It's 2022, and I've made a few NEW YEAR'S resolutions!
I really want to find the time to write 6 novels in a series this year. (Apparently that is how you make $$$) But I spend too much time sipping my Chardonnay. So I made myself this little book. (another way to procrastinate ACTUALLY writing my novel.)
Get it for only $8.99! (Basically printing cost) Limited time only
Bizarro Fiction
peculiar monstrosities
Details
Open Jan 1- March 1
Editor:?
Pay: 20 Euros
Word range: 4000-7000
Simultaneous submissions NO
Reprints? yes
Description
Your chance to be a part of Planet Bizarro’s first EVER anthology. We are looking for 4000-7000 word stories involving bizarre monsters. They could be bloodthirsty, benevolent, pets, or whatever else you can dream up. Keep in mind that this is first and foremost BIZARRO, although we also love horror, humour, and stories with a message (subtle). Keep it weird, wacky, and bizarre. Expected to be published in April 2022.
Submission Hints
To give you an idea, some of the stories we particularly enjoy are by Carlton Mellick III, Michael Allen Rose, Danger Slater, Brian Allen Carr, David W. Barbee, Douglas Hackle, Shane McKenzie and many, many more. We recommend you familiarize yourself with the genre before submitting. FORMATTING: Standard Shunn formatting. Nothing fancy, please. Word doc/docx attachment to an email, as well as a short bio of no more than 100 words and up to two author links.
Sample Rejection
new market for me
Science Fiction
SFS Stories
Details
Editor: J.A. Taylor & Rod Castor
Pay: $25
range: 1,000 or less
Simultaneous submissions?not sure
Reprints? No
Description
A flash-fiction publication dedicated to Sci-Fi stories under 1,000 words, so you can read at least one on your potty break.
I contacted J.A. Taylor to clarify payment and market information. "Sci-Fi Shorts is online only and not a paying market. SF Stories is a monthly ebook with print annuals and pays $25 for original stories. SFS also accepts reprints without payment. And yes international authors can be paid"
Submission Hints
Read a few stories on Sci-Fi Shorts. If you enjoy any, let the author(s) know and follow the publication. Help spread the word by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as we promote our published pieces there. Let us know your handle — we love tagging our authors so they can get maximum exposure.
Your submission must be SCIENCE FICTION. No rants, politics, or personal essays disguised as sci-fi. If you’re new to writing sci-fi or flash fiction in general, here are some tips. Also, please only one submission at a time. Once your story is rejected or published, feel free to submit your next piece.
We have a style we like to maintain here at Sci-Fi Shorts. We will not publish any erotica, graphic, or obscene material. Leave the harsh profanity for the other pubs. Keep it clean. Keep it classy.
Insights
This is a new market for me, you must have a MEDIUM account to submit. (which is free)
Dark Literary Fiction
34 Orchard
Details
Editor: Kristi Peterson Schoonover
Open for submissions: Jan 1-31
Pay $50
Word range: 1,000-7500
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? no
Description
Kristi Peterson Schoonover has been one of my most amazing finds in my exploration of speculative fiction. She has given me exceptional advice and has taken the time to communicate personally. Schoonover says: “There are two types of writing that I really love. Literary stories with prose that takes your breath away and transports you into another world. Then I also love to be scared, made uncomfortable and sometimes even shocked. 34 Orchard is a new literary on-line journal that combines both.”
Submission Hints
The website defines what they publish: “At 34 Orchard, we like dark, intense pieces that speak to a deeper truth. We’re not genre-specific; we just like scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad. We like things we can’t put down and things that make us go “wow” when we’ve finished. But our main goal here at 34 Orchard is to publish the stuff we like to read, and you’re not in our heads. So, don’t over think it. Just submit. We are an international journal and welcome submissions from everyone, all over the world.”
My Insights
Though I haven’t sold her any stories yet, she has taken the time to give me thoughtful advice. She even did some editing and plot suggestions for two of my pieces she rejected. I’ve submitted to 34 Orchard four times. “A Melody for Measure”, “The Foreign Student”, “The Black Hole of Enlightenment” and “Shafted” have all been turned down. I asked her if I could resubmit "The Foreign Student” after I’d done some extensive editing on it and she replied: “Actually, the reason we passed on this story didn't have anything to do with its quality (as is the case with most stories--many times, the reason the story doesn't get picked up for a publication has to do with that particular publication's vision). I enjoyed this story, but it's just not quite the "vibe" I'm looking for for 34 Orchard, and if you asked me exactly what that was, I couldn't tell you. I just know it when I see it. So, re-submitting it, in this case, won't make a difference. Most editors, when they love a story, will take it even if it has a few issues; these are things that can be worked on in the editing process. I'm sure the improvements you made are fantastic! It should now have a better shot at a different publication. I wish you the best of luck! You can feel free to submit a different story any time during our open call.” I self-published “A Melody for Measure” and “The Foreign Student”. She gives some great insight in her interview with me for Horrortree.
Speculative
gothic ghost story anthology
Details
Open Jan 1-
April 2022
Editors:Stephanie Ellis & Alyson Faye
Pay: 5 Euros
Word range: 3000-5000
Simultaneous submissions yes
Reprints?
Description
One of the guilty pleasures of Christmas, is that moment when you pull a favourite book from the shelf and reread it for the umpteenth time. Those wintry tales of ghosts and hauntings have become part of a much-loved tradition in this country.
Black Angel Press want to add to this genre by providing a collection of new tales from female writers; this includes those who identify as women and both new and experienced writers alike.
We are looking for quiet gothic darkness and whilst stories can be set in the traditional Victorian environment, we are also very much open to any who take the gothic tropes and place them in the present – or even the future.
The anthology will consist of 20 stories and be a mixture of invitation and submission.
Submission Hints
stories should be 3-5k but we will allow a little flexibility if the story demands it. Manuscripts should be in Shunn format and either .doc or .docx – do NOT send in the body of the email. The first page should include contact details. Your covering email need only be brief, addressed to myself and Alyson (Faye) and should also include a short bio. If you are at the start of your publishing journey and are worried about lack of credits, don’t be. Use the bio to share the books and authors you love and a little about you. Send to: blackangelpress66@gmail.com
Personal Insight
Even though the payment is lower than I normally post, I was approached directly through my author email by Alyson Faye. She reads this blog post. (Cue me being super excited.) I agreed to help the promote this call. So let's send in our stories for these ladies!
Literary Adventure Fantasy
beneath ceaseless skies
Details
Ongoing
Editor: Scott H. Andrews
Pay: 8 cents per word
Word range: under 15,000 words
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? No
Description
Beneath Ceaseless Skies has been bringing fantasy adventure stories from pre-tech worlds to readers since October, 2008. This is another SFWA-qualifying magazine with absolutely breathtaking cover art and award-winning short stories.
Submission Hints
“We love traditional adventure fantasy, but we also love how the influence of literary writing on fantasy short fiction has expanded the genre, encouraging writers to use literary devices such as tight points-of-view and discontinuous narratives; to feature conflicts that are internal as well as external. We want stories that combine the best of both these styles—set in vivid fantasy or historical paranormal worlds but written with all the flair and impact of modern literary-influenced fantasy.” To help understand what kind of world they’re looking for; here is how they describe secondary-world settings: “We want stories set in what Tolkien called a “secondary world”: some other world that is different from our own primary world in some way. It could be different in terms of zoology (non-human creatures), ecology (climate), or physical laws (the presence of magic). It could be set on Earth but an Earth different from our modern-day primary world in terms of time (the pre-modern historical past of our real-world Earth) or history (alternate history from our Earth’s history). It could have a “pre-tech” level of technology, or steampunk technology, or magic as technology, or anything else that’s not advanced or modern technology. However, the setting should contain some element that is in some way fantastical, and the qualities of the setting should have some bearing on the rest of the story. We are NOT interested in urban fantasy or other types of stories set in our modern, contemporary “real world,” even if they contain fantasy elements, or in stories that move between the real world and a fantasy world.”
Sample Rejection
I just recently got a rejection from Scott H. Andrews. He is one of those rare editors who will give you comments and advice if your story is close to what he is looking for. Here is my note from my December submission:
Thanks very much for sending this story to _Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
Unfortunately, it's not quite right for me. I found the description
vivid, but some of the details felt to me a bit more hooky and less
clear than I needed in order for me to suspend my disbelief, like "laser
phone", and the characterization of Paulina felt to me more focused on
familiar aesthetics that I found objectifying than I needed in order for
that situation to engage me.
We appreciate your interest in our magazine. Please feel free to submit
other work in the future.
Fantasy & Dark Fantasy
fantasy magazine
Details
Editor-in-Chief: Arley Sorg
UPDATE-OPENS TO ALL WRITERS FEB. 1
Opens in January to BIPOC writers,.
Pay: 8 cents per word
range: 1,500-7,500
Simultaneous submissions?No
Reprints? No
Description
Fantasy Magazine is a digital magazine focusing exclusively on the fantasy genre. In its pages, you will find all types of fantasy—dark fantasy, contemporary urban tales, surrealism, magical realism, science fantasy, high fantasy, folktales…and anything and everything in between.
Submission Hints
Fantasy is entertainment for the intelligent genre reader—we publish stories of the fantastic that make us think, and tell us what it is to be human.
Sample Rejection
“Thank you for submitting "The Museum of The Lost People," but it didn't quite work for us. We hope you are able to place this one elsewhere.”
Literary
nothing without us too
Details
Editors: Cait Gordon & Talia C. Johnson
Open till January 31
Pay: 8 cents per word
range: 500-3500
Simultaneous submissions?Yes
Reprints? No
To submit, they want you to have lived the experience if you send an in-depth POV story.
Description
For the Nothing Without Us Too anthology, we will be seeking original, unpublished short fiction (no reprints, not even if the story had previously appeared on a website or blog) between 500–3500 words, maximum. We won’t accept stories longer than 3500 words, excluding the title. We also won’t be accepting poetry for this anthology.
All works must be fiction—genre fiction (romance, speculative fiction, science fiction, paranormal, mystery, fantasy, humour, and so on) and realistic/literary fiction. We will not be reading submissions in the erotica genre, and we won’t be reading fanfiction.
The protagonist must be disabled, Blind, d/Deaf, neurodivergent (such as autistic, having ADHD), and/or they must manage mental illness and/or chronic illness. Again, we will only be interested in previously unpublished works.
Submission Hints
We welcome writers (age 18 and older) across the disability, mental illness, developmental disabilities, neurodiversity, Blind, and d/Deaf spectrums. We welcome those who manage what are known as “invisible” and “visible” disabilities and/or chronic conditions. We welcome those who count spoons!
The lived experiences of those who are disabled, d/Deaf, Blind, Spoonie, neurodivergent, and/or of those who manage mental health are found across all demographics—such as race, culture, financial status, religion, gender, age, and/or sexual orientation. We want to read these stories because diversity is reality, and should be so, even in fantastical or other speculative fiction settings.
Regarding publishing experience, we welcome established, emerging, and brand-new authors! Don’t self-reject. If this is your first time submitting anywhere, that’s fantastic! Whoot!
If you submitted to Nothing Without Us, but we didn’t choose your story, you are welcome to submit something for Nothing Without Us Too! Only authors who were published in Nothing Without Us can’t submit to Nothing Without Us Too.
Even though we welcome submissions from around the globe, because we have received grants to produce Nothing Without Us Too, the Canadian organization who issued these grants requires that we reach a certain quota of what’s known as Canadian content. (This doesn’t mean the content of the stories has to be Canadian, because you might be writing about space wizards from another galaxy, but rather, it has to do with who we are publishing.) So, we will be asking our authors to identify as from Canada/Turtle Island or as International. We invite all our Indigenous authors to state their citizenship in the way that feels most comfortable and accurate to them. Indigenous authors are also welcome to exempt themselves from the CND/TI and INT requirements—we just ask that you let us know if you are situated within Canadian borders, so we can keep track of what the Canadian granting organizations will acknowledge as part of our quota. (We really appreciate you letting us know, and we thank you in advance for this information.)*
My Insights
The website says they have received enough "ghost" stories. So don't send any of those...
“The manifesto of plucky editors Cait Gordon and Talia C. Johnson for this anthology was to gather great short stories that not only centre the disabled experience (all main characters are disabled, Deaf, neurodiverse, spoonie, and/or managing mental illness or chronic conditions), but also buck the tired tropes that dominate disabled representation.”CHERIE PYNE, THE MONTREAL REVIEW OF BOOKS: CENTERING DIFFERENCES
Fairy Tales
enchanted conversation
Details
Submission Window: Jan 1-3rd
Theme: Weather
Editor: Kate
Pay: $50
range:750-1000
Simultaneous submissions? not sure
Multiple Submissions: hard No
Reprints? No
Description
New Fairy Tales: Fairy tales that are almost or entirely new or are just new takes on old tales are all welcome. Mashups of existing fairy tales are welcome as well. Submissions must follow the theme below to be considered.
Poetry: Poetry inspired by fairy tales and that follows the theme is also welcome.
The theme for 2022 is “weather.” That means rain, blizzards, hail, lightning, hurricanes, thunder, heat, clouds. That’s it. Weather. How you use weather is up to you. It does not need to be a major part of a story or poem, but it does need to be discernibly part of the work.
What does that mean? It means you should submit works that have at least an element of the theme above. You may retell an existing fairy tale or use a story for a jumping off place for your poem or story. You can mashup two or more fairy tales. The theme may figure into your work in subtle or large ways. It’s all up to you.
Remember, stories and poems must have the theme in them, even though it needn’t be a huge part of the story. You do not have to write about magic, but do bear in mind that all fairy tale related fiction and poetry needs an element of the supernatural—as well as transformation.
Submission Hints
You must be 18 years old or older, but may be from any country. Only works in English, please. You should try to use American English word forms and punctuation.
Absolutely none of the following for any submissions: Sci-fi, lengthy grossout descriptions of bodily functions or injuries, dystopian, descriptions of people’s bodies through the objectifying eyes of the protagonist, erotica, high fantasy, stage magic, excessive world building, time-travel, horror/gore, futuristic, space travel, western, love triangles. Also, EC is NOT a young children's publication. Period. It's essential that you read past EC stories and nonfiction to see what we will publish going forward. EC is a web publication only.
Sample Rejection
I haven't sent them anything yet, but plan to on January 1.
Multi-media project
wayward & Upward
Details
Deadline: January 30th, 2022
Editor-in-Chief: Marion Lougheed
Pay: $50- $100
range: 1,500-3000
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? No
Description
A multimedia project inspired by the electrosymphonic album “Wayward & Upward” by Spinoza Gambit. The music already exists. Your job is to come up with stories and poems that resonate.
This anthology will include one short story and three poems for each track on this album.
Short stories and poems must use the same title as the relevant track.
Draw inspiration from the title, but be sure to also listen to the track. Imagine that the track is the main theme or opening music in a movie that is your story or poem.
All genres welcome. Open to anyone in the world.
Submission Hints
Take a look at the link to see what songs still need material written for them.
Personal Insight
This is the first time I've seen a project like this. It looks interesting.
The Re-Invented Detective
arc Manor
Details
Deadline Jan 15th
Editors: Jennifer Brozek & Cat Rambo
Pay: 8 cents per word
range: 1,500-5000
Simultaneous submissions? yes
Reprints? No
Description
As we move forward into the age of information, what happens to our ideas of detection and crime? How do you handle it when your smart car blackmails you or you need to murder the downloaded personality of your enemy? What acts to enforce society's norms and catch those violating them in the future? Will our definitions of crime — or punishment — change, and what new forms of either might appear? Among the stories we hope to see: Updated tropes like but not limited to the hardboiled detective, the police procedural, or the locked room mystery. Kidnapped AIs, stolen memories and identities, virtual crimes vs physical ones. What constitutes murder when the victim's got a backup? What if you accidentally unplug someone's server? Stories that experiment, astonish, and entertain. This is our open call. Writers of color, QUILTBAG writers, writers with disabilities, and neuro-diverse writers are actively encouraged to apply, as are writers from outside the United States.
Submission Hints
All submissions should be submitted through our Moksha portal. Please remove identifying information from the manuscript, but otherwise use standard manuscript format. In the cover letter, list your full author name, the title of your work, and the word count.
Sample Rejection
I've never submitted to them before.
Solarpunk
solarpunk magazine
Details
Deadline January 14
Not sure who the fiction editors are
Pay: 8 cents per word
range: 500-7500
Simultaneous submissions?No
Reprints? No
Description
Solarpunk Magazine publishes hopeful short stories and poetry that strive for a utopian ideal, that are set in futures where communities are optimistically struggling to solve or adapt to climate change, to create or maintain a world in which humanity, technology, and nature coexist in harmony rather than in conflict. We also publish solarpunk art as well as nonfiction that explores real world, contemporary topics and their intersection with the solarpunk movement for a better future.
Submission Hints
Our fiction editors are interested in works that stir readers with themes of defiance, change, and achievement. This effect isn’t likely to come via high concept utopias alone, but rather, from vibrant characters whose struggles affect the reader. Speculative elements should be apparent but not dominating; our disbelief suspended not by necessity, but immersion. Any genre of science fiction, interstitial fiction, magic realism, or fantasy has potential as a solarpunk forum—we welcome robots and elves with equal excitement.
Insight
I just like the word "Solarpunk".
Details
Deadline: January 17th
Editor: Sean Clancy
Pay: 4 cents per word
range: 2000-6000
Simultaneous submissions?Yes
Reprints? No
Description
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.
Submission Hints
“On Planet Scumm, we want to read stories that are different and unexpected. Stories that introduce new ideas, or that look at old ideas with a fresh perspective. They are looking for: 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.”
My Experience with Them
They actually were holding my story "A Deadful Friday the 13th" for consideration when I withdrew it after having it accepted by Creepy Pod. Very enjoyable to correspond with them.
A FAN OF STARGATE ATLANTIS?
Rachel Luttrell reads Wyatt & the Whog on the podcast Read Me A Nightmare, and gives an exclusive interview.
Yes, she played the ferocious warrior Teyla Emmagan
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