Hello Everyone,
First of all, I have added a mailing list which you can find to the left or right here. Please sign up if you like what I'm doing on this blog. Some of you mentioned that the monthly lists of submission deadlines help a great deal, so I hope that is the case for others as well. Let's give each other as much help as we can in this difficult industry. I will aim to update the deadlines list 1-2 times a month as always. Knowing that at least a few others have tapped into this list, makes me more motivated to continue. It sure motivates me to scan through the list and send out another bunch of stories I had a blast creating in the hopes others will enjoy the read enough to buy and share with a wider audience.
Despite feeling a tad tired, I sent a bunch of subs out last month, including Writers of the Future, Lightspeed, Nightmare, Augur, Strange Horizons, Pulp Literature, Podcastle, Constelación, Orion's Belt, DreamForge Anvil, and more. I also received a few personal rejections with nice words from Arley Sorg at Fantasy Magazine and from Scot Noel at DreamForge Anvil. Happy little stepping stones.
My current submissions stats for 2021
Pending: 22 (9 short, 3 flash, 10 poetry)
Rejections: 49 (24 shorts, 12 flash, 13 poetry)
Acceptances: 0
April's already upon us, and the hustle continues. Plenty of deadlines to pay attention to. This month I have my sights on the Uncanny Magazine call for novellas, among other deadlines. If any of you have no prose publications to your name, you should sub to The Last Dangerous Visions on 4/30.
March was very busy with work, and hopefully that will continue to help me start getting a better handle on my finances on through April and beyond (fingers crossed there are no more mass closures from pandemics or anything that tear us all down again). I'll also be pushing through more writing challenges like revising a novella for submission to Uncanny, writing a few new stories, and other such.
Currently Reading: Harlan Ellison's short story collection The Beast that Shouted Love at the End of the World and Other Works. I studied a few of the stories for the Gallowglass mentorship and read the full ebook version, but the 2019 audiobook has a b-side which I'm guessing makes the collection about twice the size of the ebook version so I'm still listening through that. Unfortunately, this B-Side has no chapter bookmarks and no list of the stories contained, so that makes for extra trouble in studying them. Regardless, full of amazing stories with nice insights from the author in the introductions, and amazing insights from studying the stories.
I'm also deep in the middle of reading Gene Wolfe's Shadow & Claw (the first half of The Book of the New Sun). I've always wanted to read it and am finally getting around to it thanks to the Gallowglas mentorship I'm currently engaged with. This along with several other texts should help to push my writing a great deal.
Recent reads:
- Beast of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala was amazing, so intense; I listened to the audio while also reading the ebook and the sounds were overwhelming and the character's voice and observations were shattering. A must-read for everyone.
- Hurdy-Gurdy by Tim Seibles. A lot of these poems are full of so much magic. I loved how there would be this darkness at the start and then hope would sneak in. My favorite might have been the poem about the Wiley Coyote and leaning on the edge of the couch full of hope. Or the one I quoted the end of to my daughters, called Graffiti which moves from the author thinking he'll be smashed under a truck by the end of the day to so much magic...
- Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban. Amazing what this story does with language and perspective.
- As a Stephen King fan, his newest short novel Later (published with Cold Case Crimes) had a great voice and was worth the read, though some reveals were rather meh.
- The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All by Laird Barron was a nice collection of weird horror stories, some better than others, but all of them full of interesting characters and creepy vibes.
One last mention of the new mailing list. Please sign up if you want to make sure you receive these updates to the deadlines once or twice a month, and also just to let me know it's something you find useful.
Thanks for reading. Best of luck with your creative pursuits and dreams. Make 'em real.
Onward to the deadlines and windows. Please note that most sections have new updates, especially sections 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8, so I recommend you skim through everything. Typically, I just focus on the first section, but not this time.
Table of Contents (scroll down to each section for clickable links)
1. Submission Deadlines/Windows (April 2021 and beyond; 5-20¢/word USD)
2. Publications Open for Submissions (No Specified Deadline; 5-20¢/word USD)
3. Publications Currently Closed (5-20¢/word USD)
4. Submission Deadlines/Windows (April 2021 and beyond; 1-4¢/word USD)
5. Publications Open for Submission (No Specified Deadline; 1-4¢/word USD)
6. Other Submission Opportunities (Kickstarters, Advance/Royalties, Charities, etc.)
7. Search for More Submission Windows
8. Advice, Motivation, and Workshops
9. More Links
1. Submission Deadlines/Windows (April 2021 and beyond; 5-20¢/word USD)
4/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is open to all authors
4/12, Imagine 2200 (contest by Fix), 3000-5000 words, award money (1st = $3,000, 2nd = $2,000, 3rd = $1,000, nine honorable mentions of $300), Genre: climate fiction, Theme: "envision the next 180 years of equitable climate progress", see specific judging criteria at submission portal
4/15, Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Submit one flash story to the Horror prompt of Trapped at Sea OR one story to the SF prompt of Earth Orbit, must subscribe to their newsletter, email subs to Newsletter Editor Molly Rosevear, molly@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story
4/15, Parsec Short Story Contest, 3500 words, 1st place $200 and publication, 2nd place $100, 3rd place $50, Genre/Theme: "Still Waters, Deep Thoughts" ("This can be conveyed in the setting, plot, characters, dialogue…the only limit is your imagination. The theme must be integral to the story in some way and not just mentioned in passing"), Note: a max of 2 submissions allowed; each should be subbed separately
4/30, Departure Mirror, ~12,000 words, 10¢/word ($300/story above 3000 words), Genre: SF/F, Poetry OK (up to 30 lines, $10/poem), Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK
4/30, Midnight from Beyond the Stars anthology (Silver Shamrock Publishing), 2500-6000 words, 6¢/word, Genre/Theme: original alien horror stories with a vibe of The Thing/Alien/The Blob/Critters/Night of the Creeps
4/30, khoreo, ~5000 words, 8¢/word, any speculative, Note: only open to subs from authors identifying as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms (see their website), Non-Fiction OK, Art OK
4/30, Mike Resnick Memorial Award for Short Fiction, ~7499 words, 1st Place: trophy and $250 with publication at current rate, Four runner-ups: $25 and publication, All five finalists honored at ceremony, Note: award given to a new author who has not had any work published by any SFWA-eligible publishing venue (i.e. no work paid at 6¢/word or more or totaling more than $50), Email submissions to resnick@arcmanor.com, Note: finalists announced by 7/15
4/30, Uncanny Magazine (call for novellas), 17500-40000 words, 10¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Wants: "intricate, experimental stories and poems with gorgeous prose, verve, and imagination that elicit strong emotions and challenge beliefs. Uncanny believes there’s still plenty of room in the genre for tales that make you feel"
4/30-4/30 (24-hour window), The Last Dangerous Visions, ~3500 words, Genre/Theme: "In the broadest sense, a DV story is one that pushes back the borders of storytelling, that is daring and smart and looks beyond the horizon, exploring issues of privacy, gender, politics, climate, technology, but most of all, the emotional core of our humanity. DV stories are not about the thing, the McGuffin, the device, it's about us, about what William Faulkner called "the human heart in conflict with itself." Bold, provocative, humanistic. Stories that would have difficulty finding a berth in a conventional magazine. Beyond that, it's wide open," submissions must include the release form attached to the post on the Patreon submission info page, submissions should include a paragraph with bio and prior work (300 word max), submit stories to ellisonestate@yahoo.com only on 4/30, Editor: J. Michael Straczynski
5/1, Cryptids Emerging: Tales of Dark Cheer (anthology from Improbable Press), 5¢/word, ~5000 words, Genre/Theme: contemporary supernatural or historical fantasy about cryptids "emerging" ("cryptids living with humans, or just at the edge of our vision," that are "rising, changing, growing"), Submit to Atlin Merrick at submissions@improbablepress.co.uk, Note: format 1.5 line spacing
5/1, The Needle Drops, ~5000 words, 751-5000 word = £100 (~750 word = £50), Genre/Theme: horror, Poetry OK (£15/poem), Multiple Ok (up to two subs), Simultaneous OK
5/1, Escape Pod: Black Future Month, 1500-5000 words, Genre: SF (for audio), Reprints OK (?), Note: only accepting subs from authors of the African diaspora/continent for this particular window
5/1-5/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is only open to Black, Asian, Latin, LGBTQ+ and other under-represented authors
5/14 (closes 11:59 EST), Africa Risen (Tor.com), ~5000 words, 8¢/word, Genre/Theme: "fantastical Pan-African journey inspired by indgenous African lore, and the richness found in immigrant and Diasporan narratives, gathering new tales of alien entities, scientists, spiritual guides, and deities," Note: only open to subs from contributors of African descent
5/15, Humans Are the Problem: A Monster's Anthology (Weird Little Worlds Press), 1000-3500 words, 5¢/word, Genre/Theme: any speculative about monsters that are creative and fresh and turn tropes on heads, simultaneous OK, Note: submissions should not contain name or personal info, Note: this is a kickstarter anthology that relies on funding goal to be reached for realization
4/8-5/30, Classic Monsters Unleashed anthology (Crystal Lake Publishing), 1500-5000 words, 8¢/word, Genre/Theme: dark, scary stories featuring a classic monster or monsters or even a star secondary character from the classic monster universe (think 1960 horror movies; see character list at link), holding at least one spot for a new author, email subs to james@deadjack.com w/ subject line: Classic Monsters - [story title] - [author name], Note: Kickstarter campaign surpassed goal (started on 3/8 and still live)
5/31, One Story, 3k-8k words, $500/story, Genre: any literary, Simultaneous OK, also open to submissions 9/7-11/14
5/31, Escape Pod, 1500-6000 words, Genre: SF (for audio), Reprints OK (1500-7500; 7500-15,000-word novelette reprints are $100/$150/$175 and subbed to a different portal), Note: remove names from manuscript
5/31, Darkness Blooms (second anthology of The Dread Machine), 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Theme: must inspire dread and must touch on at least one of the three themes of identity/security/community, Multiple OK (up to 3 for this window), Simultaneous NO
6/1-6/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is open to all authors
6/1~, Zooscape, ~10,000 words, 8¢/word (flash and $80 for longer), Genre/Theme: anything furry/anthropomorphic animal figure, Multiple query, Note: will repoen on 6/1/2021
6/15-7/1, Constelación Magazine, Original Fiction (~6400 words, 8¢/word), Genre: any speculative in either English or Spanish, Theme: Love Needs No Translation (no further details available yet), Art (send link to portfolio for consideration, $1000 for rights)
7/1-7/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is only open to Black, Asian, Latin, LGBTQ+ and other under-represented authors
7/1-7/30, khoreo, ~5000 words, 8¢/word, any speculative, Note: only open to subs from authors identifying as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms (see their website), Non-Fiction OK, Art OK
7/1-7/31, Departure Mirror, ~12,000 words, 10¢/word ($300/story above 3000 words), Genre: SF/F, Poetry OK (up to 30 lines, $10/poem), Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK
8/1-8/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is open to all authors
8/10/2021-8/31/2021, PseudoPod (Flash Fiction Contest), ~1500 words (500-1000 best), 8¢/word, Genre: any horror, Reprints OK, Simultaneous OK (if not an Escape Artists podcast)
9/1-9/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is only open to Black, Asian, Latin, LGBTQ+ and other under-represented authors
10/1-10/31, khoreo, ~5000 words, 8¢/word, any speculative, Note: only open to subs from authors identifying as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms (see their website), Non-Fiction OK, Art OK
9/7-11/14, One Story, 3k-8k words, $500/story, Genre: any literary, Simultaneous OK, also open to submissions 1/15-5/31
10/1-10/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is open to all authors
11/1-11/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is only open to Black, Asian, Latin, LGBTQ+ and other under-represented authors
12/1-12/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is open to all authors
2. Publications Open for Submissions (No Specified Deadline; 5-20¢/word USD)
Anathema: Spec from the Margins, 1500-6k words (if 1500-2k words pays 5¢/word), $100 CAD/story ($50/poem), Genre: SF/F/H, Simultaneous OK, Poetry OK (under 100 lines, Non-Fiction OK (1500-3000 words), Limited demographic: queer/two-spirit person of colour/Indigenous/Aboriginal, Note on Genre/Theme: "We are open to any form of genre or speculative content. We talk about what we do as "SF/F/H, the weird, slipstream, surrealism, fabulism, and more," elsewhere on the site. But we are not limited to those genres. Use them as a starting point and send whatever you want: as long as it's got some kind of speculative content we'll consider it. And we are also interested in seeing work that has been difficult to place because of content or perspective."
Blood Knife, ~1200 words, 9¢/word, Genre: SF/F/H (especially likes dark fantasy, gothic fiction, cosmic horror, and cyberpunk), Theme: "emphasis on tone and style than on strict genre adherence," and "the decadent, the grotesque, the weird, the alienating, and the agonizing," and welcomes political content as well as sex/violence/gore, Simultaneous OK, Non-fiction OK ($60 for 800-word article)
Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, open 1st-2nd every month, 1000-40000 words (shorter preferred), 6¢/word (reprints 2¢/word), Genre: F/SF, Poetry ($1/line, ~40 lines, reprints 50¢/word), Articles (2-6¢/word, reprints 1-4¢/word), Note: great feedback provided if requested in cover letter
Cricket, ~6000 words (best = 1200-1800 & 600-900), 25 cents/word, Genre/Theme: middle grade readers (realistic contemporary fiction, historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy, folk tales, myths and legends, and humor), also seeking poetry / nonfiction / puzzles / activities / art, Note: other magazines at the link include Babybug, Ladybug, Spider, Ask, Muse
3. Publications Currently Closed (5-20¢/word USD)
Hybrid Fiction, 500-5000 words (or serialized novellas), 6¢/word, Genre: speculative hybrid/cross-genre (blend of 2+ genres, such as dark fantasy, steampunk western, historical fantasy, weird western, crime fantasy, etc.), Note: opening date unknown ("We are on hiatus until further notice due to the pandemic)
Mermaids Monthly, Genre/Theme: anything loosely merfolk- or mercreature-related, Original Fiction (1~5000 words, 10¢/word), Reprints (1¢/word with minimum $20), Poetry (any length, $50-$100/poem), Nonfiction (up to 2000 words, 10¢/word), Comics (up to 5 pages, $75-$100/page), Each to Each art and word ($25), spot art ($50), reprint art and comics ($25-$150), Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (basically one of each type)
4. Submission Deadlines/Windows (April 2021 and beyond; 1-4¢/word USD)
7/1-4/30, Timeless Tales, ~2000 words (less than 1500 preferred), $30/piece, Genre/Theme: Tales of the Arabian Nights (retellings of specific tales or original stories featuring creatures of Arabian/Islamic folklore), specify in cover letter whether original story or retelling and which story is being retold (avoid Aladdin), PG-13 but also enjoys dark side of tales, Poetry OK (send up to 3 pieces as long as 1500 words or less), Reprints OK
4/30, Shark Week: Ocean Animals Submission Call, 1500-12000 words, 0.5¢/word, Genre/Theme: furry stories that involve the ocean and are PG-13 at most, Multiple OK (not more than 3 subs at a time), Reprints OK
4/19, The Other Stories Podcast (Vol 68 Alternative Realities II), ~2000 words, 15GBP/story (about 20 USD), Genre/Theme: stories that "terrify, scar and haunt," and match theme of alternative realities, sub up to two stories/theme
5/2, 1500-2500 words, Witch House, $10, Genre/Theme: cosmic horror (they prefer "atmospheric horror that emphasizes disturbing and suggestive settings," "renderings of supernatural horror to be artfully sketchy and sublime," and generally prefer first person; they are "open to experimental narrative techniques" and state that they usually don't like "documentary descriptions of monstrosity"), Poetry OK (up to 3 poems of 500 words max total; open to formal and free verse with soft spot for sonnets)
5/3, The Other Stories Podcast (Vol 69 Space II), ~2000 words, 15GBP/story (note I saw this listed on horrortree.com as 5 USD/story, but on their website it says 15GBP which is about 20 USD), Genre/Theme: stories that "terrify, scar and haunt," and match theme of space, sub up to two stories/theme
3/15-5/15, Lamplight Magazine, ~7000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Dark/Literary, Reprints (1¢/word), simultaneous OK
5/17, The Other Stories Podcast (Vol 70 Post-Apocalypse II), ~2000 words, 15GBP/story (about 20 USD), Genre/Theme: stories that "terrify, scar and haunt," and match theme of post-apocalypse, sub up to two stories/theme
5/31, The Other Stories Podcast (Vol 71 Mythology II), ~2000 words, 15GBP/story (about 20 USD), Genre/Theme: stories that "terrify, scar and haunt," and match theme of mythology, sub up to two stories/theme
5/31, Die Laughing: An Anthology of Humurous Mysteries (Mystery Weekly Magazine), 1000-8000 words, 2¢/word, Genre/Theme: stories about a mystery or crime that make us laugh ("off-beat characters, bungling detectives, or funny premises"), B&W comics OK ($25)
5/31, Strange Religion anthology (TDOTSPEC), ~7500 words, CAD 2¢/word, Genre: SF/F that thoughtfully explores religious ideas and practices, Reprints OK (CAD 1¢/word), Simultaneous OK
5/31, Strange Wars anthology (TDOTSPEC), ~7500 words, CAD 2¢/word, Genre: SF/F that has a fresh take on military conflict, Reprints OK (CAD 1¢/word), Simultaneous OK
5/31, Wight Christmas anthology (TDOTSPEC), ~5000 words, CAD 0.5¢/word, Genre: Christmas/horror (SF/F okay but must be dark and subvert Christmas tropes), Reprints OK (CAD 0.25¢/word), Poetry OK (CAD 1¢/original, 0.5¢/reprint)
6/14, The Other Stories Podcast (Vol 72 Doppelgängers II), ~2000 words, 15 GBP/story (about 20 USD), Genre/Theme: stories that "terrify, scar and haunt," and match theme of dopplegangers, sub up to two stories/theme
5. Publications Open for Submission (No Specified Deadline; 1-4¢/word USD)
The Common Tongue Magazine, 600-6000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: only high fantasy with a dark tone (dark fantasy, grimdark, sword & sorcery), Languages: English or Spanish (translations also accepted), Poetry OK (up to 40 lines), Note: seeking original stories or stories set in their Arthuruin Shared Universe, Nonfiction OK (~2500 words, 3¢/word), Art OK ($200-400)
6. Other Submission Opportunities (Kickstarters, Advance/Royalties, Charities, etc.)
Kickstarter to back:
Worthwhile submissions for charity:
6/20 (11:59 PM Mountain Time), A Hero of a Different Stripe (Hemelein Publications and LTUE Press), ~17500 words, no pay ("royalty proceeds go to support the symposium’s mission of education, training, and inspiring authors, artists, and editors in producing the next generation of amazing speculative fiction works"), Genre: SF/F/light horror, Theme: give supporting characters the starring role, up to two submissions per author 7. Search for More Submission Windows
Where to Submit Short Stories: 30 Magazines and Websites That Want Your Work, a decent list with a literary focus
28 Themed Submission Calls for August by S. Kalekar, submission possibilities including a few good ones I haven't had time to add to the lists above
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: plenty of updated lists of agents, calls for submission, contests, conferences, recipes, and more
8. Advice, Motivation, and Workshops
Eric Witchey has some excellent workshops this month to check out, all leading up to his year-long intensive year-long fiction fluency series I'd highly recommend based on my experience speaking with him on fiction-related topics and reviewing his work in the past
Wulf Moon's Super Secrets: a ton of great advice on writing short stories that win (he runs a workshop that you can peek in on and learn from as it goes)
Wulf Moon also has great workshops at Fyrecon, and is available as a professional editor and voice actor; check out his website for more info
Cat Rambo's Website: lots of good resources and classes
Submitting Short Fiction: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Genre Edition by Holly Lyn Walrath, a useful guide on playing the submission game written in 2019
9. More Links
This is a listing of speculative award winners. Go read, study, and improve yourself.
Here are grants to apply for with the Speculative Literature Foundation
This is a listing at critter.org that shows general response times of various publications
Publisher's Pick Free Ebook of the Month (Maintained by Arc Manor of Galaxy's Edge)
On writing cover letters for submissions to the short fiction market by Christie
