Hi to all the writers out there. For those of you who do, thanks for supporting my Patreon. If you're just looking, that's cool -- luck with your submissions! This is the October anthology listing, including open anthologies with deadlines between 31 October 20 and 1 January 21.

Occasionally a promising anthology will be missing some key info, or something will be confusing; I'll include the book in this list and e-mail my question to the editor. When/if the editor gets back to me, I'll update the book's entry and the new version will be included in the next month's post. There'll be [a note from me] in the entry, indicating that there's an outstanding query. (Or for any other notes I add.)

Markets with specific deadlines are listed first, while "Always Open" and "Until Filled" markets (if any) at the bottom.

Markets open only to writers in a limited demographic are marked with a [NOTE:] from me, in italics, right after the main header.

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 Oct 20 -- Chiral Mad 5 -- ed. Michael Bailey; Written Backwards

The End Is the Beginning / The Beginning Is the End

That's the theme for the fifth and perhaps final volume in the Chiral Mad series by Written Backwards. This anthology will be edited by Michael Bailey, recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Award, Bram Stoker Award, and a Shirley Jackson Award nominee. Is this the beginning of the end for Written Backwards, or will this be the end to a new beginning? You get to help decide. And while we're at it, we are going to raise some serious funds for Black Lives Matter, and represent the underrepresented in the literary world. It's time to listen.

Previous Written Backwards anthologies have always included emerging talent alongside known names in the industry, spanning short fiction, long fiction, graphic adaptations, poetry, and artwork, and ranging from dark science-fiction and fantasy to horror; all things speculative. For more information on previous anthologies, visit nettirw.com (but keep scrolling for now).

For this latest chiral dance, the focus is diversity. Past anthologies have slowly improved over the years in this area, with effort always made to find new voices in the literary world, but that has not been enough. We need to hit the world harder. We need to better represent the underrepresented. We need to listen to those voices screaming out. For this fifth act in the series, we are reaching out to places like Botswana, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa, Japan; basically, as far out as we can reach, all over the world, with an emphasis on highlighting underrepresented demographics.

[NOTE: This is a charity anthology, with all profits going to Black Lives Matter. There's considerable discussion of the previous charitable efforts tied to this anthology series, how they're going to spend the money raised, what kinds of editions they'll be selling, what add-ons they'll activate if they hit stretch goals, etc. This is important to an Indigogo page, but not as important here. Click through if you're interested.]

My voice needs to be heard. How can I submit?

If you are not part of an underrepresented demographic (POC, LGBTQIA+, female), please do not submit at this time, but feel free to send recommendations; otherwise, if you feel your voice needs to be heard, send your submission to [email protected] (or just click the email link, but read the next part before doing so). There are no formatting guidelines other than file type: .doc, .dotx, .rtx, or plain text. The words are what matter.

What can I submit?

· Fiction (5,000 words or fewer recommended, payment capped at 5K), only one submission at a time. If you receive a rejection, feel free to submit again, immediately. No reprints.

· Poetry (50 lines or fewer, payment capped at 50 lines), up to 5 poems at a time. If you receive a rejection, feel free to submit up to 5 more, immediately. No reprints.

· Artwork (9.25 height x 6.25 width, 300 DPI, black-and-white), .jpg preferred for initial consideration.

Payment

· Fiction - $0.06 per word, US, capped at 5,000 words

· Poetry - $1 per line, US, capped at 50 lines

· Artwork - exposure only, unless contracted individually

· Contributor copies of all editions

Contract

A publishing contract will be made available for all accepted work, to be signed by both parties prior to publication. Here's what you can expect:

· Written Backwards requests first worldwide print rights

· Rights revert back to the creator immediately upon publication

· You're allowing your work to be published in this anthology for as long as there is a need for the anthology, but you get your rights back the moment it goes to print

· Simultaneous publication in deluxe hardback (exclusive to this campaign), trade hardback, trade paperback, and eBook

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31 Oct 20 -- Unmasked -- ed. Kevin J. Anderson; WordFire Press

UnMasked: Stories of Risk and Revelation

When the mask comes off, can you handle what’s underneath?

When your secret identity is revealed ...

When the hero comes out to play ...

When the monster is unleashed ...

Masks have existed throughout history, from the tribal masks of gods,  to the iconic masks of tragedy and comedy, to the iron masks of  prisoners. Villains wear masks to commit crimes, heroes wear masks to  protect those they love, others wear masks to block disease. Some masks  confer power; others rein it in.

Does the true face hide beneath the mask, or is it the mask itself?  What happens when the mask comes off? We want you to tell us.

Perhaps your character is a mask collector who buys a mask that is  more than he bargained for, or a coroner wearing a protective mask to  perform an alien autopsy. The plague mask she inherited from her  great-uncle seduces her to evil whenever she puts it on.

We seek stories that explore the masks we wear, the mysteries they  conceal, and the price we pay when they’re stripped away. Unmasking,  whether literal or figurative, must be integral to the story. Funny or  grim, unsettling or cozy, we expect the unexpected. Pull back the mask  and reveal your insights, your character-driven tales, and stories that  will make us think.

Genre: Original short stories of unmasking, to  include a mix of science fiction, fantasy, horror, alien, magical,  witchcraft, AI, and romance elements. Must be appropriate for a “PG-13”  audience. Please, no copyrighted characters.

Length: up to 5000 words

Rate: 6¢/word on acceptance.

Rights: First Anthology Rights and audio rights;  exclusive publication rights revert to author one month after  publication; publisher retains non-exclusive right to include in the  anthology as a whole.

Submit:A Microsoft Word or RTF file in standard  manuscript format to [email protected]   One submission per  person, please. To review standard manuscript format, please see  https://www.shunn.net/format/classic/

Edited by Kevin J. Anderson with an editorial team provided by  Western Colorado University Graduate Program in Creative Writing,  Publishing MA students. Anthology made possible by a generous  contribution from Draft2Digital.

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31 Oct 20 -- The Reinvented Heart -- Arc Manor Press

Science fiction often thinks about the technology and science  without considering the ways social structures will change as tech  changes — or not. What will relationships look like in the future when  we have complications like clones, uploaded intelligences, artificial  brains, or body augmentation? What happens when emotions like love and  friendship span vast distances — in space, in time, and in the heart?   And as we acknowledge differences in gender in a way we never have  before, what stories are finally given the space in which to emerge?

Among the stories I hope to see:

• Stories that focus on the relationship between an individual and a  community or communities, or even on relationships between communities  or social groups.
• Stories that complicate sex and gender by showing how shifting technology may affect social attitudes and practices.
• Stories with romances that reinvent traditional tropes and recast them for the 21st century.
• Stories that experiment, astonish, and entertain.

This anthology is open to female and nonbinary writers.  Writers of color, QUILTBAG writers, writers with disabilities, and  neuro-diverse writers are actively encouraged to apply, as are writers  from outside the United States.

Open for submissions Oct 1-October 31. Submission portal.

Guidelines: Please remove identifying information from the manuscript, but otherwise use standard manuscript format. Length: 500-5000 words (5k is going to be a tough sell) Buying: Original fiction; exclusive rights for 18 months with standard “best of” anthology exceptions. Paying: 8 cents a word (SFWA pro rates) No multiple or simultaneous submissions

Timeline:Submissions open Oct 1 and close October 31. The first round of reading will run November 1 through the end of the  month. All submissions will be informed on December 1 whether or not  they are being held for further consideration. The final table of  contents will be announced on December 31.

The book will be published in the summer of 2021 by Arc Manor Press.

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1 Nov 20 (or until filled) -- Slashertorte -- ed. Ben Walker; Sliced Up Press

[NOTE: This book pays only a penny per word, but their theme made me laugh, so I'm including it. If it gives you a smirk, it'll have done its job. :) I made a similar exception some years ago for a pizza-horror antho, and for the same reason. :) ]

Sliced Up Press is looking for short stories involving cake for its debut horror fiction anthology, Slashertorte: An Anthology of Cake Horror, edited by Ben Walker.

Delicious as cake might be, we want you to bring out the darker side  of baked goods and give us something scary, disturbing or just plain wrong.

What we’re looking for:

• All submissions must be in the horror genre. While bizarro,  splatterpunk and extreme horror are welcomed, we will not consider  stories involving rape or bestiality.
• We are especially interested in stories from under-represented groups in horror i.e. women, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ authors.
• All  submissions must be original. We will not accept reprints, or stories  published elsewhere including on blogs, social media etc.
• No reworked pizza stories please.
• Submit your best work in standard manuscript format, as an MS Word .doc or .docx attachment.
• Authors may submit one story maximum for consideration. Do not re-send rejected stories.
• No simultaneous submissions.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES & TERMS:

Please email submissions to [email protected] using the following format in the email subject line:

Submission: [author’s name] – [story title] – [word count]. (so your email should look like this: Submission: Joe Bloggs – Cake or Death – 1,500 words)

In the body of the email, please include an author bio of 3-4 sentences maximum.

Payment: $0.01/word

Length: 2,000 words maximum – longer pieces will not be considered.

Authors will be notified of acceptance or rejection by 30th November 2020 at the latest.

If you have not heard back by the closing date of 30th November 2020,  your story has been rejected. If you do receive a rejection, it will be  a form letter – we will not critique your story.

Please do not email to enquire after your submission, unless you want to withdraw your story.

No exclusivity will be sought. Authors retain all rights to their works after publication.

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15 Nov 20 -- In Darkness, Delight: Fear the Future -- ed. Evans Light and Andrew Lennon; Corpus Press

Corpus Press is now accepting submissions to Volume 3 of the successful In Darkness, Delight anthology series (publication target 2021) to be edited by Evans Light and Andrew Lennon. Submissions should be story-driven and appeal to a wide adult audience.

We seek truly terrifying stories that deal with futuristic themes, set in the near future or far. Tales can be Earth-based or extraterrestrial, perhaps featuring technological or social upheavals that have frightful implications for individuals or society at large; as examples, the ongoing erosion of privacy and enduring nature of online activity, artificial human enhancement via DNA manipulation or implants, impact of emerging technologies on developing children, and so on. (Think bigger than stories about an interesting app, even though that might be where thoughts go first.)

Post-apocalyptic stories will not be accepted. Rather, we desire fiction that occurs during periods preceding any total collapse, be they stable or unstable times. The horrors that await us in utopian futures may be far more chilling and fascinating than those endemic to dystopias, and therein lies our primary interest.

We're more interested in "fiction" than "science"; this is a horror anthology first and foremost, not a science fiction anthology. To that end, your math doesn't have to work out to five decimal points for every forward-thinking concept you present. Merely plausible is good enough.

If you're looking for popular culture references to give you a general feel, here are a few: Annihilation, Alien, Pandorum, Under the Skin, Cube, Slither, The Thing, They Live, Mimic, Black Mirror, Outer Limits, The Fly, Event Horizon, and other horror/sci-fi hybrids. Again, we're not seeking stories with a main focus on apps (hint, hint).

What we ARE looking for:

== Short stories of 2,500-4,500 words that can be characterized as being within the broad category of “horror” fiction and having a futuristic theme as described above. No reprints.

== Successful submissions will be highly original, well written and cleanly edited.

== Stories must hook the reader in opening paragraphs and remain engaging throughout.

== Stories that imagine fresh new horrific futures different from anything we've seen or read about before.

What we ARE NOT looking for:

== No reprints, no multiple or simultaneous submissions.

== We are not seeking "extreme horror" or "splatterpunk" material. We discourage submissions that have a singular purpose of shocking readers with explicit language, sexuality and/or violence. Explicit language, sexuality and violence is acceptable, however, if handled in a tasteful manner and in service to a well-plotted, engaging story.

== We are not seeking abstract mood pieces, vignettes, or highly experimental approaches to literature. We are not accepting poems. Epistolary fiction will not be accepted (stories primarily told through journals, letters, etc). We are not seeking stories featuring exaggerated dialects, colloquialisms. Excessive references to pop culture and current fads are discouraged.

== We are not seeking: stories with an overly humorous tone; retro sci-fi/steampunk; trunk stories; stories hastily retrofitted with superficial futuristic references. Stories must not include actual individuals or living public figures.

== We are not seeking post-apocalyptic or zombie stories, or stories that primarily deal with the emotions of sadness and loss rather than horror and terror. We are not seeing stories featuring mobile app(s) as the primary focus.

Submissions must be in an editable format sent via the publisher's submission portal. No PDFs or scanned documents sent as image files will be accepted. Preference is for title, author name, email address and word count information to be placed at the beginning of the document.

Please Note: Do not utilize underlining in place of italics. Do not insert extra lines between paragraphs. Utilize a single space only between sentences. Do not insert tab indents at the beginning of paragraphs.

Submission window: January 4, 2020 until midnight EST November 15, 2020.

Notifications of acceptance / rejection will be sent no later than November 30, 2020, with publication target of 2021. We will do our best to send out acceptances / rejections as promptly as possible so that you may have the chance to submit the work elsewhere if it does not meet our needs.

PLEASE NOTE THAT SUBMISSION DOES NOT GUARANTEE ACCEPTANCE.

Pay Rate: $.03 per word.

Payment will be capped at $150 USD for accepted submissions (we prefer stories between 2,500-4,500 words; longer stories may be submitted, but will only be paid at the cap rate. 7,500 is a firm maximum word count. You are welcome to submit stories with a word count of less than 2,500 words, but they are not likely to be accepted).

Two (2) free contributor copies (paperback) will be provided upon publication, with contributors having the option to buy additional quantities at cost post-publication. Payment on publication.

Anthology target length: Approximately 300-350 pages.

***

1 Dec 20 -- "Worldbuilding" Fantasy Anthology -- Lagrange Books

Lagrange Books is soliciting short stories and novellas by new and established authors in the fantasy genre, between 3,500 and 7,000 words in length for short stories and between 9,000 and 15,000 words for novellas. (Shorter or longer works will be considered in cases of exceptional merit.) The goal is to select at least ten entries for publication* in a short-story anthology.

Theme: “Politics as Story Conflict.”

Your story must include as a significant plot element a political conflict that makes up a key piece of the worldbuilding. (For guidance on how to do this, you can refer to Beyond Kings and Princesses: Governments for Worldbuilders, from Lagrange Books.)

Accepted authors will receive $100 for a short story, or $200 for a novella.

Submission Rules

How to submit: Email your manuscript (acceptable document formats: Word, PDF, Pages, TXT, RTF) to the following address: editor at lagrangebooks dot com. Begin the subject line with “[Worldbuilding Submission]”, and make sure to list your contact information in the email itself. (Also, please mention how you heard of this anthology!)

Genre: Fantasy, broadly defined. This includes traditional high fantasy, urban fantasy, or any other flavor that includes a magical or fantastical element. (If you are interested in other genres, please suggest them for our next project!)

Details

Entries must be your own work, must be previously unpublished, and may not be plagiarized. You must own all copyright to work submitted. No exceptions!

Read this post and then this post for discussions of my editorial preferences. Be warned especially that even though the focus of this anthology is on worldbuilding, that does not free you from the need to have a strong plot.

Works must show adequate command of the English language, grammar, and punctuation. Rule-breaking for effect, as with stream-of-consciousness writing or the use of a Flowers-for-Algernon type of narrator, will have to show particular merit. Otherwise, do your editing in advance!

Works with strong thematic elements are encouraged. Characters must face significant obstacles to be overcome (whether they succeed or not). Nihilism can be part of the setup, but should not be the conclusion—the characters should push through nihilism to the other side, whatever that is.

Works that are overtly proselytizing, or overtly bigoted against a particular religion or against religion in general, will be rejected out of hand.

PG-13. Swearing should be mild, sex of the fade-to-black variety; gore can be present if justified by the plot and theme, but should not be luridly emphasized.

Good luck!

* Selected authors will be asked to sign a contract granting exclusive publication rights to their story in print and electronic media for a term of 12 months from publication; and further allowing us to keep this anthology in print even after other rights have reverted back.

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1 Dec  20 -- The Art of Being Human -- ed. Tehani Croft and Stephanie Lai; Fablecroft Publishing

The world in 2020 has been tipped upside down and shaken in ways we  could barely have imagined, except perhaps in the post-apocalyptic and  dystopic worlds of story. Amidst pandemic illness and death, political  machinations and despair, one of the casualties has been, at least in a  financial sense, the Arts. Governments across the world have slashed  funding, galleries, theatres and entertainment venues have closed amid  lockdown restrictions, money is being carefully metered with jobs more  uncertain than ever, meaning our creatives across all industries are  suffering. And yet, more than ever, we are turning to art to stay sane  in lockdown, to keep our spirits up in isolation, and to remind us that  despite the hardship, there is beauty in this world.

To that end, FableCroft is coming out of  hiatus in this year of social distancing and staying at home, to call  for submissions on a brand new original anthology, The Art of Being Human.  Co-edited by Tehani Croft and Stephanie Lai, this anthology seeks to  remind readers of the hope and beauty of the Arts, and the way our  engagement with writing, music, film, theatre, artworks in all media,  and craft of all kinds are at the core of our humanity.

Stories should be between 2,000 to 20,000  words long, and not previously published. Poetry of any length is also  welcome. Works are invited from all over the world, but must be  primarily in the English language.

Stories must contain speculative elements –  science fiction, fantasy and horror and their sub-genres are all  welcome, but we recommend researching FableCroft’s past projects for an  idea of the sort of stories we publish. Generally, no erotica or  splatterpunk is desirable. Please query the editor before sending  stories outside those limits.

We are seeking original stories only – no reprint submissions please.

No simultaneous submissions please.

For multiple submissions, please query first.

Submission Guidelines:

E-mail to [email protected] as an attached RTF. We do not accept submissions via snail mail.

• Please use a regular font, size 12, with margins of at least 2cm.
• Indent the first line of each paragraphs by 0.5 (approx 1cm), 1.5 space lines, and indicate section breaks with a centered “#”.
• Include name, address, phone number, email etc at the top of the document.

Anticipated publication date: May 2021

Payment will be AUD$100.00 for stories of up to 10,000 words  (payment for poetry and longer stories accepted will be negotiated with  the author) and a contributor copy of the ebook.

***

1 Dec 20 -- Don't Touch That -- ed. Jaymee Goh

[NOTE: Submissions must be received by 11:15pm EST on 1 December.]

[NOTE2: The theme description says that the stories are written by SF and fantasy writers who are parents, but the campaign update which has the specifics doesn't mention that requirement, and at least one of the invited writers is someone whom I'm pretty sure doesn't have any kids, so...? Query if you're not a parent and want to sub.]

The theme is, not surprisingly, parenting in SFF. You can interpret that  any way you like, and take it in any direction you like. We'd love to  see what you come up with! Stories should be no more than 5,000 words,  and when they're all edited and ready to go, can be submitted in a .doc  or .docx file to [email protected] no later than 11:15pm EST  on December 1, 2020. Please remember to  include your name, pen name if you use one, and contact info on your  submission (not part of your word count).

Parents exploring ancient, curse-ridden caves with their children.  Parents trying to give their kin enough personal space to grow their own  intergalactic empires - and make their mistakes. Parents hunting the  monsters that hide beneath kids' beds. Parents offering advice to the  adventuring child who never takes it.

In February, author Jess Hernandez tweeted out how much fun it would be to contribute to an anthology that explored  the theme of parenthood in science fiction and fantasy in the same style  as Mike Chen's debut novel Here and Now and Then.

[NOTE3: Click through for a lot of info that's important to a Kickstarter campaign but not so much to a submission call.]

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1 Dec 20 -- Artificial Divide -- ed. Robert Kingett and Randy Lacey; Renaissance Press

Artificial Divide is an own voices anthology by Blind and visually  impaired writers. It’s a multi genre anthology with visually impaired  protagonists. It will feature a diverse array of short stories with  protagonists that are visually impaired.  For this anthology, edited by Robert Kingett and Randy Lacey, we’re looking for short stories between 500 and 8,000 words.  We  are looking for own-voice stories featuring blind or visually impaired  protagonists, written by authors who are blind or visually impaired. The  story need not be about being visually impaired or blind, and can be  any genre of fiction.  Stories must be in English, though we invite diversity and dialects, including AAVE.  We  will reject any story with racist, ableist, or homophobic, or otherwise  bigoted themes. We don’t want to see those kinds of stories. Period.  One  of the editors will be using a screen reader to review submissions, so  make sure your document does not contain any tables or graphs or charts.  Layout tables are acceptable but highly discouraged because your  submission will be converted to Proper Manuscript Format. If you already  have your story in Proper Manuscript format, send it along in that  format.  If you’re visually impaired and need a screen reader  friendly template, this page is a bit dated, but it has templates that  work in all versions of Microsoft Word <https://www.shunn.net/format/templates.html>.  Submit your manuscript in either docx or doc format.  We’re  especially looking for writers of color, LGBT+ writers, and other  marginalized identities. Please note that priority will be given to  Canadian writers and writers from diverse backgrounds, though we are  open to authors from around the world.  In your cover letter,  provide your name, your primary email address, and a cover letter  outlining the main plot of the story and the word count. In your cover  letter, detail in two sentences or more, how being visually impaired has  hindered you in the publishing industry, and please indicate whether  you are a Canadian.

Stories can be submitted to [email protected]  please write in SUBMISSION and the title of your story as the subject  header.

Deadline for submissions is December 1st, 2020.

Payment is 0.06CAD per word.

Previously published work – we strongly prefer  original work but will consider work previously published in  publications with small readership. Please indicate on your cover letter  if the work was previously published and include a link to the  publication.

Simultaneous submissions – we will consider  simultaneous submissions. Please indicate on your cover letter if your  work is submitted somewhere else simultaneously, and please notify us  right away should the work be accepted elsewhere.

Please submit only one story. Should we turn down  your story before the submission deadline, please do feel free to send  us another story. Otherwise, please only send one story.

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15 Dec 20 -- Professor Charlatan Bardot's Travel Anthology to the Most (Fictional) Haunted Buildings in the Weird, Wild World -- ed. Charlatan Bardot and Eric J. Guignard; Dark Moon Books

[NOTE: Do Not Submit until 15 November.]

Title: Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology to the Most (Fictional) Haunted Buildings in the Weird, Wild World (2021 edition) Submissions Accepted: November 15–December 15, 2020 Projected Release Date: Summer, 2021 Word Count: Short Stories between approximately 1,500–4,500 words (soft range). Payment: Two (2) cents per word and one contributor copy in each of all published formats. Reprints?: NO Multiple and/or Simultaneous Submissions: YES Response Time: January 15, 2021 (or earlier) Send submissions and queries to: [email protected]

The greatest and most complete travel anthology of (fictional) haunted buildings in the world is now open! Hosted by Professor Charlatan Bardot, PhD, EdD, EJG, and curated by Eric J. Guignard, this book is seeking dark fiction short stories about haunted buildings (excluding houses) around the globe.

Consider that, essentially, these are “Haunted House” types of stories, except they are to be set in ANY type of structure that is not a house; i.e. the theme of this book is for haunted buildings or structures that are subject of a fantastic, terrifying, magical, weird, or otherwise thrilling or speculative tale, but that the subject building is not a traditional stick-built/frame residential house.

Additionally, these are to be “fictional buildings” (don’t use the Eastern State Penitentiary as the site of your story, but you could use a similar haunted prison modeled off, and named differently than, Eastern State Penitentiary).

Use your wildest imagination for these tales of architecture and intrigue—any type of building (excluding traditional houses) is welcome. A haunted igloo? Yes! A possessed Yurt? Totally! Go wild with these tales, but not to the point of silliness. Although the book idea is playful, and I want the stories to be fun, they also should be taken seriously.

Finally, although the term of “haunted” may invoke a sense of horror, and this book will include those types of tales, I’m looking also to shape this anthology toward imaginative interpretations of what hauntings can mean, in beautiful and colorful ways. The revenant of haunted hair at a barbershop, or the ghosts of children who never were, playing on a playground. Although I enjoy horror and dark tales, I still prefer love and happy endings for them (at least once in a while!).

Book examples of haunted non-house buildings include:

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix (Haunted IKEA store) Dark Matter by Michelle Paver (Haunted Whaling Cabin) Steam by Jay B. Laws (haunted bathhouse) Creepers by David Morrell (Haunted Hotel) Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell (Arctic Research Station; although not “haunted,” the setting is crucial to the story) The Shining by Stephen King (Haunted Hotel) Beauty and the Beast (French: La Belle et la Bête) by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve (haunted castle) The Booking by Ramsey Campbell (Haunted bookstore) Stranded by Bracken Macleod (Haunted/ alternate reality Oil Rig)

###

* NOTE: DIVERSE GEOGRAPHY (Setting) REQUIREMENT! *

Additionally, besides a non-house structure, I’m ALSO requiring stories be set in diverse locations around the globe. Think of mausoleums in Romania, ruined palaces in Baghdad, military installations in Tanzania, electronics factories in China, cathedrals in Argentina, glass pyramids on an Arctic mountain top, bomb shelters, cardboard boxes, lighthouses, zoos, union halls, taverns, libraries, canneries, campgrounds, etc.

I have compiled a small list of countries you are EXCLUDED from writing your haunted building to be located in. Half of the stories in this anthology will be filled by invite, and these are the countries already selected. Here is the LINK for that Exclusion List.

All of the above rules and remarks are to sustain the theme of this book being designed and illustrated as if a Ghost Tours type of travel guide for the world.

[NOTE: This runs on for a while, with details getting ever more fiddly. Click through to the site to read more (and yet more) about what kind of stories they're looking for.]

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31 Dec 2020 --  Zombies Need Brains Anthologies -- ed. Joshua Palmatier, Patricia Bray, David B. Coe, and S.C. Butler; Zombies Need Brains

THE MODERN DEITY’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY, DERELICT, and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE anthology Kickstarter (back us at tinyurl.com/ZNBDeity) has hit its goal!  If you have a story idea that fits one of the anthology themes, write it up, revise it, polish it, and send it in for consideration.  I've posted the guidelines below.

Submission Guidelines:

Zombies Need Brains LLC is accepting submissions to its three science fiction and fantasy anthologies THE MODERN DEITY’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY, DERELICT, and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE.  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:  DERELICT:  Ghost Ships Gone Wild!).  The content of the email should also include which anthology the manuscript is intended for.  Please send multiple manuscripts in separate emails; you may submit to any or all of the anthologies as many times as you wish.  Manuscripts should be in manuscript format, meaning double-spaced, 12pt font, standard margins on top, bottom and sides, and pages numbered.  Please use Times New 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 MODERN DEITY’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY is to feature urban fantasy stories set in the modern-day world with some type of god or deity as the central focus of the story.  Stories featuring more interesting gods and deities, especially those from less-used cultures, will receive more attention than those that use standard gods/deities.  In other words, we don’t want to see 100 stories dealing with Zeus.  If we do, it’s likely that only one, at most, would be selected for the anthology.  Take note of which gods/deities the anchor authors intend to use (listed in the description of the Kickstarter at tinyurl.com/ZNBDeity), since their stories are already guaranteed to be in the anthology. It’s unlikely we’ll select a second story using the same god/deity.  Be creative, choose something different, and have the god/deity established in the modern world in an unusual and unexpected way.  We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.

DERELICT is to feature stories involving abandoned ships, whether it be ships at sea or starships in space.  We are attempting to fill half of the anthology with science fiction stories and half with fantasy stories.  We are somewhat flexible as to the definition of “ship” for this anthology, but it must still be somehow abandoned in some way. Stories featuring more interesting takes on the use of the abandoned ship will receive more attention than those that are more mundane or are tropes.  Make certain the story is centered on the ship! If the abandoned ship element is removed, the story should fall apart. So be creative and use the abandoned ship in an unusual and unexpected way.  We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark, including horror.

WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE is to feature science fiction and fantasy stories, including alternate history stories, where two different cultures “collide” in some way.  We expect mostly first contact types of collisions, but the story does NOT need to be a first contact story. The cultures can be human, alien, technological, fae, etc. They should clash in some significant, meaningful way. Stories featuring more interesting juxtapositions of cultures and the ways in which they meet and interact will receive more attention than those that use the more typical, expected collisions.  So be creative and come up with an unusual and unexpected meeting of different cultures.  We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.

DEADLINE and TIMELINE:

The deadline for submissions is December 31st, 2020.  Decisions on stories should be completed by the end of February 2021.  Please send submissions to [email protected].  You will receive a receipt email within a few days of us 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 2021.

If your story is selected for use in the anthology, you should expect a revision letter by the end of April 2021.  Revisions and the final draft of the story will be expected no later than the end of May 2021.  These dates may change due to the editors’ work schedules.  Zombies Need Brains LLC is seeking exclusive world anthology rights (including electronic rights) in all languages for the duration of one year after publication/release of the anthology, non-exclusive world anthology rights (including electronic rights) in all languages after that.  Your story cannot appear elsewhere during that first year.  Pay rate will be an advance of a minimum of 8 cents 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 and editors of the anthology.

Questions regarding these submission guidelines should be sent to [email protected].  Thank you.

[These are great books to be in. Josh is easy to work with, editorially, and he's good at keeping books selling. I have a story in Alien Artifacts, from 2016, and I still get royalty checks a couple of times a year. The last check was tiny, but it spends, and after getting pro rates up front, anything further is gravy. I highly recommend subbing to these books.]

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31 Dec 2020 -- Lost Contact -- Max Booth III and Lori Michelle; Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing

Now, what does LOST CONTACT mean? I guess that depends on  what the word CONTACT means to you. To lose contact…does that bring to  mind something physical, something intangible? Does it give you a sense  of isolation? Does it bring to mind…aliens, maybe? Being stranded? LOST?  I think, in the times we live in right now, the phrase “LOST CONTACT”  might mean a whole heck of a lot to all of us, and we want to see what  you make of it. We’re keeping the theme vague here. We’re excited to see  how writers interpret it. There are so many ways you can explore “LOST  CONTACT”. Go wild with it.

And, since this is the final entry of our LOST trilogy — Lost Signals and Lost Films being the previous two entries — it would be to your benefit to include TECHNOLOGY of  some kind in the submission you write, whatever that might mean to you.  The stories need to be deeply rooted in the horror genre, but if it  also contains flavors of weird science fiction, that would be pretty  fuckin’ radical. (We highly recommend checking out the previous two  volumes to get a sense of what we’re looking to publish.)

Interested? Great! Here are the rest of the guidelines:

Word count: 1,000 – 7,000 Payment: $0.05 per word Simultaneous submissions: Yes Multiple submissions: No Reprints: No

Email all submissions to [email protected] with “STORY TITLE_LAST NAME_WORD COUNT” in the subject line.

Oh, and please–for the love of god–spare us your terrible contact  lens puns. You are not clever. Your mother lied to you. Don’t do it.

Thanks! That’s it. Now go write some groovy horror fiction!

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31 Dec 20 -- SNAFU: Holy War -- ed. Amanda J Spedding and Geoff Brown; Cohesion Press

AU5c/word / 2k-10k words Opens Oct 1st / Closes Dec 31st Fantasy, Horror, or Science Fiction Theme – Holy war military horror.

What we want: Military ACTION-BASED horror, themed around religion and/or religious-based conflict.  Think  the Crusades, Europe’s Thirty Years War, The Troubles in Northern  Ireland (but with unnatural monsters)… anything that can be considered a  high-action monster story based around a conflict (overt or covert) of  religion. For level of unnatural creature we will give priority to, think Dog Soldiers or Aliens. We want lots of monster goodness.  We  will also be looking for soldiers, mercs, police, private  security/paramilitary. Hell, even a group of bodyguards protecting some  arsehole theocracy warlord in his jungle property.

Just ensure the action is central to the story, from start to finish, and don’t forget monsters!

This volume is like the previous volumes squared. All action. We want extreme action, and it has to be military or paramilitary action. And to say it again, full action. Nothing less. Hoo-rah!

We  actively encourage submissions from all cultural backgrounds,  ethnicities, and identities. Storytelling is for everyone, and we are  richer for it when all voices are heard.

SOME GUIDANCE – IF YOU TAKE THIS PLOT PATH, IT BETTER BE DAMNED GOOD:

Modern  America versus Muslim country war stories with religiosity at its core.  These need to be extremely well-written to make it past the slush pile.

What we DO NOT WANT AT ALL, IN ANY FORM:

• Rape as a plot device/backstory
• White saviour stories
• Racism, bigotry, misogyny of any kind in the narrative voice
• Child abuse/paedophilia (can’t believe we have to say this, but we do)
• Rape as a plot device/backstory (yes, we have to say this twice)
• Fanfiction or derivatives

Payment: AUD5c/word and one contributor copy in each format released. Wordcount range: 2,000 – 10,000 words (query for shorter or longer)

Anything submitted outside this period will be deleted without being read or replied to.

No selections will be made until after the period closes.

Projected publication date: Mid-2021

Please follow these guidelines when submitting to us:

Please put your full contact details and word count top left of the first page of the manuscript.  Standard submission format, with minimal document formatting. Courier, Palatino Linotype, or Times New Roman set at 12pt.

Italics as they will appear. No underlining. Double spaced.

Please don’t use TAB or space bar to indent lines. Use ‘styles’ only. If unsure or using a program that has no styles, DO NOT indent at all. That’s still cool.

NO SPACE between paragraphs unless a line-break is required. ONE SPACE after full stops.  Please put full contact details on the first page of the manuscript (yes, I said this twice… it’s important).

Send your submission to Geoff Brown at [email protected] as an attachment (.doc/.rtf only)

In the  subject line of your email, please put Holy War: [STORY TITLE] (Replace  [STORY TITLE] with your actual story title. Yes, unfortunately I do need  to say this)  Example – Holy War: Theocracy

For file name, please use HolyWar_[Story Title]_[Your Surname]  Example – HolyWar_Theocracy_Brown

NO MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS NO SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS NO REPRINTS

Please include a brief ‘hello, this is who I am’ in your email body as a cover letter.  Blank emails with attachments will be deleted.  For a guide to standard submission format, see: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html

The only variations to this format are that italics MUST appear as they will be used – no underlining – and again, only one space after a full stop.

Anyone that fails to follow these guidelines will likely see their story pulped to make theocratic propaganda.