Anthology Markets

If you've just wandered in off the internet, hi and welcome. :) I do these posts every month, so if this post isn't dated in the same month you're in, click here to make sure you're seeing the most recent one.

Markets with specific deadlines are listed first, "Until Filled" markets (if there are any -- none this month) are at the bottom. There are usually more details on the original site; always click through and read the full guidelines before submitting. Note that some publishers list multiple antho guidelines on one page, so after you click through you might have to scroll a bit.

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31 October 2012 -- Queering Edgar Allan Poe -- ed. Steve Berman; Lethe Press

The canon of Edgar Allan Poe, one of the foremost writers of dark and atmospheric fiction and poetry, offers readers haunted shores teeming with various erudite men brooding in the waning light over their feelings for unobtainable women. Yet, whether the tales or verses are grotesque or sinister, Poe's narrators are Outsiders, dealing with emotions that so many queer individuals feel: isolation and abandonment as well as loneliness and lost love. Editor Steve Berman wants to breach the chasm and offer an anthology that replaces the heteronormative aspects of Poe's work and life with a different range of identities.

Regardless whether you make Roderick seduce the unnamed narrator visiting Usher, or have a woman fall under Ligeia's sway, the story should be dark as well as fantastical. Stories that involve Poe the author are also acceptable.

Think both Gothic and gay. Obviously, dependent on the time period, the term homosexual might not be apt. Sexual identity is partly labeling, partly sexual experience, and partly attraction. But do not think of this as a romance or erotica anthology; first and foremost, these are stories that should be at home in Weird Tales as much as Strange Horizons.

Fiction or prose, the rate of pay is 5 cents a word for original material. Reprints must query and the pay will be significantly less. Any length for poetry but fiction should be at least 1,500 words and no more than 12,000. Payment is upon release in the spring of 2013 from Lethe Press, a publisher around for over a decade--and who has released the last two winners of the Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBT Fantasy/Horror/Science Fiction.

Please send all submissions to sberman8 at yahoo dot com as RTF files.

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31 October 2012 -- Horror World Anthology of Short Fiction – Volume 1 -- ed. Christopher Jones and Nanci Kalanta, Horror World

Horror World is excited to announce that we are now accepting submissions for the Horror World Anthology of Short Fiction – Volume 1 to be published in e-book format at the end of 2012. Trade PB to follow in 2013 (provided the world doesn't end).

The following are the guidelines for submission.

*Manuscripts should be 500 to 5000 words in length. Exceptions will be made either over or under the word limit based on quality. Poetry will be considered.

*Manuscripts should be single spaced with breaks instead of indentations to denote new paragraphs. Please use size 12 Times New Roman font. Manuscripts should be submitted in DOC or DOCX formats.

*We accept electronic submissions only through the following email address: submissions@horrorworld.org. Please allow up to 3 months for a response.

*No multiple submissions. Please wait until you receive an acceptance or rejection before sending another story.

*We accept simultaneous submissions, but please let us know if your submission is accepted elsewhere.

*Payment: Horror World pays 2 cents per word for First Worldwide Electronic and Print Rights. Payment is made upon publication.

*We will be accepting submissions until October 31, 2012

*Any type of horror-related story is acceptable but we are looking for stories that are scary and original or stories that bring a fresh perspective to a familiar trope.

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30 November 2012 -- Urban Green Man -- Hades Publications

We are now accepting short story submissions for the Urban Green Man anthology until November 30, 2012 at midnight. Please be sure to read these guidelines carefully and consider exploring our History of the Green Man page before sending us your work.

For this anthology we seek fantastic stories involving the mythology of the Green Man in any form (which includes the Green Woman). While the mythology is predominantly European, the setting is not limited to that region. Also, stories MUST be fantastical, ripe with the magic of the archetype. We want urban fantasy or contemporary fantasy; no science fiction or steampunk please. And while Jack in the Green, the horned god, and many other myths in conjunction with the Green Man are acceptable, the closer you are to using pure Green Man mythology the better.
Word count limit is 5,000 words, with shorter stories preferred; poems will also be considered. We are looking for new stories at this time, and would prefer only one submission per author.

All stories must be in English using standard submission format, and submitted to submissions@urbangreenman.com as a .rtf attachment. Please put SUBMISSION/NAME/TITLE in the subject line of your email, and include a short bio in the body of the email. We cannot be held responsible for submissions lost in transit.
The pay rate for stories is 3.5 cents/word, and $20 for each poem.
Hades Publications buys exclusive world rights for paper and electronic publishing for a period of one year after the date of publication. Contributors retain the right to market their individual entries outside the anthology after this period. Exceptions will be considered for 'best of' anthologies.

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14 December 2012 -- Clockwork Phoenix 4 -- ed. Mike Allen, Mythic Delirium Books

CLOCKWORK PHOENIX 4 is the next volume in the anthology series edited by Mike Allen, scheduled to be published by Mythic Delirium Books in July 2013. It is open to the full range of the speculative and fantastic genres.

Editor Mike Allen says CLOCKWORK PHOENIX 4, like its predecessors, "is a home for stories that sidestep expectations in beautiful and unsettling ways, that surprise with their settings and startle with the ways they cross genre boundaries, that aren't afraid to experiment with storytelling techniques. But experimentation is not a requirement: the stories in the anthology must be more than gimmicks, and should appeal to genuine emotions, suspense, fear, sorrow, delight, wonder. I will value a story that makes me laugh in its quirky way more than a story that tries to dazzle me with a hollow exercise in wordplay.

"The stories should contain elements of the fantastic, be it science fiction, fantasy, horror or some combination thereof. A straight psychological horror story is unlikely to make the cut unless it's truly scary and truly bizarre. The same applies to a straight adventure fantasy or unremarkable space opera — bring something new and genuine to the equation, whether it's a touch of literary erudition, playful whimsy, extravagant style, or mind-blowing philosophical speculation and insight. Though stories can be set in this world, settings at least a hair or more askew are preferred. I hope to see prose that is poetic but not opaque. I hope to see stories that will lead the reader into unfamiliar territory, there to find shock and delight.

"Over the course of reading for the first volume, I developed some criteria for stories that aren't likely to interest me (though exceptions are always possible). These include straightfoward retellings of well-known fairy tales; stories in which a Machine Discovers Its Humanity; stories that aim to prove Christianity/Religion Is Bad; stories about a Privileged Schmuck who comes to understand Oppression Is Bad; stories whose entire plot can be described as X Commits a Murder; stories of wish-fulfillment with little complication — i.e.: character longs for something; character is granted that something; end of story.

"My aim with the CLOCKWORK PHOENIX books is, somewhat selfishishly, to create books that satisfy my own tastes as a reader. And as a reader, I enjoy stories that experiment, that push the envelope, that dazzle with their daring, but I'm often personally frustrated when an experimental story ends without feeling complete, without leaving an emotional crater for me to remember it by. At the same time, I find myself increasingly bored with the traditional, conventionally-plotted and plainly-written Good Story Competently Told. For better or for worse, I envision the CLOCKWORK PHOENIX books as places where these two schools of story telling can mingle and achieve Happy Medium; where there is significance to both the tale that's told and the style of the telling.

"For the second and third volumes, I received few stories with the rococo sf elements I enjoy seeing. I hope more people will try their hand at them this time around."

RIGHTS PURCHASED: First English Language Rights, print and electronic. We will ask writers not to allow reprints for a year after publication, with exemptions made for "Best of the Year" anthologies. We do not ask for audio rights.

PAYMENT: $0.05 per word on return of counter-signed contract as an advance against royalties, then an evenly divided share of royalties after earnout, plus one print contributor copy and electronic copies in preferred formats.

WORD LENGTH: Stories should be no longer than 10,000 words; stories under 5,000 words STRONGLY PREFERRED.

READING PERIOD: Oct. 1-Dec. 14, 2012.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Submissions are electronic only. Please submit your story via e-mail, as an RTF or DOC file attachment. (Please do not send DOCX files; we can't read them.) Your e-mail subject line should say "Submission: Story Title". Include a brief cover letter in the body of your email. It should have your name, address, e-mail address, title of story, number of words, and brief biographical information in case we don't know you, with most recent publishing credits, if applicable. We are open to new writers and seasoned veterans alike. We do not accept reprints.

WILL MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS BE ALLOWED? Yes.

WILL SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS BE ALLOWED? No. "No one is going to get a formal acceptance from me until after the reading period ends. If you can't wait that long to find out what I think, then please don't waste my time or Inbox space."

EDITORIAL ADDRESS: clockworkphoenix@gmail.com

For further updates, check Mike Allen's WordPress blog, DESCENT INTO LIGHT, and/or his LiveJournal, THE PLASTEEL SPIDER FACTORY.

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21 December 2012 -- Dark Visions -- Grey Matter Press

Dark Visions is an upcoming anthology that will focus on the darker side of the street.

For this collection of short stories, we’re looking for work that fits comfortably into the Dark Horror and Dark Fantasy genres, but that is a ‘cut above.’ If you’re an author whose subject matter is complex, disturbing, visceral, or brooding and thought provoking, then you’ll want it included in Dark Visions.

As with each of our upcoming anthologies, it isn’t our intention to limit the creativity or our authors by establishing specific themes for each of the collections. Preferring instead to let each writer’s words speak for themselves in an effort to uncover the best and brightest new voices working in the field today. Dark Visions is intended to celebrate this creativity, without limitations.

If you feel your work contains the tension, pacing and great themes that are necessary to terrify a reader, leaving them breathless yet clamoring for more, we want to hear from you. Please review our Submissions Guidelines below, and contact us with any questions.

Dark Visions is a working title. Grey Matter Press reserves the right to change the title as necessary.

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS

Word Count: 3,000 – 10,000 words
Payment: Flat Fee of $100 for each Accepted Manuscript
Formats: *.doc, *.docx, *.txt, *.rtf
Contact Address: submissions@greymatterpress.com

Acceptable File Formats: Grey Matter Press wants to make your submission process easy and painless. We accept manuscripts that are *.doc, *.docx or .txt file formats. If you have any questions about the formatting of your manuscript, feel free to contact us directly at submissions@greymatterpress.com

Digital Submissions: Unfortunately, we cannot accept manuscripts of previously published pieces. Only previously unpublished work will be accepted. We will accept your submission via email at submissions@greymatterpress.com. Subject lines should contain name of Anthology and the title of the story being submitted. (ex: SPLATTERLANDS – ‘Title of Story.’

Font Usage and General Formatting: We request that all files be submitted double-spaced, using either Arial or Times New Roman 12 point font. Page margins should be no less than .5 inch on all borders.

Distribution: Upon acceptance into our anthologies, Grey Matter Press will hold all exclusive publishing rights for the period defined within author contract (generally 12-24 months). At the end of that term, intellectual property rights will revert to the original author, with Grey Matter Press retaining distribution rights for the format(s) originally contracted.

Contributor Copies: All contributors whose work is accepted and published in the anthology will, in the case of digital publishing, receive a digital copy of the complete anthology, and in the case of paperback publishing, will we able to purchase up to 5 copies of the anthology at cost.

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21 December 2012 -- Splatterlands -- Grey Matter Press

The Splatterpunk Revolution is alive and well at Grey Matter Press.

For our upcoming anthology Splatterlands, we are looking for the loudest voices working in the genre of Splatterpunk fiction today. If you consider your work to be “hyperintensive horror without limitation,” then Splatterlands may be for you. If you were weaned on fiction from the masters of Splatter, such as Clive Barker, Joe Lansdale, Poppy Z. Brite, Robert McCammon and more, we definitely want to hear from you.

As with each of our upcoming anthologies, it isn’t our intention to limit the creativity or our authors by establishing specific themes for each of the collections. Preferring instead to let each writer’s words speak for themselves in an effort to uncover the best and brightest new voices working in the field today. Splatterlands is intended to celebrate this creativity, without limitations.

If you feel your work can help us bring Splatterpunk back, we want to hear from you. Please review our Submissions Guidelines below, and contact us with any questions.

Splatterlands is a working title. Grey Matter Press reserves the right to change the title as necessary.

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS

Word Count: 3,000 – 10,000 words
Payment: Flat Fee of $100 for each Accepted Manuscript
Formats: *.doc, *.docx, *.txt, *.rtf
Contact Address: submissions@greymatterpress.com

Acceptable File Formats: Grey Matter Press wants to make your submission process easy and painless. We accept manuscripts that are *.doc, *.docx or .txt file formats. If you have any questions about the formatting of your manuscript, feel free to contact us directly at submissions@greymatterpress.com

Digital Submissions: Unfortunately, we cannot accept manuscripts of previously published pieces. Only previously unpublished work will be accepted. We will accept your submission via email at submissions@greymatterpress.com. Subject lines should contain name of Anthology and the title of the story being submitted. (ex: SPLATTERLANDS – ‘Title of Story.’

Font Usage and General Formatting: We request that all files be submitted double-spaced, using either Arial or Times New Roman 12 point font. Page margins should be no less than .5 inch on all borders.

Distribution: Upon acceptance into our anthologies, Grey Matter Press will hold all exclusive publishing rights for the period defined within author contract (generally 12-24 months). At the end of that term, intellectual property rights will revert to the original author, with Grey Matter Press retaining distribution rights for the format(s) originally contracted.

Contributor Copies: All contributors whose work is accepted and published in the anthology will, in the case of digital publishing, receive a digital copy of the complete anthology, and in the case of paperback publishing, will we able to purchase up to 5 copies of the anthology at cost.