Broken Eye Books - Anthology Reminder

Just a reminder that tomorrow, March 1, submissions open for Broken Eye Books two anthologies.  The titles are "Ghosts in the Cogs" and "Tomorrow's Cthulu"  Payment is 6cents a word up to 4000 words.  The submission period ends April 1, so you only have month to get your stories in.  Details here.

New Hampshire Pulp Fiction - Anthology Call

New Hampshire Pulp Fiction has posted an anthology call ("Live Free or Dragons") for fantasy stories of 1000 to 8000 words.  Any sub-genre of of fantasy is acceptable the only require is that New Hampshire must be integral to the story.  The deadline is May 31 and payment is $50.  Publication is set for 2016.  You can find all the details here.

On Writing Shorts

Over at Lit Reactor Keith Rawson takes a look at writing short fiction.

Torquere Press - Call for Novellas

Torquere Press is seeking stories of 10,000 to 60,000 words featuring LGBTQ characters.  Of interest here is the mystery section of calls where they're looking for cozy mysteries, gothic mysteries, and cozy with a dash of romance.  Payment is a royalty split.  You can find the details here, just scroll down the page.

Darkhouse Books - Anthology Call

This call came through SMFS today:

Call for Submissions - Destination: Mystery!
An Anthology of Destination Mysteries

Darkhouse Books is seeking stories for “Destination: Mystery”. A collection of mystery and crime stories set in locations popular for vacations.

We are looking for stories residing on the cozy side and that highlight the attraction and appeal of the setting – though please, no puff-pieces. We prefer stories with locations where average people vacation, including sandy resorts along Lake Michigan, log cabin lodges in the Adirondacks, quaint, coastal towns on any coast, and legions of other places forever enshrined in generations of family photo albums. Since we want the locations to be recognizable, stories should not be set prior to mid-twentieth century.

The submission period is now open and will remain open through 11:59pm (PST), March 31st, 2015.

We are seeking stories in the 2500 to 7500 word range, though if it’s truly knockout material, we’ll consider any length.

The anthology will contain between twelve and twenty stories, depending on the overall length. Authors will share equally fifty percent of royalties received.

We accept MS Word .doc and .docx files. Submissions must be in standard manuscript format. Links to formatting guides are available here.

Previously published work will be considered, provided the author has the power to grant us the right to publish in ebook, audio, and print versions, and that it has not been available elsewhere more recently than January 1st, 2014.

Submissions may be sent to submissions@darkhousebooks.com.
Please leave “Submission-Destination-“ in the subject line and add the name of your story.

Andrew MacRae
Darkhouse Books

Mad Scientist Journal - Anthology Call

Mad Scientist Journal has posted a special call for an anthology titled "Selfies From the End of the World".  They want the stories in first person telling about or experiencing the end of the world.  Stories should be 500 to 8000 words in length.  The submission period opens on March 1 and closes on March 31.  Payment is 1cent a word.  You can find the details here.  Just scroll down the page.

Next Step Books - Anthology Call

Next Step Books has posted an anthology call for "A Kiss is Still a Kiss".  They're looking for short romance fiction in any genre as long as the romance element is the central focus.  Stories should be no more than 7000 words.  The deadline is March 22 and payment is $50 plus two copies.  You can find the details here.

Leap Books - Middle Grade Anthology Call

Leap Books has an open anthology call for "Frightmare Before Christmas".  They're seeking middle grade horror/thriller stories of 1500 to 2000 words.  The stories must be set on Christmas Eve.  The deadline is April 3 and payment is $25.  You can find the details here.

New Pulp Press - A Caution

New Pulp Press has posted a list of surcharges that they "might" charge authors on their website.  Scroll down the page for prices and what services they'll be charging for.  This is a crime fiction press.

And I forgot to add the link yesterday.  Doh!

Cohesion Press - Anthology Call

Australian publisher Cohesion Press has posted a call for submissions to their anthology "Snafu:  Hunters".  They want stories of 2000 to 10,000 words about "hunters of the supernatural with soldiers".  Payment is 3cents a word AUD.  The reading period opens May 1 and runs to Aug 1 to you have plenty of time.  You can find the details here.

Halloween Forevermore - Call for Flash Fiction

Halloween Forevermore is open for flash fiction up to 500 words in the horror genre.  Payment is 5cents a word.  You can find the details here.

Raven International Publishing - Anthology Call

Raven International Publishing has posted a call for an anthology tentatively titled "Super Heroic Stories".  They want stories of 2500 to 7500 words about super powers.  The deadline is April 15 and payment is $55. You can find the details here.  Please note that the website has very annoying pop-ups that semi-block the pages.

On Richard Matheson

Tor.com has post up about the wonderful writer Richard Matheson.

Just for Fun - Bar Talk by Joe R. Lansdale

Over at the SFSignal site there's a short film called "Bar Talk" based on a Joe R. Lansdale short story.  There's also a link to the short story if you'd rather read or the film link doesn't work for you.

Evil Girlfriend Media - Call for Flash Submissions

Evil Girlfriend Media has posted a call for flash fiction up to 1000 words in genres of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.  Payment is $20 for original work and $10 for reprints.  They're also paying $10 for non-fiction pieces up to 1500 words.  Just scroll down to the bottom of the page for details.

There's also an anthology call for "Women in Practical Armor" that may interest some of you.  Be advised that this anthology project will only go forward if they have a successful KickStarter program.  Details are on the same page as the above link

Evernight Teen - Call for YA Novels

Evernight Teen is open for submissions of YA novels of 25,000 to 100,000 words in any genre.  This market is aimed at the 14+ age group.  The idea characters should be in the 16 to 21 year old age groups.  Payment is royalties.  You can find the details here.

Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing - Anthology Call

Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing has posted a call for submissions for an anthology titled "Lost Signals".  They're looking for "horror fiction about radiotelegraphy" of 1000 to 20,000 words.  They have a list of links at the bottom of the call to give you an idea of exactly what they're looking for.  The deadline is October 31 and payment is 1cent a word.  You can find the call here, submissions are through Submittable.

Yellow Mama - New Issue

The February issue of Yellow Mama has gone live.

All Due Respect - Open for Submissions

All Due Respect magazine has opened submissions for their next quarterly issue.  You can find the guidelines here.  They're looking for crime stories of 2000 to 8000 words, payment is $25.

Censoring Rape by S.G. Larner

Over at the Grey Matter Press blog there's an interesting post on "Censoring Rape" by S.G. Larner.  And she's right about finding markets that deal with women's lives and the horrors they face.  A couple of years ago I wrote a story that centered on the rape of a woman, how she was dealing with the aftermath, and the fact that her rapist was stalking her.  Though there was no explicit sex scenes and the rape wasn't glorified, the crime markets wouldn't touch it, but I finally placed it in Blight Magazine.  I'd never thought of the story as crossing over into the horror genre, but the truth is it was a better fit there than in the crime genre.

Spider Road Press - Novella Anthology Call - Women Only

Spider Road Press has posted a call for novellas by women for an anthology titled "Approaching Footsteps: 4 Novellas by Women".  I'm guessing by the guidelines that they're looking for literary stories but they'll accept crimes if they're integral to the story.  They have a long list of what they don't want.  Stories should be 9000 to 13000 words in length.  Deadline is May 15 and payment is $50.  Guidelines are at their Submittable account.

Angie's Desk - Anthology Markets

Angie has posted her February anthology markets list.  Thanks, Angie!!

KnightWatch Press - Anthology Calls

KnightWatch Press has listed five anthology calls for 2015.  One is a charity anthology and the rest pay a royalty split.  You can check them out here.

DIY Authors

If you're thinking about publishing your own book or even your short stories check out DIY Authors.  Their website is full of interesting and helpful information.

Burning Willow Press - Anthology Call

I ran across an anthology call today that made me smile.  It wasn't the call itself, which I'd seen a week or so ago, but the fact that writers were taking the publisher to task for not listing pay details.  When I first saw this call there were no payment details, now they're paying $50 for each story.  The fact that you love to write doesn't mean you want to do it payment free forever.  At some point you have to decide if you want to be paid and then go after those market.

Greenprints - Open for Non-fiction Submissions

Greenprints magazine is looking for personal gardening stories.  What that means is they're looking for the human side of gardening and not the nuts and bolts of plant life.  Top payment is $150 but they usually pay less.  They're also open to reprints.  You can find the details here.

Dirge Dark Fiction Digest - Call for Submissions

Dirge Magazine has opened submissions for a print digest titled "Dirge Dark Fiction Digest".  They're looking for speculative fiction stories of 2000 to 4000 words with a dark angle to them.  The deadline is February 28 and payment is $50 to $150.  The submission details are at their Submittable account.

Girlie Magazine Writers

This call is for you older writers out there, the ones who were publishing short stories back in the sixties and seventies.  Ed Gorman has posted a call for reprints by writers who were published (short fiction) in the girlie magazines for an anthology he's putting together.  You can check out the details here.

Jack Hardway's Crime Magazine - Open for Submissions

Jack Hardway's Crime Magazine has opened for submissions to their March/April issue.  The deadline is February 20.  This is a non-paying market.  You can find the guidelines here.

Criminal Element - The M.O. Returns

Over at the Criminal Element site they've brought back "The M.O." in a monthly contest format.  The theme for the first month is "Long Gone".  They want crime stories with that theme of 1000 to 1500 words.  The submission period is February 20 to March 6.  The winner will be chosen by the site readers.  The winner will be published online and paid 5cents a word.  At the end of the year the stories will be collected into an anthology and authors paid another 5cents a word.  You can find all the details here.

Bottom Dog Press - Anthology Call

Bottom Dog Press has posted an anthology call for "Appalachia Now:  Contemporary Fiction".  They're looking for stories of 3000 to 5000 words.  The deadline is March 15 and payment is $50.  You can find the details here.

The Liz McMullen Show Publications - Anthology Call

Editor Sacchi Green has posted a call for an anthology titled "Through the Hourglass: Lesbian Historical Romance".  She's looking for stories of 3000 to 5000 words with lesbians in another time period.  But not a modern woman, the women have to be true to their time period.  The deadline is May 31, payment is $30.  The publisher is The Liz McMullen Show Publications.  You can find the call here.

Dead Gun Press - Closed to Novella Submissions

Dead Gun Press has closed submissions temporarily for their novella line.  Not sure why as they had just opened in January and were supposed to be open until March.

Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing - Open for Novel Submissions

Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing is open to novel length (60,000 to 250,000) dark fiction in the genres of horror, crime, and neo-noir.  The guidelines are on their submittable page.  The deadline is August 31.  There are no payment details listed.

Timeless Tales Magazine - Open for Submissions

Timeless Tales Magazine has opened submissions for issue #4 with the theme Perseus and Medusa.  Stories up to 2000 words can be in any genre but they have to be a retelling of the myth.  The deadline is March 23 and payment is $15.  You can find the details here.

Massacre Magazine - Call for Submissions

Massacre Magazine has posted a call for submissions for issue #6.  They're looking for horror stories of 500 to 10,000 words.  The deadline in the call is March 15 but in the guidelines it's February 28 so it's probably safer to get your story in by the earliest date.  This is a non-paying market.  You can find the call here.

Punchnel's - Flash Hybrid Noir Contest - No Fees

Are you ready for a contest?  No fees, of course.  Well, Punchnel's is sponsoring a Flash Hybrid Noir contest.  You can mix noir with any genre that tickles your fancy but you have to do it in 500 words or less.  And hurry, the deadline is next Friday, February 13.  Top prize is $50 plus publication and four runners-up will be published and paid Punchnel's going rate of $10.  Submissions are through Submittable.  You can find all the details here.

GrindHouse Fiction - Update

Grindhouse Fiction has posted their payment plans here, which will be a royalty split.

Imaginate - New Market

Imaginate is a new quarterly magazine that's posted a call for submissions of flash under 100 words and short stories under 2500 words.  At the link you'll find the picture that will be used as a prompt with the theme travel.  They're open to all genres.  Payment is 5cents a word.  They're also looking for poetry which has it's own photo prompt.  More details on their submission page.

Beyond Your Blog - Market Resource

Beyond Your Blog is full of articles and markets to help you with your writing.  Check it out here.  You'll also find links to markets for submitting your work.

West Lothian Writers - Market Resource

The West Lothian Writers Group based in the UK has a wonderful site full of market resources for writers.  Currently they have a post up that has market and contest listings with deadlines that extend until June.  At the top of the page they also have a Continuous Submissions tab where you find listings for all kinds of markets.

Tulip Tree Publications - Anthology Call

Tulip Tree Publications is seeking submissions for two anthologies.  The first is "My Favorite Apocalypse" and they need stories about "life after your favorite version of the apocalypse.  The deadline for this one is April 30.  The second is titled "Summer:  Essays and Poems".  For this they want essays and poems that "paint a picture of summer".  the deadline for this is July 31.  Payment for both is $100 plus five copies.  There's no details about how long they want the stories.  You can find the details here.

Revolutions - Anthology Call

The Manchester Speculative Fiction Group has posted an open call for their anthology "Revolutions".  They're looking for stories of 1500 to 6000 words that are linked in some way to Manchester, England.  The genres they want are Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.  The deadline is May 1 and payment is 10pounds.  You can find all the details here.

eSpec Books - Anthology Call

eSpec Books has posted an anthology call for "The Weird Wild West".  They're looking for weird western stories of 3000 to 9000 words.  Payment is 1% royalty share of profits from both the KickStarter (fully funded) and on-going sales.  If I'm reading this correctly it will be both an ebook and print.  The deadline is March 31.  You can find the details here.

Shock Totem - Call for Novels and Novellas

After closing down their magazine until 2016 Shock Totem has opened submissions for novels and novellas.  The genres they're interested in are dark fantasy and horror which includes mystery, suspense, supernatural, etc.  Reprints will be considered.  The deadline is May 31 and payment is a 50/50 royalty split.  You can find the details here, submissions are through Submittable.

Seattle Creation Myths - Anthology Call

Do you live Seattle or been fascinated by that "Emerald City"?  If so, here's your chance to contribute to an anthology "about the false and fantastical origins of the Emerald City".  They're looking for short stories up to 10.000 words and poetry up to 100 lines.  The deadline is April 1, payment is possible as they're seeking funding and considering a KickStarter.  The man in charge of this ebook anthology is Nikolous Cook.  You can find all the details here.

Those Pesky Adverbs

As writers we're always told to avoid those dreaded adverbs, the ly words that add a flowerly flavor to our sentences.  So here's a sentence that I read this morning - "Her eyes met mine levelly and coldly.". 

I read that and wondered how could you convey the same meaning without the adverbs?  Maybe she glared?  It doesn't give the same meaning.  Maybe her cold eyes stared me down?  How would you change that sentence or would you?

Oh yes, the sentence comes from "The Drowning Pool" by Ross McDonald.

Waiting to be Forgotten - Anthology Call

If you're a fan of the music of The Replacements this anthology call might be just right for you.  They're looking for crime stories inspired by the group's titles.  The editor is Jay Stringer and Gutter Books will be the publisher.  The title is "Waiting to be Forgotten:  Stories of Crime and Heartbreak Inspired by The Replacements".  Stories up to 3000 words, you must contact Jay to get your title.  Proceeds go to the Bob Woodruff Foundation.  You can find the details here.

Nightscape Press - Open for Submissions

Nightscape Press has opened submissions for both adult and YA novels, short novels, and short story/novella collections.  Word count should be at least 50,000 words and 40,000 for YA.  The genres they're looking for are sci-fi, fantasy, and horror (including noir).  The deadline is February 28.  They pay an advance plus royalties.  You can find the details here.

The Value of Words

Words of wisdom from one of the most prolific short story writers I know.

280 Steps - Open for Submissions

Just heard from 280 Steps publisher Kjetil Hestvedt that submissions are open for their 2016 lineup.  They're looking for crime fiction specifically.  They're interested in novels, short story collections, and novellas.  You can check them out here.  They also have review copies available for three of their 2015 Spring releases if anyone is interested, details on their blog.

FictionVale - Open for Submissions

FictionVale has opened submission for issue #8.  The theme is Horror/Humor which means you can write either genre straight up or mash the two together.  They accept stories up to 5000 words.  The deadline is March 1 and payment is 2cents a word.  Submissions are through Submittable.  You can find the details here.

Lazy Fascist Review - Call for Submissions

Lazy Fascist Review has posted a call for submissions for issue #4 - Lovecraftiana, to be published in November of 2015.  They need stories of 2000 to 7000 words that are a "combination of Bizarro with the themes found in Mythos fiction".  The deadline is July 1 and payment is $75.  You can find all the details here.

Story Emporium - Open for Submissions

Story Emporium is a new market that has combined Science Fiction Trails and Steampunk Trails into one new magazine.  They're looking for weird westerns and steampunk stories of 2000 to 6000 words.  The deadline for this issue is April 30 and payment is $20 plus two print copies.  You can find all the details here.

Meryton Press - No Fee Anthology Contest

Meryton Press has posted a call for submissions to their "Summer Lovin'" Anthology Contest.  Stories up to 15,000 words can be in any genre so long as there is Romance and the story includes the summer lovin' theme.  The deadline is March 15.  There will be four prizes - $150 for first place and $100 for each of the runners-up plus publication.  You can find all the details here.  There is no fee to enter.

Dead Guns Magazine - Open for Submissions

Dead Guns Magazine opens for submissions today.  they're looking for crime stories of 1500 to 6000 words.  The deadline is April 20, payment is one print copy.  You can find the details here, just scroll down the page.