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.
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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 -- FILLED
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,500
4,000
4,500
6,000 -- FILLED
7,000 -- FILLED
8,000
10,000 -- FILLED
15,000
25,000
The Binge-Watching Cure will have one story from each of these length categories.
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31 December 2016 -- Submerged -- ed. S.C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier
All Hail our Robot Conquerors! -- ed. Patricia Bray & Joshua Palmatier
The Death of All Things -- ed. Laura Anne Gilman & Kat Richardson; Zombies Need Brains LLC
Zombies Need Brains LLC is accepting submissions to its three science fiction and fantasy anthologies SUBMERGED, ALL HAIL OUR ROBOT CONQUERORS!, and THE DEATH OF ALL THINGS. Stories must be submitted in electronic form as an attachment with the title of the story as the file name in .doc or .docx format. The header of the email should include the name of the anthology the submission is for along with the title of the submission (for example: SUBMERGED: Jellyfish Gone Wild!). The content of the email should also include which anthology the manuscript is intended for. Please send multiple manuscripts in separate emails. Manuscripts should be in manuscript format, meaning double-spaced, 12pt font, standard margins on top, bottom and sides, and pages numbered. Please use New Times Roman font. The first page should include the Title of the story, Author’s name, address, and email, and Pseudonym if different from the author’s real name. Italics and bold should be in italics and bold.
Stories for this anthology must be original (no reprints or previously published material), no more than 7,500 words in length, and must satisfy the theme of the anthology.
SUBMERGED is to feature science fiction or fantasy stories that are set underwater at some point. It does not have to be set completely underwater, but at some point the events of the story must lead in a natural way to an underwater adventure. There should be a significant reason for why the action must take place underwater; this should NOT be a story where it easily be rewritten on land and maintain its cohesion. We are attempting to fill half of the anthology with science fiction stories, and half with fantasy stories. Stories featuring more interesting settings underwater and twists on the typical underwater themes will receive more attention than those that use standard underwater tropes. In other words, we don’t want to see 100 stories dealing with Atlantis. If we do, it’s likely that only one, at most, would be selected for the anthology. So be creative, choose something different, and use it in an unusual and unexpected way. We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.
ALL HAIL OUR ROBOT CONQUERORS! is to feature stories where the robots of the story somehow harken back to the 50s/60s style of robots. The story can be set in the far future, but at some point there should be a significant nod toward the robots from that era—either a significantly advanced robot that is simply housed in a 50s/60s style shell, or a robot exactly like those from the 50s/60s but used in an interesting and believable way in the story. Stories featuring more interesting takes on the 50s/60s style robots, and twists on how they are integrated into the story, will receive more attention than those with more generalized robots. So be creative and use your robot in an unusual and unexpected way. We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.
THE DEATH OF ALL THINGS is to feature stories where Death is a character in the story. The version of Death used should be unique, so consider all different types of versions of Death seen throughout history and in different cultures. Stories featuring more interesting takes on Death, and twists on how Death is integrated into the story, will receive more attention than those with more standard depictions of Death. So be creative and use Death in an unusual and unexpected way. We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark. Note: We are NOT looking for torture porn, nor gratuitous violence of any kind.
The deadline for submissions is December 31st, 2016. Decisions on stories should be completed by the end of February 2017. Please send submissions to Joshua@zombiesneedbrains.com. You will receive a receipt email within a few days of receiving the submission and having it filed for consideration. Notices about decisions on the stories will be sent out no later than the end of March 2017.
If your story is selected for use in the anthology, you should expect a revision letter by the end of April 2017. Revisions and the final draft of the story will be expected no later than the end of May 2017. These dates may change due to the editors’ work schedules. Zombies Need Brains LLC is seeking non-exclusive world anthology rights (including electronic rights) in all languages for the duration of one year after publication/release of the anthology. Your story cannot appear elsewhere during that year. Pay rate will be an advance of a minimum of 6 cents per word for the short stories. The anthology will be published as an ebook and an exclusive mass market paperback edition, distributed to the Kickstarter backers. The book would be available after that to the general public in ebook and trade paperback formats. Advances would be immediately earned out by the success of the Kickstarter. Royalties on additional sales beyond the Kickstarter will be 25% of ebook cover price and 10% of trade paperback cover price, both split evenly (not by word count) between the authors in the anthology and the editors of the anthology.
Questions regarding these submission guidelines should be sent to Joshua@zombiesneedbrains.com. Thank you.
***
31 December 2016 -- If Mom's Happy -- ed. Brandy Fox; Cwtch Press
ANTHOLOGY: If Mom’s Happy: Stories About Erotic Mothers
EDITOR: Brandy Fox
PUBLISHER: CWTCH Press
DEADLINE: December 31, 2016
WORD COUNT: 1500 - 4500
PUBLICATION DATE: April 2017
PAYMENT: $50 + 2 copies
SUBMIT TO: IfMomsHappy@gmail.com
If Mom’s Happy (working title) is a collection of stories about erotic mothers. When mom’s happy, everyone’s happy, right? This anthology is open to all women writers, preferably mothers—adoptive, heterosexual, single, married, gay, lesbian, grandparent, trans female, etc. I’m looking for all different kinds of stories, 1500-4500 words, portraying mothers as sexy, horny, and alive with desire; desire for their partner(s), the preschool teacher, the pediatrician, the grocery store clerk, or anyone else. Perhaps this desire has been dormant since becoming a mother, and finally it’s reemerging. Or maybe your partner is afraid sex will hurt you, and you need to get them so hot they just don’t care anymore. I want stories about complex characters mourning the loss of their libido and looking for a creative way to reawaken it; or grappling with the lust they feel after breastfeeding their newborn; or discovering their diaper fetish. These are stories about parents of infants who do it despite exhaustion and an overabundance of moisture; mothers of preschoolers who could walk in at any moment and teenagers who stay up later than Mom and will surely hear her moans. These are true stories, overheard stories, or your wildest, hottest fantasies, and they include the range of emotions felt by moms—humor, anxiety, loss, depression, lust, utter happiness, pure love, and so much more. They also surprise, push boundaries and sizzle with erotic desire. Most importantly, these stories celebrate maternal sexuality in all its forms.
About the kids: While these stories may include children, anyone under age 18 must be oblivious or more-or-less unaware of any sex happening. I will not accept any stories that I feel are borderline child pornography, incestuous, or non-consensual.
Rights: Story submissions can be previously published, as long as you retain the copyright. If your story is accepted, Cwtch gains non-exclusive right to publish your story in this anthology in print, ebook, and audiobook form. Authors will retain copyright to their stories.
Guidelines: Submit only 1,500-4,500 word stories that are not being considered elsewhere. Submit to IfMomsHappy@gmail.com by attaching a Word .doc or .docx file (no RTF files), double spaced, Times New Roman, black font. Indent half an inch at the start of each paragraph and use double spacing for the entire file; do not add extra lines between paragraphs or use any other irregular spacing. Include your legal name, pseudonym (if applicable), mailing address, email address, AND 50 word-or-under third person bio at the end of your story. Submit your story with the title, byline and bio you would want published if accepted. Make sure to thoroughly proofread your story before submitting.
Please send the story from an email address you check frequently. I will confirm that I have received your submission within 72 hours. I will respond to all submissions by February 28, 2017. If you have not heard back from me by March 1, 2017, feel free to follow up at that time.
Payment: $50 and 2 copies of the book
Deadline: December 31, 2016
Questions? Email: IfMomsHappy@gmail.com
***
31 December 2016 -- Humans Wanted -- ed. Vivian Caethe
Word limit: 3000-6000 words.
Pay rate: $250/story
Genre: Science Fiction only (no Fantasy, Steampunk or Horror, although horror elements may be present in the story).
Language: English (translations are welcome).
Submissions close: December 31, 2016
Rights: We claim first world English rights (no reprints). For an excellent break down of what this means, please see Neil Clarke’s post here.
When going somewhere dangerous, take a human. Humans are tough. Humans can last days without food. Humans heal so quickly, they pierce holes in themselves or inject ink under their epidermis for fun. Humans will walk for days on broken bones in order to make it to safety. Humans will literally cut off bits of themselves if trapped by a disaster.
You would be amazed what humans will do to survive. Or to ensure the survival of others they feel responsible for.
That's the other thing. Humans pack-bond, and they spill their pack-bonding instincts everywhere. Sure it's weird when they talk sympathetically to broken spaceships or try to pet every lifeform that scans as non-toxic. It's even a little weird that just existing in the same place as them for long enough seems to make them care about you.
But if you're hurt, if you're trapped, if you need someone to fetch help? You really want a human.
(Thanks to Tumblr user iztarshi for the idea and the above copy. Used with permission)
I am looking for stories that show diverse humanity in a positive light, as useful contributors to the universe. I want humans who build relationships and forge new paths, not humans that destroy or devastate those they meet. Submit stories with strong characters in positive stories that portray humans as useful and generally helpful to the universe. Diversity is encouraged.
Any type of science fiction is acceptable (whether it be “hard” or “soft,” “space opera” or “near-future” etc.). Keep your story PG-13 so many readers can enjoy the anthology.
Writers of diverse backgrounds are encouraged to submit.
Send your stories formatted in Standard Manuscript format attached as a .doc to humanswanted at gmail dot com. Include your name, byline, email address, mailing address, and approximate word count.
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31 December 2016 -- Gods and Monsters -- Book Smugglers Publishing
General information and theme:
We’re looking for original short stories from all around the world as long as they are written in English. Our goal is to publish at least three short stories, unified by a central theme. Each short story will be accompanied by one original piece of artwork from an artist commissioned by us separately.
For the publication period between May and August 2017, the theme is:
GODS AND MONSTERS will be Book Smugglers Publishing’s fourth season of short stories, following Fairytale Retellings, First Contact, and Superheroes.
When it comes to Gods and Monsters, anything goes. You – the author – should take the theme and run with it any way you want. It can be Gods VERSUS Monsters, or Gods but not Monsters, or Monsters without Gods. As usual, we encourage authors to subvert these sample themes, to expand upon what “gods and/or monsters” means, and adapt the prompt to other possible connotations and genres under the Speculative Fiction umbrella.
What We’re Looking For:
== DIVERSITY. We want to read and publish short stories that reflect the diverse world we live in, about and from traditionally underrepresented perspectives. We more than welcome stories featuring LGBTQIA characters. Following Fireside Fiction’s recent report on underrepresented black writers, we more than welcome black writers to submit their stories.
== Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult audience submissions are welcome. Good speculative fiction is ageless!
== We are VERY keen on receiving Romance stories – or stories with strong romantic elements.
== We are VERY keen on receiving Horror stories – or stories with strong horror elements.
== Creativity & Subversion. We love subversive stories. We want you to challenge the status quo with your characters, story telling technique, and themes.
Guidelines for Submission:
== We are looking for original speculative fiction, between 1,500 and 17,500 words in length.
== These SFF offerings must be previously unpublished; we do not accept simultaneous submissions.
== Profanity, sex, and other explicit situations are fine as long as they fit within the context of the story.
== Submissions are open now, and will be open through December 31 2016 11:59PM PST. Any submissions received after that date will not be considered.
Payment and Terms:
We are funding this ourselves because we are passionate about finding new and diverse voices in SFF. We will be paying $0.06 per word up to $500 (although we welcome stories from a minimum of 1,500 words and up to a maximum of 17,500 words long).
We plan on publishing these short stories for free in their entirety on thebooksmugglers.com. We also plan on selling these stories in ebook (and possibly limited print editions) at a 50% net royalty, with potential inclusion in future anthologies (royalty to be negotiated). We ask for exclusive rights for one year, and non-exclusive rights following that.
How to Submit:
Submissions should be emailed to submissions@thebooksmugglers.com. You may also use the contact form below.
Please attach your full story as a document (.doc, .docx, .rtf). Do not send your story as text in the body of an email; we will ignore any manuscripts that are not attachments.
A cover letter is highly recommended – tell us who you are! – as we would love to learn a little bit about you and the inspiration behind your work (or anything else you think is relevant to your story submission). Important new addition for 2017: We are including an optional self-identification field in the submissions form. If you would like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you’ve had related to a community you belong to, your sexual orientation or gender identity, or your family or cultural background please do so by filling out this field (or if you prefer to email, in your cover letter). This is completely voluntary and not a requirement.
We will reply to all authors who have submitted work with our decision by February 10 2017.
We are happy to answer any of your questions – leave a comment or email us (contact@thebooksmugglers.com), and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
And…that’s it! We hope to be reading your excellent short stories very soon.
[NOTE: There's a story submission form on the guidelines page, at the bottom. Click through to use that submission method.]
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31 December 2016 -- Principia Ponderosa -- Third Flatiron
Weird Western/Steampunk. Dreadnaughts, "Wild West" world, cowboys and aliens, Victorian era, primitive post-Apocalypse, retro-futuristic inventions, and the like. Remember Oscar Wilde's inspirational visit to Colorado?
Third Flatiron Publishing is based in Boulder, Colorado, and Ayr, Scotland. We are looking for submissions to our quarterly themed anthologies. Our focus is on science fiction and fantasy and anthropological fiction. We want tightly plotted tales in out-of-the-ordinary scenarios. Light horror is acceptable, provided it fits the theme.
Please send us short stories that revolve around age-old questions and have something illuminating to tell us as human beings. Fantastical situations and creatures, exciting dialog, irony, mild horror, and wry humor are all welcome. Stories should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words. Inquire if longer.
Role models for the type of fiction we want include Kurt Vonnegut, Arthur C. Clarke, Dan Simmons, Connie Willis, Vernor Vinge, and Ken Kesey. We want to showcase some of the best new shorts available today.
For each anthology, we will also accept a few very short humor pieces on the order of the "Shouts and Murmurs" feature in The New Yorker Magazine (600 words or so). These can be written from a first-person perspective or can be mini-essays that tell people what they ought to do, how to do something better, or explain why something is like it is, humorously. An SF/Fantasy bent is preferred.
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31 December 2016 -- Clockwork Cairo -- ed. Matthew Bright; Twopenny Press
Clockwork Cairo is Twopenny Press's inaugural anthology. An anthology of Egyptian-themed steampunk stories, it will take you an adventure from the steam-powered souks of Cairo, to the clockwork bazaars of Alexandria and the shadowy mysteries of the pyramids. The collection features a host of exciting authors, including Gail Carriger, Tee Morris & Pip Ballantine, George Mann, Nisi Shawl, Rod Duncan, E. Catherine Tobler, David Barnett, Tiffany Trent, Jonathan Green, with more to be announced.
We are seeking steampunk fiction themed around Egypt to fill the last two slots in the anthology. Pay rate is 3 cents per word, up to a limit of 7000 words, for first publication rights.
Notes on what we are looking for:
== Stories set in Egypt, or heavily associated enough to justify their inclusion in the theme; however, it is worth noting that due to the existing stories in the collection, we are pre-disposed towards specifically Egypt-set stories.
== Although we're aware that steampunk has its roots in the pastiching of colonial-era fiction, we are very keen to avoid narratives with an imperialist flavour to them, and we actively encourage stories with native viewpoints and characters. In other words: there are far more stories to tell than white explorers in exotic foreign lands.
== Avoid stories with clockwork mummies, with museums, and with incarnations of gods--not because we don't like them, but because we already have them.
Please submit (and feel free to query) to the editor via matthewbrightwriter@gmail.com.
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1 January 2017 -- A Scandal in Gomorrah -- ed. Matthew Bright; Lethe Press
In 2011, Lethe Press queered the Sherlock Holmes canon with A Study in Lavender, and now we’re putting together a new collection on the theme, A Scandal In Gomorrah. The first volume explored the queer aspects of Doyle’s characters in Victorian society and introduced us to a realm of hidden gay characters and stories. In the sequel, we’re looking to expand the scope of stories into new realms.
I’m looking for stories that fall into one of two categories:
1. Victorian-set period pieces that queer the familiar characters or stories of the Holmes canon. As the first volume was solely period stories with queered characters, I am seeking stories that address this setting with some invention, or take on the bountiful eccentricities that can be found in the history of Victorian-era sexuality.
2. I’m also seeking stories that have an original or unusual take on the subject. Holmes has become far more than just gas-lit mystery stories. I’d love to see stories that transpose the time, setting or genre; gender-queering or –swapping; metafiction; stories that explore the myriad iterations and pop-culture associations of Sherlock: television/radio/cinema adaptations, animal detectives, iconography, ‘shipping’, fanfiction, imitations, art… (Some examples of where this sort of thing can go: the One Hundred and Twenty One Baker Streets anthology; Hal Duncan’s The Disappearance of James H, Will Self’s Dorian, Alan Moore’s Lost Girls. These aren’t direct models to copy, but examples of the way you can expand from an existing literary canon.)
A few things to bear in mind:
== Readers of this anthology will already expect queer aspects within the stories, so stories that, for example, rely on a ‘reveal’ of gay characters, don’t always quite work in this very specific context–especially mystery stories.
== Although we realize the historical context of Holmes wasn’t exactly easy for those who would now identify as LGBTQ, we are looking for positive queer portrayals. iii. Holmes/Watson pairings are fine, but bear in mind they are a well-trodden approach (especially if they are of the first story variety) and stories whose only or primary content is just about getting Holmes and Watson together are a tough sell.
Payment: 3c per word (Ideally seeking original fiction, but reprints considered at a rate of 1c per word)
Story length: 2k-6k approx. No iron-clad upper limit, but pay cap at 6k.
Submissions or queries to: matthewbrightwriter@gmail.com (Please feel very free to query with questions, suggestions or concepts for a story prior to submission.)
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1 January 2017 -- Garden of Fiends -- ed. Mark Matthews; Wicked Run Press
The intoxication from a pint of vodka, the electric buzz from snorting cocaine, the warm embrace from shooting heroin -- drinking and drugging provides the height of human experience. It’s the promise of heaven on earth, but the hell that follows is a constant hunger, a cold emptiness. The craving to get high is a yearning not unlike that of any other blood-thirsty monster.
The best way to tell these truths of addiction is through a story, and dark truths such as these need a piece of horror to do them justice.
It’s with great enthusiasm that I invite submissions to an addiction-themed horror anthology with an expected spring/summer 2017 publication date. Garden of Fiends is the working title. Submissions should be from 16k to 25k words. The publisher will have one title in the anthology, and from 3 to 4 additional works will be included.
Characters should be individuals and not caricatures, and the substance use should ring true with verity of terms and modes of transmission. Any type of substance can be featured, including alcohol, with any point of view. There does not have to be an anti-drug message, and addiction can just be part of the setting (a drug dealer, for example) but should be a major part of the conflict. Some compassion for the plight of addiction is preferred, but the insidious nature of both addict and addiction should certainly shine through. The publisher is a recovering addict/alcoholic who has worked in the field of addiction for 20 years.
Supernatural elements are welcome. Blood, guts and gore only if it is part of the story. Powerful emotions and visceral elements are expected. Nothing is too challenging or controversial. Tropes such as zombies, werewolves, and vampires are welcome as long as it’s a new take.
To date, Wicked Run Press has only published books by its creator, but a majority of these books have been anchored in stories of addiction. Milk-Blood, All Smoke Rises, The Damage Done, STRAY, and Chasing the Dragon have already tapped into an audience with this interest. (On the Lips of Children, published by Books of the Dead Press, also features addiction.) The publisher will aggressively market Garden of Fiends but an active author platform is helpful and expected.
It has been said to ‘write the book you would like to read.’ Well, I am trying to put together the anthology I would like to read. Have fun, break boundaries, blow my mind.
Pay Rates and Structure:
$500 will be paid via paypal for your story, which amounts to approximately .3¢ per word at the low end word count, .2¢ per word at the high end. Three contributor copies will be shipped to your doorstep by a person in uniform. Options to buy further paperbacks will be provided at a discount. Movie rights will be retained by the author, but the publisher will obtain audio rights. The contract term is 4 years at which point all rights revert back to the author.
Submission guidelines:
SUBMIT TO WickedRunPress@gmail.com
16k to 25k words.
Multiple submissions okay, simultaneous admissions okay but make it clear you’ve submitted elsewhere. Reprints considered at a lower rate, especially if it’s a perfect fit (got a perfect fit? Inquire within.) Submissions should be polished and not need major editing. Standard 12 point, single space, Times New Roman. Nothing fancy. Prefer .RTF format.
Please put "Garden of Fiends Submission, [Name of story], [author's last name], and [word count" in the subject line. Include a short description or teaser in the body of the email, as well as author bio, publishing history, and any links of interest.
Confirmation of receipt of your submission within 72 hours of submission.
Approximate Time frames:
Announcement: August 1st.
Submissions accepted: September 1st to January 1st, 2017.
Notice of acceptance and contracts sent: by February 1st, 2017.
Inquiries, questions; contact: WickedRunPress@gmail.com
**based on submissions, the structure of the anthology is subject to change, but final terms provided in the contract**
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30 January 2017 -- Dark Toronto -- ed. Christopher Jones
Dark Toronto is looking for fictional horror stories set in Toronto. This anthology is open to anyone who can write a horror story about Toronto and make us feel like we’re there. Stories originally set in Boston or Dublin and transposed to Toronto, will be easy to spot.
There are many unique characteristics about Toronto. There are many creepy, dark, and strange places that may or may not harbour creatures of the night. So be certain you’re intimate with the setting before you submit.
Toronto The Good? Dark Toronto aims to bury that nickname. At the bottom of Lake Ontario. Where many of the city’s skeletons rest.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
== 3000 to 6000 words.
== 12 pt Times New Roman, Standard Manuscript Format
== Please include name, mailing address, and word count on page 1 of manuscript
== Email submissions in RTF or DOC format.
== Email all submissions to darktorontoantho@gmail.com with manuscript as an attachment.
== Closing date for submissions is January 30, 2017
== Estimated publication date is October 2017
PAYMENT
== Payment will be 3 cents (CDN) per word. Payment upon publication
***
31 January 2017 -- A Breath from the Sky -- Martian Migraine Press
The full title of this book will be A Breath from the Sky: Unusual Stories of Possession. As long-time readers and authors involved with MMP know, our annual anthology project takes a seed story or concept from the history of Weird Fiction and allows that seed to grow in strange and interesting new ways. We encourage our authors to unshackle themselves from the standard tropes that can weigh down the imagination and move into truly authentic dimensions of fear, awe, and cosmic wonder. We want to see the Weird move with confidence into the 21st Century, and want our authors to share that commitment.
For A Breath from the Sky: Unusual Stories of Possession, the seed story will be H P Lovecraft’s classic "The Colour Out of Space." This is easily one of his best works, and will be included in the anthology. "Colour" presents many interesting entry points into our theme of unusual possession: the titular entity — an unknown, sentient being from beyond the stars that manifests as an unearthly, unplaceable hue — is released from a fallen meteorite and proceeds to infect and alter everything around it. The earth, plants, animals, and humans within its sphere of malign influence change and suffer. The Colour pollutes the ground water like a common toxic spill, yet also spreads like radiation. It appears to be a brute force of nature, affecting its surroundings on the molecular and genetic levels, but can also attack specific individuals with something approaching intelligence, inhabiting their minds and reducing them to shambling wrecks both physically and mentally.
A Breath from the Sky: Unusual Stories of Possession will offer the reader just that: tales that subvert and challenge the common ideas of what it means to be "taken over" by something that is not yourself. We do not want to see the standard Judeo-Christian "demon possession/exorcism" narrative. We want to see stories that ask "what does it mean to be conscious and aware?" Stories that speculate on the very nature of intelligence, life, and control: of our minds, our bodies, our means of perceiving and arranging the world. We want stories that explore the horror of possession, true, but also stories that focus on the ecstasy of it, the benefits (if any), and the costs and rewards of merging with something outside of oneself, whether by force or by choice.
And when we say something, we want to see a broad range of what that thing could be. Is it possible to become possessed by a song? a language? a meme? Are the possessing entities singular, or multiple? More than multiple? An entire species in one person? What would it feel like to be possessed by a machine or a man-made Artificial Intelligence — and has that already happened? Possession on the molecular level, possession by designer drugs, possession by thoughtforms other than demons, possession by other people. Possession by ourselves? Are you even sure that “you” are you? With Lovecraft’s "Colour" as the seed, we of course expect to see Lovecraftian and Cthulhu Mythos stories, but please, move beyond the easy targets (tentacles bursting out all over) and give us stories that are truly Other in scope: we want to see effects that defy the body, logic, and the laws of physics! For inspiration beyond Lovecraft, we suggest reading Murakami, Borges, William S. Burroughs, and the like. Surprise and delight us, make us question our sanity and loosen our hold on concensus reality.
Final story count for the anthology will be determined based on quality and number of submissions. A Breath from the Sky: Unusual Tales of Possession will be released as a softcover paperback and as an electronic book in multiple formats.
Submission period closes JANUARY 31, 2017. The anthology will be released in early August of 2017, with a possible launch party at NecronomiCon Providence later that month.
Submitting
Please use Standard Manuscript format when submitting. That’s double spaced, left justified, Times New Roman or Courier or something at least readable, a header on the first page (at least) with your author info and word count and… well, you know the drill. RTF or DOC files preferred, but DOCx and text files also accepted. Obviously, you could send us something that’s not in Standard Manuscript format, but it will lower your chances of it being looked at seriously.
We will look at both original work and REPRINTS.
To submit a story to A Breath from the Sky: Unusual Stories of Possession send an e-mail (with the story file attached, not in the body of the email) to: submissions@martianmigrainepress.com, with subject line: BREATH, title of your story, and your name.
Length and Genre
For short fiction, we’d like to see anything from 1,500 to 7,000 words.
FLASH FICTION: got something under 1500 words? Send it in. However, the following still applies…
NO POETRY.
Payment
All accepted submissions will be paid .03CAD per word, via Paypal, as well as two contributor copies (paperback) of the anthology, and copies in all electronic formats (mobi, EPUB, and PDF). Authors are also entitled to electronic copies of three additional Martian Migraine Press titles of their choosing.
Replies and Queries
We will try to acknowledge receipt of your submission within a week of its arrival in our inbox. The submission period itself will close on January 31, 2017 and we should be responding to all submissions, yes or no, throughout the submission period and no later than February 2017. We do our best to ensure that all submissions are contacted and kept up-to-date, but sometimes items fall through cracks, so, if you haven’t heard from us by March 15 2017, please query.
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31 January 2017 -- 2018 Young Explorer's Adventure Guide -- ed. Corie and Sean Weaver; Dreaming Robot Press
We’re looking for stories that:
== Have a main character that a middle grade reader (ages 8-12) can identify with;
== Show a diverse set of real characters;
== Are well written, fun to read and encourage a love of reading science fiction;
== Tell of adventure, space, science. Give us rockets, robots and alien encounters, and we’re pretty happy. Steampunk, time travel, weird west and alternate history are all fine.
== To be super clear – we’re looking science fiction, in all it’s variants. While we love fantasy as well, please don’t submit fantasy stories for this anthology.
== Are between 3,000 and 6,000 words.
We’re especially looking for stories:
== Of adventure! We love a good dystopia as much as the next robot, but remember – this is the young explorer’s adventure guide.
== Where the main character is of a population that has traditionally been under-represented in science fiction, e.g. girls, people of color, differently abled people;
== Where the main character has agency, exercises it, and isn’t just along for the ride.
We are strong supporters of both the #weneeddiversebooks and #ownvoices movements.
We’re not interested in:
== Stories where the female characters primarily exist to be rescued or as a prize for the males;
== Stories where the primary plot or subplot is romantic in nature;
== Stories with graphic violence or any form of sexual activity;
== Stories with any violence towards animals;
== Stories about the first girl to do X, surprising everyone;
== Stories that depict any ethnicity or gender as universally bad or stupid.
Please note: although we’re aware kids have a wide and varied vocabulary, we’d prefer not to have swearing in the stories. If your story has swearing, please rephrase before submitting.
Submission deadline, mechanics and planned schedule
== Anthology will be open for submissions from September 1, 2016 – January 31, 2017, with a reading period of February and March 2017.
== While we prefer original stories, if you have something perfect that had a limited run elsewhere, query us and we’ll talk;
== Acceptance notices will be sent by May 31, 2017;
== In August we will launch a crowd-funding campaign to help with pre-publication costs. Regardless of results of crowd-funding campaign, we are committed to publishing the anthology. We’ve successfully funded the previous two anthologies this way, chances are favorable.
Rights and Payments
== Authors will be provided with a complete Anthology Contract for review and consideration with the notice of accepted submissions.
== In keeping with SWFA’s guidelines, we pay $0.06/word on final edited word count for one-year exclusive worldwide English rights and nonexclusive right to republish, print, or reprint the complete anthology in any language or format after the first year, print and electronic, and two contributor copies. Payment upon final edit.
== If the crowd-funding fails, please note that we are still committed to this anthology, and will find other ways to fund the project. However, there may be delays. If authors feel the need to withdraw their submission due to delays, we understand.
== We will provide professional editing, primarily for issues of grammar and spelling.
== If authors have other questions about rights or payments, please contact us before submission. We want to make sure all concerns are addressed.
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31 January 2017 -- C.H.U.D Tribute Anthology -- ed. Eric S. Brown; Crystal Lake Publishing
Submissions open December 1st and close January 31st.
Story length: between 3,000 and 10,000 words.
Pay is 3 cents (US) a word paid within a week of publication via PayPal.
Only one submission per author, even after a rejection has been sent out.
I want the language toned down. No taking the Lord’s name in vain. One of the reasons being that we're challenging authors to create unique characters. Remember Annie Wilkes?
If you have sex in your stories, keep it off-screen or mild. Gore and violence? Well, go wild, but remember the strengths of C.H.U.D. as a film are its character development and suspense.
Stories may be set before the movie, leading up to it, but they cannot do anything that would change or alter the events of the movie. Stories may even be set after the movie. Think C.H.U.D. running loose in the streets.
Any questions, please run them by me (incubusvane@aol.com).
I want this book to really honor the film and pay respect to it.
You can submit your stories to (incubusvane@aol.com). Be sure to place the word SUBMISSION in the subject line of the email. Manuscripts should be attached to the email, and be formatted in standard manuscript format. Any stories NOT adhering to the standard manuscript format will be rejected. Here is a great link to standard manuscript format: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html. We will accept only two file formats: .DOC—Microsoft Word—and .RTF. You should also include a short bio.
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31 January 2017 -- Ride the Star Wind -- Broken Eye Books
Our next release is Ride the Star Wind: Cthulhu, Space Opera, and the Cosmic Weird, presenting tales that combine space opera with cosmic weird horror, either set within the Cthulhu Mythos or inspired by it. It is now open to submissions.
Send us into space, away from earth, and bring the weird! Give us adventure and wonder, spaceships and monsters, tentacles and insanity, determined struggle and starborne terror. Whether sprawling in scope or tightly focused and personal, make sure to give us a taste of the greater universe of your story, such as the culture and politics. Make us long to know more of your universe.
We want diverse stories with modern sensibilities from many different voices that show the immense and diverging possibilities ahead for weird horror. We want to forge ahead and explore the new and the strange. We are actively seeking submissions from writers from underrepresented populations. (This includes, but is not limited to, writers of any race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, class, and physical or mental ability.)
== We want stories that mesh space opera with cosmic weird horror.
== For the elements of space opera, modern touchstones include James SA Corey (Expanse series), Ann Leckie (Imperial Radch series), Iain Banks (Culture series), Nnedi Okorafor (Binti), David Brin (Uplift trilogy), and Becky Chambers (Wayfarers series). For mixing elements of space opera and cosmic weird horror, the short story "Boojum" by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette is a great touchstone. The technology level for submissions can fall anywhere in the soft- to hard-science range.
== Stories should also be set within or be inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos. We want to see the Mythos continue to grow and evolve, to expand as a shared literary world and not be tied to outdated and limiting sensibilities. We are not interested in stories with bigoted, unbalanced views on race and gender.
== Subversive or experimental stories are welcome.
== No pastiches of previous eras for either the space opera elements or the weird horror elements.
== Original, previously unpublished short stories (3,000-6,000 words) and flash fiction (1,000 words or less).
== Pay rate of 8 c/w for first rights to digital, audio, and print formats in English.
== Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please, let us know as soon as possible if your submission has become unavailable before you hear back from us.
== Only one submission per author.
== We seek both rich characters and grandiose ideas. We seek diverse characters.
Submit your story in standard manuscript format as an attachment to submissions(at)brokeneyebooks(dot)com with a subject line of the following: [RTSW] "Your Story Title".
Submission window open from October 31, 2016 to January 31, 2017. The published anthology will be a mix of stories both from invited authors and from slush pile submissions. Don’t self-reject. If in doubt, submit.
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1 February 2017 -- Tales From The Lake: Volume 4 -- ed. Ben Eads; Crystal Lake Publishing
What we are looking for:
== Non-themed short horror stories that arrests readers and leave them haunted for months to come. Stories must be original. Stories must be original. Only one submission per author, even after a rejection has been sent out. We are not accepting reprints.
Since horror is the only genre of fiction defined by an emotion, your story must have the following:
== Believable, three-dimensional characters just as real as your friends and neighbors. A real world—hitting all the senses—these characters inhabit.
== Originality is just as important—we don’t want your version of someone else’s story from yesteryear.
== Although our arms are wide open, we’re more interested in fiction that reflects the modern. Joe Hill, and Mercedes M. Yardley are prime examples of current dark fiction writers encapsulating the above in their work.
== Quality of the work must be top notch! The following authors have appeared in previous Tales from The Lake anthologies: Jack Ketchum, Ramsey Campbell, Rena Mason, Graham Masterton, Lisa Morton, Tim Lebbon, and Tim Waggoner. That’s the high-water mark you must strive for.
== If you want to write a story about vampires, werewolves or ghosts, then your story needs to evolve that trope. You must have a unique premise. I cannot stress that enough.
== If you wish to submit an “extreme horror” or “splatterpunk” story, that’s fine with us. However, you’ll have to make sure that your emotional foundations are solid, and your characters actually have an arch. We will not accept stories that just go for the gore and offer nothing more.
What we are not looking for:
== Stories that are not short horror stories.
== Novels or novellas.
== Stories bereft of characters that readers can believe in and root for. The only exception to this rule would be the “terror tale,” which is best kept as short as possible. Think a thousand words or less.
== Stories with flat worlds.
== Trunk stories.
== Stories about serial killers. It’s too cliché, and our readers demand more than a trend that has been beaten to death.
== Speaking of trends, if you wish to write a “zombie story,” then it must be one of the most unique zombie stories ever written. This is possible, and we look forward to it.
== To avoid too many writers writing about lakes, please keep in mind this is a non-themed anthology.
== Any explicit abuse toward children or animals is expressly forbidden. So is any sexual abuse. This can be mentioned or remembered by your main character, but be subtle.
Submissions open November 1st, 2016, and end February 1st, 2017. Please email your submission to: Lake4subs@gmail.com. Be sure to place the word SUBMISSION in the subject line of the email. We will accept simultaneous submissions. We will NOT accept multiple submissions.
Manuscripts should be attached to the email, and be formatted in standard manuscript format. Any stories NOT adhering to the standard manuscript format will be rejected. Here is a great link to standard manuscript format: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html We will accept only two file formats: .DOC—Microsoft Word—and .RTF. You should also include a short bio.
Stories should be no longer than 7,000 words. However, we prefer stories that are at or around 4,000 words. Payment is $0.03 USD a word via PayPal.
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14 February 2017 -- 49th Parallels: Alternative Canadian Histories and Futures -- ed. Hayden Trenholm; Bundoran Press
49th Parallels: Alternative Canadian Histories and Futures
We will open for submissions to a new science fiction short story anthology on December 15th, 2016 (Close – February 14, 2017 at 11:59p.m EST)
Please do not submit prior to the opening date – stories will be deleted without reading.
In honour of Canada’s 150th birthday, Bundoran Press Publishing House will publish an anthology of short science fiction, entitled 49th Parallels: Alternative Canadian Histories and Futures. Stories will be sought from across Canada and around the world exploring what might have been – or what might yet be. The anthology will be edited by two-time Aurora winning editor, Hayden Trenholm. Publication is planned for October 2017.
As always, 49th Parallels only seeks science fiction (no supernatural creatures or events of any kind) but for this anthology, it might include steam or diesel punk. Stories must be set in Canada or involve Canada and Canadians as the principal subject operating in the larger world (or beyond). Stories may be historical (back to 1867) or futuristic, but whatever creates the alternative past or possible future must take place prior to 2017. The causal factor may be scientific, technological or as a result of major political or social change. We look forward to seeing how both Canadian and non-Canadian writers explore this question.
We are seeking original English language stories (first world rights - print and digital) between 1500 and 7000 words. Reprints will ONLY be considered for English translations of stories originally published in FRENCH. A limited number of short poems (less than 100 lines) may be accepted.We are particularly interested in indigenous and multi-cultural voices. Payment rates will be five cents (Canadian) per word for original short stories and poems (minimum $10 per poem). Reprints will be paid a flat rate of $100. Payment on publication.
Please submit in .rtf, .doc or .docx format. In the title line of e-mail put: SUBMISSION 49th:"Title of your story." Include a brief cover letter in the body of your e-mail giving us the title and word length of your story and any writing credits you wish to share with us. Do not summarize your story.
Email your attached document to: hayden@bundoranpress.com.
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28 February 2017 -- Triangulation: Appetites -- Parsec Ink
Triangulation is open for submissions This year’s theme: "Appetites." We are Parsec Ink’s Speculative fiction annual, now in our thirteenth year. We’re looking for outstanding speculative fiction from new and established writers. Take the theme and run with it. Tell us a story we won’t forget.
Theme: Appetites
Word Count: We will consider fiction up to 6,000 words. (Our sweet spot is 3,000) There is no minimum word count.
Genre: We accept science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and intelligent blends of the three. Do not send stories without a speculative element.
Compensation: Pay is semi-pro, 2 cents a word. Authors will receive an e-book and print version of the anthology and wholesale pricing for additional print copies (typically 50% of cover price).
Rights: We purchase North American Serial Rights, and Electronic Rights for downloadable version(s). All subsidiary rights released upon publication.
Submissions: We are a meritocracy. New authors are as welcome as those with a laundry list of accomplishments. It’s the story that will win us over. Pull us in with the first line and keep us entertained until that last paragraph ends things perfectly.
Yes, "Appetites" is our theme but try to go beyond the dinner table. Give us your longing for wonder. Lust for power. Thirst for vengeance. What do your protagonists hunger for? What hungers for them? One more thing: We all know that Soylent Green is people (spoiler!). So if your story hinges on cannibalism it better be the best-damned cannibal story we’ve ever read.
We do not accept reprints, multiple submissions, or simultaneous submissions. If we reject a story before the end of the reading period, feel free to send another.
We love creative interpretations of our themes, but we do require that stories fit the current theme.
We will run mature content if we like the story and find the mature content integral to it.
We will not accept fanfic, even if it’s based in a fictional universe that has passed into public domain.
How To Submit: Electronic submissions make our lives easier. Please upload your story via Submittable. If this is your first time using Submittable, you will need to create an account with them. Don’t worry It’s free.
Manuscript Format: Please useindustry standard manuscript format. We’re not testing you to see if you can adhere to every niggling requirement, but we do want a manuscript that is easy for us to read.
We accept manuscripts in the following formats:
== .doc or .docx (MS Word)
== .rtf (Rich Text Format — generic document format that most word processors can create)
Editorial Process: We will aim to read submissions as they are received. If a story doesn’t work for us, we’ll reject it. If we think the story has great potential but isn’t quite there yet, we request a rewrite. The ones we love the most we’ll hold onto for further consideration (you’ll get an email). These stories will fight it out amongst themselves until we have our final lineup. At which time the final acceptances will be sent out. Sort of like Enter the Dragon, but for short stories. After a story is accepted, the only changes that we will make will typically be very minor and or cosmetic.
Response: Final decisions will be made by March 31st.
Eligibility: All writers, including those who are known or even related to the editorial staff, are permitted to submit to the Triangulation anthology. That doesn’t mean they’ll automatically get published, but we will consider their work.
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