Submission Window: January 1st – March 31st, 2022
Payment: AU5c/word
Theme: Weird Western action horror

AU5c/word / 2k-10k words

 Opens Jan 1^st 2022/ Closes March 31st 2022 (in your time zone)

 Fantasy, Horror, or Science Fiction

 Theme – Weird Western action horror.

WHAT WE WANT

ACTION-BASED horror, themed within conflict in the wild, wild West.

Think Bone Tomahawk, Ravenous, Westworld, Cowboys & Aliens and The Burrowers for films, and Dead in the West by Joe Lansdale, Deadlands: Ghostwalkers by Jonathan Maberry, Skin Medicine by Tim Curran, and The Crossings by Jack Ketchum for writings… anything that can be considered a high-action monster story set within an obviously Western theme.

For level of unnatural creature we will give priority to, think Dog Soldiers or Aliens in oldie times. We want lots of monster goodness and lots of action.

We will also be looking for soldiers/cavalry, bandit gangs (or bandidos, for south of the border), sheriffs, private security for gold claims. Hell, even a group of bodyguards protecting some arsehole business overlord in his desert property.

Just ensure the action is central to the story, from start to finish, and don’t forget monsters!

This volume is like the previous volumes squared. All action.

We want extreme action, and it really should be in the style of military or paramilitary action, although we definitely see cowboys or a posse or bandit gang or demon hunters as suitable in this theme.

And to say it again, full action. Nothing less. Hoo-rah!

We actively encourage submissions from all cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, and identities. Storytelling is for everyone, and we are richer for it when all voices are heard.

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SOME GUIDANCE –
IF YOU TAKE THIS PLOT PATH, IT BETTER BE DAMNED GOOD:

Wendigo tales. These are the most common of things in weird westerns, and just like Highlander, there can be only one!

Good cowboys versus bad First Nation People. This is an almost impossible sell. Even should it be extremely well-written, it is unlikely to make it past the slush pile.

What we DO NOT WANT AT ALL, IN ANY FORM:

• Rape as a plot device/backstory
• White saviour stories
• Racism, bigotry, misogyny of any kind in the narrative voice
• Child abuse/paedophilia (can’t believe we have to say this, but we do)
• Rape as a plot device/backstory (yes, we have to say this twice)
• Fanfiction or derivatives

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Edited by Amanda J Spedding and Geoff Brown
Payment: AUD5c/word and one contributor copy in each format released.
Wordcount range: 2,000 – 10,000 words (query for shorter or longer)

Submissions open January 1st 2022.
Closing date is March 31st 2022
Anything submitted either side of this period will be deleted without being read or replied to.

No selections will be made until after the period closes.

Projected publication date: Q4 2022

Please follow these guidelines when submitting to us:

Please put your full contact details and word count top left of the first page of the manuscript.
Standard submission format, with minimal document formatting.
Courier, Palatino Linotype, or Times New Roman set at 12pt.

Italics as they will appear.
No underlining.
Double spaced.

Please don’t use TAB or space bar to indent lines. Use ‘styles’ only.
If unsure or using a program that has no styles, DO NOT indent at all. That’s still cool.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON STYLES.

NO SPACE between paragraphs unless a line-break is required. ONE SPACE after full stops.
Please put full contact details on the first page of the manuscript (yes, I said this twice… it’s important).

Send your submission to Geoff Brown at editor@cohesionpress.com as an attachment (.doc/.rtf only)

In the subject line of your email, please put Dead or Alive: [STORY TITLE] (Replace [STORY TITLE] with your actual story title. Yes, unfortunately I do need to say this)
Example – Dead or Alive: Varmint Control

For file name, please use Dead or Alive_[Story Title]_[Your Surname]

Example – Dead or Alive_Varmint Control_Brown

NO MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS
NO SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS
NO REPRINTS

Please include a brief ‘hello, this is who I am’ in your email body as a cover letter.
Blank emails with attachments will be deleted.
For a guide to standard submission format, see: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html

The only variations to this format are that italics MUST appear as they will be used – no underlining – and again, only one space after a full stop.

Anyone that fails to follow these guidelines will likely see their story fed to wendigos after being soaked in human blood.

Via: Cohesion Press.