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Submission to this anthology is open to all writers, published or unpublished as long as you hold the copyright to your story.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.

Tremblers - A Brand New Market

Trembles is a brand new horror magazine slated for its first release in January 2011 and released 5 times a year (Jan., Mar., May., July., and Sept.) with a double year-end issue in November. The publication will appear online and in electronic and print form and all stories accepted will cross into all three formats.

Guidelines

Horror. Simple as that. To give you an idea of what to send, some authors we like are Brian Keene, Peter Straub, Stephen King, Richard Laymon, Clive Barker, Shirley Jackson, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft.

• Flash Fiction (1,000 words or less)
• Short Story (1,001 to 6,000 words)
• Poetry (up to 50 lines)

Format

Please send manuscripts as a .DOC, .DOCX or .RTF attachment totrembleshorrormag@gmail.com with a cover letter in the body of an e-mail. Do not send your manuscript in the body of an e-mail, it will automatically be deleted. Make sure your manuscript uses standard formatting like 12-pt New Time Roman font and double-spacing. On the first page of your manuscript, please include your name, address, phone and e-mail in the upper-left corner and the word count rounded to the nearest hundred in the upper-right.

Payment

Trembles provides a token payment of $5 for short stories and $2 for flash fiction and poetry in exchange for First North American Serial rights. You will also receive a contributor’s copy in electronic form.

Please send any questions to the above e-mail address.

THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE: HORROR IN RURAL AMERICA

We are looking for horror/suspense/mystery/supernatural stories that take place in rural America. Other genres are okay as long as the main theme is dark and/or disturbing. Think farmland. Think abandoned buildings. Think small towns with nosy neighbors. Think malevolence in middle America. Think long, creepy country roads. Most importantly, think outside the box!

Traditional monsters (vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches, mummies, etc.) Are welcome as long as presented in a fresh and interesting way. For more information, check our website at Pill Hill Press.

Two Anthologies: Vacationland and Speculationland

This will be a pair of sister publications devoted to all that is Maine:

Vacationland will feature mainstream/literary stories.

Speculationland will feature SF, fantasy, or horror, having some sort of speculative element.

I'm doing two volumes because people who prefer mainstream fiction aren't likely to appreciate spec fiction, and spec-fic readers won't likely be too excited about mainstream fiction.

Stories must take place in Maine, or at the very least be a central part of the story (say, a character from Maine living in California or on Mars and wishing he were home). Stories should absolutely reflect what Maine is all about in some way--either through historical exposition, or focusing on things that typify Maine: lobster, County potatoes, Bar Harbor, Mt. Katahdin, or whatever.

The subject matter is entirely up to you, so long as you observe what I consider a story to be (which you'll read about on the next page). I mention this here because, in doing a mainstream-fiction anthology, I know I'll be inundated with piles of "stories" that are little more than slices of life. I don't want scenes; I don't want pieces of a character's day; I want stories that accomplish something and arrive somewhere, with characters who grow and change in some way.

Despite my background in speculative fiction, I have written some mainstream stuff. But I haven't worked on an all-mainstream anthology, so this will be a learning experience for me. For writers, know that what appeals to me are stories with bite, with grab, with visuals, with ideas that make me say "Wow!" That's what I like about sci-fi and fantasy and horror, which can bring a certain edge that mainstream stuff cannot. As such, it will be your job to create really vivid characters--make me feel so sucked into your story that I must finish it, even if there aren't spaceships or dragons or werewolves there to bring that sense of wonder to the tale.

I will give a strong preference for Maine authors. Non-Maine authors should be originally from Maine, frequent Maine, or have some other powerful Maine connection. When it comes down to choosing between two excellent stories, the Maine authors will always have the edge.


I don't want stories by people who obviously have no idea of what the flavor of Maine is. I also don't want 500 submissions that take place entirely in Bar Harbor or along the coast or in Portland's Old Port. There is much more to Maine than those things, despite what the tourists think. There are mountains and hiking trails, whitewater rivers, fields of potatoes and blueberries, the Golden Road, the expanse of Baxter State Park. And there's a load of history everywhere you go. So what I don't want is a pile of stories about lobster feasts and clambakes--strive to be as original as you can imagine. Envision what the masses are likely to write about, and then choose something you don't think anyone will write about.

Stories from 3,000 to 9,000 words; however, I am unlikely to accept long stories unless they are very, very good. Long stories mean multiple shorter stories won't make the cut. So, make sure the longer it is, the better it is. Ideally, I'd like to see stories in the 4,000-6,000-word range.

Deadline for submissions is November 30, 2009. My goal is publication in early 2010, with a secondary goal to have copies available for the summer tourist traffic.

Interested?
Click here to learn more.

Shadows of the Emerald City.

Submission period ending: July 31^st, 2009.

POD Anthology.

No other story has touched as many hearts and endeared itself into the American fabric as 'The Wizard of Oz' by L. Frank Baum. Often toted as America's first Fairy Tale, this heartwarming classic has been made and remade again and again across every medium known to man. The themes are timeless, the characters themselves beloved.

And now, here is your chance to rip that all to bloody, meaty pieces.

Like all fairy tales, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has one foot rooted in the fantastic, and the other foot planted in blood. There are some very adult themes taken lightly in this novel, themes of child abduction, murder, cannibalism, torture, witchcraft, and more. Shadows DO fall in the Emerald City, and where they are their darkest is where you will find the true terror of Oz.

What we want to see are horror stories based on the world of Oz. This includes the characters, the settings, the world itself. We're deconstructing an American institution, so we'd like to see what you can come up with. Blood and gore, or explicit sex? By all means. As long as it reads as part of the natural progression of the story and not some fucked up penthouse letter.

Scare us. Disgust us. More than anything though, give us a reason to turn the page.

Tentative Publication Date: Fall 2009.

Particulars

Stories should come in under 10k words. Now I say should, because I�m not going to leave something amazing on the floor because it's 11k words, but it had better be something very special to be seriously considered. Anything in the 5-10k range is perfect. Unpublished work preferred, but please query if you have a previously published work that you think would fit this collection.

Payment

Payment is $20.00 US and 1 contributor copy, paid on publication. I am paying for the right to use your stories one time (AKA ONE TIME WORLD WIDE RIGHTS) for this particular short story collection, and all rights will revert back to you upon publication.

Submission Format

Please send all stories, questions, and complaints BY EMAIL ONLY to ozhorror @ gmail.com. Please remove the spaces prior to mailing. or click the TWO handy links I created just for you. Standard submission format is acceptable. RTF files only please. Return time will be <4>

Horror eBook anthology - "Vermin"

Reading period will be April 15th - July 15th 2009

Stories submitted before the reading date or after the reading dates will be returned unread, NO EXCEPTIONS!

What the "Vermin" anthology's theme will be...

Stories about those tiny, menacing feet inside the walls, creatures watching you from the darkenss of the halls at midnight... you tell me, and make it creepy! And PLEASE no generic 'rat-creature in the attic, kills the exterminator, etc.' tales... be original!

Length and submission...

We are looking for tales in the 2,500-7,500 word range. Nothing more, nothing less. We will return (unread) anything not within these guidelines. You can submit a story as either an attachment to the e-mail address in Word or in the body of an e-mail. We do NOT accept snail mail. Please put "Vermin Sub" in the subject of the e-mail and give a word count in the e-mail itself, even if the story also has it listed. Our reading time is usually 6-8 weeks NO multiple submissions, NO exceptions. Reprints accepted.

Payment info...

We pay a flat $3.00 for each story accepted via PayPal. That's it. We are a brand new eBook-only publisher looking to get the name out there and get some quality releases under our belts without making the mistake of so many other small-press publishers and overdoing it in the beginning. We pay everyone once the anthology has been officially filled. If this is acceptable, kindly submit to us.

rymfireebooks@gmail.com

Butcher Knives & Body Counts

Butcher Knives & Body Counts: Essays on the Formula, Frights, and Fun of the Slasher Film

From meat cleavers and machetes to summer camp carnage and sorority house massacres, from final girls and scream queens to demented deviants and dead teenagers, slasher films turned body counts into box office gold. It’s the oft-maligned - but surprisingly durable - sub-genre of horror films that uses a Freudian rulebook and bases the survival rates of its characters on vice and virtue. From the low-budget aesthetics of the 70’s and 80’s to the self-referential gloss of the 90’s and beyond, Butcher Knives & Body Counts will explore the archetype of the slasher film and trace its evolution from formula to franchise. From the inventive kills and the gory intestine spills right down to the last tagline and toe tag, Butcher Knives & Body Counts will celebrate the enduring formula, frights, and fun of slasher movies.

The project will be less a “guide” - what most would immediately associate with encapsulated reviews - and more a comprehensive collection of critical essays on the slasher film genre. In addition to opportunities for analyses of individual films, DSP is also looking for essays on various aspects of the slasher film genre. We anticipate those essays dealing with individual films to be in the 1,000- to 1,500-word range, with a slightly larger word range and some added flexibility for essays pertaining to the more general aspects of the genre.

As we did with our Unspeakable Horror anthology, Dark Scribe Press has established a dedicated blog for the project where submission guidelines, tips, and announcements will be posted. We have also posted at left of the blog a list of films already covered and a “wish list” of films we’re looking to have covered. We also offer some suggested topics that will give potential contributors an idea of what we’re open to in relation to the broader essays.

Butcher Knives & Body Counts: Essays on the Formula, Frights, and Fun of the Slasher Film will be a comprehensive non-fiction collection of essays on the slasher genre and its films, due for publication by Dark Scribe Press in the first quarter of 2010.

We’ve taken great care to compose submission guidelines that are detailed and as all-encompassing as possible. Please take the time to read through the following guidelines in their entirety before contacting us with questions.

We have two primary needs for this project:

I. Essays on Individual Films: 1,000 to 1,500 words on individual slasher films. Please note the lists at left which provide a directory of films already covered and those we’re especially interested in. This second list is not all-inclusive of our interests and we are open to essays on slasher films not on our list.

There are three distinct elements that we are looking for in the essays covering individual films:

* A strong angle or approach to the film. This angle should be clearly communicated within a catchy, creative subtitle;
* Passion for the film and the writer’s ability to articulate the film’s enduring appeal and how it contributed to the genre;
* A balanced integration of film theory/commentary and tribute/personal anecdote. We want to read essays in which the writer connects with a chosen film in a personal way.

Considerations before Submitting:

* We are not looking for encapsulated reviews. Elements of plot synopsis should be well-integrated into the essay and inconspicuous to the reader;
* We are open to single essays that take on two films, if the films have a direct relation such as sequels or remakes.

II. Essays on the Slasher Genre: 1,000 to 2,000 (query first for longer) words on the slasher genre or elements of the genre. We are looking for engaging essays that explore the formula and psychology of the slasher film, the history and evolution of the slasher, individual elements of the slasher, the influence of the slasher film in popular culture, the sociological exploration of the slasher from alternate perspectives (i.e. race, religion, sexual orientation), sub-genres of the slasher (subhuman slashers, hospital/medical slashers, summer camp slashers, etc.), comparative analyses that examine originals versus remakes (see above) or take on particular characters (villains, victims, or heroes/heroines), and trends in the slasher genre (i.e. remakes).

There are two distinct elements that we are looking for in the essays covering individual films:

* Ingenuity of topic and approach to subject matter is going to impress us. Think sub-genres and narrow (versus obscure) focuses;
* We want thought-provoking essays that take a more learned, well-read style than scholarly textbook approach to the subject matter. Think well-articulated pop culture versus academic recitation, cerebral but accessible.

General Tips:

* Passion will be key for any writer interested in becoming part of this project. We love slasher films - so you won’t be able to fake your enthusiasm(!).

Payment: $0.05 (five cents) per word for original essays upon contract for FNAR. $0.02 (two cents) per word for reprints. For the purposes of payment consideration, works having previously appeared as part of blogs and other electronic or web-based publications will be considered reprints.

Submission Specifics:

Reading Period:

* Exclusive Call Period: In our efforts to support and encourage support of the professional writing organizations working on behalf of dark genre literature, members (at any level) of the following writing organizations will have a two-month exclusive submissions period beginning November 1st through December 31st: Horror Writers Association (HWA), International Thriller Writers (ITW), Mystery Writers of America (MWA), and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Writers of these professional organizations should note their affiliation and status in their cover letters. Writers from other professional writing associations not listed above should query first.
* Open Call for Submissions: We welcome submissions from all writers beginning January 1st, 2009.
* The submission period ends April 30th, 2009.

Notification of Writers:

* Email confirmations will be sent upon submission. If you do not receive a confirmation that your submission has been received after two weeks, first check your Spam folder and then drop us a line. We’ve also taken the time to create this project-specific blog in an effort to communicate with writers. Please bookmark the page and check back for updates on where we stand with submissions.
* Expect to hear back on your submission(s) between 60 and 90 days from the date of confirmation. Essays will be either accepted or rejected outright, or we may ask to hold an essay until the end of our reading period. We realize that 6-8 months is a long period to ask to hold onto a particular essay, but because of the nature of this project we anticipate several submissions per film. At DSP, we realize that a writer’s time is money. If you receive an email from us asking to hold onto your submission until the end of the process and don’t want to tie up your work that long, simply let us know and we’ll take the piece out of consideration and release it back to you with our best wishes.

Formatting Submissions:

* Send as Word attachments only - do not send submissions in the body of an email or as any other type of attachment
* Use Courier, 12-point font
* Single space body of essay
* 5-space indent at beginning of new paragraphs
* No manual page or section breaks
* No extra spacing between paragraphs - the 5-space indent will tell us where a new paragraph begins
* Use 1-inch margins - this includes top, bottom, left and right
* Film titles within essays are to be italicized - do not use all caps or bold
* Working title of essay center on first page - do not use italics or all caps, no quotations
* For film essays, title should include film title and subtitle that communicates the angle of the essay separated by a colon.

Examples:
Curtains: Paging Agatha Christie
A Nightmare on Elm Street: No Sympathy for This Devil

* No headers or footers
* No page numbers
* At the top of the first page in the left-hand corner, single-spaced, please include the following information:

Name
Street Address
City
State
Zip Code
Email Address
Word
Count (body of submission, excluding title)

Multiple / Simultaneous Submissions:

* We will accept multiple submissions. Limit of (3) submissions per author. Send up to three at one time, but kindly wait until you hear back on one or more of your submissions before sending another.
* No simultaneous submissions.

Sending Submissions:

* Include a short cover letter in the body of your email with the film or topic your submission covers, 2-3 sentences describing the essay’s unique perspective, and a brief bio. For those submitting between November 1st and December 31st, please note your professional writing organization affiliation.
* Our plans for this project include interspersing first-person blurbs and anecdotes about the various films covered in between the essays. Kindly note any connections or contacts you may have with anyone involved with a specific film. While helpful to us, this is in no way a prerequisite to submission.
* Send submissions via email only to DSPsubmissions(at)AOL(dot)com.

Questions:

* Questions? Hopefully, we’ve covered all bases with these guidelines. If not and there is a pressing need for information, you may contact us at darkscribepress(at)AOL(dot)com. Due to time constraints, it may not be possible to answer questions individually. We will, however, compile questions and answer them here on the blog. Bookmark and check back often.
* Please do not email us asking if a particular film has been covered. Once we have made a final decision regarding an essay dealing with a particular film, the title will be added to our “Films Already Covered” list at left. Until then, all films are fair game. Again, check the blog often. If we receive a dozen essays dealing with The Burning, we may note that on the blog to discourage additional submissions on that film.
* Please note that queries about specific films are not required prior to submission. Films are not being “assigned” to particular writers (unless by invitation) and all films are up for grabs. There is no “first come, first served” aspect to the process. Writers are simply invited and encouraged to write about whichever film(s) or topic(s) interest them and to submit their best work. There will be an editorial selection process, meaning (for example) that if four essays are submitted on the film Motel Hell, we will choose the one that best fits our criteria and needs and will pass on the other three. As with most open calls for submissions, this is a competitive process versus calling dibs.

HIDEOUS EVERMORE HORROR ANTHOLOGY

Shadow City Press is seeking short story submissions for an anthology of modern day, creature-themed horror tales entitled Hideous Evermore. We are looking for edgy, thought-provoking dark genre fiction—horror only. We are not interested in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, or splatter punk for this anthology. What we are seeking are stories about creatures of unknown origin that have rarely been read about in horror fiction (however, please avoid stories that only present the origin of the villain/beast). We do not want stories about zombies, vampires, werewolves, mummies, ghosts, psychopaths/serial killers, or any of the other horror clichés. Though many writers can present these types of characters in a new light, this anthology is focused on an original breed of creature to provoke the minds of readers.

At the heart of all submissions should be a theme of hideous terror. Scare us with something we’ve never seen! Generally, if you read your manuscript and it scares you, then it is probably a good fit for this anthology. In addition, we pride ourselves in publishing works that contain strong characters. Make your characters believable! Make us feel their struggles! Sex and gore are fine as long as they are an integral part of the story.

At Shadow City Press, we believe that horror is meant to frighten, disquiet, and strike deeply at the darkest places in the reader’s soul. Therefore, we ask that you only submit your darkest tales to us. If we do not like the tale, we will kindly pass on it. Submissions that do not adhere to the guidelines presented here, will automatically be discarded.

Submissions should be between 1,000 and 3,500 words. Payment for accepted stories is 1 cent per word and one contributor’s copy of Hideous Evermore upon publication. We will acquire first-time North American rights for original works, to appear in our anthology Hideous Evermore, slated for release in the Spring/Summer of 2009.

We are not accepting simultaneous submissions or reprints.

All electronic submissions should be in the following standard manuscript format:

· Microsoft Word Document (.doc)

· 12pt Courier New Font

· Double-spaced

· First page should include Author contact info, title of work, byline, and word count

· Last Name, Title, Page Number on upper right of every page after first page

ALL stories should be well-crafted. Numerous spelling errors will work against you. Take the time to edit your work before submitting!

As editor, we have chosen our first published author, Andrew Wolter (author of Nightfall) to head-up this anthology. Andrew is a great writer and has a good eye for well-constructed stories and characters. Please email your query/cover letter AND attachment to him with the subject line: Hideous Evermore Submission. It is important that you email both Andrew and Seth Drake (editor at Shadow City Press), so that all lines of communication remain open. Therefore, email your electronic submissions to andrew@andrewwolter.com and editor@shadowcitypress.com. Once you have sent your email, you should receive a response from Shadow City Press within 1 day that we received your submission. Once we have confirmed receipt of your submission, please allow 30 to 60 days for a response. If your story is rejected, we will do our best to give you feedback. However, we kindly ask that you don’t argue with our rejection. Our guidelines are stringent. We prefer that all writers we work with display the same respect and professionalism that we give.

We will be open to submissions for our Hideous Evermore anthology now until March 31, 2009.

Should you have any questions, email Seth Drake at editor@shadowcitypress.com.

GENERAL SUBMISSIONS

Shadow City Press is currently open to submissions via invitation only. We have a strong team of publishing scouts who search for our authors through buzz created via Internet message boards, author web sites and popular sites such as MySpace. We hope to be offering general submission guidelines in the future.

Since we primarily focus on providing limited edition books to a vast audience, we can currently only do so on an author by author basis.

Feel free to check back to our website on a regular basis to view the latest author/book we are promoting and our future publishing criteria.

Return of the Raven

Submission Guidelines for Upcoming Anthology

Horror Bound Online Magazine publications is announcing a call for submissions for a future anthology called Return of the Raven. (temporary title only).

This is a tribute to the master of Horror, Edgar Allan Poe. If you are inspired by the work of the master and his themes, tone, characterization and style then read on:

Preference will be given to:
*paranormal themes
*psi phenomena
*spooky, ghostly tales
*psychological horror
*both short stories and poetry

LENGTH
3,000-7,000 words (for short stories)

DEADLINE
We will be reading immediately. Deadline for submissions is March 31st, 2009 or until the anthology is filled.

PAYMENT
0.01 cents (CAN) per word. Payment made upon publication. You must have a paypal account. Money will be deposited into that account.

PRINT RIGHTS
First print rights, exclusive print rights for three years from time of publication. Author retains copyright. No reprints please.

HOW DO I KNOW YOU’VE RECEIVED MY SUBMISSIONS?
Within one (1) week of your submission, you'll receive an e-mail confirming that we received it. If you don't receive this confirmation, feel free to email and ask. After that you will NOT hear back from us unless we confirm that your story will appear in our anthology.

ARE MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS OKAY?
Yes.

WHAT ABOUT SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS?
Simultaneous submissions to other publications are fine but please inform us if your story is placed.

WHAT ARE THE LIMITS ON SEXUAL/EROTIC CONTENT AND PROFANITY?
No sexual/erotic content or profanity.

LIMITS ON VIOLENCE AND GORE
The editors of this anthology are not big fans of either violence or gore. If there is going to be violence and gore, it better be a very compelling read!

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE
Send the file to admin@horrorbound.com. Must be in .doc format or .rtf. NO PDFS PLEASE.

ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS?
Send an e-mail to admin@horrorbound.com

BEST HORROR OF THE YEAR, Vol. 2

Submission Guidelines

I am editing the new anthology series Best Horror of the Year (Night Shade Books) and am currently reading for the second volume, which will include all material published in 2009.

I am looking for stories from all branches of horror: from the traditional-supernatural to the borderline, including high-tech sf horror, supernatural stories, psychological horror, dark thrillers, or anything else that might qualify. If in doubt, send it. This is a reprint anthology so I am only reading material published in or about to be published in 2009. Submission deadline for stories is December 15th 2009. Anything sent after this deadline will reach me too late. If a magazine, anthology, or collection you’re in or you edit is coming out by December 31st, you can send me galleys or manuscripts so that I can judge the stories in time. No email submissions. I strongly suggest that authors check with their publishers that they are sending review copies to me as I don’t have time or energy to nag publishers to get me material. I request it once (maybe twice) and that’s it.

There will be a summation of "the year in horror" in the front of the volume. This will include novels, nonfiction, art books, and "odds and ends"-- material that doesn't fit elsewhere but that I feel might interest the horror reader. But I must be aware of this material in order to mention it. The deadline for this section is January 15th, 2010.

Ellen Datlow
Best Horror of the Year Volume Two
PMB 391
511 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10011-8436

****I do not want to receive manuscripts from authors of stories from venues that it’s likely I already receive (like Interzone, The Third Alternative, Cemetery Dance, Subterranean, Postscripts, Weird Tales, F&SF, etc) or from anthologies and collections, unless I don't have or can’t get that anthology or collection. Please contact your publisher and ask him/her to send me the magazine or book.

Please do not send a SASE. If I choose a story you will be informed. If you want to confirm that I‘ve received something, enclose a self-addressed-stamped postcard and I will let you know the date it arrived. For stories that appear on the web, please send me (or have the publisher send me) print-outs of your story.

Thanks,
Ellen Datlow, Editor
www.datlow.com

Return of the Raven Anthology

Horror Bound Online Magazine publications is announcing a call for
submissions for a future anthology called Return of the Raven. (temporary
title only).

This is a tribute to the master of Horror, Edgar Allan Poe. If you are
inspired by the work of the master and his themes, tone, characterization
and style then read on:

Preference will be given to:
*paranormal themes
*psi phenomena
*spooky, ghostly tales
*psychological horror
*both short stories and poetry

LENGTH
3,000-7,000 words (for short stories)

DEADLINE
We will be reading immediately. Deadline for submissions is March 31st, 2009
or until the anthology is filled.

PAYMENT
0.01 cents (CAN) per word. Payment made upon publication. You must have a
paypal account. Money will be deposited into that account.

PRINT RIGHTS
First print rights, exclusive print rights for three years from time of
publication. Author retains copyright. No reprints please.

HOW DO I KNOW YOU'VE RECEIVED MY SUBMISSIONS?
Within one (1) week of your submission, you'll receive an e-mail confirming
that we received it. If you don't receive this confirmation, feel free to
email and ask. After that you will NOT hear back from us unless we confirm
that your story will appear in our anthology.

ARE MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS OKAY?
Yes.

WHAT ABOUT SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS?
Simultaneous submissions to other publications are fine but please inform us
if your story is placed.

WHAT ARE THE LIMITS ON SEXUAL/EROTIC CONTENT AND PROFANITY?
No sexual/erotic content or profanity.

LIMITS ON VIOLENCE AND GORE
The editors of this anthology are not big fans of either violence or gore.
If there is going to be violence and gore, it better be a very compelling
read!


SUBMISSION PROCEDURE
Send the file to admin@horrorbound.com. Must be in .doc format or .rtf. NO
PDFS PLEASE.

ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS?
Send an e-mail to admin@horrorbound.com

The Blackness Within

The Blackness Within will be published by Apex Book Company
Edited by Gill Ainsworth


Outline:

Somewhere in a parochial village in Herefordshire, England, the Celtic God, Moccus, was re-born. Whether the winds were blowing in the wrong direction, or whether the times were accommodating, no-one knows, but it happened.

If you haven't heard of Moccus, google. You'll find he's a Celtic pig-god whose influence affected all aspects of life, particularly fertility. The word pig has many connotations in today's world and doesn't necessarily limit Moccus to a pig-like appearance. Neither does it make a pig-like appearance mandatory. In other words, there is a lot for the imagination to explore.

I'm looking for stories that encompass all stages of Moccus's reappearance from infancy -- contemporary -- to death (his middle age and near-future) -- and how his influence spread throughout the world. He is powerful; his presence will be felt even in the backwaters of the Nile Delta. What I'm looking for are truly international takes on this theme, with settings from all over the world. The UK has already been covered.

This is primarily a horror/dark fantasy anthology but will stretch to the near future. That means no space exploration, nor out-and-out far-fetched science, and I don't want apocalypse-type stories -- the world will continue even after his death. However, psi stories, dark fantasy (not high fantasy) will all be considered. I'm not afraid of a little adult content. If in doubt, try me. Worst-case scenario is rejection -- in the nicest possible way.

But please proof read. I don't take grammatical problems well. Know your its from your it's, effect from affect and please, please, to lay is a different verb from to lie. I rest my case.

Specifics:


Open to submissions on 1st March 2009 and will close when full. If you submit before this date, your story will be deleted.

Word count between 3000 and 7000 words

No simultaneous submissions and no multiple submissions; please wait until you've heard back before sending another story

Stories should be sent either as a Word DOC (.doc) or RTF (.rtf) and attached to your e-mail. A short covering letter stating approximate word count and giving contact details is expected. If you send your story in the body of an e-mail, it will be deleted unread

Contact details should be given on the manuscript as well as in the body of the e-mail

Courier New, 12 point. Double line spacing, with indented paragraphs. A hash (#) denotes a section break.
Single space between full stops and double speech marks for dialogue. Otherwise, follow your UK/US/SA/Aus... formatting, spelling etc, but please remain constant throughout; don't switch from one to another.

Payment is £15 per story or equivalent according to XE.com (through PayPal -- I can't issue dollar cheques) upon publication. If no currency preference is stated in the covering letter, payment will be made in pounds sterling.

I ask for FNASR

If you have any questions, please ask. Submissions and questions to be sent to gill@apexdigest.com. Please put 'Blackness Within' in the subject line followed by either your story title or the word 'question'. You should receive a 'got it' or answer to your question within 48 hours; if you haven't received such, assume that it didn't arrive and resend


I will endeavour to respond to submissions within 4 weeks but please don't query until at least 2 months after sending your story.

2012AD Anthology

Severed Press seeks short stories for its new Apocalypse anthology, 2012AD. Stories should be based around the Ancient Mayan prediction of the world ending on December 21st 2012. Stories can be Horror, Dark humor, Monsters, Zombies, Sci-Fi, Biblical (Antichrist, four horseman ETC) Evil from other dimensions in fact anything goes.

Payment: Payment will be $0.01 word based on the final edited version. Rounded to the nearest hundred words, plus one Authors copy.

Stories for anthologies should be between 2000-8000 words and be submitted with a brief Bio and a synopsis of your story in standard form as an attachment to anthologies@severedpress.com please advise us if story has been published before.

The deadline for submissions are as follows:

2012AD - 15/04/09

TRIANGULATION: Dark Glass

Triangulation is an annual 125-150+ page short fiction anthology that publishes science fiction, fantasy, horror, and any other speculative fiction that caught the editors' fancy. Every year we have a theme: 2009's theme is "Dark Glass". We pay semi-pro rates and are available online at places like Amazon.com. We use Lulu.com as our printer, so if the publish-on-demand thing leaves a foul taste in your mouth, avoid us. We're a small outfit but we work hard to produce a quality product; Asimov's Science Fiction said we were "equal to any issue of your favorite prozine."

No, we don't get tired of mentioning that Asimov's said nice things about us.

We define "short fiction" as "up to about 5,000 words or so." We have no reason to impose hard and fast arbitrary word limits, but we are interested in publishing a wide variety of entertaining and literate stories, so the more space a story would take, the more it will need to impress us. If you have an awesome story that exceeds 5K then by all means send it; but be warned that if you're closer to 10,000 words, it will probably need to have the editorial staff cheering and high-fiving each other so much that the senior editor's roommate's poodle runs into the room to see what all the commotion is about. And that dog likes his naps.

We dig flash; there is no minimum word count.

We have no interest in getting more specific about the term "speculative fiction." Science fiction, horror, fantasy, magic realism, alternate history, whatever -- if there's a speculative element vital to your story, we'll gladly give it a read.

We love creative interpretations of our theme, "Dark Glass". Don't ask us what it means -- tell us what it means with a story that convinces us you're right.

We publish both new and established writers; the level of experience for the authors gracing our pages has ranged from "first time in print" to "Hugo winner." The majority of our stories usually wind up being from American authors, but we've had a number of international contributions; we're happy to consider work from anywhere in the world, just as long as it's written in English.

We will run mature content if we like the story. So make sure there's an actual story in that mature content.

We will gladly consider reprints. If the story ran someplace obscure, then it's probably new to our readers; and if it ran someplace high-profile, it's probably really good. Either way, we win!

No poetry. Sorry.

No fanfic, even if it's fanfic of a fictional universe that has passed into public domain. Cthulhu Mythos, I'm looking in your direction.

No thinly-disguised transcripts of roleplaying sessions, no settings obviously based on D&D or other such games. Don't get us wrong, we love to game ourselves -- which means our imaginations are probably too cluttered with elves and dwarves and orcs and the like as it is.

Submission deadline is March 31, 2009. All electronic submits must be sent by that time, all snail mail submits must be postmarked by that date.

Compensation:

We pay two cents per word (USA funds, rounded to the nearest 100 words, US$10 minimum payment) on publication and a single contributor's copy. The anthology will be published in late July of 2009. We purchase North American Serial Rights, and Electronic Rights for the PDF downloadable version; since we're cool with reprints, we really don't care whether we have firsties. All subsidiary rights released upon publication. Contributors will also have the option of purchasing additional copies of the anthology at-cost, exact price TBD.

How To Submit:

Electronic submissions make our lives easier. Please send your story to editor@parsecink.org. Please put your subject line in the format of "SUBMISSION: Story Title" so we can tell you apart from the spam.

We'll consider stories ONLY in the following formats:

• .odt (OpenDocument Text -- format used by the OpenOffice.org suite) -- preferred format
• .rtf (Rich Text Format -- generic document format that most word processors can create)
• .doc (MS Word -- we're not crazy about it, but let's face it, it's the one most people actually use)

Please use industry standard manuscript format. There's disagreement on some of the exact details of the "standard" -- we're cool with that. We're not testing you to see if you can follow each and every niggling detail, we just want a manuscript that looks professional.

If you absolutely positively can't use email, please send the manuscript (with either a SASE or a return email address) to:

Triangulation 2008
134 Orchard Dr.
Penn Hills, PA 15235

No hand-written manuscripts. We gotta draw the line somewhere.

Please, no multiple submissions; only send us one story at a time. We'll get back to you promptly, we promise.

Response:

Expect to hear back from us within two months or less. Feel free to start sending us nagging emails if you haven't heard from us after two months.

Please please please include a phone number in your manuscript header. (See "standard manuscript format" above.) If that's not feasible for whatever reason, please include an alternate email address. As much as we love email, it's not the most reliable technology in the world, and if something goes awry with your address, we're both going to wind up frustrated. (We've responded to every story we've ever received, but we know for a fact that at least a few of those responses got eaten by gremlins lurking in the Internet's many tubes.)

Eligibility:

The senior editor's policy is that, in order for the Triangulation anthology to run a story written by somebody listed in the credits page, the story must be so awesome that the thought of not running it gives him night sweats. Otherwise, writers who personally know or are related to the editorial staff should feel free to submit. We're not worried about nepotism; we tell our friends that their writing sucks all the time.

Please note that most of the editorial staff attends the Write or Die (WorD) critique group which meets every other Tuesday in Monroeville, PA. Also note that WorD is an open workshop. If you live in or near the Pittsburgh region and have ever wanted to force a market's editorial staff to give you detailed feedback on a story, this is your chance.

Who We Are:

Triangulation is an annual anthology produced by PARSEC Ink, the publishing wing of the PARSEC science-fiction association in Pittsburgh, PA. A new edition of Triangulation has been published every year since 2003 (save for a brief hiatus in 2006 when we changed over to an international format).

Triangulation shares an informal relationship with PARSEC's annual short story contest, and in past years Triangulation editors have been recruited as mid-round judges. Authors who do well in the contest may be offered publication in Triangulation solely at the discretion of Triangulation's editors. However, contest entrants are encouraged to also submit their work separately to the anthology. We see the contest stories very late in the process, so if we find a "near miss" that we could see running if the author fixed a few problems, there might not be enough time left for the author to fix them.

Horror Anthology 2009

Comet Press is seeking short stories for an extreme horror anthology to be published in the summer of 2009 (trade paperback). We are looking for your most gruesome, disturbing, and scary tales. Some dark humor is acceptable.

Here is the twist on this collecton: We will prefer to see stories set in various times of past history. Including a historical or notorious figure, or legendary beast connected with that period would be a bonus. Below are just some examples:

Old West, WWII Nazi Germany, Ancient, Pre-Columbian, Biblical Era, Medieval, Pre-civilization, etc.

With that said, if your story is great, but has a modern setting, we won't reject for that reason.

Reading period: From December 15, 2008–February 28, 2009 (or until filled).

Word length: 3,000–10,000 words.

Multiple submissions: Up to two stories per author can be submitted.

Payment: 1/4 cent per word, $25 max. Payment will be made upon publication.

Reprints: We may consider reprints, please send previous publishing information with submission.

Return Time: Rejections will be sent as soon as possible. Stories that make the first cut will be kept until the end of the reading period. Authors will be notified right away if their story makes the first cut, then the final stories will be selected at the end of the reading period.

Artwork: We are accepting submissions for cover art for this book. Either email your artwork in .jpeg format (300 DPI) as an attachment, or provide a link to the art online. Put “ARTWORK SUBMISSION: HORROR ANTHOLOGY” in the subject of the email. Payment is $25.00. Email to the address at the bottom of this page.

Title Contest: Send us your ideas for the title! If we use it, we'll send you a free copy of the book! Put “TITLE CONTEST: HORROR ANTHOLOGY” in the subject of the email. Send as many as you like in the email. Email to the address at the bottom of this page.

Attach the entire manuscript as an rtf attachment. First page of manuscript should include your name, pen name if any, address and email address, and word count. Please include that first page info in the body of your email along with a brief blurb summing up the story and a brief bio. Manuscript should be in a standard format—double spaced, standard font and size. First line of paragraphs indented using word processor function (not tabs), no extra spaces between paragraphs, except for scene breaks. Italics should be italized, bold in bold. No headers or footers are necessary. Put “SUBMISSION: HORROR ANTHOLOGY” in the subject of the email.

Email to Comet Press.

An Anthology of Tales from the Graveyard

Writers and Artists Guidelines

Sam's Dot Publishing is looking for stories and illustrations for Potter's Field 3, a print anthology of tales from the graveyard.

This volume will be the third in the Potter's Field series. This anthology will be published on 1 May 2009 in trade paperback format with a color cover, and black and white interior illustrations. Potter's Field 3 will be edited by Cathy Buburuz and, to some extent, by Tyree Campbell.

Potter's Field 3 is not open to poetry.

Please note that horror fiction written in the third person stands the best chance for acceptance.

Send us a story that's never been told before, one that's atmospheric and highly entertaining, has fascinating characters, one that takes place in a unique location or time period.

Potter's Field 3 is the burial place for the indigent and the unidentified. Just about every city has one. There's a Potter's Field in the contemporary Michael Douglas movie, Don't Say A Word. Obviously, we're looking for works that are themed to graveyards in some way. However, it does not have to be a conventional graveyard. Let me give you one example: back during the days of the Black Death, bodies were crammed--yes, literally crammed--into mass graves underneath churches. Even today, in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, you can take a walking tour deep under the church and see walls of skeletons and dirt. Such a place would also qualify as a graveyard for the indigent.

We do not want gore, blood, splatter, slice-and-dice. Sure, it might be good fun to make balloon animals out of someone's intestines, or find out how long the heart will continue to beat after it has been ripped from the body with a runcible spoon. But that's not what we want. We want stories that will scare readers, not stories that will make them gag. This is not to say that someone in your story cannot bleed, or die. Just put a lid on the icky stuff.

A word about sex and extreme language. We don't mind it, necessarily, but the sex and/or colorful language must have a purpose.

Stories for Potter's Field 3 must be written in English. You may use King's English or American English [but don't mix them, please]. The word count of your story should be between 2000 and 8000 words. We will be somewhat flexible on the 8000, but the 2000 is pretty firm. Of course, story quality usually overrides word count limitations. Usually.

We are looking primarily for original stories. However, we will consider reprints. If your story is a reprint, be sure to let us know when you submit it. We will want to know the name of the publication [online or in print] in which the story first appeared, and when it first appeared. Also, you must currently own the rights to the story. We likely won't accept more than two reprints for Potter's Field 3 and unpublished stories stand the best chance for acceptance.

Submit your story in the body of the e-mail to GraveyardSubmissionNOSPAM@hotmail.com . Be sure to put Story Submission and the title of your story in the subject line of the e-mail. Be sure to include the following information in your e-mail: your name; your snail mail address; your story's word count; your story's title; a statement about which rights are offered; and a brief bio written in the third person [50-100 words, more about YOU, less about where you've been published].

Writers and Artists, please note: If you move, tell us. If you change e-mail addresses, tell us. It is your responsibility to let us know where you are so that we can communicate, as well as send your payment and contributor's copy.

Art submissions:

For the cover, we'd prefer a chilling image (in color), one that's in harmony with our theme (visit Potter's Field in The Vile Vineyard on this website to view the art we've published on the covers of the first two volumes).

The stories will require black and white illustrations. If you'd like an assignment, please send a link to your online gallery or submit a sample of your horror art to GraveyardSubmissionNOSPAM@hotmail.com It is expected that each illustration will occupy an entire page--no small stuff (but submit as a jpeg of less than 50k). If you wish to include a caption for the illustration, please do so. We will accept only four black and white illustrations for this anthology, and one cover illustration.

Submit one black and white illustration at a time as a jpeg of less than 50K in the body of an e-mail to GraveyardSubmissionNOSPAM@hotmail.com. Be sure to remove the NO SPAM from the address before sending your e-mail. Be sure to put Art Submission and the title of your illustration in the subject line of the e-mail. Be sure to include the following information in your e-mail: your name; your snail mail address; the title of your illustration; a brief bio [50-100 words, more about YOU, less about where you've been published].

Please Note: If you move, tell us. If you change e-mail addresses, tell us. Please. It is your responsibility to let us know where you are, so that we can properly pay you.

Your submission will most likely be responded to in less than two weeks. If you haven't received a response within two weeks, please send an email to GraveyardSubmissionNOSPAM@hotmail.com with a note that includes the date and title of your submission. Be sure to remove the NO SPAM from the address before sending your e-mail. We will remain open to submissions until the anthology is filled. We have no way of knowing how long that will take.

Payment:

In return for your accepted story or illustration, you will receive payment and one contributor's copy of Potter's Field 3, upon publication, to be mailed in May 2009.

Pay rates for original stories: $10.00

Pay rate for reprinted stories: $6.00.

Payment for cover illustration: $12.00.

Pay rate for original illustrations: $6.00 per illustration.

Contributors who live in the U.S.A. will receive checks. Contributors who live outside the U.S.A. have two payment options. One, they can receive cash in American dollars. Two, they can receive payment via PayPal. And yes, if they have a third option, we'll listen to it.

Contributors are also eligible to buy additional copies of Potter's Field 3 at 20% off the cover price, plus S&H at cost.

If you have questions about this anthology or these guidelines, please contact Editor Cathy Buburuz at GraveyardSubmissionsNOSPAM@hotmail.com or Tyree Campbell (Editor & Publisher) at tyr3403NOSPAM@yahoo.com. with Potter's Field Query in the subject line. Again, be sure to remove the NO SPAM from the address before sending your e-mail.

We look forward to working with you.

* * *

To support the author of this blog, consider buying her books.

Pumping Your Muse (Creative writing book)

Windwalker (Fantasy)

Beyond the Fifth Gate (Fantasy)

For more about the author of this blog check out Theinkslinger.net.

The Devil’s Food Anthology of Horror.

The Monsters Next Door presents The Devil’s Food Anthology of Horror.

What we want:
Stories should be centered on humans as food for some type of monster. Stories should have a supernatural element. Classic monsters (vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc…) are okay, as well as new, creative and original monsters. The focus of the story should be the threat of being eaten; this should dominate the tone of the story. Gore, sex, and violence are fine as long as it is used to enhance the story and not merely for the gross out or the smut.

Stories should be 3000 to 7500 words in length, Times New Roman font, double spaced, two spaces after sentence ending punctuation. Please do not use headers or footers. Stories should be sent as .rtf or .doc documents. The author’s contact info should be on the first page of the manuscript as well as in the body of the email. A short synopsis should also be in the body of the email.

What we don’t want: Romance. Child abuse and rape (if it is vital to the story it should be implied, NOT vividly described). Serial killers who work for the Devil or God or any other religious icon. Sexy vampires. If you use vampires make them monsters, not the boy or girl next door. Overly comedic pieces. Fan fiction. Stories set in a time period pre-1900s (although, we would like to see a few Western settings). Experimental prose and second person accounts. Stories that read like diary journals. Reprints.

Terms and how to submit:
We will pay $25 dollars and a contributor’s copy for First North American serial rights for each story selected. Authors will be paid upon publication. All rights revert back to the author upon publication.

Send submissions to MonsterAnthology@yahoo.com as attached .rtf or .doc file. On the subject line, put DEVIL’S FOOD: your story’s title. If you do not receive confirmation that we received your submission within 10 days, feel free to query.

Multiple submissions are fine as long as they are in separate emails. Simultaneous submissions okay as long as it is clearly stated in the cover letter (aka body of the email).

Submissions will remain open until April 1, 2009. All submissions will be responded to by June 1, 2009. Do not query on your status until after that date. Publication date is scheduled for late summer 2009.

Tales of Biblical Terror

Call for Submissions - She Nailed the Stake Through his Head - Tales of Biblical Terror
Call for Submissions

Seeking short stories for the Dybbuk Press anthology She Nailed the Stake Through His Head: Tales of Biblical Terror (working title).

What I'm looking for: Short stories primarily, ideally between 1000 - 12000 words. All stories must be based in some way on Biblical stories. Actually have a familiarity with the Bible. I may consider poems if they are particularly good but I hate 99% of all poems I read. This is primarily a horror anthology so the creepier the better. In many of these stories, you really don't have to work too hard to make them horrific.

Shouldn't be said, but please don't send me stories that are so ungrammatical and clumsy in their execution that they hurt to read. Style counts. Style counts a lot. I am a great fan of authors with great style. I'll read Tanith Lee's 5th grade essay on why she wants a pony before I even think of picking up another Dan Brown book for any other purpose beyond hurling it at the wall.

Suggested:
Retellings of Biblical Stories from the perspective of another character.
Kiastic Storytelling
Deconstructionist Commentary akin to Rashi
Biblical stories retold in different literary styles (high adventure, Victorian, Romance, Mystery, etc.)
Modern stories told in the Biblical style (Best use Robert Alter's Art of Biblical Poetry and Art of Biblical Narrative if you want a crash course)
Parodies of Prophets
"Queen Esther vs. The Brain Eating Penis Monster from Outer Space" (note that just sticking this title on a lame story is not going to endear you to me. Write a story that would justify this kind of title and I'm interested)
Biblical Movie Parodies (kind of a tough one considering that this genre gave us Lot freeing the slaves of Sodom, Edward G. Robinson playing Aaron in full gangster mode, splatterpunk Jesus and Richard Gere disco dancing in a diaper)

Basically if you're sticking with Biblical tales in Biblical times you have about 1500 years to work with. Empires rose and fell in this time.

Lists of Some books that may Help:
Torah Study 101
Ibn Ezra
25 Jewish Books
Bible Study Sampler
Outrageous Tales from the Old Testament

What I'm NOT looking for:

Normally this is the place where I say that I don't want any vampires, werewolves or ghosts but if you can stick a vampire into a King David story or put zombies in Ancient Assyria then I actually want to see it.

One Caveat to the last note: I read The Last Days of Jesus the Vampire. I thought it was a very clever idea that was poorly executed. Regardless, I'm not going to be terribly enthused with "Jesus was a vampire" stories.

Primarily, no preachiness. If your story is nothing more than an excuse to get on a pulpit, I'm not interested. That cuts all ways. The Left Behind series would have been fun in a goofy crazy way if it didn't keep stopping to tell the reader that JESUS IS LORD (then again, it's audience wouldn't have made it a bestseller.) But that also goes for atheist stories.

And please, no stories about how all the goddess worshippers were beautiful earth mothers until the mean old monotheists came along and killed everyone. I read enough of that Starhawk crap during my collegiate hippie phase.

I should also note that I've been publishing a lot of books geared toward adolescent males recently - splatterpunk, tough guy fiction, etc. - and I'm getting a little sick of the lack of decent female characters. So stories with strong women characters (there are plenty in the Bible - Sarah, Jezebel, Yael, Devorah, Rivkah, Esther, etc.) will make me happy.

I'm also 99% certain that I won't like your Adam & Eve story. Don't know if anyone writes these things anymore. I suspect that they've been ridiculed into the historical dust bin, but just in case, please don't send yours my way.

Format: Attach as either a .doc or an .rtf. DO NOT send .docx attachments. All .docx attachments will be deleted unread.

Pay: $50 advance against equal share of royalties to be paid out no later than publicatoin.

Reading Period: December 1 - December 31, 2008. All stories submitted before December 1 will be deleted unread! And yes, I do mean BEFORE December 1. I might extend the deadline for after December 31 if I don't find enough stories to fill an anthology (I'm shooting for between 8 and 12. I can go as low as 7.) I'm putting out the call for stories now because I want interested parties to write their stories and revise them before submitting them. I don't want trunk stories with cover letters trying to explain why your vampire is a Christ figure.

Reprints: Yes, I will take reprints, but let me know if it's a reprint or not when you submit.

Send to: tim_lieder (AT) yahoo - .rtf or .doc format only. If you want to put it in the body of the text, well go ahead.

CATASTROPHIA

Edited by Allen Ashley

Guidelines

Catastrophia will be a collection of stories loosely themed around the theme of catastrophes, disasters and post-apocalyptic fiction. I will be looking for original, unpublished stories which deal in a modern manner with these classic SF- and Horror-based tropes.

Rights and other technical details

I’m looking only for original material - no reprints. I will be buying First British and First North American Rights for your story with a one-year moratorium subsequent to publication. I can offer 3p/6c a word up to a maximum payment of £100 / $200 per story. The book will be published by PS Publishing and the current expected pub date is summer 2010.

Submissions

The submission period will open on 1^st August 2008 and will last until 31^st May 2009 or whenever the book is full. Unless specified otherwise, all submissions should be sent as disposable hard copies to:

Allen Ashley
Editor: Catastrophia
110d Marlborough Road
Bounds Green
London, N22 8NN
England

Please include an email address for reply or a stamped and addressed envelope. Response time will be three months or less.

Stories should ideally be in the range of 2000 to 6000 words although both longer and shorter tales will be considered.

Catastrophe? What catastrophe?

In short, some event that rapidly changes the world social order, threatens the survival of humankind or the Earth, reduces people to a state of mere hand-to-mouth existence, puts the clock of progress back a couple of thousand years almost overnight, takes our attention off the exploits of celebrities, footballers and politicians and instead focuses it on keeping ourselves and our loved ones alive until sundown . . . and so on. As I said in my own story ‘The Overwhelm’ (in which the world was engulfed by fog): “Truly it didn’t take much for the veneer of civilisation to be stripped away.”

I will be taking a broad view of what constitutes a catastrophe/disaster / apocalypse but authors should note that I am not seeking gratuitous rape and violence fantasies.

A brief history of catastrophes

These tales have a long and prominent history within the genre and are among the first titles that spring to mind when listing SF classics. Discounting Biblical, mythical and similar precedents, this sub-genre probably started with:

The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (invading Martians destroy Britain) and M. P. Shiel’s The Purple Cloud (Polar toxins kill everybody bar the protagonist).

Brian Aldiss famously labelled many of these stories as “cosy catastrophes” but that certainly hasn’t got in the way of our enjoyment. Your editor grew up on these stories and with Catastrophia expects to reinvigorate the genre for the twenty-first century. Indeed, recent films such as The Day After Tomorrow (environmental disaster), Deep Impact (comet strikes Earth) and the re-make of The War of the Worlds suggests the desire is there to be faced with the apocalyptic all over again.

Further reading

• Brian Aldiss - Greybeard (no children are born);
• Brian Aldiss - Barefoot in the Head (LSD contamination causes social breakdown);
• J. G. Ballard - The Drowned World, The Drought, The Crystal World, The Wind From Nowhere - early quartet of psychological /environmental disaster novels from the master;
• Edmund Cooper - All Fool’s Day and Richard Matheson - I Am Legend (benchmark post-apocalyptic last man on Earth tales);
• Edmund Cooper - Kronk and Charles Platt - The Gas (rampant venereal disease / sex plagues);
• John Christopher - The World in Winter (new ice age);
• John Christopher - Death of Grass (aka No Blade of Grass) (All grass / wheat / rice crops fail);
• Keith Roberts - The Furies (giant wasps);
• John Wyndham - The Day of the Triffids (blindness and killer plants);
• John Wyndham - The Kraken Wakes (marauding sea monsters);
• Roger Zelazny - Damnation Alley (Mad Max started here).

For a really modern catastrophe story in the short form, I recommend that you track down ‘Approaching Zero’ by John Lucas (contemporary lifestyles as catastrophe!), most recently available in my anthology from Elastic Press, The Elastic Book Of Numbers (2005).

Catastrophes for the new millennium

With the current prominence of ‘Green’ issues, you may well decide to try your hand at environmental disaster, biological agents running amuck, responses to the future fuel and water shortages or similar themes . . .

I’ve always quite liked the idea of the animal and plant kingdoms getting their own back on Humankind (See The Furies, Day of the Triffids, the film Them, etc) - so I would be quite receptive to an idea along those lines. No zombies or vampires, though, which have been done to death.

Similarly, I’m open to something based on our dependence on technology in the so-called Information Age. But no cyberspeak gobbledegook, please, and no rehash of Transformers.

I’m sure there’s plenty of material to extrapolate from. Better still, come up with a fresh catastrophe idea, something that has not been explored before but is still close enough to the real world to convince as an extrapolation or a possibility.

Good luck!

Clarkesworld Magazine

Clarkesworld Magazine is an online venue and chapbook series for short works of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Each month, Clarkesworld will publish two pieces of fiction, one solicited from an author with one or more books published, and one chosen from the rolling open call for submissions below.

There have been some changes in our submissions process, so please read our guidelines carefully before submitting something a story to us.

Clarkesworld is also accepting queries for non-fiction and art.

Fiction Guidelines

Clarkesworld Magazine pays 10¢ a word for works of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. We have a firm word limit of 4000 words. Please do not query about word lengths. We will not consider stories longer than 4000 words or shorter than 1000 words. We claim first world electronic rights, first print rights for the production of signed/numbered limited edition chapbooks (author must be willing to sign 100+ chapbooks), and non-exclusive anthology rights.

Stories must be:

1. Well-written. Language is important. If your story is only a story because you didn't have the funds to produce and direct a short film or a sufficiently large live audience for the telling of a fanciful anecdote, then I don't want to see it. There is no distinction between "style" and "substance" or "story" and "writing" — stories are made out of words. If your story isn't worth reading as a collection of words, sentences, and paragraphs, it isn't worth experiencing in story form.
2. Convenient for on-screen reading. Very long paragraphs or typographical trickery may work against you.

Science fiction need not be "hard" SF, but rigor is appreciated. Fantasy can be folkloric, medieval, contemporary, surreal, etc. Horror can be supernatural or psychological, so long as it is frightening. There are no barriers as to levels of profanity, gore, or sexuality allowed, but high amounts of profanity, gore, and sexuality are generally used poorly. Be sure to use them well if you do use them.

Though no particular setting, theme, or plot is anathema to us, the following are likely hard sells:

• stories in which a milquetoast civilian government is depicted as the sole obstacle to either catching some depraved criminal or to an uncomplicated military victory
• stories in which the words "thou" or "thine" appear
• talking cats
• talking swords
• stories where the climax is dependent on the spilling of intestines
• stories where FTL travel is as easy as is it on television shows or movies
• time travel too
• stories that depend on some vestigial belief in Judeo-Christian mythology in order to be frightening (i.e., Cain and Abel are vampires, the End Times are a' comin', Communion wine turns to Christ's literal blood and it's HIV positive, Satan's gonna getcha, etc.)
• stories about rapist-murderer-cannibals
• stories about young kids playing in some field and discovering ANYTHING. (a body, an alien craft, Excalibur, ANYTHING).
• stories about the stuff we all read in Scientific American three months ago
• stories where the Republicans, or Democrats, or Libertarians, or the Spartacist League, etc. take over the world and either save or ruin it
• your AD&D game
• "funny" stories that depend on, or even include, puns
• sexy vampires, wanton werewolves, or lusty pirates
• stories where the protagonist is either widely despised or widely admired simply because he or she is just so smart and/or strange
• stories that take place within an artsy-fartsy bohemia as written by an author who has clearly never experienced one
• your trunk stories

Fiction Submissions Process Guidelines

NEW: Clarkesworld has adopted an online submissions system to help streamline our process and improve communication with authors. As a result, we will no longer accept email submissions. Go here to submit your stories.

Our online submissions form is designed to be simple. All fields (author, email, title, cover letter, and story) are mandatory. Your cover letter should contain your publishing history and any other relevant information (e.g, if you send us a lusty pirate story and happen to BE a lusty pirate, mention that). Stories must be in standard manuscript format and can be submitted in either .RTF or .DOC format. No simultaneous submissions. If you have questions, concerns or technical issues, please contact Neil Clarke (clarkesfiction@gmail.com).

After completing the online submission form, you will receive an email confirmation with a tracking number. This number can be used at any time to check the status of your submission. If you do not receive this email, please contact Neil.

Our goal is to respond to submissions within two weeks. We do ask that you:

• Please do not send queries until after a three-week period has passed. Please check our forum or Neil's blog or our forum for any important announcements first.
• Do not send revisions to a submission at any time.
• Writers may not submit another story for a period of seven days after receiving a rejection.
• Please do not re-submit stories that have been rejected. Do not query for permission.
• Writers whose work is accepted may not submit again until six months after their story is published.
• Please do not argue with rejection slips.

If you are uncertain about anything above, we recommend following the most conservative interpretation.