Escape Artists podcasts (Escape Pod, PodCastle, PseudoPod, or Cast of Wonders). Story length: 6000 word maximum, no minimum. Simultaneous submissions: You may submit your story to other venues in addition to CatsCast, with one exception: please don’t submit here and to another Escape Artists podcast at the same time. If you do submit elsewhere, please let us...

Deadline: February 1st, 2022 Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 - $10.00 for poetry Theme: Story must begin with: Rayna sat in front of the mirror removing her makeup and wondered who she would discover underneath. 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 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. And, just to be clear, we do not accept simultaneous submissions. One more thing while I've got you here: Writers compete against one another for magazine space, so, technically, every literary magazine is running a contest. There are, however, literary magazines that run traditional contests, where they charge entry fees and rank the winners. We do not - nor will we ever - charge a submission fee, nor do we rank our stories in order of importance. Occasionally, we run contests to help come up with new first lines, or we run fun, gimmicky competitions for free stuff, but the actual journal is not...

Deadline: February 1st, 2022 Payment: One cent per word and a contributors copy Theme: Sword-and-sorcery stories where Samhain/Halloween is relevant to the plot On October 31, 2021, DMR Books will reopen for submissions once again for a themed anthology tentatively entitled Samhain Sorceries. The concept for this book will be sword-and-sorcery stories where Samhain/Halloween is relevant to the plot. For clarification, sword-and-sorcery is a genre that combines swashbuckling adventure with supernatural elements (usually of a horrific nature) in a pre-industrial setting. Unlike most S&S stories, which are set in an invented world like Hyperborea or Nehwon, the tales in Samhain Sorceries should take place in the British Isles. Any time period is suitable, as long as it’s pre-industrial. Admittedly, not many stories that fall in this category have been written, so I would suggest reading those few that exist to get a better idea of what I’m looking for. Those stories are “The Unlawful Hunter” and “The Haunting of Mara” by Keith Taylor (which can be found in Renegade Swords II) and “All Will Be Righted on Samhain” by Howie K. Bentley and David C. Smith (which appears in Swords of Steel Omnibus). What we’re not looking for: Urban fantasy or anything with a modern-day setting. Tolkien-style epic/high fantasy. Stories that read like a D&D session. No LitRPG, either. Anything with orcs in it. If your story has orcs, it will automatically be rejected. I’m not kidding. Badly written amazon warrior women. I won’t dismiss stories with a fighting woman out of hand, as long as a) there’s some kind of explanation for her superior strength and combat abilities and b) she still has some feminine qualities. If neither of those are present, the character might as well be male. Profanity. If a word would get censored on network TV,...

Deadline: February 1st, 2022 Payment: Royalty Split Theme: Be careful what you wish for We’ve all heard the tales, and the warnings: Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. If you had a wish, how careful would you be? Would you regret it, or would your wildest dreams come true? Submission dates December 1, 2021 to February 1, 2022 We want stories about wishes granted. Whether they played out the way the wisher wanted is up to you. For this anthology, please no extreme horror or sex. Please keep content and language limited to the equivalent of a “PG-13” rated movie. We want to be able to share this with our mothers and children. Please remember, Knight Writing Press will not accept a story that glorifies, supports, encourages, or gratuitously includes hate, hate crimes, rape, sex, sex crimes, or any other forms of inhumanity. While we know it is tempting to walk those lines with wishes, do not send us stories about wishes used for rape, torture, or abusive mind control unless you are showing the consequences and why it shouldn’t be done. Even then, we probably don’t want to see it. This anthology is supposed to fun escapism, not an outlet for high-handed morality stories nor mentally masturbative abusers. There are no genre restrictions on this anthology, however the main premise of wishes coming true heavily implies fantastic/magical elements. Please keep this in mind if your story does not contain those elements. It will be up to the editors to decide if a non-magical wish granted fits the theme well enough. Please make sure you read and follow all submission guidelines and look over the sample contract before you submit. In the text of your query letter, please include confirmation that you understand we are using Draft2Digital and that...

Payment: $1500 Deadline: February 1st, 2022 Theme: Greek Gods, any genre An Open Call for New and Established Writers Greek mythology has proven itself to be of perennial interest. From reprints of classics like the D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths to retellings of the Iliad, Odyssey, and the Aeneid by everyone from Ursula K. Le Guin to Madeline Miller, writers are continually fascinated and readers are continually compelled by these stories. But while we know today that the Greco-Roman world was international and diverse in racial, ethnic, and sexual identities, this is hardly reflected in the retellings we have. Readers of all backgrounds are actively looking for inclusive, broad-ranging, cross-genre retellings; it’s time to give them their favorite myths with a new twist. Edited by Jenn Northington and S. Zainab Williams and published by Vintage, Fit For the Gods will shine new light on these beloved myths, and bring much-needed representation to them. All genres except nonfiction are welcome. Please note that this anthology is intended for an adult audience; we will not be considering works written for YA or younger audiences. Think Sword Stone Table (co-edited by Northington, including a story by Williams) but Greco-Roman mythology! Eligibility Requirements: New and established authors may submit an original work for consideration. Submission Requirements: All entries must be submitted to fitforthegodsanthology at gmaildotcom by 11:59pm Eastern, February 1, 2022, and must include the following: An original short story of 5,000 – 10,000 words, in two versions: One version of the manuscript with name removed, attached as a .doc, .docx, or .txt file. One version of the manuscript with name and contact information, attached as a .doc, .docx, or .txt file. Optional: Anything else we should know about you? We’d love to consider works by authors from marginalized communities, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled authors, and would be interested in knowing if that’s you. Feel free...

Submission Window: February 1st-2nd, 2022 Payment: 8 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 8¢ 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: February 6th, 2022 Payment: £0.04 per word, with a minimum payment of £10 per accepted piece. Theme: Original stories related to ghosts AND folklore Note: Apologies for the short window, I only stumbled across this one just now I’m delighted to launch an exciting new project in collaboration with the fantastic Alternative Stories & Fake Realities podcast: GHOSTLORE: An Audio Fiction Anthology And we’re now open to flash fiction submissions! Ghostlore is a genre of folklore concerning ghosts, and I can’t wait to read creative responses to this. The anthology will form part of Alternative Stories & Fake Realities’ Season 6, in Spring 2022, and will link to a folklore discussion panel on a similar theme. WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR Original stories related to ghosts AND folklore – stories should contain at least an element of both. We would love to see stories representing folklore from around the world. For this call we’re looking for fiction 800 words or less, with a preference for shorter pieces. We’re looking for a combination of micro-fiction and flash fiction pieces, and will be able to accept more shorter pieces than longer pieces. Stories from a range of genres are welcome – as long as they contain the elements mentioned above! Whether funny, dark, heartbreaking, weird, uncanny, atmospheric, gothic, or horror, I want to read them all! Stories that would translate well to audio. (Experimental structures may be a hard sell for this reason.) New and established writers welcome. The anthology will be a mix of invited writers (to be announced soon) and open submission (roughly 30% invited/70% open submission). We particularly welcome submissions from underrepresented writers. TERMS AND PAYMENT Payment: £0.04 per word, with a minimum payment of £10 per accepted piece. Publication format: The selected stories will be read and recorded by professional actors and compiled into an audio...