HINT! CLICK ON PICTURE TO BE TAKEN DIRECTLY TO SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR EACH MARKET.
Horror
ghoulish tales
Details
Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing
Editors: Max Booth & Lori Michelle
Open for submissions: till Feb 15th
Pay 7c a word
Word range: max 5000
Simultaneous submissions? yes
Reprints? no
Description
As many of you already know, a few months ago we decided to discontinue the long-running Dark Moon Digest after publishing its final, 48th issue. It was a good run and we are immensely proud of the work we accomplished with the digest. But now it is time to move forward. Which brings us to Ghoulish Tales, our latest experiment with short horror fiction.
Submission Hints
What we are after: short stories that fit our personal definition of the word GHOULISH, which is “fun horror that aims to celebrate all things spooky.”
Note that we said fun, not funny. Comedic stories are definitely allowed, but it’s not all we’re looking to receive. We want stories that remind us why we love the horror genre. We want to have a perverted little smile across our face while reading. Make us slobber like idiots. Turn us into the Sickos.jpeg meme.
My Insights
I sent them in my story The Outlaw Genie.
Details
Editor: Danny Hanker
Open Jan 2- Sept 29
Pay: 8 cents per word up to $150
word count: 2000 max
for pay up to 10,000 considered
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? yes 1 cent
Description
Whatever happened to the art of storytelling? It's become a lost relic, along with our identities. But here, we're revitalizing this great craft. Don't worry, you're in good hands. After all, if laughter is medicine, then Story Unlikely is therapy for broken souls.
Submission Hints
To put it simply, we're looking for good stories, measured both by the quality of the writing and the skill in storytelling. Here’s what we’re NOT looking for: excessive anything. Think PG-13, R if necessary. We're not attempting to salt the earth with more cultural dogma couched as mediocre fiction, or writers who are jockeying for the title of Most Woke. There’s enough of that already out there. You want to impress us? Write a good story. You want to get published? Write a great one.
Insight
The only caveat is that you have to join their newsletter. This fellow is a friend of fellow Wulf Packer David Hankins. This is a solid market. --ps just spoke to Dan-- he will take non-fiction, as long as it is a story. I entered the Dec contest with my story about a cow. Plus I also entered the reg submissions with Gragon.
Wulf’s Moon’s Kickstarter for his latest book just finished over 1000% funded! Find out why this writing group has changed my life. Get the book and choose from his jaw-dropping seminars as a reward.
Details
Editors: Storm Walden & Greg Clumpner
Open till Feb 28th
Pay: 3 cents per word
range: 5000 max
3,000 sweet spot
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? No
Description
Automation simplifies our lives, to the point where a production facility is so automated it makes no sense wasting energy to run lights. These “dark factories” are currently present in the auto industry, the electronics industry, and even the robotics industry itself. What does the world look like when jobs are automated to the point that the labor force is non-existent? We’re looking for outstanding fantasy, science fiction, weird fiction, and speculative horror—from both new and established writers.
Submission Hints
Humanity craves efficiency, subconsciously forming habits to make each portion of our day more comfortable, allowing us the time and ability to expand our horizons. From Neanderthals learning migration patterns for hunting food to coding scripts to streamline processes to the dream of roads filled with fully autonomous vehicles, we push boundaries to make our lives easier. What happens when our lives become as easy as they can be?
What are the sustainability implications? How does excess free time affect our social structure? What personal habits develop when we’ve already made our work lives as efficient as possible? Are we going to rise above working long hours in drudgery? Will a seven-day weekend be hopeful, lightening the communal load for all to experience joy and freedom every day? What is the cost of that freedom?
Will automation take over society, the world, the universe? What do the unemployed do with their unlimited free time? What are the socioeconomic implications if no one has a job? Is it simpler or more difficult to find daily bliss in our lives?
“Computer” was once a job title, until the humans were replaced by mechanical calculators and, eventually, electronic digital computers. What is the next step in automation evolution? Is it the development of an artificial general intelligence that possesses human-like processing capabilities? Alternatively, could bio-robotics take the leap toward sentience, creating living, breathing, dwellings and vehicles? What rights and entitlements do these evolutions share with humanity? Are these sentient constructs—these beings—also entitled to a weekend?
Think the Weasley household in the Harry Potter series, the Golems of Kabbalah, the Replicants from Blade Runner, Mom’s Friendly Robot Company from Futurama, or the Cylon rebellion from Battlestar Galactica. Go out on a limb and show us something we’ve never conceived.
Insight
I belong to a writing group called the DreamCasters and this is our group challenge! We are all going to submit stories for this call.
Details
Editor: Sean Clancy
Open till Feb 21st
Pay: 6 cents per word
range: 5000 max
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? No
Description
How do you beat the name Planet Scumm? Plus, they have a retro 80’s look to their website. This science fiction magazine is published by Spark & Fizz Books.
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
5 rejections so far. Ive sent them the Outlaw Genie
SHAMELESS PLUG #1
like this list? get more for 99 cents.
This was a sample of what you can find in The Guide of All Guides. Get it from you favorite ebook retailer.
Details
Improbable Press
Editor: Atlin Merrick
Open till Jan 31st
Pay: 5 cents per word
word range: 5000 max
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? No
Description
You suffer. You die. You exist so the hero can have his journey. Who are you?
You're a woman in classic literature.
A black and white photo of a woman walking away from the viewer while on train tracks: Anna Karenina Isn't Dead
Of course this isn't the destiny of every woman, but from Anna Karenina to Jocasta to Cio-Cio-San, from Esmeralda to Aida to Mrs Rochester, death, madness, or suffering is the fate of far too many women in classic stories. Anna Karenina Isn't Dead undoes that.
In this anthology of literary women, these women live. Do they have a happily ever after? Maybe. Do they have a happy-right-now? Oh yes. Feel free to bring your woman to the present, future, to anywhere or anywhen. How your classic heroine finds her peace is up to you.
Tell us a reimagined tale of the famous, the infamous, the barely mentioned woman in an old story, poem, or legend. Give her a better journey than the one she got. (No real life people please.)
Submission Hints
We love urban fantasy, contemporary supernatural, adventures and mysteries that are left of center starring or written by those who have, for too long, been footnotes in another person's story.
That means we love stories headed up by a female-identifying people, or disabled, LGBTQIA, neurodiverse, minority, or ethnic people — in short, tales of those who, as much as anyone, can and do have adventures, joy, romance.
Maybe your protagonists are two robots and a Deaf human, a Black disabled person and a pansexual ghost, a trans white woman and an ancient Indigenous deity. Whomever they are we want to know their story but know this – it must be one about hope. It can also include romance and sex, because that's what people, werewolves, cryptids, and aliens do.
What are we not looking for? Horror or dystopian stories, hard sci-fi, fantasy, or traditional romance.
My Experience with Them
new market
Horror or Dark Fantasy
brigids gate press
Details
Anthology:
Seers and Sibyls
Editor: MJ Pankey
open Jan 1-31
Pay: 8 cents per word
Word range: 500-5000
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? No
Description
Theme: We're looking for stories about the mouthpieces of gods and goddesses. Who interprets their omens, tells their prophecies, sees their visions, and performs their miracles? And to what end?
Must Haves:
Spiritual element (prophecy, omen, vision, conversation with a higher power)
Spiritual medium (Seer, Sibyl, Oracle, Shaman, Priestess, Prophet)
Time period: anytime in the past or present
Location: anywhere on Earth
Submission Hints
Story must include a spiritual element (prophecy, omen, vision, conversation with a higher power, etc) and a medium (Seer, Sibyl, Oracle, Shaman, Priestess, Prophet, etc) in some way Retellings and reimaginings of classic stories are welcome, so long as they offer a new twist. Spiritual elements from any culture or civilization will be considered, so long as the thematic Must Haves are included, and it is does not bash the culture. Can be any genre or combination of fiction
Insights
They have some imaginative calls and good pay. I've had no luck yet. I sent Zelda here
Solarpunk
solarpunk magazine
Details
Open Jan 1 - 14
Editors: Justine Norton-Kertson & Brianna Castagnozzi
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". Scot Noel from DreamForge brought this call to my writing group's attention.
Flash Fiction
cosmic horror monthly
Details
OPEN Jan 1 - Jan 7
Editor: Charles Tyra
3c a word
Word range: 1000-6000
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? No
Description
Cosmic Horror Monthly is seeking Cosmic Horror, Lovecraftian, Weird stories, original only. If you aren’t sure if your work qualifies, submit it and we can decide. No subject is off-limits and we do encourage writers to try and push the status quo.,
At this time, we are strongly favoring stories with a contemporary narrative style. Lovecraftian themes and mythos works are welcomed but try to avoid Lovecraft pastiche and styles mimicking that of his writer circle from the early 20th century. In terms of style, we are fans of Laird Barron, John Langan, Mike Allen, Hailey Piper, etc.
Submission Hints
Most types of horror are welcome but we do prefer the work have a science fiction or otherwise cosmic philosophical leaning. If you aren’t sure if your work qualifies, submit it and we can decide.
My Insight
I have sent them in one story for their Micro-madness call and received a rejection. I've submitted my vampire-y leech story Dolores Doesn't Suck.
Short Story Contest
Quantum steampunk
Details
The Maryland Quantum -Thermodynamics Hub
Open for submissions: till Jan 15th
Grand Prize $1,500
Word range: max 3000
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? No
Description
The Maryland Quantum-Thermodynamics Hub is running the contest this academic year. I’ve argued that quantum thermodynamics—my field of research—resembles the literary and artistic genre of steampunk. Steampunk stories combine Victorian settings and sensibilities with futuristic technologies, such as dirigibles and automata. Quantum technologies are cutting-edge and futuristic, whereas thermodynamics—the study of energy—developed during the 1800s. Inspired by the first steam engines, thermodynamics needs retooling for quantum settings. That retooling is quantum thermodynamics—or, if you’re feeling whimsical (as every physicist should), quantum steampunk.
In an upgrade from my high-school days, we’ll be awarding $4,500 worth of Visa gift certificates. The grand prize entails $1,500. Entries can also win in categories to be finalized during the judging process; I anticipate labels such as Quantum Technology We’d Most Like to Have, Most Badass Steampunk Hero/ine, Best Student Submission, and People’s Choice Award.
Submission Hints
Minimal knowledge of quantum theory is required; if you’ve heard of Schrödinger’s cat, superpositions, or quantum uncertainty, you can pull out your typewriter and start punching away.
Entries must satisfy two requirements: First, stories must be written in a steampunk style, including by taking place at least partially during the 1800s. Transport us to Meiji Japan; La Belle Époque in Paris; gritty, smoky Manchester; or a camp of immigrants unfurling a railroad across the American west. Feel free to set your story partially in the future; time machines are welcome.
Second, each entry must feature at least one quantum technology, real or imagined. Real and under-construction quantum technologies include quantum computers, communication networks, cryptographic systems, sensors, thermometers, and clocks. Experimentalists have realized quantum engines, batteries, refrigerators, and teleportation, too.
Surprise us with your imagined quantum technologies (and inspire our next research-grant proposals).
My Insights
Just Wow. Fellow Wulf Packer David Hankins found this call. Thank you David! I would love to figure out something to submit. Not that I have ever written anything with quantum mechanics....
Any Genre
air & Nothingness press
Details
Anthology: Gargantua
Editor: Todd Saunders
Open Dec 1-Jan31st
Pay: 8 cents per word
word range: exactly 1000
Simultaneous submissions?yes
Reprints? No
decisions by May 15
Description
Shellworlds, Alderson disks, Dyson spheres and swarms, O'Neill cylinders, Matrioshka brains, wormhole networks - these megastructures reshape stellar systems and are evidence of advanced civilizations.
While these ideas usually fall under Hard SF, we are looking for authors to provide stories in any genre they choose. Tell us the tales of advanced civilizations, personal stories of the people who live in these spaces, the mythology that is created as these projects are born, to the time they crumble to stellar dust.
Submission Hints
Todd appears to be a good responsive editor. I interviewed him for Horrortree. For the inside scoop, read the article. I sent him a story called Gragon and the Neptune Nit Infestation.
SHAMELESS PLUG #2
get all three!
Read the stories I sold to publishers and learn more about the people behind the pages…
Amazon Series Page
Paranormal
ALIEN HEAD PRESS
Details
EDITOR: Gaby Triana
open till Jan 20
Pay: 6 cents per word
Word range:2,000-4,000
Simultaneous submissions? NO
Reprints? No
Description
LITERALLY DEAD is back for more ghostly atmospheric moodiness with a new volume: Tales of Holiday Hauntings. We’re inviting writers of dark fiction to submit short stories of classic paranormal, poltergeists, ghosts, spirits, haunted places and objects, and the eerily unexplained that take place on or around the winter holidays.
Submission Hints
NOT looking for: children’s, poetry, long fiction, novellas, flash fiction, slasher, vampires, werewolves, zombies, extreme, or creature horror. Just ghost stories that take place during the winter days of Christmas, Hanukkah, winter solstice, Yule, Kwanzaa, etc. Whimsical, action-packed, funny, terrifying, melancholy…the tone is up to you.
Insights
I wonder if my new MC Alma can have a Christmas themed mystery?
HORROR
DREADSTONE PRESS
Details
Special MicroFiction Call
Deadline jan 1 - 15
Preference to Dread Inducing Stories
Founder: Alec Ebenstein
Pay: 5c a word
Word range: 400 firm
Simultaneous submissions? yes
Reprints? No
Description
Dread Stone Press is a new independent publisher based in Michigan. We make no bones about it – our goal is to publish the best in horror, but we strive to specifically amplify fresh voices in horror. While we love all kinds of dark speculative fiction, as the name suggests, our tastes tend toward horror stories that seep dread. That being said, if you have a story that fits an open submission call, we want to read it.
Submission Hints
Please, for everyone’s sake, no rough drafts. Successful pieces will require little to no proofreading edits.
Sample Rejection
I've sent Harold's Hoist to their micro fiction call.
Dark Literary Fiction
34 Orchard
Details
Editor: Kristi Peterson Schoonover
Open for submissions: Jan 1- 15
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
I've just sold my story Unidentified Climbing Object to 34 Orchard for the Spring 2024 Issue. Kristi is a wonderful editor and I can't wait to work with her.
Literary
Last girls club
Details
Submissions Open: Jan 1- Feb 1
Theme: Panic
Editor in chief: Eda Obey
Pay: 1c per word, $25 max
word range: 2500 or less
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? No
Description
The theme is “Panic”. Either personal panic, like PTSD or phobias; or global panics like epidemics or famine/water. Get creative. We had a panic over baby formula and cat food in the US this year. The sky is the limit for how civilization or an an individual will fall. We're all holding on by our fingernails these days.
Submission Hints
I want stories from the female gaze (think Aliens, Resident Evil, Hereditary, Tank Girl). I’m tired of reading what men want to do to us. I want to read what we want to do to them. Bring me smart female protagonists whose first inclinations are not to seduce the guard to get out of situations; they’ve got skills, they can get violent easily. I’m fine with them developing over the course of the story into someone like that, but please don’t revert to clichés unless you have your tongue firmly in your cheek. Please don’t use graphic rape for fridging purposes. If it’s part of a character’s backstory or development, fine, but don’t shoot the damn dog just to piss off your main character. My focus is horror, supernatural, and creeping dread. I’m not averse to extreme/slasher horror. I always love a bit of sci-fi or dystopia, but it’s not our focus, so if it’s your venue, make it scary. If you spackle a layer of women’s issues into it, even better; disenfranchisement, slut-shaming, trans violence, racism, misogyny, sex work exploitation, inequitable emotional work and housework, whatever exists in this world that pisses you off, feel free to put a metaphorical ax between its eyebrows.
My Insights
Eda Obey is one of my favorite people. She is outrageous, compelling, fierce and brilliant. She published my story "Lucy and the Cosmic Comet Ride" and I also featured one of her stories on my podcast, along with two fairly outrageous interviews.
Eda wrote a book
killer Rv
Nothing like a bucket list with a body count
Dracula Fiction
renfield
Details
DBS Press
Closes Jan 15, 2023 -
Pay: 5c a word
Word range: 1500-5,000
Simultaneous submissions? yes
Reprints? No
Description
Since its initial publication in 1897, Bram Stoker’s Dracula has inspired countless authors to pick up the pen and re-imagine his characters in prequels, sequels, alternate settings, and more. DBS Press is dedicated to continuing this tradition. Our flagship journal, Dracula Beyond Stoker, will present the best new fiction based on Stoker’s characters, locations and themes, and sometimes Stoker, himself. Join us as we celebrate the legacy of a legend. Issue #1 is scheduled for publication November 2022.
Submission Hints
Give us your best Renfield story. Everybody’s favorite flyman is such a rich character, yet we know so little about him. Who do you think he is?
We like stories that feel like they could be canon, but we also enjoy fun alternate takes, so unleash your creative powers of darkness. We look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Insight
New market. I sent in my Dolores story. It is not exactly Renfield, but a Renfield type story?
DREAD INDUCING FICTION
THE DREAD MACHINE
Details
Editor: Tina (aka Alin)
Open Jan 3rd
Pay: 5 cents a word
Word range: 5500 max original
7000 max reprints
Simultaneous submissions? yes
Reprints? Yes
Description
The Dread Machine is a magazine, publishing house, and community where writers and fans of dread-inspiring fiction can read and connect. We make cool creative projects accessible to those who will love them the way they deserve to be loved. In service of that mission, we are always accepting submissions.
Submission Hints
The Dread Machine publishes futuristic dark fiction, speculative fiction, cyberpunk, slipstream, and science fiction. We do not accept religious fiction, fetish horror, or erotica. All submissions must be in English.
UPDATE
no luck yet. 9 rejections
Speculative
grendel press
Details
Dark Fantasy, Horror, & Romance
Open for submissions: Ongoing
Pay: 5c a word
Word range: max 3000-7000
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? No
Description
We bring together lovers of the deep and dark and embrace the knowledge that to truly live, you must realize that the true monster... is often within.
What we really do?
We really love stories, and we want to make a name for ourselves so that readers know if they want to find a story about a monster that is more than a monster, or a hero that is more than a hero, we’re the place to find it.
How did you choose your name?
Grendel is fascinating as a character study. The epic Beowulf is a story about Beowulf, this greater-than-life hero who boasts about saving the world all the time. It’s his ‘thang’, but who kept reading after Grendel and his mother were killed? Not many and that’s because Beowulf couldn’t be a hero without a monster to slay, but what makes these creatures monsterous? What makes Beowulf a hero?
Our Vision
We just want to shine a light in the dark and see what stares back at us… then we want to print it so you can see it too.
GrendelPress accepts short story submissions that fit into our chosen genres of Dark Fantasy, Horror, and Romance.
We will develop themes for each genre as submissions accumulate.
Submission Hints
We go for stories that are dark and deep; we are looking for the stories that stick with you long after you go to sleep.
Stories with a depth of character that explore the mind as much as the monsters.
Stories that show more than tell and build suspense before shock factor.
Easily readable. It’s wonderful to craft a gorgeous story, but if people need a dictionary to understand it, we cannot accept it.
Current Themes
Paramnesia – a condition or phenomenon involving distorted memory or confusions of fact and fantasy, such as confabulation or déjà vu.
The Devil Who Loves Me – Dark Romance – Literal devil, figurative devil, questionably the devil. Open to interpretation. Happy endings are open to interpretation, but leave gore and assault at the door
My Insights
UPDATE: A fellow Wulf Packer says they are having issues filling the Dark Romance anthology. So if you have one, send it in!
nI sent them my story "Wanderlust" on Sept 26th for the romance call, and "How to Make Leech Soup" for the Monsters as main characters call.
I also sent in "Alma Smith and the Spiked Bowling Ball."
SHAMELESS PLUG #3
interested in screen writing?
James Hancock talks about writing short stories versus the big screen. BONUS, he reads some of his own work.
Science Fiction & Fact
SPACE FORCE
Details
BAEN BOOKS ANTHOLOGY
Open for submissions:till Jan 22, 2023 or till full
Pay:8c a word
Word range: max 10,000
Simultaneous submissions? on
Reprints? No
Description
Real Stories of the US Space Force will be a collection of science fiction short stories and fact articles illustrating current and future near-Earth space-related threats and dispelling misconceptions about America’s newest service branch. It will be published by Baen Books in 2023
The US Space Force has a PR problem. Several, in fact. It was not Donald Trump’s idea. It did not steal its iconography from Star Trek. It is not just a lunatic scheme to expand the military-industrial complex by sending battleships into space. Yet judging from social media, many think all these things and more.
.
Space has become critical not only to the military but to the economy and all aspects of daily life, and as we stand at the dawn of a new age of space commerce, that’s only going to intensify. Several nations have already developed capabilities to deny, degrade, and disrupt access to and utilization of space–based assets, whether to degrade US military capability or as a direct economic attack.
Like it or not, the militarization of space started long ago, threats are already up there, and wherever people and their interests go next, so too will go conflict, intrigue, heroes and villains, everything that comprises good stories.
Submission Hints
Stories that grab us from the start and stay with us for days. Scientifically plausible drama about people facing interesting challenges related to the US Space Force or more generally, the policing and defense of near-Earth space and related issues, now or in the foreseeable future (the next century or so). Stories don’t have to take place in space, involve the actual US Space Force, or be hard sci-fi, but they should help illustrate in some way how space technology shapes modern civilization in critical, often overlooked ways, how it is now or soon may come under threat, and how it might be defended now and into the future. See this page for ideas and background. Stories should be scientifically plausible. Alien contact or wildly advanced physics is a hard sell, though we may well include one or two of the most excellent.
My Insights
I hope to write something for this... haven't tapped into the military mind quite yet.
Dark Fantastical Fiction
Apex Magazine
Details
Editor: Jason Sizemore
FEBRUARY FLASH FICTION
Theme: ?? look back
Open: Jan 7-Jan 31
Pay: 8 cents per word
Word range: up to 1000
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.”
Insight
I attended a round table at Fyrecon with the editors of Apex. They were discussing dark fantasy versus horror. It was so interesting to listen to these pros. Lesley Connor wants you to make her cry. If you can get Jason to cry? Bonus Points. She is not afraid of the dark...
Here is a story they recommend to get a sense of their style.
Speculative
khoreo
Details
Editor: Aleksandra Hill
Open Jan to fiction
Pay: 10 cents per word
Word range: under 5000 (prefer 3500)
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? No
Description
khōréō is a quarterly publication of stories, essays, and art: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. We’re especially interested in writing and art that explore some aspect of migration, whether explicitly (themes of immigration, colonialism, etc.), metaphorically, or with a sly nod and a wink. Most importantly, we’re a new magazine and we’re still finding our identity: therefore, please don’t self-reject because you’re not sure if your work is a good fit. We won’t know until we see it, so please give us a chance to look!
Submission Hints
khōréō is dedicated to diversity and amplifying the voices of immigrant and diaspora authors and artists. We welcome, but do not require, a brief description of the author’s/artist’s identity in their cover letter. We invite you to submit if you identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms. This includes, but is not limited to, first- and second-generation immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, persons who identify with one or more diaspora communities, persons who have been displaced or whose heritage has been erased due to colonialism/imperialism, transnational/transracial adoptees, and anyone whose heritage and history includes ‘here and elsewhere’.
Insight
Nothing yet.
horror
horror library
Details
DARK MOON BOOKS
Open Jan 16-30
Pay: 2 cents per word
Word range: 1500-5000
Simultaneous submissions? yes
Reprints? No
Description
Anything with a supernatural and dark element, such as Horror, Dark Fiction/ Dark Fantasy, Weird Fiction, etc.
Submission Hints
Imaginative and/or harrowing adventure; beauty of darkness; horror (edgy or quiet); exploration through fears or discovery; original monsters and/or strange lands; life events turned slightly askew, etc.
Insight
Nothing yet.
ONGOING SUBMISSION CALLS -LISTED HERE TILL THEY CLOSE
Fantasy & Science Fiction
Clarkesworld
Details
Rolling Submission Window OPEN
Publisher/Editor: Neil Clarke
Pay: 12 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
Someday I will crack this market. 26 rejections so far.
Fantasy & Science Fiction
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
Details
Past Editor: C.C. Finlay Current Editor: Sheree Renee Thomas Pay: 8-12 cents per word Word range: flash to 25,000 Simultaneous submissions? No Reprints? No
Description
When it comes to helpful rejection letters, fast turnaround times, and a high-quality product, this is my favorite place to submit stories. The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction is a Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) qualifying market based out of the United States. Founded in 1949, they produce six print issues a year. They are the original publishers of science fiction classics like Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” and Daniel Keyes’s “Flowers for Algernon”. I’ve sent them 14 stories and received a rejection for all of them. However, five of the rejection letters included detailed reasons why C.C. Finlay did not accept them. “The Last Ride,” “Camp Napanoo,” “The Versa Vice,” “The Writing Retreat,” and “The Patron Saint of Livestock,” all came back with thoughtful notes that helped me rewrite each tale and sell them to other markets. The new (and 10th) editor for 2021, Sheree Renee Thomas, is an award-winning Pushcart-nominated author. Her work is inspired by myth, folklore, and natural science. I look forward to reading her rejections and cross my fingers there may be an acceptance eventually. The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction is frequently open to submissions and only close when they need to get on top of their slush pile.
Submission Hints
According to the writer’s guidelines: “Submissions have increased more than 10% this year, compared to last, and you aren't just sending us more stories, you're sending us more really excellent stories. That is one of the few good things we'll say about 2020. Give us this chance to go through them.” Another plus to this market is the rapid turnaround. I never had to wait more than two weeks to get my “nay.” However, the guidelines do ask for writers to allow eight weeks for a response.
My insight
This is the feather I want in my writing cap. I intend to submit here until ONE DAY I get an acceptance.
Speculative
factor four
Details
Editor: Richard Flores IV
ongoing
Pay: 11 c a word
Word range: 1000 max
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? No
Description
We publish flash fiction in the genres of speculative fiction, specifically science fiction, fantasy, supernatural, super hero, or any combination of these. We are looking for stories that are engaging to our readers in such a short word count. Please take note of these factors (pun intended) when submitting stories to us.
Submission Hints
Speculative Fiction is a broad term to accompany several genres. Factor Four Magazine will focus on four of these genres. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Supernatural, and Super Hero. Genre lines are very hard to define at times, so we keep things a bit fuzzy when it comes to the definition of each of those. You may even find a few stories blend several genres together.
Insight
I sent the Trippy Trip to Triton here... Hoping they like it.
Literary
the deadlands
Details
Editor: Catherine Tobler
ongoing
Pay: 10 c a word
Word range: 5000 max sweet spot 3-4k
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? yes 1c a word
Description
The Deadlands exists in liminal spaces between life, death, and elsewhere. We are looking for speculative fiction that concerns itself with death–but also everything death may involve. A ghost in a shadowed wood. An afterlife discovered through a rusted door. An abandoned house in the middle of a haunted field. A skeletal figure moving with intent toward something unseen. Death personified. Burials in troubled lands. A raised scythe against a clouded sky. Memento mori. The rivers of the dead. The sprawling underworlds beneath our feet.
The Deadlands would love to see stories from a worldwide perspective, different cultures, different approaches to death. We welcome stories from everyone, everywhere. Stories that feature characters impacted by someone passing away and processing the event of death, are fair game, but will likely be a hard sell. Stories about related subjects—zombies, demons, vampires, apocalypses, and the various undead—are not for us. An apocalypse may be your setting, but it isn’t your story. We are absolutely not interested in seeing weird West stories, steampunk tales, or military fiction. We are not interested in stories involving Lovecraft’s mythos. Humor will be a harder sell than heartbreaking. If your story begins with someone waking up, it is not for us.
Submission Hints
We are never far from death—Dante reminds us. It is always there, just out of sight, around the bend in the road. The faraway nearby, Rebecca Solnit says. We could step past a tree in that wild forest and be there. Where? The Deadlands.
The Deadlands is a monthly speculative fiction magazine. We publish short stories, poems, and essays about the other realms, of the ends we face here, and the beginnings we find elsewhere. It is an adventure into the unknown, to meet those who live there still, even though they may be dead. Death is a journey we all will take, but we’d like to peek at the map before we go.
We are generally open to fiction and nonfiction submissions, except for a year-end holiday closure. Poetry submissions are open the first two weeks of every month, resuming in February 2022. Explore our guidelines and read our issues to see what we’re publishing and if your work might fit.
Insight
A couple rejections so far for me. They came quickly...
Science Fiction Flash
Nature Futures
Details
PERIODICAL
Deadline: Ongoing
Pay:$130 per story
Word range: 850-950 max
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? No
Description
Futures is a venue for very short stories or ‘vignettes’ of between 850 and 950 words. The subject is typically near-future, hard SF, although this can be interpreted liberally. In short, what Futures is looking for is originality. To this end it is advisable to read as many previous Futures as you can, as stories that repeat themes already dealt with extensively are less likely to be considered than those that do something new and different. Futures does not consider reprints of stories previously published elsewhere.
Submission Hints
OK. Take a seat. This won’t take long. Don’t worry about the alien, he always does that when he sees strangers, it doesn’t stain. I’m afraid I can’t offer you any refreshments — the service droid blew a fuse last week and the spare part is stuck on a shuttle somewhere between here and Titan. But, as I say, this won’t take long. If you’re sure you wish to send a story to the orbiting station that is the Futures submissions hub, it’s probably easiest if I upload the instructions via the mind link. Ah. Unusual. OK. Well, in that case I will have to spell out the protocols the old-fashioned way. The very first rule is, I’m afraid, prepare to be disappointed. This is not a bad thing, but as for any science-fiction outlet, Futures can publish only a limited selection of the stories we receive, so rejection is part of the process (and it is honestly no more fun to issue a rejection than it is to receive one). The second rule is that contributions to Futures are welcome from absolutely anyone, irrespective of whether they are writing their first story, or are professional or published authors. There are, of course, some basic requirements, so here are some frequently asked questions:
My Insights
A fellow Wulf Packer gives this advice. "They're fabulous to work with, for starters. That said, I think the reason my story was accepted was because I had a non-humanoid alien. My alien resembled a cephalopod in looks and in behavior. I don't think they'd have taken a humanoid alien."
Only rejections for me. Ai Jiang has had success here. More info at this link -http://www.concatenation.org/futures/authorsinstructs.html
Update on this market, quite a few writers I've been conversing with say they have sold here. Time to double down.... (ps - apparently a bit of humour helps?)
SPECULATIVE & LITERARY
flash fiction online
Details
Editor: Emma Munro
Open from the 1st to 21st of every month
Pay: $80 8c word minimum
Word range: 500-1000
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? Yes 2c a word
Description
We are looking for complete 500- to 1000-word stories with crisp prose, well-developed characters, compelling plots, and satisfying resolutions. We want stories that engage our minds and emotions.
Submission Hints
Anonymous submissions.
Flash Fiction Online has published stories from both new and established authors across the globe. We love narratives with crisp prose, well-developed characters with emotional arcs, fascinating plots, and satisfying resolutions. We want works that engage our minds and emotions and that leave us with a sense of awe or give us something to muse on. We’re always on the hunt for something new, surprising, clever, or beautiful.
Insights
It took them ten days to reject my last story, I have "Peggy's Hungry Haunted Clown" in the queue. -- And it was rejected in 20 days. Will send the Unidentified Climbing Object today. Lou Berger from the Wulf Pack gave me some guidance. Hopefully it works better now!
Any Genre
substack
Details
This an interesting venue
Ongoing
Pay: $100 plus 50% subscription revenue
Word range: 6-10,000 words
Simultaneous submissions? No
No
Reprints? Yes
Description
Mission = Revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful.
Submission Hints
What does the timeline look like?
Submit stories by the end of the month, winner to be announced on the 15th. There is ONE story that wins and receives the full payout.
Where do I send submissions?
shortstorystack@gmail.com
What are the rules for submitting?
1. No Fees
2. Send in Microsoft Word or Google Doc form
3. Any genre
4. 6- 10,000 words. Yes, just 6 words, like Hemingway's famous 6-word story "For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn."
5. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.
Insights
A couple of rejections so far. But the last guy who won the contest make over $400. So.. a worthwhile venue.
I have my reprint Three Calendars here right now.
Horror, Wonder & The Weird
Three-lobed Burning eye
Details
Editor: Andrew S. Fuller
ongoing
Pay: $100 for short fiction, $30 for flash
Word range: 1,001-7,500
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? No
Description
Three-Lobed Burning Eye is a speculative fiction magazine offered free on-line. They publish twice a year, with a print anthology every other year. Each issue features six short stories.
Submission Hints
“Original speculative fiction: horror, fantasy, science fiction. We’re looking for short stories from across the big classifications and those shadowy places between: magical realism, fantastique, slipstream, interstitial, and the weird tale. We will consider suspense or western, though we prefer it contain some speculative element. We like voices that are full of feeling, from literary to pulpy, with styles unique and flowing, but not too experimental. All labels aside, we want tales that expand genre, that value imagination in character, narrative, and plot. We want to see something new and different.”
Insight
I've sent this market a lot of stories. Nine and all rejected. I've subbed Seagull Surveillance-- a reject created for Murderbirds. Which was rejected again. So, now I sent them Alma Smith and the Spiked Bowing Ball.
Sci-fi
galaxy's edge
Details
Editor: Lezli Robyn
Open for submissions: Every Tuesday until portal filled
Pay: 7 cent per word
Word range: max 10000
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? No
Description
Galaxy’s Edge is a bi-monthly science fiction and fantasy magazine that has been published for over a decade, with new issues going live every January, March, May, July, September and November. Galaxy’s Edge magazine has been edited by Lezli Robyn for several years, taking over from former editor Mike Resnick following his passing. Published by Shahid Mahmud under the Phoenix Pick science fiction and fantasy imprint of Arc Manor Publishers.
Submission Hints
We are a science fiction and fantasy magazine, so we would love to receive fiction from those categories as well as any sub-categories, such as space opera, steampunk, urban fantasy, africanfuturism, magical realism and so on. We do not publish straight horror stories, even if they do have a supernatural element, but if you have a dark fantasy story, or a dystopian science fiction piece, send it our way—we’d love to take a look.
Keep us from yawning: While we have all read some great vampire, werewolf or zombie stories, and we get that writers want to write towards popular trends, we are unlikely to buy a story that appears a carbon copy of something we could have read in so many other publications. Be original. Either put your own very distinct twist on a trope, catching our interest, or submit something completely unexpected.
My Insights
I have The Truth About Nessie in the queue. Very tough to find the portal open.
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
This editor is one of the best in the business IMO. Not that I've sold anything here yet. I've got my rejection for Zelda's Dust-Crossed Lovers - but as always, some great advice from the editor on how to fix a few flaws.
Science Fiction
INTERZONE DIGITAL
Details
Editor: Gareth Jelley
Ongoing
Pay: 1.5 Euro cents per word
Word range: 2000-17,500 for PRINT
Up to 5000 for digital
Simultaneous submissions? Yes (as of July)
Reprints? No
Description
Interzone has long been one of the most exclusive and highly regarded sci fi magazines in the industry.
Interzone was founded in 1982 by David Pringle, John Clute, Alan Dorey, Malcolm Edwards, Colin Greenland, Graham Jones, Roz Kaveney, and Simon Ounsley. It was published by TTA Press and edited by Andy Cox from 2004 to 2022, and from #294 it is published by MYY Press and edited by Gareth Jelley.
Submission Hints
They are currently looking for submissions of fantastika (including horror)
Insights
This magazine has won a Hugo and launched a few careers. it is now owned by MYY Press, and edited by Gareth Jelley.
I have quite a few rejections from here. Sometime I've received a nice personalized note. I really am fond of this market.
Mystery & Crime
mystery magazine
Details
Mystery Writers of America approved
Open for submissions: ONGOING
Editor: Kerry Carter
Pay:2c a word
Word range:1000-7500
Simultaneous submissions? yes
Reprints? no
Description
At the cutting edge of crime fiction, Mystery Magazine presents original short stories by the world’s best-known and emerging mystery writers. The stories we feature in our monthly issues span every imaginable subgenre, including cozy, police procedural, noir, whodunit, supernatural, hardboiled, humor, and historical mysteries. Evocative writing and a compelling story are the only certainty.
Submission Hints
They use a form for submissions (click on magazine cover). They are looking for You-Solve-It mysteries and other short stories.
My Insights
High hopes that I can sell to this market one day. They send their rejections in good time, and I love their content.
Mystery & Crime
tough magazine
Details
CRIME FICTION JOURNAL
Open for submissions: ONGOING
Editor: Tim Hennessy
Pay:$50
Word range:1500-7500
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? Yes $25
Description
Tough is a crime fiction journal publishing short stories and self-contained novel excerpts of between 1500 words and 7500 words, and occasional book reviews and essays of 1500 words or fewer. We are particularly interested in stories with rural settings. We are a crime journal.
Submission Hints
They adamantly only take submission through Submittable and it better be in the RTF format.
Tough publishes three times per month on Mondays, for which we pay a flat rate per story, book review or essay (as of contract date January 23rd, 2021, that rate is $50) --we don't take poems--in exhange for first world serial rights to publish the submission on the website and one-time anthology rights. Query toughcrime@gmail.com for details or to pitch reviews, essays and reprints. Fiction need not be queried.
My Insights
Two rejections from this market. And one being considered since Oct 5th. The Perfect Post. Just got the rejection on Dec 17
Crime & Mystery
the dark city
Details
Editor: Steve Oliver
Pay: $25 per story
Word range: 1,000-7,500
Simultaneous submissions? No
No
Reprints? No
Description
The Dark City Mystery Magazine is the product of a community of crime and mystery writers and fans who spend an inappropriate amount of time exploring the dark side of human nature as expressed by its criminal behavior. The magazine is produced by Dark City Books, a publisher of crime and mystery anthologies and collections.
Submission Hints
The Dark City is dedicated to the love of story, and in particular, the rough and tumble of the world of crime and violence. We are fans of story that has roots in reality but we do consider humorous situations and characters to be part of reality. We hope to acquire stories that leave readers thinking about the characters and their dilemma.
Insights
I sent them The Midlife Storm. rejected. In 2018. time to try again?
Horror & Dark Fantasy
the dark magazine
Details
Editor: Sean Wallace
ongoing>br>
Pay: 6 cents per word
Word range: 2,000-6,000
Simultaneous submissions?
No
Reprints? No
Description
The Dark Magazine sends out rejections fast and furiously. It’s one of the reasons I like submitting to them. Instant results. They publish horror and dark fantasy. Sean Wallace is the founder, publisher, and editor of The Dark, and has also edited for Clarkesworld and Fantasy Magazine.
Submission Hints
Don’t be afraid to experiment or to deviate from the ordinary; be different—try us with fiction that may fall out of “regular” categories. However, it is also important to understand that despite the name, The Dark is not a market for graphic, violent horror.
Sample Rejection
“We have read your submission and unfortunately your story isn't quite what we're looking for right now. While we regretfully cannot provide detailed feedback due to the volume of submissions, we thank you for your interest in our magazine and hope you continue to consider us in the future.”
best christmas horror movies?
We talk about the best slasher/fright flics, and dissect all THREE Black Christmas movies. PLUS Karen reads a spine-tingling short about immersion chambers.