17 Paying Markets for June

Over at Publishing...and Other Forms of Insanity Erica Verrillo has posted her June list of 17 paying markets.  Thanks, Erica!

Plots With Guns Rides Again - New Issue

There is a new issue of Plots with Guns live and free to read online.  WooHoo!!!  They also appear to be open for submissions for crime stories of 2000 to 10,000 words and payment is $10 (which is new as this has always been a non-paying market).  You can check out the guidelines here.

What Does Quiet Horror Mean?

I've always thought that crime fiction and horror fiction are closely related and that those two markets can be co-mingled if you do it right.  Over at The Lovecraft eZine there's a piece about "Quiet Horror" that can help crime fiction writers see just how they can mix the two genres.

Under the Weather's Cruel Thumb

Just a quick note to let you all know that I am alive and well.  It's been a pesky week of me being "under the weather" and then Sunday a string of thunderstorms knocked out the internet and TV.  Luckily we didn't lose our electricity.  So, I'm back and will try to find some markets and catch up with everything else.  Hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend.

Torquere Books - Charity Anthology

Torquere Books has posted an anthology call for "Love Conquers All".  They're seeking cancer themed stories of 3000 to 10,000 words with a HEA ending.  This is a benefit for DJ Manly who is battling cancer.  The deadline is August 15, 2016.  Payment is a royalty share but writers are welcome to donate their shares.  Torquere Books will be donating their entire share of the royalties.  You can find the details here.

Repeater Books - Anthology Call for Women Writers

This anthology call for "Under My Thumb:  The Songs that Hate Women and the Women that Love Them" sounds quite interesting.  They're seeking wring by women on their relationship with music, on how they love songs that actually demean women.  And it's not just rap or rock and roll, they're looking for music from any era.  Your pieces should be 1000 to 3000 words and can be non-fiction or short story or any other form that suits your thoughts.  You need to send a pitch first and if accepted you have to have your piece in by September 1, 2016.  There is payment but they don't give the amount.  You can find the details here.

Stitched Smile Publications - Anthology Call

Stitched Smile Publications has posted an anthology call for "The Unleashed:  Monsters vs Zombies".  They're looking for stories of 3500 to 5000 about monsters fighting the undead.  The monsters can be Dracula, Frankenstein, or any other monster that comes to mind.  The deadline is July 31 and payment is $25.  You can find the details here.

Angie's Desk - Anthology Calls

I'm a little late with this one, but Angie has posted her May list of anthology calls.  Thanks, Angie!!

Carina Press - Call for Romance Novellas

Carina Press has posted a call for romance novellas of of 25,000 to 40,000 words.  There are five categories to choose from.  Submissions periods vary but the first opens in August and is for erotic thrillers.  Payment here is royalties.  You can find the details here.

Manor House Podcast - Open for Submissions

The Manor House podcast is open for submissions of horror or dark fiction.  Stories should be 3000 to 7000 words.  Payment is $30 for original stories.  They do take a few reprints but there is no payment except for a small royalty.  And yes, that's the way they phrased it.  You can find the details here.

The List Story Cupboard

Years ago I read an essay by Ray Bradbury where he wrote about making lists of titles.  His titles were things like The Lake, The Night, The Mirror Maze, basically all nouns that began to stir stories for him.  I expect most writers have lists of ideas that they write down and pull out when they need to find a story idea. 

Now, I keep my "list" on scraps of paper in front of my keyboard.  Mine aren't as neat and ordered as Mr. Bradbury's because I write down things I hear or read or see.  To be more accurate I usually mishear, misread, or see with the crooked side of my brain.  Here's a few of the things on my list.  Maybe they'll give you an idea or two for a story of your own,

1.  Praying Drunk or Preying Drunk - I wondered what a drunk person would pray for then I wondered how a drunk would prey.
2.  Paper Pajamas - One of those misheard things that made sense when I wrote it down.
3.  Finding Lost - Just a twist on lost and found.
4.  Agnes and True - Just a pair of names I wrote down.
5.  The Broken Rosary - Just seemed like an interesting start to a mystery story.
6.  Vinegar and Glitter - Yeah, this was at the bottom of a grocery list, no clue why.
7.  Last Worst Act - I blame Frank Regan for this one but I wondered what someone would do when they realized they'd just committed the worst act of their life.
8.  An Occasional Prostitute - Just wondered why a woman would become a part time prostitute aside from needing money.  Money is the easy answer but could there be other reasons?  And could those reason lead to an interesting story?
9.  Lady Bug - I was thinking about that lady bug poem about flying away home and how the unexpected always happens when someone returns to their childhood home or even a home they might have run away from.
10.  Identity Theft - I always liked those Bette Davis movies where she took over her twin sister's life and discovered that she'd walked into a nightmare.  Now imagine stealing the wrong identity.

Markets have been a tad scarce of late but hopefully that will improve.

The Floor is Open

While searching for markets this morning I ran across an article over at Writer's Relief called "Trendy Short Story Topics that Editors are Loving".  It sounded good but it was geared toward literary markets, which is okay if you're writing and submitting to that kind of market.

What really got to me was this - "Commercial genres or themes — Many literary journals avoid publishing works that fall into the commercial or mainstream category: thrillers, fantasies, sci-fi, and romance. However, there are magazines that exclusively publish sci-fi or only horror, etc. So if that’s what you want to write, you can! Just keep in mind that you will be targeting a limited market."

Since when are genre markets limited?  I'm more apt to find markets for genre stories than literary ones and the best thing?  They actually pay their writers.  Very few literary markets pay and in many cases they charge a reading fee.  For a professional writer that seems counter productive.  Plus, I'm finding that many of the new genre markets are seeking more literary work instead of stories with straight up genre tropes.

What about you?  Do you find genre markets limiting or do you feel that they are open to all sorts of writing and themes within the genres? 

Superversive SF - Anthology Call

Superversive SF has posted an anthology call for "Tales of the Once and Future King".  They're looking for juvenile stories of 500 to 10,000 words about King Arthur and the Arthurian legend.  Stories can be set in any time or place.  The deadline is July 16, 2016 and payment is a royalty split.  You can find the details here.

Murder Among Friends - Charity Anthology Call

"Murder Among Friends" is a charity anthology to raise money for the Whittier Birthplace Museum.  They're looking for cozy mysteries of 2000 to 7000 words that "involve John Greenleaf Whittier or family, one of his homes, or a plot point derived from an element of his works".  They have a brief bio of Whittier in the guidelines and they've also posted ideas that have been used by accepted stories.  The deadline is October 1, 2016 or until filled.  Payment is one copy of the anthology.  You can find the details here.

via the SMFS.

Keith Rawson on Ghostwriting for a Living

Over at LitReactor Keith Rawson has posted an article titled "Try to Be a Ghost:  The Life and Times of a Professional Ghostwriter".  Lots of great information if you're looking to quit the day job.

Using the Heroine's Journey by Chris Winkle

The lovely Michael Bracken emailed me a link to the Mythcreants blog where Chris Winkle posted an essay titled "Using the Heroine's Journey".  It's an interesting take on switching up the hero's journey in storytelling to the heroine's journey.

Fahrenheit Books - Anthology Call

Fahrenheit Books is starting up an anthology series titled "Spekulative Stories Anthology Series".  For the first book they are looking for stories up to 7500 words in any genre with the theme "Automobilla".  You story must revolve around an automobile so much that if the car is removed there is no story.  The deadline is August 31, 2016 and payment is 5cents a word.  Reprints are welcome.  You can find the details here.

World Weaver Press - Anthology Call

Submissions opened today for the World Weaver Press anthology "Krampusnacht Two".  They're looking for stories of 1000 to 10,000 words with a Krampus theme.  There are links in the guidelines to help you understand who and what Krampus is.  The deadline is August 15, 2016 and payment is $10.  You can find the details here.

Sirens Call Publications - Anthology Call

Sirens Call Publications has posted an anthology call for "Alone With Your Fear".  They're looking for stories of 4000 to 8000 words that "pit the main character against their own greatest fear".  The deadline is September 1, 2016 and payment is $25.  You can find the details here.  I posted the link to their blog because it's easier to read but you'll need to click on the link to their website for more details.

Belt Magazine - Anthology Call

Belt Magazine has posted an anthology call for the "Detroit Neighborhood Guidebook".  They're looking for essays, poetry, and short stories that tell the neighborhood stories of past or present Detroit residents.  The deadline is July 15, 2016.  There is payment but they don't say how much.  You can find the details here.

Gulf Coast Writers Association - Anthology Call

The Gulf Coast Writers Association is seeking submissions for their eighth "Afternoon Tales" anthology series.  This year's topic is Mississippi stories.  Stories should be no more than 4000 words.  The deadline is May 31 and payment is $25.  You don't have to be a member to submit.  You can find the details here.

Seven Archons Press - Open for Novel and Novella Submissions

Seven Archons Press is open for novel and novella submissions of 40,000 to 70,000 words.  They are looking for work in the genres of Speculative Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, and Westerns.  They also have a list of what they're not looking for in these genres.  Payment is 30% of net royalties.  You can check them out here.

The Binge-Watching Cure - Anthology Call

"The Binge-Watching Cure" is looking for stories in any genre except erotica or stories with excessive gore.  The trick here is that they want stories to start small and grow longer in length as you read through the book.  They have the word counts they're aiming for listed in the guidelines.  The deadline is December 31, 2016 but as they accept stories they will be crossing off the word count that they've filled.  7000 is already crossed off :)  They're also accepting reprints for this one.  Payment is $200 for under 5000 words and $500 for over 5000 words.  You can find the details here, but be sure to read the submission page and the FQA page for more details.

Mash Stories - No fee Competition

The Mash Stories Competition is open for submissions of flash stories up to 500 words that incorporate the key words Pizza, Selfie, and Corruption into the story.  There is no fee to enter and submissions are through Submittable.  First prize is $100.  The deadline is July 15, 2017.  You can find the details here.

Now, this site also has what they call Mash Club which has a yearly fee of $95.88, or $9.99 a month.  If you're a member you can submit up to three stories for the competition.  You don't have to be a member to submit according to the guidelines.

Texas Bound 2017 - Call for Submissions

Arts and Letters Live is seeking submissions for "Texas Bound 2017".  They want short fiction, essay, or novel excepts of 2000 to 6000 words either by a Texas writer or with a Texas setting, subject, or theme.  I just found this so you only have a short time to submit as the deadline is May 20, 2016.  Payment is an honorarium of $150.  If your story is selected it will be part of a two night reading by Texas actors.  The event will take place in Dallas.  You can find the details here, the guidelines come up in a pdf file.

Market Frustration

Some days I get so frustrated looking for markets.  Today I found an anthology call looking for flash fiction pieces.  It all sounded good until I reached the paying part of the guidelines where they "might possibly" pay the writers two dollars but since the money was coming out of the publisher's pocket this could change to no payment at all.  Now, if a publisher can't afford to pay twenty or thirty writers two bucks a piece, that publisher shouldn't be in business. 

Scratchpost Press - Anthology Call

The Society Pages is an annual anthology looking for stories of 2000 to 8000 words about civilized Furry society.  They are open to all genres.  I think a cozy mystery could be a good fit here.  You must query first before sending your story.  The deadline is June 1, 2016 and payment is $30.  You can find the details here.  You can read all about Furry here.

2016 Anthony Award Nominees

The 2016 Anthony Award Nominees have been announced and I'm so happy to see so many names of writers I actually know on the list.  Congratulations to all the nominees!!

The First Line - Call for Submissions

I thought that the first line for the Fall issue of "The First Line" magazine might be of interest to you mystery writers out there.  For your story you have to use this first line to start your story - "Mrs. Morrison was too busy to die.".  Stories should be from 300 to 5000 words and all genres are welcome not just mystery.  The deadline is August 1, 2016 and payment is $25 to $50 depending on length.  You can find the details here.

Red Sun Magazine - New Market

Red Sun Magazine has posted a submission call for their first issue.  They're looking for stories of 3,000 to 5,000 words in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror.  Payment is $100.  They're also paying $150 for stories of 15,000 to 17,000 words and $300 for stories up to 80,000 words that they can serialize.  They're also looking for non-fiction reviews and articles but there's no payment for these.  The magazine will be published three times a year in both ebook and print forms.  You can find the details here.

Crimson Edge Press - Anthology Call

Crimson Edge Press has posted an anthology call for "Maidens & Magic".  They're looking for fantasy stories of 12,000 to 25,000 words that feature a strong female protagonist.  The deadline is June 1, 2016 and payment is a royalty split.  You can find the details here.

Why Write Flash Fiction by Cat Rambo

Cat Rambo has an interesting piece up titled "Why Write Flash Fiction?".

Turning a Short Story into a Novel

There is an interesting interview with Ken Scholes over at SF Sigal where he discusses how to turn a short story into a novel.

Sunvault - Anthology Call

With a fully funded KickStarter in place "Sunvault:  Stories of Solarpunk & Eco-Speculation" is now open for submissions.  They are looking for environmental speculative fiction stories of 500 to 7500 words.  The deadline is June 4, 2016.  Payment is 6cents a word for original stories.  They are accepting reprints for this one with a flat payment of $50 for stories under 2000 words and $100 for stories over 2000 words.  You can find all the details here.

Shock Totem - Call for Novels and Novellas

Just a reminder that Shock Totem will be closing submissions for this reading period on May 31.  They are looking for novels and novellas in the genres of dark fantasy and horror - mystery, suspense, supernatural, etc.  Novellas must be at least 17,500 words in length.  Payment is a 50/50 royalty split.  Submissions are through Submittable.  You can find the details here.  They will also look at reprints if you own the rights.

Blood Bound Books - Anthology Call

Submissions open on Friday, May 6, for Blood Bound Books anthology "DOA III".  They are looking for stories of 750 to 5000 words with the theme of Splatterpunk/Extreme Horror, Bizarro.  The deadline is June 6, 2016 and payment is 5cents a word.  You can find the details here.

Crime Syndicate Magazine - New Issue

The second issue of Crime Syndicate Magazine is now available at Amazon.  And in honor of the second issue being published the first issue is free for your Kindles until May 5.  Check it out here. 

Publishing...and Other Forms of Insanity - 36 Paying Submissions Calls for May

Over at Publishing...and Other Forms of Insanity Erica has posted 36 paying markets with due dates in May.  Thanks, Erica!