Events

Submission Window: May 1st - 31st, 2024 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: May 31st, 2024 Payment: 3c/word (USD) originals; $25 (USD) reprints Theme: Weird Horror, Dark Fantasy, Dark Science Fiction. Short Fiction, Narrative Poetry. Note: Reprints Welcome The Skull and Laurel is a quarterly magazine of New Weird short fiction. A more detailed explanation of the type of stories we publish at Tenebrous Press can be found here, but essentially we are looking for speculative fiction that is genre-fluid and modern in its themes, subtext, characters, techniques, or form. Horror, fantasy, and science fiction stories are welcome so long as they are dark and Weird with a capital W. If your story is speculative and either blends genres or refuses to fit neatly within their confines, we want to read it. Our goal is to publish strange and brave new stories told by people you may have never otherwise met.   Submission Guidelines for Skull and Laurel This round open until: May 31st 2024 Genres and forms: Weird Horror, Dark Fantasy, Dark Science Fiction. Short Fiction, Narrative Poetry. We also encourage trying us with things like comic strips, mixed media, found footage, puzzles, games, experiments, and other weird forms, as long as they tell a story.   Word count: 100 to 7499 words Payment: 3c/word (USD) originals; $25 (USD) reprints Reprints: Yes Simultaneous Submissions: Yes Multiple submissions: Please submit no more than one original story and one reprint at a time (one of each is fine). Translations: Translations are welcome as long as the story has not yet been published in English. Target Age Group: Mature audiences AI Disclaimer: Machine/AI-generated content is explicitly forbidden. Authors and artists should anticipate contracts declaring that no part of their submission was machine/AI-generated. Those who submit machine/AI-generated content will be permanently blacklisted. Rights: World English first rights in print, electronic, and ebook, including a six-month exclusivity period. For reprints, World English reprint in print, electronic, and ebook, no...

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: 2 cents per word and both a hardcover and paperback contributors copy Theme: stories involving vampires. We are looking for your stories involving vampires. Open for Submissions: April 1, 2024 through May 31, 2024 Expected Publication: October 2024 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS Your story: should be approximately 2,000 – 6,000 words in length. (If your story is significantly longer than this, consider submitting it to our Tiny Terrors short fiction program.) 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). You may submit more than one story for consideration for this anthology, but please wait until you have received a response from us on your previous submissions to this anthology. If you are uncertain if your story is something that we might be interested in publishing, please feel free to query us at submissions (at) graveside-press.com in advance of submitting your manuscript. Please, no fan fiction. SUBMISSIONS Send us finished manuscript in digital (.DOCx, .RTF, or .ODT) format using this form: Graveside Press Submission Form. Please use a standard manuscript format. If you’re not sure what one is, here’s a good source. PAYMENT Payment will be: $0.02 per word one (1) trade paperback contributor edition one (1) hardcover contributor edition access to ten (10) digital contributor copies CONTACTING US We will try to acknowledge receipt of your manuscript within 24 hours. We’ll also try to let you know whether or not we’re interested in working with you to publish your book within 30 days after that. Both of these periods may vary, though, depending on the number of manuscripts we’ve...

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: 12c/word + contributors copy. Theme: Gross and goopy horror Edited by Lor Gislason, author of Inside Out, ⅓ of the Goop Troop and editor of Bound In Flesh: An Anthology of Trans Body Horror and Spectrum: An Autistic Horror Anthology. THE IMPORTANT STUFF: This is an OPEN CALL. There are no invited authors. It’s a free for all! SUBMISSION PERIOD: April 1st to May 31st, 2024. Edits June-August. Expected release date October. PAY: 12c/word + contributors copy. We will be taking PITCHES, and if accepted, your story should be 2-5k words. Please send only 1 to 2 pitches MAX. SEND PITCHES TO: [email protected] THE GUTS: Hey all! Lor here. Some of you might know me for my love of GROSS, GOOPY HORROR—which is exactly what this anthology aims to be! I’ll be looking for pitches that evoke FUN and DISGUST, like Peter Jackson’s Braindead, and the films of Frank Henelotter. Shows like Freaky Stories and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters. Like a pig in mud, we revel in the nasty and go, “hey, check this out! Made me want to barf!” Give me fluids! Guts and gore! Slime, ooze and GOOP! Your story can feature dark themes and heavy topics, but have FUN with it. There are no restrictions. Content warnings will be made available when the book is published. All writers of any skill level or background are encouraged to submit! Little Ghosts Presents.. LITTLE GUTS A Gory Anthology Submit your pitch for a 2-5k story! Please include… just the guts! Character, rising action, and conclusion teaser. Suggest a style, leak the ooze, make us laugh (or go EUGHHHH). Pitch us something gross! Submission window closes May 31 2024. Via: Little Ghost Books.

Submission Window: May 1st - 31st, 2024 Payment: 1 cent per word Theme: Fantasy short stories up to 5,000 words Note: REPRINT ONLY IMAGITOPIA is a new fantasy fiction podcast and digital magazine produced by Android Press and featuring narrated fantasy fiction plus other fun stuff like author and editor interviews, news and events, and nerd-outs on fantasy tropes and other related topics.  We currently accept submissions of previous published fantasy short stories for REPRINT ONLY to be narrated for the podcast. We'll also publish in print here on the webzine.  ​ Our first submission window opens on September 1, 2023. For more information on when we're open and closed to submissions throughout the year, please see our Schedule. Submissions are only accepted through IMAGITOPIA's Moksha submission portal. Any submissions received via email or any other method will be deleted without review or response. Email accounts inevitable get tons of spam. So this policy helps make sure we don't lose your submission in the email shuffle. But if for some reason you're unable to submit via our Moksha portal, for example due to accessibility issues, please message us using the form at the bottom of this page, and we'll be happy to make alternative arrangements for your submission. *We're a womxn and trans run publication. We hope authors of all types and stripes will submit work, but we especially encourage BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, womxn, people living with disabilities, those living in the Global South, and authors from other marginalized populations. ​ WORD COUNT flash fiction: up to 1,500 words short stories: up to 5,000 words ​ PAY RATE We currently pay 1 cent USD per word for previously published flash fiction and short stories with a $10 USD minimum. ​ GENRES We accept submissions of fantasy and all its subgenres including but not limited to:  ​​ high...

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: Contributor's copy and 3 cents per word for original work or 1 cent per word for reprints Theme: Family friendly science fiction with positive visions of the future Note: Reprints welcome We're looking for stories for our next family friendly anthology, Terrific Tomorrows! We're looking for science fiction with positive visions of the future, stories that leave the reader excited about the possibilities ahead. By "family friendly," we mean stories an adult can enjoy, but also share with a 10-year-old. No gore, no cursing, and no stories where violence is a solution. We're looking for tales where people think their way out of problems. We're now open for submissions under 3000 words. Query with a short pitch if you have something longer that you think is a great fit for the theme. We accept original stories and reprints. We'll pay 3 cents a word for original stories and a 1 cent a word for reprints, plus a contributor's copy of the paperback. Email submissions to [email protected]. Our deadline is May 31, 2024. Via: Word Balloon Books' Facebook.

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: 2 cents per word and both a hardcover and paperback contributors copy Theme: stories involving werewolves and other shape-changing beings We are looking for your stories involving werewolves and other shape-changing beings. Open for Submissions: April 1, 2024 through May 31, 2024 Expected Publication: October 2024 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS Your story: should be approximately 2,000 – 6,000 words in length. (If your story is significantly longer than this, consider submitting it to our Tiny Terrors short fiction program.) 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). You may submit more than one story for consideration for this anthology, but please wait until you have received a response from us on your previous submissions to this anthology. If you are uncertain if your story is something that we might be interested in publishing, please feel free to query us at submissions (at) graveside-press.com in advance of submitting your manuscript. Please, no fan fiction. SUBMISSIONS Send us finished manuscript in digital (.DOCx, .RTF, or .ODT) format using this form: Graveside Press Submission Form. Please use a standard manuscript format. If you’re not sure what one is, here’s a good source. PAYMENT Payment will be: $0.02 per word one (1) trade paperback contributor edition one (1) hardcover contributor edition access to ten (10) digital contributor copies CONTACTING US We will try to acknowledge receipt of your manuscript within 24 hours. We’ll also try to let you know whether or not we’re interested in working with you to publish your book within 30 days after that. Both of these periods may vary,...

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: £0.005 per word (Low pay is due to being a charity anthology for skin cancer.) Theme: Speculative stories that include skin We’re looking for stories (2-5k words) on the theme of skin (after all, we are skeletons, we crave what we lack). Take the prompt as literally or as abstractly as you like. We tend to prefer speculative, surreal, supernatural, dark fiction with creeping, poetic, dread-inducing prose, and endings we can't predict, but we're open to all subgenres of dark fiction. Elements of sci-fi and/or fantasy are fine, as long as your story veers towards the dark. We are not, however, the market for violent, bloody, racist, homophobic, or masochistic fiction. If you want an idea of what sort of story we publish (my oh my, it is an eclectic collection), why not check out any of our other publications? Links can be found by clicking on the Books tab at the top of this page. Deadline: May 31st 2024 (midnight, last place on earth) or until full.  One piece per author - send us your best! No reprints. No AI fiction. £0.005 per word (after edits). Profits made during the year of publication will go to a skin cancer charity. An anthology of selected stories will be published in print and as an e-book publication. Do get in touch via email or Twitter with any questions. Submission Guidelines Stories must be typed in English. Pieces must be your own, original work (no AI), and previously unpublished in any format. Size 12 font, Times New Roman or similar easy-to-read font. Please do not double space after a full stop (period). No paragraph indents. Leave a line between paragraphs. Please use " for speech marks, not '. No colour or images please. Please tell us your name, title of your story,  and which call you are submitting to in the subject line of your...

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: 5 cents per word Theme: Anything robot or AI-related where things go horribly wrong, or even horribly right. Robots, AI, and all things technology. Think of our annual anthology call as a mix between the Twilight Zone, Black Mirror, and Back to the Future. We are looking to highlight 20+ brand new writers with tales of technology gone right, wrong, and everything in between. The Robots Were Right is a Kickstarter anthology from the award-nominated editing team at Weird Little Worlds Press. Our other anthologies have been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award® for Excellence in An Anthology as well as individual stories being chosen for BEST HORROR OF THE YEAR and BEST SHORT FICTION. For this anthology, we are breaking from the formula of most anthologies and not including any personally invited authors. Why? So that we can feature an award-quality anthology of new and upcoming authors of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. We want you! The Pitch: Technology has infiltrated every aspect of our lives. From being constantly monitored by our smart devices to AI art taking the jobs of creatives, technology is having a real impact on the lives and livelihoods of people all over the world. In this anthology, we want to hear the strangest, scariest, most stupefying, and most satisfying stories you can imagine. Make us cringe, laugh, cry, hide…but most of all, make us think and make us care! What We Want: We are looking for unique, engaging stories that are ripped from the headlines and could be the next episode of Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone. Whatever technology you choose to highlight(not necessarily from this century), it must reflect the pervasive, invasive, abusive, and/or revolutionary power of human-made tools and make us care about the humans they impact. While we understand that...

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: Flash & Fiction: 8 cents per word, Poetry: $50, other written options, 8 cents per word Theme: All styles and genres when it comes to fairy tales Submissions are currently OPEN for Issue #2. This window will close at midnight AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time) on 31 May 2024. Upcoming submission windows Submission window for Issue #3: 1 to 14 August (closes midnight AEST on 14 August) Submission window for Issue #4: 1 to 14 November (closes midnight AEST on 14 November) What we are looking for We are especially interested in work from or about diverse perspectives and traditionally under-represented groups, settings, and cultures, written from a non-exoticising and well-researched position. Please read the FULL guidelines below for the type of submission you are sending us, and our preferences in terms of format and cover letters. Currently, we only accept original, unpublished work. We have a swift turnaround time on submissions (about two weeks), and so ask that you do not submit your work to other markets while it is under consideration for The Orange & Bee. AI Policy We do not accept or publish work that has written with, or with the assistance of, writing software such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc. Please include in your cover letter a statement indicating that you have not used AI to create your work—this will set our minds at ease. Please note that our contract for publication requires you to legally affirm that you (and not a robot/AI) wrote your work. If we discover that you have submitted work to us that breaches our AI guidelines, we will block your email address, and will not accept future submissions from you. Fiction & Flash Fiction The Orange and Bee celebrates all styles and genres when it comes to fairy tales. We are seeking stories that...

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: $20 (CAD) and a contributors copy Theme: Writing on your view of the meaning of the word "Stygian" After the release of our first publication "The Stygian Collection", there was demand to continue producing anthologies. To continue growing our community and keep the anthology spirit alive, The Stygian Society will be releasing a literary zine every January and July! ​ Focusing on the theme "Stygian", we ask writers to meditate on their meaning of the word. We are open to poetry, short stories, non-fiction articles, personal insights and visual art (including comics)! For written works please do not exceed 2500 words (poetry included). For comics please do not exceed 5 pages. Submissions are always open, so send us something and see what we think. ​ Works received between June 1 and November 30 will be considered for the January issue Works received between December 1 and May 31 will be considered for the July issue ​ We will accept written submissions in Word or PDF format. If your work has previously been published, please be sure to note this when reaching out and let us know where it is currently featured. For artwork, please send in any high res file format - 300dpi minimum. Colour or black and white welcome. ​ For selected works, you will receive a $20 (CAD) honorarium and one print copy of the zine.   Submit Your Work Via: Stygian Society.

Deadline: May 31st, 2024 Payment: 2 cents per word and both a hardcover and paperback contributors copy Theme: stories involving ghosts and possession We are looking for your stories involving ghosts and possession. Open for Submissions: April 1, 2024 through May 31, 2024 Expected Publication: October 2024 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS Your story: should be approximately 2,000 – 6,000 words in length. (If your story is significantly longer than this, consider submitting it to our Tiny Terrors short fiction program.) 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). You may submit more than one story for consideration for this anthology, but please wait until you have received a response from us on your previous submissions to this anthology. If you are uncertain if your story is something that we might be interested in publishing, please feel free to query us at submissions (at) graveside-press.com in advance of submitting your manuscript. Please, no fan fiction. SUBMISSIONS Send us finished manuscript in digital (.DOCx, .RTF, or .ODT) format using this form: Graveside Press Submission Form. Please use a standard manuscript format. If you’re not sure what one is, here’s a good source. PAYMENT Payment will be: $0.02 per word one (1) trade paperback contributor edition one (1) hardcover contributor edition access to ten (10) digital contributor copies CONTACTING US We will try to acknowledge receipt of your manuscript within 24 hours. We’ll also try to let you know whether or not we’re interested in working with you to publish your book within 30 days after that. Both of these periods may vary, though, depending on the...