Tough - Looking for Crime Stories from Women Writers

Over at Tough magazine they're still looking for submissions and especially from women writers.  They're looking for crime stories of 1000 words and up.  Payment is $25.  You can find the guidelines here.  The first stories will debut in July.

Dark Alley Press - Anthology Call

Vagabondage Press imprint Dark Alley is seeking short stories for their print anthology Ink Stains.  They're looking for horror/dark fiction stories of 3000 to 20,000 words.  The deadline is September 30, 2017 and payment is $5 to $20 depending on length.  Submissions are through Submittable.

280 Steps - Shutting Down

Just heard that publisher 280 Steps is closing up shop.  Nothing on their website about the reasons.

The TalkSpace Story Cupboard

I've been seeing commercials for TalkSpace on TV and wondering if anyone would really pay $35 a week to talk to an unknown psychiatrist on their phone.  For one thing - how on earth do you know for sure that the person is a real doctor?  Then you begin to wonder - what if the government can actually hear these conversations and is doctor/patient confidentiality even possible.  Imagine admitting that you're a serial killer or on the verge of killing someone.  And if you think even farther what about a service that provides a priest for confessions - you have all the same concerns.  If you care to step into the spec-fiction arena with this one how about a group of aliens listening in to observe the mental state of Earthlings.  What an earful they'd get.  Sanity or insanity?  You story is just a phone call away from your imagination.

Road Kill: Texas Horror by Texas Writers - Anthology Call

Road Kill:  Texas Horror by Texas Writers Vol. 2 is seeking horror stories of 1500 to 10,000 words.  This anthology will be published by Eakin Press.  The deadline is July 1. 2017 and payment is $25 to $200 depending on the length of your story.  You can find the call here.

via writingcareer.com

Just a Quick Note

Sorry to say that I haven't been finding any paying markets for crime fiction or anthologies this week. Hopefully next week will be better :)

Where's Sherlock - Anthology Call - Australian/New Zealand Writers Only

This anthology is open to Australian and New Zealand writers only.  The anthology call is titled "Where's Holmes?".  They're looking for stories of 5000 to 15,000 words that tell a Sherlock Holmes story without Sherlock ever actually being present.  The deadline is "until filled" and payment is $15AU.  You can find the details here.  Be advised that there's very loud music that automatically comes on when you click the page.

Red Room Magazine - New Horror/Dark Crime Market

Comet Press has posted a call for submissions for their newest project - Red Room Magazine.  They're looking for stories up to 4000 words in the horror and dark crime genres.  The deadline is July 1, 2017 with the first issue to be published in the fall.  Payment is 3cents a word with a max payout of $120.  You can find the details here.

They're also looking for nonfiction in the form of articles, book reviews, and author interviews.  These should be under 1000 words and payment is 3cents a word with a cap of $30.

Blasted Heath - Market Closing

Via SMFS comes the sad news that crime fiction imprint Blasted Heath has closed their doors.

Betty Fedora - Deadline Approaching

Just a reminder that the submission window for the print magazine Betty Fedora closes on March 31, 2017.  They're looking for crime stories of 1000 to 6000 words that feature kick-ass women.  Payment is one copy.  Submission details are on their Submittable page.

Angie's Desk - Anthology Calls

Angie has posted her March listing of anthology calls.  Thanks, Angie!

Pole to Pole Publishing - Anthology Call

Pole to Pole Publishing has posted an anthology call for "Dark Luminous Wings".  They're looking for dark stories of 3000 to 5000 words.  Wings of some sort must be central to the theme of the story.  The deadline is May 30, 2017 or until filled.  Payment is 2cents a word.  You can find the details here.  Submissions are through Submittable.

Down and Out Magazine - Open for Submissions

Down and Out Magazine has posted their guidelines and are open for submissions.  They're looking for crime stories of 3000 to 5000 words.  There's no deadline listed and there are no pay specifics.  You can find the details here.

LampLight Magazine - Open for Submissions

Well we've got over 24 inches of snow and it's still coming down but I do have electricity and a market that's opening for submissions tomorrow.  LampLight is a quarterly print and ebook magazine.  They're looking for dark fiction in any genre up to 7000 words.  Submissions open tomorrow, March 15 and close May 15, 2017.  Payment here is 3cents ($150 max payment) for original stories and 1cent a word for reprints.  You can find the details here.

Hunkering Down

Just thought I'd let everyone know that we're going to get hit by what my son calls a "french toast storm".  You know, the kind where everyone runs out and stocks up on bread, milk, and eggs. :)  The storm is supposed to come in tonight and continue through to Wednesday night if you believe all the weather people. 

Where we're sitting in Northeast PA they're calling for 12 to 18 inches of snow and heavy winds which means that the electric might go out.  Which in turn means no Internet.  So if you don't hear from me for a few days you'll know why.  I don't have to worry about heat as I have a propane heater with a wood stove backup.  It's always warm in my house.  And I've stocked up on my french toast ingredients :)  

Selene Quarterly - New Market

From Michael Bracken comes news of a new magazine called Selene Quarterly.  Submissions for their first issue open on September 1st and close on the 15th.  That's a very short submission period so I'm posting this early so you have time to get your story together. 

For their first issue the theme is "Brides, Grooms, and Honeymoons" and they're looking for stories in a variety of genres including mystery and thriller.  They're looking for drabbles of exactly 100 words and payment is 6cents a word, flash of 500 to 1000 words pays 2cents a word, and short of 1001 to 1500 words pays 3cents a word.  You can find all the details here.

Drums for the Doldrums by Steven Biggs

You never know where you'll find the right kind of writing advice to get those writing muscles working again.  This link comes courtesy of Michael Bracken and brings along the joys of beating out a rhythm on a drum.

Gathering Storm Magazine - Open for Submissions

Gathering Storm Magazine has posted their first issue and are open to submissions for their second issue.  They're looking for stories up to 2000 words that fits one of the themes included in their guidelines.  They're open to most genres included under the speculative fiction umbrella.  The deadline is March 31 and payment is $25.  You can find guidelines at Submittable.  They're also looking for poetry and comics.

Rice Paper Press - Anthology Call

Rice Paper Press is seeking horror stories of 5000 to 10,000 words for a new untitled horror anthology.  The deadline is May 31, 2017.  They say they're paying $100 but the fine print says they're paying based on word count with a max of $100.  You can find the details here.

The Odds are Against Us: An Anthology of Military Fiction

Just a reminder that "The Odds are Against Us:  An Anthology of Military Fiction" is still open for submissions until April 1, 2017.  They're looking for military fiction of 3500 to 7000 words using the theme  "The odds are against us".  You can find the details here.  When I first posted this call they were paying $25 and more if their KickStarter was successful.  Well, they've hit their goal and will now be paying at least $100 for each story.  The KickStarter is still running so the payment could go higher.

Pulphouse Fiction Magazine is Coming Back

From Michael Bracken comes news that Pulphouse Fiction Magazine is coming back after twenty years.  The first issue will be available in January of 2018 and from the looks of the website the writers are already lined up for the year.  Sadly there's no open submissions so far.

Martian Migraine Press - Anthology Call

Canadian publisher Martian Migraine Press has posted an anthology call for "CHTHONIC:  Weird Tales of Inner Earth".  They're looking for weird fiction up to 7000 words that "explores the world below".  Shorts should be 1500 to 7000 words and flash fiction under 1500 words, they're also accepting reprints.  The deadline is July 31, 2017 and payment is 3cents a word CAD.  You can find the details here.

Nasty Writers - New Market for Women Writers

Nasty Writers is a new quarterly zine to be written for women and by women (and women-identifying).  And yes, this is a political response Donald Trump (he seems to be inspiring quite a lot of new market calls).  The theme for this issue is "Firsts".  They're looking for both fiction and non-fiction up to 5000 words.  The deadline is March 31, 2017 and payment is $50 for work of 1000 to 5000 words and $25 for reprints and flash fiction.  You can find the details here.

StoryHack Magazine - New Market

StoryHack Magazine is a new venture that will hopefully parlay their first issue into a going market.  For their first issue they're looking for action adventure stories in any genre (except erotica or extreme gore) of 1000 to 14,000 words.  The deadline is April 1, 2017 and payment is 1cent a word with a cap payout of $50.  You can find the details here.  This will be published in both print and ebook formats.

Dark Moon Digest - Open for Submissions

Quarterly print magazine Dark Moon Digest is currently open for submissions for their next issue.  They're looking for stories of 1500 to 7000 words that have the flavor of the old Twilight Zone stories.  There's no deadline listed and submissions are through Submittable.  Payment is 1cent a word.  You can find the details here.

Broadswords and Blasters - New Market

Broadswords and Blasters is a new quarterly online zine set to launch in June 2017.  They're looking for stories of 2000 to 5000 words in all the pulp genres including Westerns and Detective Fiction.  There's no deadline listed.  Payment is $15.  You can find the details here.  And be sure to check out their blog.

New Crime Magazine Coming Soon

Back in February Michael Bracken sent me a link to this comment over on the SleuthSayers blog

"Rick Ollerman said...

I hope the short story form isn't too dead--this summer we're launching a new digest-sized magazine called DOWN & OUT: The Magazine. The first issue features a new Moe Prager story by Reed Farrel Coleman and the second a new Sheriff Dan Rhodes story by Bill Crider (I very much hope). I'm (Rick Ollerman) editing the thing and we should have a press release and a website out and up by the end of the month.

Good news for our community, I hope..."

I've been doing searches and there's finally a page up for the new magazine.  Sadly, there's no submission guidelines yet but it's a start and something to keep your eye on.

Blood in the Rain 3 - Erotica Anthology Call

Blood in the Rain 3 is seeking vampire erotica for this anthology.  They're looking for stories of 2000 to 7000 words that feature a vampire and erotica.  The deadline is May 1, 2017 and payment is $75.  You can find the details here.

36 Paying Markets for March

Over at the Publishing...and Other Forms of Insanity Blog Erica Verrillo has posted up her March list of paying markets.  Thanks, Erica!

Mad Scientist Journal - Anthology Call

Mad Scientist Journal has posted an anthology call for "Utter Fabrication:  Historical Accounts of Unusual Buildings and Structures".  They're looking for stories of 500 to 8000 words written in first person.  "The story must be written from the perspective of someone who has encountered this strange location."  The genres they prefer are science fiction, fantasy, and horror.  Submissions open March 1, 2017 and close on March 31, 2017.  You can find the details here, be sure to read all the way to the bottom of the page as they have posted some ideas to get you started.  Payment is $10 ($5 for reprints) for stories of 500 to 2000 words and $20 ($10 for reprints) for stories of 2001 to 8000 words.

Pulp Modern - Open for Submissions

Just a reminder that Pulp Modern opens for submissions today, March 1, 2017, and closes on March 10, 2017.  They are looking for stories of 2000 to 3500 words in all the pulp genres.  Payment is $10.  You can find the details here.