* excerpted from the free, online newsletter of 'Authors Publish Magazine' (highly recommended) *
Forty-Two Books: Putrescent Poems
They want horror poetry for this anthology. They want work that is “the horrific, the terrifying, the grind-house, the body gore, the scary, the psychological, the black comedic, the rotten, the exhibition, the mad science, the forbidden, the devilish, the blasphemous,” and the putrescent, according to their guidelines. Poems can be in any form, format, style, type, and meter.
Deadline: 15 July 2019
Length: Up to five poems
Pay: $25/poem
Dragon’s Root Press: Monsters in Spaaaace!
This anthology is in celebration of 2019 being the 40th anniversary of the movie Alien. They want dark speculative fiction featuring one (or more) classic monsters (vampires, mummies, mad scientists, zombies), but in space. Their guidelines say, “We want to see these creatures floating around in zero g, attacking astronauts and colonists, and generally menacing those brave enough to go beyond the confines of our pale blue dot.” Also, “Each story must take place somewhere other than the Earth. It can happen on a spaceship, on a colony, on a new terraformed planet. There should be humans involved, but they do not have to be the protagonists.” Stories must feature at least one classic monster. They’re looking for new takes on the old classics, but they should still be recognizable to the average reader. What they don’t want is actual characters from other books or films.
Deadline: 31 July 2019, or until filled
Length: Up to 6,000 words
Pay: $0.03/word, more if the crowdfunding campaign for raising author compensation succeeds
Mysterion: Christian Speculative Fiction
They want science fiction, fantasy and horror stories that engage meaningfully with Christian themes, characters or cosmology. The stories need not teach a moral or be close to an approved theological position. Nor do they need to be pro-Christian – see their detailed guidelines on the kind of work they see too often, and what they would like to see. They are especially interested in stories that show Christians from cultures beyond those of the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. They accept translations and reprints, and art submissions.
Deadline: 31 July 2019
Length: Up to 9,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Left Hand Publishers: Two themes
They are reading for two fiction anthologies. Mindscapes Unimagined will focus on the supernatural, horror, fantasy, urban fantasy, and any speculative fiction. Mysteries Unimagined will focus on mysteries, thrillers, crime drama, and unanswered questions. All short stories have to have a twist toward the end that catches the reader off guard and surprises them with more than a touch of irony or shock. They are open to speculative fiction, suspense, thriller, supernatural horror, mystery, crime, and science fiction genres.
Deadline: 31 July 2019
Length: 4,000-9,000 words for Mindscapes; 4,000-11,000 words for Mysteries (see guidelines)
Pay: $25
Soteira Press: Two themes
Horror USA: California – Their guidelines say, “The first entry in an anthology series showcasing horror in every state, “Horror USA: California” is all about the terrors, horrors, creeps, and shrieks found in the Golden State.” Also, “Stories must be horror, they must be original (no urban legends, creepypasta, or retellings of true crime), and must take place in California.” Submissions will open soon for Texas, Washington state, and Louisiana horror anthologies.
The Monsters We Forgot – This is an anthology of forgotten folklore. Their guidelines say, “We’re looking for tales of urban legends, folktales, and fairy tales that nobody knows. In essence: we want you to make up an urban legend, folktale, fairy tale, cryptid, or piece of town lore and either write it, or write a story about people who are affected by it.”
Writers can submit multiple stories for these anthologies.
Deadline: 31 July 2019
Length: 500-7,500 words
Pay: Royalties
Less Than Three Press: Collection call – Creature Feature
This LGBTQ+ romance publisher wants “your most scintillating, subversive, and scary monster stories for consideration as part of our CREATURE FEATURE collection.” Their guidelines also say, “This collection is an homage to movie monsters of yore and the popularity of paranormal fiction. We’re happy to see stories queered and subverted about classic monsters or those of your own creation—and we suggest authors using classic movie or pulp monsters make sure their creature is in the public domain.” Stories must have a happily ever after (HEA) or happy for now (HFN) end. The primary genre is by nature speculative, but can contain any sub-genre or genre mashup: mystery, historical, contemporary, space opera, cyberpunk, etc.
Deadline: 31 July 2019
Length: 20,000-60,000 words
Pay: Royalties
Blood Bath Literary Zine Issue 3: Hauntings
They want fiction, poetry, and art on the Hauntings theme. Their guidelines say, “Haunted houses, poltergeists, haunted objects, personal hauntings; all are welcomed, the only criteria for written submissions being that there must be a ghost (or a character’s belief in a ghost) that is linked to an object, place or person. We very much encourage you to get creative on the definitions and implications of these criteria. … Ghosts and hauntings have traditionally been used to exorcise our cultural and societal fears, and the ones that have the most lasting impacts are ones that address and challenge those in a deliberate way. Social issues like race, class, gender and mental health all have a place in horror and we want to read stories about them.” They are open to all genres – science fiction, fantasy, erotica – but stories must also contain an element of horror. Writers can send up to two prose pieces.
Deadline: 1 August 2019
Length: Up to 2,500 words for fiction; up to four poems
Pay: £20 per 1,000 words for prose, £20 per 15 lines for poetry, and £20 per image for visual art
Dark Peninsula Press: Negative Space – An Anthology of Survival Horror
They are reading survival horror fiction for their first anthology. The focus is on the survival horror genre (in which protagonist(s) must face dire situations in locations far off the beaten path by using the environment, or items found in the environment, to survive) of video games, and to incorporate elements of the survival horror tradition into narrative fiction writing. This anthology will favor active horror stories over quieter, literary pieces. Think dangerous locales, overwhelming odds, makeshift weapons, cryptic journals, secret underground facilities, and deadly traps. Their guidelines also say, “Although this is a sub-genre created by video games, you don’t have to have knowledge of video games to submit. You could look at this as a “survival against the elements” type of story, or a “survival against something in the woods” type of story.”
Deadline: 1 August 2019
Length: 3,000-8,000 words
Pay: $25
Silent Motorist Media: The Nightside Codex
They want weird horror fiction about haunted or cursed books, manuscripts, or online media for their second anthology. Think Thomas Ligotti, Nathan Ballingrud, Caitlin R. Kiernan, and the fiction published in Vastarien.
Deadline: 1 August 2019
Length: 2,000-6,000 words
Pay: At least $25 (more if Kickstarter is successful)
Horroraddicts.net: Dark Divinations
They want horror fiction on divination. Stories must be horror, set in the Victorian era (1837-1901), and can be set anywhere – England, American West, Colonial India, or Africa. They must also concern a method of divination (the practice of foretelling the future through supernatural means, including Ouija boards, cards, scrying, entrail reading, and necromancy).
Deadline: 31 October 2019
Length: 2,000-5,000 words
Pay: $10
* And finally, for those who hate and/or allergic to cats, something really scary *
Tyche Books: Swashbuckling Cats – Nine Lives on Seven Seas
This is a call for an anthology “full of feisty felines on the high seas! We want pirate cats, and Viking cats. Submariner cats and explorer cats. This book is going to be filled with adventure-loving cats, puns and fun. We want it to be a wild, rollicking ride complete with sword fights, sea monsters, treasure hunting, discovering new worlds and lots and lots of kittehs.” They also want a strong plot and detailed characters.
Deadline: 31 July 2019
Length: Up to 9,000 words
Pay: CAD50
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It happened at a church summer camp so it must be true, right? ;)
OF WAR, AND PEACE, AND MARY BETH: my contest winner, honest
For Whom the Good Tolls an 'RR' and it's short, no kidding[/url]
OF WAR, AND PEACE, AND MARY BETH: my contest winner, honest
For Whom the Good Tolls an 'RR' and it's short, no kidding[/url]