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.
***
30 November 2017 -- Holy C.O.W.! -- ed. D. Avraham
Holy C.O.W.! SF stories from the Center Of the World is an anthology of Speculative Fiction stories rooted in the ancient Fertile Crescent, Levant and the Middle East, but stretch into the near and distant future. Holy C.O.W.! is seeking all styles and sub-genre, including humorous speculative fiction. Addition consideration will also be given to artists who live or are from the region.
SUBMISSION WINDOW: November 1 – November 30, 2017
LENGTH: 500-6000 words.
PAYMENT: $0.07 - $0.10 per word + contributor copy. Payment will be made upon acceptance. Our preferred method of payment is via PayPal, but you may request a check.
FORMAT: ODT RTF or DOC. Standard Manuscript Format or some close approximation.
SEND TO: Upload your stories via the Submission Link.
Please Report your Submission Stats to The Submission Grinder and to Duotrope!
Limit of 1 submission per author — even if you receive a response before the submission window closes please do not send another story unless directly invited to do so.
Please do not respond to rejections. The email address associated with submissions is not monitored. If you wish to query for any reason, please use the contact form or e-mail us: editor at holycowpublishing dot com.
RIGHTS SOUGHT: First Worldwide print and electronic English Language rights. Exclusivity for 90 days from date of release. Non-exclusive print, e-book, and audio rights afterward.
POLICIES & RESPONSE TIME: No reprints, multiple or simultaneous submissions please. You may query after 30 days. Please send only one submission per author unless directly invited to send more.
WHAT WE WANT: We’re looking for speculative stories rooted in the Fertile Crescent, Levant and the Middle East. The region should be an integral part of the story, and not simply a transplant. For ideal example think of how Mike Resnick's story "Kirinyaga" relates to Africa culture and issues. We welcome quality flash fiction and non-traditional narratives. Authorized English translations of original stories, particularly from regional artists, are also welcomed and encouraged.
***
1 December 2017 -- Tales from the Lake Volume 5 -- ed. Kenneth W. Cain; Crystal Lake Publishing
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:
== We want stories that haunt the readers for months to come.
== We prefer quiet horror and dark fiction with a literary bent. Don’t use gore for the sake of grossing us out. Use it sparingly, and only to further the story.
== Stories should be no longer than 6000 words, but that doesn’t mean the story should use all 6000 words. Use the word count it takes to write YOUR story. The sweet spot will likely be closer to 4000 words.
== Ground your stories in the REAL world.
== Create believable, three-dimensional characters just as real as your friends and neighbors. The world these characters inhabit should be equally authentic, hitting all the senses.
== Originality is 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. Kelly Link, Karen Russell, Joe Hill, Damien Angelica Walters, 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 authors mentioned above represent the high-water mark we’re looking for.
WHAT WE’RE NOT LOOKING FOR:
== Stories sent before or after the submission window. These will not be read.
== Rape stories or sexual abuse or any explicit abuse toward children or animals is expressly forbidden. This can be mentioned or remembered by your main character, but be subtle.
== Stories that are not short horror stories.
== Novels or novellas.
== Stories with flat worlds.
== Stories about serial killers.
== Stories about zombies, vampires, werewolves or ghosts need to bring something new to the table. You must have a unique premise.
== To avoid too many writers writing about lakes, please keep in mind this is a non-themed anthology.
PAYMENT:
For this anthology we are paying 3 cents (USD) per word up to 6000 words via PayPal.
REPRINTS:
We DO NOT accept reprints.
Simultaneous/multiple submissions:
We prefer you do not submit your story elsewhere while it’s being considered by us, especially if it’s been shortlisted. No multiple submissions, either. You get one shot. Make it count.
RESPONSE TIME:
For the most part, acceptances will not go out until some time after the deadline. Rejections and shortlisting notices will go out sooner. Feel free to query if longer than 3 months.
RIGHTS:
We are seeking FIRST world rights, both in print, electronic, and audio forms as well as film rights for an exclusive period of 1 year and then non-exclusive after that.
FORMATTING:
Submit your manuscript in Shunn Format (http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html) as a .doc or .docx attachment. Keep your cover letter brief, but relay any pertinent information. You should also include a short bio. Subject of your email should start with SUBMISSION and then the title of your story.
Please email your submission to: Lake5subs@gmail.com
***
15 December 2017 -- After the Orange -- B Cubed Press
B Cubed Press is accepting short story submissions for “After the Orange,” an original science fiction and fantasy anthology about the post-Trump world.
THE PREMISE:
The Trump Presidency has come and gone. Has this invoked the Trump Dynasty or has it spawned a return to core values, a hedonistic paradise or what? Truly, what does the future, the post Trump future hold?
WHAT WE WANT:
We are looking for near- or farther-future stories, society as it is AFTER 2032 – at least two presidential election cycles after Donald Trump’s last eligibility. Show us America or the world in a new era, or look at world politics changed by the actions of US policies and people. Or go beyond.
Stories may present an optimistic or pessimistic, utopian or apocalyptic visions of the future, with some clear connection to current events and the world as it is in 2017. Political shenanigans would be interesting, as well as romance, spooks, robots and evil overlords, satire or parodies. But remember, the world has moved on. The editors generally favor character- and/or plot-driven stories.
HOW TO SUBMIT:
Send submissions IN STANDARD MANUSCRIPT FORMAT to: m.j.frishberg@gmail.com in .doc., .docx, . or rtf.
Deadline -- 12/15/2017
Publication Date -- Spring/Summer 2018
Word Counts -- 500-5000 words
Pay US $0.02 cent a word paid on publication + shared royalties.
***
31 December 2017 -- 2019 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;
== Are between 3,000 and 6,000 words.
To be super clear – we’re looking science fiction, in all its variants. While we love fantasy as well, please don’t submit fantasy stories for this anthology.
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 July 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017, with a reading period of January and February 2018.
== 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 March 30, 2018;
== In the summer 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 three 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.
***
31 December 2017 -- The Razor's Edge; Guilds & Glaives; Second Round: A Return to the Urbar -- Zombies Need Brains LLC
Zombies Need Brains LLC is accepting submissions to its three science fiction and fantasy anthologies THE RAZOR’S EDGE, GUILDS & GLAIVES, and SECOND ROUND: A RETURN TO THE URBAR. 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: WERE-: WereJellyfish 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.
THE RAZOR’S EDGE is to feature science fiction or fantasy stories that explore the fine line between a rebel and an insurgent. It is a military science fiction and fantasy anthology. We are attempting to fill half of the anthology with science fiction stories, and half with fantasy stories. Stories featuring more interesting settings and twists on the typical themes will receive more attention than those that use standard tropes. In other words, we don’t want to see 100 stories dealing with the general fighting insurgents who joins their cause at the end. 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.
GUILDS & GLAIVES is to feature sword & sorcery stories where a guild is featured somewhere in the story. So thieves, assassins, and dark magic, but with a guild or guilds incorporated into the story somehow. Obviously most such stories will be fantasy, but we are interested in science fiction takes on this theme. Stories featuring more interesting takes on the guilds, and twists on how they are integrated into the story, will receive more attention than those with the standard thieves guild or assassins guild. So be creative and use your guild in an unusual and unexpected way. We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.
SECOND ROUND: A RETURN TO THE URBAR is to feature stories where the time-traveling Urbar, first used in the anthology AFTER HOURS: TALES FROM THE URBAR, is a central part of the plot. The story may start in the bar, end in the bar, or be in the bar somewhere in the middle, but at some point a significant plot point must involve the Urbar. Stories featuring more interesting historical settings for the bar, and twists on how the bar is integrated into the story, will receive more attention than those with more standard uses of the bar, or where the bar is only incidental to the rest of the story. So be creative and use bar in an unusual and unexpected way, preferably in an unusual or unexpected era of history. In particular, you cannot use the same time period used in the anthology AFTER HOURS or that will be used by an anchor author of the current anthology (see the end of the post for time periods that are off limits). We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.
The deadline for submissions is December 31st, 2017. Decisions on stories should be completed by the end of February 2018. Please send submissions to contact@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 2018.
If your story is selected for use in the anthology, you should expect a revision letter by the end of April 2018. Revisions and the final draft of the story will be expected no later than the end of May 2018. 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. For each additional $10,000 raised above the Kickstarter minimum of $20,000, we will increase this advance pay rate by 1 cent per word. 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 contact@zombiesneedbrains.com. Thank you.
***************************
The following time periods were used in the AFTER HOURS anthology and are off limits for SECOND ROUND's open call:
“An Alewife In Kish” by Benjamin Tate - Ancient Sumeria, circa 2000 BC
“Why the Vikings Had No Bars” by SC Butler - Viking Daneland, circa 9th century AD (reign of King Harald Fairhair)
“The Emperor’s New God” by Jennifer Dunne - Bar is in Venice, Italy, 1001 AD, story covers 1001-1002 AD
“The Tale That Wagged the Dog” by Barbara Ashford - Scotland, 14th century
“Sake and Other Spirits” by Maria V. Snyder - Feudal Japan, a fishing village near Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture. 15th-16th century.
“The Fortune-Teller Makes Her Will” by Kari Sperring - Paris, 1675-1680 (affaire des poisons time period)
“The Tavern Fire” by DB Jackson - Boston, Mass 1760
“Last Call” by Patricia Bray - Time period spans Georgian/Regency England and Europe, the Ur-Bar is in Switzerland, in 1816
“The Alchemy of Alcohol” by Seanan McGuire -- San Francisco, CA, 1899
“The Grand Tour” by Juliet E McKenna - Austria, 1910
“Paris 24” by Laura Anne Gilman - Paris, France 1924 (Olympics)
“Steady Hands and a Heart of Oak” by Ian Tregillis - London, England, 1940 (Blitz)
“Forbidden” by Avery Shade - New York City, late 1980s
“Where We Are Is Hell” by Jackie Kessler - Present day(ish), location not specified but somewhere U.S., possibly near NYC
“Izdu-Bar” by Anton Strout- Near future, post-zombie apocalypse, somewhere near Albany, NY
The following time periods have been claimed by the anchor authors of SECOND ROUND and are off limits for the open call:
Jacey Bedford (June 30th, 1916, France, Battle of Somme, WWI)
Gini Koch (Old West)
Juliet E. McKenna (Mars, near future)
C.E. Murphy (undetermined)
Kristine Smith (Present day-ish, New York City)
Kari Sperring (Wales, 1400-1415)
Jean Marie Ward (1420s Nanjing, China)
***
31 December 2017 -- A Midas Clutch: Tales of Opulent Horror -- ed. Steve Berman; Lethe Press
Avarice and a fealty to Mammon are elements of this forthcoming anthology slated for January of 2018. Lethe is seeking weird and eerie stories of people consumed by wealth. Each tale must be suffused with the trappings of the well-to-do. Decadence should be paramount. However, we do not want these tales to be moralistic; we're celebrating those who can buy the finest things in life...they just happen to be the leads in a horror story. The better stories will incorporate status and wealth as both character traits and elements of the plot. For an excellent example, we recommend "Dirty American"by Lara Elena Donnelly or "His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood" by Poppy Z. Brite. Our preference is for stories that are contemporary but we are willing to read and purchase a few historical tales. No vampire or zombie tales.
Stories should be from 4,000 to 14,000 in length. Original fiction is more important to us, but we will make an offer on exceptional reprints. Payment for reprints is 2 cents per word. Payment for original fiction is 5 cents a word. All payment is upon publication in Summer of 2018. We'll be doing a lovely, off-set, hardback edition of this book, perhaps a trade paperback, digital and audiobook versions.
Deadline is January of 2018. Please submit to Steve Berman at lethepress@aol.com with the Subject line of Midas Clutch Submission. Include an embedded copy letter with biographical details, if the story is original, and some sense of prior publications (if any).
***
31 December 2017 -- Monstrosities -- Third Flatiron
Monstrosities -- Humor (SF/Fantasy/Horror). Things that are just too big or that don't scale. Whether it's the new shopping mall down the street, kaiju attacking Tokyo, flawed utopian ideas, the supposed ultimate weapon, or somebody who's way too big for his britches, we all have had to deal with humongous blunders. Get it off your chest--share with us your favorite monstrosities.
Reading period: December 1 - December 31, 2017. DO NOT SUBMIT before 1 December.
Publication Date: March 1, 2018
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 (limit 2 per reading period).
Submit by email to:
flatsubmit@thirdflatiron.com
either as an attachment (Word, RTF) 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.
Use the following template (basically, follow William Shunn's Standard Manuscript Format):
Your Name
Address (mailing)
Email address
Word count
[10 blank lines]
Title
Byline
Body of story
--------
Our response time is expected to be about 8 weeks (or less if the writer deadline is coming up soon).
REMUNERATION
As of: November 1, 2016
Your story must be original work, with the digital rights unencumbered. Accepted stories will be paid at the flat rate of 6 cents per word (U.S./SFWA professional rate), in return for the first publication 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, we request permission to podcast the story as a free sample portion of the anthology. We welcome new writers.
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.
Most books (except "year's best" collections) will be available for sale in trade paperback.
Authors selected for publication will also be entitled to one free online copy of the anthology.
***
31 January 2018 -- Mind Candy -- Myriad Paradigm
Payment for acceptance is 6 cents a word.
I am looking for original short speculative fiction, up to 5000 words, that in some way address the intricacies of the mind. Mind control, mind augmentation, multiple memories, mental powers, or any other idea where mental oddities are key to the story line. I prefer science fiction, but will consider any speculative fiction that is not too depressing, violent or graphic. Email submissions to hig4s09@gmail.com.
I prefer .doc or .rtf, but will accept .docx Standard double space formatting. Please include contact information (name, address, email, and phone) on both the email and in the header of the work. No simultaneous submissions.
I Keep getting submissions saved at 150% and 200%, please stop. Save them at 100% before submitting.
I will not be accepting reprints for this anthology.
[NOTE: I debated including this listing, and finally decided to do so with a note. There are definite signs of newbie-itis in the original post, particularly the formatting, which my middle-aged eyes find particularly hard to read. But it's an interesting theme, and they're paying six cents per word, so maybe it's worth considering. Click through and make your own decision about submitting.]
***
31 January 2018 -- Strange Economics -- ed. David F. Shultz
Strange Economics is an anthology of original, high-quality stories that explore economic ideas through speculative fiction: money in worlds of magic, trade in worlds of advanced technology.
The stories contain world-building that probes alternative economies; fantastic scenarios with economic implications; engaging plots that show the effect of alien economic systems on the lives and relationships of individuals within. In short, these are gripping stories set in fantastic worlds with intriguing and imaginative economic arrangements.
Editorial Vision
We are compiling high-quality science fiction and fantasy stories to contribute to the literature of ideas. We want stories that stick with you long after you’re done reading—stories you want to talk about and share with your friends. We want stories with depth that demonstrate a different way of looking at the world, stories that envision an alternative reality or explore philosophical concepts, presented in the form of a compelling narrative.
All of our stories explore ideas through personal drama. They feature characters we care about caught in difficult struggles. They are page-turners with a strong hook, gripping narrative momentum, and a satisfying resolution.
We believe diversity is a strength, especially in storytelling. We encourage submissions from individuals from marginalized communities or historically disenfranchised groups. We want a diverse range of voices. We want to hear stories from people who can speak on behalf of perspectives that have been underrepresented in the genre, and in society at large. Diversity enriches our stories, and it enriches our lives.
General Submission Information:
== Payment: we pay a semi-professional rate of CDN 1.5 c/w. Payments will be made via Paypal within a month of publication.
== Revised Submission window: submissions open until January 31, 2018, 11:59PM.
== Reprints: we are accepting original, unpublished stories only.
== Length: we are looking for stories up to 10,000 words. We are more interested in stories in the 2k to 5k range.
== Poetry: we are not accepting poetry for this anthology, sorry. Keep your eyes open for our future anthologies, though. We have a few editors interested in poetry.
== Simultaneous submissions: simsubs are okay, but please let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.
== Multiple submissions: please send us only your best work, and wait for a response before submitting something else.
== Rights purchased: we are seeking 6 month exclusive world rights in print and electronic formats; non-exclusive rights thereafter.
== Formatting: we ask for standard manuscript format.
== Anonymity: please include your name and contact information in your manuscript, as per standard manuscript format.
== Cover letter: a short cover letter is fine.
== E-mail header for submissions: ‘Submission: “
== Include your story as an attachment in rtf format (if converting your story to rtf creates formatting problems for you, it will for us, too).
== Send submissions to strangeeconomics at gmail dot com.
== Projected date of anthology completion: August 2018
