Big Fiction - Call for Submissions

If you write literary fiction in novelette (7500 to 15,000 words) or novella (15000 to 30,000 words) length, Big Fiction might be of interest to you.  They're a twice a year print magazine looking for big stories.  The deadline is June 30, payment is a flat rate of $100.  You can check them out here

You're Not Alone

M. Bennardo, a successful short story writer, has taken the time to break down his submission acceptance/rejection for the past eighteen months.  It's always nice to know that even some of the best writers face the same fears and that "banging your head against wall" feelings that beginners do.

Short Fiction Sites

I never know what I'm going to find when I go searching for short story markets.  Today I discovered the Short Story Symposium blog hosted by Alain Gomez.  Ms. Gomez posts the work of short story writers that's available for sale.  Very nice way to get word of your short stories out there.

From there I discovered the Short Fiction Writers Guild.  It's free to join, the basic requirement being that you have two works published and available to purchase.  There is also an expectation here of your being willing to help other short story writers if you join.

Diabolic Publications - Anthology Call

I'm not sure if I posted this one from Diabolic Publications.  There are three calls listed and I know I posted two of them but this one seemed new.  It's called "Ether World" and they're looking for sci-fi stories up to 4000 words where "some facet of future science or technology is integral to the plot:.  The deadline is September 1 and payment is 3cents a word, a penny a word for reprints.  You'll find all the details here just scroll down the page.

The Severed Head Story Cupboard

News stories are always a great place to find story ideas.  Take this one where they identify a severed head after twenty four years.  There are so many angles you can take with this story.  Why didn't her parents file a missing person report instead of the aunt?  Or what if a prostitute decided to follow the story and solve the mystery?  Of course you can stick to the facts and write a cold case mystery but what fun to just take a few basics and find your own story.  And I'm wondering who found that head on the golf course?  Wouldn't it be fun to chase down his story?

Midnight Echo - Call for Submissions

The Australian Horror Writers Association magazine, "Midnight Echo", is open for submissions to issue #10 with the theme ghost stories.  The guidelines don't state whether only Australians can submit only that they want Australian English spelling in the manuscripts.  Stories, up to 5000 words, can be cross genre but they must be horror based.  The deadline is June 30 and payment is 3cents a word with a maximum payment of $150. You can find all the details here  

Kerlak Publishing - Anthology Calls

Kerlak Publishing has posted three anthology calls.  I'm linking to their home page because the links to each call is on the front page.  They need stories of 3000 to 9000 words for each with a deadline of June 15 on all of them.  Payment is a flat $20.  The calls are for "Pirates", "Steampunk Heroes", and "Full Moon Mayhem" which is specifically looking for werewolf stories.

Mysterical-e - New Issue

The Fall/Winter issue of Mystercal-e has finally landed in the ether.  A bit late but well worth the read with stories from Michael Bracken, Patti Abbott, Jack Bates, and many others.  Click on over and have a read.

Ride 3 - Anthology Call

The Ride anthology series has posted a new call for submissions for Ride 3.  They're looking for short stories up to 12,000 words that feature a bicycle or bicycle subculture prominently in the story.  All genres are acceptable.  The deadline is August 31.  Payment is $75 for stories over 4000 words, $50 for stories of 2000 to 3999, and $20 for stories up to 1999 words.  You can find all the details here

Art Taylor Interview

Always nice to see a great short story writer get interviewed, so I was happy to run across this link to an interview with Art Taylor.

Hat tip to The Rap Sheet!!

Murder in the First

Max Allen Collins has some interesting thoughts about killing your victim in the first chapter of a novel.  Even in short fiction there is that "jump feet first" into the action that seems almost to be mandatory these days.  While I like my stories to move along, there are times that I'd like to kick back and take a bit of time to develop the story more.  Impossible with flash but something that would work in longer stories if it didn't try the patience of readers.

Untreed Reads - Anthology Call

Untreed Reads has posted a call for submissions to a new anthology titled "Moon Shot:  Murder and Mayhem on the Edge of Space".  They're looking for stories set in space but with a strong mystery angle.  1500 to 5000 words with a May 30 deadline.  Payment is a royalty split.  You can find all the details here, and please note that there is a typo of 2012 for the deadline but the post just went up yesterday and was sent to the SMFS board by the editor yesterday also.

UPDATE:  The date has been corrected by the editor.

ShadowFall Publishing - Warning!!

In checking my comments this morning I discovered that there were two anonymous comments made on a post about Shadow Fall Publications.  ShadowFall has been shut down and reports filed with the Federal Trade Commission.  The commenter also noted that there's more info about this situation over at Absolute Write.

KHP Publishers Inc. - Call for Novel Submissions

KHP Publishers Inc. has opened novel submissions for all their lines, and they cover pretty much all the genres.  There are two new imprints, Scarlet Petals Press for erotica and Retro Rocket Press for sci-fi.  The other lines are Black Death Books, Skullvines Press, Blasphemous Press and Violet Ivy Press.  Their home page is here where you can click on each  press for more details.

Unsettling Wonder - Call for Submissions

If you're into rewriting fairy tales and folklore "Unsettling Wonder" might interest you.  They opened to submissions for issue two with the theme Wise Fools.  They accept flash to 1000 words and shorts to 3000.  Payment is 1cent word.  The deadline is April 20.  You can find all the details here and with the first issue up you can get a feel for what they're looking for in a story.

Seventh Star Press - Anthology Calls

Seventh Star Press has three new anthology calls listed.  Story lengths for all are 2000 to 10,000 words and payment is royalties.  The calls are:

1.  A Chimerical World:  Tales of the Seelie Court/Tales of the Unseelie Court (fey themed) deadline July 15.

2.  Hero's Best Friend, deadline June 30.

3.  Fires of Liberty, deadline June 1.

Horror Tree - Submission Calls

Horror Tree has several interesting submission calls listed this week, many of them paying markets.  Check them out here

Shamus Sampler - Call for Submissions

Jochem Vandersteen has opened submissions to his "Shamus Sampler".  This is going to be an ebook anthology that he hopes will draw attention to those writing in the PI genre.  There's no payment, but it seems like a good opportunity to draw attention (advertise without jumping up and down in the aisles :) ) to your series PI character.  There's a 5000 word max and stories can be reprints.  The deadline is September 1.  Check out the details here

Grimdark

Elizabeth Bear has an excellent post about writing "grimdark" fantasy.  As I was reading through the essay I realized that so much of what she was saying could be applied to much of the current crop of crime noir that's blasting across the Internet.  Well worth the read.

Hat tip to Sci-fi Signal!

Bottom Drawer Publications - Anthology Calls

Romance and erotic Ebook publisher Bottom Drawer Publications has two anthology calls listed for 2013.  Stories must be 5000 to 12,000 words, payment is in royalties.  They also accept stories in a variety of genres.  The first call is "The Rules of Attraction" with a June 2 deadline, and the second is "Geeky Boy Love" with a September 1 deadline.  The calls are here but be sure to check out their guidelines and their website for further information.

Short Story Panel Discussion Tonight.

If you're in Plymouth, Massachusetts tonight (March 18) you might want to stop by the Plymouth Public Library for a panel discussion of the "diabolical genre of short stories".  Authors Stephen D. Rogers, Sheila Connolly, Mo Walsh, and Leslie Wheeler will be on the panel.  You can find all the details here

Telos Moonrise - New Digital Imprint

UK publisher Telos Publishing Limited has launched a new digital imprint called Telos Moonrise.  They will be looking for submissions of novels and novellas in their four lines.  Steampunk Visions which is self-explanatory, Dark Endeavors which will be horror and other dark genres and also includes collections in their listing, Criminal Pursuits is looking for crime/mystery with an open reading period of April 14 to 18. and Sinful Pleasures is erotica with an open reading period of May 1 to 14.  Payment is a 50pound advance against royalties.  You can find all the details here

Hat tip to Sci-fi Signal!

Angie's Desk - Anthology Markets

Angie's anthology market list for March is up.  Check it out here

Dreamspinner Press - Anthology Calls

Romance publisher Dreamspinner Press has four submission calls for stories of 3500 to 12,000 words.  Payment is a flat rate based on the length of the story.  The press pays an advance up to $1000 on novels and a good flat rate for novellas so the payment should be pretty close to professional rates.  And here are the themes and deadlines:
1.  Cuddling - rekindling romance, deadline April 1.
2.  Steamed Up - romance with a steampunk theme, deadline July 1.
3.  2013 Advent Calander - heartwarming stories centered around the winter holidays, deadline August 1.
4.  Dr. Feelgood - medicine/physical health theme, deadline October 1.

You can find all the details here for the calls here

Those Best Seller Royalty Checks

Patrick Wensink gives us a wonderful essay on what exactly to expect when you have an Amazon best seller.

Hat tip to Bill Crider!!

Death Throes Webzine - Call for Submissions

Death Throes Webzine is looking for short stories in the Horror, Suspense, and Noir genres.  There's no word count listed but you pretty much know the drill for online mags.  This is a non-paying market.  They've been publishing for a while so you'll find stories there to get feel for what they're looking for.  You can find the submission details here

Editor - Ray Duchene

Plots With Guns - New Issue

The newest issue of Plots with Guns has finally hit the virtual streets.

Hat tip to The Rap Sheet!

3&5 zine - declared dead

I've been getting quite a few hits for the sci-fi zine 3&5.  It was a pro-paying market that was supposed to launch in November but nothing happened.  The site is now gone and Ralan.com has declared them dead.

Weird Westerns

Lit Reactor has a short piece on Weird Westerns and a list of current reading material within the genre, but you'll find more in the comments that takes you back to the beginning of the genre.  Some interesting thoughts here.

Hat tip to Sci-fi Signal!

Women in Horror Week

Innsmouth Free Press has just posted the last of a ten part series of "Women in Horror Week".  They take a look at the work of women horror writers of the past and present.

Neverland's Library - Anthology Call

Neverland's Library is seeking submissions for a fantasy fiction anthology with the theme "Rediscovery".  They're looking for 2000 to 10,000 words that "bring them back to the time they first discovered their love of fantasy fiction".  Payment is 3cents a word with a deadline of June 20.  Profits from the anthology will benefit First Book a literacy program.  You can find the submission details here

The original call and more details about Neverland's Library are here

Please note that this will only go forward if their Kickstarter is successful.  Of course the upside if the fundraiser doesn't work out is you'll have a story to market elsewhere :)

Women Writers of Noir Crime Fiction by Gary B. Philips

The Apex blog is running a series of articles about noir through the month of March.  This one by Gary B. Philips steps off the normal noir path of the men who write noir and tells us about a few of the women who worked in the same genre.  You can read it here

Hat tip to the Sci-fi Signal!

Shotgun Honey - Anthology Call

The good people at Shotgun Honey have just announced they're open for submissions to "Reloaded:  Both Barrels Vol. 2".  They're looking for crime stories of 1500 to 4500 words with a June 9 deadline.  Payment is $25 with publication of the anthology on September 3.  You'll find all the details and a submission form here

Subterranean - Free Issue

The Spring issue of Subterranean has gone live.  You can read it online or get a free download for your readers.

Deepwood Publishing - Anthology Calls

Deepwood Publishing is a sci-fi/fantasy publisher.  They've just issued a call for three new anthologies.  The stories must be 5000 to 20,000 words and payment is 1cent a word for each.  There are no deadlines listed.  You can find all the details here

The titles are:
1. Ruined Cities
2. The Death of God's Chosen
3. The Ways of Magic

Publisher's Update: June 27, 2013

Some Scalzi Advice for New Writers

John Scalzi has some excellent advice for new writers and the e-publishing business.  Go have a read

Fireside Magazine - Call for Flash Submissions

Fireside Magazine has hit its Kickstarter goal for the year and will be opening for flash submissions on March 15.  The top word count is 1000 words and payment is 12.5 cents a word.  Any genre is welcome so long as you tell a story.  The deadline is May 1 but that may change.  The submission address will be added to the guidelines on the 15th.  You can find all the details here

Hat tip to the Literarium blog!

Tips From an Editor

If you've ever wondered what an editor is looking for when they ask for a clean manuscript perhaps these tips from editor, Moira Allen will help.  And while you're there be sure to check out writing-world.com it's a great resource full of helpful articles for beginners and pros alike.  Be sure to sign up for their newsletter and all this goodness will be sent to your inbox.

A big thank you to Michael Bracken for sending along the link!!

Sword & Laser - Anthology Call

The reading period is open for Sword and Laser's first anthology.  They're looking for sci-fi/fantasy stories of 1500 to 7500 words.  The deadline is May 15 and payment is $200.  You can find all the details here

Hydra - A Writer's Beware Warning

For those of you writing sci-fi and fantasy this post about Random House's Hydra imprint might be of interest to you.  Hydra has been de-listed by SFWA and Writer's Beware isn't impressed with their business model.  You can read all about it here

Hat tip to Sci-fi Signal!

World Weaver Press - Anthology Call

World Weaver Press has issued a call for submissions to their latest anthology "Specter Spectacular II:  13 Deathly Tales".  The reading period is May 1 to June 15.  Payment is a $5.00 advance plus royalties except for stories under 1000 words which only receive the $5.  You can find all the details here  You need to scroll down the page.

Zero 1 Publishing - Anthology Call

Zero 1 Publishing has an open anthology call for short stories that are inspired by H P Lovecraft.  "Whispers from the Abyss" will be in digital formal.  150 to 3000 words with payment of 1cent a word.  If they decide to print the anthology writers will receive an additional $25.  The deadline is May 30.  You can find all the details here

Chicagoland Journal - Call for Submissions

Chicagoland Journal is an online non-paying market for short stories up to 3000 words and they accept work in all the genres.  You can check them out here

Hat tip to horrortree.com

They also have other markets listed that might be of interest, both paying and non-paying.

The Big Click - New Issue

The March/April issue of The Big Click has landed.  You can purchase the entire issue for your Kindle or read free content online over the course of the two months.

The Future Embodied - Anthology Call

"The Future Embodies" is the name of a new anthology that's looking for short story submissions with the theme, "the evolution of the body through technology".  The deadline is March 31 and payment is 1cent a word for shorts of 2000 to 5500 words.  You can find all the details here and be sure to click on their research link at the top of the page if you need some ideas.

Hat tip to darkmarkets.com

Interviews from Paul Brazill

Paul Brazill has recently posted three editor/publisher interviews over on his blog.  There's Mark Vanderpool, editor of Port Cities Review, Cher Eaves of the podcast site Crime City Central, and Tom Vater the publisher at Crime Wave Press.  And yes, they're all open for submissions.  You can read them here

Eye Spy by Charles A. Gramlich

"Eye Spy" is one of those stories that just smacks you in the gut.  Charles starts you off in a world of birds that is so beautiful and vivid that you just want to be standing next to the narrator as he tells you about the view through his window.  Then everything goes to hell and you're left shuddering in the aftermath.  You can read the story over at Beat to a Pulp

ThugLit - New Issue

Somehow I missed the news that ThugLit #4 has hit the streets.  Pick up your Kindle copy here

For You Western Fans Out There

The online Western zine Frontier Tales put together a best of anthology and how lucky are you?  It's free for your Kindle this week.  Check it out here

Pod Castle - Call for Science Fantasy Shorts

Pod Castle is basically a paying reprint market for your sci-fi/fantasy stories.  They've posted a special call for submissions for "Science Fantasy" which boils down to magic in space.  They accept two types of stories, shorts of 2000 to 6000 words which pays $100 and flash up to 1000 words with payment of $20.  You can read the call here

Hat tip to Sci-fi Signal!

2013 Derringer Award Nominees

The Short Mystery Fiction Society has announced the nominees for the 2013 Derringer Awards.  A big round of Snoopy Dances for everyone!!!  Good to see so many online venues represented. 


BEST FLASH STORY (Up to 1,000 words):

• "An Old-Fashioned Villain" by Nick Andreychuk (Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, May 2012)
• "The Cable Job" by Randy DeWitt (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, September 2012)
• "Dead Man" by A.J. Hayes (Off The Record 2: At The Movies, September 2012)
• "Twas the Knife Before Christmas" by Allan Leverone (Shotgun Honey, December 24, 2012)
• "Daddy's Girl" by Nicola Kennington (The Flash Fiction Offensive, July 22, 2012)

BEST SHORT STORY (1,001 - 4,000 words):

• "Getting Out of the Box" by Michael Bracken (Crime Square, Vantage Point, 2012)
• "A Special Kind of Hell" by Hilary Davidson (BEAT to a PULP: Round Two, May 2012)
• "Dead Weight" by Allan Leverone (Burning Bridges: A Renegade Fiction Anthology, April 2012)
• "Nain Rouge" by Barbara Nadel (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, August 2012)
• "Baby Boy" by Todd Robinson (Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT, September 2012)

BEST LONG STORY (4,001 - 8,000 words):

• "The Pot Hunters" by David Hagerty (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, June 2012)
• "A Regular Story" by Peggy McFarland (Best New England Crime Stories 2013: Blood Moon, Level Best Books, November 2012)
• "Peaches" by Todd Robinson (Grift #1, April 2012)
• "When Duty Calls" by Art Taylor (Chesapeake Crimes: This Job Is Murder, 2012)
• "Double Wedding" Mo Walsh (Best New England Crime Stories 2013: Blood Moon, Level Best Books, November 2012)

BEST NOVELETTE (8,001 - 20,000 words):

• "Wood-Smoke Boys" by Doug Allyn (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2012)
• "Iphigenia in Aulis" by Mike Carey (An Apple for the Creature, September 2012)
• "Mariel" by David Dean (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, December 2012)
• "Pirate Dave and the Captain's Ghost" by Toni L.P. Kelner (An Apple for the Creature, September 2012)
• "The Sunny South" by Chris Muessig (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2012)

James Reasoner - Writer Interview

There's a great interview with prolific Western writer James Reasoner here

Hat tip to David Cranmer's Twitter feed.

Fable Press - Submission Call for Novels

Fable Press is looking for speculative fiction novels.  They pay royalties but no advance.  You can check them out here

Third Flatiron Publishing - Anthology Calls

Third Flatiron Publishing LLC publishes themed quarterly sci-fi/fantasy anthologies.  Stories should be 1500 to 3000 words.  Payment is 3cents a word.

The current theme for the Summer issue is "Playing with Fire" and the reading period ends March 31.

The Fall theme is "Lost Worlds" with the reading period beginning April 1 to June 30.

And the Winter theme is "Mars" with the reading period being July 1 to September 30.