Horror, Humor, and Heroes (science fiction anthology)
PAYS: $50 per story
Deadline: 31 August 2011
Jim Bernheimer is doing a science fiction themed anthology under his Horror, Humor, and Heroes brand. This volume is devoted to science fiction short stories. He is looking for original works up to 5000 words. There is no overall theme and he is not picky whether it is hard sci-fi or soft sci-fi. Entertaining, well-written stories are the key.
He will provide feedback on your story, but makes no guarantees that it will be accepted for publication. Payment is $50 if your story is accepted. This is a one time only payment and not a royalty paying anthology.
If you are interested, you can go to his website www.jimbernheimer.com and fill out the contact form and he will be in touch.
Contact Information:
For inquiries: click here
Website: http://www.jimbernheimer.com
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
SHAPATO PUBLISHING, LLC
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Midwest Stories Submissions are now open for the upcoming 2012 anthology, tentatively titled Sowing Wild Oats. Word count 500 – 1600. Deadline: March 2012.
This is a small publishing company, so compensation at this time is minimal ($10-20 per essay) for the anthologies. However, if your story is chosen for publication you will also receive a short author bio to be included at the end of your story, as well as one free copy of the book. Authors may also purchase as many copies of the book in which their work is published at wholesale price, which is generally 40% off the retail price. And you'll have the publishing credit, of course, for your writing résumé!
Other Submissions Accepted:
Fiction or nonfiction. Adult stories and children's stories, as well as children's picture books.
Send submissions with SASE to:
Jean Tennant
Shapato Publishing
PO Box 476
Everly, IA 51338
For more information, visit their website.
Panverse
Panverse - All-Original Novella Anthology Series
They are now reading for Panverse Four (publication date Sept 1, 2012). They'll be reading very selectively, and submissions will remain open until the anthology is filled.
What they're looking for in Panverse Four:
Pro-level novellas of between 17,500 and 40,000 words. They are particularly interested in core SF stories, as well as Fantasy and Alternate History. With Fantasy, note that they gravitate toward urban and edgy, though they do have a weakness for non-sappy stories involving Faërie or Sidhe characters. Your story should be original and unpublished in any medium including web publication.
Depth of characterization will count for a lot—however clever the idea, if they don't care for the protagonist, they'll reject it. They like stories that instill wonder. Give them a character they care for, a world both interesting and well-developed, and a story that carries them along, and you've probably got a sale.
What they don't want in Panverse Four:
Military SF, High Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Horror, RPG, superhero, shared-universe stuff, etc. Vampires and Cthulhu-mythos stories are strongly discouraged unless you've done something absolutely original with either theme. No gratuitous or wildly excessive sex or violence: what this means is that sex or violence which serves the plot is okay, within limits; the same goes for language. Think R-rated rather than XXX-rated.
Response Time:
They'll respond to all submissions inside six weeks; if you haven't heard after that time, please ping them. If they're on the fence over a story, they'll keep you in the loop rather than leave you wondering. Yes, they've been on the other side of the slush pile, and it's their intention to maintain a gold standard in this regard.
How to Submit Stories:
Your submission should be professionally formatted, with paragraphs indented but not separated by line breaks.
Please send only your best work, and take the time to proofread and format it properly. If your submission completely ignores these guidelines or is full of typos, they're unlikely to read it. Please send them only one story at a time. No simultaneous or multiple submissions.
NO 'BOOK BLURB', please: I don't want to know in advance what the story's about! There's no better way to annoy me in a submission than to ignore this rule.
A cover letter is optional, but please keep it very short.
If they really, really like a story but feel some edits or rewriting are needed, they'll make suggestions and discuss them with you rather than just bounce the story outright. They're doing this because they want to help you make this story the best it can be. If you're not open to constructive editing, don't submit to them.
Finally, please don't expect critiques or reasons for rejection. If your story is rejected, it's probably because it either doesn't conform to their needs, or doesn't grab them enough to make them want to publish it.
Email them your submission at pansubs (at) gmail (dot) com as an attachment in either docx, doc, or rtf format. Write SUBMISSION: (Story Name) in the subject line. Stories pasted into the email will be deleted. Please don't attach anything except the story.
Payment and rights:
Each contributor will receive $75 on publication. They buy FNASR for a period of one year.
Here's the deal: they're working on a shoestring, and they're going to be to spending time and money on getting this series—and YOU—noticed. Expect reviews in LOCUS, TANGENT ONLINE, ASIMOV'S and several other prominent venues; they'll blog about this anthology, notify everyone on their large email list, and generally market their butts off; and of course Panverse Four will be available in all digital formats via Amazon.com and other online outlets.
If you're thinking, "Waitaminnit! The pro mags would pay me 6 cents a word!" by all means try them first—they're rooting for you! But the sad truth is that the very few remaining pro markets between them only have room for maybe 10-15 novellas a year, and they're not known for taking chances on novellas by new authors.
Panverse, on the other hand, exists primarily to publish authors writing at these longer lengths, and their titles have received several excellent reviews in LOCUS, ASIMOV'S and elsewhere. Stories from Panverse Two made both the LOCUS and TANGENT ONLINE reading lists, and Alan Smale's AH story, 'A Clash of Eagles,' is currently on the shortlist for the 2011 Sidewise Award.
The Panverse series is the premier anthology for all-original SF/F novellas in the market today. Check their website for more details.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Chicken Soup Stress Anthology
Deadline for this Chicken Soup title is August 7 and payment is $200.
*Chicken Soup for the Soul: Say Goodbye to Stress!
Manage Your Problems, Big and Small, Every Day
*Everyone feels stressed out at some point in their lives. Many people have trouble getting their stress under control and are looking for help. We're seeking stories about people who have felt or feel stressed out, found a way to resolve their stress, learned to rethink their stress, improved their lives by handling stress, etc. We are interested in normal Chicken Soup for the Soul stories on this issue. Your stories will provide the inspiration and comfort to those who are stressed out, and Dr. Brown will provide the hard medical facts.
Here are some possible story topics, just to get your creative juices
flowing:
* How you managed the stress of a new baby
* How you got through a divorce
* How you held it together while planning an elaborate wedding with 300 guests
* What advice would you give to someone who has a difficult work situation
* What got you through tough financial times without falling apart
* How you learned to let go of anxiety and worry
* How you turned stress around and made it work for you
* Learning meditation helped you feel calmer and more focused on the important stuff
* Silver linings
* And any other topic you think would be helpful to someone else who wants to get their stress level under control
*SUBMISSIONS GO TO: http://chickensoup. com
*Chicken Soup for the Soul: Say Goodbye to Stress!
Manage Your Problems, Big and Small, Every Day
*Everyone feels stressed out at some point in their lives. Many people have trouble getting their stress under control and are looking for help. We're seeking stories about people who have felt or feel stressed out, found a way to resolve their stress, learned to rethink their stress, improved their lives by handling stress, etc. We are interested in normal Chicken Soup for the Soul stories on this issue. Your stories will provide the inspiration and comfort to those who are stressed out, and Dr. Brown will provide the hard medical facts.
Here are some possible story topics, just to get your creative juices
flowing:
* How you managed the stress of a new baby
* How you got through a divorce
* How you held it together while planning an elaborate wedding with 300 guests
* What advice would you give to someone who has a difficult work situation
* What got you through tough financial times without falling apart
* How you learned to let go of anxiety and worry
* How you turned stress around and made it work for you
* Learning meditation helped you feel calmer and more focused on the important stuff
* Silver linings
* And any other topic you think would be helpful to someone else who wants to get their stress level under control
*SUBMISSIONS GO TO: http://chickensoup. com
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Non-fiction Colorado Anthology
Stephen J. Leonard (Metropolitan State College of Denver) and Thomas J. Noel (University of Colorado at Denver ), General Editors
The University Press of Colorado is accepting manuscripts for publication in Timberline Books, a series of nonfiction prose works about the state of Colorado . Books in the series will be selected from across a variety of fields, including architecture, the arts, biography, communications, economics, education, ethnic studies, gender studies, geographies, government, history, institutions, literature, recreation, religion, sociology, sports, tourism, and transportation.
Submissions should be addressed for the series and directed to: Darrin Pratt, Acquiring Editor & Director University Press of Colorado 5589 Arapahoe Ave. #206C Boulder , CO 80303
All proposals for the Mesoamerican Worlds Series should follow the press submission guidelines , and submission will be evaluated by the press acquisitions staff, the series editors and/or editorial board, as well as outside experts.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
A Quiet Shelter There Anthology
A Quiet Shelter There
An anthology of speculative stories about companion or service animals.
Submissions Guidelines
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Mahatma Gandhi
A Quiet Shelter There. An estimated four million unwanted dogs and cats are euthanized every year in the United States.
Throughout the country, animal shelters, humane societies, and other rescue groups are working to change this by helping
homeless animals find forever homes, healing those that are sick or injured, providing training and socialization for those that
need it, and working toward a future in which there are no more homeless pets. This anthology directly benefits one of those
shelters, Friends of Homeless Animals (http://www.foha.org), which has rescued and placed dogs and cats in the Washington
D.C. metro area since 1973. In 2010, even with limited funding due to the downturn in the economy, FOHA found homes for
350 dogs and 150 cats, including hard-to-place FIV positive cats, and they routinely house over 100 dogs and 50 cats at
their shelter in rural Northern Virginia. 70 percent of the profits for A Quiet Shelter There will be donated to FOHA--other
shelters across the country will be able to buy the book at a discounted price if they want to use it for fundraising.
We are looking for: Stories about companion or service animals. We expect most of the stories to be about cats or dogs,
but will not rule out stories that deal with other animals. We will accept fiction and poetry only. No essays. No nonfiction
articles. Preference will be given to speculative fiction: science fiction, fantasy, horror, magical realism, etc. But we will also
consider other kinds of fiction, including (and especially) humor. While we welcome poetry submissions, we will probably not
use very many poems in the book. The submission can be from an animal's point of view, or it can be a more traditional
story that features or deals with animals in some way. We are open to seeing what you have to offer--just don't make us
work too hard trying to figure out how your story fits our theme. (Please query if you aren't sure if your idea will work within
the guidelines. Email address is below. Put QUERY in the subject line.)
Electronic submissions only: Do NOT send attachments. Emails sent with attachments will be deleted unread. Send the
story in the body of the email. Please double space between paragraphs, single space your text, and put some kind of
indicator between sections--no other fancy formatting is required. Please do NOT press Enter at the end of each line--let the
words wrap naturally. We will acknowledge receipt of each submission. If you do not receive an acknowledgement within five
days, please query to see if we received your sub (glitches do happen).
Please include a short bio of yourself with your submission, 100 words or less. New authors will definitely be considered, so
if this will be your first sale, don't be afraid to say that.
No simultaneous or multiple submissions.
Query first before submitting reprints.
Submissions must be in English, and contributors must be 18 or older.
Submission dates: May 1 to August 31, 2011.
Length: 1000 to 4000 words, query for longer or shorter.
Payment: By PayPal. $10.00 US for stories, $5.00 US for poems--you may choose to donate your payment to the shelter.
You will also receive one copy of the book; extra copies of the book will be available at a special author's price.
Other Important items: Stories will be judged based on merit. You do not have to have been published for your story to be
accepted, but we strongly recommend that you have the story critiqued or workshopped and please send good, tight, clean
prose. The editor has certain preferences--even, dare we say it, quirks (read: strong biases). Check out her blog to see
comments on these and read updates on anthology submissions.
No media tie-ins such as Star Trek (R), etc. (only the studios can authorize those) will be accepted. No using someone
else's literary creations (Big Red, for example) unless you are sure it is in the public domain (and can point us to where it
says it is--most literary characters are not: heirs have a habit of renewing copyrights).
We’re not looking for anything beyond mild language unless absolutely crucial to the plot. No gratuitous sex or graphic
violence. This book will be for all ages.
Where to send your submission:
Editor: Gerri Leen
An anthology of speculative stories about companion or service animals.
Submissions Guidelines
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Mahatma Gandhi
A Quiet Shelter There. An estimated four million unwanted dogs and cats are euthanized every year in the United States.
Throughout the country, animal shelters, humane societies, and other rescue groups are working to change this by helping
homeless animals find forever homes, healing those that are sick or injured, providing training and socialization for those that
need it, and working toward a future in which there are no more homeless pets. This anthology directly benefits one of those
shelters, Friends of Homeless Animals (http://www.foha.org), which has rescued and placed dogs and cats in the Washington
D.C. metro area since 1973. In 2010, even with limited funding due to the downturn in the economy, FOHA found homes for
350 dogs and 150 cats, including hard-to-place FIV positive cats, and they routinely house over 100 dogs and 50 cats at
their shelter in rural Northern Virginia. 70 percent of the profits for A Quiet Shelter There will be donated to FOHA--other
shelters across the country will be able to buy the book at a discounted price if they want to use it for fundraising.
We are looking for: Stories about companion or service animals. We expect most of the stories to be about cats or dogs,
but will not rule out stories that deal with other animals. We will accept fiction and poetry only. No essays. No nonfiction
articles. Preference will be given to speculative fiction: science fiction, fantasy, horror, magical realism, etc. But we will also
consider other kinds of fiction, including (and especially) humor. While we welcome poetry submissions, we will probably not
use very many poems in the book. The submission can be from an animal's point of view, or it can be a more traditional
story that features or deals with animals in some way. We are open to seeing what you have to offer--just don't make us
work too hard trying to figure out how your story fits our theme. (Please query if you aren't sure if your idea will work within
the guidelines. Email address is below. Put QUERY in the subject line.)
Electronic submissions only: Do NOT send attachments. Emails sent with attachments will be deleted unread. Send the
story in the body of the email. Please double space between paragraphs, single space your text, and put some kind of
indicator between sections--no other fancy formatting is required. Please do NOT press Enter at the end of each line--let the
words wrap naturally. We will acknowledge receipt of each submission. If you do not receive an acknowledgement within five
days, please query to see if we received your sub (glitches do happen).
Please include a short bio of yourself with your submission, 100 words or less. New authors will definitely be considered, so
if this will be your first sale, don't be afraid to say that.
No simultaneous or multiple submissions.
Query first before submitting reprints.
Submissions must be in English, and contributors must be 18 or older.
Submission dates: May 1 to August 31, 2011.
Length: 1000 to 4000 words, query for longer or shorter.
Payment: By PayPal. $10.00 US for stories, $5.00 US for poems--you may choose to donate your payment to the shelter.
You will also receive one copy of the book; extra copies of the book will be available at a special author's price.
Other Important items: Stories will be judged based on merit. You do not have to have been published for your story to be
accepted, but we strongly recommend that you have the story critiqued or workshopped and please send good, tight, clean
prose. The editor has certain preferences--even, dare we say it, quirks (read: strong biases). Check out her blog to see
comments on these and read updates on anthology submissions.
No media tie-ins such as Star Trek (R), etc. (only the studios can authorize those) will be accepted. No using someone
else's literary creations (Big Red, for example) unless you are sure it is in the public domain (and can point us to where it
says it is--most literary characters are not: heirs have a habit of renewing copyrights).
We’re not looking for anything beyond mild language unless absolutely crucial to the plot. No gratuitous sex or graphic
violence. This book will be for all ages.
Where to send your submission:
Editor: Gerri Leen
Sunday, January 16, 2011
FRIGHTMARES! FLASH FICTION ANTHOLOGY CONTEST
Submission to this anthology is open to all writers, published or unpublished as long as you hold the copyright to your story. The story style does not matter as long as it is a horror tale and does not exceed 500 words. Submissions for Frightmares! will be accepted until the volume has been filled. They estimate a release date of Fall 2011 which means a closing date of approximately July 2011. Five authors will be awarded cash prizes.
1st Place - $100
2nd Place - $50
3rd Place - $25
4th Place - $15
Random Drawing - $50
For more information visit the Frightmares website.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Downstate Story Journal
Deadline: 30 June of each year
Writers Guidelines:
* Downstate Story is published every fall. Each issue contains 10 original short stories and original illustrations. We accept a variety of genres so that every reader who looks at Downstate Story will find something fascinating.
* The deadline is always June 30.
* Meanwhile we also promote Downstate Story, as well as the reading of fiction in general. We hold readings, and our writers have read and been interviewed on radio and TV.
* As a not-for-profit venture, our goal is to break even financially through sales, so that Downstate Story can support itself and need not depend on subsidies, grants or advertising - though we're flexible, and not ruling these out entirely. People can help by mentioning Downstate Story and similar publications to friends, encouraging libraries to order copies, or buying copies for themselves or friends. It costs $8, postpaid in the USA, and makes a good gift. Add $2 more for non-USA postage. You can reach an order blank at the end of this page.
* We encourage potential contributors to buy a copy to support the magazine, and to become familiar with it.
* Story guidelines, in general: short fiction or narrative written to the standards of fiction, under 2000 words, never published before. Shorter is better. We prefer some connection with Illinois or the Midwest. We also need illustrators. All contributors are paid $50 on acceptance for their work. We buy first rights, including Internet publication. Anyone can submit work.
* Please enclose an SASE for a response. In this age of cheap copies we do NOT return manuscripts. We do NOT accept e-mail manuscripts, but we REQUIRE correspondance via e-mail for the speed and cost savings. If you plan to send us a manuscript, be sure you have access to e-mail. All manuscripts should have a valid e-mail address, as well as a valid phone number on the manuscript itself!
* We notify all authors of our decisions in late fall. Don't call us -- we will notify you!
Send manuscripts to:
Downstate Story
1825 Maple Ridge
Peoria, IL 61614
Questions? Email ehopkins7@prodigy.net
Writers Guidelines:
* Downstate Story is published every fall. Each issue contains 10 original short stories and original illustrations. We accept a variety of genres so that every reader who looks at Downstate Story will find something fascinating.
* The deadline is always June 30.
* Meanwhile we also promote Downstate Story, as well as the reading of fiction in general. We hold readings, and our writers have read and been interviewed on radio and TV.
* As a not-for-profit venture, our goal is to break even financially through sales, so that Downstate Story can support itself and need not depend on subsidies, grants or advertising - though we're flexible, and not ruling these out entirely. People can help by mentioning Downstate Story and similar publications to friends, encouraging libraries to order copies, or buying copies for themselves or friends. It costs $8, postpaid in the USA, and makes a good gift. Add $2 more for non-USA postage. You can reach an order blank at the end of this page.
* We encourage potential contributors to buy a copy to support the magazine, and to become familiar with it.
* Story guidelines, in general: short fiction or narrative written to the standards of fiction, under 2000 words, never published before. Shorter is better. We prefer some connection with Illinois or the Midwest. We also need illustrators. All contributors are paid $50 on acceptance for their work. We buy first rights, including Internet publication. Anyone can submit work.
* Please enclose an SASE for a response. In this age of cheap copies we do NOT return manuscripts. We do NOT accept e-mail manuscripts, but we REQUIRE correspondance via e-mail for the speed and cost savings. If you plan to send us a manuscript, be sure you have access to e-mail. All manuscripts should have a valid e-mail address, as well as a valid phone number on the manuscript itself!
* We notify all authors of our decisions in late fall. Don't call us -- we will notify you!
Send manuscripts to:
Downstate Story
1825 Maple Ridge
Peoria, IL 61614
Questions? Email ehopkins7@prodigy.net
Friday, January 7, 2011
Beta City, POW!erful Tale
The first book about the superhumans of
POW!erful Tales ended with the threat of an alien invasion--and the implication that meeting this threat was the reason for
They are looking for finely-crafted tales of superhero fiction, set during the invasion of
That said, stories need to keep the following invasion timeline in mind. While an ingenious story will get you past almost any requirement, you have to fit into the book somewhere. Your story should take place during one of the sets of events listed in the timeline below. You can stretch your story across more than one if you desire, but it's not recommended; doing so makes it harder to place your story, and lowers your chance of acceptance. Also keep in mind that they will probably need more stories from the middle than from either end; stories set at the beginning or end of the invasion will probably have fewer competitors, but will be competing for fewer spots.
INVASION TIMELINE
1. The first ships arrive. Stories set in this period should start with things relatively normal, and in some manner touch on the chaos as the invasion begins and no one yet knows what is happening.
2. Conventional forces, aided by superheroes, attempt to stave off the invasion before it can get a foothold on the ground -- and fail.
3. The invasion fleet has landed. Superheroes continue to fight on their own, or conduct guerilla actions as the Gehennan forces establish themselves in
4. The invasion has succeeded and
5. The resistance becomes organized. Superheroes (perhaps working with surviving military or even some of their old supervillain enemies) have become resistance cells, and are working together to disrupt the occupation.
6. The resistance launches a counterattack. Together the heroes assault the occupation headquarters on a do-or-die mission to finish off Kharsear or drive him away. Note that the main story dealing with the counterattack has already been assigned; submitted stories can take place at the same time, but the final battle itself will be resolved elsewhere.
WHAT THEY DON'T WANT
One thing they're not looking for this time is the ironic, tongue-in-cheek sort of superhero story that brings out the various tropes of the genre in order to poke fun at them. Those kinds of stories can be enjoyable -- they published a few in POW!erful Tales -- but for this book they're looking for stories that take the genre seriously and try to make it cool and exciting. Light-hearted and comedic are acceptable, but try to work within the genre.
Another unacceptable category is fan fiction. No characters (or anything else) owned by third parties, please. Not even the most vague or oblique reference is acceptable. They love the classic heroes of comics too, but they're not authorized to include them here.
FORMATTING YOUR SUBMISSION
Include a cover letter in the body of your e-mail with a brief (and I do mean brief) bit about yourself and your publication history. Please indicate in which part of the timeline your story is set (just the number from the timeline is enough).
Word Limit: 1000 - 8000 words
Deadline:
Payment: 1 cent per word + 1 contributor’s copy
Reprints: No
Multiple Submissions: No
Simultaneous Submissions: No
Postal Submissions: No
Format: Use standard manuscript format. If you don’t know what this is, find out quickly.
Send the story as an .RTF file to betacityantho@gmail.com with the story title, your name, and the word count in the subject line. You should get a “story received” email within a week. After that, you may not hear from me until submissions close. Stories may be rejected before the deadline, but no stories will be accepted until after the deadline. You may only get one shot, so send in your best work!
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