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 are at the bottom (although there aren't any this month). 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 guidelines on one page, so after you click through you might have to scroll a bit.

Note that It's Come to Our Attention, a Third Flatiron anthology, has had its deadline pushed back. They're currently closed to submissions; don't send anything in until 15 October.

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31 August 2015 -- Enchanted Soles -- Less Than Three Press

ENCHANTED SOLES — Bisexual Anthology Call — Many a tale is filled with enchanted objects that help to overcome insurmountable challenges. Swords, mirrors, pots, books—but none is more famous than the enchanted shoe, from a slipper made of glass to boots that walk seven leagues in a single step.

Less Than Three Press invites you to submit your tales of people assisted on their way by magical footwear.

THE DETAILS:

==Deadline is August 31, 2015 (give or take, we won’t kill you for sending it off the following morning).
==Stories should be at least 10,000 words and should not exceed approx 20,000 words in length.
==Stories must revolve around the theme of magic shoes, feature a bisexual character, and contain a romance*.
==Stories must have a happily ever after (HEA) or happy for now (HFN) end.
==Any sub-genre is gladly accepted: sci-fi, mystery, contemporary, steampunk, etc.
==All usual LT3 submission guidelines apply.

*Aromantic & queer platonic relationships are accepted; email the editor for more info.

Enchanted Soles is a general release anthology, which means authors will receive a flat payment of $200.00 once LT3 has a signed contract. Authors will receive one copy each of the ebook formats LT3 produces and two copies of the paperback compilation.

Stories should be complete before submitting, and as edited as possible—do not submit a first draft. They can be submitted in any format (doc, docx, rtf, odt, etc) preferably single spaced in an easy to read font (Times, Calibri, Arial) with no special formatting (no elaborate section separation, special fonts, etc). Additional formatting guidelines can be found here.

Questions should be directed to Sasha L. Miller at millers@lessthanthreepress.com (or you can ping her on twitter @nikerymis). Submissions should be sent to submissions@lessthanthreepress.com. Include the following in your email:

==Put SUBMISSIONS: ENCHANTED SOLES in the subject line! Emails without this subject line run the risk of not being seen or read, so please, do not forget this!
==Your real name, pen name (if you use one), and preferred email address.
==The approximate total length of the completed story.
==A brief summary of the story, not to exceed approximately 200 words in length.
==Attach the complete manuscript in .doc, .docx, or .odt format.

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31 August 2015 -- Futuristica -- Meta Sagas

We are currently accepting submissions for our first anthology of short fiction, Futuristica Volume 1.

Submissions Guidelines & Payment Information:

== We pay 6 cents per word against a pro rata share of royalties.
== We buy first rights and exclusive eBook rights for 6 months after the date of publication.
== We do not purchase reprints.
== We accept simultaneous submissions.
== Manuscripts should be in standard manuscript format.
== Manuscripts should be between 3,000 and 10,000 words.
== No prior publishing experience is required.

Story Criteria:

== Story content must be original. We do not accept fan fiction or derivative works.
== We prize diversity, specifically stories that include multicultural backgrounds or lead characters of atypical ethnic origins. Basically, while we have nothing against heterosexual white American males, we feel they are already adequately represented in science fiction and we want stories about the rest of humanity.
== We are interested in character-oriented fiction.

Women Positive:

== We want stories with awesome female protagonists.
== Zoë Washburn? YES!
== Princess Leia? Definitely!
== That blonde girl from The Temple of Doom? No!
== Bella? Hahahaha. No.

Sex Positive:

== Can the story contain sexual content? Absolutely! However, the sexual content should be integral to the story, but not the whole story.
== Does there have to be sex in the story? Nope.
== No demeaning sex acts.
== No rape. Period.

Science Positive:

== Stories should explore science fiction, scientific fantasy, space opera, emerging technologies, etc…
== We have a preference for near future, near Earth settings.
== No high fantasy, please.
== No dragons or dinosaurs, unless they also have lasers.

Response:

We are committed to responding to submissions as quickly as possible. Manuscripts will be evaluated in the order in which they are received. We will update [the guidelines] page regularly with the date for which we are currently reviewing manuscripts.

If the review date listed at the top of this page has passed the date on which your manuscript was submitted and you haven’t heard from us, you may query us using the Contact page. Please include a subject line of "Submission Query" and the author and title of the manuscript.

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1 October 2015 -- Myriad Lands -- ed. David Stokes; Guardbridge Books

An Anthology of Non-Western Fantasy

Beyond the familiar tropes of knights and dragons, there is a whole world of possibilities for fantasy literature.

This collection seeks to explore the stories available in non-traditional fantasy.

We are looking for secondary world fantasy, where the world building and story telling is based on sources other than medieval Europe.

These can be based on other Earth cultures, examples such as Barry Hughart's fantasy China in Bridge of Birds, or Aliette de Bodard's magical Aztec Empire in Servant of the Underworld. Alternately, they could have a totally original setting, such as M.A.R. Barker's Tekumel, N.K. Jemisin's Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, or China Mieville's Bas-Lag.

LENGTH: 1000-6000 words. We will consider a select few longer works, but query first.

RIGHTS SOUGHT: First Worldwide print and electronic English Language rights. Exclusivity for 1 year from date of release. Non-exclusive rights to keep the anthology in print afterwards.

PAYMENT: £0.03/word (approx. 5¢/word US). Contributor's copy. Payment will be made when story line-up is finalized.

PROCEDURE: attach an RTF or DOC or Plain Text file in an email. Send to fiction@guardbridgebooks.co.uk

In the e-mail include your:
== Legal Name (to whom a payment would be made out)
== Pen Name (if any - how you would like to be credited in print)
== Mailing Address
== Word Count
== Brief summary of publication credits (no need to list them all)

We will judge submissions based on the writing, not on your cover letter, so don't spend too much effort trying to impress us with it.

Please make the file name the same as the title of the story. (ex. TheLordOfTheRings.rtf, although, please, keep your stories shorter than that!)

Please, no simultaneous or multiple submissions. In other words, don't send them to me while you are sending them to someone else, and send only one story at a time.

We will review stories continuously as they come in. If we reject one submission and there is still time, you may submit another. If we like your story, we may ask to hold for final consideration once all submissions are in.

Reprints of previously published material might be considered for exceptional stories, depending on original publication and copyright issues. Please make it very clear in your cover e-mail if your story is already published elsewhere. We will not include many of these and payment will be negotiated individually.

If there are additional elements, like special formatting, illustrations or maps, absolutely necessary for the story, please mention them in the e-mail.

We welcome submissions from writers from a diversity of communities. Writers with experience of Asian, African, Latin American, Oceanic, or indigenous cultures are especially encouraged to apply.

I DO NOT WANT:

== Stereotypes or clichéd portrayal of cultures.
== Stories based purely on showing the strangeness or exoticism of a culture.
== Standard sword-and-sorcery plots with foreign sounding names.
== Explicit and excessive depictions of violence, torture, or rape. (A fight scene is fine, a full page describing the blood and entrails pouring from a wound is excessive.)
== Modern day or urban-fantasy.

I DO WANT:

== Engaging stories with interesting characters.
== Unique stories that flow from the modes of life in their subject cultures.
== Social structures and Governments other than medieval European feudalism/monarchy, cultural traditions other than European.
== Vivid descriptions of lands, peoples, customs (but avoid infodumps or travelogues where possible).

If you have any questions, contact info@guardbridgebooks.co.uk .

I hope to see lots of great stories. Good Luck!

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1 October 2015 -- Untethered: A Magic iPhone Anthology -- ed. Janine A. Southard; Cantina Publishing

iPhones are magic.

I mean, do you know how yours works? Could you take it apart and put it back together? We can’t go out without our smartphones. They organize our lives, find our locations, and sync with all our other tech. We sleep with them beside our pillows. Yet… their workings are a mystery.

What does “magic iPhone” mean to you? Consider the supervillain who mind-controls a city’s populace, or the employee who stamps the runes that make your iPhone 8s so lightweight.

This anthology is based on the success of anthology editor Janine A. Southard’s recent novel, Cracked! A Magic iPhone Story, which stars an explicitly magical iPhone (found by story gamers in modern-day Seattle). That iPhone comes pre-loaded with a romance finder app of dubious morality that not only sends its users on terrible dates, but also sucks their life forces.

Editor’s Note: I’m looking for stories that cleverly incorporate the idea of a “magic iPhone” into any setting you like. I will, of course, be psyched to read variations on my crazy romance app, but I’m also excited to read something totally different. I’m accepting all genres except straight-up erotica or hard-core horror. (We’re aiming this anthology at general audiences, after all.) I think the idea lends itself well to comedy and dark fantasy, but… I guess that was obvious already.

How to submit: Send your story in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format to Janine A. Southard at untethered.subs@cantinapublishing.com.

Note about brands: In Cracked! A Magic iPhone Story the titular device was, clearly, an iPhone. Cantina Publishing acknowledges that not everyone rates an iPhone as their favorite device, but the concept of the magic iPhone is the element which will tie together stories in this anthology. You are welcome to feature alternate devices in addition to the iPhone, but be respectful in the event of brand/model comparisons. “iPhone” is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.; Cantina Publishing is not affiliated with Apple Inc. (aside from having listings in the Apple iBooks Store); Cantina Publishing has received no incentive from Apple Inc. for featuring their product in this anthology.

Rights and compensation: Originals only, no reprints. We will purchase first publishing rights for inclusion in this anthology (ebook and print) and one year of exclusivity for $100 (further funding may be possible, subject to Kickstarter project fund availability). Authors retain the rights to the individual stories; Cantina Publishing exercises rights to the anthology as a whole. Each author will also receive a POD copy of the finished work.

General Guidelines:

Do send: Your story with your contact details, name (and pseudonym, if applicable), and word count on the first page of a .doc, .docx, or .rtf document. Please use italics instead of underlining. Cantina Publishing recommends using a really common workhorse font like Times New Roman or Calibri at whatever the default setting is for your word processor. (Font selections are subject to change before publication. Still, the submissions reader will remember you as “the jerk who sent something all in wingdings.” So we don’t recommend that particular level of creativity.) 3,000-7,000 words recommended.

Don’t send: Fanfic of any kind. (Unless specified by the call for submissions.) Grotesque horror. Anything over 10,000 words without querying first.

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15 December 2015 -- It's Come to Our Attention -- Third Flatiron
[***Updated -- was 30 September. Do not submit before 15 October.]

Under the radar: things that are happening quietly, without a lot of fanfare, that may still be extremely significant or make a big difference.

Stories should be submitted in either Microsoft Word (using double spacing), RTF, or plain text. They should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words. Flash humor pieces (Grins and Gurgles) should be short, around 600 words.

Please don't send simultaneous or multiple submissions. If a story has been rejected, you can then send another.

Submit by email to flatsubmit@thirdflatiron.com either as an attachment (Word) or in the body of the mail (text).

In the Subject: line of the email, please put flatsubmit:Title_of_Your_Work to avoid being deemed a canned meat product based on ham.

If the work is for the humor section, please note that in the body of your email. A brief bio and a one- or two-sentence synopsis in the body of your email would also be helpful to us.

Your story must be original work, with the digital rights unencumbered. Accepted stories will be paid at the flat rate of 3 cents per word (U.S.), in return for the digital rights to the story for six months after publication. All other rights will remain with the author. We no longer offer royalties. If your story is selected as the lead story, beginning July 1, 2014, we will pay a flat rate of 6 cents per word (SFWA professional rate), in return for the permission to podcast or give the story away as a free sample portion of the anthology.

Third Flatiron will price and market your story to various e-publishing venues. We will format the story for the most popular electronic readers and platforms. You agree that we may distribute a sample (portion of the story) to potential customers.

For non-U.S. submissions, we prefer to pay via PayPal, if you have such an account.

Authors selected for publication will also be entitled to one free online copy of the anthology.