Bourbon Penn - Open for Submissions

According to their classified ad at newpages.com Bourbon Penn is seeking stories for their 2018 issues.  They need "odd" stories of 2000 to 7500 words.  Payment is 1cent a word.  You can find the submission details here.

Rogue Blades Entertainment - Anthology Calls

Rogue Blades Entertainment has three anthologies open for submissions.  Of interest here is "Crazy Town" which is seeking fantastical (speculative elements are required) crime noir stories of 3000 to 7000 words.  You have to submit the first 500 words of your story then they'll let you know if they want to see the rest.  Kind of a query deal :)  The deadline is when full and payment is $25.  You can find the details for all three anthologies on their Submittable page.

The No Ghost Ghost Story

Yesterday I posted an anthology call for ghost stories and today I ran across this list of "Five Ghost Stories Without Any Ghosts in Them" by Malcolm Devlin.  It certainly makes you think about how genres can be one thing and another at the same time.

JABberwocky Literary Agency - Open for Queries

I don't generally post about literary agents seeking clients but I thought this might interest some of you out there.  JABberwocky Literary Agency Inc. has three agents who are open for queries.  You can check out the details here.  Their client list is quite impressive in many genres.

The Horror Zine - Anthology Call

The Horror Zine has posted an anthology call for "The Horror Zine's Book of Ghost Stories".  They're looking for scary ghost stories of 2000 to 4000 words.  The deadline is April 30, 2018 and payment is $20.  You can find the details here.

Mullis: Writing Stories in Invisible Ink, Advice for a Young Writer

Encouragement isn't something a writer finds everyday so I was tickled to come across this essay in the Battle Creek Enquirer about a young writer and how her godmother encouraged her to keep writing.

Switchblade Magazine - Reading Period Announced

Switchblade Magazine has posted their reading period for issue #5.  They will be open for submissions from February 1 to March 1.  They're seeking stories of 2000 to 4500 words and flash fiction up to 1000 words.  Payment is $15.  You can find the details here, just scroll down the page.

Black Cat Mystery Magazine - Open for Submissions

Submissions opened today for Black Cat Mystery Magazine.  They are seeking crime stories of 1000 to 8000 words for issue #4.  Submissions close when filled so don't delay submitting.  Payment is 3cents a word with a $250 maximum payment.  You can find the details here.

ChiZine Publications - Anthology Call

Canadian Publisher ChiZine has posted an anthology call for "War on Christmas".  They're looking for dark speculative fiction (sf/f/h) stories of 500 to 5000 words that are "deranged and demented...that snap back against all the holiday schmaltz."  On their list of "favorites" in this category of writing is "The Ice Harvest" and Donald Westlake so you noir folks out there have a chance.  The deadline is March 4, 2018 and payment is 8cents a word CAD.  You can find the details here.

Metaphorosis Books - Reprint Anthology Call

Metaphorosis Books is open for submissions to their 2017 "Best Vegan Science Fiction and Fantasy".  They want reprint sci-fi and fantasy stories of 1000 to 8000 words about vegans that were published in 2017.  The deadline is February 28, 2018 and payment is 1cent a word.  You can find the details here.

The Case for Short Crime Fiction?

There's an interesting blog post up over at Crime Syndicate Magazine that deserves a read through by writers and readers of short crime fiction.  Check it out here.

Celenic Earth Publications - Anthology Calls

Celenic Earth Publications has a listing of anthologies that are currently open for submissions.  Of interest here are "Between the Mystery" which is looking for crime thrillers, and "With Veiled Deduction" which is looking for hardboiled noir.  There are other genres and holiday anthologies also.  Payment is a royalty split.  On their submission page is a form that you fill out stating your interest in the project and they will contact you if they are interested in your work.  Kind of query set up deal I suppose.  If accepted you'll have two months to write and submit your story.  You can find the details here.

Unnerving Magazine - Open for Submissions

Unnerving Magazine is open for submissions of horror, dark crime, thriller, and suspense stories of 400 to 4000 words.  The deadline is February 15, 2018, and  payment is 1cent a word.  You can find the details here on their Submittable page.

The New Southern Fugitive - Open for Submissions

The New Southern Fugitive is open for submissions of fiction and creative non-fiction up to 3000 words.  Payment is $60 per piece.  This is more literary than crime fiction but I know there are a lot of Southern writers out there who might find this a fit for their work.  There are issues on site that are free to read.  Check it out here.

Black Cat Mystery Magazine - Opening for Submissions Soon

According to their Facebook page Black Cat Mystery Magazine will be opening for submissions on January 25, 2018.  You can find their submission guidelines here.  Be aware that they close submissions as soon as an issue is full so get your submission in early,

Angie's Desk - Anthology Calls

Angie has posted her January listing of paying anthology markets.  Thanks, Angie!

Galli Books - Anthology Call

UK based Galli Books has posted an anthology call for "Speculative Masculinities".  They're seeking speculative fiction stories of 1000 to 7500 words that look past the fitted mold of masculinity.  The deadline is April 15, 2018 and payment is 0.08pounds per word.  They're also looking for poetry (30 pounds per poem) and essays of 1000 to 3000 words (50pounds per essay).  You can find all the details here,

Kitaab Publishing - Asian Crime Fiction Anthology Call

Kitaab Publishing is seeking Asian crime fiction short stories of 2500 to 12,000 words for their anthology "The Best Asian Crime Fiction".  Asians of all nationalities and non-Asians who have lived in Asia and written extensively about it are welcome to submit.  The deadline is March 31, 2018.  Payment is cash or Amazon vouchers ($50) for the top three stories, the rest receive 2copies of the anthology.  You can find the details here.  Thanks to Michael Bracken for the link.

Crime Syndicate Magazine - Open for Submissions

Crime Syndicate Magazine has opened submissions for issue #4.  They haven't yet listed the name of their guest editor.  The deadline is March 15, 2018 and payment is $25.  You can find the details here.

Deciduous Tales - Open for Submissions

Deciduous Tales is open for submissions of horror and dark fiction stories of 1000 to 5000 words.  Their first issue is available for sale on Amazon.  There is no deadline listed, and payment is 3cents a word.  You can find the details here.

Switchblade - New Issue

Switchblade issue #4 is now available for purchase.  You can find the details here, just scroll down the page a bit.  They will also be opening for submissions toward the end of January, I'll post when they put their reading period up.

Nightscript - Anthology Call

Nightscript is an annual anthology looking for strange tales ("subtle darksome literary horror") of 2000 to 7000 words.   The deadline is January 31, 2018 and payment is $20.  You can find the details here, just scroll down a bit.

Limitless Publishing - Anthology Call

Limitless Publishing has posted an anthology call for "Carnival of Nightmares".  They're looking for horror and dark fiction stories of 7500 to 12,000 words (sweet spot is 10,000 words) using the theme of carnivals (circus, fairs, amusement parks are also acceptable) to tell a story that will inspire nightmares.  The deadline is June 1, 2018.  There are no pay specifics listed.  You can find the details here.

Corpus Press - Halloween Anthology Call

I posted about this anthology call back in November but I thought I'd do a repeat as it has a long submission period.  Corpus Press is seeking horror stories of 4500 to 8500 words with a central theme associated with Halloween for a Halloween anthology.  The deadline is March 31, 2018 and payment is 3cents a word.  You can find the details here.

ID Press - Anthology Call - Crime Fiction

ID Press has posted an anthology call for "Nefariam:  The Element of Crime".  They're looking for crime stories of 2000 to 5000 words with a genre twist.  They have examples and links in the guidelines.  The deadline is February 28, 2018 and payment is $25.  You can find the details here.

Thanks to Michael Bracken for the link!

Radiant Crown Publishing, LLC - Weird Western Anthology Call

Radiant Crown Publishing, LLC has opened submissions for "Hex Gunslinger:  A Weird Western Anthology".  They're looking for stories of 1000 to 40,000 words in the genre of weird westerns.  And yes, there are more details in the guidelines.  The deadline is March 1, 2018 and payment is 1cent a word.  They're also looking for a spotlight story of 1000 to 1500 words that feature a  person of color serving as an officer of the law as a central element of the plot.  Payment for the spotlight story is 2cents a word.  You can find the details here.

Crime Fiction Market Roundup 2017 - New Markets

And now for the better news - crime fiction markets that have opened this year.  The good news is that most of them are paying markets, not high paying but better than nothing.

1.  Econoclash Review has filled their first issue and are seeking stories for number two.  Pays $10.
2.  Automata Review is seeking literary/genre stories.  First issue is supposed to be up this month.  Pays $25
3.  Black Cat Magazine has published one issue and filled the next two with their last submission call.  They pay 3cents a word.
4.  Tough is an online crime zine which has published regularly this year.  They pay $25.
5.  Mystery Tribune has published three issues this year.  They don't list pay specifics.
6.  Story & Grit is a non-paying online crime market.
7.  Selene Quarterly is a theme based online zine.  More literary than crime but many of their themes will work for dark crime fiction.  They pay 3cents a word.
8.  Down & Out Magazine opened their doors this year and have published two issues so far.  This is a print magazine.  They pay $25.
9.  Pulp Modern closed last year then reopened after merging with The Digest Enthusiast.  They pay $10.
10.  While Spinetingler has always been around this year they merged with Down & Out Books to publish their first print issue.  They pay $25.
11.  Hallmark Publishing opened up for novel submissions this year.  Pay specifics aren't listed.
12.  And while they don't seem to be open for submissions Noir Nation has published their sixth issue, updated the website, and say they'll be opening for submissions as a paying market.  Time will tell.

Not many new markets this year but a few is better than none.  Good luck with your submissions this year!

Crime Fiction Market Roundup 2017 - Closed Markets

It's that time again to post my lists of crime market closings.  2017 was a tough year for markets.  We lost quite a few short story markets but also many of our small press novel markets.

1.  Crime Factory was listed last year but their website fell off the grid this year making it official.
2.  Betty Fedora published it's fourth issue in December but their website has also vanished from site so I'd guess that they're also closed.
3.  Plots with Guns came back last year then closed again after a couple of issues.
4.  Red Room Magazine opened for submissions, published one issue, then closed.
5.  After raising $55,000 with KickStarter Gamut managed to publish for one year then closed their doors.
6.  FictionMagazine renamed themselves Storyteller then folded due to issues with Amazon.
7.  Red Sun managed one issue then folded.
8.  Untied Shoelaces of the Mind closed after many years of publishing.  If I remember correctly their site was hacked and they weren't able to come back from the problems it created.
9.  Alt History closed after several years and ten issues.
10.  A Twist of Noir 2.0 came back this year but haven't published any new stories since March.
11.  The website of Mainly Murder Press disappeared into the ether this year.
12.  DarkFuse which published both short stories and novels declared bankruptcy and closed up shop.
13.  Tyrus Books was closed by their Parent Company.
14.  280 Steps closed up shop.  They published both novels and novellas.
15.  And Blasted Heath closed up due to low sales.

Not a good year for crime fiction markets.

Pulp Modern - New Issue

The newest issue of Pulp Modern has hit the streets.  You can find the details and purchase links here.

Flash Bang Mysteries - New Issue - Open for Submissions

The Winter 2018 issue of Flash Bang Mysteries has gone live and is free to read online here.  They are also open for submissions of crime flash stories of 500 to 750 words until January 31, 2018 and they have raised the payment to $20 per story.  You can find the details here.

36 Paying Markets for January

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

Paper Dog Books - Anthology Call

Paper Dog Books has opened submissions for their anthology "The Internet is Where the Robots Live Now".  They're looking for speculative fiction stories of 1500 to 5000 words that "consider the future of the Internet, artificial intelligence, the mind, and robots".  The deadline is April 1, 2018 and payment is 6cents a word.  You can find the details here.

World Weaver Press - Anthology Call

World Weaver Press has opened submissions for their anthology "Baba Yaga".  They're looking for stories of 7500 to 20,000 words about Baba Yaga.  And yes, there is a link in the guidelines to help you find out more about Baba Yaga.  The deadline is March 1, 2018 and payment is $50.  You can find the details here.

Level Best Books - Anthology Call

Level Best Books has opened submissions for their annual anthology.  This year's title is "Landfall:  Best New England Crime Stories 2018".  They're looking for crime stories up to 5000 words set in New England or written by a New England author.  The deadline is April 30, 2018 and payment is $25.  You can find all the details here.