Themed Calls
It’s time Lackington’s celebrates all the “Magics” found in speculative fiction from around the globe. Send your tales of sorcerers, charmed items, mysterious transformations, and enchanted places in this world and others.
Word Count: 1,500-5,000 words
Deadline: Rolling
Payment: $50 AUD
eyedolon
An imprint of Broken Eye Books, eyedolon is open for original short stories of urban weird fiction (so stories about cities and dealing with the complexity that is other people) for the upcoming themed issue Nowhereville: Weird is Other People. These are modern weird tales (give or take a few decades) that could only be told of the weirdness of the urban experience and our interactions with one another. Limit of ONE submission per author. Note: The editors are actively seeking submissions from writers from underrepresented populations.
Word Count: 3,000-7,500 words
Deadline: July 1
Payment: Professional rates, .08 cents a word.
Oath and Iron
Published by Spring Song Press, this anthology is open for submissions that address the “Oath and Iron” theme in some way. “To us, oath and iron is a reference to fairies and the treacherous bargains they make. We’re interested in both classic and new interpretations of fairies. We’re interested in clever, dangerous, unpredictable creatures, bargains and promises that aren’t what they seem, and bright, brave characters rising to the challenge.” Note: The editors prefer noblebright stories for this anthology.
Word Count: 1,000-10,000 words
Deadline: July 1
Payment: .01 cent a word. Authors will receive the e-book and one print copy of the anthology.
Third Flatiron
This publication is open for the upcoming anthology “Terra! Tara! Terror!” Editors are looking for fantasy, science fiction, and horror stories: “Whether the setting is a cabin in the woods (Terra), Fae (Tara), or spaceship Nostromo (Terror), take us there and spin your adventure. For a bit of mood whiplash, we’d like a mixture of dark and bright stories. Examples: Obsession with odd artifacts (like Roadside Picnic’s golden sphere?), alternate histories, paranormal romance (no erotica, please, we’re PG-13).”
Word Count: 1,500-3,000 words
Deadline: July 15
Payment: Professional rates, .08 cents a word.
Body Parts Magazine
The editors at Body Parts Magazine seek well-written, thoughtfully structured horror, erotic horror, speculative fiction, dark fantasy (including fairy tales and mythology), exceptional stories about ghosts, ghouls, monsters and wretched creatures, Gothic fiction, and all combinations of the above for the upcoming issue based on the theme A is for Aliens, Apocalypse and Armageddon. Note from the editors: “we’re looking for boundary-trampling, genre-splicing stories here. Skip the standard brain-eaters and ho-hum zombies. Give us something different, something much, much worse.”
Word Count: Up to 8,000 words
Deadline: August 1
Payment: $5 for flash fiction and $10 to $20 (depending on length) for short stories
Markets of Interest
The Gallery of Curiosities
This podcast is seeking speculative fiction stories that include some sort of anachropunkish retro-vintage element. “We want to be taken on an adventure in a time that never was, be it steampunk, gaslamp, weird tales, dreadpunk, vintage horror, mad science, fantastic cities (please!), monsters, impossible machines, clockworks, alt-history adventures, surprises, weird westerns, and things that shouldn’t work.”
Word Count: Up to 7,500 words
Deadline: June 30
Payment: .03 cents a word USD for original fiction and a penny a word for reprints, with a minimum of $10 USD for stories less than 1,000 words.
Cemetery Dance
Cemetery Dance is open for submissions by authors who have never sold a story to the magazine before. The editors are looking for well-written horror, dark mystery, and suspense short stories. In particular, they are looking for “tales that are powerful and emotional—creepy, chilling, disturbing, and moody. Suspense/mystery/crime tales with a horror element are always welcome. Both supernatural and psychological stories are fine.” Limit of ONE submission per author, so make it count.
Word Count: Up to 5,000 words
Deadline: July 5
Payment: Professional rates, minimum of .05 cents per word, plus two contributor copies. Maximum payment of $250.
This intensive, online writing workshop explores the theme of Monstrous Women in literature and myth in a series of modules designed to prompt story generation over the course of 14 weeks. Monstrous Women II will be offered in Spring 2018 and will include the following modules: The Shifting Shapes of Animal Brides, The Seductive Allure of the Femme Fatale, Weeping Women and Tearful Prophecies, The Female Descent into Hysteria and Madness, and Mayhem in Numbers and the Sacred Three. Registration opens July 1, 2018. Space is limited.
This intensive, online writing workshop explores the theme Intersections: Science Fiction, Fairy Tales and Myth in a series of modules designed to prompt story generation over the course of 14 weeks. Participants will explore fairy tales, folk tales, and world myths with links to science-based themes. Fairy tales and myths explored in Fall 2018 include Cinderella and Bio & Interactive Tattoos, The Singing Bone and Intersteller Linguistics, Bearskin and Biohybrid Robots, Maid Maleen and Doppelgangers, Golem Myths and Ancient Viruses & the Spark of Life, Snow White and Human Neuro-Reanimation, Pele Myths & The Wizard of Oz and Natural Catastrophes. Registration opens July 1, 2018. Space is limited.