Markets with specific deadlines are listed first, "Until Filled" markets (if any) 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 guidelines on one page, so after you click through you might have to scroll a bit.
Note that The Binge-Watching Cure is open until December, but they're only taking one story of each specified length, and two of the categories are filled already, so if you want to sub to them, do so ASAP.
Note that Horror Library, Volume 6 is no longer accepting multiple or simultaneous submissions.
Note that Janeland is a non-fiction anthology, looking for essays. I've never listed a non-fiction antho before, and won't be looking for them in the future. I'll possibly list them in the future, if asked, on a case-by-case basis, if I find the subject interesting. If you're an editor, note that writers don't come to my blog looking for non-fiction, so the publicity value here for non-fiction is likely to be low, but if you have a cool project and want to get every scrap of publicity, I'll consider it.
***
31 August 2016 -- Automobilia -- Fahrenheit Books
[This is the first of an anthology series, and it seems each book is going to be multi-genre; this volume has an an "automobile" theme (but still accepting multi-genre stories, so long as the focus is on cars). Their actual guidelines are posted on their web site as an image rather than text, so I can't copy/paste them and I'm not going to retype the whole thing. They pay $0.05/word. Click through and check it out if you're interested.]
***
31 August 2016 -- Shadows and Tall Trees, Vol. 7 -- Undertow Books
Shadows & Tall Trees Vol. 7 is now open for submissions. Deadline August 31. Based on the number of subs already received in the first few hours, (and the terrific writers submitting wok) I am going to be rather busy, and also will likely have some hard decisions to make.
Open to submissions from August 1 to August 31 only! (Standard Manuscript Format)
– I want literary horror, weird fiction, strange tales, à la Robert Aickman.
– Original, previously unpublished fiction only, please.
– Manuscripts should be 2500 to 8000 words
– Payment is a princely $50 – $100 and a copy of each edition, for first English-Language rights for Hardback, Trade and eBook editions.
– No overly long and effusive cover letters. I don’t read them.
– No simultaneous or multiple submissions, please
– No familiar tropes. i.e. vampires, werewolves, and zombies. Ghosts, though? Hell, yes.
– No science fiction, high fantasy, or poetry please
Stories, in standard manuscript format, as attachments, are to be sent to this address only:
ShadowsAndTallTrees7@gmail.com
Full guidelines:
Quiet horror and weird fiction. Fiction that is offbeat and eclectic; dark, bizarre and psychological. Stories both subtle and prosaic. Weird, strange tales. Shadows & Tall Trees is an anthology of the dark and fantastic, with mainstream sensibilities. I am seeking low-key, literary work. Voice is very important.
Volume 6 was a World Fantasy Award, and Shirley Jackson Award Finalist. Several stories published in Shadows & Tall Trees have been selected for reprint in various “Best Of” anthologies. Peter Straub has declared it “A beautiful and courageous volume.”
I am looking for stories that share the same weird and strange sensibility experienced in the works of Robert Aickman, Laird Barron, Shirley Jackson, Vernon Lee, Thomas Ligotti, Daphne du Maurier, and Arthur Machen.
I am not interested in any of the familiar tropes of the genre, i.e., vampires, werewolves, and zombies, in any of their forms. Nor am I interested in urban fantasy, occult/paranormal detectives, or magick. No elves, dragons, or faeries.
Other authors that I enjoy include Nina Allan, Nathan Ballingrud, Charles Beaumont, Italo Calvino, Ramsey Campbell, Angela Carter, Raymond Carver, Gemma Files, Elizabeth Hand, Helen Oyeyemi, Kelly Link, Franz Kafka, Kathe Koja, Alison Moore, Haruki Murakami, Joyce Carol Oates, Flannery O’Connor, Mary Rickert, Nicholas Royle, Simon Strantzas, Steve Rasnic Tem, Lisa Tuttle, etc.
Undertow Publications encourages and welcomes a diverse range of voices and perspectives.
Response times will vary. Some stories may be held until November. The book is due to be published March 2017.
***
15 September 2016 -- Enter the Aftermath -- TANSTAAFL Press
TANSTAAAFL Press has an open call for short stories for the “Enter the…” series of anthologies.
Guidelines:
1. We will only accept those stories emailed as text in the email OR .txt, .doc, .docx formats.
a. All attachements will be destroyed if not accepted.
b. Email address is submissions@tanstaaflpress.com
2. We will not accept stories by mail or post. If we receive these they will be destroyed at once.
3. All stories must be original and unpublished anywhere
a. If accepted TANSTAAFL Press will take first english publication rights.
==Note that reprint rights are yours as are first publication in alternate languages, however the value of reprints is low as are the likelihood of getting anyone to reprint.
==This publication is likely the only location where you will likely be paid for this piece.
4. Stories must be less than 8000 words.
5. Stories considered for Enter the Apocalypse must be stories about the start and / or middle of any type apocalypse.
a. Apocalypse can include (but isn’t limited to) nuclear, epidemic, supernatural, bioweapon, cosmic, aliens, etc.
6. Stories considered for Enter the Aftermath must be stories about the burnout or shortly after any type apocalypse.
7. Stories considered for Enter the Rebirth must be stories about the world coming back to a new stability after any type of apocalypse.
8. TANSTAAFL Press will attempt to get to submissions as quickly as possible, but make no commitment to how quickly.
9. We will accept submissions up until
10. TANSTAAFL Press will respond to all submissions which follow our guidelines.
Payments / Renumeration
The Enter… series will pay for each story used in the range of $0.01-0.08 per word (averaging close to $0.03 per word). People who have stories for each of the works accepted with the same world will receive a boost on each consecutive story. An example: Say TANSTAAFL thinks your work is worth 3c per word on your story in …Apocalypse. Then you submit a story from the same world to …Aftermath. Assuming it is accepted you would get 3.5c per word on that story.
TANSTAAFL Press will pay upon the finalization of three criteria:
1. Acceptance of your edited work
a. This means if there are changes requested that they have been completed.
2. Signed contract with TANSTAAFL Press for publication of this work
a. Come see our tentative contract. It hasn’t been fully vetted but it will be close.
3. All works for publication have been accepted and signed.
a. That is, we will pay you when we have the full manuscript in hand.
b. You will not have to wait for TANSTAAFL Press to actually publish.
[NOTE: The way I read the "Payment / Remuneration" section, it sounds like they're going to eyeball each story they've decided to accept and just sort of... figure out...? how much they want to pay for it, between one and eight cents per word. That sounds kind of squirrely to me, but I decided to post this anyway and let you all decide whether to sub or not. Note that if you have a personal minimum you'll work for, and it's not a penny per word, you can submit, and if they decide they want your story, you can look at their offer and then accept or reject it based on the payment (or anything else) as always. Remember, it's not a committment until you've signed the contract. I hope the TANSTAAFL folks have taken this into consideration when building their schedule.]
***
15 September 2016 -- Horror Library, Volume 6 -- ed. Eric J. Guignard; Farolight Publishing
Projected Release Date: April 2017 (both print and e-format)
Payment: Three cents per word and one contributor copy (no royalties)
Reprints?: NO
Multiple and/or Simultaneous Submissions:
Response Time: Three weeks or less
Send submissions and queries to: Horror.Library.Submissions (AT) gmail.com
+++
The Horror Library has arisen anew! That is, new volume, new editor, but with the same passion to advance dark, smart horror short fiction.
The Horror Library series has been publishing cutting-edge horror for more than ten years, with new volumes released about every two years. Past contributors include such notables as: Bentley Little, Gary Braunbeck, Kealan Patrick Burke, Jeff Strand, Ray Garton, Lisa Morton, Tim Waggoner, et al. We’d love to add your name to this list!
The short of it:
We’re looking for non-themed horror short stories.
The long of it:
The tastes of this anthology series run toward light horror or psychological horror rather than anything brutal (think along the lines of: The Twilight Zone, Tales from the Darkside, Tales from the Crypt, Black Mirror, etc.). Stories about demons, serial killers, or any traditional monster trope (zombies, vampires, etc.) will be a very tough sell.
Ideal qualities to make your story a success include:
+Emotional Resonance (e.g. Fear, Relief, Joy, etc.)+
+Action (Plot Movement)+
+Unique and Thoughtful Ideas+
+Literary Courage (Push Boundaries)+
+Extraordinarily Memorable ‘Voice’ in Characters+
The audience for this anthology are mature, literary readers (i.e. “R” rating). Profanity and sexually-related material is acceptable, provided it is not gratuitous and not excessive. What is not acceptable is anything relating to torture or sexual abuse of children, or graphic sex/ “erotica.”
If you’re unsure what we’re looking for, simply review former volumes of +Horror Library+ for additional insight. If you’re still unsure, just send it!
+Suggested word count is 2,000 – 6,000 words.+
+Please attach submissions to email as a Microsoft Word file (doc type doesn’t matter).+
+Formatting isn’t important (though good form is to follow Shunn guidelines at: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html).+
Please send submissions, queries, and all else via e-mail to: Horror.Library.Submissions (AT) gmail.com
***
15 September 2016 -- Behind the Mask -- Meerkat Press
Behind the Mask (working title) is our next themed anthology and it’s all about superheroes! But not how they saved the world this time. We’re more interested in the ordinary day-to-day challenges facing these extraordinary individuals: growing up, growing old, relationships, career struggles, parenting. How they cope with that age-old desire to fit in when, let’s face it, they don’t.
We want superhero stories with originality, diversity, and strong character development that celebrate the genre but manage to push its boundaries as well. Fun, quirky, serious, happy, sad: any tone will do, and we plan to have a nice variety. But bring us something fresh and relevant to this crazy world we live in today.
So without further ado, here are the details!
Short Fiction (3K to 6K words) for Behind the Mask: A Superhero Anthology
== We are currently seeking short stories for our next short fiction superhero themed anthology, Behind the Mask.
== Submission Deadline 9/15/16
== Submission Guidelines:
o Include a cover email containing genre, word count, brief bio, and contact information
o Please confirm that your story has not been published before
o Attach your complete story using Proper Short Story Manuscript Format (Meerkat exceptions: Times New Roman preferred, one space after period, italics are okay, em dashes are okay)
o We accept .doc, .docx, .txt and .rtf files.
o We do not accept reprints
o We do accept simultaneous submissions for short stories (but ask that you contact us immediately if your story is accepted elsewhere)
o Send to Submissions@MeerkatPress.com with subject line: Superhero – Genre – Title – Author
== Payment: We pay .02 to .08 per word for short fiction
***
15 September 2016 -- Janeland: Women Write More about Leaving Men for Women -- Candace Walsh and Barbara Straus Lodge; Cleis Press
Essay length: 2,000–4,000 words
Six years have passed since the publication of Lambda Literary Award finalist Dear John, I Love Jane: Women Write about Leaving Men for Women, a groundbreaking exploration of sexual fluidity through intimate, firsthand stories. This anthology remains a crucial resource for women who find themselves deliciously (and distressingly) floundering in the knowledge that although they have always identified as straight, they are now madly in love with another woman.
It’s time to update, extend, broaden, and strengthen the conversation. The last six years has also been a revolutionary time for all LGBT people, and this book will be expansive enough to contain a full spectrum, including Trans perspectives, that could have only manifested over half a decade of turbulent and triumphant social change. Janeland will include continuations of many of the original writers’ stories, but we also seek new voices and unique variations on the now-familiar Jane story, including submissions from women who found the first book to be a catalyst, resource, and a way to connect with other women going through the same transformation.
This new cadre of women will write from a place of community and support, while also acknowledging repercussions, bad and good: custody battles, exes both furious and supportive, estrangement from and reconnection with family and friends, as well as mind-blowing sexual and emotional awakenings and the life-changing transcendence that comes from living one’s truth.
Although this book will evolve as we receive submissions, we welcome first-person, literary non-fiction essays from women who:
1) were aware that they had always felt same-sex/gender desires, but wanted to try to make it work in the straight world, and
2) identified as heterosexual at one time, but found themselves embarking on a romantic, same-sex/gender relationship.
We seek a diversity of voices, and welcome submissions from a variety of perspectives, including essays from women who don’t fit precisely into the above descriptions.
Here are some questions that your piece might consider or use as a point of departure. Please don’t feel like this is an essay question test and that you have to cover them all—we want the format of your essay to feel organic and not be explicitly dictated by our questions. Feel free to add other great ideas that we haven’t considered here. And don’t shy away from humor.
== How did you come to your moment of truth?
== Were your actions in any way dictated by the temperature of society and its views on homosexuality?
== What were your first times like with a woman—holding hands, the first date, kiss, sexual experience?
== How did your cultural/religious/racial/ethnic/economic background shape your experience?
== Did your perception of yourself change? Do you feel that others’ perceptions of you changed? Did they surprise you with either an unexpected positive or negative reaction? How did this affect you? Did their reactions change over time?
== What do you miss? What do you not miss? Everything from in the bedroom to out at dinner, at a wedding, as a parent, as a family member, at the gym, in the workplace, on a picnic—whatever comes up for you.
== If you have children, how were the children affected by this change?
== Do you feel like you surrendered heterosexuality or elements of heterosexual privilege? Do you feel like your new life has yielded rewards? What were the rewards you expected and which ones were surprises?
== What is this journey like for you? How did you feel as you were setting out on it and how do you feel now? How do you mark your progress? Were there stages? Illustrative moments? Looking back, do you feel like you went through certain phases?
== What is it like to shift your identity? What about you is the same and always will be? What about you has changed or altered?
== How did you feel as you began your relationship with a woman? Did you get flak from individuals who second-guessed you? Did you feel like you had to prove yourself? How did you keep your internal balance (or not)?
== How did your socialization as a straight person prepare you (ill or well) for pursuing a same-sex relationship?
== How do you define yourself? Do current labels work for you, or are you not yet defined by a word or phrase? What paradigm do you imagine?
As editors, we value specificity, detail, “showing, not telling,” honesty, epiphanies in the form of clean, polished, crafted writing, and a sense of resolution. An arc of transformation. As Cheryl Strayed says, the invisible sentence at the end of a good essay is “and things were never the same again.”
We strongly encourage you to send us a query well beforehand, so that we can review it, give you helpful feedback, and have a good sense of what will be coming our way that month. If you are able to submit the piece earlier, we prefer that you do.
Submit: Please send your proposal or (around 2,000–4,000-word) submission (Word document, double-spaced), along with a short bio and full contact information to: janeland.book@gmail.com
Payment: Upon publication. Amount varies, depending upon experience and amount of editing required. Please include a list of any previous publication credits (with links, if applicable) with your query or submission. Contributors will also receive one electronic version of the book.
[NOTE: Ms. Lodge and I discussed this in e-mail, and she told me that they're looking at paying between $50 and $80 per essay, depending on the piece. So the word rate will land somewhere between a penny and a quarter per word up to four cents per word.]
***
30 September 2016 -- Lawless Lands -- ed. Emily Leverett, Margaret McGraw, and Misty Massey; Falstaff Books
Lawless Lands: Tales from the Weird Frontier is an anthology embodying the frontier spirit of the American West, but with a weird twist. Gunslingers with laser pistols, cattle drives through the galaxy, cursed nuggets of gold, and talking jack rabbits that grant wishes. Fantasy, SF, or horror, if it’s weird, we want to see it.
The book will be funded with a Kickstarter campaign in December 2016. We will pay each author a minimum of 4 cents a word, with the possibility of more if the Kickstarter is successful, and two physical copies.
Editors: Emily Leverett, Margaret McGraw, and Misty Massey.
Anchor authors: David B. Coe, Laura Anne Gilman, Barb Hendee, Faith Hunter, Nicole Givens Kurtz, Margaret McGraw, Seanan McGuire, Devon Monk, and Edmund Schubert (This Giant Leap).
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Word count: 3000 to 7000 words. We might be willing to entertain a story longer than the max, but please ask before submitting, and it had better be a pretty incredible story.
Genre: Fantasy, SF, or horror. No erotica.
Format: Word documents (.doc; .docx) only; 12 point Times New Roman, double-spaced. Please include your name and email address at the beginning of your word document as it will get separated from your original email.
Subject Line for Email: LawlessLands – (Your Name) – (Name of Story)
Cover Letter: We’re happy to see a cover email explaining your previous publications, but try to keep it short and sweet. And don’t stress if you have no prior publication experience – we love discovering stars!
***
1 October 2016 (or until filled) -- Ghosts on Drugs -- ed. Hy Bender and Will Paoletto
Bestselling author Hy Bender (BookProposal.net; 16 books including 5 Dummies books, a Complete Idiot's Guide, and The Sandman Companion; The New York Times, Mad Magazine) and book developer Will Paoletto (Enterprise Cometh; My Bad Parent) are putting together a short story fiction anthology titled Ghosts on Drugs.
And we're inviting you to send us a story so great that we can't resist saying "yes" to it.
The only rule is that a tale include some version of at least one ghost who's on some version of at least one drug.
And both key terms are broadly defined—e.g., a ghostwriter hooked on cough syrup could fit, and a dead ancient god with an inhumanly intense craving to be worshipped again could too.
Also, a story can run anywhere from 2 pages to 30 pages, so a short-short tale that's a solid fit for the collection will definitely be considered.
We expect many of the stories will be a mix of comedy and fantasy. However, the book is also open to horror, SF, adventure, drama, etc., as well as any combination of genres. Whatever the category, we're seeking stories that are extremely entertaining, appeal to a wide-ranging audience (high concepts are especially appreciated), and provide an emotionally satisfying ending (smartly crafted character arcs/transformations are especially appreciated).
We're aiming to include some of the world's top comedians, a bunch of superb writers, and one or two celebrities who happen to be drug fans.
Some of the advantages of being in this anthology:
== Getting a credit for a book that's likely to receive substantial attention because of its cool high concept, wildly inventive range of ideas, and exceptionally fine writing.
== Having your name alongside other impressive celebrity talents (if you're a star) or taking a helpful step on your career path (if you're not a star yet).
== Receiving payment on our acceptance—15 cents a word for the first 2,500 words and 6 cents a word after that (to encourage tight writing).
== Receiving a share of the royalties (based on word count).
== Working with Hy—a world-class editor—to make your story the very best it can be.
== Fun!
If the above sounds appealing, then please feel highly encouraged to submit material. The initial deadline is March 1st, 2016. (This might get extended, or not, depending on what comes in.)
For the sake of saving you time and effort, we recommend running an idea by Hy first to ensure it isn't redundant with something we've already purchased for the collection. However, if you prefer to just write and send us a complete story, that's great too.
Please send anything related to the anthology to Hy Bender at hy@hyreviews.com.
Looking forward to your playful, inventive, genius (or so-stupid-it's-genius) ideas and wonderful writing.
***
31 December 2016 -- The Binge-Watching Cure -- ed. Bill Adler Jr.
How do you cure your Netflix (or Amazon, Google movie, or Hulu) addiction and return to your first love, reading books? You know you want to read more. You know you enjoy reading. You know you look forward to finishing a book because then you can start a new adventure.
But how? How do you get into reading when the siren call of streaming movies becomes more powerful every year? A three-hundred page novel is daunting in the face of Netflix and friends’ wonders. It’s too easy to put on pajamas, pour a glass of wine, and offer your eyes to a TV, tablet, or computer screen until sleep summons you.
Enter The Binge-Watching Cure: Fabulous Stories that Start Small and Grow Longer, edited by Bill Adler Jr. The Binge-Watching Cure will be an anthology of short stories of increasing size. The first story will be 100 words—anyone can read that. The next, 200 words. Then 500, then longer, all the way to novella length. By the time you’ve finished reading The Binge-Watching Cure, you’ll be able to tackle Joyce and Pynchon. Or at the very least, you’ll enjoy novels you hear about from friends and family. The Binge-Watching Cure will reignite your love for reading; it will better your life.
Just as you enter a cold swimming pool one body part at a time, get used to drinking beer sip by foamy sip, or learn to enjoy spicy food in little, fiery nibbles, The Binge-Watching Cure gradually acclimates you to reading longer and longer stories, until a novel-length book goes down smoothly, tasting sweet, and making you want more.
We want your writing.
We’re looking for stellar stories of various lengths for The Binge-Watching Cure. The stories must have strong characters and compelling plots. Genre fiction is okay because great fiction often crosses the genre barrier. No erotica and no stories with excessive violence. Please see our FAQ for more about what we’re looking for.
We pay $200 for short stories that are under 5,000 words and $500 for stories that are 5,000 words or longer. We will be licensing the non-exclusive print and electronic book rights, including foreign-language rights (but not audio, film rights, or magazine rights). Your name and bio will be included along with your story. Contributors also receive a copy of The Binge-Watching Cure. Previously published stories are okay, as are simultaneous submissions. There will be a signed contract, of course. The Binge-Watching Cure will be published in 2017.
Please email us your story at bingecurebook@gmail.com and send us your story in DOC, DOCX, RTF, or PDF format, double spaced with human being-readable margins, and in a sensible font such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier.
Include the exact word count, along with your contact information at the top of the manuscript.
Our FAQ has more information on what kind of stories we’re looking for and what kind of stories are not a match for The Binge-Watching Cure.
Please include a brief bio in your cover letter, as well as your contact information in both the manuscript and cover letter. Briefly summarize your story and let us know what genre, if any, your story is. If your story has been published elsewhere, let us know where and when. (Previously published stories are perfectly okay.) Content is more important than format, so don’t sweat things like line breaks. We’ll try to get back to you as soon as we can. Submissions close December 31, 2016, or as soon as the story slots are filled.
Please put your story’s title and word count in your email’s subject line. Please submit only one story at a time and read our FAQ about multiple submissions.
Here’s the important part: We want stories within 15 percent of the following word counts (within 20 percent for stories 10,000 words and longer):
100
200
500
750
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,500
4,000
4,500
6,000 -- FILLED
7,000 -- FILLED
8,000
10,000
15,000
25,000
The Binge-Watching Cure will have one story from each of these length categories.
[NOTE: Yes, this is much earlier than I usually post listings, but this book is filling each length slot individually, and only once; according to the site's Submissions page, the 6000 and 7000 word slots are filled already. If you have a story of a particular length that you want to submit here, send it in now. Normally I wouldn't post this until October, but by that time many if not most (or maybe all) of the slots might be filled already, so I'm giving everyone an early heads-up.]
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