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Positive Science Fiction & Fantasy
DreamForge Anvil
Details
Editor Scot Noel
Open for submissions: Nov 15 -Nov 30
Pay:6 cents per word
Word range: max 4,500
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? Yes
Description
DreamForge is a fantasy and science fiction magazine that looks for positive stories. The website says: Our goal is to publish fiction and commentary that embody, in one way or another, these essential principals: integrity and decency, compassion and creativity, intelligence and inventiveness, the rule of law and liberty under the law, and the dignity of the individual.” DreamForge Anvil is about a passionate attention to storytelling as much it is about the stories themselves.
Submission Hints
Positive stories demonstrating the triumph of the human spirit and the power of hope and humane values in overcoming the most daunting challenges. We are interested in all SF and Fantasy genres, but horror is unlikely to find a home here. No to Pollyannish and Utopian simplicity. Yes to communities and teams working together to overcome dire challenges. Yes to marginalized and under-represented characters as protagonists. Yes to science and magic that solve problems, alleviate suffering, and boldly explore new possibilities. No to corrupt, dystopian governments or evil corporations. Tone down the violence, profanity, and sex. It's only useful if the story demands it.
My Insights
I have joined the DreamCasters and love working with Scot Noel, Jane Noel and a very talented group of writers. For just $4 a month through Patreon, I am learning so much and also enjoying myself. I came in contact with Scot Noel when he worked with me on my story "Invasive Species" He is a very challenging (but kind) editor, and he took my story from "meh" to something I believe is my best work to date. You can hear Invasive Species and an interview with Scot Noel by clicking the link below.
Fantasy & Science Fiction
uncanny
Details
Open until November 15th
Submissions Editor: Brahidaliz Martinez
Pay: 10 cents per word
Word range: 750-6,000
** Currently only open to POETRY
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? No
Description
Uncanny magazine specializes in stories that make you feel. Classifying itself as an on-line/eBook/podcast SF/F magazine, their cover art is breathtaking. It has won multiple Hugo Awards, a Parsec Award, and a British Fantasy Award. The two Editors-in-Chief; Lynne M. Thomas, and Michael Damian Thomas, have also won several Hugo Awards. It is a SFWA-qualified market. From the website: “Uncanny Magazine is an online Science Fiction and Fantasy magazine featuring passionate SF/F fiction and poetry, gorgeous prose, provocative nonfiction, and a deep investment in the diverse SF/F culture. Each issue contains intricate, experimental stories and poems with verve and imagination that elicit strong emotions and challenge beliefs, from writers of every conceivable background. Uncanny believes there’s still plenty of room in the genre for tales that make you feel.”
Submission Hints
Lynne M. Thomas (co-publisher & editor-in-chief) said in a reddit interview: “For me it's not necessarily about a kind of story, it's about how the kind of story is executed. I'm interested in stories that are inclusive of the gamut of the human experience, and I want to see a bit more whimsy.”
Sample Rejection
“Thank you for submitting “The Patron Saint of Livestock” to Uncanny Magazine for consideration. Unfortunately, we’re going to pass on this one. It just didn’t work for us. We look forward to reading further submissions from you.”
Details
Deadline: November 14th
Pay: 500 and 2 contributor copies
range: 3000-8000
Simultaneous submissions?Yes
Reprints? No
Description
One Story is seeking literary fiction. Because of our format, we can only accept stories between 3,000 and 8,000 words. They can be any style and on any subject as long as they are good. We are looking for stories that leave readers feeling satisfied and are strong enough to stand alone.
Submission Hints
ONE STORY is an award-winning literary magazine that publishes one story at a time. I have had no luck with this market but have sent them a lot of stories, so no hints that I could find. They use Submittable.
My Experience with Them
I find the turn around very long... but they do eventually send you your rejections.
Horror
Diet Riot
Details
Editor: Sonora Taylor and Nico Bell
Open for submissions: Sept 15-Dec 31
Pay $25
Word range: 4000-6000
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? no
Description
It’s time to reclaim the “f” word. Diet Riot: A Fatterpunk Anthology is dedicated to empowering fat characters within the horror community. Give us your rage over weigh-ins, your detest over detox cleanses, your rebellion against diet culture. Give us bad-ass characters who own their size and never apologize for taking up space. This is a horror anthology, so be sure to have your character in some kind of horror story--but, we are open to what that story is! We welcome haunted houses, ghost stories, creature features, splatterpunk, serial killers, witches, monsters, you name it. Just make sure your story features at least one fat protagonist. Fat people are often degraded in literature, especially in horror. It’s disheartening to see someone’s natural body be portrayed as disgusting and inherently bad. Diet Riot: A Fatterpunk Anthology aims to give that trope the heartiest “fuck you” that our big selves can muster. So go on, send us what you’ve got!
Submission Hints
We want to encourage submissions from authors who are women, BIPOC, queer, trans, disabled, and/or neurodivergent; but all are welcome to submit! Stories must have at least one fat protagonist, ideally the main character. While they can be anti-heroes, their fatness must not be part of what makes them evil. We want this to be a diverse and inclusive anthology. We welcome and encourage stories with characters who are queer, non-cis, non-white, disabled, and/or neurodivergent. Story length: 4000-6000 words Payment: $25 flat rate, plus one paperback contributor copy. Original fiction only, no reprints. Simultaneous submissions okay, though please let us know right away if your story is accepted somewhere else. No multiple submissions, please. We will not accept stories where fatness is equated with disgust, poor health, low self-esteem, evil, lack of sex appeal, etc. This is a fat-positive anthology. We welcome love, romance, and sex, but please no straight-up porn or erotica. No rape, molestation, pedophilia, or bestiality.
My Insights
I LOVE the concept of this anthology. It appears to be the brain child of Nico Bell, a horror author herself. She provides editing services, and writes short stories. I am currently working on a story about a mermaid type seal lady stuck on an island...
Horror and Speculative
Archive of the odd
Details
Issue #1 Open submissions Oct 1-Dec 1
Editor: Andrew S. Fuller
Pay: $25 for 5000plus, $20 for 2000-4999, $15 for 500-1999
Word range: 500-7500
Reprints? No
Simultaneous? Yes
Description
Stories can be in any format except traditional prose. Forum messages? Police Blotters? Receipts? Basically they want to see some unusual formatting.
Submission Hints
All work should be speculative with horror preferred. Go ahead and try mixed media if you like. Even a webpage format, but submit it in pdf. (they pay by word though)
They read blind. Keep your name off the doc.
When it comes to formats, think of any of the millions of ways humans communicate information. Heck, we’ll take non-human communication means. Here’s a non-exhaustive list:
Academic papers
Technical writing
Medication warning sheets
Junk mail
Sales papers
Newspaper articles
Recipes
Knitting/crochet/weaving/what-have-you guides
Social media
Book blurbs
Encyclopedia entries
Care guides (plant, animal, rock garden, etc)
Reviews
Sample Rejection
This is a new market, I've never submitted - looks neat though.
Gothic Fantasy
Flame Tree
Details
THEME: Weird Horror
Deadline: November 21
Editor: Taylor Bentley
Pay: 6 cents per word
Word range: 2000-4000
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? No
*** This is an EARLY NOTICE I received by signing up for their newsletter. For more early Flame Tree submissions, join up!
Description
Across our list, powerful and eloquent artists such as Erté and Alphonse Mucha are complemented by extensive licenses in our award-winning calendar line, with Tate, V&A, RSC, RA and many others. With a wide range of authors, editors and writers, from Vladimir Ashkenazy, Steve Hackett, John Howe, Sir George Martin, Brian May, Paul du Noyer, Paco Peña, Stanley Sadie we strive to make illustrated projects that are affordable, useful and beautiful. Alongside our print titles, our exceptional range of practical cookbooks, music, popular culture and lifestyle books are increasingly available in digital formats. We believe that well-judged, considered content should be curated into the many different formats that our readers demand. And, we’re launching a new Trade list, FLAME TREE PRESS, for SF, Fantasy, Crime and Horror fiction, with biographies on art and music. More news soon.
Submission Hints
With stories from modern writers and the founding fathers of horror fiction weird or cosmic horror combines the dark brooding shadows of the night with the presence of elder gods at the edges of our world. Algernon Blackwood, M.R. James and H.P. Lovecraft sit alongside new tales by new writers from open submissions.
Sample Rejection
I've gotta a few from Mr. Bentley. He often personalized his NOs.
Many thanks for your interest in this project, and your patience while we made final decisions. Our submissions call for Strange Lands was met with a good response, so we have been kept very busy with the process of reading and selecting stories. The final choices were based on a number of factors, such as the mix of tales and presence of much older fiction in the book, the story lengths, and the need to retain the distinctive character of the theme.
I'm afraid we won’t be going ahead with your work this time. We would still be happy to consider stories from you in future, so if you would like to submit to us again please watch out for opportunities via our newsletter, website and social media pages.
Best wishes,
Horror
Hex on the Beach
Details
Publisher Horror Oasis
Open for submissions: till Nov 15
Pay: $25
Word range: 1000-10,000 max
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? Yes
Description
For this anthology they are looking for 80's slasher heavy in nostalgia.
In general they are looking for
Horrifying short stories, interviews and editorials matching the theme as it relates to all mediums of the horror genre including books, comics, music, movies, art and television 1,000 to 10,000 words in length. We also encourage writers to include good representation of POC, LGBTQ+, and women.
Submission Hints
Hex on the Beach is an indie horror community-focused magazine by Horror Oasis featuring interviews, reviews, editorials and fiction by genre enthusiasts. I know nothing about them. Yet.
My Insights
I am so intrigued by this call.
Science Fiction Horror
DARK Void
Details
OPEN November 1-30th
Editor: Benjamin DeHaan
Pay: 5 cents per word
word range: 3000-4000
Simultaneous submissions?No
Reprints? No
Description
Dark Void Magazine is a biannual science fiction horror magazine featuring four original short stories that take place off planet Earth.
Submission Hints
If your story is on Earth it will be rejected...
My Experience
Nothing yet, but I like the idea of this and I have a story about a Mechanical Macaw on "Planet Ten" and an AI uprising I haven't sold yet. So... I am going to try here. Here is a pic of my Macaw, created by a 12 year old friend of mine. Devin Towrie.
Salty Sea-Dogs (fantasy? sci fi?)
Pirating Pups
Details
Tyche Books
Deadline November 30
$50 Can
Editor: Ronda Parrish
word range:under 7500
Simultaneous submissions?No
Reprints? No
Description
I am looking for adventure-loving dogs, puns, water and fun. I’m looking for sailors, submariners, explorers, Vikings and more. Fun stories filled with excitement, drama, treasure-seeking, sword fights, discovering new worlds and dogs, dogs, dogs! All. The. Dogs. Be careful not to get too caught up in the fun and forget to include a strong plot and detailed characters for your story, though. I’m a sucker for a great setting, three-dimensional characters and high stakes, and if your story elicits real emotion from me—laughter, tears or anything in between—you will have increased your chances of acceptance significantly. We don’t deserve dogs. But we do deserve an anthology of pirating pups!
Submission Hints
Tyche Books is a Canadian small-press specializing in science-fiction and fantasy anthologies, novels, and non-fiction, all available as ebooks and trade paperbacks. We crave innovative stories that push the boundaries of our imaginations. We want to discover new voices and propel established authors further along their journey. Our name “Tyche” (pronounced Tie-key) comes from the Greek goddess of fortune and prosperity. Tyche is also the name of the hypothetical gas planet in the Oort cloud. We felt it was the perfect balance of mythology and science, much like our press. Based out of Alberta, Canada, we are the new home of BOLD Science Fiction, Fantasy and related Non-Fiction.
Insights
I submitted to their call for "The Astronaut Only Rings Twice." I sent in my story about Maisie the Macaw. (see above.) I knew it was a stretch. lol. Here is my rejection:
Thank you for submitting your story 'Maisie and the Missing Ticket' for consideration in the anthology The Astronaut Rings Twice. Unfortunately, we've decided to pass on your submission. It was enjoyed but we found it did not match the overall theme or tone of what we are looking for in this anthology. We wish you every success in the future.
We would like to thank you again for sharing this story with us and for your interest in our project.
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