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Really easy to use. Full of quotes from the coolest people.
Horror
Monstroddities
Details
Deadline: December 31
Editor: Ben Walker
Pay: $50 per story
Word range: 1,000-3,000
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? No
Description
Sliced Up Press is looking for short stories & poetry involving obscure creatures and phenomena for its third horror fiction anthology, Monstroddities, edited by Ben Walker. Terrify us with your best story or poem about monsters or unexplained occurrences that are rarely used in horror. Think cryptids, long-forgotten myths, melt monsters…phenomena like spontaneous combustion, dark matter, physical impossibilities – if you’ve ever wondered why there isn’t more horror about a particular thing, that’s what we’d like to see – the weirder the better. Set it in the present, the past, the future, on Earth or not – as long as it’s frightening.
Submission Hints
All submissions must be in the horror genre. Bizarro, splatterpunk and extreme horror are welcome, but we don’t want anything involving rape, bestiality etc. As always we’re especially interested in submissions from women, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ authors Please don’t use creatures/monsters from any existing properties including SCPs that are not your own unless they’re firmly in the international public domain Please don’t reference real-life cases/victims etc. No “classic” monsters or spins on tropes like zombies, werewolves or vampires All submissions must be original. We will not accept reprints, or stories/poetry published elsewhere, including on blogs, social media etc. Submit your best work in modern or classic manuscript format (as outlined on www.shunn.net/format), as an MS Word .doc or .docx attachment. Anything sent in a different format will be rejected without reply Authors may submit 1 (one) story and 1 (one) poem maximum for consideration – if you want to send both, please send them in separate emails Do not re-send stories/poems that have been rejected for previous calls to Sliced Up Press anthologies. No simultaneous submissions please.
Sample Rejection
This is a new market for me.
Comic Science-Fiction
Three time travelers walk into...
Details
Deadline: December 9
Publisher: Ian Randal Strock
Pay: 5c a word
Word range: around 4000
Simultaneous submissions? ?
Reprints? No
Description
Take any three famous people from history, toss them together, and have an adventure. How they got together is up to you – you could do an origin story of how they first met or you could write the story as if they had been adventuring for years. You can use a time machine or a rip in space/time or quantum magic or whatever. You could have some sort of universal translator or you can have the language barrier be part of your plotline. And these three people should be really separate if possible, from different cultures and times. That’s part of the fun… I’m now accepting story submissions for this upcoming anthology. You’ll be in great company, with New York Times Bestselling authors and multiple award-winning authors like David Gerrold, Jonathan Maberry, Peter David, Allen Steele, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Adam-Troy Castro, Jody Lynn Nye, Gail Z. Martin, Keith DeCandido, James Moore, and L. Penelope!
Submission Hints
Make sure there’s a story there. Often, I receive submissions that have a great concept but there’s no story underneath. The great concept is just the start of your story.
Sample Rejection
Don't have one from them yet!
Horror & Dark Fantasy
into the forest
Details
Deadline: December 31
Anthology: Black Spot Books
Pay: 6 cents per word
word range: 1,000-5,000
Simultaneous submissions?No
Reprints? No
Description
Deep in the dark forest, in a cottage that moves through the forest on birds’ legs behind a fence topped with human skulls, lives the baba yaga. A guardian of the water of life, she lives with her sisters and takes to the skies in a giant mortar and pestle, creating tempests as she goes. Those who come across the baba yaga may find help, or hinderance, or horror. She is wild, she is woman, she is witch—and these are her tales.
Submission Hints
We are looking for stories inspired by and featuring the BABA YAGA. INTO THE FOREST: Tales of the Baba Yaga is a women-in-horror anthology. All writers who identify as women are welcome to submit.
My experience
This is another new market for me. From Wikipedia: In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga is a supernatural being who appears as a deformed or ferocious-looking old woman. In Slavic culture, Baba Yaga lived in a hut usually described as standing on chicken legs. Baba Yaga may help or hinder those that encounter her or seek her out.
Mystery & Crime
The land of 10,000 crimes
Details
Deadline: December 31
Editors: Greg Herren and Terri Bischoffk
Pay: $75 and a copy
Word range: Max 5000
Simultaneous submissions? ?
Reprints? No
Description
Mystery and Crime stories to be set in Minnesota or Minnesota adjacent (Wisconsin, Iowa, Canada, the Dakotas).
We are pleased to announce there will be a short story anthology for Bouchercon 2022 – The Land of 10,000 Crimes. Our goal is to raise money for the Women’s Prison Book Project. All of the proceeds, after publishing costs, will go to the WPBP, along with the proceeds from our live and silent auctions.
Submission Hints
I couldn't really find any... I've never heard of Bouchercon before. It is the World Mystery Convention. It's going to be held Sept 8-11, 2022 in Minneapolis.
Sample Rejection
Don't have one from them yet!
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Zombies need brains - 3 anthologies
Details
Open for submissions: till December 31
Pay 8c a word
Word range: up to 7500 words
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? no
Description
Noir: Science fiction, fantasy, or urban fantasy stories with a detective/private investigator set-up and a noir atmosphere
Shattering the Glass Slipper: Stories of known fairy tales that have been upended, gender-bent, or twisted around in some way.
Brave New Worlds: Science fiction stories set along the pathway of us leaving Earth for the stars
Submission Hints
NOIR is to feature science fiction, fantasy, or urban fantasy stories with a detective/private investigator set-up and a noir atmosphere. We would like a wide variety of genre settings for this anthology, specifically SF and second world fantasy settings. In other words, we don’t want the entire anthology to be urban fantasy settings. We also want storylines where the SF or fantasy element is essential to the mystery or its solution. As always, we are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.
SHATTERING THE GLASS SLIPPER is to feature stories of known fairy tales that have been upended, gender-bent, or twisted around in some way. Stories featuring less famous fairy tales, especially those from non-European cultures, will have a better chance of catching our eye. In other words, we don’t want 100 Cinderella stories. If we do, it’s likely that only one, at most, would be selected for the anthology. Take note of which fairy tales the anchor authors intend to use (listed in the description of the Kickstarter at tinyurl.com/ZNB2021), since their stories are already guaranteed to be in the anthology. It’s unlikely we’ll select a second story using the same fairy tale. And please note—this isn’t just a re-telling of a fairy tale: we want you to take the story and upend it. Give us a new moral lesson, tell us what happened to the other stepsister, or just surprise us. Be creative, choose something different, and have the fairy tale upended in an interesting way. We are looking for a mix of fantasy and science fiction stories in a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.
BRAVE NEW WORLDS is to feature science fiction stories set along the pathway of us leaving Earth for the stars. Stories can be set during our departure from Earth, on the long journey to reach a new planet, or upon arrival at said planet. Generation ship or colony ship stories are allowed, as well as terraforming stories once the new planet is reached. Stories featuring the human element to these types of journeys will receive more attention than strictly plot-based stories. Be creative and come up with an unusual and unexpected take on this “pathway to the stars” story. We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.
My Insights
I sent them my mermaid story for Shattering the Glass Slipper-- its now a play on the Little Mermaid. "The Not So Little Mermaid." It's one of three stories I am making the rounds with.
Speculative / Literary
The TEMZ Review
Details
Editor: Aaron Schneider & Amy Mitchell
Open for submissions: December 1
Pay $20
Word range: up to 10,000 words
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? no
Description
The /tƐmz/ Review is a literary journal based in London, Ontario that publishes fiction, poetry, and reviews. We publish 4 issues per year (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter), and we focus on publishing work from a diverse range of emerging and established voices. Our goal is to reflect a wide variety of editorial perspectives and publish an eclectic mix of writing.
Submission Hints
We are looking for innovative short fiction from diverse voices. Our preference is for the strange, the experimental and the boundary-pushing, but we are open to a wide range of styles and voices.
My Insights
I haven't submitted here yet, but they have been on my radar for a while. Being Canadian and all.
Dark Fantastical Fiction
Apex Magazine
Details
Currently OPEN
Editor: Jason Sizemore
Pay: 8 cents per word
Word range: up to 7,500
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? No
Description
Apex Magazine focuses on dark and spectacular science fiction, fantasy and horror. Publishing bi-monthly, it used to be called Apex Digest and has been nominated for several awards. It went on hiatus for a while, but is back in business and accepting submissions.
Submission Hints
Apex Magazine is an online zine of fantastical fiction. We publish short stories filled with marrow and passion, works that are twisted, strange, and beautiful. Creations where secret places and dreams are put on display. We publish in two forms: an every-other-month eBook issue and a gradual release of an entire issue online over a two-month period. Along with the genre short fiction, there are interviews with authors and nonfiction essays about current issues. Additionally, we produce a monthly podcast of narrated original short fiction.”
Sample Rejection
Here is my latest from this open submission call.
Thank you for submitting "The Emotives of Wasp 76-b" to Apex Magazine. We appreciate the chance to read it. Unfortunately, the story does not meet our needs at this time. We're going to pass. I wish you the best of luck finding a home for "The Emotives of Wasp 76-b" and I hope to read something new from you soon.
Fantasy & Science Fiction
Clarkesworld
Details
Rolling Submission Window OPEN
Publisher/Editor: Neil Clarke
Pay: 10 cents per word
Word range: 1,000 - 22,000
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? No
Description
Clarkesworld is an award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine. A SFWA-qualifying market, it was first published in 2006 and is one of the top places speculative fiction writers want to see their work. It comes out monthly, and contains interviews, stories, and articles. They accept stories from all over the world and say translations are welcome. They also have a podcast which features a story from the current issue.
Submission Hints
The submission guidelines state: “Science fiction need not be “hard” SF, but rigor is appreciated. Fantasy can be folkloric, contemporary, surreal, etc. That said, there are some things that we’ve grown tired of and can be difficult or impossible to sell to us: (this is not a challenge) • stories that include zombies or zombie-wannabes • stories about sexy vampires, wanton werewolves, wicked witches, or demonic children • stories about rapists, murderers, child abusers, or cannibals • stories where the climax is dependent on the spilling of intestines • stories in which a milquetoast civilian government is depicted as the sole obstacle to either catching some depraved criminal or to an uncomplicated military victory • stories where the Republicans, or Democrats, or Libertarians, or . . . (insert any established political party or religion here) take over the world and either save or ruin it • stories in which the words “thou” or “thine” appear • stories with talking cats or swords • stories where FTL travel or time travel is as easy as is it on television shows or movies • stories about young kids playing in some field and discovering ANYTHING. (a body, an alien craft, Excalibur, ANYTHING). • stories about the stuff you just read in Scientific American or saw on the news • stories about your RPG character’s adventures • “funny” stories that depend on, or even include, puns • stories where the protagonist is either widely despised or widely admired simply because he or she is just so smart and/or strange • stories originally intended for someone’s upcoming theme anthology or issue (everyone is sending those out, wait a while) • your trunk stories • stories that try to include all of the above”
Sample Rejection
Also a rejection from November:
Thank you for the opportunity to read "The Not So Little Mermaid." Unfortunately, your story isn't quite what we're looking for right now.
In the past, we've provided detailed feedback on our rejections, but I'm afraid that due to time considerations, we're no longer able to offer that service. I appreciate your interest in Clarkesworld Magazine and hope that you'll keep us in mind in the future.
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...
yes the one that Clarkeworld rejected.
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