Beat to a Pulp: Superhero - A Review

There are days when you believe you're the worst writer in the world, especially when you're looking back over the past year and wondering what the hell you were thinking or doing.  Then something like this pops up and you can almost believe in yourself again.  Ah, the ups and downs of being a writer.  Thanks for the beautiful and kind words, Mr. Beech.

Year End Round Up - The Good News

And while it's always disappointing when markets close or fail to open, we've had some new markets open up.  I'd also like to say that it's good to see markets that opened last year still up and running.  ThugLit and The Big Click publish bi-monthly and always on time.

And the new markets that opened their doors and seem to being going strong are:

Plan B - A paying market straight mysteries.
The Midnight Diner - A Christian Horror market that accepts crime fiction
Third Flatiron Publishing - Quarterly anthologies with themes that include crime fiction.
Thrills, Kills, and Chaos - This new flash zine stepped in when Thrillers, Killers, and Chillers closed their doors.
Noir Riot - This is a new print magazine published by Out of the Gutter books.  This is not a regular market as they only publish every other year to coincide with Noir Con.
Akashic Books - Known for their Noir Series of anthologies they now publish flash fiction three days a week on their website.  While it's non-paying, it's a good way for the publisher to get to know your work.
Blank Fiction - They bill themselves as a literary zine but they are currently putting together a noir issue.  This is a quarterly market with themes and open to all genres.
Fiction Vale - A new quarterly that has one issue under their belts and others filled and on the way.  They're also open to all genres.

Pulp Modern has changed it's format to themed issues and will publish quarterly.  And All Due Respect has switched from an online format to both print and e-book quarterly.

You'll find links to most of these markets over there on the right and many more markets that are open to crime fiction as well.  Happy writing in the New Year!

Year End Round Up - The Not so Good News

It's that time of year when I go back through the posts and do a year end round up of markets that have come and gone during the past year.  For this I stick basically to the crime genre because, well, that's where this blog got started.  While I post other markets this is primarily a spot for crime fiction writers to find markets.

Here's the markets that I consider dead or have announced that they're closed:

Powder Burn Flash, Darkest Before the Dawn, and Fire on the Plains haven't posted any new stories in over a year.

Thrillers, Killers, and Chillers closed their doors.

Burnt Bridge and Blood and Tacos have decided to focus on novellas instead of short stories.

After two years The Malfeasance Occasional finally published their first issue "Girl Trouble", but haven't reopened to submissions.

Out of the Gutter online opened last year for fiction.  They're still accepting flash but have closed down the Bare Knuckles Pulp section of their submissions.

The Case Files, The Hard-Boiled Dimension, and The Garrote all placed a call for submissions to their new zines, but never opened.  The Hard-Boiled Dimension was the only one good enough to announce they were shutting down.

On the iffy side is White Cat Publications.  This year they announced six new zines, called for submissions, but none of them seems to have made it to the publisher.  I've heard several complaints from writers that they've never received responses to their submissions.

Also iffy is Grift.  They're still posting a few non-fiction pieces online, but the print magazine and the online flash fiction aren't being published.

Also in the sketching column are quarterly ezines Plots With Guns and Mysterical E, both of which only published two issues this year.

Comets and Criminals didn't publish anything for a year and then announced this fall that they were open for reprints but I'm still not seeing any signs of life.

Flappers, Jazz, and Valentino - Erotica Anthology Call

Every so often I stop by the Erotica Readers and Writers Association "call for submissions" page looking for something interesting.  Today's find is an e-anthology titled "Flappers, Jazz, and Valentino".  They're looking for historical erotica for this one.  Payment is a royalty split but they buy rights for six years.  The deadline is March 30, 2014.  The editor is Jillian Boyd and the publisher is House of Erotica.  You can find all the details here and many more calls on the sides of the page if you're interested.

Emby Press - Anthology Calls

Emby Press has added two new calls in their Monster Hunter anthology series.  Both need stories of 2000 to 10,000 words with a March 31, 2014 deadline.  The titles are "Deep Sea Monster Hunter - Leviathan" and "Superhero Monster Hunter - The Good Fight".  Payment is $25.  You can find the details here, just scroll down to the bottom of the page for the call.  

Mike Resnick - Interview

I'm always interested in how different editors put together anthologies.  Over at Diabolical Plots they have an interview up with anthologist Mike Resnick.

Joe R. Lansdale - Interview

There's a great interview with Joe R. Lansdale posted over at Nightmare magazine.

Angie's Desk - Anthology Calls

And Angie has posted her December anthology listings.  Thanks, Angie!!

Aercastle Narratives - New Market

Aercastle Narratives is a new quarterly spec fiction magazine looking for short stories of 500 to 2000 words for their first issue.  While they bill themselves as spec-fiction they are seeking stories in all the genres and would especially like to see stories that combine genres.  The first issue will publish in March and the deadline for submitting is February 1, 2014.  Payment is 2cents a word.  The editor is Tom Hoffman.  You can find all the details here.

For the Bukowski Fans Out There

If you are in NYC or nearby on January 3, 2014 Three Rooms Press is holding its 7th Annual Charles Bukowski Memorial Reading at the Cornelia St. Cafe.  You can find all the details here.

A Belated Merry Christmas to All

I've been away from the computer for much of the last few days but I hope that all of you are enjoying the Holiday season and had a wonderful day yesterday.  Merry Christmas, everyone!!

The Fog Horn - Open for Submissions

The Fog Horn is a digital magazine sold through the Apple App store.  They are currently open for submissions to stories of 1200 to 8500 words in any genre.  They publish four stories monthly.  Payment is $1,000.  You can find all the details here.

The Nine Tales - Call for Submissions

E-publisher The Bride of Chaos is seeking submissions for their monthly ebook series "The Nine Tales".  Currently they are looking for sci-fi "tales of space and time travel" for their January issue but they are also seeking Noir fiction for a future issue.  Payment is $5.  You can check out the details here.

Obsidian - Jazz Issue Call for Submissions

Obsidian: Literature in the African Diaspra has issued a call for papers for their "Jazz Issue".  They are looking for poetry, short fiction, and essays.  The deadline is April 30, 2014.  There's no mention of payment.  You can find the details here, submissions are through Submittable.

The Influential Pulp Career of Frances Stevens

Over at Kirkus Review there's a very interesting article about "The Influential Pulp Career of Frances Stevens" written by Andrew Liptak. 

Advent Ghosts 2013

Loren Eaton invited me to participate in his fifth annual Advent Ghosts challenge.  It consists of writing a ghostly (or horror) Christmas story in one hundred words.  And, gulp, I accepted.  Here's mine and you can find the links to all the stories at Loren's blog.  Merry Christmas, Everyone!

THE DEVIL'S GIFT
by Sandra Seamans

Frowning, Kristen studied the two gaily wrapped gifts hoping for a clue.

"You have until midnight.  Heaven or hell, my dear?"

Kristen shifted her gaze to the bearded man sitting across the table from her.  Dressed in a fur trimmed red suit, he reminded her of the magical Santa she loved as a child. 

"We know what your preference would be, don't we?"

An evil grin slithered across his Krampus face.  “Your joyous Christmas or mine?”

With the first chime of Christmas bells Kristen chose.  Her soul mourned as she ripped open the box and hell’s sorrow filled her heart.

Resurrection House - Novel and Anthology Calls

New press Resurrection House has issued a call for novel submissions in the genres of sci-fi, fantasy, dark fantasy, and noir mystery with a tinge of other worldliness.  There's also an anthology call for a short stories in these same genres of 1000 to 7000 words.  "The more things change the more they stay the same" is the very loose theme for the anthology.  The deadline is March 13, 2014 and payment is 5cents a word.  The anthology will be published in 2015.

One of Those Days

No, I'm not dead, just drawing a blank on the marketing front.  Plus blogger has disappeared my blog header so posting has turned into a project just to get a fresh page.  Maybe tomorrow things will be better.

Controversial Short Stories

Interesting piece over at Flavorwire on "10 Controversial Short Stories".  The strange thing is many of these shorts top people's lists of best short stories ever.

Victoria Strauss - Crowd Funding Anthologies

Victoria Strauss from Writer's Beware has a post up at the SFWA's website that takes a look at Anthologies and Crowd-funding.  She makes some excellent points and asks for your feedback.

Arizona Mystery Writers - Fee-Based Contest

For those of you who enjoy contests The Arizona Mystery Writers are sponsoring the third annual Jim Martin Memorial Story Contest.  You have up to 2500 words for your mystery story.  The deadline is June 1, 2014.  Prizes are $200 for first place, $100 for second, and $75 for third place.  There is a $10 fee to enter.  Submissions are judged blind.  You can find all the details here.

Kraken Press - New Magazine

Kraken Press has announced that they will be publishing a bi-annual magazine called Aghast.  They are looking for short stories of 1500 to 7000 words in the genres of horror and dark fantasy.  Payment is 1cent a word and submissions are through Submittable.  The first issue will release in the fall of 2014.

Grey Matter Press - Anthology Call

Grey Matter Press has posted a new anthology call.  The working title is "Death's Realm" and they're looking for horror stories of 3000 to 10,000 words that explore the afterlife.  The deadline is January 31, 2014 and the payment is $100.  You can find all the details here.

Dime Shorts - A Warning

New flash fiction markets aren't always easy to find so I was happy to see Dime Shorts listed on Duotrope's twitter feed this morning.  Until I read their Submissions Agreement.  It was point #2 that made me decide to post a warning.

2. In exchange for our providing you with this platform for expression and with potential exposure to users of the Site, all of which you agree is valuable consideration, you grant us a non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, publish, reproduce, modify, adapt, license, sublicense, distribute, sell, perform, translate, and display the Content (including any drawings, images, sounds, video recordings, or other data embedded in the Content and including adaptations or derivative works based on the Content) for any purpose and in any manner or medium (now existing or hereafter developed) (the “Rights”). All Rights granted to us pursuant to this Agreement are irrevocable and vest immediately upon publication of your Content at www.dimeshorts.com. You will retain ownership of the copyright in your Content, subject to the rights granted to us in this Agreement.

Yep, another one of those sites that pays you nothing yet retains the right to sell your work without paying you for the privilege.  Be careful out there, my friends, and always, always read the fine print. 

Darkmarkets.com - New Listings

darkmarkets.com has several new listing for online zines looking for horror stories. 

Black Orchid Novella Award Contest Winner

From Rob Lopresti comes the news that Susan Thibadeau has won this year's Black Orchid Novella Award from The Wolfe Pack.  Congratulations, Susan!!

And yes, submissions are open already for next year's contest.  You can find the details here.

Short Stops - Market Resource

It's always fun finding other folks who love short stories as much as I do and Short Stops is just such a place.  The focus here is on the the UK and Ireland short story markets.  Loads of great information.

Beverly Bambury - Call for Submissions

Ran across the blog of Beverly Bambury this morning and she's listed a bunch of markets both magazine and anthology in the genres of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.  You can check it out here.  She also has news about the rules for joining the SFWA and listing for a Facebook page called "Call for Submissions".  I couldn't check that out because I'm not on Facebook but thought I'd mention it.  You can never have enough market sources. :)

Crows' Teeth Magazine - New Market

Crows' Teeth Magazine is a new horror market set to launch in February of 2014.  They've posted a call for submissions of short stories to 7000 words and novellas of 50,000 words that will be published as a serial.  You can find all the details here.  There is no payment mentioned and the people behind the project haven't listed who they are. 

Swoon Reads - Call for YA Romance Novels

Swoon Reads is an interesting concept from McMillan Publishing.  They're looking for Teen Romance novels to publish in the Spring of 2014.  How it works is the tricky part.  You upload your novel to their site then it's read and voted on by readers and the selection board.  If your novel is chosen you receive a $15,000 advance and publication in both print and ebook form.  You can check out the site here.  Be sure to read the FAQ's page carefully.  My biggest concern with this is that once your novel is on the site, you're not going to be able to submit it elsewhere except as a reprint.  Just something to consider before you submit.

Hat tip to Katherine Tomlinson for the link!

Chicago Tribune - 2014 Nelson Algren Short Story Contest

The Chicago Tribune has announced that they're open for submissions to the 2014 Nelson Algren Short Story Contest.  They're looking for stories up to 9000 words that best reflect the work of Nelson Algren.  The deadline is February 1, 2014.  And there will be one grand prize of $3500 prize, four finalist prizes of $1000 prizes, and five runner up prizes of $500.  You can find the complete details for submitting here.  Submissions can be made through Submittable.  There are no fees to submit.

There are also some discrepancies between the announcement page, the rules page, and the submittable page as to the deadline and prize amounts so I'd go with the official rules page and the Submittable page for prizes and deadlines.

Cassoulet by Maggie Wolff Peterson

I love finding stories that delve into the world of cooking.  I find that many of my own stories are filled with food, especially breakfast.  I guess for me all good stories start at the breakfast table.  But "Cassoulet" by Maggie Wolff Peterson tells an entire life in a world of spices and cooking.  An excellent story.

Antimatter Press - Anthology Call

Antimatter Press is a new e-publisher.  They have issued an anthology call for "Local Magic" which will be published in the Spring of 2014.  For the anthology they are looking for short stories of 3000 to 5000 words and novelettes of 7500 to 10,000 words.  The stories must take place in a real place, in real time, but with a fantastical science element.  The deadline is January 15, 2014 and payment is 2cents a word or a percentage of the net (not sure if you have a choice or they just haven't made up their minds about this yet).  You can find all the details here.

They are also looking for staff writers to work with on other projects.  If you're interested in doing this a submission to this anthology will be your introduction.  You can find more details about this at the Writers Wanted link at the top of the page.

Hat tip to horrortree.com

Pulp Modern - Call For Submissions

Alec Cizak has posted a call for submissions for Pulp Modern #7 titled "Dens of Babylon".  He's looking for dystopia themed stories of 2000 to 3500 words.  The deadline is April 1, 2014.  Submission guidelines are here.  Payment is one print copy.

Cindi Myers Market News

Cindi Myers has posted up her weekly market news which includes markets for romance and mystery in a variety of lengths.  Check it out here.

Pulp Literature - Call for Submissioins

This looks like an interesting new market.  Pulp Literature is looking for novellas, short stories, graphic novels, and poetry for their quarterly print magazine.  They have a fully funded Kickstarter so there will be payment.  The first issue is now out.  You can find the submission details here.

Xchyler Publishing

If you like some lead time for your short stories Xchyler Publishing has posted the theme of "suspense/thriller" for their Summer anthology.  They want short stories of 5000 to 15,000 words and payment is a share of the royalties.  All submissions must be submitted blind.  The reading period opens on January 31, 2014 and runs through March 2, 2014.  You can find the details here.

Kraken Press - Novellas

For those of you who write novellas and are looking for a market, Kraken Press is looking for novellas in the horror/dark fiction genre for ebook publication.  Stories should be 25,000 to 40,000 words.  There are no payment details listed and submissions are through Submittable.  You can find the call here and their submittable page by clicking on the link at the top of the page.

The First Line - Call for Submissions

The First Line has posted all of the first sentences for 2014.  The deadline for the Spring issue is February 1, 2014 and the sentence is "Carlos discovered __________ (fill in the blank) under a pile of shoes in the back of his grandmother's closet.".  All genres are accepted.  Stories should be 300 to 5000 words long and payment is $25 to $50.  You can find all the details here.

Long Count Press - Anthology Call

Long Count Press has posted an anthology call for "Songs of the Great Cycle".  They want fantasy stories of 3000 to 10,000 words that focus on the Pre-Colombian New World specifically Mesoamerica.  The deadline is March 31, 2014, payment is $20.  You can find all the details here.

Drag Noir - Anthology Call

Editor KA Laity has posted a call for a new anthology titled "Drag Noir".  She's looking for short stories where "glamour meets grit".  The deadline is March 20, 2014, payment is 10pounds.  The publisher is Fox Spirit Books.  You can find all the details here.

FableCroft - Anthology Call

Australian publisher FableCroft has opened submissions to an unthemed speculative-fiction anthology called "Insert Title Here".  They're looking for original stories of 2000 to 12,000 words.  The deadline is February 28, 2014, and payment is AUD $75.  You can find the details here.