HINT - Click on picture to be taken to submission guidelines
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
One of my fellow writing friends (who shall not be named) works for this magazine as an editor. She says they like stories about old ladies. And bats. 😂 The closest I have ever gotten was with a story about a woman who drank too much and had her baby kidnapped by a monster. (this piece was bought by Stupendous Stories.)
Horror
ghoulish tales
Details
Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing
Editors: Max Booth & Lori Michelle
Open for submissions: the website says in Jan!
Pay 7c a word
Word range: max 5000
Simultaneous submissions? yes
Reprints? no
Description
Ghoulish Entertainment, LLC is a disastrous mess of spooky projects owned by Max and Lori Booth. Operating under the name Ghoulish Books, we are both a small publishing company and an indie bookstore based in the Greater San Antonio Area.
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
This is a VERY popular market -- they received 748 subs for their last open submission window. I've had no luck. One of my fellow writers in my Fireside Quills group got a hold from them. Sophia-Maria sent them in a quirky fun piece that criticizes "capitalism and Greek bureaucracy"
Solarpunk
solarpunk magazine
Details
Open Jan 1 - 14
Editors: Justine Norton-Kertson & Brianna Castagnozzi
Pay: 8 cents per word
range: 500-7500
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
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 interviewed Justine Norton-Kerston to learn more about this market.
When I find more calls... I will be posting them here!
My website can’t hold all the info I find each month, so as I find new open calls, I will add them to my Patreon. Along with exclusive hints and interviews with publishers, authors, and editors.
Details
Editors: Storm Walden & Greg Clumpner
Open till Feb 29th
Pay: 3 cents per word
range: 5000 max
3,000 sweet spot
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? No
Description
Hospitium is a Greco-Roman concept of hospitality, where both the guest and host have an obligation to treat the other with kindness and respect, regardless of external quarrels. We’re looking for outstanding fantasy, science fiction, weird fiction, and speculative horror from both new and established writers.
Submission Hints
IDEAS:
What would the Red Wedding look like between allied planets vying for domination of the solar system?
Perhaps a journey into Lovecraftian territory… Eat, Pray, Sacrifice?
A parlay between the Elves and Orcs?
Who is the Anthony Bourdain of outer space?
How does a dragon with a gluten allergy react when a sentient mushroom offers their finest fermented ale?
Dazzle us with interactions we have yet to dream of.
Insight
I sold a story to their last anthology based on a challenge we all worked on. "The Time Modules" is in The Seven Day Weekend.
The editor says "We accept science fiction, fantasy, and horror–and enjoy intelligent blends of the three. Stories without a speculative element will not be considered." Though my story was pure Sci-fi, my friend R.J.K. Lee sold them a wild story that mixed fantasy with sci-fi.
Learn more from Greg Clumpner
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
If you impress this editor, he will let you sub outside the window. (One of my friends learned this.... personally I haven't cracked this market yet.)
Horror
zombies
Details
Editor: DL Russell
OPEN till Aug 1st
$100 a story
Word range: 3000-12000
Simultaneous submissions?
Reprints? No
Description
I found this post on Facebook. Look on the Open Call: Speculative Markets - Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy page. It is run by the wonderful Kevin David Anderson. (I can't WAIT to take his class at Superstars this year.) The publisher listed all the rules of this world.
Submission Hints
SUBMIT TO blackbookspublishing@gmail.com
My Insight
I spoke to the editor through his Facebook page, and he gave me very specific instructions on the plot of the story he wants to see from me. He asked me questions about my life and writing and then came up with this:
Prompt - a family has many of their horses stolen before realizing it was only a certain type.
The local authorities only do a basic investigation because the Zombie Apocalypse has given them an excuse to just sit around collecting paychecks.
Not until its over does the family begin to realize Zombies have been stealing the horses.
Note: 2 years prior, one of their hired hands was bitten by a zombie.
If you would like a prompt or have interest in participating in this project, you can contact him on Facebook.
Speculative with Christian themes
mysterion
Details
Open: Jan 1
Editors: Donald S. Crankshaw & Kristin Janz
Pay: 8 cents per word
Word range: 9000 max
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? Yes 4c a word
Description
We are looking for speculative stories--science fiction, fantasy, horror--with Christian themes, characters, or cosmology, and for artwork for this site.
Submission Hints
The story must have a speculative element. It needs something beyond the everyday. We love science fiction and fantasy, enjoy good ghost stories, and think there's great fiction material hidden in the mysteries of Christian theology--cherubim, leviathan, nephilim, visions, prophecy, and more. The story must engage with Christianity. We want stories with Christian characters whose faith affects their actions, with Christian themes such as grace and redemption, or with a Christian view of the supernatural. Note that we're not saying that you must be a Christian. We are not in a position to judge your faith and won't try, and we welcome submissions from authors of all backgrounds and perspectives. Nor does your story need to be unambiguously pro-Christian. If you can tell a good story that meaningfully engages with Christianity, we want to read it.
Insights
I've had three rejections from this market. One was a nice personal.
Fantasy
baen fantasy award
Details
Judged by Baen Editorial Staff
OPEN Jan 16- April 30
Pay: 8c a word, $500 free books
Word range: 8,000 max
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? No
must be RTF format & ANON -finalist announced in July
PS> They also have the NEAR FUTURE award, deadline Feb 1
Description
Write and submit a short story of no more than 8,000 words. It must be a work of fantasy, though all fantasy genres are open, e.g. epic fantasy, heroic fantasy, sword and sorcery, contemporary fantasy, etc.
No entry fee. But only one submission per person...we suggest your best one!
No reprints (i.e. the story must be unpublished).
All entries must be original unpublished works in English. Plagiarism, poetry, song lyrics, settings and/or characters from published gaming worlds or another author’s works of fiction will not be considered.
Submission Hints
What We Want to See
Adventure fantasy with heroes you want to root for. Warriors either modern or medieval, who solve problems with their wits or with their weapons—and we have nothing against dragons, elves, dwarves, castles under siege, urban fantasy, damsels in distress, or damsels who inflict distress.
What We Don’t Want to See
Political drama with no action, angst-ridden teens pining over vampire lovers, religious allegory, novel segments, your gaming adventure transcript, anything set in any universe not your own, "it was all a dream" endings, or screenplays.
Insight
This will be my second go at this contest. No luck so far.
The best guide for learning the market. NEWLY UPDATED FOR 2024!
Many new markets! Lots of great hints for success! This book can help you find a home for your story in the easiest, most organized way.
Speculative
found #2
Details
Editor: Andy Cull & Gabino Iglesias
Deadline - March 31, 2024
Pay: 3c word
Word range: 2000-4000
Simultaneous? Yes
Reprints? No
Description
Not much info on this one, it comes from a twitter post!
Submission Hints
send your story to whatwasfoundtoo@gmail.com word or pdf only
Insights
I found a review of their last anthology here: https://thebookbeard.wordpress.com/2023/02/24/found-an-anthology-of-found-footage-horror-stories-edited-by-andrew-cull-gabino-iglesias/
Speculative Fiction
New Myths
Details
Publisher/Editor: Scott T. Barnes
(WofF winner)
And Susan Shell Winston
OPEN till Feb 28
Pay: 3 cents per word, min $50
Word range: max 10,000 words
Simultaneous submissions? yes
Reprints? No
Description
The tag line is "Life From A Side View Mirror...."
Submission Hints
We like to balance each quarterly issue between science fiction and fantasy, dark and light, serious and humorous, hard and soft science fiction, and longer and shorter works. Our readers are not fixated on a single style or tone or genre, but prefer a quality sample of the field. Think tapas or dim sum.
Insight
They have been holding a story of mine called "Rocket to Love" for a few months. Fingers crossed...
Speculative Fiction
apparition lit
Details
Managing Editor: Tacoma Tomilson
Flash Fiction Prompt
OPEN Dec 1 -14
Pay: 5 cents per word
Word range: under 1,000
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? No
Description
Every month Apparition Lit holds a flash fiction contest and buys a story based on their prompt.
This year, flash is a celebration of all the recipes and meals that shape your worlds, your communities, and your lives. We want rich, unique flavors, vivid stories, and adventurous tastes.
January is Hand Pies and Buns
Submission Hints
Send us stories with enough emotional heft to break a heart, with prose that’s as clear and delicious as broth. We love proactive characters and settings that feel lived in and real enough to touch. Stories with style, stories with emotion, stories with character.
Insight
My friend Akis Linardos finally sold something to this market! He writes some very dark, lyrical stuff. I've been trying consistently for six years. A few personals but no sales. Look for his piece,
Speculative Fiction
GAMUT
Details
Editor-in-chief: Richard Thomas
Theme - Winter In the City: A Collection of Dark Urban Stories
OPEN Oct 1 -March 31
Pay: 10 cents per word
Word range: 3000-7500
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? No
ANON SUBS
Description
Gamut—the magazine that published over 100 speculative stories in 2017—will return as House of Gamut, a global nonprofit featuring an online magazine, a publishing arm, and a teaching academy for writers.
As a home for readers and writers of dark speculative fiction, our team at House of Gamut is dedicated to giving people spellbinding works to read through our publishing house and online magazine, while serving writers during all stages of their careers with courses from professional writers and industry experts.
Our newly launched online magazine—as well as novels, collections, and anthologies—will focus on dark speculative fiction and non-fiction across a wide range of genres including fantasy, science fiction, horror, thrillers, neo-noir, new-weird, transgressive fiction, magical realism, and literary fiction that leans into genre.
Submission Hints
Winter in the City will feature stories that take place in different cities around the world during the bleak -sometimes harsh - season of winter. They are looking for Fantastical elements within the city itself. No vampire/werewolf love stories.
Insight
Richard Thomas, author of Bram Stoker finalist SPONTANEOUS HUMAN COMBUSTION, emailed me directly to tell me about this call. You are supposed to email him and "claim" your city. I have Phoenix.
Speculative
the dragon's hoard
Details
Editor: Carol Hightshoe
Open till March 31, 2024
Pay: $15 plus royalites
Word range: 2500-7500
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? Query
Description
At WolfSinger Publications, we love all kinds of creatures – especially DRAGONS.
Dragons love…well…their hoard. Be it a hoard of gold, gems, books, virgins, whatever your dragon loves to collect and hoard. Or maybe your dragon doesn’t have a hoard—well then WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOUR DRAGON? —All dragons have a hoard—don’t they? If he doesn’t—then explain why not.
We’re looking for stories about dragons—their hoard or lack thereof must factor into the story in some way.
Since dragons are primarily a creature of fantasy I’m sure we’ll get plenty of fantasy stories; but we’ll take science fiction as well as any other speculative fiction genre, but you MUST be creative. A creative twist on the idea of dragons and their hoards is the most important part of the story.
Submission Hints
Break the story-writing rules if you want. If you use a tried-and-true plotline, twist it in an original and interesting way.
My Insights
none
Dark Literary Fiction
34 Orchard
Details
Editor: Kristi Peterson Schoonover
Open for submissions: Jan 1- 15
Pay $50
Word range: 1,000-5000
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 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.
Science Fiction
escape pod
Details
Escape Artist Podcasts
Open for submissions:Sept 15-May 31
Pay:8c a word
Word range: 1500-7500 sweet spot 2000-4000
Simultaneous submissions? NO
Reprints? yes
ANON submissions.
Description
Escape Pod is a science fiction market. We are fairly flexible on what counts as science (superheroes! steampunk! space opera! time travel!) and are interested in exploring the range of the genre. We want stories that center science, technology, future projections, and/or alternate history, and how any or all of these things impact individuals and society.
Escape Pod leans in the direction of escapism, hopepunk and optimism rather than grimdark and gloom. We love to see funny stories, which can include dark humor that doesn’t punch down, and satire that isn’t painfully bleak. Remember that the failure mode of irony is sincerity, so if you’re mocking something, be sure you’re hitting the right target.
Submission Hints
We’re not interested in stories that contain sexual assault, rape, child abuse, animal cruelty, gore, or horror. We also do not want to see stories that treat the hardships of marginalized people or groups as thought experiments. While we may have published stories with that type of content in the past, they are not currently a good fit for Escape Pod. Our primary audience is adult listeners and readers. Strong language and sexual situations are fine, but we are not an erotica market.
My Insights
I've received a few personals from them, but NO CIGAR.
Humour
Last girls club
Details
Submissions Open: Jan 1- Feb. 1
Theme: POISON (like the actual band.)
Editor in chief: Eda Obey
Pay: $25 max 1c a word
word range: 2500 or less
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Reprints? No
Description
Last Girls Club Spring Issue Theme is Poison: Poison has an interesting history as a liberator, a political tool, and the perfect murder. It also could mean the poisoning of our air, our water, and our land. Take it where you want. Acceptances will be notified on Feb 15
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.
Fantasy and Science Fiction
dragon gems
Details
Open for submissions: Jan
Pay: 2 cents per word
Word range: 2000-6000
Simultaneous submissions? No
Reprints? yes
Description
Let your imagination bloom with mind-opening tales-- They are changing their program:
We received many terrific stories, and we would love to publish so many of them, but our limited resources for now only allow us to publish one new story each month.
So, after much discussion and consideration, we have developed a new strategy for our Dragon Gems short fiction program as we plan ahead for 2023:
For stories consisting of more than 5,000 words, we will evaluate those for publication as standalone stories as we had originally planned for this program.
For stories of less than 5,000 words, we will evaluate those for inclusion in a quarterly Dragon Gems anthology.
We believe that this will be an exciting new direction for the Dragon Gems program that will allow us to publish more of the wonderful stories that we receive, and give authors additional opportunities to see their stories published and distributed.
Submission Hints
should not contain erotica, or excessive violence or gore. can be part of an ongoing series you might be writing. can have been previously published (with proof that you hold the current publishing rights). may be submitted simultaneously to other markets (but please let us know when you submit your story).
My Insights
This was my last rejection from them!
Thank you for your interest in our Dragon Gems short fiction program.
We feel that your story did not quite match the theme we were looking for this time (https://waterdragonpublishing.com/2023/10/call-for-submissions-dragon-gems-spring-2024/), but might be a good fit for one of our more generally themed anthologies. We encourage you to submit it again for our consideration when submissions for the Summer 2024 anthology open on January 1, 2024.
Three books. Thirteen stories in each from Angelique Fawns and the most talented guest writers she could find.