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2 events,
Taking Submissions: Their Ghoulish Reputation
Deadline: March 28th, 2022 Payment: $25 and a contributor's copy Theme: Folk Horror Submissions Open January 20 - March 28th, 2022 Night is falling, amplifying the stillness of the woods. There are several whispers calling your name, and whoever is watching you doesn't want you to leave. The looming threat is quite common in one of the most chilling subgenres of horror: folk horror. The genre blends the themes of horror and folklore to explore terror, alienation, displacement, and a sense of the other. Folk horror invokes fear using the elements of folklore. The stories are characterized by rural settings and themes of isolation, religion, nature's power, and the darkness of the rural landscape. These stories are often focused on naive outsiders coming up against these forces. The submissions are open for, THEIR GHOULISH REPUTATION, an anthology of Folk Horror. Short horror stories based on folk tales. We have made a spotify playlist for inspiration. Their Ghoulish Reputation Playlist What we are looking for: Rural settings Cult Creeps Mythological Horror Weird Horror Cosmic Horror Horror of real people Ghouls, witches, basically everything that makes a folklore chilling. Divers set of characters. Strong female charaters(We mean it. Please don’t make the heroine a weak link. Let her take charge and fight, don’t just make her scream “Who’s there?”) What we don’t accept: Erotic themes, extreme gore, Homophobia, transphobia, or any derogatory term used toward any culture, race, or sexuality. Submission Requirements: The submissions period is from January 20 - March 28th, 2022. Please submit us your best work to [email protected]. The subject line should read: Their Ghoulish Reputation Story Submission with (Author Name). Word Count: 2500-10000. Multiple submissions / Reprints are not allowed. Only original stories are accepted. Must own the copyright to your work. Make sure your final manuscript is...
Contest: 50-Word Stories May 2022 (Early Listing)
Contest: 50-Word Stories May 2022 (Early Listing)
Submission Window: May 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...
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3 events,
Taking Submissions: That is SO Wrong!
Deadline: March 30th, 2022 Payment: $10 and a contributors copy Theme: Different horror stories - from nastysplattergore to comedy. We’re looking for original and different horror stories - from nastysplattergore to comedy. Your tale will feature alongside award winners like Keith Gray (Smarties Prize. Angus Book Prize), Anita Sullivan (BBC Radio Drama. Writers' Guild. Race in the Media), Geneve Flynn (Bram Stoker Award. Shirley Jackson Award) and Jan-Andrew Henderson (Royal Mail Award. Doncaster Book Prize). Submission guidelines The deadline for receiving submissions is March 30th, 2022. Submit by email to: [email protected] Length: Anything up to 7,000 words. We'll also accept flash fiction and poems (but those have to be truly excellent). Reprints: We'd prefer previously unpublished work but will accept a few reprints if they're really good. Format: Preferred format is Doc or Docx, double-spaced and 12 point. Remember to include your name and a couple of paragraphs about you. Please use the anthology title, THAT IS SO WRONG! in the subject heading of your email and send to [email protected] Acknowledgement of receipt of your manuscript will be emailed within 3 business days. Deadline 31st March 2022. Successful authors will receive a contract upon acceptance. Edited by Jan-Andrew Henderson. Our Mission The purpose of this anthology is to combine established authors with talented new voices - so they can reach the widest readership possible. Hard copy and eBook versions will be on sale through Amazon, select bookstores and featured on the City of the Dead Website. (Which has had over 2 million views since inception - that's why it has to be horror!) This is an invitation and open-submission anthology (approx. 30% invitation 70% open-submission) as we are looking to showcase the very best writers. Don't be annoyed if you're not picked. Via: Black Hart Entertainment.
Taking Submissions: Madam President
Deadline: March 30th, 2022 Payment: 3 cents per word Theme: Female leadership B Cubed Press is pleased to announce an open call for Madam President. An anthology about leadership. President of what you say? A country? The universe? The local PTA? A paramilitary group of insurrectionist witches? Your choice. Your vision must look through the lenses of speculative fiction. Your world can be the one we live in, far away in time and space, or just around the corner. Ask yourself how would life work when Madam President is in charge? Do you want to live there? Or maybe you want to be Madam President. This book will be edited by Bob Brown and Debora Godfrey, the team that brought you the best-selling Alternative Apocalypse. We are looking for good writing, imaginative scenarios, and a good bit of humor in stories, essays or poetry. This book will be part of the best-selling Alternatives series. We will be accepting stories, poetry, and essays from now through March 30, 2022. Story length for our books average about 2200 words but have ranged from 100 to 7500 words. However, we only use one or two stories over 5,000 words and our advice is to keep it under 5K, unless we communicate in advance. Reprints are accepted, but we hold them to a higher standard and limit them in number. Please let us know about prior publication (reprints) on submission (Moksha has an indicator), not after acceptance (that makes us cranky). Multiple submissions are accepted. Simultaneous submissions are tolerated. Publication date anticipated August 2022. Pays $.03 a word upon publication, plus a share of the profits. As always, a share will go to the ACLU. Submissions need to include your name, e-mail, wordcount and address on the submission. If in doubt, SFWA guidelines for short...
Taking Submissions: Alternative Holidays
Deadline: March 30th, 2022 Payment: $.03 a word and royalties Theme: Holidays as seen through the lens of Speculative Fiction. Note: Reprints welcome, though are a hard sell Tell us Holiday stories. Write us Holiday poems. Holidays as seen through the lens of Speculative Fiction. This book will be edited by Bob Brown We are looking for good writing, imaginative and imaginitive scenarios, and a good bit of humor in stories, essays or poetry. This book will be part of the best-selling Alternatives series. We will be accepting stories, poetry, and essays from now through March 30, 2022. Story length for our books average about 2200 words but have ranged from 100 to 7500 words. However, we only use one or two stories over 5,000 words and our advice is to keep it under 5K, unless we communicate in advance. Reprints are accepted, but we hold them to a higher standard and limit them in number. Please let us know about prior publication (reprints) on submission (Moksha has an indicator), not after acceptance (that makes us cranky). Multiple submissions are accepted. Simultaneous submissions are tolerated. Publication date anticipated August 2022. Pays $.03 a word upon publication, plus a share of the profits. As always, a share will go to the ACLU. Submissions need to include your name, e-mail, wordcount and address on the submission. If in doubt, SFWA guidelines for short fiction is a great guide: https://www.sfwa.org/2005/01/04/manuscript-format/. It’s always good to make an editor happy. Adherence to guidelines makes Debora happy. Poetry should be formatted as you wish it to appear. EACH POEM SHOULD BE SUBMITTED SEPARATELY. Via: B Cubed Press's Moksha.
12 events,
Taking Submissions: Airship Adventures
Deadline: March 31st, 2022 Payment: £10 per story accepted. Theme: Steampunk adventure featuring lots of cogs, steam and airships Title: Airship Adventures Opens: 17th November 2021 Closes: 31st March 2022 Genre: Steampunk Fantasy Reader Age Range: 12+ Word Count: 4000 - 8000 10% wiggle room over. Info: I will be looking for steampunk adventure featuring lots of cogs, steam and airships. Make it fun, make it steampunk and tell a story. Reprints: Not allowed Simultaneous Submissions: Allowed, but please email if accepted elsewhere. Multiple Submissions: Up to 2 accepted per author Author Compensation: £10 per story accepted. Paid via Paypal only Via: Raven And Drake Publishing.
Taking Submissions: Snafu: Dead or Alive (Early Listing)
Submission Window: January 1st - March 31st, 2022 Payment: AU5c/word Theme: Weird Western action horror AU5c/word / 2k-10k words Opens Jan 1st 2022/ Closes March 31st 2022 (in your time zone) Fantasy, Horror, or Science Fiction Theme – Weird Western action horror. WHAT WE WANT ACTION-BASED horror, themed within conflict in the wild, wild West. Think Bone Tomahawk, Ravenous, Westworld, Cowboys & Aliens and The Burrowers for films, and Dead in the West by Joe Lansdale, Deadlands: Ghostwalkers by Jonathan Maberry, Skin Medicine by Tim Curran, and The Crossings by Jack Ketchum for writings… anything that can be considered a high-action monster story set within an obviously Western theme. For level of unnatural creature we will give priority to, think Dog Soldiers or Aliens in oldie times. We want lots of monster goodness and lots of action. We will also be looking for soldiers/cavalry, bandit gangs (or bandidos, for south of the border), sheriffs, private security for gold claims. Hell, even a group of bodyguards protecting some arsehole business overlord in his desert property. Just ensure the action is central to the story, from start to finish, and don’t forget monsters! This volume is like the previous volumes squared. All action. We want extreme action, and it really should be in the style of military or paramilitary action, although we definitely see cowboys or a posse or bandit gang or demon hunters as suitable in this theme. And to say it again, full action. Nothing less. Hoo-rah! We actively encourage submissions from all cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, and identities. Storytelling is for everyone, and we are richer for it when all voices are heard. SOME GUIDANCE – IF YOU TAKE THIS PLOT PATH, IT BETTER BE DAMNED GOOD: Wendigo tales. These are the most common of things in weird westerns, and just like Highlander, there can be only one! Good cowboys versus bad First Nation People. This is an almost impossible sell....
Taking Submissions: Annus Horribilis
Deadline: March 31st 2022 Payment: £6.66 Theme: Original, unpublished stories of up to 2022 words (horror/dark/speculative fiction) on any topic, in any style set in 2022. I think we can all agree, a lot of 2021 has been rubbish. But what horrors might 2022 contain? Calling prophets, all soothsayers, all predictors of doom! We're seeking original, unpublished stories of up to 2022 words (horror/dark/speculative fiction) on any topic, in any style. (Word count does not include title.) The one rule, and here's the tricky part...your story should be set in 2022. We don't want one hundred stories all about coronavirus though, so think outside of the box! (Although, if you do have an exceptional story to tell us about the 'vid, please do submit it.) Elements of fantasy, sci-fi, and any other genre are fine, as long as the main theme is horror. We will pay £6.66 for each selected story. An anthology of selected stories will be published in print and as an e-book publication. See our 'Submission Guidelines' section for information on how to submit. Deadline: March 31st 2022 (midnight, last place on earth) or until full. Via: Bag Of Bones Press.
Meerkat Press Is Open To Novel Submissions
Deadline: March 31st, 21022 Payment: Royalty-based payments for novels, and in some cases, an advance against royalties. Theme: Speculative Fiction NO: Swords & Sorcery Fantasy / Epic Fantasy / Young Adult / Middle Grade Submissions for 2024 will open on January 1st, 2022 and close on March 31st, 2022. We are currently booked through 2023 so we’re temporarily closed for submissions. Please read carefully as we have updated what we will be accepting in our next open submission period. We publish approximately four books per year. The odds of having a book accepted by Meerkat Press are very, very low just based on the number of submissions compared to the number of books we publish. We don’t just encourage, we insist on simultaneous submissions as we would hate for your hard work to be tied up here based on the time it takes us to get through submissions and that most books will be rejected. We are looking for original stories that make our brains engage, our breaths catch and our hearts thud. We want stories that keep us up all night reading and leave us begging for more. Stories we can’t shake long after reading. Give us fresh voices, unique/flawed characters, imaginative story lines, and diversity in characters and settings (and authors!) Our catalog does have a high percentage of speculative fiction and darker themes, but that’s not all we publish, so please read carefully: If you have a completed work that fits the description in one of the categories below, we hope you will submit it for consideration. We do not sign contracts for work that has not yet been written so as much as your pitch for unwritten work may be interesting, it will just clutter our inbox and we don’t respond to pitches that don’t have a completed...
Taking Submissions: Valravn Anthology 2022 Spring Window
Deadline: March 31st, 2022 Payment: $0.10 USD per word Theme: Fantasy Horror, Espionage/Thriller, Science Fiction WHAT WE WANT We love fiction from diverse, under-represented perspectives and cultures, well-researched and written by fresh and exciting voices. Speculative fiction in the following genres Fantasy Horror Espionage/Thriller Science Fiction Up to 80,000 words, minimum of 15,000 words (novellas) Submitted to our submission email (submissions AT ravencanticlepress DOT com) Only one submission per quarter, no simultaneous submissions, no submissions of previously rejected material without prior approval. Please wait until the next quarter (January 1st, April 1st, July 1st, October 1st) before submitting anything again. Please only send RTF, DOC or DOCX files, and must adhere best practices in manuscript formats: https://www.shunn.net/format/classic/ We’re open to previously published fiction in short story collections or other formats. Please provide a detailed list of previous publication (if necessary). WHAT WE OFFER An advance based on the size of the work, as well as other factors. Ongoing royalties (author friendly) for single author works: 15% net on retail sales, with increases based on copies sold up to 25%. In this case, net means the cost of printing is counted against the profits, but nothing else is (such as editing, layout, etc. which is all carried by Raven Canticle Press.) 50% net price of all ebook and electronic formats. Generally net price is less any payment processing fees or platform fees. Whatever we get here, you get half of. Anthologies or products with multiple authors have different terms (generally a lesser commitment in terms of publishing rights and a one-time fee). WHAT WE DON’T WANT We want horror, dark or gothic themes to carry the stories. If the story doesn’t have those, we likely aren’t the best fit for it. We also don’t want partial, incomplete, or short stories (an exception...
Taking Submissions: Grandpa’s Deep-Space Diner
Digital Generated Image Deadline: March 31st, 2022. Payment: $5 USD per 1000 words Theme: Speculative fiction food stories! My grandpa had a drive-in diner in Rupert, Idaho in the 60s called Chuck's In-and-Out. It was well known and all the kids went there. My aunt served the burgers (sans roller-skates—Grandma put a stop to that notion! ) and Grandma made the best french fry sauce in the galaxy. Grandpa taught me that food, from the production to the preparation to the partaking, could be a simple personal pleasure or a means of bringing groups together in a shared meal. This book is dedicated to him. Miss you, Grampsy. Whether you're growing your produce in a magical garden, storing your rations in your lunar bunker, or enjoying a delightful picnic in the outer rings of Saturn, we want your speculative fiction food stories! Submissions deadline: March 31, 2022. NOTE: We are currently only accepting short stories for the anthologies and cannot accept full-length novel manuscripts at this time. ** Please put the anthology you're submitting to in the subject line of the email!** Payment for stories will be $5 USD per 1000 words for all current anthologies (excepting contests). We're looking for speculative fiction across all anthologies (unless otherwise specified). That includes everything from high fantasy to hard scifi and anything in between. We do accept reprints, simultaneous submissions, and multiple submissions, though these will slow down our response time. Story lengths should be anywhere from flash-length to about 15k words, but we have at times made exceptions. We know a story is complete when it's complete, and arbitrary word count requirements are not always helpful. If you have an amazing story that exceeds 15k words, let us know. We may be able to make special accommodations. :) With regard to copyright, we...
Taking Submissions: Shredded: A Sports and Fitness Body Horror Anthology (Early Listing)
Submission Window: March 1st, 2022 – March 31st, 2022 Payment: $.03 USD per word Theme: Body horror in sports and fitness Note: Extended submission period for women and non-binary writers is April 1st – 7th, 2022. This fiction anthology from Eric Raglin (writer of NIGHTMARE YEARNINGS, editor of ANTIFA SPLATTERPUNK) will feature stories of body horror in sports and fitness. Submit your most grotesque, strange, frightening, and thought-provoking stories—ones with complex characters, unapologetic weirdness, and horror that takes bold narrative risks. *Before reading the rest of the submission guidelines, note that the existence of this project is contingent on the success of its Kickstarter campaign. Consider donating a few bucks or sharing the campaign link.* Submissions are open to all writers, but I especially encourage submissions from writers of marginalized groups. Note that some writers have specifically been invited to contribute. The anthology will be a mix of solicited stories and stories selected from the open call submission period. Stories should be between 2,000 and 4,500 words. Multiple submissions are not allowed. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but withdraw your submission immediately if it gets accepted elsewhere. No reprints. Open for submissions March 1st, 2022 – March 31st, 2022. The extended submission period for women and non-binary writers is April 1st – 7th, 2022. I will announce accepted submissions by April 15th, 2022. Anthology will be published as both an electronic and print book in July 2022. OTHER SUBMISSION CONSIDERATIONS If you’re retreading old ground and well-established tropes, make it fresh. I’m fine with horror that has erotic elements, but emphasis should be on the horror. Don’t be moralizing. I want nuance. Stories that deal with bigotry are fine, but bigoted stories are not. I don’t want stories with graphic depictions of sexual violence. It’s a body horror anthology, so I’m fine with gore...
Taking Submissions: Troubadours and Space Princesses
Deadline: March 31st, 2022 Payment: Contributor's Copy (charity anthology) Theme: Stories of troubadours, minstrels, and bards teaming up with princesses feisty and bold. Scifi or Fantasy Since its beginnings in the early 1980s, the Life, the Universe, & Everything Symposium has been a staple of the Utah and Intermountain West author and artist community. Many authors, artists, and editors have found inspiration for their careers at the feet of scores of symposium guests. Influential professors and others have mentored those planning and running the symposium, but many of these mentors have passed on. The symposium helps students of all ages by providing greatly discounted student memberships. Hemelein Publications—in conjunction with LTUE Press—created a series of memorial benefit/charity anthologies to help the symposium continue to help these aspiring creators learn about their crafts at a reasonable cost. Author, artist, and editor royalty proceeds from the anthology go to LTUE to help students attend for a very low cost. The sixth of these anthologies, Troubadours and Space Princesses, is a science fiction and fantasy adventure anthology, created in honor of Dave Wolverton. Best known under his pseudonym David Farland, Dave passed away in January 2022. He was a fixture at LTUE from the beginning. He mentored many, many writers and artists through his workshops, his work with Writers and Illustrators of the Future, conferences and conventions, and just personally. He was always kind and generous with his time and knowledge. Theme At heart, Dave was a storyteller, a spinner of yarns fantastic. To honor his memory and connection with LTUE, we want stories of troubadours, minstrels, and bards teaming up with princesses feisty and bold. We want them to save the kingdom or the spaceship, or maybe only the tavern or spaceport bar, or even just the cat. We want tales of adventure and mischief. But most of all, we want...
Taking Submissions: Abandoned – An Anthology of Vacant Spaces
Deadline: March 31st, 2022 Payment: $50 Theme: You must include some sort of abandonment, whether real or virtual, that concludes by the end of the story to meet the theme requirements. Legion of Dorks Presents: Abandoned – An Anthology of Vacant Spaces is searching for short stories no more than 7000 words exploring the phenomenon of full spaces gone empty. Submissions are open from January 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022. Your story must be an original, never-before-published creation that centers around this theme. You must include some sort of abandonment, whether real or virtual, that concludes by the end of the story to meet the theme requirements. You cannot write in anyone else’s world. Otherwise, have fun and let your imagination dominate. A videographer meets a ghost in a haunted house. A lone explorer finds an abandoned spaceship. An old base on the bottom of the ocean offers treasures to a deep-sea scientist. But who built it? The ideas are endless. We are offering $50 per accepted story. Fifty percent of all revenue after cost of production will be donated to Toys for Tots in conjunction with the Legion of Dorks December fundraiser. Email all submissions to [email protected] in standard short story format with the subject “Submission for Abandoned (last name).” One story per email please and no more than three submissions total. If you’re curious about the stories we like, check out the others in the series: Laundered – An Anthology of Monster Messes and Horizons – An Anthology of Epic Journeys. Manuscript Submission Guidelines: We are accepting submissions of complete, previously unpublished manuscripts in the speculative fiction genre that have series potential. Speculative fiction encompasses horror, fantasy, and science fiction—and all of the niche categories under those large umbrellas. We’re only considering full length novels between 40K and 100K words. If it’s...
Taking Submissions: Weird Horror Magazine March 2022 Window (Early Listing)
Deadline: March 31st, 2022 Payment: 1.5¢ per word (one and one-half cent), with a $25 (U.S.) minimum (paid via PayPal) and 2 contributor's copies Theme: Weird Horror WEIRD HORROR SUBMISSIONS WILL OPEN IN MARCH Weird Horror has two reading periods each year - March and September. FICTION GUIDELINES OPENS: March 1, 2022 CLOSES: March 31, 2022 Fiction must be in English, and previously unpublished in English anywhere, in any format, on any platform. Please do not query about reprints. We will consider works translated to English, as long as you are offering first English-language publication rights. Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please inform us if your story is accepted elsewhere. No multiple submissions. Please send 1 story only per reading period. We are seeking horror and weird fiction from 500 to 6,000 words. (Please respect our word counts. Query first for longer pieces.) We are not interested in extreme horror. We receive 600 to 800 manuscripts each period, and accept less than 2% of submissions. Do not be discouraged by a form rejection. Payment is (U.S.) 1.5¢ per word (one and one-half cent), with a $25 (U.S.) minimum (paid via PayPal) for first worldwide English-language rights, for use in the print, eBook, and online edition. Contributors also receive 2 copies of the print edition. We ask for a 6-month exclusivity. Copyright remains with the author, and a contract will be provided. Submit stories in Standard Manuscript Format as a Word document or PDF, and e-mail as an attachment to: WeirdHorrorMag gmail com NOTE - There is no need to provide a mailing address on your manuscript. Format the subject line of your e-mail thusly: Submission - Story Title - Author Name We are not currently seeking any art or non-fiction submissions. Please query if you have any questions. -Michael Kelly Via:...
Taking Submissions: Listen: The Sound of Fear
Deadline: March 31st, 2022 Payment: "Split proceeds among all contributing authors." Theme: A gothic horror story collection centered around sound Note: Open to all trans and nonbinary authors LISTEN: The Sound of Fear Things that go bump in the night, real or imagined; that certain song or sound that threatens madness; the warnings we heed…or don’t heed… NineStar Press is seeking submissions to LISTEN, a gothic horror story collection centered around sound, featuring trans and nonbinary authors from our community. While we want a terrifying tale, it must have gothic elements. Rather than relying on gore for scares, give us the fear that lives within. Anthology theme: terrifying tales with gothic elements with “sound” as an important detail Examples of story themes you might include (but are not limited to): psychological fear, doomed romance, family curses, homes haunted either by actual ghosts or ghosts of the past, your other great idea! Submission deadline: March 31, 2022 Requirement: open to all trans and nonbinary authors Story length: up to 15K Heat: from sweet to erotic; fade to black to explicit Content: the story must feature an LGBTQA+ character; any romantic pairing; HEA, HFN, or unhappy ending Genre: all (contemporary, fantasy, PNR, literary fiction; with gothic horror elements) What to do: Send an email to [email protected] with the following: Subject line: LISTEN ANTHOLOGY: , In the email body (include as a bullet list): Category (romance fiction or literary story) Genre (contemporary, fantasy, PNR) Pairing (ie: MM, FF, trans, NB, ace, genderfluid, etc.) Length Previously published (Yes / No) A short description of the story (one paragraph) Previous author credits, if any Manuscript requirements: Attachments: All attachments should be in .docx, .doc, or .rtf format Manuscripts should be complete and edited to the best of your ability. Please use the following formats when preparing your manuscript for...
Taking Submissions: Bioluminescent: A Lunarpunk Anthology
March 31st, 2022 Payment: $.08 per word + contributor copy Theme: Lunarpunk Story Length: 500 to 7,500 words Story Payment: at least $.08 per word + contributor copy Poem Length: 5 poems or 5 pages Poetry Payment: $30 per poem + contributor copy Submissions Open: March 1 - 31, 2022 Expected Publication: 2023 Editor: Justine Norton-Kertson This will arguably be the first Lunarpunk anthology to be produced. As such, it is an opportunity for you, as an author, to help guide and define a relatively new science fiction subgenre. Please read the full guidelines before submitting. The submission link is at the end of these guidelines What is Luarpunk? Lunarpunk is a relatively new subgenre of science fiction and fantasy that is closely related to and is an offshoot of Solarpunk. Like it’s sibling subgenre, Lunarpunk tells optimistic and hopeful stories about future societies led by genuinely diverse communities and powered by renewable energy, where nature and technology coexist in harmony rather than in conflict. It’s is a subgenre that’s about restoring the web of life that connects us all. It’s about a desire to protect all life, not just human life. It’s about the drive to embrace and empower life, and restore the planet. Lunarpunk futures aren’t usually “perfect” utopias. Such a thing will never actually exist. But even when lunarpunk communities come close to that ideal, they are still never without conflict and challenges. One thing is certain though, lunarpunk societies are absolutely not dystopias. If lunarpunk and solarpunk societies haven’t yet reached some sort of utopian ideal, then the communities in these stories have still either solved, or are at least in the process of optimistically working together to solve or adapt to the climate crisis and other global challenges. They are consciously...
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Taking Submissions: They Come by Night: Original Vampire Stories Based on Traditional Lore
Deadline: April 1st, 2022 Payment: $10 or a contributor's copy Theme: Vampire stories based on traditional folklore from around the world. Title: They Come by Night: Original Vampire Stories Based on Traditional Lore Deadline: April 1st 2022 or until filled. Payment: 10 USD via PayPal upon acceptance or contributor’s copy in printed form upon publication. (We know this is an insult to your talent and hard work, but it is all we can offer at this time. We hope to offer more on future projects.) Theme: Vampire stories based on traditional folklore from around the world. 3000-10000 words, double spaced, Times New Roman font, 12pt. Original stories, no reprints. We ask for 6 months exclusive worldwide rights from date of publication after which all rights revert to author. Email submissions to [email protected] with Submission: Title in subject line. Send story as an attachment in .doc. .docx or .pages format. In body of email, include a brief bio. Shining Autumn Press is a new publishing house based in Cluj-Napoca, Romania conceived with the desire to promote quality fiction with supernatural themes. This collection is indeed our first project and we are excited to receive submissions from talented writers. Our projected date of publication for both ebook and print form is June 1st 2022. At Shining Autumn Press we are avid lovers of vampire fiction but in recent years, decades really, we have been disappointed with the quality of vampire stories and novels and have decided to compile this anthology for readers who crave a more traditional portrayal of the children of the night. We want vampires who are repelled by crosses, garlic, silver, wild roses and holy water and retreat to their graves at the first sign of dawn and the sound of...
Taking Submissions: Moonflowers and Nightshade
Deadline: April 1st, 2022 Payment: 4 cents per word Theme: sapphic horror - short fiction by a diverse group of authors Moonflowers and Nightshade is an anthology of sapphic horror short fiction by a diverse group of authors. Chilling horror stories ranging from psychological character studies to terrifying tales of body horror, from supernatural nightmares to Gothic ghost stories--and everything in between, but all with prominent sapphic themes and content. There is currently so much room and need for more sapphic content in the horror literary genre. Moonflowers and Nightshade will include a diverse group of stories, including but not limited to stories involving genderqueer, non-binary, BIPOC, genderfluid, lesbian, trans, bisexual, and pansexual characters. Submission Specs: ~ 2,000 - 5,000 words ~ MS Word or Google Docs file ~ Times New Roman, pt. 12 font, double-spaced ~ Please include your name, your story title, word count, and a brief bio in your email cover letter. ~ Stories must prominently include sapphic themes, characters, and/or content, and be in the horror genre. All subgenres of horror welcome. ~ Submission deadline: April 1st, 2022 ~ Simultaneous submissions welcome. Payment: Payment will be $0.04/word upon publication, via Paypal. Contract will be for 6 months exclusive ebook and paperback English language rights, non-exclusive thereafter. Please send submissions to [email protected]. Notifications will be sent by June 1st, 2022 at the latest. Tentative publication date is October, 2022. Please note: This submission call is running concurrently with a Kickstarter campaign for the anthology to offset publication costs. Donating and/or contributing to the Kickstarter will NOT influence or hold any bearing on submission status. Support on Kickstarter Via: Samantha Kolesnik.
Taking Submissions: My Dark Library Novella Series
Deadline: April 1st, 2022 Payment: $1,000 advance, with a royalty share at 60% to author Theme: Psychological, folk, quiet, supernatural, paranormal, body, found-footage, coming-of-age, spiritual, demonic, occult, cosmic, slasher horror. Hello, my name is Sadie Hartmann but I’m also known in certain circles as Mother Horror. My favorite thing is to find fresh, talented voices in the genre of horror. It’s difficult to get readers to notice you out there in the wild, so this is your opportunity to come into My Dark Library and share with me the strange, cold, dark well within you from which you draw your stories. I am editing and presenting a series of novellas through Cemetery Gates Media and will write an introduction for each selection, then we’ll promote your work to a hungry legion of horror fans. I am specifically interested in: Authors who have found themselves in a genre-trap and are looking for a way to showcase another storytelling voice for a different fanbase. In My Dark Library you will find psychological, folk, quiet, supernatural, paranormal, body, found-footage, coming-of-age, spiritual, demonic, occult, cosmic, slasher horror. I’m not currently interested in extreme, science-fiction, bizarro, erotic, apocalyptic, creature/cryptid, zombie, eco, comedy horror. I especially love cultural folklore and urban legends from BIPOC, Native American, and LGBTQ voices. This is an open call to anyone and everyone—not limited to new or unpublished voices. Even if I have read and admired your work one hundred times, I would still be over the moon to see a submission from you. From February 1st – April 1st we will accept submissions between 25,000-40,000 words. Please submit a complete, unpublished manuscript in DOC or RTF format and include a publishing bio and brief story synopsis in the email body. No reprints, please don’t ask. Simultaneous subs are fine. Send submissions to: [email protected] Cemetery Gates is paying a $1,000...
Taking Submissions: The Cafe Irreal Spring Window 2022
Deadline: April 1st, 2022 Payment: One cent U.S. per word ($2 minimum) Theme: Fantastic Fiction You really NEED to read the description below. The Cafe Irreal is a quarterly webzine that presents a kind of fantastic fiction infrequently published in English. This fiction, which we would describe as irreal, resembles the work of writers such as Franz Kafka, Kobo Abe, Clarice Lispector and Jorge Luis Borges. As a type of fiction it rejects the tendency to portray people and places realistically and the need for a full resolution to the story; instead, it shows us a reality constantly being undermined. Therefore, we're interested in stories by writers who write about what they don't know, take us places we couldn't possibly go, and don't try to make us care about the characters. We would also suggest you take a look at the current issue, archives, and theory (especially the essay, "What is irrealism?") pages on this web site. We accept unsolicited fiction up to 2,000 words in length. Translations are welcome. There is no minimum length. We accept only electronic submissions via e-mail at [email protected]. We cannot, due to the various computer viruses and worms, accept attachments anymore, so please paste your story into the body of the e-mail. Also include your name, address, e-mail address, and a short bio in the text of the submission; please put the word "submission" in the subject heading of the e-mail to ensure that your submission doesn't get lost among all the spam. We pay an honorarium of one cent U.S. per word ($2 minimum) to buy first-time internet rights (the story will then be archived). Payment is made upon publication. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DON'T ACCEPT SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS and are only interested in reprints in unusual cases (e.g., the story has appeared in print but...
Taking Submissions: Great Wars
Deadline: April 1st, 2022 Payment: $50 and 3 contributor's copies Theme: Write a story about a historical war of any culture and any era and change one aspect of it to see how the war might change and explore from there! LBP is pleased to announce that we will be accepting short story submissions through April 1st, 2022. We will choose 8-12 submissions to be published in our 2022 fall anthology, Great Wars! Prompt: The prompt: Write a story about a historical war of any culture and any era and change one aspect of it to see how the war might change and explore from there! Examples: How would the Revolutionary War change if soldiers on all sides had access to advanced weapons, such as those which are laser-powered? Accepted stories will be published in the ‘Great Wars’ anthology! E-book and print! Parameters: Every genre qualifies. Works must be previously unpublished. Must be at least 3k but no more than 9k. Submissions must be in Times New Roman 12pt. No headers or footers, please. Name and title on top/left of the first page. The submissions deadline is before midnight April 1st, 2022. We encourage gender fluidity, gender-bending, LGBTQIA+ retellings, and whatever else feels appropriate to YOU for the story you want to tell. All submissions must be submitted to [email protected]. Add ‘Great Wars Submission’ in the subject line. Authors will be notified by email (acceptance or decline) no later than April 15th, 2021. Payment: If accepted, contributors will receive $50.00 as a flat fee for their story and receive (3) author copies of the printed anthology after publication. Contributors will be paid via PayPal. International Contributors: Due to high postage rates (and/or postal accessibility) to some regions in the world, author copies may not be feasible and we’ll adjust the flat fee to accommodate. Author Rights: Authors will...
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Taking Submissions: Cosmic Roots And Eldritch Shores April 2022- EARLY
Submission Window: April 1-2, 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...
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Taking Submissions: The Quiet Ones June 2022 issue (Early Listing)
Submission Window: March 7th – April 14th, 2022 Payment: $25 Theme: Post-Apocalyptic Pride We will be announcing the theme and open submission dates for June’s issue soon. Short Stories up to 3,000 words Flash and Micro Fiction up to 1,000 words Poetry Author Compensation: $25.00 (USD) per piece Rights: We request first worldwide and digital rights for four months following publication. Thereafter all rights revert to the author. All copyright remains with the author. June ’22 Theme: Post-Apocalyptic Pride Call Status: CLOSED (Opening Soon…) Publication: Digital Formats Submission Period: March 7, 2022 – April 14, 2022 Decisions By: May 14, 2022 Release Date: June 30, 2022 What We’re Looking For: feel free to interpret the “Post-Apocalyptic” part of the theme as broadly as you like, from entirely ruined worlds to the confines of a single-family dwelling after, for example, a catastrophic fire. Your work should contain quiet horror elements (see our FAQ page for more on that). Carefully read the guidelines below for more. Guidelines For all open calls, submit your work by email to [email protected] with the subject line formatted as such: “ ” (ex.“June 2022 – The Sinkhole – David Fey – Adult”). Please submit your work as an email attachment in .doc/.docx format. Authors may submit up to two pieces per issue. We request that each piece be submitted via its own individual email. You are welcomed to interpret each issue’s theme however you like but keep in mind that your interpretation should be within the realms of quiet horror and/or intimate dystopia. Ensure your document contains your story title, your name (or pen name), and an approximate word count. In the event that your story is selected for publication, we will need your legal name for the contract. Please include a header on each page of your document with your surname, title and page...
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Taking Submissions: Cthulhu FhCon
Deadline: April 15th, 2022 Payment: 3 cents per word Theme: A convention that interacts with a Lovecraftian God, details below! Somewhere in the world, there is a hotel on an island in the middle of a large river. This hotel was designed and built in the 1980s, and its labyrinthine corridors and structural design make no sense at all to the modern eye. And all the while, the deep, dark, swirling waters of the river conceal its secrets. Unknown to all but its mad designer, this hotel was built as an altar to the Old God that rests under the dark, flowing current. Whether that altar contains the Old God and ensures his slumber, is built to one day call him from his rest, or has some other nefarious purpose is unknown. But it’s a heck of a place for a bunch of fans to throw a con. What horrors or humors will happen at the convention? What’s the gaming room like? What happens at the panels, or in the dealer’s room? Who shows up at the room parties? Where the hotel is, and what sort of story happens within it, is entirely up to the author—but some sort of interaction between the Lovecraftian-style Old God in the river and the convention must be a focal part of the story. Upon acceptance of the contract from the open call, Impulsive Walrus Books will be paying a semi-pro rate of three cents per word. Impulsive Walrus is planning to run a campaign for the anthology on Kickstarter in early September of 2022. If the Kickstarter funds and does well, there will be a stretch goal tied to raising all accepted authors’ payment to the pro-rate of $.08/word. If the Kickstarter funds and does extremely well, there will also be a stretch goal tied...
Taking Submissions: Electric Spec Spring Issue 2022
Deadline: April 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...
Taking Submissions: Dose of Dread April 2022 (Early Listing)
Submission Window: April 1st - 15th, 2022 Payment: 2c/word 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...
Contest: 50-Word Stories April 2022 (Early Listing)
Submission Window: 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 all ages. Avoid...
Taking Submissions: The Other Stories #82: Octopuses
Deadline: April 15th, 2022 Payment: 15GBP Theme: Octopuses 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 82.) Octopuses; deadline 15th April 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 are...
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Taking Submissions: The Grey Rooms – Season 5
Deadline: April 17th, 2022 Payment: $25 Theme: Any genre, Rated R, your story’s main character must be killed at the end of the story The Grey Rooms – Season 5 Story Submission Guidelines We are excited to bring you another season of our horror anthology series. But we can’t do it without *you.* Please read the following submission guidelines below, as we’ve shaken them up a great deal for this season! Thanks for joining us in… the Grey Rooms! Submissions Begin: October 1st, 2021 Submissions Close: April 17th, 2022: Midnight ET Content Requirements 1.) Stories must be original submissions. To be considered for the Grey Rooms, stories may not have been published in a printed or ebook format, or produced as a podcast or radio drama narrative. 2.) Your story’s main character must be killed at the end of the story, or the narrative must heavily imply that the main character will die just after the story concludes. This is a cornerstone requirement of Grey Rooms stories, and any submissions without this as an element will be rejected. 3.) In general, content in Grey Rooms stories is similar to what you might find in a Rated R horror film, or an HBO series. Violent acts, psychodrama, confrontational ideas, torture, and pulpy demonic explosions are all welcome additions to the Grey Rooms. 4.) Sexual encounters with underage characters, of any kind, is not acceptable content for Grey Rooms stories. 5.) Rape or sexual assault of any kind is never acceptable content for Grey Rooms stories. 6.) Abuse or torture of children is never acceptable content for Grey Rooms stories. While horror may happen because of children, or around children, we are not looking to publish fictional depictions of children suffering. 7.) Racially charged violence for the sake of it is never...
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Taking Submissions: Strange Weeds
Deadline: April 20th 2022 Payment: 10$ honorarium and a paperback contributor copy Theme: Weed-centered horror stories of any sub-genre Note: Reprints Welcome Note: I apologize, I just was linked this. Hopefully you've got a reprint to submit or can write fast! An estimated 40,000 people are currently incarcerated for non-violent, marijuana related offenses in the United States. As many states begin to roll out decriminalization acts, medical licenses, and recreational stores, it is more important then ever that awareness is raised for folks that have been arrested, charged, or convicted for something that is widely no longer considered a crime in many parts of the country. With that being said, the submission period for the weed centered charity anthology, STRANGE WEEDS, is now OPEN. For this project, 100% of the proceeds will go to The Last Prisoner. We’re looking for weed-centered horror stories of any sub-genre. How you interpret that, is honestly up to you. Any idea is welcomed as long as it is not demonizing the substance or its users. Stories do not need an overt political or social message, but they won’t be turned away, either. Please be careful with how you write “stoners.” If you’ve ever been in a dispensary before, you’ll find the plant finds a home with every culture, age group, and background. We imagine this book will find its audience, so write something 420 friendly. Submission Details: Please attach a .doc, 12 point font, times new roman, double spaced to an email and send it to [email protected] with AUTHOR NAME_STORY TITLE in the subject line. Word count: 1500 – 4200 words Submission Window: January 3rd 2022 – April 20th 2022 Reprints are fine, author will retain all rights to the work. Payment: 10$ honorarium and a paperback contributor copy Stories will be read between 4/20/22 and 7/1/22...
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Taking Submissions: Death in the Deep
Deadline: April 28th, 2022 Payment: $10 Theme: Colourful, weird aquatic horror that takes place on shore Rampage on the Reefs (coming June 2022): the third anthology will bring us to the surface. We’re looking for colourful, weird aquatic horror; monsters in the shallows, coral formations hiding eerie beasts… psychedelic, high-thrills horror that proves it’s not always safe closer to the shore. Submissions close April 28th. 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. 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 aquatic horror...
Taking Submissions: Rampage on the Reefs
Deadline: April 28th, 2022 Payment: $10 Theme: Oceanic horror brought 'to the surface' Rampage on the Reefs (coming June 2022): the third anthology will bring us to the surface. We’re looking for colourful, weird aquatic horror; monsters in the shallows, coral formations hiding eerie beasts… psychedelic, high-thrills horror that proves it’s not always safe closer to the shore. Submissions close April 28th. 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. 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 aquatic horror anthologies - so...
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Taking Submissions: Science Write Now #7 (AU Only)
Deadline: April 29th, 2022 Payment: $0.30/word up to $390 for new writing, $70 for a single poem or $180 for three poems, $40 for reprint stories or essays, and $20 for reprint poems. Theme: Science, Humour and the Absurd Note: Australian writers or by writers living in Australia Only *At This Time* Note: Reprints Welcome We welcome submissions anytime! Please submit your new or previously published poems, short stories, book reviews, or literary or personal essays related to science, technology, engineering, or maths. Current call for submissions: Our seventh issue is based on the theme ‘Science, Humour and the Absurd’. This edition of Science Write Now will explore how humour and the absurd shape cultural ideas of science and, in turn, how the world of science influences comic performance in popular culture, art and literature. Mark Twain wrote, “Humour is tragedy plus time”. So can comedy help us make sense of the scientific and political entanglements of climate change? If laughter is the best medicine, can it also help us manage chronic illness? Existential crisis? How does science explore the absurdities of our age? And how does the science of humour actually work? We welcome new and previously-published craft or creative essays, fiction, memoir, and poetry related to these themes, with a view to publishing in June 2022. Submit here. We pay $0.30/word up to $390 for new writing, $70 for a single poem or $180 for three poems, $40 for reprint stories or essays, and $20 for reprint poems. Please note—due to current funding arrangements, we can only pay for pieces by Australian writers or by writers living in Australia. We’re hoping to expand internationally soon! Submit now Via: Science Write Now.
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Canceled Taking Submissions: Midnight in the Stagecoach
Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: $ 0.06/word Theme: Horror set in the 1800s Old West Evil awaits you on the dusty trail… With the success of our first three MIDNIGHT anthologies (Midnight In The Graveyard, Midnight In The Pentagram, and Midnight From Beyond The Stars), it’s time to roll out the 4th in our ever growing series - MIDNIGHT IN THE STAGECOACH! Silver Shamrock Publishing is announcing the Open Call for the MIDNIGHT IN THE STAGECOACH anthology. We’re looking for original splatterpunk western short stories set in the late 1800s Old West. Any horror trope is fair game. You can do a straight up killer cowboy tale, vampires, werewolves, aliens, a Cthulhu sighting, zombies, cryptids, ghosts, ANYTHING! Just as long as it’s horror and you’re not bashful with red stuff. But, we caution, gore doesn’t replace story. If the story isn’t there, it doesn’t matter how much you’ve painted the pages crimson, it won’t make the cut. So put on your 10-gallon thinking cap and give us a story we can’t refuse! Specific submission guidelines: The deadline for receiving submissions is April 30th, 2022. (anything received after this date will not be considered). Submit by email to: [email protected] Length: 2,500 - 6,000 words. Format: preferred format is Doc or Docx, double-spaced with author email at the top of the first page. - Please use the anthology title, MIDNIGHT IN THE STAGECOACH, in the subject heading of your email. - A writer’s CV with a summary of previous publications, awards, recognition, influences, hometown and social media links. - The word count. - Acknowledgement of receipt of your manuscript will be emailed within 3 business days. - Successful authors will receive a contract upon acceptance. Once we have a signed contract by the author and Silver Shamrock Publishing, payment will be made...
Taking Submissions: Camp Slasher Lake
Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: $.01 per word Theme: Unstoppable killers of the slasher variety. Call for submissions! Fedowar Press is opening submissions for a Horror/Slasher Anthology. This is a tribute to the glorious slasher movies of the 1980s. We want the unstoppable killers, the claustrophobic sense of no escape, and of course, the blood. This anthology is expected to release in late 2022. Submissions will be accepted until April 30, 2022. Details Suggested Length: Between 7.5k and 15k words Genre: Horror, but other speculative genres may be added. For example Horror/SciFi, Horror/Fantasy, Region: Can take place anywhere in the world Period: Any period, present, past, future Qualifying submissions must have never been published. Pay and Exclusivity Participating authors will be paid $.01 per word. This equates to $100 for a 10k word story, or $10 per 1k words. Participating authors will grant Fedowar Press exclusive rights to the work for 1 year after publication. How to submit? Use our Submission form with the subject “Slasher” in the Submission Type field. Tell us a little bit about yourself in your query letter. For example: Have we met? Remind us. Do you have any writing credits? What is your social media info? Do you like dogs? Include your genres, word count Attach your story to the form. Make sure it is in standard manuscript format. Stories will be reviewed after the close of the submission window. Please allow up to six weeks after the submission window closes for a response. After that, If you haven’t received a response, feel free to check-in for an update. Via: Fedowar Press.
Taking Submissions: Steel True, Blade Straight
Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: Contributor's copy Theme: New material inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work (Sherlock Holmes AND not.) Steel True, Blade Straight The Belanger Books Anthology of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Inspired Stories, Poems, and Scholarship 2022 Annual Description: This anthology will have stories, poems, and scholarship inspired by and about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes. While the anthology will contain new Sherlock Holmes stories, the intent would be for at least 25% of the material to be stories and poems inspired by the life and non-Sherlockian writing of Sir Arthur. Another 25% of material would be scholarship on Holmes and Doyle. All proceeds from the Anthology will be donated to The Beacon Society, a 501c(3) nonprofit scion society of The Baker Street Irregulars (BSI), that serves as a link to other scion societies, providing teachers, librarians, children museums, and children theaters with local resources to bring the magic of Sherlock Holmes to life. Guidelines: Stories - 3,000 - 10,000 word submissions that connect to the writing of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These can be Sherlock Holmes stories, or stories connected to Sir Arthur’s additional writings (far too many to list here). Poems - format and length are open. The poetry submission would have to somehow connect to the life or work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Scholarship - 1,000 - 3,000 word submissions. Essays must connect to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or his writing (Sherlock Holmes or other work). Multiple submissions in the same or more than one category are welcome. Payment: All authors will receive a paperback copy of the anthology. Rights: All authors shall retain the rights to their submitted work outside of the anthology and may reprint their submission one year after the anthology’s publication date. Submission: Email...
Taking Submissions: Gothic Ghost Story
Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: £5 Theme: Wintry tales of ghosts and hauntings Note: Female writers and those who identify as women One of the guilty pleasures of Christmas, is that moment when you pull a favourite book from the shelf and reread it for the umpteenth time. Those wintry tales of ghosts and hauntings have become part of a much-loved tradition in this country. Black Angel Press want to add to this genre by providing a collection of new tales from female writers; this includes those who identify as women and both new and experienced writers alike. We are looking for quiet gothic darkness and whilst stories can be set in the traditional Victorian environment, we are also very much open to any who take the gothic tropes and place them in the present – or even the future. The anthology will consist of 20 stories and be a mixture of invitation and submission. Payment terms: £5 per story and an electronic copy of the book. Submission Requirements: stories should be 3-5k but we will allow a little flexibility if the story demands it. Manuscripts should be in Shunn format and either .doc or .docx – do NOT send in the body of the email. The first page should include contact details. Your covering email need only be brief, addressed to myself and Alyson (Faye) and should also include a short bio. If you are at the start of your publishing journey and are worried about lack of credits, don’t be. Use the bio to share the books and authors you love and a little about you. Send to: [email protected] Submissions open: 1 Dec 2021 and close end April 2022. Any questions? Drop us a line! Via: Black Angel Press.
Taking Submissions: Specimen 6 Magazine
Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: $.01 per word Theme: Any theme of horror and slashes, MUST be set in the Specimen 6 universe. Call for submissions! Perfect Ratio Productions is opening submissions for a Specimen 6-themed magazine. Unstoppable monsters, glory kills, few win by escaping, most die. Give us your gore, your bloodshed, the madness and mayhem that is found within the Specimen 6 universe! Give us the Necronomiconic, the unfathomable, the bloodthirsty, give us the stories where even the flesh and bone quenches not the hunger of the immortals, where even the dreams and souls of their victims must be destroyed. This anthology is expected to release in late 2022. Submissions will be accepted until April 30, 2022. Details Accepted lengths: 500 words to 5000. No minimum when the work involved is poetry. All works MUST be original! All submitted works must have never been published before, indie or trad. Genre: Horror, but other speculative genres may be added. For example Horror/SciFi, Horror/Fantasy, Region: Can take place anywhere in the world Period: Any period, present, past, future MUST: be set entirely in the universe of Specimen 6. Pay and Exclusivity Participating authors will be paid $.01 per word. This equates to $50 for a 5k word story, or $10 per 1k words. Participating authors will grant Perfect Ratio Productions exclusive rights to the work for 1 year after publication. Some exceptions may be granted. How to submit? Email us [email protected] Use “S6 Magazine Submission” Tell us a little bit about yourself in your query letter. For example: o Your author biography (500 words or less) o Title of the submitted work o Word count o Genre (if specific or niche) o First page (or ten pages should the work be of 10k or greater word count) of your submitted work at the bottom. Should Perfect Ratio Productions wish to use your submitted work,...
Taking Submissions: Rewired: An Anthology of Neurodiverse Horror
Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: 0.03 USD per word and a contributor's copy Theme: Horror stories inspired by neurodiverse experiences DO NOT ADJUST YOUR BRAIN WE ARE CONTROLLING THE TRANSMISSION For our next major anthology, slated for release in September 2022, we’re looking for horror stories inspired by neurodiverse experiences. Stories about perception, communication, the feeling of being ‘differently wired’. Challenge us. Scare us. Show us the world the way you see it. We’d love to see work that encompasses the whole spectrum of neurodiverse experience. SF and fantasy elements are welcome as long as your story is primarily horror. This call will close on 30th April 2022. Length: 1,000 – 6,000 words. (This is a hard upper limit.) Payment: 0.03 USD per word. All payments will be made via PayPal and contributors will receive one paperback contributor’s copy. Publication: E-book and print. Deadline: 30th April 2022. Rights: We request first worldwide and electronic rights for 6 months after the date of publication, after which rights revert to the author. All copyright remains with the author. We accept simultaneous submissions but no reprints please. Multiple submissions not accepted. All submissions will be responded to after the deadline. Email your submission as a Word document to [email protected] with “Rewired ” in the subject line. Please see our Submission Guidelines for more information on formatting. Via: Ghost Orchid Press.
Taking Submissions: The Future’s So Bright …
Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: $0.02 per word + two (2) contributor copies Theme: Positive visions of the future If you could catch a glimpse of the future, what would you hope to see? An environmentally-friendly paradise? High-tech advancements? Newly-evolved species of wildlife? For this collection, we want positive visions of the future. Show us terraces covered in gardens and solar panels, sprawling colonies under glass on Mars, and the explorers of tomorrow. Tell us what you think cities will look like in the year 2300, what it would be like to take a cruise on a spaceship, or what new organisms might evolve in the Amazon rain forest. Science fiction, fantasy, humor, and weird fiction are all welcome. Submission Details Open for Submissions: February 1, 2022 through April 30, 2022 Expected Publication: September 2022 Story Length: 2,000 – 8,000 words Payment: $0.02 per word + two (2) contributor copies Submission Requirements Please submit your complete story in standard manuscript form in digital format (DOCX, RTF, or ODT) to submissions (at) waterdragonpublishing.com. Please include “The Future’s So Bright Anthology” in the Subject line of your submission. Include the following in your cover letter/email: Title of your story Your real name Your physical mail address Your preferred email address Genre Approximate word count Submission Guidelines Your story can be from whatever genre best fits its theme. However, we are not looking for erotica or stories that contain excessive gore or violence. You may submit more than one story. However, we will only publish one of your stories in this edition, so choose wisely. Please wait until you have been notified about the acceptance status of your story before submitting another one. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but please inform us immediately if it is accepted elsewhere. We are not accepting previously published stories for this...
Taking Submissions: It Was All A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right (Early Listing)
Taking Submissions: It Was All A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right (Early Listing)
Submission Window: April 1st-30th, 2022 Payment: $0.03 per word up to 4000 words Theme: Take your least favorite horror trope and make it work. What is your least favorite horror trope? Why? Has it been overdone? Is it predictable? Is it unrealistic? Here’s your chance to fix it. Open call submission window open April 1, 2022 - April 30, 2022. Extended submission window exclusively for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and marginalized writers open May 1, 2022 - May 7, 2022. The anthology will be a mix of solicited stories and stories selected from the open call submission period. What are we looking for? Short horror, weird, dark fiction between 1500 and 4000 words (firm limit) that take your least favorite horror trope and make it work. Take a trope that’s well-worn, overused, predictable, tough to swallow, and scare the hell out of us with it. Turn it on its head, or make it bizarre enough to still surprise. Really take some time to understand why your chosen trope often fails and how you can make it into a successful (read: scary, surprising, weird, shocking, heartwrenching, maybe even funny) horror story. This anthology is open to all writers, but we strongly encourage writers from the LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and other marginalized communities to submit. What are we NOT looking for? Stories that deal with bigotry are fine, but bigoted stories are not. Graphic rape or sexual assault scenes will not be accepted. Any story that does not contain elements of horror, weird fiction, or dark fiction will not be considered. Erotic elements are fine, but keep in mind this is not a call for erotica so make sure it contains elements of horror, weird, or dark fiction. How to submit: Word format (.docx), in something approximating standard manuscript format (double-spaced, 12pt font, word count...
Taking Submissions: Midnight in the Dying Garden: Fairy Tales for the End of the World
Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: Literary horror with a fantastical twist Theme: $25 – $150 CAD for original work depending on length, $10 – $70 CAD for reprints Note: Reprints welcome Nestled in a forgotten wood deep within a shadowed valley lies the hidden heart of the world: A dark, enchanted garden where every blossom holds a secret, every tree bursts with ten thousand memories, and each mushroom pulses in an endless relay, transmitting tales from half a world away. The wind itself whispers forgotten sorrows to the only creature left in the garden: The terrifying and enchanting Storyteller. But the garden’s lushness is a lie. Its explosion of ferns and flowers hides a terrible secret: the garden is dying. Without listeners to sustain it – without imagination, hearts, and souls to feed it – the heart is fading, and taking the world with it. So the Storyteller waits in vain for an audience that never comes—an audience whose ears and eyes can save the garden, who can keep the world’s heart beating a little while more. One a stifling, starry midnight, a stranger finally stumbles into the wilted garden and listens to the Storyteller’s wonderful, terrifying tales. But when this visitor – the first in centuries – learns that no listener leaves the garden alive, she strikes a desperate bargain. She promises to spread these stories across the earth, and in doing so remind humanity of the garden that is the heart of the world…and of the sacrifices it needs to keep beating. That promise has been fulfilled. So settle into the lush grass, but take care not to crush the night flowers. It is time to listen now. Time to hear, time to give the garden what it needs. It’s already so late, you see, and the...
Taking Submissions: A Coup Of Owls August 2022 Issue (Early Listing)
Submission Window: April 1st-30th, 2022 Payment: Drabbles and Flash - £5, Short Stories 1001 to 4000 words - £10, Short Stories 4001 to 8000 words - £15 Theme: All genres, styles and themes will be considered and we especially love stories that are outside the box in their telling. Note: Only publishes creators from under represented and/or marginalized communities. WE ONLY PUBLISH CREATORS FROM UNDER REPRESENTED AND/OR MARGINALISED COMMUNITIES We don't ask for any proof, we take this on trust with the expectation that anyone not from a marginalised background or underrepresented community wouldn't take up the space of someone who is. We ask you to consider this before submitting. BRIEF We’re looking for stories you’ve poured your soul into but haven’t been able to find the right home for. We’re looking for stories that make us feel something. Warmth, love, melancholy, rage. We want it all. All genres, styles and themes will be considered and we especially love stories that are outside the box in their telling. Ambiguous endings? Non-linear storytelling? Antagonist’s point-of-view? A story told in just one scene? We love it all. SUBMISSIONS: February 1 - 28 (for June issue) April 1 - 30 (for August issue) June 1 - 30 (for October issue) August 1 - 31 (for December issue) October 1 - 31 (for February issue) December 1 - 31 (for April issue) we do not have set issue themes but feel free to be inspired by the season, seasonal occasions and events SUBMISSION GUIDELINES How to submit: Please submit via the form at the bottom of this page. If you have any problems using the form please email us for assistance. Who should submit: Please ONLY SUBMIT IF: you are aged 18 or over you belong to an underrepresented or marginalised community. These include, but are not limited to:...
Taking Submissions: khōréō April 2022 (Early Listing)
Submission Window: April 1-April 30th, 2022 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. Note: You must identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms. This includes, but is not limited to, first- and second-generation immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, persons who identify with one or more diaspora communities, persons who have been displaced or whose heritage has been erased due to colonialism/imperialism, and anyone whose heritage and history includes ‘here and elsewhere’. khōréō is a quarterly publication of stories, essays, and art: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. We’re especially interested in writing and art that explore some aspect of migration, whether explicitly (themes of immigration, colonialism, etc.), metaphorically, or with a sly nod and a wink. Most importantly, we’re a new magazine and we’re still finding our identity: therefore, please don’t self-reject because you’re not sure if your work is a good fit. We won’t know until we see it, so please give us a chance to look! See submission requirements & how to submit at the following pages: Fiction Non-fiction Art Voice actors Who can submit? khōréō is dedicated to diversity and amplifying the voices of immigrant and diaspora authors and artists. We welcome, but do not require, a brief description of the author’s/artist’s identity in their cover letter. We invite you to submit if you identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms. This includes, but is not limited to, first- and second-generation immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, persons who identify with one or more diaspora communities, persons who have been displaced or...
Taking Submissions: Mythaxis April 2022 Submission Period (Early Listing)
Submission Window: April 23th-30th 2022 Payment: $20 Theme: Science fiction and fantasy Mythaxis is published four times a year, and is open to submissions within the following periods: 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. If you do not receive an acknowledgment within 24 hours of submission, please get in touch. 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 to wait for someone else you’d like better to turn you down… Please wait until receiving a rejection notice before submitting a second time. If a story has previously been rejected by Mythaxis, please do not resubmit or inquire regarding doing...
Taking Submissions: Strange Horizons (Southeast Asian Special Call)
Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: 10 cents per word Theme: Stories that are joyous, horrific, hopeful, despondent, powerful and subtle. Note: For this issue, only Southeast Asian writers living in Southeast Asia as well as the diaspora. Southeast Asia is an immense region with many cultures, traditions and mythologies. It has a rich history of trade and wars, migration and occupation. There are records of merchants from as far as Ancient Greece who have come to the region to ply their wares, and emperors from China have demanded tribute from subordinate kingdoms. From these encounters with distant empires come ideas, iconography, religions, and philosophies that have combined with local lores and sensibilities, giving rise to the glorious architecture of Angkor Wat, the outpouring of religious stories and texts like the Ramayana, the syncretic practices of Islam and Buddhism across the region. More recently, the horrors of the Japanese Occupation, the Khmer Rouge, and the Vietnam War have left an indelible imprint in the collective psyche and memory of Southeast Asian people, both within and beyond. The current political climate, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, has created outcries in several countries. The Strange Horizons Southeast Asian special welcomes non-fiction, fiction and poetry from Southeast Asian writers living in Southeast Asia as well as the diaspora. We especially welcome writers who have never submitted to an international speculative fiction venue before. We are not seeking writing from non-Southeast Asians for this special issue. Please feel free to submit your work to Strange Horizons’ regular submissions at any time. The editorial team for this special issue will comprise of: Dr. Jaymee Goh (she/her) for Fiction (2,000 – 7,000 words; please query if longer). Ms. May Chong (she/her) for Poetry (of any length or complexity). Mx. Joyce Chng (she/they) for Non-Fiction (2,000 – 3,000 words). We would like stories that are...
Omenana Speculative Fiction Magazine – Democracy Special Edition
Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: $100 Theme: Positive Visions of Democracy Note: Authors must be speculative fiction writers from across Africa and the African Diaspora and the stories should be centered around an African experience As we put pen to paper, it was literally raining coups in Africa. From Sudan to Mali, from Burkina Faso to Equatorial Guinea to Niger, one hears either of violent truncation of government or an attempt at seizing the reins of power by gun wielding soldiers who purport to act for the greater good of the country. Democracy, the system of governance that best serves the interest of the individual by allowing them a say in who governs them and how they are governed, is in peril. With this backdrop, Omenana Speculative Fiction Magazine in partnership with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) – a US-based non-governmental organisation that works to strengthen democracy – is calling for submissions for a special themed edition that explores positive visions of democracy. Note that some of the stories in this special edition will form part of a global anthology edited by Dr. Amy Johnson in late 2022. Stories for the anthology will be selected from Omenana and two other great SF magazines from South America (Mafagafo and A Taverna) and an SF magazine based in Asia (Mithila Review). What we are looking for We are looking for 15 speculative short stories that explore the theme “Positive Visions of Democracy”. We are looking for strong, character-driven stories that focus on future or other worlds where society’s bedrock is solid democratic institutions. These future or other worlds can be dystopias, but they should be ones where an entrenchment of universal suffrage holds hope. Maybe democratic principles or institutions shape the events of your story. Maybe your story re-envisions how democracy could work. Or...
Taking Submissions: Elegant Literature Mirror Image
Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: $0.10/word for the magazine Theme: A story involving reflections, and an apple. Note: The magazine is free to submit to, there is also a monthly contest where you can win $3000. However, there IS a fee to submit to the contest. Write a story involving reflections, and an apple. $3,000 grand prize. Look in the mirror. Who stares back at you? Some of us see prettier, smarter versions of ourselves, while others focus on the wrinkles and rolls. Or maybe you see the masked intruder looking over your shoulder… Reflections have long fascinated us, from still lakes and polished silver to selfies and futuristic wardrobes. But the concept is more than literal—philosophy holds thoughts as a mirror to the universe. Science puts them to use in lasers and telescopes. As writers, we use literary foils to mirror and contrast characters. The symbolism is deeply ingrained. Wisdom, awareness, truth. Distorted reflections suggest deceit and delusion. Shattered mirrors are bad luck. Do you cover glass surfaces after a death to avoid trapping the spirit? And why is it you’re so reluctant to shut the bathroom vanity alone in the dark? This contest invites you to explore mirrors and reflections, whatever that means to you. Fantasy, contemporary, romance, crime. All genres are welcome. Submissions close April 30th at 11:59 pm EST. Contest only open to new writers. All new writers 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. Each issue of the magazine is themed according to our monthly prompt. The prompts...
Taking Submissions: “Home: What Is It and How Do I Get There?”
Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: $15 CAD upon publication ($10 for reprints) Theme: This chapbook will speak to various experiences of home, with an emphasis on those that are complex or challenging. Note: Reprints Welcome Note: I suspect horror would be a hard sell on this unless it really nailed the topic, read on! “Home: What Is It and How Do I Get There?” Chapbook – Poetry and Flash Fiction Deadline: April 30, 2022 What is home? Is it a place? A feeling? A person? Does it shift and change? Can you point towards it but never quite attain it? This chapbook will speak to various experiences of home, with an emphasis on those that are complex or challenging. Submission Guidelines: Flash Fiction: maximum 1000 words (no minimum). All genres welcome. The more imaginative, the better. Poems: maximum 60 lines INCLUDING BLANK LINES (shorter is preferred – long pieces will need to earn their length) Payment: $15 CAD upon publication ($10 for reprints) All payments through PayPal, Wise, or bank transfer. No submission fee. Multiple submissions: Yes. You can submit as many pieces as you like. Please submit each poem or story as a NEW SUBMISSION. Simultaneous submissions: Yes. Please email [email protected] right away if your piece is accepted elsewhere. Reprints: Previously published pieces will be considered, although we prefer original works. If you do send a reprint, please provide the name of the journal/date of publication, so that we can give proper attribution. Format: We aren’t too hung up on formatting. Just make it easy for us to read. No PAGES files. DOC or DOCX preferred. PDF accepted for poetry. Please title your file as follows: Title – Author Name SUBMIT TO “HOME” HERE Via: Off Topic Publishing.
Contest: Baen Fantasy Adventure Award 2022
Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Prize: Grand Prize: Pro rate contract on story and $500 of free Baen Books, Second Prize: $500 of free Baen Books, Third Prize: $300 of free Baen Books Theme: Adventure fantasy with heroes you want to root for. Warriors either modern or medieval, who solve problems with their wits or with their weapons—and we have nothing against dragons, elves, dwarves, castles under siege, urban fantasy, damsels in distress, or damsels who inflict distress. Contest Rules Write and submit a short story of no more than 8,000 words. It must be a work of fantasy, though all fantasy genres are open, e.g. epic fantasy, heroic fantasy, sword and sorcery, contemporary fantasy, etc. No entry fee. But only one submission per person...we suggest your best one! No reprints (i.e. the story must be unpublished). All entries must be original works in English. Plagiarism, poetry, song lyrics, settings and/or characters from published gaming worlds or another author’s works of fiction will not be considered. E-mail submissions only. Send entries as .RTF attachments to: [email protected] Please put BFAA SUBMISSION in the subject line when sending a contest entry and BFAA QUESTION in the subject line for questions to the contest administrator. Please include the following in the body of your email: the title of the work the author's name, address, and telephone number an approximate word-count The manuscript should be a RTF attachment, in standard manuscript format, and should be titled and numbered on every page, but the author's name MUST BE DELETED to facilitate fair judging. Click here for our standard manuscript format guidelines. Employees of Baen Books and Staff of Dragon Con are not eligible. Previous Grand Prize winners are not eligible (previous second and third place winners are eligible). Contest opens for submissions on February 1st, 2022 at...
Taking Submissions: Kingdoms of Wrath and Ice (Early Listing)
Submission Window: April 1st-April 30th, 2022 Payment: $25 and a contributors copy Theme: Tales of stone cold villains (literally on the cold!) From castles atop snow crested mountains to the cold isolation of the frozen tundra, the lure of darkness beckons us all. For Kingdoms of Wrath and Ice, Tourmaline & Quartz seeks your tales of stone cold villains. Show us the frosty ice queens, the conniving fae lords we love to hate and hate to love. Give us your dragons with hearts as cold as their gold, or the witch who summons a snowstorm to save herself from the hunters. Tell us about your morally gray outcasts that crave vengeance while the heroes are seeking warmth. The winter months are dark, the snows are deep, and the ice is treacherous. But what if the bitter cold wasn’t the only villain? Short Story Requirements & Information Word Count: 5,000-7,500 words. Reprints: No. Previously unpublished stories only. Simultaneous Submissions: OK. You can submit your story elsewhere while you are waiting to hear from us, but please notify us via email immediately if your story is accepted somewhere else. Multiple Submissions: OK. Send one submission per email if you choose to submit more than one. Expected publication: November 2022 Selection: Authors will be notified of decisions by June 30, 2022. Compensation: If selected, authors will receive $25 USD and a copy of the anthology, upon publication. US authors will receive a paperback, and have the choice between PayPal or check. Authors outside the US will receive a digital copy of the anthology, and payment via PayPal. Timeline: You will receive confirmation of receipt of your email submission within 1-3 days. Submissions will be read as they come in, but everyone who submitted will be notified of acceptance or rejection by June 30, 2022. Unfortunately, we won’t have the capacity to provide...
Taking Submissions: Otoroshi Journal 2022 Summer Issue (Early Listing)
Submission Window: April 1st-30th, 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...
Taking Submissions: Worlds of Possibility
Deadline: April 30th, 2022 Payment: 10 cents per word. Theme: Science fiction and fantasy that leave the reader with a sense of hope in some way. Note: My apologies on the short window, only recently came across this one so it's going up as a bonus post. Worlds of Possibility is a project I've been working on since the beginning of 2021. My patrons and subscribers' pledges help sponsor original creative Science Fiction and Fantasy works, which I release early to sponsors and then a bit later to the general public. Worlds of Possibility is a series of science fiction and fantasy works released to Subscribers and Patrons of Julia Rios exclusively for a short time before being publicly available. For this project, I am especially excited for works that leave the reader with a sense of hope in some way. Past examples of works I've published for this project are here: https://www.patreon.com/juliarios/posts?filters%5Btag%5D=Worlds%20of%20Possibility What I want for the April 2022 reading period: Original (not reprint) science fiction and fantasy stories Up to 5,000 words, with no minimum requirement (flash is welcome!) Ideally the stories should leave the reader with some sense of hope What rights am I asking for? The right to display the work on my Patreon, substack, or other personal site 6 months of exclusivity The right to eventually publish the work in an anthology of Worlds of Possibility works What am I offering in exchange, and when? $0.10USD per word To be paid once we have agreed on a final version of the work (after edits, but before publication) Via: Julia Rios.