Events

Submission Window: October 23rd-30th, 2023 Payment: €0.01 per word, with a €20 minimum Theme: Diverse sci-fi and fantasy fiction. Submissions received outside of these dates will unfortunately be lost and therefore not responded to. When open, we seek and offer the following: Length: 1,000-5,000 words. These are firm limits, not absolute ones. Generally speaking, the further a story goes beyond these bounds the more it will need to impress, but the door is not shut in advance. Compensation: €0.01 per word, with a €20 minimum. Please be aware that payment is 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. REQUIREMENTS We acquire 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 agreement, an additional 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. Please tell us if you sim-sub, and we merely ask that you notify us of acceptance at another market as soon as possible. In the event that we accept first, we expect a positive and timely confirmation. Therefore we recommend sim-subbing to markets of equivalent status – we won’t wait for someone else you’d like better to turn you down. If a story has previously been rejected by Mythaxis, please do not resubmit or inquire regarding doing so, unless explicitly invited to by the editor during the original rejection. Feedback: Unfortunately, due to...

Deadline: October 31st, 2023 Payment: $0.01 CAD per word Theme: Cryptids of all kinds! Engen Books is now accepting submissions to the latest From the Rock anthology, for release in 2024. Editors Ellen Curtis and Erin Vance are accepting submissions for short fiction under 7000 words that focus on cryptids, animals whose existence permeate urban myths but are not recognized within the scientific community.  Popular cryptids include Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Mothman, the Ogopogo, the Jersey Devil, and the Loveland Frog, but stories concerning lesser known cryptids or creatures of the writer’s own imagination are also welcomed. ​ Stories for this collection might include close encounters with a cryptid, dealing with a cryptid hoax, be written as a horrifying ordeal, or as historical fiction. Writers are encouraged to let their imagination play, but we ask that you read the following carefully before submitting. ​ As always, the From the Rock collections are intended to highlight the fantastic, varied writers Newfoundland and Labrador has fostered. When submitting, we request that authors indicate if they are current or former residents of the province, and if their story is linked to the province in any way (though it need not be). While we will accept submissions from across Canada and internationally, authors with a connection to the province are given preference for this series, and this information will be given to editors during the jurying process. ​ As with all content at Engen Books, misogynistic, racist, ethnocentric, homophobic, or transphobic messaging will result in the submission being rejected and may result in the author being barred from future submissions. Authors should take care to avoid cultural appropriation or fetishization of historically marginalized and underrepresented groups and are responsible for avoiding the use of harmful stereotypes in their submissions. In an effort to...

Submission Window: July 31st to October 31st, 2023 Payment: 4c per word for original stories, 1c per word for reprints (Australian currency) Theme: Body horror that deals with the anthology's title Note: Open to Australasian writers only, where Australasia means Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and the neighbouring islands of the Pacific. This call-out is open to Australasian citizens, residents and ex-pats. To be edited by award-winning author and anthology editor, Deborah Sheldon. Spawn 2: More Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies will comprise stories from Australasian writers obtained entirely from open callout. On-spec submissions are welcome from Australasian writers of every persuasion including non-parents. Stories must be between 1500 and 5000 words. Stories outside of these word counts risk being deleted unread. Reprints will be considered, but must not be available for free anywhere online. The anthology will have only a small number of reprints, regardless. The anthology will be a visceral, frightening read. Each story must nominally tick the box of “body horror” but there is no restriction on subgenre: anything from sci-fi to fantasy to gothic to supernatural to psychological and beyond will be given equal consideration. Feel free to play with the theme and not take it too literally. Ideally, your story should make the reader feel uncomfortably aware of their physicality, morbidity or mortality. While graphic violence and swearing are acceptable, submissions must have a literary bent. Spawn 2: More Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies aims to deliver an elegant—and elevated—anthology of body horror. For a clearer understanding of requirements, we recommended that you read Deb’s first anthology in this IFWG franchise, the multi-award-winning and multi-award-nominated Spawn: Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies, which comprises stories by Australian writers. What to avoid: Gratuitous gore used purely for shock value. Familiar tropes, such...

Deadline: October 31st, 2023 Payment: $15 Theme: Unique ocean-themed horror stories Broken Brain Books is now taking submissions for our first anthology, Screams From The Ocean Floor. We are looking for roughly 15 stories with a mix of invited authors and open call submissions. Welcome to the scariest place on the planet. The bottom of the ocean. No air. Complete Darkness. Immense pressure. Bizarre Creatures. No chance of survival. We are looking for unique ocean-themed horror stories that will leave the reader thinking twice before stepping near the sea again. *Cover art coming soon* Submission Guidelines All stories should include the ocean as a major theme. Stories should be between 3,000 and 5,000 words in length. Stories will be accepted from August 1st to October 31st, 2023. Previously unpublished works only No AI generated works. Broken Brain Books will retain exclusive rights to the story for one year from the date of publication. Both parties will hold joint rights after one year. Payment of $15 + ebook copy for accepted authors Selected stories will be edited by Heather Ann Larson and reviewed with the author. Payment will be sent to the author upon return of a signed contract. Expected publication February/March 2024 Email completed stories to [email protected] as a Microsoft Word attachment. Via: Broken Brain Books.

Deadline: October 31st, 2023 Payment: 1 cent per word for short stories, $10 for poems Theme: Speculative fiction slice-of-life stories with a focus on connection, family, relationships, comfort, and the natural world. We are open to submissions from: February–April, for a June release August–October, for a December release What to send Hearth Stories publishes speculative fiction slice-of-life stories with a focus on connection, family, relationships, comfort, and the natural world. We accept works of up to novella length. However, the ideal length may be something in the 2,000-6,000 word range. We also accept poems that fit our themes. Some things we like: Quiet stories Kindness, tenderness, hope, and support Caregiving, parenting, and partnership Stories that give us butterflies in our stomachs and/or make us smile Works that border into nature writing or touch on ecological topics Animal and non-human perspectives (but we like human stories, too) Writing that evokes senses other than just sight and sound (things with a lot of smell, touch, and taste) Stories involving food and cooking Stories involving hermits, issolated places, or wandering in the woods Bonus points for stories backed by vegan, anarchist, eco-conscious, and anti-capitalist themes (while still fitting the above) There is some overlap between what we do and various genres, such as: slice of life, hopepunk, and solarpunk. Those genres often exist within or alongside fantasy, science fiction, and surrealism; though we are happy to read literary fiction that suits the above criteria as well. We accept translations and reprints. We also accept simultaneous submissions. Please wait to hear back regarding your submission before submitting another piece. There is no wait time or cool off period for submitting another story (whether your first story was passed on or accepted). If some—but not all—of the above describes your work: send it. Definitely do not rule out your...

Deadline: October 31st, 2023 Payment: $5 Theme: Laughter and Tears Each Issue will be themed. However you interpret that theme is up to you. We do NOT need your reasoning behind it. Please Note: Deadlines may close earlier if the issue fills!~ Laughter and Tears - Oct. 31 - This time of year becomes an odd mix of happiness and sadness, let’s explore those elements, both individually and where they intersect. What’ve you got to show us? Stories and / or Poems For Stories: We’re open to micro works all the way up to 10,000 words. Just keep two things in mind: We want to be engaged and the submission must be completed (no pitches, please!) For Poems: We’d love to see up to five poems from you, but you can always just send one, too. Art As long as it has some tie to the current issue’s theme, we’re open to see any art created in any medium at any time. Just know that it will need to “work in print” and—might—be presented in black and white. We WILL NOT Accept any AI-Generated art. For ART ONLY, you may choose to submit via email by sending jpgs, PDFs, or PNGs to chrisatquarterpress(at)gmail(dot)com Graphic Stories Show us your comic strips or complete short works; we’d love to see them all! Please try to keep submissions to 20 pages or less. Feel free to also send a collection of comic strips / one shot comics, as well. (Please note that our publication size / dimensions might change between issues. Our “Norm” is 6x9”). These must be COMPLETE works. For Graphic Work / Comics, you may choose to submit via email by sending jpgs, PDFs, or PNGs to chrisatquarterpress(at)gmail(dot)com Analysis / Interviews / Reviews As long as it is tied to the...

Submission Window: October 1st - 31st, 2023 Payment: 8 cents per word and $500 for custom cover art and $100 for cover art drawn from an artist’s existing portfolio. 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...

Submission Window: October 1st - 31st, 2023 Payment: 1 cent per word for fiction, $5 for poetry, 1 cent per word for non-fiction, $35 for cover art Theme: Speculative fiction It's our goal to publish diverse voices from around the world, and to do that, we are actively seeking stories, poems, and non-fiction pieces by authors from backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented in the science fiction and fantasy canon. Our submission cycle is therefore split into two categories, where every other month is explicitly reserved for submissions by authors of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups. The interposing six months remain open to everyone. Guidelines for Fiction We are seeking stories in the English language up to 6,000 words by writers from around the world. We favor submisions that have not been published before (including on your own website), though we do accept a limited number of reprints not currently appearing anywhere online. For our two issues focused on the climate crisis, we're particularly interested in publishing stories from people displaced by or threatened by the climate emergency (see our themes below). For our other four issues, we're open to a wide variety of stories across the SFF and weird spectra. We pay 1¢ per word for fiction, and we try to respond to all submissions within ten weeks. We will also accept a limited number of previously published stories, so please indicate on the form if your submission is a reprint. All submissions must use the Shunn manuscript format (we prefer Courier New) and be either .rtf, .doc, or .docx. We like stories that are subtle in their telling and stick with us long after we've finished. We're more likely to buy stories that balance a sense of wonder with a bold plot and...

Deadline: October 31st, 2023 Payment: $25 Theme: Sword & Sorcery, Dark Fantasy, and Grimdark Just as the classic pulps continue to bring attention, praise, and droves of new readers to legendary writers such as Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Crimson Quill Quarterly wishes to bring attention to budding authors of the Sword & Sorcery, Dark Fantasy, and Grimdark subgenres of fantasy fiction. We appreciate creativity and talent equally and would love to see well written stories driven by developed and intriguing characters and invigorating action that unfolds throughout the plot. While we are not looking for stories that "reinvent the wheel", we appreciate originality above all else. WHAT WE WANT Original tales of nail-biting peril faced down by a fearless protagonists reliant upon their mental might as much as their physical prowess to achieve their goals and overcome their enemies in action packed tales told in no more than 10,000 words. We may be interested in serializing longer pieces in the future, but for our first issue we’re looking to keep it as simple as possible. We are currently open for submissions and will continue to accept stories until Halloween, October 31st, 2023. Feel free to send us multiple submissions, but no more than three tales from one single author. We hope to have our first issue out by January of 2024 and will feature five to six authors for our debut. All selections will be made by the second week of November and each chosen author will receive a payment of $25 via check or digital transaction. We will buy First Rights and will obtain aforementioned rights for six months. Should this venture prove even semi-successful, we hope to increase the amount we can pay our dedicated writers. Notice: Simultaneous submissions...

Submission Window: October 1st - 31st, 2023 Payment: $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue Theme: Any genre, short story Mission = Revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful. Payout = Base Pay of $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Wait, you mean if this substack gets thousands of subscribers, the winner would get thousands of dollars? Yes! The New Yorker pays roughly $7,500 per story and I sincerely hope to go way past that. What does the timeline look like? Submit stories by the end of the month, winner to be announced on the 15th. There is ONE story that wins and receives the full payout. Where do I send submissions? [email protected] What are the rules for submitting? 1. No Fees 2. Send in Microsoft Word or Google Doc form 3. Any genre 4. 6- 10,000 words. Yes, just 6 words, like Hemingway's famous 6-word story "For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn." 5. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute. 6. Acknowledge Distribution Rights on this Substack - You can still sell your story elsewhere but we need to be able to save and publish it here. The goal is to create a library for subscribers. 7. Only the winner will be published and rights will only transfer for the winning story. What do I get for subscribing? One beautiful story every month. The complete library. The joy of supporting artists and doing something interesting. What if I can’t pay right now? That’s ok! If you publish a blurb about this site on your website, blog, or social media, I will send you one full story of your choosing. Best of all, it is...

Submission Window: October 1st - 31st, 2023 Payment: $10 Theme: Stories of any genre by writers who identify with and as any of the following descriptors: trans, two-spirit, disabled, neurodivergent, Mad, queer, crip, nonbinary, genderqueer, intersex. We welcome submissions by those who identify with and as any of the following descriptors: trans, two-spirit, disabled, neurodivergent, Mad, queer, crip, nonbinary, genderqueer, intersex. This is a space for the words, works, and worlds of and by those whose bodyminds defy social expectations and invite new ways of thinking and knowing. We do not need to know the specifics of your identity/diagnosis/experience unless you want us to. We invite closeted and questioning people to share their work, as well as those whose experiences fall outside the confines of the language we used above. We welcome submissions from creators of all ages. We particularly encourage unpublished/emerging/young creators to submit. If you know an incarcerated/institutionalized creator who would like to submit, email us for information as to where to mail the submission, or clearly indicate in your message that you are submitting on their behalf. We publish on a quarterly schedule, with issues coming out on: February 15 May 15 August 15 November 15 We are open for all submissions EXCEPT during publication months. That is to say, we are open for submissions January, March, April, June, July, September, October, and December. Things to note This is a leftist magazine. We hate capitalism, “america,” cops, prisons, borders, neoliberalism, and all the rest. We don’t tolerate white supremacy, cisheterosexism, ableism, transmisogyny, xenophobia, fatphobia, intersexism, and anti-sex worker sentiment here. We reserve the right to reject and/or remove content from creators whose work does not align with our values. We do not tolerate AI-generated or -assisted submissions. Anyone found to be using AI will have their content immediately rejected/removed and will...

Deadline: October 31st, 2023 Payment: $45 and a contributors copy Theme: Rescuing Curiosity Continuing with our thematic arc, our next anthology will focus on Rescuing Curiosity. In collaboration with Inked in Gray, we seek to publish powerful, authentic stories from members of our community. All profits from Rescuing Curiosity, as well as all previously published WriteHive anthologies go directly to WriteHive to help fund all our programming initiatives This upcoming anthology will officially open September 1, 2023, and we will be collecting submissions until October 31, 2023. We will be looking for stories that explore characters or groups discovering, reclaiming, rescuing if you will, their curiosity and interests in life, hobbies, etc. Submissions will not be accepted prior to September 1, 2023 or after October 31st. Writing the Future We Need: Rescuing Curiosity ** ABSOLUTELY NO AI WRITTEN OR AI ASSISTED SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. NO AI INVOLVEMENT WHATSOEVER PLEASE**   Theme: Rescuing Curiosity Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, or horror only Age: Adult. No MG or YA There is no limitation to how you incorporate this theme into your work as long as the story falls within the Sci-Fi, Horror, or Fantasy genre. We encourage you to take the theme and show its manifestation beyond the physical, showing us something unique and engaging. Submission Period: Sept 1, 2023 to Oct 31, 2023 Submission Cost: Free Word Limit: Max of 8K words per piece, not including addition information below Payment: $45 per accepted piece plus one paperback contributor copy Rights: First edition exclusive anthology rights for the first six months of publication **Submissions and anthology communications will be managed by Dakota Rayne and WriteHive. Please submit your work at the link below, which will take you to the WriteHive Submission page. Publication details: The anthology will be printed and published by Inked in Gray Press. Inked in Gray Press is considered the publisher and...

Deadline: October 31st, 2023 Payment: 2 cents per word and 2 contributor's copies Theme: Speculative fiction with a humorous twist. Think Spider Robinson, Douglas Adams, Piers Anthony … Something funny is going on … Dragon Gems is our publishing program for your short fiction when a novel just won't do. For information about the recent changes to our Dragon Gems short fiction program, please see our announcement, "Putting a New Shine on Dragon Gems".   For this anthology we are looking for speculative fiction with a humorous twist. Think Spider Robinson, Douglas Adams, Piers Anthony … Open for Submissions: October 1, 2023 through October 31, 2023 Expected Publication: April 2024 Submission Requirements Your story: should be approximately 2,000 – 6,000 words in length. should not contain vulgar humor, racist, sexist, or misogynistic themes. (Stories containing any of these elements will be immediately rejected.) should not contain erotica, or excessive violence or gore. can be part of an ongoing series you might be writing. can have been previously published (with proof that you hold the current publishing rights). may be submitted simultaneously to other markets (but please let us know when you submit your story). Please submit only one story per submission. Send us finished manuscript in digital (.DOCx, .RTF, or .ODT) format using this Submission Form. Note: While our program is called Dragon Gems, your story does not need to include a dragon. If you're not sure if your story is something that we'd be interested in publishing, please feel free to query us at dragongems (at) waterdragonpublishing.com in advance of submitting your manuscript. Payment Payment (upon publication) will be: $0.02 per word one (1) trade paperback contributor edition one (1) hardcover contributor edition access to ten (10) digital contributor copies Manuscript Formats Send us your finished manuscript in digital (.DOCx, .RTF, or .ODT) format using this Submission Form. Please use...

Submission Window: November 1st - December 31st, 2023 Payment: $15 Theme: Speculative fiction, primarily horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Note: Reprints welcome Formatting Guidelines This is proving to be a recurring problem, so we're putting it up front. Please, for all our sakes, read this next part carefully. All submissions should be sent by e-mail (no letters or telephone calls please) to [email protected]. Below are some formatting rules to help us process your submission more quickly. EMAIL AND COVER LETTERS Email is accepted in both text and HTML formats. When submitting, please put this in the subject line: Submission: (Title) - (First and Last name) Include the following in the body of the email and in the attached submission: Your name Name to use on the story (byline), if different Your preferred email address Your mailing address The story's title The story's word count You may also include a cover letter in the body of the email. We get a lot of strange stuff in cover letters, so if you're unsure of what goes in them (and especially what doesn't) please refer to these cover letter tips: How to write a cover letter | What not to put in a cover letter by Jed Hartman SUBMISSION FORMATTING We ONLY accept submissions as attachments! All stories submitted as an attachment must follow standard manuscript formatting. We will no longer read any story not properly formatted. (And we much prefer Courier New to Times New Roman) For explanations and tips on what SMF is and how to do it with word processing programs, please see this article. Please send your submission as an attachment in Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx) or Rich Test Format (.rtf) only. Other formats, such as Works, WordPerfect, Open Office, etc., have proven difficult to open. Please note that we no longer accept "inline" submssions; that is, submissions...

Deadline: November 1st, 2023 Payment: Royalties Theme: Sword and Sorcery / Heroic Fantasy Are you a fan of authors like Robert E. Howard, Michael Moorcock, and Fritz Leiber? Are those the type of stories that you love to write? Then you’re in the right place! We’re looking for tales of Sword and Sorcery / Heroic Fantasy that are influenced by those who established the genre. What makes a great story in this genre? Elements of romance, magic, supernatural, and of course sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures! We’re looking for new, previously unpublished stories that take us on an adventure and leave us wanting more. Genre: Sword and Sorcery / Heroic Fantasy Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000 Opening by: TBD Edited by: William Joseph Roberts Anchor Author: TBD Due Date: November 1, 2023 Email submissions to: threeravenspublishing @ gmail dot com with “Sword and Sorcery” in the subject line Payment: Stories selected for publication in the upcoming Anthology(ies), will receive a percentage of sales divided equally between the contributing authors. MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES We are looking for amazing stories from any genre that are fun to read and will take us on an adventure of epic proportions. Please download our standards template by clicking here ***NOTE*** We publish genre fiction with aspects of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. If your work does not include one of these aspects, we are less likely to pick up the title unless it is of exceptional quality.   What we are NOT currently accepting: Poetry Single-author collections of short stories. Hard and fast rules of what not to send: Fan-fiction: Just simply don’t. It will be immediately deleted or tossed into the recycle bin. Gratuitous Sexuality: (i.e. smut, softcore porn) (Please, we know that there is a market out there for stories in this genre, but...

Deadline: November 1st, 2023 Payment: Short Stories: 1 cent per word, Poetry, $10 flat fee, Artwork: $25 flat fee or $50 if chosen for cover art Theme: Lies for Children NonBinary Review is open for submissions on the theme of "lies for children." “If you keep making that face, it’ll freeze that way.” “We found you under a cabbage leaf.” “If you drink coffee, it’ll stunt your growth.” “If you go to sleep with wet hair, you’ll catch pneumonia.” Adults tell children some outrageous lies. Think back to your own childhood and explanations your parents gave you for things you didn’t understand or superstitions they perpetuated. Why do adults feel that children need credulity-straining fictions rather than objective truths? What things do we find so uncomfortable that we can’t explain them to children? How do those lies affect our relationship with the children we lied to, or the adults who lied to us? Some of these lies are benevolent (although kind of weird), but some can be trauma-inducing. We want to hear the stories behind those lies, and the consequences they engendered. We’re NOT looking for fairy tales, re-tellings of children’s bedtime stories, tall tales, Santa Claus/Easter bunny/tooth fairy origin stories, or any other fictions that even children know are stories told for fun. All submissions must have a clear relationship to our theme, and be double-spaced in 12pt Times New Roman or they will be rejected. NonBinary Review  pays 1¢ per word for prose with a limit of 3000 words. Zoetic Press publishes the best in new lit - experimental, interstitial, luminous. We welcome submissions from EVERYONE. The only requirement is that they be in English, or translated into English (we love a translation). If your writing is outstanding, no matter who you are, we have a place for it. NonBinary Review,...

Deadline: November 1st, 2023 Payment: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10, artwork, $25 for cover, $10 for interior page display. Theme: The Missing Piece of the Puzzle Upcoming premises (target themes) and deadlines for submission : The Missing Piece of the Puzzle (November 1, 2023) ALL SHORT STORIES, ESSAYS, POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS and ART MUST RELATE TO ONE OF THE PREMISES SPECIFIED ABOVE. NOTE: Previously published pieces are welcome, provided that the submission fits the theme and that the author owns the copyright. The premise (target theme) must be an integral part of the plot, not necessarily the central theme but not merely incidental. NOTE: Stories longer than 20 double-spaced typewritten pages will not be considered. Indicate premise (target theme) on title page. Be sure to Indicate target theme in cover letter or on first page of manuscript. Include self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with each submission. Rejected manuscripts unaccompanied by an SASE will not be returned. Response time: 3 months after premise deadline.  NO READER'S FEE. Mail to: THEMA, Box 8747, Metairie, LA 70011-8747. Outside the US: email [email protected] On acceptance for publication, we will pay the following amount: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10; artwork, $25 for cover, $10 for interior page display. Copyright reverts to author after publication. THEMA isn't for everyone. To find out why, click here. New to submitting manuscripts to journals? Click here to download a PDF file of a few basic guidelines. Unlike many publishers, we prefer works submitted by the authors themselves, without the involvement of an agent. Be sure to indicate premise and include SASE for each submission.  BE SURE to include a separate SASE for each premise. No handwritten manuscripts will be considered. NOTE: We do not accept e-mailed submissions EXCEPT from authors who live outside the U.S. For those living outside the U.S., submit...

Deadline: November 1st, 2023 Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 - $10.00 for poetry Theme: Story must begin with: It was the farthest north they had ever been. We love that writers around the world are inspired by our first lines, and we know that not every story will be sent to us. However, we ask that you do not submit stories starting with our first lines to other journals (or post them online on public sites) until we've notified you as to our decision (usually four weeks after the deadline). When the entire premise of the publication revolves around one sentence, we don't want it to look as if we stole that sentence from another writer. If you have questions, feel free to drop us a line. Also, we understand that writers may add our first line to a story they are currently working on or have already completed, and that's cool. But please do not add our first line to a previously published story and submit it to us. We do not accept previously published stories, even if they have been repurposed for our first lines. And, just to be clear, we do not accept simultaneous submissions. One more thing while I've got you here: Writers compete against one another for magazine space, so, technically, every literary magazine is running a contest. There are, however, literary magazines that run traditional contests, where they charge entry fees and rank the winners. We do not - nor will we ever - charge a submission fee, nor do we rank our stories in order of importance. Occasionally, we run contests to help come up with new first lines, or we run fun, gimmicky competitions for free stuff, but the actual journal is not a contest in the traditional sense. Fiction: All stories...

Deadline: November 1st, 2023 Payment: $50 Theme: Horror Tales of World War I Open August 1, 2023 to November 1, 2023 In the Air, the Earth, and the Sea, the World Burned. Erupting in a land pregnant with conflict, The War to End All Wars blazed from 1914 to 1918, spreading until no continent escaped the touch of its flame. By the day of armistice, no civilization in history had witnessed more death, destruction, and carnage in such a short time. Travel the Ghost Road. Part the Veil. Curated by historian Coy Hall, Death's Other Kingdom collects eight frightening tales from this baptismal storm of steel. Within these pages, horrors of the supernatural bleed into the terrors of war. In this ritual of violence, humans have never been more vulnerable. General Payment: $50 usd per story via PayPal Word Count: 4,000 (firm) to 9,000 words Submission Window: August 1 to November 1, 2023 Submit To: [email protected] Subject Line: WWI Submission: Story Title Submit as: .docx Attachment (no links) Format: Standard Manuscript Format Include: Name or Pen Name in Email Include: Brief Synopsis (3-4 sentences will suffice) in Email Publication Date: May 2024 Editor: Coy Hall (He/Him) Additional Story must be set during WWI, 1914-1918 Story must directly involve the war With setting and details, historical accuracy is vital All subgenres of horror welcome No Poetry Submissions No Reprints Stories that utilize AI in any capacity will be rejected Multiple Submissions Not Permitted Simultaneous Submissions Permitted Receipt of Submissions Will be Confirmed Acceptances sent November 2 - January 31 First Round Rejections sent August - November 2 Second Round Rejections sent November 2 - January 31 Rights exclusive publication for one year after publication date non-exclusive publication after one year All Copyright belongs to the Author Via: The Scythian Wolf.

Submission Window: October 3, 2023 through November 1, 2023 Payment: 1 cent per word Theme: Original gothic fiction and poetry directly inspired by "The Tell-Tale Heart" Love Letters to Poe will be open to submissions for original gothic short stories and poems inspired by "The Tell-Tale Heart" on October 3, 2023 through November 1, 2023. Submissions received outside this window will be deleted unread. What we’re looking for:  - Original gothic fiction and poetry directly inspired by "The Tell-Tale Heart" - Avoid explicit sexual content and excessive gore - This is a well-trodden story. Please push beyond your initial ideas and find new creative depths within "The Tell-Tale Heart.” We recommend reading Love Letters to Poe, Volume II: Houses of Usher for an idea of the kinds of work we publish. Submissions period: October 3, 2023 through November 1, 2023 Deadline: November 1, 2023 Word Count: Up to 4,000 words. Payment: USD $0.01/word via PayPal. You'll also receive one digital contributor's copy. This is contingent on the successful funding of the Kickstarter. Rights: We claim first worldwide and electronic rights, with an exclusivity period of six months after publication. Language: English Reprints: No AI usage: Please refrain from using AI (like ChatGPT) to create your story or poem. It will not be accepted and you will be asked to confirm that you did not use AI to create your work. Simultaneous Submissions: Yes, but let us know as soon as accepted elsewhere. Multiple Submissions: Each submitter may make only one submission. If you wish to make additional submissions, consider becoming a Love Letters to Poe patron. Response Time: We aim to send responses two months after the deadline. Preferred format: Standard manuscript format How to Submit: Email your submissions as a Word document to [email protected] with "Heart - - " in the subject line. Via: Love Letters to Poe.

Deadline: November 1st, 2023 Payment: $40 Theme: Stories about rebels, insurgents and insurrectionists set in a secondary world. We are looking for stories about rebels, insurgents and insurrectionists set in a secondary world. A secondary world is a world other than our own – think Lord of The Rings or Game of Thrones. Smugglers in space? Organised rebel orcs seeking to overthrow the Dark Lord? All of this, please. Parameters: The setting must be a secondary world. Far future and distant past Earth-based settings are acceptable as long as the world is practically unrecognisable – no historical revolutions or future wars between America and Europe. The story must revolve around rebellion, insurgency, revolution, or resistance to established power in some form or another. No rape, gore, incest, or child abuse. To us, gore is when mutilation, injury, and body horror are used and the main goal is to attempt to disturb or upset the reader, or when these are gratuitously described or featured beyond what is necessary for the plot. Word count should be between 2,000 and 9,000 words. Submissions open 1st August – 1st November. Simultaneous submissions are fine, just please notify us as soon as possible if your story is accepted elsewhere so we can remove it from our reading pile. Please submit your manuscript in a standard manuscript format – 12pt Times New Roman, double spaced lines, and your name and your story’s name on the first page, along with your email address. Do not include postal addresses. By submitting, you acknowledge that your story has not been created through the use of AI at any point. If we subsequently discover the story was created through the use of AI, we reserve the right to refuse to publish, or to unpublish, the story. We encourage submissions from...

Submission Window: October 1st - November 1st, 2023 Payment: Short Story-2,500 words or less. $0.015 USD per word upon acceptance ($37.50 USD max)., Poems-less than 200 words $10, Flash Fiction-less than a 1,000 words $0.015 USD per word upon acceptance ($15 USD max). Theme: Clones, Drones, and Ready Made Meals Opens on Sunday, October 1, 2023 12:00 AM PDT Last Girls Club Winter Issue Theme is Clones, Drones, and Ready Made Meals. The future is here, be afraid, be very afraid. No more than two fiction or flash fiction stories per author per submission period. Fiction is limited to 2,500 words or less. Authors are paid $0.015 USD per word upon acceptance ($37.50 USD max). Flash fiction is limited to under 1,000 words. Authors are paid $0.015 USD per word upon acceptance ($15 USD max). No more than three poems per poet. Poems are limited to 200 words or less for each poem. Poets are paid $10 USD upon acceptance. I prefer to use PayPal to pay authors, but will work with authors where PayPal is not available. Nonfiction columns will must be pitched to editor in chief before submission. Email your idea to [email protected] The Last Girls Club Magazine is a quarterly feminist horror magazine that publishes international short stories and poems from the female gaze. It is an homage to the scary comics and zines of the late 20th century. Please check on the website for the theme in detail. Submissions will be accepted from Jan 1-Feb 1, April 1-May 1, July 1-Aug 1, Oct 1-Nov 1. Final notifications will be Feb 15, May 15, Aug 15, Nov 15. Authors must be 18+. Submissions from underage authors will not be considered. No more than two fiction stories per author per submission period. Fiction is limited to 2,500 words or less. Authors are...

Deadline: November 1st, 2023 Payment: $100 for printed pieces, $25 for online pieces Theme: A place to reimagine ‘the west’ and ‘westerns’ from new angles, overlooked perspectives, in both analogue + digital. we’re into subversion and surprise. we're into road trips and weird americana, ufos and cosmic country—from the mountains to the deserts to the beaches to the plains. go west-ish. hi, we're looking for writing and art and whatever else you've got that engages with and reimagines the 'west.’ ideally you or your work will have some connection to the western usa, but this theme is wide open to your interpretation. we like  intersections and echoes, mythos and symbolism, and perspectives not as often seen. we like road stories and weird americana. most of all, tell us a great story. show us something cool. our goal is to remain open to the unexpected—to what surprises us, to what moves us, to what makes us see ‘the west’ in ways we haven't before. yeehaw 🤠 no submission fees. 1 submission per submission window. submissions will be open twice / year: september 1 - november 1 & april 1 - june 1. pitches for online content (reviews, interviews, etc.) will always be accepted. sim-subs totally fine. just please let us know if a piece is accepted elsewhere. 5k words or less for prose. up to 5 poems for poetry. pieces are read for both online and print. we aim to respond in 9-12 wks for print. online subs will likely be responded to sooner. $100 for each accepted print piece. $25 for each accepted online piece. thank you for trusting us with your work. ​ submit here Via: West West Revue.

Art by Matt Blairstone Deadline: November 1st, 2023 Payment: $25 and 2 contributor's copies Theme: Works published between the 31st of October 2022 and the 31st of October 2023 will be considered for the Best New Weird Horror of 2022. Tenebrous Press presents the SECOND YEAR of the Brave New Weird Awards—to reward and further this unique blend of genres—and its accompanying Brave New Weird: the Best New Weird Horror of the Year VOLUME 2, showcasing the winners of the year, care of editor Alex Woodroe. We define New Weird Horror as a Horror subgenre focused on progress, creatively capturing themes and questions that bleed into fiction straight from the modern reader's life and future. It acts as a challenge to break new ground in terms of form and content and to engage with the unknown. Beyond that, New Weird Horror will be defined by the winning pieces themselves. Buzzwords: speculative; eclectic; horror-centric but genre-blended; progressive and innovative in terms of content, social themes, form, or voice; concept-driven. Does this sound like your writing? Submit your previously published work to the New Weird Horror Awards today! Disclaimer:  TENEBROUS IS A YOUNG PRESS LOOKING TO HAVE FUN IN THE WORLD OF HORROR AND BUILD A COMMUNITY OF LIKE-MINDED PEERS. WE’RE NOT CLAIMING THIS AWARD WILL WOW YOUR DREAM AGENT OR SINGLE-HANDEDLY SELL YOUR BOOK. IT’S A WAY TO SHOWCASE REPRINTS THAT WE LOVE IN A GENRE THAT WE CARE ABOUT, AND GET THEM INTO THE HANDS OF MORE READERS—NO FUSS, NO LOBBYING, NO HIDDEN COSTS. Eligibility:  Any previously published piece of short fiction under 7.499 words originally published in the English language within the eligibility period. You may submit NARRATIVE poems only; poems will be judged on their storytelling. Stories published in other languages are welcome if there is an English...

Submission Window: November 1st-2nd, 2023 Payment: 8 cents per word for original, 2 cents for reprints, For artwork: $10 for the non-exclusive right to use each image, for as long as the site is online.  If we publish a print collection we will pay a pro-rata share for each image used. 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...

Deadline: November 5th, 2023 Payment: 6 cents per word and a contributor's copy Theme: Hard sci-fi, soft sci-fi, sci-fi that melts in your mouth-brain not your hand-brain, Speculative fiction, weird fiction, slipstream Submissions will close at midnight on Nov. 5, 2023. Stories submitted after Nov. 5 will be hurled into a black hole. Planet Scumm accepts submissions from writers across the world. (Our HQ is a roving meteor-sized space station—Earth’s borders mean nothing to us. We want to hear from writers of every race, nationality, and gender identity. Please do not busy our big-hearted slush readers with AI-generated tripe. WHAT TO SUBMIT Hard sci-fi, soft sci-fi, sci-fi that melts in your mouth-brain not your hand-brain Speculative fiction, weird fiction, slipstream Basically anything that pleases Scummy, our megaphone-toting slime buddy, will be considered for entry to the interstellar archive aboard Scummy’s saucer HOW TO SUBMIT Include submissions as a .doc or .docx attachment to [email protected] along with a brief cover letter in the email body. Please attach only your story (no images, do not put your story in the body text of the email). Stories, or collections of flash fiction, should be no more than 5,000 words in length, and submitted in standard manuscript format. Submit only one previously unpublished short story or flash collection. We do not accept multiple submissions from the same author in one reading period. Simultaneous submissions are okay, as long as you promptly withdraw a story accepted elsewhere. SCHEDULE, RIGHTS, AND PAYMENT Accepted authors receive 6 cents a word and one contributor copy. Our publication operates in print, e-book, and audiobook. Some accepted stories will also be published on our website. We purchase exclusive English language print, audio, and electronic publishing rights for six months, with non-exclusive rights thereafter. Authors will receive payment within 3 months...

Deadline: November 6th, 2023 Payment: $75 first prize, $50 for each “prompt” prize. $5 for every “honorable mention” (10-12). Themes: Stocking Stuffer, Weird Christmas Special, Weird Cards (see below on all three of these for more details!) As climate change continues to plunge the world into an unending firestorm of hell, sweat, and humidity, why not ignore reality a bit more by helping me announce the always blissfully ignorant wish-fulfillment that is the SIXTH ANNUAL WEIRD CHRISTMAS FLASH FICTION CONTEST! As you might have guessed by the title, this is the sixth year of running this highly unprofitable but highly disturbing exercise in literary fatuousness. (Last year’s results show here.) The point, as always, is for you to come up with something that is deeply, concerningly, life-alteringly odd while at the same time making me feel cozy and festive, like the nuzzle of a favorite teddy bear that is suddenly leaking an ooze from its eyes that smells suspiciously like bile. This is a contest for flash fiction of no more than 350 words that’s both about Christmas (or any other winter holiday) and simultaneously weird. Exactly what that means is, of course, up to you because you’re the one with literary pretentions and a damaged psyche. All you have to do is make something about the Christmas season seem new and unsettling with a bit of that grinning like you’re not sure if it’s funny or creepy, and you make your fellow co-conspirators in this hell of existence a bit more bearable. There are three “Prompt Categories.” You have three ways to enter this year, and four ways to win a top prize. There will be one overall winner and then three winners in each of three separate categories: “Stocking Stuffer” – In this category, just write whatever the hell you want....

Deadline: November 10th, 2023 Payment: $20 Theme: Darkest Endings SUBMISSIONS CLOSE: November 10th Theme: Darkest Endings The Crow's Quill is an online literary magazine, brought to you by Damon Barret Roe and the rest of Quill & Crow Publishing House's editorial team, that boasts stories horrific, dark, and defiantly macabre. Submissions Requirements Submissions will be read in the order they are received. Please only submit one previously unpublished story per month. You will receive notification within one week of your chosen month's submission end date. Please be sure to send in your best work; all submissions are final. Do not send us unrequested re-writes after your initial submission. Please note, we will not consider any submissions written, developed, or assisted by A.I. writing tools; please do not submit A.I. written stories to us. We are looking for a total of 4-8 stories per month, so please get your submission in as soon as possible. We are offering $20 per short story. Please attach your 1500-2000 word story in .docx format (12 pt Times/double spaced) to an email with a brief query. Please specify which month/theme you are submitting for. *Please include a trigger warning in your submissions email for any instances of child/animal death/abuse. Poetry Submissions Requirements Note: Poetry submissions close on the 20th of each month, 10 days after the story submissions close. Submissions will be read in the order they are received. Please only submit one previously unpublished poem per month. You will receive notification within one week of your chosen month's submission end date. Please send to the correct email. We are looking for a total of two poems per month, so please get your submissions in as soon as possible. We are offering $10 per poem. Please attach your 50 word minimum (maximum of 20 lines)...

Deadline: November 11th, 2023 Payment: 15GBP Theme: Infestation If you think you’ve got what it takes to terrify, scar and haunt our audience of 150k+ monthly 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 99) Infestation: deadline 11th November 2023 SUBMIT YOUR STORIES USING THIS FORM If this form isn’t working, please email your submission to [email protected] as a last resort. Title your email with the following syntax: “SUBMISSION | STORY TITLE | THEME | WORDCOUNT”  (e.g. SUBMISSION | THE MARTIAN | SPACE | 1,982) Submission Guidelines • 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 confirming that you are the original creator of the story • We will consider entrants whose work has been entered and published elsewhere, however please ensure you state where and when your story has been used elsewhere on the document • You will be allowed to place one call-to-action for your own work at the end of the episode. Be sure to include this at the end of your document, underneath the log line • Payment per accepted story is 15GBP • 2x entries per theme permitted   When will I hear if my story has been accepted or not? We carefully review every single submission that comes through our door. If you’ve...

Submission Window: September 1st – November 12th 2023 Payment: $25 Theme: Fantasy and Science Fiction stories that focus on character-driven stories in unreal and impossible worlds Empyreal Tree is a Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine that focuses on character-driven stories in unreal and impossible worlds. Our goal is to share stories that remind us of the hearth and warmth that comes from humanity, even within the dreary and lost. Our goal as of now is to release a magazine of four short fiction stories twice a year. We would love to read and delve deep into unique worlds that trigger excitement in our imaginations, while also sharing a genuine touch of people. The Empyreal Tree is a genre fiction magazine. Our main purpose is to share stories, populated in a strange new world, only connected by the similarities of character and emotions that entangles humanity together. Please check out the What We Are Looking For section to see the kind of stories we like.     We are looking to release 3 issues throughout the year, each issue containing 5 short stories. The submission period will be between: January 1 – March 12 May 1 – July 12 September 1 – November 12 The anthology will be released within two months after the submissions ended. (For example, if the submission periods ends in November 12, the issue should be released between November 13 and December 31). There will be a theme that ties the edition together, so please be on the lookout for that! In addition, please send a cover letter discussing how the theme ties into your story.     Rules:     Word Count: 1,000 – 15,000 words. Be aware that we’ll be strict with the word count, and if anyone sends a story over the word count, we hope the story...

Submission Window: November 6th to 12th, 2023 Payment: $100 for stories of up to 1,000 words Theme: Fantastical and speculative fiction, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, myth, fairy-story, magic realism, literary fabulism, and genre/subgenre remixes. The Fabulist Flash, a new flash-fiction project from The Fabulist Words & Art, welcomes submissions from November 6-12 for fantastical and speculative writings of up to 1,000 words. The Fabulist Flash will debut in 2024, and run in parallel to our current short-fiction programming. See below for program details. Word Count & Rate • We’re offering a flat fee of $100 for stories of up to 1,000 words (the equivalent of an SFWA-qualifying rate of $0.10/word), payable upon contracted acceptance. • Going above the word count is fine if you need a little headroom to take the story home, but it’s in your interest to keep it tight, as the flat fee is firm. • You can review our flash-fiction contract here. What We’re Looking For • Fantastical and speculative fiction, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, myth, fairy-story, magic realism, literary fabulism, and genre/subgenre remixes. • Evocative and intriguing scenes, settings, places. • Clear, efficacious writing that doesn’t shy away from the poetry within prose. • Wide-ranging human (or sentient) experiences that we care about, or at least feel. • Yeah: Odysseys, revelation, transformation, dilemma/struggle, fluid dualities. • Nah: Grimdark, military, cops, vengeance, power trips. • Exploded/deconstructed cliches of any of the foregoing … If you’re not sure where your story lands in these various target zones — just send us your best. Great work will shine through. Please Think Twice, We’ve Really Seen Quite Enough Of • Zombies, zombie apocalypse, teen vampire/werewolf romance, cute Cthulhu/nice baby Elder God, etc. • Splatter/gore/brutality • Virtual-reality visitations with the beloved deceased • Mundane fantasies of revenge, sex, financial and business success, etc. • “Another Friday Night at the Elftown Police Station” — or really anything that takes fantastical archetypes...

Deadline: November 14th, 2023 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Unthemed horror anthology A New Collection of Horror Stories We are very excited to open submissions for this new anthology, edited by Mark Morris ("...one of the finest horror writers at work today" – Clive Barker)! Elemental Forces is the fifth book in Mark Morris’s ABC of Horror, and follows Darkness Beckons, which is out now! Mark has once again approached an impressive range of authors but we've reserved space for four new stories from the online submissions. This is a prestigious anthology and will be published worldwide in hardcover and paperback. The first book in the series, After Sundown, was nominated for both Shirley Jackson and British Fantasy awards, so we’re looking forward to finding more unthemed horror stories for this fifth collection. Fees, Copyright and Other Terms: We pay Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) rates of 8 cents/6 pence for each word for new stories. We will not accept reprints for consideration for this anthology. We would prefer to pay for the selected stories via PAYPAL because bank charges to the US and Canada, in particular, can be very high for all concerned. Payment for the chosen stories will be made within 30 days of the final advertised publication date (see our website flametreepublishing.com for details), although some may be paid earlier than that. Submission does not imply the right to publication. Each story will be read and assessed by the selection panel. Please submit in .doc, .docx or .rtf formats, double-spaced, with your name and email address in the footer or header of each page. We will aim to read each story and confirm its status within 4 months of the submission deadline. The anthology will be published worldwide, available online and to bookstores worldwide, in print and ebook formats....

Deadline: November 15th, 2023 (Extended) Payment: Royalties Theme: An alternate history of Antarctica Antarctica. The White Continent. The last continent reached by humans. The unexplored frontier of alternate history.   Following on from the Alternate Australias anthology, this is a call for alternate history short stories in an Antarctica-themed anthology, Alternate Antarcticas (working title). This anthology will be edited by Jared Kavanagh, who also edited Alternate Australias.   Stories should be set in, or very strongly connected to, Antarctica. The neighbouring sub-antarctic islands and polar seas also count as part of Antarctica for these purposes. Stories need to include a meaningful alternate history element—that is, they must be set in a history different to our own and that difference should be relevant to the story.   The other general guidelines are:   Seeking around 10-12 stories with a target length of 60,000 words (+/- 5000 words) Optimum length for stories is in the 3000-7000 word range. Stories shorter or longer than that may still be considered but most chosen stories will be within that range. Any author may submit up to two (2) stories. Reprints will be considered if they fit the theme, but seeking the majority to be original stories. Overtly supernatural stories are not excluded, but will be a hard sell. Ambiguously supernatural stories (eg a ghost story where it’s not clear whether the ghost is real or part of a character’s imagination) will be an easier sell. Querying beforehand is encouraged, though not mandatory. If you are planning to use one of the possible story prompts below, querying first would be strongly recommended since only one story based on each prompt will be accepted, so it may be helpful to know which prompts are already being used. Submissions close on 31 July 2023, unless a prior extension...

Submission Window: October 1-November 15. Payment: Royalties Theme: Cold. That can mean anything you want but it must revolve around the theme of COLD. This is a horror anthology so I should be feeling a sense of dread; some sex is fine so long as it is not the main focus of the story. Abuse, if handled respectfully, is fine. Gore is fine so long as it’s not gore for gore’s sake (there are plans for a future publication along those lines). Many people don’t like to read about killing children, so avoid it whenever possible. If reading the story makes me sick rather than jumping at shadows, expect the story to be rejected (again, that’s for a different book). M Presents is looking for submissions for its next anthology book, The Dread of Winter, expected to be released in January 2024. The book will be published through Amazon and OneBookShelf. Payments are equal to each author’s percentage of the book (if you write 10% of the book, you get 10% of the net earnings of the book) and are for the life of the book. Authors retain publishing rights to their work (meaning that you can do with it what you will after the book is released) but M Presents seeks first publication rights for each story. You can submit your work to other publishers at the same time, but if another publisher accepts your work I need to know ASAP. Publication: 13 stories will be published in the month of January. Submissions should be between 3,000 and 7,000 words, new and established authors are welcome; nobody gets preferential treatment. Theme: Cold. That can mean anything you want but it must revolve around the theme of COLD. This is a horror anthology so I should be feeling a sense...

Deadline: November 15th, 2023 Payment: 1.5 cents per word Theme: Stories that 'rebel' and also use two somehow. Two points of view, two locations, etc etc. Note: Apologies for the late posting, this went live last month but we only ran across it today. The theme for our second anthology is “Two For the Show”. Two times the trouble. Two times the love. Two locations. Dual POVs. Dual time lines. We’re expecting things to get a little complicated this year, but we still want stories that excite us. Our goal is to introduce our readers to stories that could be mind bending, but also clear and easy to read. A short, sweet and simple story is good too! What we’re looking for: All fiction genres English language stories Stories that REBEL in some way Authentic artists who want to be paid for their work but aren’t in it for the money (We ARE paying, btw) Super Short Stories (1,500 or less) Short Stories (1,500 – 10k) What we’re not looking for: Previously published work, though we may make some exceptions. Please email our EIC to discuss details – Tiffany at RebellionLIT.com AI generated content. Non-Fiction. We’re not ready for that yet. Fully erotic stories. Heavy petting is cool, but not too many details… Poetry. We’re planning a full anthology for that. One moment, please! Anything that can get you or us arrested. Anything that is legal but will ruin our reputation. We’re only accepting submissions from authors with mailing addresses in the United States at this time. No international submissions. Payment The publisher will contract for publishing rights. First rights are not required but preferred (contact our EIC for details about previously published work). Authors will receive no royalties for book sales but will receive a semi-pro rate (details here) for the contracting of your work...

Deadline: November 15th, 2023 Payment: $15.00 for short stories, $5.00 for poems and flash (<1000 wds) fiction pieces., $5.00 for reprints Theme: SF/Fantasy stories with strong / complex female characters Note: Apologies for the short deadline, just found this market, we'll be more on top of their open windows in the future The Lorelei Signal is a quarterly SF/Fantasy electronic magazine - one that will feature strong / complex female characters. This does not mean your female character has to be the main hero or villain in the story. What it does mean is no shrinking violets, or women who serve only to get into trouble so the male hero can rescue them.Each issue I hope to publish:7 short stories, 1 flash fiction piece and 2 poemsthat meet the following guidelines:My primary guideline is simple:Write a good fantasy story with strong/complex characters. What I am NOT looking for - erotica / slash / or other such stories.Although well written love scenes that are IMPORTANT to the story will be considered on a story-by-story basis.1) Stories should be no longer than 10,000 words.However, tell the story - if it takes more than 10,000 words to tell the story properly so be it.Just try to cut it down if possible - but remember the story is the important part.2) Stories must feature 3 dimensional / complex characters.3) I will accept reprints as long as it has been at least 1 year since the story was previously published,rights have reverted back and you tell me where it previously appeared.These will be limited to 2 per issue.4) Please keep the graphic gore down to a minimum(only what's needed for the story).5) Please keep the obscene language to a bare minimum(again, only what's needed for the story).6) Simultaneous Submissions will be considered IF:a) You tell me up frontb)...

Deadline: November 30th, 2023 Payment: Royalties or $20 Theme: Murder mysteries, detectives noir, cozy, and humorous Submission Period: September 1, 2023 to November 31, 2023 Theme: Detectives, Sleuths, and Nosy Neighbors – we’re searching for the murder mysteries, detectives noir, cozy, and humorous. This is our Mystery anthology and if you think it comes close to the genre, give us a shot. There is no restriction as to how you incorporate the theme into your story. However, we’ll be seriously impressed if you can work within Sci-Fi or Fantasy, but they won’t be the bulk of the accepted submissions. We encourage you to weave the theme into an engaging story with well-developed characters and deep emotion. Suspense and thrillers are encouraged over horror for this anthology, but a great horror story may rise to the top. Stories that contain infanticide, rape, or gratuitous gore will not be accepted. Submission Period: September 1, 2023 to November 31, 2023 Submissions: No AI, 1 per author; no reprints, no simultaneous submissions; Submission Cost: Free Word Limit: 2,000 to 8,000 words Submission Guidelines: Anonymous submission with no author name in document; 12 pt Times or Arial; .Doc or .Docx; double-space; first line indent; no tabs used. Genres: Mystery with accepted sub-genres of Fantasy, Sci-Fi as well Anticipated Pay: Option: Royalty share of D2D sales, or $20.00 If D2D royalty share selected, then each story will receive a share, as will the publisher, from the sales on the D2D platform. This does not include Kickstarter funds unless detailed in the Stretch goals, wholesale to authors, or retail outlets. Timeline Projections: Submissions close: November 2023 Review: December 2023 Acceptance / Rejection: January 2024 Edits: February 2024 Production: March 2024 Published: April 2024 Upon acceptance, the author is expected to work with the editor on at least one round of...

Submission Window: November 15th - 30th, 2023 Payment: $0.05 per word for fiction, $50 per poem Theme: Blight Apparition Lit is a speculative fiction magazine that publishes themed issues four times a year. We publish poems and stories between 1k-5k words in January, April, July, and October. We also hold monthly flash fiction contests between the 1st and 15th of each month. Flash stories must be under 1000 words and be inspired or based on the chosen theme. Read our submission guidelines and submit your work through our Moksha portal. Payment Apparition is a semi-pro rate magazine, paying $0.05 per word, minimum of $50.00 dollars for short stories and a flat fee of $50 per poem. If we accept your story, we are purchasing the right to publish the story online and in the quarterly edition. Rights will revert back to the artist after one year. Equity Initiative As Apparition Lit works to create a more equitable publishing community, we recognize that our open submission period is concurrent with some other really great literary magazines where marginalized writers also like to submit. Voices should be heard and we want to help increase that opportunity. Our submission window will remain open for an additional week each quarter for writers who identify as BIPOC and self-identify in their cover letter.  We will also accept simultaneous submissions from writers who identify as BIPOC or LGBTQIA+. Please just note how you identify in your cover letter, that it is a simultaneous submission, and see further details in the menu below on how to submit for each category. Past Contributors Once you are published by Apparition Lit, you join our tiny but mighty family. We love our alumni and will always do what we can to support their publishing career. We want to continually discover and champion new voices and different point-of-views....

Deadline: November 30th, 2023 Payment: $25.00 for original stories, $7.00 for reprints. Theme: Stories that include ghosts, spectres, haunts, various whisperers, and so forth. It also includes shapeshifters and creatures from various folklores. Note: NO Zombies, ghouls, vampires, or werewolves. Note: Reprints Welcome Submissions are accepted Feb 1 – Mar 31, Jun 1 – Jul 31, Oct 1 – Nov 30. Anything submitted outside those periods will be deleted unread. We no longer accept simultaneous or multiple submissions. ​ No matter how far we move forward as humans, we are still bound by the instincts and ancestral memories of our animalistic past. None of these are so strong as the fight or flight response. However, there are times when we seem to be perfectly safe, completely at ease and comfortable, when that urge to run from something sneaks up on us. What causes these sensations? Is there something lurking in the darkness? Why is that man giving you the creeps, he’s not even looking at you? And yet, there is something odd. Something instinctual, something you know without fully understanding. We may have moved on, we may have forgotten and left behind those old stories and legends of beasts, voracious monsters, and dark spirits... But they have not forgotten or left us... What We Want The subject matter of parABnormal Magazine is, yes, the paranormal. For us, this includes ghosts, spectres, haunts, various whisperers, and so forth. It also includes shapeshifters and creatures from various folklores. PLEASE NOTE: CREATURES LIKE VAMPIRES, GHOULS, WEREWOLVES, AND ZOMBIES ARE NOT PARANORMAL. Shapeshifters, for the purpose of this magazine, refer to the spiritual shift, not the physical. Think Native American shaman. Paranormal activity centers around the human, not the creature. We do not want stories that involve excessive blood, gore, digestive tracts, and so forth. We...

Submission Window: November 1st - 30th, 2023 Payment: 1 cent per word for fiction, $5 for poetry, 1 cent per word for non-fiction, $35 for cover art Theme: Speculative fiction It's our goal to publish diverse voices from around the world, and to do that, we are actively seeking stories, poems, and non-fiction pieces by authors from backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented in the science fiction and fantasy canon. Our submission cycle is therefore split into two categories, where every other month is explicitly reserved for submissions by authors of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups. The interposing six months remain open to everyone. Guidelines for Fiction We are seeking stories in the English language up to 6,000 words by writers from around the world. We favor submisions that have not been published before (including on your own website), though we do accept a limited number of reprints not currently appearing anywhere online. For our two issues focused on the climate crisis, we're particularly interested in publishing stories from people displaced by or threatened by the climate emergency (see our themes below). For our other four issues, we're open to a wide variety of stories across the SFF and weird spectra. We pay 1¢ per word for fiction, and we try to respond to all submissions within ten weeks. We will also accept a limited number of previously published stories, so please indicate on the form if your submission is a reprint. All submissions must use the Shunn manuscript format (we prefer Courier New) and be either .rtf, .doc, or .docx. We like stories that are subtle in their telling and stick with us long after we've finished. We're more likely to buy stories that balance a sense of wonder with a bold plot and...

Deadline: November 30th, 2023 Payment: Royalties - 50% of net profits Theme: Escapism Fiction We accept submissions between October 1st and November 30th each year. See the information below to prepare for our upcoming submission season. We're looking for Escapism Fiction Our goal is to provide readers with the ability to escape the mundane through wildly creative fiction. We're looking for books that act as gateways to other worlds, times, or versions of reality. We prefer strong story telling, engaging openings, and compelling character development as well as imaginative settings, vivid world building, and interesting themes. If your manuscript transports a reader somewhere else, tells an engaging story and then brings them back feeling like they have experienced something unique, then we want to publish your book!​ Our Wish List Fantasy Science-Fiction Romance LGBTQ themes and diverse stories Adventure Paranormal/Occult Comedy Historical Portal Fiction Speculative Fiction A blend of any two or more of the above Cross-genre, mixed genre, or things that don't fit genre norms Note: We don't like to limit ourselves, so if you have something you think would fit with our current list of published works, please send it. Please make sure your manuscript is the right fit for us We Consider... Adult, New Adult, Young Adult, Middle Grade, or Children's (please specify your target market in your query letter) Novels (125,000 words maximum) Novellas (25,000 words minimum) Graphic novels, children's books, or illustrated mixed media (art included) Things we are NOT looking for... Non-fiction Memoirs or autobiographies Literary fiction Self-help or inspirational fiction Hard Sci-Fi or Military Sci-Fi Horror / Thriller / Suspense / True crime / Mystery (elements of these are okay) Christian or other religious fiction Contemporary fiction / Contemporary romance Poetry or short stories (on their own or in collections) Translated works previously...

Submission Window: November 1st - 30th, 2023 Payment: $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue Theme: Any genre, short story Mission = Revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful. Payout = Base Pay of $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Wait, you mean if this substack gets thousands of subscribers, the winner would get thousands of dollars? Yes! The New Yorker pays roughly $7,500 per story and I sincerely hope to go way past that. What does the timeline look like? Submit stories by the end of the month, winner to be announced on the 15th. There is ONE story that wins and receives the full payout. Where do I send submissions? [email protected] What are the rules for submitting? 1. No Fees 2. Send in Microsoft Word or Google Doc form 3. Any genre 4. 6- 10,000 words. Yes, just 6 words, like Hemingway's famous 6-word story "For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn." 5. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute. 6. Acknowledge Distribution Rights on this Substack - You can still sell your story elsewhere but we need to be able to save and publish it here. The goal is to create a library for subscribers. 7. Only the winner will be published and rights will only transfer for the winning story. What do I get for subscribing? One beautiful story every month. The complete library. The joy of supporting artists and doing something interesting. What if I can’t pay right now? That’s ok! If you publish a blurb about this site on your website, blog, or social media, I will send you one full story of your choosing. Best of all, it is...

Deadline: November 30th, 2023 Payment: 30% of royalties split between authors for the first year of sales. After the first year, these royalties go to charity Theme: All dragon stories with a male main character. All genres accepted. Note: I will say that I'm not a huge fan of this royalty structure. However, I've been asked multiple times recently on fantasy anthologies that were open to shorts so wanted to put a spotlight on this one for that reason. DRAGONS & HEROES (Rated R) Deadline – October 31st, 2023 November 30th, 2023 Publication – January 2024 Word Count – 3,000-20,000 Theme – All dragon stories with a male main character. All genres accepted. CHECKLIST Introduction of author A brief history of your writing experience. Author Contact Information / Pen name MUST be included with real name. If real name is same as pen name, state so in email. Author Biography in Third Person in 100-150 words Mandatory minimum of 100. Submission Word Count Word count. Not line count. Submission Formatted in Times New Roman 12 PT Font. One-inch margins. No indentations. No double-spacing. No extra spacing between paragraphs. No chapters. Scene breaks signalled with three ### (see example image below). Only DOC and DOCX accepted. Format video: https://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=ftjuYtJWIBI Format image example at bottom of page. Summary/Query Letter Summarized outline of all major events within the story. All emails should be addressed as “Dear Editor” Email Subject Line must be as follows – “Story Title by Author Name for (Name of) Anthology” File/Document Name must be as follows – “Story Title by Author Name for (Name of) Anthology” All of the author’s social media links, including website if applicable Author must have one social media account. Note: Author Name @ Social Media is not a clickable link. Important information Maximum...

Deadline: November 30th, 2023 Payment: $0.02 per word Theme: Science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and everything in between Note: Reprints Welcome Flash Point Science Fiction wants speculative fiction stories from 100 to 1,000 words in length. Send us your science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and everything in between, so long as it’s short. We here at FPSF are partial to flash fiction and want to see the flash market grow. So as much as it pains us, please take your 10,000 word tour de force elsewhere. We’re not looking for the next Brandon Sanderson. (Unless you are, in fact, Brandon Sanderson, in which case we’d be delighted!) What we’re looking for: -Fantasy (all kinds—epic, adventure, contemporary, urban, grimdark, fairy tale, magical realism, myths and legends, etc.) -Science Fiction (all kinds—hard, space opera, military, near future, science fantasy, cyberpunk, dystopian, etc.) -Slipstream (make it as weird as you want, so long as it works) -Seasonal (we love stories with holiday and/or seasonal themes, but please submit AT LEAST 3 months in advance of the relevant occasion) -Anything that makes us laugh, cry, think, or smile. What we aren’t looking for: -Horror—it can be spooky or menacing, but we’re not a horror market, so the fright factor should not be the primary appeal. DARK fantasy and sci-fi, however, are welcome. -Literary fiction—this is a genre market, so there needs to be an SF&F element, however slight. -Gratuitous sex or violence—we’re big fans of Love Death + Robots, but don’t be that guy. -Fanfic—original concepts only, please. We know there was a lot going on in Hobbiton while Frodo was away, but that’s not our property and it’s not yours either. -Stories previously published in a different language. Submission Specs In terms of how your story should look, we recommend you read William Shunn’s Proper Manuscript Format. This is the...

Deadline: November 30th, 2023 Payment: Contributor's copy and $50 CDN for fiction or $20 CDN flat fee for poetry Theme: Stories and poems about darkness, night, and the multitude of things that thrive (or hide) in those elements. Edited by Leslie Van Zwol and Megan Fennell Night is practically another world. Owls and bats steal the sky from songbirds, nocturnal creatures thrive under the moonlight, and night-blooming plants flourish away from most human eyes. As the saying goes: people aren’t truly afraid of the dark – they fear what could be in the darkness with them. And the list of legends and stories about the things that go bump in the night is extensive indeed. Carpe Noctem will be an anthology of stories and poems about darkness, night, and the multitude of things that thrive (or hide) in those elements. We are seeking stories beyond those simply set during the night or in a dark place, and that delve into tales of the nocturnal and – as the title would imply – really seize the night as a critical element of their stories, perhaps even as a character itself. We are seeking submissions with a focus on characters, narrative, originality, and ‘own voices’. Although we invite a range of story genres, we will not include pure gore, erotica, or fanfiction. Any submissions found to be using AI-assisted writing, in whole or in part, will be rejected immediately. We are looking for works from everyone, and warmly welcome submissions from authors of traditionally underrepresented and marginalized communities, including (but certainly not limited to) BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals. Rights and compensation: For Fiction: $50 CDN flat fee and a paperback contributor copy of the anthology For Poetry: $20 CDN flat fee and a paperback contributor copy of the anthology We are seeking...

Deadline: December 1st, 2023 Payment: Royalties Theme: Fantasy Love a great fantasy story? Well so do we. Then you may want to submit to Magic and Mischief. We’re looking for new, previously unpublished stories of Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, and Sword & Sorcery that take us on an adventure and leave us wanting more from the authors. How can you go wrong when heroes have to deal with magic gone awry? Genre: Epic/High Fantasy/ Sword and Sorcery Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000 Opening Essay by: TBD Edited by: R.J. Ladon Anchor Author: TBD Due Date: 12/1/2023 Email submissions to: threeravenspublishing @ gmail dot com with “Magic and Mischief” in the subject line Payment: Stories selected for publication in the upcoming Anthology(ies), will receive a percentage of sales divided equally between the contributing authors. MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES We are looking for amazing stories from any genre that are fun to read and will take us on an adventure of epic proportions. Please download our standards template by clicking here ***NOTE*** We publish genre fiction with aspects of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. If your work does not include one of these aspects, we are less likely to pick up the title unless it is of exceptional quality.   What we are NOT currently accepting: Poetry Single-author collections of short stories. Hard and fast rules of what not to send: Fan-fiction: Just simply don’t. It will be immediately deleted or tossed into the recycle bin. Gratuitous Sexuality: (i.e. smut, softcore adult content) (Please, we know that there is a market out there for stories in this genre, but it’s not for us. Contact our affiliate, Tanglewood press for submissions in this genre at tanglewoodromance (at) gmail.com Gratuitous Abuse/Violence: While we at Three Ravens Publishing understand that graphic situations can alter or otherwise move the plot forward...

Deadline: December 1st, 2023 Payment: Royalties Theme: All ages to PG-13 romance on the LBGTQ+ spectrum in any genre There are tons of boy meets girl stories that we see, all the time, from the moment we can start paying attention. From famous novels and movies to TV shows and commercials. And for the people those stories are applicable to, they are “lessons” or templates for those kinds of interactions, for how the boy and girl can or should or could interact, even when fictitious and obviously untrue. But for the rest of us who do not fall easily into the boy/girl combination, there are very few examples of “How do I meet them?” “What do I say?” “How can I tell if they like me, or even if they are like me?” “How do I deal with…?” And those are tough questions for anyone, let alone people who don’t have good examples to learn from, who don’t have easy guidelines to follow, who don’t have any experience to build upon. I would like to put together an anthology of those kinds of stories: first time meetings, of people who fall somewhere on the all-inclusive LBGTQ+ spectrum, that lead to healthy relationships. I would prefer these were romantic stories of meeting and falling in love, though I recognize that may not apply to everyone, or may not apply in the same way. And that’s part of the issue. Not everything does apply to everyone. And for those trying to find their way, a good story about that particular path may mean everything to them. And I hope we can help provide that. I realize we are talking about representation here, but I want to normalize it. I want stories, that show a reader they are “not alone” in who they...

Deadline: December 1st, 2023 Payment: $25 Theme: Writing that attempts to salvage something pure from the collision of warmth and cold, that says what it can about the world it finds itself in. Schedule We publish two issues a year, September 1 and March 1. We accept general submissions for poetry, nonfiction, and fiction between two reading periods, and the first 300 submissions to each are free. We also run a collaborative writing contest in August. We also accept visual art all year. General Submissions: March 1 – May 1 General Submissions: October 1 – December 1 Collaboration Contest: July 15 –  August 31 Payment We are thrilled to finally be able to say that, starting with issue 17, we will be able to offer our contributors a small payment of $25 upon publication. Hopefully, with time it will be more. A Note on Our Aesthetic We believe there is beauty in scars on smooth skin, in the small fissures where things begin to break apart. Sundogs are not the sun itself but phantom stars appearing on the horizon, illusions produced by the play of the sun’s heat with crystals of ice. They shed their light all the same. Many are tinged with color. We look for this same quality in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. We want writing that attempts to salvage something pure from the collision of warmth and cold, that says what it can about the world it finds itself in. We seek a diversity of voices speaking from visceral, lived experience. We like truth we can stare at until our eyes water, words so carefully chosen we want to reread them as soon as we have finished. Practical Matters We are grateful to be a part of a literary community that is taking action against systemic racism. We will also...

Deadline: December 1st, 2023 Payment: Royalties Theme: Speculative fiction that involves a "what if" element of something being different from our world This collection of Speculative fiction short stories will without a doubt take you on an adventure and cause the synapses to fire. The what if series is just that, what if something happened differently? What if Vikings were inhabiting the East Coast of America when Columbus arrived? What if Kennedy survived the assassination attempt? What If… It’s thought-provoking and starts the mind down random rabbit holes of possibilities. This is the first edition of a planned annual series. We’re looking for new, previously unpublished stories that take us on an adventure and leave us wanting more. Genre: Speculative Fiction Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000 Opening by: TBD Edited by: Jenny E. Wren / William Joseph Roberts Anchor Author: TBD Due Date: December 1, 2023 Email submissions to: threeravenspublishing @ gmail dot com with “WJR Presents What If…” in the subject line Payment: Stories selected for publication in the upcoming Anthology(ies), will receive a percentage of sales divided equally between the contributing authors. We are looking for amazing stories from any genre that are fun to read and will take us on an adventure of epic proportions. Please download our standards template by clicking here ***NOTE*** We publish genre fiction with aspects of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. If your work does not include one of these aspects, we are less likely to pick up the title unless it is of exceptional quality.   What we are NOT currently accepting: Poetry Single-author collections of short stories. Hard and fast rules of what not to send: Fan-fiction: Just simply don’t. It will be immediately deleted or tossed into the recycle bin. Gratuitous Sexuality: (i.e. smut, softcore adult content) (Please, we know that there is...

Submission Window: October 1st - December 1st, 2023 Payment: $0.10 CAD per word Theme: horror/dark fiction anthology in the vein of previous anthologies of Canadian speculative fiction Note: Canadian Authors Only “Deep silence fell about the little camp, planted there so audaciously in the jaws of the wilderness. The lake gleamed like a sheet of black glass beneath the stars. The cold air pricked. In the draughts of night that poured their silent tide from the depths of the forest, with messages from distant ridges and from lakes just beginning to freeze, there lay already the faint, bleak odors of coming winter.” — Algernon Blackwood, The Wendigo “Canadians are fond of a good disaster, especially if it has ice, water, or snow in it. You thought the national flag was about a leaf, didn’t you? Look harder. It’s where someone got axed in the snow.” — Margaret Atwood, Strange Things: The Malevolent North in Canadian Literature Northern Nights is a proposed horror/dark fiction anthology in the vein of previous anthologies of Canadian speculative fiction — Northern Stars (Hartwell & Grant, eds.); Northern Suns (Hartwell & Grant, eds.) — and the 5 volume Northern Frights series (Don Hutchison, ed). Black glassy lakes. Dark woods. Ancient pines and maples. Abandoned highways. Ghost towns. Preternatural light. The Midnight Sun. Uncanny valleys. An indigo sky spiked with bright white stars. The darkening garden. The sting of the whooshing north wind. The killing cold. A cry in the dark. It’s another night in the Canadian north. Night and all its torments.  OPENS: Oct. 1, 2023  CLOSES: Dec. 1, 2023  Anticipated publication date: Fall 2024  Who Can Submit Canadian citizens / permanent residents / those residing within lands claimed by Canada / expats. What We Want Looking for horror and horror-adjacent dark weird fiction, ideally set in Canada and incorporating a motif of night /...

Deadline: December 1st, 2023 Payment: Royalties Theme: Military Science Fiction about common soldiers protecting their ship from an invasion. Genre: Military Science Fiction Theme: Uncommon courage was a common virtue that day. These are a collection of stories about the common soldier rising to the occasion and defending their ship against enemy hordes. Or they can be those same heroes capturing the enemy ship, but regardless of which side of the boarding party they’re on, courage is the underlying theme. Concept: We’re looking for stories about intense boarding actions in a science fiction setting. We want plenty of high-intensity action and all the pews that were capable of pew-ing! Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000 (standard word count) Opening Essay by: TBD Edited by: JR Handley & Bayonet Books Anchor Author: TBD Due Date: December 1, 2023 Email Submissions to: [email protected] with “Assault Team” in the subject line Payment: Stories selected for publication in the upcoming Anthology(ies), will receive a percentage of sales divided equally between the contributing authors. MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES We are looking for amazing stories from any genre that are fun to read and will take us on an adventure of epic proportions. Please download our standards template by clicking here ***NOTE*** We publish genre fiction with aspects of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. If your work does not include one of these aspects, we are less likely to pick up the title unless it is of exceptional quality.   What we are NOT currently accepting: Poetry Single-author collections of short stories. Hard and fast rules of what not to send: Fan-fiction: Just simply don’t. It will be immediately deleted or tossed into the recycle bin. Gratuitous Sexuality: (i.e. smut, softcore porn) (Please, we know that there is a market out there for stories in this genre, but it’s not for...

Submission Window: September 1st - December 1st, 2023 Payment: Contributors Copy Theme: Horror of all genres Ghostlight: The Magazine of Terror is a magazine devoted to horror fiction, art, and poetry. It is published once a year (Spring) by the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers. Unlike Erie Tales, Ghostlight: The Magazine of Terror is open to all writers, poets, and artists. It is edited by our very own Nicole e. Castle. We specialize in horror in all its guises, particularly for adult audiences. We’re open to most settings and themes, from historical, modern, supernatural, and even the future. We want our writers to push the boundaries of horror. We need writing that will challenge, scare and surprise our readers; stories and poetry that will make us gasp at the end and haunt us for a long time afterward. Thrill and fright are what our readers want! If you have any questions not covered in the guidelines, please feel free to contact Nicole at: [email protected] Submissions are open from September 1 to December 1. READING PERIOD September 1 – December 1 Ghostlight: The Magazine of Terror may also send out special calls for themed or charity issues throughout the year. Any submissions sent outside these reading periods will be deleted unread. FICTION We at the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers (GLAHW) are looking for stories that are well written and character-driven, but any well-written story with a dark side has a chance with us. All stories need to be Horror—added elements of Dark Sci-Fi, Satire, and/or Dark Fantasy are welcomed. We specialize in horror in all its guises, particularly for adult audiences. We’re open to most settings and themes, from historical, modern, supernatural, and even the future. We want our writers to push the boundaries of horror. We need...

Deadline: December 1st, 2023 Payment: A contributor's copy Theme: A non-fiction guide that is looking for 300-word proposals for articles on writing military-themed genre stories Note: This is a little different than usual but I felt it would be an interesting exercise for some of our non-fiction writing authors. Middle West Press LLC, an independent micro-publisher of military-themed and -adjacent literary projects, has issued a call for 300-word proposals regarding craft essays on the writing of Military-themed Science-Fiction and Other Genres. Editors there write: In 2019, we published "Why We Write: Craft Essays on Writing War," a 250-page anthology featuring tips, techniques, and insights from more than 60 established and emerging authors, each of whom tell stories involving military themes and topics. With this newly proposed project, we are aiming at similar targets, but viewed through a specific scope: how military-writers write and publish creative, genre, and speculative fiction. For the purposes of this project, "Military-themed Science-Fiction and Other Genres" can be defined to include, but be not limited to: MilSciFi and related/adjacent sub-genres such as Space Opera, Space Marines, Alien Invasion, Space Noir, Post-Apocalyptic, Galactic Empire, Colonization ... Military Sci-Fantasy (Wizards, Warlocks, Airships, Dragons, etc.) Military Thriller and Espionage Military Romance Military Horror Historical Fiction and/or Alternative Histories Speculative Fiction and/or "Slipstream" Military Memoir, Creative Non-fiction, or other Non-fiction Military Humor While the editorial make-up of the anthology is not yet determined, editors anticipate concentrations in at least three types of approaches: Tactics, Topics & Technologies: What do today's military-focused writers need to know about tomorrow's infantry, armor, ships, robots, drones, climate change, AI, genetics, Space Force, etc.? Examples: "The Kill Chain vs. Blockchain: Release the BitDoges of War"; "Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics as Applied to the Law of War"; "What We Write About When We Write About 'Star Wars'" How-to-Write Techniques: Must-have tropes, taxonomies and mini-histories of given genres/sub-genres, insights on character- and world-building, collaborative techniques such as co-authoring and world-sharing, etc. Examples: "Military Humor:...

Submission Window: December 1st - 2nd, 2023 Payment: 8 cents per word for original, 2 cents for reprints, For artwork: $10 for the non-exclusive right to use each image, for as long as the site is online.  If we publish a print collection we will pay a pro-rata share for each image used. 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,...