Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Gulf Coast Writers Association (GCWA) Anthology

Gulf Coast Writers Association (GCWA) seeks submissions for a second print anthology of short fiction. We will accept most genres, except pornography, erotica, graphic violence/horror, excessive profanity, or anything racial or biased toward any religious or moral preference.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT: March 15, 2009 (5:00 p.m. Pacific time)

ANTICIPATED RELEASE DATE: June 2009

THEME: Stories must be set in The South and clearly capture a southern tone. Themes might include: coming-of-age, family relationships, fitting in, social life (in its many facets), dreams/aspirations. We will also consider previously published stories that meet this criteria.


Manuscripts MUST adhere to the following guidelines, or they will be deleted unread:

  • Please send no more than TWO stories.

  • Manuscripts must be saved as a .doc or .docx file (Microsoft Word)

  • Double-space the entire manuscript.

  • Submit work in Times New Roman 12 pt. script.

  • Put Word Count on first page.

  • Submit stories of no more than 3,000 words, otherwise they will be deleted.

  • Submissions must be accompanied by a VERY brief cover letter.

  • Do not include a bio note in the cover letter. We will request this information later from selected authors.

  • Authors must clearly state in their cover letter if, where, and when a story entry has been previously published.

Writers whose work is selected will be notified by e-mail on or before March 20, 2009.

There is no entry fee. GCWA will pay $25.00 (or two free copies) to contributors whose work is selected for one-time publication rights -- all rights revert to authors upon publication.

Print submissions sent to GCWA will not be read or returned.

Manuscripts must be saved as .doc or .docx files

and attached to: anthology@socal.rr.com

Attn: Dixon Hearne


Monday, September 29, 2008

Niteblade Fantasy and Horror Anthology #1 - Submissions Closed

Anthology Submission Guidelines

General:
Every fifth issue of Niteblade Magazine will be a print anthology. This anthology will include the best of the last four web-based issues (half chosen through reader votes and half by the editors) as well as new material that hasn’t appeared in Niteblade before. In order to be considered for the former selections you need to have your work accepted in the e-zine. These submission guidelines are meant to cover the new material.

The cover artwork for the first print ezine has been chosen already. It is a wonderful piece by Marge Simon. All anthology submissions should be, in some way, inspired by it. The top three stories and the top three poems, will be included in the print anthology.

Illustration can be found here.

Rights:
Niteblade Fantasy and Horror Magazine will require the non-exclusive right to use your story or poem in our print anthology. They would ask that you wait to submit your work elsewhere until six months after the print anthology is published, but they will not contractually obligate you to do so.

Payment:
Niteblade wants to pay you lots, truly — but until Niteblade gets off its feet and is able to support itself the best offer is one US dollar per story or poem and a contributor’s copy of the book. Payment will be made by your choice of paypal, epassporte or a donation to Duotrope’s Digest and will be paid upon acceptance.

For all submissions please email your story or poem as an .rtf or .doc attachment to anthology@niteblade.com

Make sure you have the word ‘Niteblade’ ‘Submission’ or ‘Query’ in the subject somewhere. Any one will do, you don’t need to use all three.

When submitting prose please single space your work and do not indent new paragraphs.

Please include your legal name, snail mail address and the name you want your story published under.

For stories 10,000 words or longer, please query first with a detailed synopsis. Keep in mind that longer stories are a harder sell than shorter ones.

Considering the nature of this anthology it probably goes without saying, but no simultaneous submissions or reprints.

No multiple submissions please. Only one story and up to 5 poems per author will be considered.

What they like…
The best way to see what they like is to check out the current issue — all it will cost you is time. Remember that your submission for this anthology needs to be inspired in some way by the illustration above.

Deadline:
Submissions will close on July 15, 2008 and all regrets and acceptances will be sent out by the end of that month.

If you have any other questions please email rhonda@niteblade.com and she will respond as soon as possible.

Please consider tracking your submission and reporting your response at Duotrope’s Digest or Ralan’s Webstravaganza

Saturday, September 27, 2008

A Cup of Comfort for Dog Lovers II

A Cup of Comfort for Dog Lovers II

Oh, how we humans love our canine companions -- for so many reasons and in so many ways that one Cup of Comfort collection of uplifting dog stories just wasn't enough. So we're giving all you dog-loving writers another opportunity to share your personal stories of canine comfort with a growing legion of dog-loving readers. This volume will feature both serious and humorous anecdotal stories covering a wide range of topics and perspectives and varying breeds of dogs. We do NOT want sad stories about a dog's illness, injury, or death, though we will consider stories that weave a beloved pet's illness or death into an otherwise positive story. The story should focus on the dog's remarkable attributes and/or actions as well as on the special relationship between the dog and his/her human(s).

Submission Deadline: 12/15/2008
See Writer's Guidelines, for additional details.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Call for submissions for 2009 Legend Press short story collection

We are publishing the fourth in our acclaimed series of short story-collections and are looking for talented, vibrant authors to submit stories for consideration. Our short-fiction series, called ‘The Short Story Reinvented’, is designed for today’s busy, but discerning, reader. Short fiction is the perfect answer for the modern reader on the move who wants to read easily accessible, sleek contemporary fiction. Through this series we hope to reaffirm the short story’s inimitable place in the mainstream market.


We plan to publish the new collection at the end of March 2009 and are calling for writers to send in their submissions by 31st October 2008. A summary and full description of the brief are given below. We look forward to reading, and hopefully publishing, your work!

Guidelines

· Short-story of approximately 9,000-12,000 words

· Actions/thoughts to occur/take place in a single room

· Stream-of-consciousness-style

· Non-genre-specific

· Thought-provoking and original. We want to feel moved and inspired by these stories.


Submission procedure


· Please submit stories to Lucy Boguslawski, Publishing Assistant by email to submissions@legend-paperbooks.co.uk by 31st October 2008. If you would like to organise an alternative method of suubmission please email the same address.

· Any questions or queries, just let us know and we’ll try to get back to you as soon as we can – email submissions@legend-paperbooks.co.uk.

· Visit the books and reviews page of our website for details of the first three collections in the series, The Remarkable Everyday, Seven Days and Eight Hours.

* * *
Check out my new young adult fantasy Beyond the Fifth Gate.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

WTF - Mysteries

A true writing challenge!

I want your tales of mystery for a new anthology to be published in late 2009. I am looking for stories in the mystery genre. Here is the catch - No cussing! With a title like WTF, what do we mean no cussing? That is exactly what we mean! What we are looking for is the best euphemism(s) you can write. Your story should have a stunning WTF moment and the best WTF euphemism you can write. Example: "What the fine, flying, feathered, four-eyed frogs is going on in here?" You get the idea. Please do not make references to or use characters from other known sources. I will only accept unpublished, original works, characters, and story lines.

Please include on the front page of your manuscript:
  • Name (and pen name, if you desire)
  • Address
  • Phone Number
  • E-mail Address
  • Number of words (limit 9,000)
Submissions should be made in standard double-spaced manuscript format. Stories can be e-mailed to request@kerlak.com as a MS Word .doc or .rtf (Rich Text Format) attachment.

Deadline for submissions is 4/30/2009. If your story is selected, you will be contacted by 6/30/2009. Paper submissions will not be returned.

If your story is selected for publication, payment will be $20.00 U.S. upon release of the book. We will also award a $50.00 bonus for the best WTF phrase as chosen by the editor(s).

Hard-copy manuscripts should be accompanied by a digital copy in .doc or .rtf format sent on a 3.5-inch floppy disk or CD. Stories should be sent to:

WTF Submissions
Mark Fitzgerald, Editor
c/o Kerlak Publishing
1779-1 Kirby Parkway, #373
Memphis, TN 38138

For any additional questions, please contact me at request@kerlak.com

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Criminal Tendencies

Crème de la Crime’s raison d’etre is to offer a unique opportunity to previously unpublished crime novelists. Until October 31st 2008, we’re offering the same opportunity to short story writers.

CRIMINAL TENDENCIES 2009 is a short story competition which offers a writer previously unpublished in the crime genre the opportunity to see his or her work on sale in bookshops throughout the UK, in a high-profile anthology alongside household names from the crime writing world including Reginald Hill, creator of the top-selling Dalziel and Pascoe series; Sophie Hannah, whose suspense chiller Little Face was a 2007 Richard and Judy’s Book club selection; and top-selling author Peter James.

The winner of Criminal Tendencies 2009 will be selected by Mark Billingham, award-winning author of the bestselling Tom Thorne series of gripping crime novels – and also an accomplished short story writer.

The anthology, also titled CRIMINAL TENDENCIES, will be published in spring 2009, and for every copy sold, £1 will go to the Genesis Appeal, the only charity in the UK entirely dedicated to the prevention of breast cancer. Based at Europe’s first purpose-built breast cancer prevention centre, the Genesis Appeal funds vital research into prevention and early diagnosis; their aim is to create a future without breast cancer. Currently one woman in ten in the UK will develop this terrible disease; the Genesis Appeal aims to make 1 in 10, none in 10.

Criminal Tendencies 2009 invites entries in the crime genre, maximum length 3000 words, by post to the address below or on-line using the submission form.

The closing date for Criminal Tendencies 2009 is 31st Oct 2008. For on-line entry this means midnight on that date local time wherever you are.

An entry fee of £5.00 per story, which includes a donation to Genesis, should accompany each entry, by cheque if you enter by post, or by MasterCard or Visa via the secure facility on the submission form. Card payments will be processed by our sister company, Real Writers; this is the name which will appear on your statement.

Please attach a cover sheet to postal entries, with the title and length of the story, and full contact details: address, daytime phone number and e-mail address. For on-line entries, please complete the submission form.

Entrants should be previously unpublished in the crime genre.

We also offer all entrants a chance to sample Crème de la Crime’s wide range of top-class full-length crime fiction at half the bookshop price. Choose any TWO of the titles listed on the Backlist page (link), for just £8 post free. Please note your order on your submission form or cover sheet; payment will be taken with your entry fee, and your books despatched immediately. DO NOT click the Buy Now at Amazon button.

For full details of and conditions of entry for Criminal Tendencies 2009 click here.

Monday, September 22, 2008

DARK JESTERS:

DARK JESTERS:
AN ANTHOLOGY OF HUMOROUS HORROR


Title: DARK JESTERS: An Anthology of Humorous Horror, edited by Nick Cato and L.L. Soares.

Publisher: Novello Publishers (www.novellopublishers.com)

Release Date: Fall 2009

General Info: Novello Publishers is seeking 10 hysterical stories to fill their first trade paperback humorous horror anthology.

-Word count is not to exceed 2,000, NO EXCEPTIONS. The shortest accepted piece will be 1,500, but closer to the 2,000 mark is ideal for this project.

-Poetry will not be accepted.

-Stories must be horror-oriented-no scifi unless in the vein of "Alien." Stories will be selected (mainly) on their humor content: the harder you make the editors laugh the better chance your story will be picked. Any story that insults the horror genre will not be selected; "humorous horror" does not mean we want to "make fun" of the genre. We want to see "real" horror stories with a humorous angle. Whether your story deals with classic monsters (such as vampires), the apocalypse, serial killers, ghosts, or (you fill in the blank), we want the readers to laugh 'till it hurts.

-Stories that rely on profanity will probably not make the cut. Make us laugh without dropping F-bombs and your chances of acceptance skyrocket.

-We do not find rape, God-bashing or child-torture funny. Gore is fine depending on how it's used.

Format: Send your story double-spaced in a Times New Roman or Courier font as a .doc or .rtf attachment, NO EXCEPTIONS. Please underline any italicized words.

Payment: $40.00 and one contributor copy.

Note: NO REPRINTS. This will be an all-original anthology. If your story is selected you will be asked to give Novello Publishers 1 year's exclusive rights.

Reading Period: August 1st through November 30th

Send submissions to: NickYak@aol.com with DJ SUBMISSION in the subject heading. Hard copy submissions may be sent to NOVELLO PUBLISHERS/ Box 060382 / Staten Island, NY / 10306. Hard copies must be post-dated NO LATER than November 10th, 2008.

The table of contents will be announced in early December, 2008.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Stange and Bizarre Stories

Novelist Vincent Hobbes is seeking short stories for an upcoming project which will feature a compilation of strange and bizarre stories. His publisher is currently accepting submissions from any author interested in having his or her work published in a novel.

Manuscripts being accepted will include anything from the following fiction genres:
Horror
Supernatural
Science-fiction
Fantasy
Psychological thriller
Mystery

Requirements: Word count may be anything from 1,500-30,000 words. We are seeking stories that are original and not previously published. Interesting storylines with a preferable twist at the end to captivate the reader is desired. Think Twilight Zone. All stories must be tasteful-not overly gory, no inappropriate sex scenes, or an over use of profanity.

All submissions must adhere to the following guidelines:
Single-spaced
12-point font, Times New Roman
Cover sheet must be included with all proper contact information

Whether you are a new author seeking to promote yourself, or simply someone who wants your family and friends to read your story in a published and widely distributed piece of literature, this is a rare opportunity to have your name and story published.

You may submit your story via mail or electronically. Details are as follows:

If mailed, send copy to:
Hobbes End Publishing, LLC
Attn: Short Story Submission
P.O. Box 193
Aubrey, TX 76227

*Please also include a disk. Microsoft Word. A hard-copy is not required, but definitely appreciated. Please include a SASE if you desire your material returned if rejected.

If sent electronically, send to:
publisher@hobbesend publishing. com
Attn: Short Story Submission (subject line)

Deadline is October 1st, 2008

Terms: Full rights, both printing and media, will be purchased outright for
$100.00 per story. Therefore, it will be un-publishable elsewhere without
express permission from the publisher. Any author who does not agree to such
terms, please do not submit your work for this project. Also, the best story
will receive a bonus from the publisher.

You may contact the publisher via email with any questions.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Wiki.Name.com September Contest

Didn't come across a new anthology market so thought I'd share this contest info.

Wiki.Name.com' s September contest is now open!

This month's topic:

What's your name?
What does your name mean to you? Does it make you feel unique or boring? Do
you know how your parents chose the name? Were you ever teased? Write about
it -- give us lively anecdotes and insight -- let us know what life is like
with your name.

Prize: $50 + front page publication
Entry Fee: $0
Deadline: September 30, 2008

See all of the details here: http://wiki. name.com/ en/Monthly_ Writing_Contest

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

APOCALYPTIC ANTHOLOGY

We are looking for dark science fiction or dark fantasy stories w/horror elements in all styles, mixes, and viewpoints. The darker the better and nothing is too taboo. We want stories thick with atmosphere and don't be afraid to spend time developing character and plot.

* What we don't want: Stories with excessive profanity, child abuse, bestiality, incest, or hate fiction. We pander to an adult audience so please no fiction aimed at children.
* Tip: Send us only your best because we will be submitting stories to a few of the year's best anthologies.
* Length: 4,500 - 16,000 words.
* Deadline: Until filled.
* Payment: We will pay a token payment of $5 for original fiction, paid on publication. You will also receive a free six month subscription to our market database for speculative fiction writers ($7.97 value). Authors that have at least one published novel, novella, anthology, collection will also receive a free one year listing in our Book and Magazine Directory ($7.97 value).
* How we pay: All writers that submit to us must have an active PayPal account for payment.
* Rights: We purchase exlusive P.O.D and world-wide electronic rights (CD, disk, audio, email, download, or any other digital format known or yet to be invented). We also retain the right to archive your story up to five years and reprint your story for a possible "Best of the Year Anthology."
* How to submit: We accept electronic submissions only. Send submissions to submission@specficworld.com . Make sure to put "ALL APOCALYPTIC ANTHOLOGY and Title of your story" in the subject line. We use the same e-mail address for all submissions and without the proper subject line we won't know where your story fits in our publications.
* Note: Your browser also needs to have Javascript enabled to see the above e-mail address. We do this to hide our e-mail address from unwanted SPAM and e-mail harvesters
* Format: No need for a cover letter; but make sure to include a short bio (written in third-person) embedded in the body of the e-mail. Please include previous publishing credits and a short 150 word or less blurb (written in third-person) describing your story. The blurb will be used for marketing purposes.
* Submission Format: RTF (.rtf) or MS WORD (.doc) file sent as an attachment. Underline all italicized text. Please include all contact information with your manuscript. Use Times New Roman 12pt font and single space all paragraphs and double space all section breaks along with marking them with three asterisks ***.
* Multiple Submissions: You can submit up to two stories.
* Simultaneous Submissions: It's okay with us as long as you let us know that you've also submitted it elsewhere. And if your story is accepted by another publication please inform us immediately.
* Reprints: We do not accept reprints at this time.
* Response time: 1-4 months. If you haven't heard back from us within four months feel free to query with the date of your submission or assume it has been rejected. Our responses will come in the form of a simple form letter via e-mail.
* Publication date: There are no set publication dates for our anthologies -- once an anthology is full we will publish it within twelve months.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Dead Science

Title: Dead Science
Editor: A.P. Fuchs
Publisher: Coscom Entertainment
Release Date: Late 2008/Early 2009

What we want:

Interesting stories about science gone bad that results in the undead. It could be a strange lab experiment gone awry or an industrial or technological accident at a facility of some kind. It could be a malfunction on an alien ship or simply some strange chemical concoction in a nerd�s basement. Whatever you want.

Your story only needs two things to qualify:

  • a unique scientific premise/goal or purpose
  • something goes wrong and the dead rise

    Stories are to range from 3,000 to 6,000 words (though we�re willing to go a bit over, within a couple hundred words).

    What rights do we want?

    First print and electronic rights to your story and exclusive rights for 1-year after publication. After that you can resell it.

    What we don�t want:

    No coarse language.

    No poetry.

    No reprints. New stories only, please.

    Multiple submissions are allowed, but only up to two at any one time.

    What we�re making:

    Dead Science will be published as a trade paperback and as an eBook.

    What you get:

    1 cent per word and a contributor�s copy. The paperback copy of the book will be sent to you upon or shortly after the book�s official release date. Payment is based on final word count from the final edited copy of the story, so once your story is ready for print, payment will be sent to you via Paypal.

    What to send:

    Please send your story in standard manuscript format:

    Courier 12pt, double-spaced, with any italicized words underlined. Also include your name and contact information on the first page as well as your name in the upper right corner of subsequent pages. Don�t forget to also number your pages.

    Please follow these guidelines to the letter. Submissions that don�t will be automatically rejected.

    Where to send it:

    Send all submissions via email to deadscienceantho@gmail.com

    Please also use the same address for any questions not addressed here.

    When to send it by:

    Reading period starts right away and will end at the end of September, 2008. You will be notified by early October if your story is accepted, possibly sooner.

  • Saturday, September 13, 2008

    Teen Pregnancy Stories

    I don't have submission guidelines on this one but do have contact information.

    Teen Pregnancy Stories wanted for Parent/Teen Book. Contact Author at parentteenstories@yahoo.com for details

    Friday, September 12, 2008

    Farspace Anthology 2

    Utility Fog Press (http://www.utilityfogpress.com, ("new members welcome" target="_top">Utility Fog Press Anthology Group") is a small publisher specializing in themed anthologies. Writing.com is producing an annual Farspace Anthology, which features only work from writers on Writing.Com. Farspace Anthology 1 is due out late September, 2008. We have now opened submissions to Farspace Anthology 2 in addition to three other anthologies: Assassin's Creed, ?Great? Britain, and Time's Edge, which will feature works not only from Writing.Com but beyond.

    Farspace Anthology 2 ("Farspace Anthology 2--Submissions Forum") is opened for submissions September 1, 2008. Deadline: February 28, 2009.

    Submission Guidelines

    Short stories (500-5000 words) and poetry (maximum 40 lines) will be accepted for all anthologies, unless otherwise mentioned. We will accept stories up to 7500 words, but they will have to be of exceptional quality to be published.

    The genre is open. As long as your story fits the theme of the anthology you're submitting to, send it in.

    We will only accept e-mail submissions. Your story should be sent as an attachment in either doc or rtf format. Poetry can be sent in the body of the e-mail. To ensure your mail doesn't get filtered to our spam box, include submission [anthology name] in the subject.

    You may send multiple submissions, but only one per e-mail please. We also accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify us of where else you have submitted--and if/when it is accepted elsewhere.

    Submissions should be in standard manuscript submission format (double spaced, 12pt, Times). Please include details (name, address, word count) and a brief (250 word) bio in the body of the e-mail. Other than including the information just mentioned, a cover letter is not necessary.

    Send your submissions to: utilityfogpress@yahoo.co.uk and include: submission: [anthology name] in the subject line.

    Thursday, September 11, 2008

    Women on the Edge

    Submit your story for the Solas Awards here.

    True stories of high adventure and danger around the world, from ice climbing to white water rafting, from war zones to animal encounters, from dangerous border crossings to besting the world's most dangerous predator-man.
    Deadline for submissions: OPEN
    Est. Release Date: TBA

    SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
    Please Note: We are no longer accepting book proposals.

    In addition to publishing books, we like to promote the best travel writing we can find and do so in our Editors' Choice section and elsewhere on our Web site. By submitting your story to Travelers' Tales, you agree that we may post it on our site as an example of good travel writing. You will not be paid for this use, but you will retain all rights to your material, and as a Travelers' Tales contributor you will be able to purchase any TT books at 50% off. If you do not wish us to post your story, please indicate this clearly at the beginning of your submission. If we select your story for publication in one of our books, we will contact you regarding permission and payment.

    Type of Story
    We're looking for personal, nonfiction stories and anecdotes-funny, illuminating, adventurous, frightening, or grim. Stories should reflect that unique alchemy that occurs when you enter unfamiliar territory and begin to see the world differently as a result. Stories that have already been published, including book excerpts, are welcome as long as the authors retain the copyright or can obtain permission from the copyright holder to reprint the material.

    Length
    Whatever it takes without being self-indulgent-anything from a paragraph to fifteen pages. Shorter stories have a better chance of being accepted.

    Biographical Information
    Please include a few sentences about yourself, something quirky and fun in addition to the usual list of accomplishments.

    Form of Submission
    Email: submit@travelerstales.com
    If sending attachments, they must be in MS Word or RTF format. Please put the book title that you are submitting for in the subject line, and make sure that your name and contact information is in the attachment, not just in your email! Submissions will not be returned.

    Regular mail: Send hard copy to:
    Travelers' Tales
    853 Alma Street
    Palo Alto, CA 94301

    Rights
    We are interested in non-exclusive rights, in all languages, throughout the world. Our use of the material does not restrict the authors' rights in any way to have their stories reprinted elsewhere.

    Remuneration
    Travelers' Tales offers a $100 honorarium for stories of any length. In addition, authors receive a free copy of the book in which their work will appear, and the right to purchase an unlimited number of any Travelers' Tales titles for 50% off the cover price (plus shipping and handling). Other advantages include the opportunity to appear in print with many well-known writers, and the ongoing promotion of your name and work in the literary marketplace, and on our web site. Those whose sidebars we publish will receive a free copy of the book, plus the right to buy all Travelers' Tales books at a 50% discount, but no payment.

    Caveat
    In most cases we will do some editing of accepted stories for considerations of style, grammar, or length and may also alter the story title. Due to the large number of submissions received we will only contact you if we decide to include your submission in a Travelers' Tales collection. Sometimes books take as long as a year to be completed following our submissions deadlines. Final decisions are made near the end of the editorial process, and all authors whose stories have been accepted are notified at that time.

    Due to the large number of submissions received we will only contact you if we decide to include your submission in a Travelers' Tales collection. Sometimes books take as long as a year to be completed following our submissions deadlines. Final decisions are made near the end of the editorial process, and all authors whose stories have been accepted are notified at that time.

    Wednesday, September 10, 2008

    Tesseracts Thirteen — OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS

    edited by Nancy Kilpatrick and David Morrell


    Tesseracts Thirteen


    GUIDELINES

    # The anthology is open to Canadians, landed immigrants, long-time residents, and expatriates.


    # Open to submissions in either English or French. (French-language stories must be translated into English for publication before they can be accepted, but they can be submitted in French for a preliminary evaluation). Translation into English is the sole responsibility of the author. Canadian authors who write in languages other than French or English are welcome to submit an English translation of their work, provided it otherwise falls within the parameters of this anthology. Please supply details of original publication for any submission that originally appeared in a language other than English.


    # Genres: Dark Fantasy and Horror.


    # Length: all submissions must be under 5 000 words. Stories outside of this will not be considered.


    # Open to short fiction and poetry (no plays).


    # Deadline: Post-Marked October 31 2008

    Tuesday, September 9, 2008

    ANNOUNCING THE OPENING OF SUBMISSIONS FOR SURREAL SOUTH '09

    (Please read the entire announcement before submitting.)

    In October 2007, Press53 published Surreal South, a trade paperback anthology of Southern poetry and fiction with a surreal bent. The collection was edited by the husband-and-wife writers Pinckney and Laura Benedict, and included the work of twenty-seven established authors, including William Gay, Ann Pancake, Robert Olen Butler, Rodney Jones, and many others. You can learn more about the anthology here (www.myspace.com/surrealsouth), and you can order a copy through Press53 or through online booksellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

    Press53 has elected to make the Surreal South anthology a biennial event. The next edition is due out in October 2009. It too will be edited by Laura and Pinckney Benedict. Whereas material for the first anthology was submission-by-invitation only, the second edition – which will concentrate principally on the work of new and emerging writers – will be filled by open submission.

    Like the original Surreal South, the new anthology will consist of work, by Southerners or about the South, that contains surreal elements. We're defining the term surreal quite broadly, to include dream stories, horror stories, monster stories, insanity, magical realism, the distorted, the peculiar, the impossible, and the irrational. We have as part of our mandate some small reconciliation between so-called "genre" fiction and so-called "literary" fiction.

    We're also defining "southern" broadly, simply to mean that either the writer needs to be associated with the geographical south (born, living, spent time in prison or otherwise dallied somewhere south of the Mason-Dixon) or the material needs to be plainly set in or derived from the South.

    We're looking for excellent prose fiction, preferably short stories. Novel excerpts are acceptable so long as they have narrative integrity. We're hoping that folks will pull out of the closet their truly gruesome fantasies, stuff they'd be too timid or embarrassed or worried to send to a more conventional venue, and send them to us. Submissions will ideally be between 3000 and 7000 words in length, though some variation is possible.

    We're able to pay two contributor's copies of the book on publication for non-exclusive rights to the story. The work can have been previously published anywhere, in any form, or be under consideration elsewhere, or unpublished; however, (re)publication rights for the story must lie with the writer, or the writer must obtain such permission. If you do not own rights to the story, please do not submit it. We are looking for twenty to twenty-five pieces of surreal fiction.

    We can accept only one submission per writer, and (given the volume of submissions we anticipate) we cannot communicate about individual manuscripts other than to indicate that they are accepted or rejected. We will not in any case respond before the submission deadline of January 1, 2009. All submissions must be in Microsoft Word compatible format or Adobe PDF. Send submissions as email attachments to surrealsouth@gmail.com. Do not send submissions to any other email address on this website.

    A cover letter is optional. We are interested in the work exclusively. If/when we need to contact you, we will use the email address from which the submission came. The subject line of the email should contain the words “Surreal South 09 submission” and your full name. The file name should also contain this information. You should copy the email to yourself or some other address that’s accessible to you; if it arrives safely and with attachment intact at that address, then you can assume that we received it in good order as well.
    We want strongly to suggest that writers interested in submitting work for Surreal South 09 should purchase a copy of Surreal South in order to acquaint themselves with the sort of thing we’re looking for.

    Literary magazines and other such venues typically receive submissions from many more people than they have subscribers. Such magazines are, like the Surreal South series, labors of love that do not enrich those who create and maintain them. Those who wish to keep such venues available for their own work and the work of those like them should want to support them financially.

    If you think that Surreal South is a worthwhile effort – and if you plan to submit work to it, then presumably you do think so – then it only makes sense that you should help to support it. We are openly asking that you do so. The continuation of the Surreal South series is directly contingent on the number of books sold.

    summary

    Surreal South 09 is seeking submissions of prose fiction (3000 to 7000 words approximately).

    Editors: Laura Benedict & Pinckney Benedict

    Publisher: Press53

    The fiction must be in some manner “southern” and must contain surreal elements.

    All submissions should be sent as email attachments to surrealsouth@gmail.com.

    All submissions should be in Word or PDF format.

    Only one submission per writer.

    Deadline: January 1, 2009.

    Publication date: October 31, 2009.


    Please feel free to copy and post these guidelines anywhere you believe that interested writers will see them. Please do not alter or truncate them. Thank you!

    Sunday, September 7, 2008

    The Press 53 Open Awards Anthology

    Who will be included in
    The Press 53 Open Awards Anthology?

    Finalists in each category will be listed by name.

    Writers who have two or more finalist entries in one or more categories will receive special recognition.

    In Poetry and Flash Fiction we will award a Second Place and one Honorable Mention, which includes publication.

    We will also award one Honorable Mention in Short-Short Story, Short Story, Genre Fiction, Creative Nonfiction and Young Writers, which includes publication.

    * * *
    Flash Fiction:
    Submit 1 story up to 750 words
    Deadline: October 31, 2008
    Judge: TBA

    Short-Short Story:
    Submit 1 story up to 1500 words
    Deadline: October 31, 2008
    Judge: Scott Yarbrough

    Poetry:
    Submit 3 of your best poems
    (Poems will be judged as a collective work)
    Deadline: November 30, 2008
    Judge: Kathryn Stripling Byer

    Novella:
    Submit 1 novella up to 20,000 words
    Deadline: December 31, 2008
    Judge: Ashley Warlick

    Creative Nonfiction:
    Submit 1 personal essay, stand-alone memoir, or
    other CNF up to 5000 words
    Deadline: December 31, 2008
    Judge: Dinty Moore

    Short Fiction:
    Submit 1 story up to 5000 words
    Deadline: January 31, 2009
    Judge: TBA

    Genre Fiction:
    Submit 1 story (any genre--sci/fi, horror, mystery,
    thriller, romance, etc) up to 3000 words
    Deadline: February 28, 2009
    Judge: Laura Benedict

    Writers ages 13-17 may submit 1 story up to
    5000 words or 3 poems by March 31, 2009
    Judge: TBA

    May 31, 2009 on this website.

    October 2009 in the second annual Press 53 Open Awards Anthology

    $15 Reading Fee

    $5 Young Writers
    $25 Novella

    Friday, September 5, 2008

    Dead Science

    Title: Dead Science
    Editor: A.P. Fuchs
    Publisher: Coscom Entertainment
    Release Date: Late 2008/Early 2009

    What we want:

    Interesting stories about science gone bad that results in the undead. It could be a strange lab experiment gone awry or an industrial or technological accident at a facility of some kind. It could be a malfunction on an alien ship or simply some strange chemical concoction in a nerd’s basement. Whatever you want.

    Your story only needs two things to qualify:

  • a unique scientific premise/goal or purpose
  • something goes wrong and the dead rise

    Stories are to range from 3,000 to 6,000 words (though we’re willing to go a bit over, within a couple hundred words).

    What rights do we want?

    First print and electronic rights to your story and exclusive rights for 1-year after publication. After that you can resell it.

    What we don’t want:

    No coarse language.

    No poetry.

    No reprints. New stories only, please.

    Multiple submissions are allowed, but only up to two at any one time.

    What we’re making:

    Dead Science will be published as a trade paperback and as an eBook.

    What you get:

    1 cent per word and a contributor’s copy. The paperback copy of the book will be sent to you upon or shortly after the book’s official release date. Payment is based on final word count from the final edited copy of the story, so once your story is ready for print, payment will be sent to you via Paypal.

    What to send:

    Please send your story in standard manuscript format:

    Courier 12pt, double-spaced, with any italicized words underlined. Also include your name and contact information on the first page as well as your name in the upper right corner of subsequent pages. Don’t forget to also number your pages.

    Please follow these guidelines to the letter. Submissions that don’t will be automatically rejected.

    Where to send it:

    Send all submissions via email to deadscienceantho@gmail.com

    Please also use the same address for any questions not addressed here.

    When to send it by:

    Reading period starts right away and will end at the end of September, 2008. You will be notified by early October if your story is accepted, possibly sooner.

  • Monday, September 1, 2008

    Wisdom of Our Mothers Anthology

    Familia Books is buying stories to be collected into an anthology tentatively titled Wisdom of Our Mothers. Fifty percent of the profits from the book will be donated to shelters for mothers and their children escaping from abusive relationships.


    Payment: If your work is accepted, you will be paid US $100 per story upon publication of the book. (Other payment options for more money are available.)


    Story guidelines: Stories will be true accounts of life’s lessons learned from one’s mother, regarding values, ethics, relationships. They should be generally positive, but may explore areas of disagreement or conflict with one’s mother.


    Maximum length is 3,000 words (no minimum).


    How to submit your story:

    E-mail (preferred): ericjbowen@comcast.net

    S-mail: Familia Books • PMB 326 • 1225 E. Sunset Dr. Ste. 145 • Bellingham, WA 98226 USA

    Include with submission: Contact information: your name, address, phone number, and email address.


    Deadline: November 30, 2008 (tentative)

    For more information: Visit www.familiabooks.com

    Three Fiction Projects at POW!erful Tales

    The fiction we're looking for currently fits into three main projects:

    POW!erful Tales

    POW!erful Tales will be an anthology of stories set in the universe of POW!'s Tripod City. Tripod City is a major metroplex on the shores of Lake Mohawk, the 7th Great Lake. It's your typical rust belt town with typical problems of urban crime and corporate corruption. Complicating these problems are super-villains (often created by the spread of the one time super-secret drug MU-T8) and of course the occasional alien invader or slumming god.

    We're looking for exciting, skillfully written superhero stories. Several planned stories are set in Tripod City, the setting for Peryton Publishing's POW! RPG, but this is not a requirement for consideration. Writers interested in using the POW! setting or characters should consult the forums. We have no real restrictions on style or content; tongue-in-cheek adventure is just as welcome as angst-driven heroism. Of course, we cannot consider stories that refer to characters owned by third parties; so please don't submit anything with your favorite comic-book heroes. Please submit your story to pow at perytonpublishing dot com as a .DOC or .RTF file attached to your e-mail.

    The deadline for POW!erful submissions is December 1st, 2008. The book is scheduled for publication in February, 2009.

    Tunnels and Trouble

    The sequel to Troll Tunnels (tentatively called Tunnels and Trouble) will need fantasy fiction of the sword and sorcery sort, maybe with some powder-punk thrown in. Gratuitous Tunnels and Trolls references are more than welcome, but not necessary. As you can see from reading the previous volume, we're looking for quality prose with atmosphere and personality, not transcripts of game sessions. Previous tales in this series have been set in Trollworld, Elder, and even Earth.

    Horror

    We're looking for creepy supernatural horror that will stay with you when long after you put the book down. No slasher flick stuff and no morality plays, please.