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Deadline: April 15th, 2025 Payment: Fiction: 2¢ per word for original, 1¢ per word for reprints. Poetry: $20 per original poem and $10 for reprints. Artwork: $100 for issue cover art, $30 for back cover art, and $20 for art used on our site Theme: Stories and poetry containing elements of science fiction, anarchism, transhumanism, or dystopia. Note: Reprints Welcome Radon welcomes short stories and poetry containing elements of science fiction, anarchism, transhumanism, or dystopia. ​ We publish quality literature every mid-January, May, and September. Submissions are accepted year-round. Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Reprints accepted if writer has the rights. AI submissions are not allowed at Radon. ​ Please click below to submit your work through our no-fee Submittable page: SUBMIT We kindly request a third-person bio that is 100-words or shorter in your cover letter.Author rights: For original work, Radon asks for first worldwide digital and print publication rights in English and non-exclusive archival rights. ​ Authors published in Radon cannot be accepted into the issue immediately following, but may submit after this period. ​ Our issue reading periods are: ​January: Aug. 16 - Dec. 15 May: Dec. 16 - April 15 September: April 16 - Aug. 15 Prose We accept flash fiction and short story submissions up to 3,000 words. Radon pays a semi-professional rate of 2¢ per word for original work and 1¢ for reprints. For quicker processing, please use a submission style similar to the modern manuscript format. We ask that you utilize single-spacing. Please note that we do not publish fantasy stories and are looking for work that includes leftist social commentary. Poetry Please submit up to five poems in a single Word document. There is no line limit. Radon pays a semi-professional rate of $20 per original poem and $10 for reprints.We request single-spaced formatting using a standard 11pt font such as Garamond, Times New...

Deadline: April 15th, 2025 Payment: $20 per story or artwork Theme: Electric Spec prefers science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we're willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres. Fiction Submission Guidelinessubmissions at electricspec (dot) comIssues are published at the end of February, May, August, and November. We reserve the right to shift publication date slightly, as necessary. We have reading periods for each issue, though we never close to submissions. February closes January 15 May closes April 15 August closes July 15 November closes October 15 We do not consider stories or art created, or partially created, by A.I. We consider stories between 250 and 7000 words with speculative fiction elements. We prefer science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we're willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres. We do not consider poetry, stories with over-the-top sex or violence, serials, novels, fan fiction, or non-fiction. We don't accept multiple submissions; in other words, only submit one story at a time and wait for a response before submitting another. We accept simultaneous submissions as long as you let us know up front and tell us as soon as it's accepted elsewhere. We do not publish reprints, including anything that has appeared on a website. We pay $20 for each story we publish. We buy first-printing world exclusive rights for four months. Payment will be made shortly after publication using PayPal. We encourage our authors to establish a PayPal account if they don't already have one. We prefer to read submissions in traditional manuscript format. This means indented paragraphs instead of left justification, and Courier or Times New Roman font in 12 pt, double-spaced. Also, please include the title, your name, address, and word length on the first page of your story. To submit your story...

Submission Window: March 15th - 21st for POC, March 22nd - April 15th is open to all Payment: 3 cents per word Theme: Speculative Fiction in the science fiction or fantasy variety We are open annually for submissions from March 15th through April 15th for our August issue, and from September 15th through October 15th for our February issue. The first week of submissions (March 15-21 and Sept 15-21) is reserved for writers of color. The remainder of the window will be for general submissions. If you’re a writer of color who submits during that first week and you hear back from us before the general window closes, you’re welcome to send a second submission during that time. We are not interested in machine-generated (AI/LLM) characters, plots, or text of any kind. Spellcheckers and grammar checkers that run off machine learning are absolutely fine by us (though we also don’t want you to let a machine strip out your natural writing voice in the name of someone else’s idealized grammar!) HOW TO SUBMIT SUBMIT YOUR STORIES HERE WHAT TO SUBMIT The short version: We pay $0.03 per word with a minimum of $20 in exchange for first world electronic rights in English. We ask for an exclusivity period of 3 months from date of publication. Maximum 5,000 words. Your story must contain speculative elements: that means science fiction or fantasy. We do not accept nonfiction. No simultaneous submissions. Only one submission per writer per open period. We aim to make our final decisions within a month and a half of the close of submissions (i.e. by May 31st for the spring period, and by November 30th for the fall period). You will often receive a response much sooner. If you haven’t heard from us by that time, please query at the above address. The...

Submission Window: April 1st - 15th, 2025 Payment: Short Story-2,500 words or less. $0.015 USD per word/$37.50 USD max, Poems-less than 200 words $10, Flash Fiction-less than a 1,000 words $0.015 USD per word/$15 USD max Theme: A pro-feminist story with the idea of "For Your Own Good" 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. This season's theme is For Your Own Good. This phrase should make your skin crawl. Anything done for your own good means your self autonomy has been compromised. Is it the government The church? Your family? What have they done or taken away. Make us wince in sympathy. No more than two 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 1-15, April 1-15, July 1-15, Oct...

Deadline: April 15th, 2025 Payment: $10 per story or 1 cent/word rounded to the nearest 100 words, up to a maximum of $25. Theme: Speculative Fiction up to 2500 words We are current open to submissions. We will be open for admissions for the Summer, 2025 issue until April 15, 2025. Please do not query prior to March 3. Our general guidlines for submission remain unchanged. Our primary mission is to provide readers with speculative fiction, broadly defined. We like character-driven stories that take us to the boundary where imagination and reality collide. If in doubt, please submit your story. We will enjoy reading it, even if it doesn’t quite fit with our mission. We prefer stories between 1000 and 2500 words. If your story is longer than 2500 words, please do not use the submission form on this website. Instead, use the separate query submission form. We welcome submissions from under-represented groups who bring their lived experience to their fiction. We also welcome submissions from first-time, unpublished authors. We welcome submissions from any location. However, our mission includes providing a market for authors from the region of the Crosstimbers Forest–which includes Oklahoma and surrounding states–so we especially encourage authors from this region to submit. Please do not send mulitiple submissions, simultaneous submissions, or previously published stories. If considered for publication, we will ask authors to disclose the extent, if any, to which they have used generative AI in their stories. Payment will be the larger of $10 per story or 1 cent/word rounded to the nearest 100 words, up to a maximum of $50. Payment will be rendered via Paypal at the time of publication. We cannot issue checks or pay in cash–you must be able to accept Paypal to be paid. If you cannot accept Paypal, payment will be in the form of a copy...

Deadline: April 15th, 2025 Payment: 2 cents per word Theme: Anything witch-related! Modern day, fairy-tale, and anywhere inbetween! Graveside Press’s next themed anthology will be WITCHCRAFT! Open for Submissions: March 1, 2025 through April 15, 2025 Expected Publication: December 2025 What Are We Looking For? WITCHES! Obviously. Whether you’re going with modern-day witchcraft practices or the fairy-tale evil witch, we’re ready for you. Submissions Requirements Your story: should be approximately 2,000 – 6,000 words in length. central focus: witchcraft of some sort. any character involved in adult activities must be 18+. NO: non-consensual, rape, or other sexual assault STANDARD PAY RATES Standalone works (novels, novellas, short stories "Tiny Terrors") - 50% royalties of net earnings paid quarterly Anthology submissions - 2¢ per word to be paid 90 business days after publication Illustrations - $75 SUBMISSION GUIDELINES When submitting, please do not send your manuscript already formatted as a book with fancy chapter headers, fonts, margins, etc. We would greatly appreciate if you can follow the formatting guidelines below: file type: *.doc or *.docx Font: Any legible serif, e.g., Times New Roman, Garamond Include author information at the top of page 1 (see sample below) Use formatted indents and not tabs to begin each paragraph Use hard returns to start new paragraphs Use page breaks to begin chapters on a new page If you would like an example of what a properly formatted manuscript looks like or need help with any of the above, check here. When in doubt, just remember we want your MS as clean and readable as possible! Via: Graveside Press.

Submission Window: March 17th - April 16th, 2025 Payment: 1 cent per word Theme: NSFW jungle adventure Jungle Scandals is the second entry in The Scandal Anthology Series and the follow-up to the smash hit Sword & Scandal. But where Sword & Scandal featured NSFW heroic fantasy, Jungle Scandals is all about NSFW jungle adventure. That’s right! This time around, we're touring the jungles of the world, taking stops in Africa, Indonesia, and the Amazon, and we'll be taking our inspiration from the likes of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jospeh Conrad, Rudyard Kipling, and H. Rider Haggard. But, while those writers all had more or less Victorian sensibilities, we'll be filling the pages of our book with more gratuitous nudity, sex, and gore than you can possibly imagine! Some today find the old writers problematic. We think they're not nearly problematic enough! These stories will retain the sense of fun and wonder from the jungle adventures of old. But they will be absolutely insane with all the sex! If you read Sword & Scandal, then you know we don't hold anything back. We are looking for experimental stories that take big risks. Unlike other publishers who tend to play it safe with their selections, we are seeking the wild, strange, and outrageous. So, if you have an off-beat or off-the-wall jungle adventure rattling around in your head, but which you’ve been afraid to write because you don't think you can place it, now is the time! We believe that literature should be dangerous, and we want to provide you with a safe space to write unsafe fiction. Humor is also a big part of what we do. We are actively looking for stories that incorporate a similar sense of humor as ours: dry, sardonic, and satirical. But any type of humor is...

Submission Window: April 2nd - 16th, 2025 Payment: $15.00 CAD and a contributors copy Theme: Ghosts in Canada Note: Canadian authors only Submissions open April 02 - 16 Canadians! We want your strange, unsettling, spooky tales featuring a ghost of one kind or another  - open to your interpretation. From the Atlantic to the Pacific and anywhere in between...from our southern border up to the Arctic Ocean - from coast, to coast to coast, bring us your ghosts.   Original stories only - written by you, not previously published. Set in Canada, written by Canadian authors. 500 - 1500 words. (The submission portal will show 2 categories: flash fiction 500-1000 words, and short stories 1000-1500 words)   Please only submit one story Simultaneous submissions are fine, please withdraw your story if accepted elsewhere.     NO AI: we do not want to publish work written in whole, in part, or assisted by artificial intelligence. We want to publish your words, not machine-genterated words, which, by the way, are taken from other authors' work - that is how these 'programs' are trained. So no, no thank you. Even though we are fans of a wide range of dark fiction and horror, this is not the place for extreme horror, ultra-violence or erotica. We also will not publish work that contains animal cruelty, child abuse, sexual assault, graphic or explicit sexual content, extreme horror, anything pro-ageism, pro-bigotry, hatred or prejudice toward any group or demographic, or country.   COMPENSATION: $15.00 (fifteen) CAD + print copy Payment is in Canadian dollars, paid via eTransfer. Contributors will also receive a print copy, understanding that final page count will determine if this will be a Zine; low-fi, saddle-stitched (stapled), or a perfect bound thin book. In either case, the size is planned to be 5.5" x 8.5".   RIGHTS: If your story is selected,...

Submission Window: March 20th - April 20th, 2025 Payment: $50 upon publication Theme: Stories about how we seek out, discover, and grasp onto connection in all genres with a particular fondness for anything that moves beyond realism in form or content or spirit Please read below for details about our next submission window, guidelines, honorariums, and rights. At Astrolabe, we’re looking for work about how we seek out, discover, and grasp onto connection. Into the woods. Across a line. Beneath the ocean. Along a seam. Into the branches of an alternate present or the crevasse of an alternate future. Across the rifts between one another. And then, once we find one other, the myths we make. We’re excited to see as many interpretations of this broad theme as there are stars in the night sky. We’re open to work of all genres, with a particular fondness for anything that moves beyond realism in form or content or spirit. Read about Astrolabe for details on our mission and what we’re doing with the Universe. The details We pay a $50 honorarium upon publication of one or more pieces from your submission. We open for submissions on the day we publish new work and remain open for a month, or until we reach 150 submissions. Here are our next open submission periods: Here are the next free periods: March 20 - April 20, 2025 June 20 - July 20, 2025 Some additional details: We currently accept three types of work: fiction, creative nonfiction, and photography & art. See below for genre-specific instructions. We’re not a market for lineated poetry at the moment. We do accept simultaneous submissions, but please let us know if your work was accepted for publication elsewhere—we’ll be thrilled for your good news! No multiple submissions—and if we don’t accept your work, please wait until our...

Submission Window: February 1st - April 30th, 2025 Payment: $20 Theme: Speculative fiction that takes place in the Shenandoah Valley (defined as the Virginia counties of Augusta, Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren; the West Virginia counties of Berkeley and Jefferson; the independent cities of Harrisonburg, Lexington, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Winchester; The Shenandoah National Park; The George Washington National Forest.) What We Want: Shenandoah Valley Fantastic seeks strange and wondrous speculative fiction that transforms our beloved region into a realm of mystery, magic, and the unexpected. From witches haunting Winchester’s historic alleys to spectral happenings on the Field of Lost Shoes, we invite you to re-imagine the Valley’s rich landscapes and legends. Envision Shenandoah National Park as a forbidden, fey-infused forest, where wayward travelers encounter creatures older than the hills. What if Duke Dog Alley were a portal to another world? Suppose Cooter’s become a crossroad for supernatural beings—a place where ghosts and wanderers alike grab a bite before moving on to unknown realms. Picture the storied halls of Washington & Lee as a secret training ground for the next generation of spellcasters, with campus traditions hiding dark rites and hidden powers. Let your imagination run wild with stories that blend the supernatural with our natural splendor. We welcome tales of magic and mystery, terror and transformation—grounded in the historic sites, natural wonders, and quirky landmarks that make the Shenandoah Valley unforgettable. If your story will make readers see the Valley in a new, eerie light, we want to read it. What We Don’t Want:Your trunk stories with a couple of references to the Valley bolted on. Requirements: Stories must contain a speculative element (Fantasy, Horror or Science Fiction) and take place in Shenandoah Valley, defined as the Virginia counties of Augusta, Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren;...

Submission Window: April 1st - 30th, 2025 Payment: Stories: 10¢ per word, Poems: $50, Drabbles: $50 Theme: Weird westerns that are pulpy, unexpected, character-driven stories written by women Women of the Weird West Publisher: Brigids Gate Press Editor: KC Grifant Release Date: Planned for June 16 th , 2026 What We Are Seeking Traditionally, women authors have been vastly underrepresented in westerns and weird westerns, so this anthology will highlight diverse women-identifying authors and non-binary authors and their speculative western short stories. We are looking for original Weird West stories. These should be generally set in what approximates the “Old West” location and timeframe (North America circa late 1800s) and should have a strong speculative element, such as horror, fantasy and/or sci-fi. We are most interested in pulpy, unexpected, character-driven stories and are open to some weird westerns set outside the typical historical time period and setting (e.g., space westerns) as long as there are strong Old West aesthetics and inspiration. The goal of this anthology is to showcase a diverse group of Old West stories beyond the typical archetypes. We strongly encourage women, women-identifying and nonbinary writers of all backgrounds to submit regardless of writing experience. We are interested in showcasing emerging writers as well as established writers for this anthology. Potential Inspirations/vibes Prey, The Warrior (TV series), The Harder They Fall, Godless, Power of the Dog, The Winds, The Quick and the Dead, Back to the Future 3, Dead in the West, Jonah Hex, The Dark Tower, Deadlands, The Good, The Bad & the Uncanny: Tales of a Very Weird West Submission Window April 1, 2025 through April 30, 2025 Word Count Stories: Up to 5,000 words. No minimum length. 2,000 words is an ideal target. Poems: Up to 32 lines Drabbles: 100 words Compensation Stories: 10¢ per...

Deadline: April 30th, 2025 Payment: Stories with 5000 to 7999 words will earn $5. Stories with 8000 to 12000 words will earn $10. Theme: Stories that revolve around food being central to the plot Based on the interest we have had in our previous speculative-fiction anthologies, the team here at PurpleToga want to start something different this time around. Food and meals are central to all cultures. So, this time we are looking for stories where food is a central or pivotal element to the plot. Is it the Last Supper? Court intrigue using poison? This means that all of the stories must have a meal or dish as part of their central theme, and as usual we prefer stories that fall under the speculative fiction umbrella. Think of how food has been a big part of literature. Where would Snow White be without the apple (or Adam and Eve)? In movies like Thor: The Dark World you have Dr. Strange offered tea and Thor responded he doesn’t drink it and got a big (self-refilling) mug of beer. Where would Star Trek: The Next Generation be without “Earl Grey, hot”? Think of all the meals in the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, or how Rincewind fantasizes about potatoes. How much Turkish Delight was a factor in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. These are the kinds of food connections that we are looking for. A recipe for the key element (or one of the dishes if it is a meal – failing that the full menu) would be appreciated. The submission deadlines is 30 April 2025 (to be published around the US Thanksgiving 2025) Subscribe here to learn about future submission calls. Submission Guidelines There is a preferred length is between 5,000 to 12,000 words. Other lengths considered at publisher’s discretion....

Deadline: April 30th, 2025 Payment: $10.00 USD and a contributor copy Theme: Superhero stories featuring heroic feats of derring-do in the face of immeasurable evil Oddity Prodigy Productions is proud to announce that we are open for submissions on our latest anthology: Where Legends Walk! These superhero stories will be an exciting tribute to extraordinary feats in the day-to-day. There is a planned Kickstarter to cover publishing costs. Publishing date and distribution is as yet undecided. The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2025. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR Look to the skies! Have you ever wondered what it would be like to leave the bonds of earth and soar through the clouds? Do you have a tale of glory, justice and honor waiting to be unleashed? In our follow up to the Utopian world of Bright Mirror, Oddity Prodigy is proud to announce our newest project, Where Legends Walk, An Anthology of Superhero Stories. We are looking for your best stories featuring heroic feats of derring-do in the face of immeasurable evil. So channel your inner hero, lace up your boots, and join us in the fight for justice. If you need direction or inspiration, we recommend delving into the world of comics of all genres. We will be looking at the full range of stories, from Golden Age of mystery men such as the Justice Society of America, Silver Age of heroes like the Fantastic Four, the Bronze Age wonders like the New Gods, the grime and grit of the Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, all the way through to the Modern Age.  WHAT WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR We aren’t looking for fan fiction, stories using existing properties, extreme violence, brutality, or parody. Some sexual content is ok, but nothing too graphic or excessive. We will NOT consider stories that...

Deadline: April 30th, 2025 Payment: $2,000 advance with 25% Royalties upon completion and final approval of the manuscript Theme: Medieval Horror Medieval Horror Novel Proposals Sentinel Creatives is now accepting book proposals for 2025 in the genre of Medieval Horror. Deadline for Submissions: 30 April 2025 Proposal Pagecount: 1–2 pages Remuneration: $2,000 advance with 25% Royalties upon completion and final approval of the manuscript Novel Length: 50,000–75,000 words   We do not expect the proposed novel to be completed or even started yet. This is an opportunity to pitch your idea and work with us to bring it to life.  WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR We’re looking for original weird tales set in the medieval period that explore the human (and inhuman) experience through the lens of horror. WHAT TO INCLUDE A 1–2 page pitch for your novel. A 2–3 page sample of your writing (from a current work-in- progress or a previously published piece). A list of books and/or movies you think your novel might be similar to, draw inspiration from, or share an audience with. Some Ideas to Explore: A co-mingling of plague and cosmic horror A Lovecraftian twist on the numinous (what exactly were those voices Joan of Arc was hearing?) Go epic in scale: The Crusader States at War/The Norman Conquest/The Wendish Crusade Adapting folklore & myth: Prester John and his mythical kingdom of Christians amidst pagans and Muslims in the East… with a twist. An ill-fated incident during the Children’s Crusade—what happened to those who followed a goat into the dark forests of Europe, never to be heard from again? TROPES AND THEMES While we are looking for innovative, fresh ideas, don’t be afraid to adopt some more familiar horror tropes as a springboard for your story. The “small town horror” or Stephen King’s “The Peculiar Little Town” trope hasn’t been widely explored in medieval horror literature (though it has seen some...

Submission Window: March 1st - April 30th, 2025 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, zionism, 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...

Deadline: April 30th, 2025 Payment: 1500-4000=$10, 4001-75000=$20 Theme: Horror that involves food Arbutus Studios is planning our first prose horror anthology, “Consumed” for publication in 2025. The anthology’s title alludes to a central theme of food and eating. Itching to tell a twisted cannibal tale? Have a unique take on zombies? Cursed birthday cakes? All the above are in line with what we’re looking for. What we want For this anthology, Arbutus Studios seeks original horror stories that fit snugly within the imagery, concept, and theme of food. Tales submitted to Consumed can encompass more than one horror subgenre or blend other speculative genres into the narrative. We want to read stories we can’t put down, and thoughtful tales that linger with you long after the final page. Original, compelling stories will grab our attention. Retreads of familiar horror clichés will be privately mocked, and the tales sent straight to hell. We want to see interesting characters, unique worlds, and unsettling atmosphere. Surprise us. Scare us. Tickle our imagination. Arbutus Studios will automatically reject stories with extreme gore or stories that glorify sexual violence, child abuse, cruelty to animals, body-shaming, or other deviant behaviour. AI Statement Arbutus Studios does not accept submissions written, developed, or assisted by AI tools such as ChatGPT. We want stories created and written by real, living human beings. Any attempts to submit AI-assisted work will result in a permanent ban from future submissions to Arbutus Studios. Submissions All submissions must be emailed to [email protected] Please structure your email subject line as follows: Your story title/Your name/Horror anthology. Stories must be between 1,500 and 7,500 words in length. Submissions falling outside either end of this range will be automatically rejected. For reference, hyphenated words will be counted as one word and paragraph breaks are not included in word counts. Submission...

Deadline: April 30th, 2025 Payment: $25 and a contributor's copy Theme: Welcome to Bellflower, a sleepy (fictional) Nevada town where nothing much happens. Well, except for the influx of tourists asking about Area 51, which lies to the southwest, and the annual UFO festival, which happens every August. For years, man watched the skies. In Bellflower…the skies watched back. We're looking for submissions that take place during or around this festival, a town-wide event where locals dress up, set up telescopes, take tourists on shady desert tours, and stay up all hours of the night, hoping for a glimpse of something from the great beyond. Additional InformationAll stories should take place in the 1980s. So keep this in mind with the technology you feature. The stories should lean more into the horror genre but can be horror/sci-fi. They should include an alien encounter of some kind and mention the annual UFO festival in Bellflower, but they don’t have to take place at the UFO festival. Anywhere in the general vicinity (see map) is acceptable as long as it ties back to Bellflower somehow. For example, it could be a family road trip to Vegas along the Extraterrestrial Hwy and one of their stops is Bellflower, etc. Some other examples could include but are not limited to: a slumber party kids in a treehouse mysterious rock falls from sky weird goo in water flashing lights in the sky getting lost in the nature reserve after hours and experiencing something weird encounters with the eccentric “townspeople” of Bellflower themselves Military run-ins You name it. Think outside the box. There will be several rounds of editing and this phase is important. Submitters must be committed to help in the editing process. Make sure that you upload your document as a WORD document (.doc...

Submission Window: April 23rd-30th, 2025 Payment: €0.01 per word, with a €20 minimum. Theme: Diverse sci-fi and fantasy fiction. We are open to submissions within the following periods: January 23rd-30th April 23rd-30th July 23rd-30th October 23rd-30th Submissions received outside of these dates will unfortunately be lost and therefore not responded to. When open, we seek and offer the following: Length: 1,000-5,000 words. These are firm limits. Shorter or longer works will be considered, but the further a story goes outside these bounds the more it will need to impress. 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 Mythaxis seeks speculative fiction (sf/f/h) of all stripes for our first three issues each year. We are also interested in submissions of crime fiction for our end-of-year “all crime” issue. All these genres are equally welcome in each submission window. We acquire First Print, Digital, and Audio 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 compensation will be offered. All other rights remain entirely with the author. See here for an overview of our editorial process. 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...

Submission Window: April 1st- 30th, 2025 Payment: Fiction: 4 cents per word for original works, and 1/2 cent per word for reprints. Poetry: $25 flat fee for any poem. Non-Fiction: $40. $150 for cover artwork. Theme: Speculative fiction, poetry, and non-fiction of all kinds with a particular fondness for slipstream and fabulism in all their delightful forms Trollbreath Magazine is a journal of speculative fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, publishing electronic issues on a quarterly schedule. Our interests are as varied as the endless amount of genres, from dark fantasy to hope punk to surrealism, and everything in between. We have a particular fondness for slipstream and fabulism in all their delightful forms, but what motivates us most are great stories by wonderful authors eager to share their visions of the past, the future, the in between, and everything that lies outside the margins. Coloring beyond the lines encouraged. Feel free to review our already published stories and poetry to get an idea of what we like. Stories, poems and articles will be available at the beginning of the quarter to paying members. Web Memberships give the subscriber the opportunity to read the issue on our website; eBook Memberships provide the additional right to download the issue in PDF or epub file format(s). Over the course of the quarter, a new story will be released from the paywall every Friday to the those without subscriptions, until all stories are available to the public. We read for two issues at a time during our month-long submission periods. Submission periods for fiction/poetry are as follows: April 1st- 30th (for the September and December issues of the same year) October 1st – 31st (for the March and June issues of the following year) Note: stories/poems sent outside the submission period will be deleted unread. We are open...

Deadline: April 30th, 2025 Payment: $20 and a contributor copy for US authors or $35 for non-US authors Theme: "Classic" monsters creature feature story (think all of the old Universal Monsters for inspiration.) Note: Reprints welcome Strange Legacy: 2025 (Creature Feature) is actually a continuation of the Strange Aeon anthology series. We are going in a slightly different direction this year thematically with a bit of a break from purely cosmic horror and focusing instead on the creatures, both traditional and original. The editorial style will remain the same. As usual, these style preferences apply to gore and sex as well: think early Weird Tales, no excessive language or explicit sexual references. (You do not have to remove all profanity from your submission—I can read around it—but, if your story is accepted, you will be required to remove it from the final version.) The theme of this year’s anthology is the “classic” monster story—from old favorites like vampires and werewolves to Lovecraftian creatures to the byproducts of insane science experiments. That being said, please send anything you consider a good story. Feel free to query for any questions. If you are planning to write a story especially for this anthology, by all means query the idea first. I am especially interested in stories of mad science, monster-based horror, weird western, and stories that “peel the onion.” Indeed, I cannot emphasize strongly enough the need for these categories. Victoriana and Lovecraft era period pieces will have a much harder time finding acceptance. For this anthology I’m asking for non-exclusive rights and will happily take reprints. Simply tell me the publication history so that I can give proper copyright acknowledgement. I will prioritize original stories over reprints and older, more obscure reprints over more recent ones. Simultaneous and multiple submissions are acceptable; please...

Deadline: April 30th, 2025 Payment: 1 cent per word and a contributors copy Theme: Creature Feature with the premise of situations where something is being sought out by a person/group. My first foray into horror was creature features. Growing up, I loved movies that involved monsters: Them!, Godzilla, The Birds, Swamp Thing, Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Fly, and many more. Pair that with my background in anthropology and biology, and it’s a Petri dish of ingredients bound to spawn new terrors. What better way to celebrate the second year of Inky Bones Press than to publish an anthology based on the subjects that inspired me to both love and write horror. I can’t wait to read your twists and interpretations of the requirements lurking below. What horrors will you unleash? Theme: Situations where something is being sought out by a person/group. They could be grave robbers, treasure hunters, archaeologists, cryptozoologists, entomologists, biologists, hide-and-seek fanatics, anything you choose—as long as their plans go awry. Get weird and creative! Must Include: Bones: you can mention the word itself or be more specific. Ex: spine, skull, vertebrae, ribs, skeleton A creature of your choice: tiny, monstrous, an alien—just make sure it’s scary! Genres: Horror | Science Fiction | Fantasy Applicable horror sub-genres of the above Type & Length of Work: 1,500-3,500 words Short story (English only) Release: Late 2025/Early 2026: date to be determined Submission dates: Opens: March 1, 2025 Deadline: April 30, 2025 (11:59pm EST) Payment: Semi-Pro: 1c/word Contributor copy E-book copy I’m looking for: Examples: Action/Adventure Horror, Creature Horror, Dark Fantasy, Dark Fiction, Dystopian, Gothic, Historical, Paranormal, Science Fiction Horror, Paranormal, Supernatural, Vampire, Zombie, etc. Scares, creepy vibes, nightmare fuel, unease, monsters, and fear—just to name a few. Make me afraid to turn off the lights when I go to sleep! I’m NOT looking for: Hate-based stories, extreme horror, splatterpunk, rape,...

Deadline: Deadline for proposals is April 30th, 2025. Submission deadline for stories is June 30th, 2025. Payment: $125 dollars and a contributor's copy Theme: Sherlock Holmes stories that are canonical in nature and fit the timeline below. “When I glance over my notes and records of the Sherlock Holmes cases between the years '82 and '90, I am faced by so many which present strange and interesting features that it is no easy matter to know which to choose and which to leave.” - Dr. Watson Synopsis: The year 1889 was a particularly busy one for Holmes with a number of cases including The Hound (Sept. 25-Oct. 20); “The Beryl Coronet” (Feb. 19-20); “The Man with the Twisted Lip” (June 18-19);  “The Naval Treaty” (Aug. 1); “Cardboard Box” (Aug. 31- Sept. 2); “The Engineer’s Thumb.” (Sept. 7-8);  “Crooked Man” (Sept. 11-12);  and “Blue Carbuncle) (Dec. 27). Although things slowed a bit in 1890, prominent cases included “Copper Beeches” (April 5-20); “Silver Blaze” (Sept. 25-30) and “The Red-Headed League” (Oct. 9-11). But what other cases did our heroes encounter in these years? Find out in  Sherlock Holmes: A Year of Mysteries – 1889 &  Sherlock Holmes: A Year of Mysteries – 1890. Submission Guidelines: The stories must be Canonical in nature and fit with the timeline. Holmes and Watson should act like they do in the original stories. As you can see above, a number of the original cases from this period are specifically dated, so please bear that in mind when you are writing your story. Authors interested in participating should first send a synopsis of their adventure and the month of the year they wish it to take place. If your story does not need a specific month (i.e. it takes place in autumn and could be in September, October, or November)...

Deadline: April 30th, 2025 Payment: $10 and a contributors copy Theme: Stories about superheroes performing daring feats in the face of true evil Oddity Prodigy Productions is proud to announce that we are open for submissions on our latest anthology: Where Legends Walk! These superhero stories will be an exciting tribute to extraordinary feats in the day-to-day. There is a planned Kickstarter to cover publishing costs. Publishing date and distribution is as yet undecided. The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2025. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR Look to the skies! Have you ever wondered what it would be like to leave the bonds of earth and soar through the clouds? Do you have a tale of glory, justice and honor waiting to be unleashed? In our follow up to the Utopian world of Bright Mirror, Oddity Prodigy is proud to announce our newest project, Where Legends Walk, An Anthology of Superhero Stories. We are looking for your best stories featuring heroic feats of derring-do in the face of immeasurable evil. So channel your inner hero, lace up your boots, and join us in the fight for justice. If you need direction or inspiration, we recommend delving into the world of comics of all genres. We will be looking at the full range of stories, from Golden Age of mystery men such as the Justice Society of America, Silver Age of heroes like the Fantastic Four, the Bronze Age wonders like the New Gods, the grime and grit of the Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, all the way through to the Modern Age. WHAT WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR We aren’t looking for fan fiction, stories using existing properties, extreme violence, brutality, or parody. Some sexual content is ok, but nothing too graphic or excessive. We will NOT consider...

Deadline: April 30th, 2025 Payment: $50 and a contributor's copy Theme: Space opera stories with any of the following themes: Note: Reprints welcome Here's a new project I'll be launching via Kickstarter in May, 2025. And I'd like to invite you to submit a story for consideration! Feel free to share the link to this page with others. New Sci-Fi Anthology Series 24 Space Opera Short Stories Wanted Sub Window Closes April 30, 2025 Genre: Space Opera   Four Volumes of Six Stories Each Each Volume Will Feature a Specific Theme: First Contact Alien Invasion Generation Ship Colony World Deets:   Send 2 stories maximum (each story with a different theme) Mainly wanting brand new stories; simultaneous submissions okay No f-bombs or GDs/blasphemies, no excessive violence or gratiutous sex Reprints considered, query first (basically, no longer widely available and older than 2020) 6,000 to 8,000 words; use standard manuscript format, American quotation marks; American or British spelling okay   More Info: * Launching via Kickstarter, Spring 2025 * Payment is $50 per story (upon successful Kickstarter campaign); additional one-time payment possible; plus contributor paperback and ebook copy * Eventually published on Amazon and beyond; ebook, audio, and paperbacks * Will have non-AI illustrated covers (artists and graphic designers, contact me!) * Author retains copyright - asking for 9 month exclusive use; no royalty share Send submissions to Lyndon Perry at tulefogpress @ gmail . com with last name and volume theme in subject line (e.g., Perry, First Contact) any time before April 30, 2025. Space Opera Stories Edited by Lyndon Perry Published by Tule Fog Press Via: Residential Aliens.

Submission Window: April 1st - 30th, 2025 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: April 30th, 2025 Payment: Contributor's copy Theme: The YA stories you wish you had as a kid with someone like you as the protagonist Note: This anthology is looking for diverse characters. All genres are welcome, though I suspect Fantasy and SciFi will be an easier sell than horror or anything dark Submissions open March 15 for the first Promised Protagonists anthology! This collection of diverse fiction, poetry, and art will be published in print (paperback and potentially hardcover), as well as in ebook format, in the second half of 2025. Submissions will be open from March 15 to April 30. The Google Form for submissions will appear below once the window opens. Unlike our usual submission periods, we will NOT be offering detailed feedback on all anthology submissions due to the expected volume! Particularly for submissions that reach the final rounds of consideration, we may give a few lines of feedback; if you aren’t interested, let us know in the form’s comment box. Overall Guidelines We want the stories you wish you had as a kid! Send us your quirky short fiction, your thoughtful fantasy, or anything that shows that you—yes, you!—can be the protagonist in your own story. We want diverse characters and diverse stories, the perspectives that are too often left out of the general narrative, and pieces that remind young readers that they deserve to take up space and have their own adventures. To get a better sense of the sort of work we’ve published in the past, check out Promised Protagonists Issue 1, Issue 2, and Issue 3 (linked here). Don’t self-reject—if in doubt, submit! We want to see your work, and it won’t get published if it never leaves your computer. Although these guidelines mostly refer to writing or stories, we have the same tastes...

Submission Window: April 1st - 15th, 2025 Extended Window (Disabled, Neurodiverse, BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+, and other underrepresented voices): April 16th - 30th, 2025 Payment: $13 Theme: Halloween Death by TBR Books is a woman/disability owned indie online bookshop and indie press. We will be opening submissions for our upcoming Halloween horror anthology set to be released in August 2026! If you don't know the owner of Death by TBR Books then you may not be aware of her obsession for all things fall and Halloween. THIS anthology will be all about Halloween. This could be a nostalgic memory from your childhood or a more recent Halloween experience. We strongly encourage lovers of Halloween to apply even if you don't have prior publishing experience. From folk horror and vampires to psychological and werewolves and beyond. Think of nostalgic media that you watch every year. We want those who miss Halloween and October every year to have a way to stop and savor it every day of the month. Submissions Scary Stories to Tell in October A Halloween Horror Anthology Open call submission window: April 1st - April 15th Extended submission window: April 16th - April 30th (Exclusively for Disabled, Neurodiverse, BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+, and other underrepresented voices.) We are looking for 31 flash fiction/short stories so people can spend every day of October reading a very short story. Payment Royalties are $13 for the story and one electronic copy of the anthology. Word Count Between 2,000 and 4,000 words. What We Don’t Want Please do not send stories involving: - Graphic scenes of violence for the sake of violence - Stories that promote hate speech, defamation, or racial/ethnic stereotypes - Graphic scenes of sexual violence, especially those involving children - Work created by or with the assistance of AI in any capacity Failure...

Deadline: April 30th, 2025 Payment: $1 Theme: Canteen Submissions for the 100 Word Project from Manawaker Studio are open January thru May and July thru November. The 100 Word Project is an ongoing project focused on 100 word stories which will be published as a monthly, themed online journal and in a yearly print anthology. Each month (except for June and December) will bring a new prompt, and on the first half of the next month nine of the submitted drabbles for that prompt will be posted in the public-facing section of the Manawaker Patreon alongside one drabble from Manawaker EiC, CB Droege. At the end of the year, the ten stories from each of the ten prompts will be assembled into the next volume of the 100 x 100 series. The project is curated and edited by CB Droege. 100 x 100 is published by Manawaker Studio as part of their regular line of anthologies. Current prompt The Prompt for April 2025  is ‘Canteen‘. The stories The only restrictions are that the stories are 100 words long (granting small leeway for different methods of counting, and not including the title (you don’t have to have a title, but we do like them)), previously unpublished, and written entirely by a person (We know it’s particularly tempting to get a generative AI to help meet the wordcount more precisely, but it’s totally against the spirit of our project.) The idea is that each contributor is writing a brand new story for each prompt as they are announced, but if you happen to have an unpublished drabble that already fits the theme, that works too. There are no genre requirements, but please keep content family friendly (No gore, no explicit sex, use profanity sparingly. General guideline: Would you feel uncomfortable reading the story to a group that includes at least one 12 year old child? If so, maybe it’s not right for us). As with...

Deadline: April 30th, 2025 Payment: 2 cents per word Theme: Spicy monster romance horror stories, Graveside Press’s next themed anthology will be MONSTERS. Open for Submissions: April 1, 2025 through April 30, 2025 Expected Publication: February 13, 2026 (Yes, it’s a little ways out, but it’s Friday the 13th and the day before Valentine’s Day. We can’t pass that up!) What Are We Looking For? Monsters! Specifically … people who love monsters. Like … a lot. Give us your spicy monster romance stories, but keep in mind this is still horror; we aren’t looking for sweet urban fantasy tales. Your submission should still have a heavy horror factor. Submissions Requirements Your story: should be approximately 2,000 – 6,000 words in length. contain some kind of monster, creature, or cryptid from folklore, mythology, or your imagination. contain some level of spice (all heat ranges accepted). any character involved in adult activities must be 18+. NO: non-consensual, rape, or other sexual assault STANDARD PAY RATES Standalone works (novels, novellas, short stories "Tiny Terrors") - 50% royalties of net earnings paid quarterly Anthology submissions - 2¢ per word to be paid 90 business days after publication Illustrations - $75 SUBMISSION GUIDELINES When submitting, please do not send your manuscript already formatted as a book with fancy chapter headers, fonts, margins, etc. We would greatly appreciate if you can follow the formatting guidelines below: file type: *.doc or *.docx Font: Any legible serif, e.g., Times New Roman, Garamond Include author information at the top of page 1 (see sample below) Use formatted indents and not tabs to begin each paragraph Use hard returns to start new paragraphs Use page breaks to begin chapters on a new page If you would like an example of what a properly formatted manuscript looks like or need help with any of the above, check here. When in doubt,...