Hi Everyone. Happy June, usually my favorite month as it's my birthday, and many of my friends have birthdays as well. My daughters were very creative thanks to encouragement from my girlfriend, and the three of them secretly prepared art and cute little presents to surprise me after we came back from a birthday lunch of all-you-can-eat shabushabu. Now to stay motivated despite the humid weather that's moved in on Japan. I've been piecing together enough paying work to carry on, and writing new stories. My story revisions and readings kept me busy enough that I have not submitted a ton and have not updated the blog until now. Lots to do! I hope everyone is making it through their struggles and doing well enough. I'll jump straight to the deadlines list this time around after noting two recent closures.
Closures: Deep Magic announced their permanent closure. They just released their Best Of anthology Vol.2 and I highly recommend getting your hands on it. Their Vol. 1 was recently on sale, and you can also look forward to their Summer Issue. Yes, part of me still hopes they'll open again, but it doesn't look that way. The board members have other priorities they need to focus on moving forward. This was disheartening, as they have found some wonderful stories and artwork in every issue. I also had a good experience working as a First Reader with their team. I wish them all the best of luck with their other projects.
The other closure is Departure Mirror Quarterly. I'm not sure if they have publicly announced it, but I was contacted by them as I had submitted a story and a collection of poetry to them. Very sad news as well, since they seemed to be an excellent place to submit mixed genre or slipstream works. Edit: I really didn't want them to close apparently; still had them listed. Have now moved it to the closed category *tears*.
Edit: also wanted to mention that Clarion West is doing their Write-a-thon this year. Registration started on June 7th, and signups for classes/events begins on June 14th. I loved the little bit I participated in last year.
Thank you, Victoria, for notifying me of a few more markets I needed to include. There are always more places to consider subbing, even as we lose some excellent ones...
Some updates to every section, especially to the lists of deadlines in both general pay grades. Note: added further updates on 6/20/2021; more updates after meeting my own June deadlines.
Good luck all with the writing and subbing!
Table of Contents (scroll down to each section for clickable links)1. Submission Deadlines/Windows (June 2021 and beyond; 5-20¢/word USD)
2. Publications Open for Submissions (No Specified Deadline; 5-20¢/word USD)
3. Submission Deadlines/Windows (June 2021 and beyond; 1-4¢/word USD)
4. Publications Open for Submission (No Specified Deadline; 1-4¢/word USD)
5. Other Submission Opportunities (Kickstarters, Advance/Royalties, Charities, etc.)
6. Publications Closed
7. Search for More Markets
8. Advice, Motivation, and Workshops
9. More Links
10. Current submission stats on my writing
1. Submission Deadlines/Windows (June 2021 and beyond; 5-20¢/word USD)
6/1~, Zooscape, ~10,000 words, 8¢/word (flash and $80 for longer), Genre/Theme: anything furry/anthropomorphic animal figure, Multiple query, repoened on 6/1/2021
6/9, Martian magazine, exactly 100 words excluding title, 8¢/word, Genre: any SF, Reprints OK (4¢/word), Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (up to 3, each in separate emails)
5/15-6/12, Mermaids Monthly, Genre/Theme: anything loosely merfolk- or mercreature-related (specific themes include July's All Selkies, September's ecology/climate change, and November's All Ages), original fiction (1~5000 words, 10¢/word), reprints (1¢/word w/ minimum $20), poetry (any length, $50-$100/poem), nonfiction (~1500 words, 10¢/word), comics (~5 pages, $75-$100/page), Each to Each art ($25, closed this year), spot art ($50), reprint art/comics ($25-$150), simultaneous OK, multiple OK (one of each type)
6/1-6/15, Baffling Magazine, flash (~1200 words), 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F/Horror (especially interested in queer/trans/aro/ace; welcomes weird/slipstream/interstitial), Simultaneous OK, submissions open to all (particularly interested in queer stories and authors)
6/15, Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF (Astonishing Transformations) or Horror (Chilling Resurrections), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Molly Rosevear at molly@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story
6/5-6/19, Neon Hemlock Press (call for speculative novellas by BIPOC authors), 17,500-40,000 words, advance + royalties, Genre/Theme: SF/F/H/Supernatural/Slipstream/Weird (welcomes hybrid or difficult to categorize), particularly interested in work that explores an element of queer experience, simultaneous submissions OK, note: opening to all authors in October
6/15 (9AM EST)-6/22 (9AM EST), Nightfire (Tor's Horror imprint), 17500~ words (seeking novellas and novels), advance + royalties, any horror (all subgenres and tropes welcome)
6/13-6/26, Cast of Wonders: Banned Books Week, ~6000 words (prefer 3000-4500), 8¢/word, Genre: any YA speculative, Theme: Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us (see further explanation on their website), simultaneous OK, reprints OK ($100/short, $20/flash)
6/21-6/27, Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas, 2500-3000 words (up to 35 lines for poetry), $250/story ($25/poem), Genre/Theme: dark tales rooted in place (short stories exclusively set in South America; poetry set in the Caribbean/Central America/Mexico/South America), setting should be essential
6/1-6/30, If There's Anyone Left, ~1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/speculative, only open to marginalized authors (includes people of color, LGBTQ+, or disabled people), simultaneous OK
6/30, Curiousities anthology, ~7500 words, 5¢/word (reprints 1¢/word), Genre/Theme: weird/occult detective stories w/ retro-tech/vintage/alt-history settings, multiple OK (3 stories/author), simultaneous OK, submissions must be anonymous
6/30, WotF Q3, ~17000 words (aim for 3000-10,000), 8¢ /word, prize money (1st $1000, 2nd $750, 3rd $500, annual grand $5000, plus Hollywood workshop; semi-finalists get feedback), Genre: F/SF, Note: contest for new writers w/o 4+ pro-level publications; the forum is very helpful, especially the Super Secrets thread; free workshop available on website
7/1, Curiouser Magazine, ~5000 words, $50-125/story (750-1000 words is about 6¢/word, otherwise 1-3¢/word), Genre: various/speculative ("Horror, magic realism, speculative fiction and streams of consciousness are welcome – but they must be somewhat grounded in real life"), Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (1 story or 3 poems or 2 flash of ~750 words), Poetry OK ($25/poem)
6/23-7/3, Cast of Wonders: Seasonal Holidays/Special Events, ~6000 words (under 5000 preferred), 8¢/word, Genre: any YA speculative, Theme: see website for details ("stories that evoke a sense of wonder, have deep emotional resonance, and have something unreal about them"), simultaneous OK, reprints OK ($100/short, $20/flash)
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
7/1-7/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)
7/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF or Horror (the two specific prompts are listed in newsletter at the beginning of each month), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Molly Rosevear at molly@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story
7/15, Inclusive Future Magazine Issue 1, ~3000 words, 8¢/word, Theme: fictional non-fiction (op eds, reviews, ads, advice columns, etc; see info/examples on website), Reprints OK (4¢/word), Simultaneous OK, Collabs welcome, Poetry OK (up to 5 poems or 250 lines per contributor; $1/line and 50¢/word for reprints), Art OK ($100/full page; up to $300/project), Email subs to inclusivefuturemag[at]gmail[dot]com, seeking pieces that "reflect how language, culture, science, and day-to-day life could change over the next 50-ish years to be gender-inclusive in various cultures" and "any type of article or other text you’d find in a culture magazine, but of course it’ll all be made up."
7/17, Catapult (Soft Skull Press), 500-4000 words, $200/story, Genre: literary/general, particularly interested in flash fiction ~1000 words (see examples at their site)
7/1-8/1(4AM EST), khoreo, ~5000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: any speculative, Theme: Food, 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
7/1-7/7 (limited to BIPOC, trans, or disabled living in/from Canada) & 7/8-7/31 (everyone) Augur, ~5k words, CAD 11 cents/short story (1000+ words), CAD $110/flash story (~1000 words), Genre: speculative (SF/F/literary/dreamy realism/slipstream/fabulism/magical realism), Poetry OK (CAD $60/poem), Simultaneous OK (disclose in cover letter), Multiple OK (~2 stories/submission window; ~5 poems of ~5 pages each to a total of 10 pages/window; if subbing stories and poems then max of 4 pieces total), anonymous subs, will open for Fall/Winter issue & Joyful Imaginations themed issue
6/1-7/31, Spirit Machine (anthology from Air & Nothingness Press), 1500-3500 words (sweet spot = 1000-3000), 8¢/word, Theme: Seance Fiction (mashup of Spirtualism [seances, ouiji boards, kirlian auras, discarnated entities, ghost talking, etc.] and Science Fiction and/or Steampunk genres), Note: Stories must combine elements of both Spiritualism and SF/Steampunk (no fantasy, no ghost stories, no SF w/o Spiritualism), Reading/Review 8/1-9/30, Submit stories by email at info@aanpress.com
7/1-7/31, Mysterion, ~9000, 8 cents/word, Genre/Theme: speculative w/ Christian themes/characters/cosmology, Reprints OK (4 crnts/word), Art OK (accepted year-round, $100)
7/31, Pseudopod (Anthologies and Collections), 1500-6000 words (prefer about 4500; also flash under 1500 welcome), 8¢/word (reprints of flash at $20), Genre/Theme: any horror for audio, Simultaneous OK (but with disclosure!), Multiple OK (one original and one reprint), Note for this period they want "to purchase non-exclusive reprints from anthologies and collections released at any point in 2021" and this "does not have to be the final print version, ARCs are great."
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
8/1-8/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)
7/15-8/1, Constelación Magazine, Original Fiction (~6400 words, 8¢/word), Genre: any speculative in either English or Spanish, Theme: Love Needs No Translation / El Amor no necesita traduccion, Art (BIPOC creators only, send link to portfolio for consideration, $1000 for rights)
8/1-8/15 (tentative), Diabolical Plots, ~3500 words, 10¢/word, Genre: SF/F/H (must have speculative element, i.e. even horror must include a speculative element; welcomes mixing in other genres), anonymous submissions, simultaneous OK, only one submission/window (they do not accept multiple anymore), note: especially likes weird/wonder/strong character and plot arcs/worldbuilding/ philosophical food/readable/religion/platonic friendships
8/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF or Horror (the two specific prompts are listed in newsletter at the beginning of each month), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Molly Rosevear at molly@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story
7/1 (8AM UTC) - 8/20 (8AM UTC), Life Beyond Us (anthology), 1000-5000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF (preferably but not necessarily leaning toward hard SF), Theme: explore the unknown (unfamiliar life forms on Earth and beyond; strange life's discoveries and related ethical question), originals only, translations welcome, link to the successfully funded Kickstarter here
8/23, Friends Journal: Quaker Speculative Fiction Special Issue, 500-2000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: any speculative (including SF, Fantasy, Alt History, Horror, Romance), Theme: how would the world and the way Quakers live in it be different if X were true?, Note: anonymous submissions; welcomes submissions from Friends and non-Friends alike
8/10-8/31, PseudoPod (Flash Fiction Contest), ~1500 words (500-1000 best), 8¢/word, Genre: any horror, Reprints OK, Simultaneous OK (if not an Escape Artists podcast)
9/1-9/2, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, open 1st-2nd every month, 1000-40000 words (shorter preferred), 8¢/word (reprints 2¢/word), Genre: F/SF, Poetry ($1/line, ~40 lines, reprints 50¢/word), Articles (2-8¢/word, reprints 1-4¢/word), unedited feedback provided if requested in cover letter, note: closed June-August 2021 and reopening in September with pay rates increased (!) to 8¢/word
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
9/1-9/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)
9/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF or Horror (the two specific prompts are listed in newsletter at the beginning of each month), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Molly Rosevear at molly@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story
9/30, WotF Q3, ~17000 words (aim for 3000-10,000), 8¢/word, prize money (1st $1000, 2nd $750, 3rd $500, annual grand $5000, plus Hollywood workshop; semi-finalists get feedback), Genre: F/SF, Note: contest for new writers w/o 4+ pro-level publications; the forum is very helpful, especially the Super Secrets thread; free workshop available on website 10/1-10/2, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, open 1st-2nd every month, 1000-40000 words (shorter preferred), 8¢/word (reprints 2¢/word), Genre: F/SF, Poetry ($1/line, ~40 lines, reprints 50¢/word), Articles (2-8¢/word, reprints 1-4¢/word), unedited feedback provided if requested in cover letter, note: closed June-August 2021 and reopening in September with pay rates increased (!) to 8¢/word
10/1-10/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)
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
10/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF or Horror (the two specific prompts are listed in newsletter at the beginning of each month), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Molly Rosevear at molly@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story
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
11/1-11/2, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, open 1st-2nd every month, 1000-40000 words (shorter preferred), 8¢/word (reprints 2¢/word), Genre: F/SF, Poetry ($1/line, ~40 lines, reprints 50¢/word), Articles (2-8¢/word, reprints 1-4¢/word), unedited feedback provided if requested in cover letter, note: closed June-August 2021 and reopening in September with pay rates increased (!) to 8¢/word
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
11/1-11/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)
9/7-11/14, One Story, 3k-8k words, $500/story, Genre: any literary, Simultaneous OK, also open to submissions 1/15-5/31
11/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF or Horror (the two specific prompts are listed in newsletter at the beginning of each month), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Molly Rosevear at molly@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story
12/1-12/2, 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), unedited feedback provided if requested in cover letter, note: closed June-August 2021 and reopening in September with pay rates increased (!) to 8¢/word
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
12/1-12/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)
12/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF or Horror (the two specific prompts are listed in newsletter at the beginning of each month), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Molly Rosevear at molly@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story
12/30, WotF Q3, ~17000 words (aim for 3000-10,000), 8¢/word, prize money (1st $1000, 2nd $750, 3rd $500, annual grand $5000, plus Hollywood workshop; semi-finalists get feedback), Genre: F/SF, Note: contest for new writers w/o 4+ pro-level publications; the forum is very helpful, especially the Super Secrets thread; free workshop available on website
9/1/2021-5/31/2022, Escape Pod, 1500-6000 (reprints 1500-18000), 8¢/word (reprints $100), Genre/Theme: any SF (prefer high clarity and pacing to match their audio format; prefer to see a ray of hope even in darker stories)
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."
Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, open 1st-2nd every month, 1000-40000 words (shorter preferred), 8¢/word (reprints 2¢/word), Genre: F/SF, Poetry ($1/line, ~40 lines, reprints 50¢/word), Articles (2-8¢/word, reprints 1-4¢/word), unedited feedback provided if requested in cover letter, note: closed June-August 2021 and reopening in September with pay rates increased (!) to 8¢/word
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
The Dark, 2000-6000 words, 6¢/word,
Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy/ExperimentalThe Deadlands, ~5000 words (sweet spot = 3-4k), 10¢/word,Genre/Theme: speculative fiction that concerns itself with death–but also everything death may involve, Reprints OK (~5000 words, 1¢/word), Poetry OK during open periods (currently closed since June 14th; when open: 3 poems/submission, $50/poem), Nonfiction OK (1-4k words, $100/essay), Art OK ($100/cover art)
3. Submission Deadlines/Windows (June 2021 and beyond; 1-4¢/word USD)
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
6/15, The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts, 600 words (20-75 lines poetry), $50/piece, categories include fiction/nonfiction/poetry/triptychs/visual arts, simultaneous OK, anonymous submissions
6/15, Eye to the Telescope (Issue 41: Indigenous Futurisms Issue), SF/speculative poetry by indigenous authors around the world, 3¢/word, multiple (1-3 poems/author), translations OK
6/21-6/27, Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas (Hex Publishers anthology), 2500-3000 words for short fiction (~35 lines for poetry), $250/story ($25/poem), Genre/Theme: dark stories rooted in location (new takes/mashups on folkloric welcome) and with the short stories set in South America and poetry set in the Carribean/Central America/Mexico/South America
6/30, Field Notes from a Nightmare (Dread Stone Press), 1000-4000 words, 3¢/word, Genre/Theme: ecological horror (dark weird and horror-adjacent SF welcome, but no fantasy and no hard SF), happy endings a hard sell but a glimmer of hope is welcome, Simultaneous OK
6/1-6/30, Dark Moments: Drabble Monthly Challenge, exactly 100 words excluding title, 4¢/word, Theme: The Purge ("What happens when there are no consequences, no law enforcement, no judgements? Revenge and bloodthirsty fun.")
7/1, Curiouser Magazine, ~5000 words, $50-125/story (750-1000 words is about 6¢/word, otherwise 1-3¢/word), Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (1 story or 3 poems or 2 flash of ~750 words), Poetry OK ($25/poem)
6/20-7/3, Generation X-ed, 3000-6000 words, 1¢/word, Genre/Theme: any horror with elements specific to Gen X, Note: only open to writers of Gen X (born 1965-1980), submit to GenX(at)AMInkPublishing.com (with short bio, word count and genre, summary of story, simultaneous status, social media links)
7/9 (midnight EDST), Dark Dispatch Issue #2 Deadly Love, two-sentence stories ($10/story), flash (300-999 words, $25), short (2000-5000, $50), Genre: dark fantasy/SF/horror/crime, Theme: stories should focus on love gone wrong and include an element of romantic horror, Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (up to 2 pieces)
7/1-7/31, Welkin: A Magazine of Fantastic Literature, any word count, 1¢/word (~1500 words unpaid, Reprints OK (flash only but no pay), Art OK ($50/issue), Simultaneous OK, Note: submission periods are March/July/October/January (open to flash fiction year-round)
7/31, Mythic, 2000-6000 words, 4¢/word, SF/F
8/2, The Dead Inside (a Dark Dispatch anthology), flash (300-999 words, $25), short (1000-7499, $50), Poetry ($25/poem), Non-fiction ($50/piece), Genre/Theme: identity horror ("explorations of what happens when our core identities are stripped, altered, suppressed, or denied to us, whether by choice or not," with more info on their website)
8/15-8/30 (9/1-9/7 BIPOC-only), Apparition Literature, 1000-5100 words, 3¢/word, Genre: any speculative, Theme: Wonder, Poetry OK (~2 pages/poem; sub ~5 poems/submission, $30/poem)
9/1, Books and Bikes in Space, 1000-6000 words, profits split between contributors (minimum of $50 each + copies of the book), Genre: any speculative/fantastical, Theme: books and bikes must be elements intrinsic to the story, welcomes ownvoices and first-time writers
9/15-11/15, Lamplight Magazine, ~7000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Dark/Literary, Reprints (1¢/word), simultaneous OK, Note: they are limited to 300 submissions/month and will close each month after that limit is reached
11/15 (reading period begins on 11/15 and ends when reaches goal of 80,000 words), 2000-6000 words, 2¢/word, Genre/Theme: any PG-13 dealing with the idea of Cthlu FhCon (see story prompt on website)
12/31, We're Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2021 (Neon Hemlock anthology), ~17,500 words, 1¢/word, speculative exploring queerness/transness, reprints from 2021 only, simultaneous OK, multiple OK
4. 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)
5. Other Submission Opportunities (Kickstarters, Advance/Royalties, Charities, Requires fee to enter, etc.)
Novellas/Novels:
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
Poetry Contest with fee:
Chapbook competition:
4/15-6/15, Outwrite's 2021 Chapbook Competition, 20 pages - 40 pages (not including title page or table of contents), each winner receives 25 copies of chapbook/publication offer from Neon Hemlock Press/opportunity to read their work at OutWrite 2021, three categories for entry (nonfiction, fiction, poetry), collection must be unpublished but individual pieces may be previously published, no fee for entry, one entry per category, simultaneous OK, encourages works exploring LGBTQ culture/identity
6. Publications Closed
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), working through backlog and will reopen "sometime in the summer"
Deep Magic, 1000-40,000 words, 8¢/word up to 7499 words ($599.92 pay cap above that), Genre: SF and Fantasy, Note: PG-13, Reprints OK (2¢/word up to 10,000 words and capped at $200 for longer), Note: permanently closed to submissions; they have just released their Best Of anthology Vol. 2 and I highly recommend it grabbing yourself a copy, and they will also be releasing a summer issue with a gorgeous cover and great stories), permanently closed
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.), "on hiatus until further notice due to the pandemic"
7. Search for More Markets
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
Personally, I use ProWritingAid to help revise my writing. It's not always right, but it's another helpful tool for wading through revisions. If you want to try it out, use this link to sign up for a free account:
https://prowritingaid.com/en/Account/Register?rafid=xNnjM. If 10 of my friends use the
link, supposedly I'll get a one-year license. Yay!
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
10. Current Submission Stats on my Writing
Accepted (2021): 1 (1 short story w/ request for revision)
Pending (2021): 20 (0 novella, 8 novelettes or short stories, 3 flash stories, 9 poems)
Rejections for subs made in 2020-2021: 83 (1 novella, 36 shorts, 19 flash, 27 poetry)
Rejections for subs made in 2021: 65 (1 novella, 28 shorts, 12 flash, 24 poetry)
Personal Rejections received in 2021: 2 (1 flash, 1 short story)
Total submissions made in 2021: 87 (1 novella, 38 novelettes/short, 15 flash, 33 poems)
Writers of the Future Results for 2021: Q1 SHM, Q2 Pending, Q3 revising, Q4 to be written
