Deadline: August 15th, 2021
Payment: 2 contributors copies and 3 cents per word
Theme: stories should include horror in addition to speculative/sci-fi themes

It’s baaaaaaaaaaaack… Rising from the grave like an unstoppable masked slasher, it’s the Planet Scumm Winter Horror Issue. Autumn may be the more traditional time for things creepy and crawly, but we think horror, like revenge, is best served cold. (We also think revenge is best served à la carte, and that revenge pairs well with a nice stout. Maybe some cider.)

Here’s how it works: all of our normal submission guidelines apply (see below), with the additional caveat that stories should include horror in addition to speculative/sci-fi themes. We’d also love to see submissions that work in wintery content—snowstorms, isolation, ritual, family, and so on.

Come winter, it won’t just be the cold causing shivers—it’ll be your terrifying tale of terror in the Planet Scumm Winter Horror Issue! Brrrr, spooky! 

Planet Scumm accepts submissions from writers across the world. (Our HQ is a roving meteor-sized space station—Earth’s borders mean nothing to us. We want to hear from writers of every race, nationality, and gender identity.

WHAT TO SUBMIT

• Hard sci-fi, soft sci-fi, sci-fi that melts in your mouth-brain not your hand-brain

• Speculative fiction, weird fiction, slipstream

• Basically anything that pleases Scummy, our megaphone-toting slime buddy, will be considered for entry to the interstellar archive aboard Scummy’s saucer

HOW TO SUBMIT

• Include submissions as a .doc attachment sent 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 2000 – 6000 words in length, and submitted in standard manuscript format.

• Submit only one short story or flash collection. We will not accept multiple submissions from the same author in one reading period.

• Simultaneous submissions are okay, as long as you promptly withdraw a story accepted elsewhere.

SCHEDULE, RIGHTS, AND PAYMENT

• Accepted authors receive 3 cents a word and two contributor copies.

• Our publication operates in print, e-book, and audiobook. Some accepted stories will also be published on our website. We purchase exclusive English language print, audio, and electronic publishing rights for six months, with non-exclusive rights thereafter.

• Authors will receive payment within 3 months of signing their contract.

Via: Planet Scumm’s Submission Page.