Post Mortem Press - Open for Novel Submissions

Post Mortem Press will be open for novel submissions until July 31.  Books selected during this submission period will be for 2016/2017 release.  They will consider novels of 40,000 words and up but the sweet spot is 80,000 to 90,000 words.  They're looking for psychological horror, hard edged or supernatural mysteries, and fast paced thrillers.  They are a MWA approved publisher.  Submissions are through Submittable.  You can find the details here. 

Wicked Tales - Anthology Call

Submissions open tomorrow for DAOwen Publications' Wicked Tales imprint anthology titled "Muffled Screams".  The theme for this anthology is "Corner of the Eye".  They're looking for horror stories of 3000 to 20,000 words.  The deadline is August 31 and payment is 1cent a word with a max of $150.  You can find the details here.  This is a Canadian publisher.

Pro Se Productions - Submission Calls

Pro Se Productions has a long list of open calls for all genres of pulp fiction including Westerns and Mystery/Crime.  Stories must be a minimum of 10,000 words.  You must send a 100 to 500 word proposal first.  Payment comes in the form of royalties negotiated with each author.  You can find the details here, with more information on their submissions page.

Nix Comics - Call for Submissions

Nix Comics has posted a call for submissions for their Quarterly #8 comic anthology.  They're looking for shorts of 1 to 3 pages - payment $150 and features of 4 to 6 pages - payment $300.  They require a synopsis which is due June 31 and if selected the complete script is due by July 31.  There is a picture theme in the guidelines.  You can find the details here.

Cantina Publishing - Anthology Call

Cantina Publishing has posted an anthology call for "Untethered:  A Magic iPhone Anthology".  They're looking for stories of 3000 to 7000 words that "incorporate the idea of a 'magic iPhone' into any setting".  They're open to all genres except hardcore horror or erotica.  The deadline is October 1 and payment is $100.  You can find the details here.

Mythic Delirium Books - Anthology Call

After a successful KickStarter Mythic Delirium Books has opened submissions for their anthology Clockwork Phoenix 5.  They want stories up to 10,000 words (they prefer under 5000) that contain elements of the fantastic in the genres of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, or any combination of the genres.  The deadline is July 26 and payment is a 6cents a word advance against royalties.  You can find the details here.

The Cost of Breaking the Rules by Mary Robinette Kowal

An excellent essay on knowing the rules of writing and the cost of breaking them.

Nightmare Magazine - Open for Submissions

Nightmare Magazine is currently open for submissions of horror and dark fantasy stories of 1500 to 7500 words but their preferred length is less than 5000 words.  Payment is 6cents a word and 1cent a word for reprints.  You can find the details here.

Manor House - Open for Submissions

Manor House is a podcast site that has opened submissions for horror stories of 2000 to 7000 words.  They pay $20 for original stories.  They do accept reprints but there is no payment for these.  You can check out the details here.  There are also podcasts available for your listening pleasure on their home page so you can check out the types of stories they're looking for.

Incandescent Phoenix Books - Anthology Call

Incandescent Phoenix Books has posted an anthology call for a Solarpunk Dragon Anthology.  They're looking for stories of 1000 to 10,000 words "centering on the concept of dragons in a solarpunk environment".  And yes, they explain what Solarpunk is and have links to more definitions of the genre.  Submissions open on June 1 and close July 31.  Payment is a royalty split.  You can find the details here.

ThugLit - New Website

ThugLit has moved to a new easier to use website.  You can check it out here.  They're also open for submissions and payment is $50 (an increase from $25 if I'm not mistaken).

Black Mirror Press - Anthology Call

Black Mirror Press is a new publisher that has posted an anthology call for "Snowpocalypse:  Tales of the End of the World".  They are looking for stories of 3000 to 7000 words in the genres of horror, fantasy, and sci-fi.  Your stories must take place in a world covered in snow.  The deadline is August 8 and payment is $25 plus a print copy.  You can find the details here.

EMP Publishing - Anthology Call

EMP Publishing has posted an anthology call for "Creepy Campfire Stories (for Grownups)".  They're looking for horror stories up to 6000 words that have the feel of being told around a campfire.  The deadline is September 13 and payment is 4cents a word with a max of $240.  Submissions are through Submittable.  You can find the details here.  They have dropped the $10 submission fee as they had no response to their call.

Meta Sagas Press - Anthology Call

Meta Sagas Press has posted a call for its first anthology "Futuristica Volume I".  They are looking for sci-fi stories of 3000 to 10,000 words that are women positive and sex positive.  The deadline is August 31 and payment is 6cents a word plus royalties.  You can find the details here.

Roane Publishing - Anthology Call

Roane Publishing has posted an anthology call for "Hearts of Valor".  They're looking for sweet romance stories with a military/veteran theme.  Stories should be 7,000 to 15,000 words.  The deadline is September 15.  Payment isn't mentioned in the call but this is a royalty paying press.  You can find the details here.

Dialogual - Flash Fiction Market

For those of you who write flash fiction you might enjoy "Dialogual".  This market is open to all genres but the stories are limited to 350 words or less and they have to be written in all dialogue.  This is a non-paying market.  You can check out the guidelines here.

Rough Edges Press - Anthology Calls

James Reasoner's Rough Edges Press has two anthology calls.  The first is for New Weird Menace stories and the second is for Alternate History stories.  Both need stories of 7500 to 10,000 words.  The first one is short notice (from me) with a deadline of June 1 with the second one having a deadline of July 1.  Payment is a royalty split.  You can find all the details here.

Main Street Rag - Anthology Calls

Main Street Rag Publishing has four anthology calls listed.  Of special interest here is the call for Suspense stories.  The reading period opens on May 31 and ends July 31.  Payment is set up as a contest with one short story of 2,000 words and up receives $100 and one flash fiction story will receive $50.  There's also prizes for poetry and non-fiction.  You can check out all the details here.

Snow Books - Anthology Call

I just found this so it's very short notice as the deadline is June 1.  Snow Books is seeking horror stories of 5000 to 10,000 words inspired by classic arcade games for an anthology titled "Game Over".  Payment is a royalty share.  You can find the details here.

Chasing Market Leads

One of the places I use to chase down market leads is Duotrope's Twitter feed.  I've found a lot of good places to market short stories there but I've also discovered that you can't always trust your leads.

Take today for instance.  Laksa Press was posted as a new market open for submissions.  Okay.  I clicked on the link to their website and discovered that nothing new has been posted there since March of 2014.  Nothing has been posted to their Twitter feed since last March either.  There are no books listed, no authors listed, and no blog posts on their various blogs.  Now this isn't to say that they won't be a perfectly good market, but if they haven't moved forward in the past year, will they be moving forward in the future?

I'm not posting this to criticize either Duotrope or Laksa Press.  I'm posting this so that you writers out there realize that not every lead is good, even here on my blog.  Always, always double check the market.  Make sure that they're doing the work they promise.  Check the dates they last posted on their website, Twitter feed, and Facebook page (if they have one).

And even if all this checks out you might be fooled.  I posted a market here last year, even submitted to them and now they've pretty much disappeared from the Internet claiming they lost their server (Last January!?!).

Markets are fleeting things.  Sometimes unreliable.  But they're all we have as writers.  We submit and hope for the best.  Sometimes we're lucky and other times we're forced to find new markets for our stories and start the process all over again.

Less Than Three Press - Anthology Call

Less Than Three Press has posted a new anthology call for "Private Dicks:  Packing Heat".  Stories here must feature a LGBTQIA character and a romance while using the detective in danger theme of "private investigators not afraid to fight their way out when the heat is on".  The word count is 10,000 to 20,000 words with an October 31 deadline.  Payment is a flat rate of $200.  You can find the details here.  Just scroll down the page.

Imaginate Magazine - Call for Submissions

Imaginate magazine has posted a submission call for their September issue.  The theme is music and there are picture prompts with the call.  They need short stories up to 2500 words and flash pieces up to 100 words.  The deadline is July 1 and payment is 5cents a word.  You can find the call here and more guidelines on their submission page.

Twelfth Planet Press - Anthology Call

Twelfth Planet Press is putting together an anthology titled "Letters to Tiptee".  The anthology "will be a collection of letters written to Alice Sheldon, James Tiptee, or Racoon Sheldon".  They have two lengths and types of letters that they're looking for.  You can find the details are here.  The deadline is June 8 and payment is 5cents a word.

The First Line - Open for Submissions

The deadline is August 1 for The First Line's Fall issue.  The first sentence for this issue is "The old neighborhood was nearly unrecognizable.".  Stories should be 300 to 5000 words in length and any genre is welcome.  Payment is $25 to $50.  You can find the details here.

Angie's Desk - Anthology Calls

Angie has posted up her list of anthology calls for May.  Thanks, Angie!!

On Writing

Usually when you hear about a list of writing tips it's usually been written by a famous author, but this list is from legendary writing teacher William Zinsser.

Hat tip to Bill Crider!

Sundown Press - Non-fiction Anthology Call

Sundown Press an imprint of Prairie Rose Publications has posted an anthology call for "Memories From Maple Street, USA".  They're looking for true, first-person memoirs of 1500 to 3000 words about "the turning point when you realized the world had shifted and nothing would ever be the same".  The deadline is September 1 and payment is a royalty split.  You can find the call here.

This Little Pig by Dashiell Hammett

This came through the Rara-Avis group today so I thought I'd share the link.  If the story comes up too small to read just click on full page, and oh yes, it's a pdf file.

DarkFuse Magazine - Open for Submissions

DarkFuse Magazine has opened for submissions.  They're looking for dark stories of 500 to 2,000 words in the genres of horror, thriller, suspense, crime, sci-fi, and bizarre.  Payment is 5cents a word.  You can find the details on their Submittable page.

Flaming Tree Press - Anthology Calls

Flaming Tree Press has posted three anthology calls.  They're looking for short stories of 2000 to 4000 words both new and reprints.  Payment is 6cents a word.  The titles are "Chilling Ghost Short Stories", Chilling Horror Short Stories", and "Science Fiction Short Stories".  I couldn't find a deadline but they're shooting for an August 15 publication date so don't delay too long before submitting.  The call was posted on May 8.  You can find all the details here.

Verto Publishing - Anthology Call

Verto Publishing has posted an anthology call for "Gothic Tales of Terror".  They're looking for horror stories in the Gothic tradition of 3000 to 5000 words.  The deadline is June 1 and payment is .005cents a word.  Note that is NOT 5cents.  Reprints are okay but original work will be given preference.  You can find the details here.

Migla Press - Anthology Call

Migla Press is a new market that has posted an anthology call for "Darkness Abound".  They're looking for stories of 2000 to 7000 words in any genre so long as the story is dark.  The deadline is July 15 and payment is $5 plus a copy.  You can find the details here.

Hat tip to Horror Tree!

Crazy Cozy Stories - New Mystery Market

A brand new cozy mystery market has opened its doors.  Crazy Cozy Stories publishes in both print and ebook formats.  They're looking for cozy mysteries and quiet horror (specifically supernatural mysteries).  The lengths are shorts 2000 to 7500, novelettes to 15,000, novellas to 25,000, and novels to 50,000.  They're also looking for children's mysteries under 20,000 and geared toward 10 year olds.  They pay 70% royalties on all sales.  You can find the details here.

This press also has a horror imprint called Splatter Chronicles which publishes slasher style horror fiction of 7500 to 60,000 words.  Payment is also 70% royalties.  They also have a non-paying zine for shorter stories.  You can check them out here.

Thanks to Michael Bracken for the tip!!

UPDATE:  August 6, 2015 - This market seems to have disappeared into the ether.

My life, standing on the shore by Warren Ellis

A very wise and wonderful piece about the life of a writer by Warren Ellis.

Altaire Productions - Anthology Call

I don't generally post markets that charge a fee but I thought this contest might be of interest to you crime writers out there.  Altaire Productions and Publications has posted an anthology call for "No Man's Land:  The Crime Edition".  They're looking for traditional and non-traditional crime stories up to 7000 words.  The entry fee is $10 but each selected story receives $200 and the story chosen as best by the editors will receive $1,000.  The deadline is July 31.  You can find the submission details on their Submittable page.

Horrified Press - Anthology Call

Horrified Press has posted an anthology call for "Detectives of the Fantastic".  They're looking for short stories of 2000 to 6000 words with detectives who solve mysteries surrounding supernatural occurrences.  They  have an until full deadline with four stories accepted so far (current acceptances page - scroll to the bottom).  Payment is a royalty split.  George Wilhite is the editor.  You can find the details here, it's the first submission call on the page.

Poisoned Pen Press - Open for Novel Submissions

Poison Pen Press has opened for novel submissions.  They're looking for stories of 60,000 to 90,000 words.  This is a traditional mystery press so submit accordingly.  You can find the details here.

Tracer - New Online Zine

Also from Michael Bracken comes news of a new online zine based in Canada called Tracer.  They're looking for short stories in all genres under 5000 words.  They have several stories already posted so you can get a feel for what they're looking for.  You can find the details here.  This is a non-paying market. 

Hard Boiled Books - Anthology Call

Hard Boiled Books has posted an anthology call for "Gumshoe Mysteries".  They're looking for stories of 2000 to 10,000 words in the hard boiled mystery genre which includes murder mysteries, private eye stories, and police detectives or federal investigators.  The deadline is October 1.  You can find the details here.  This is a non-paying market.  They also run monthly flash fiction contests.  The picture for this month's contest is on their home page.

Thanks to Michael Bracken for the tip!

2015 BSFS Amateur Writing Contest - No Fee Contest

The Baltimore Science Fiction Society is open for submissions to the 2015 BSFS Amateur Writing Contest.  They're looking for entries of 1000 to 5500 words in any of the speculative fiction genres.  You must be a resident of Maryland, eighteen years and older, and a non-professional writer.  The deadline is June 19 and there are no fees to enter.  Prizes are $250, $100, and $50.  You can find all the details here.

Thrills, Kills 'n' Chaos - Reopening for Flash Submissions

Editor David Barber dropped a note on the blog to say that he's reopening the flash site Thrills, Kills 'n' Chaos.  They need flash stories up to 1000 words in the genres of crime, thriller, and horror.  This is a non-paying market.  You can find the details here.

Spelk - Open for Submissions

Spelk - short, sharp flash fiction is open for submissions.  They're looking for flash stories up to 500 words in any genre.  This is a non-paying market.  You can find the details here.

Emby Press - Anthology Call

Emby Press also has an anthology call posted for "The Monster Waiting in the Woods".  This one is geared toward an adult audience.  The setting can be anywhere just "scare the hell out of us with any monster you like, although we are especially interested in original monsters".  They would prefer psychological over gore for one.  Stories should be 2000 to 8000 words.  The deadline is September 1 and payment is $25.  You can find the details on their Submittable page.

Emby Press - Middle Grade Anthology Call

Emby Press has an anthology call for their new imprint Emby Kids called "The Emby Bestiary".  They want stories of 2000 to 8000 words written for the middle grade to pg13 audience.  Creatures in the stories must be original monsters that you create.  And your monsters can be good or bad, the choice is yours.  The deadline is July 1 and payment is $25.  You can find the details on their Submittable page.

Dream Spinner Press - Anthology Call

Dream Spinner Press has posted an anthology call for "Sleigh Ride".  They're looking for gay male romance stories of 5000 to 18,000 words set during the end of the year holidays.  The deadline is August 1, payment is based on length.  You can find the details here.

The Big Click - New Issue

The May/June issue of The Big Click is now available for purchase.  Check it out here.

2015 Anthony Award Nominees

Below are the nominees for the 2015 Anthony Awards stolen from Bill Crider's lovely blog.  Congratulations to all the winners.  And how wonderful to see so many SMFS members and blog friends.

Best Novel
Lamentation - Joe Clifford [Oceanview]
The Secret Place - Tana French [Hodder & Stoughton/Viking]
After I'm Gone - Laura Lippman [William Morrow]
The Long Way Home - Louise Penny [Minotaur]
Truth Be Told - Hank Phillippi Ryan [Forge]

Best First Novel
Blessed Are the Dead - Kristi Belcamino [Witness Impulse]
Ice Shear - M.P. Cooley [William Morrow]
Invisible City - Julia Dahl [Minotaur]
The Life We Bury - Allen Eskens [Seventh Street]
The Black Hour - Lori Rader-Day [Seventh Street]

Best Paperback Original
Stay With Me - Alison Gaylin [Harper]
The Killer Next Door - Alex Marwood [Penguin]
The Day She Died - Catriona McPherson [Midnight Ink]
World of Trouble - Ben H. Winters [Quirk]
No Stone Unturned - James W. Ziskin [Seventh Street]

Best Critical or Non-Fiction Work
The Figure of the Detective: A Literary History and Analysis - Charles Brownson [McFarland]
Death Dealer: How Cops and Cadaver Dogs Brought a Killer to Justice - Kate Clark Flora [New Horizon]
Dru's Book Musings - Dru Ann Love [http://drusbookmusing.com]
Poe-Land: The Hallowed Haunts of Edgar Allan Poe - J.W. Ocker [Countryman]
Writes of Passage: Adventures on the Writer's Journey - Hank Phillippi Ryan, ed. [Henery]

Best Short Story
"Honeymoon Sweet" Murder at the Beach: The Bouchercon Anthology 2014 - Craig Faustus Buck [Down & Out]
"The Shadow Knows" Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays - Barb Goffman [Wildside]
"Howling at the Moon" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Nov 2014 - Paul D. Marks [Dell]
"Of Dogs & Deceit" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Nov 2014 - John Shepphird [Dell]
"The Odds Are Against Us" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Nov 2014 - Art Taylor [Dell]

Best Anthology or Collection
FaceOff - David Baldacci, ed. [Simon & Schuster]
Murder at the Beach: The Bouchercon Anthology 2014 - Dana Cameron, ed. [Down & Out]
Trouble in the Heartland: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Bruce Springsteen - Joe Clifford, ed. [Gutter]
In the Company of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon - Laurie R. King & Leslie S. Klinger, eds. [Pegasus Crime]
Carolina Crimes: 19 Tales of Love, Lust, and Longing - Karen Pullen, ed. [Wildside]

Nominees were selected by attendees of 2014 Bouchercon in Long Beach and registrants of 2015 Bouchercon in Raleigh.  Awards will be determined by Bouchercon attendees in Raleigh, October 8-11.

Another Sneaky Publisher Trend?

On two occasions the past couple of weeks I've clicked on Submittable pages and found that the market listed is charging a fee to submit. One was forty dollars and the other was twenty-five, neither of which was listed in their guidelines.  So before you go to the trouble of writing for a market be sure to check their Submittable page.  No point wasting your time,

Twelfth Planet Press - Anthology Call

After a successful fundraiser Australian publisher Twelfth Planet Press has opened submissions for their anthology "Defying Doomsday".  The protagonist must be a character with disability living through or surviving the after effects of a cataclysmic event (apocalypse, alien invasion, etc.).  Stories should be 3000 to 7000 words.  The deadline is July 1 Aus. Eastern Standard Time (June 30 in the States).  Payment is 7cents a word USD.  You can find all the details here.

A Murder of Storytellers - Anthology Call

A Murder of Storytellers has posted an anthology call "Broken Worlds".  They're looking for stories of 500 to 13,000 words "involving broken or breaking worlds".  The deadline is May 31 and payment is $15.  They will consider reprints but original work will be given preference.  Submissions are through submittable.  You can find the details here.

FableCroft - Anthology Call

Australian publisher FableCroft has posted an anthology call for "Monsterful:  stories of the awesome and the extraordinary".  They're looking for speculative fiction stories of 2000 to 12,000 words geared toward the older teen to adult audience.  The submission period is July 1 to September 30 so mark your calendars.  Payment is $75AUD.  You can find the guidelines here.

UPDATE:  July 1- This anthology was postponed.  I found this on their Twitter account

  FableCroft ‏@fablecroft May 30

Due to other commitments, we have postponed the reading period for MONSTERFUL until a future date. Apologies to those planning to submit.

All Due Respect - New Issue

The new issue of All Due Respect is now available for your Kindle.  Check it out here.

A Terry Pratchett Tribute - Charity Anthology Call

A group of writers in the UK are putting together a Terry Pratchett tribute anthology for charity.  All profits will go to Alzheimer's Research UK.  The theme is memory.  They're looking for stories of 3000 to 8000 words in any genre but the stories but be sprinkled with humor.  The deadline is May 31.  You can find all the details here.

The 2015 Agatha Award Winners

The winners of the 2015 Agatha Awards were announced yesterday.  Congrats to all the winners!  And special congratulations to Art Taylor for best short story and Terrie Farley Moran for best first novel!!

Craig McDonald's Borderland Noir - Anthology Call

Author Craig McDonald is looking to put together an anthology for Betimes Books called "Borderland Noir".  He's looking for a few new authors to add to those he's already contacted.  He's looking for both fiction and non-fiction and invites anyone interested to drop him a line.  You can find the details here.  There's no mention of payment so that's something you'll have to query about.

Unlikely Story - Anthology Call

After a successful KickStarter Unlikely Story has opened submissions for "Clowns:  An Anthology".  They're looking for flash fiction stories up to 1038 words about clowns.  There are at least five open slots and maybe more.  The deadline is May 31.  They don't list pay specifics but they have always paid pro rates in the past.  You can find the details here.

Criminal Element - The M. O. Theme Announced

Over at Criminal Element the new theme for the latest M.O. contest has been announced.  The theme for this round is "Wishful Thinking".  The submission period opens on May 15 and closes May 29 for crime stories of 1000 to 1500 words.  The winner will receive 5cents a word and publication on the site.  You can check out the details here.

Tor.com - Open for Novella Submissions

Tor.com has opened for novella submissions.  They're looking for stories of 30,000 to 40,000 words in the sci-fi and fantasy genres.  The deadline is May 31 for this open reading period.  Payment is an advance against royalties.  You can find the details here.

Cohesion Press - Anthology Call

Submissions open today for Cohesion Press's newest anthology call "Snafu:  Hunters".  They're looking for stories of 2000 to 10,000 words featuring "hunters of the supernatural with soldiers" with lots of action.  The deadline is August 1 and payment is 3cents a word AUD.  You can find all the details here.

ThugLit - New Issue

And it's a good day for reading crime fiction.  ThugLit #17 is now available for your Kindle with the print edition coming May 4.  Check it out here.

Yellow Mama - New Issue

And the April issue of Yellow Mama has landed.  Check it out here.

Jack Hardway's Crime Magazine - New Issue

Sad to say that this is the final issue of Jack Hardway's Crime Magazine but what a glorious way to go out with stories by Stephen Rogers, Patti Abbott, and many more, plus a novel by David Goodis.  You can check it out here.