If you love stories about ghosts, dragons and aliens, come in.
This anthology sounds so delightfully creepy, I can’t even begin to tell you. Potters Field Six wants stories about unmarked graves. It doesn’t have to be just about a potter’s field, of course, there are tons of historical mass graves. Think of the Catacombs in Paris. Honestly, this contest is making me rethink writing for publication this year.
Genre- Horror
Word Count- 2,000 to 8,000
Due Date- June 30
Payout- $25
Note: The deadline for this is March 30! It’s short notice, so I wanted to give you a heads up right away.
I just had to tell you about this one, though. The premise is too funny to pass up. Because I couldn’t have summed up what they want for this anthology any better, here’s what they posted in their website.
We’ve all had that day when a spell went south, a glitch ate the code in your doomsday device, and negotiations broke down so aliens are on the move eat your brains. Okay, maybe we haven’t all had that day. We want a story about what went wrong. Tell us about the best laid plans and what turned them on their ear. Make it dark or funny. Make it sci-fi or fantasy. Just make it something we haven’t seen before. We’re looking for an eclectic mix of stories that are unique and feature strong storytelling.
Genre- See above
Word Count- 2,000 to 8,000
Payout- $30
Submission date- March 30
Last call for Thirty Days, Thirty Ideas. The fun starts tomorrow, don’t be left out. Click right here to sign up.
This weeks market is a fun one called Betwixt. I have a soft spot in my heart for literary magazines, ever since I spent my youth carefully crafting submissions to them. (I only ever got into one, with some sappy teenage poem. My very first published piece, and I don’t even remember the name of the magazine.
Betwixt is in the same vein as the magazines I remember. It’s very artistic and not a fan of genres. They say they like stories that smas genres to smitherines.
Genre- Speculative fiction. Which basically means, tell your story and don’t worry about genre.
Word Count- 4,000 to 7,000
Sub date- August 31
Payout- 3 cents per word, up to $225
Wait time- two weeks
Rights- They purchase first rights, and ask for exclusivity for three months.
Here, then, is your link to the full submission guidelines.
And now, your writing prompt for the weekend.
Imagine, if you will, that you have been asked to write an episode of your favorite show. But when you arrive to start writing, they tell you that you will have to kill off your favorite character!
Who hasn’t signed up for the Thirty Days, Thirty Ideas Challenge yet? Really? Then click here to sign up. Don’t forget, you’ve only got six days left until it starts!
So, I can’t get over how funny and awesome I find the title of this market. I mean really, it’s awesome. Medicine show is all about science fiction and fantasy, and I think it’s my favorite magazine I’ve found so far, and I kind of want to subscribe to it.
Genre- Science Fiction and fantasy
Word Count- Any length
Submission date- None. They take submissions all the time. So, you know, no excuses.
Wait Time- Not listed
Payout- Six cents a word.
Rights- Exclusive rights for the first year, non exclusive rights to re-publish at any time after that.
Here is your link to the full submission guidelines.
And, here is a quick writing prompt for your weekend writing. Imagine you’re stranded on a whole new continent. You don’t know the language, don’t know anyone, and have only a vague idea of where you are. What do you do? Now, put your main character in the same situation. What does she do? Who’s more likely to survive the experience, you or her?
Don’t forget to sign up for Thirty Days, Thirty Ideas! All the cool kids are doing it, you know. Click here to sign up!
Augh, so this one is kind of late, as the deadline is creeping up on us here. If it makes you feel better, I’m in the middle of writing my story, and might get it done today, I’m not sure. But here it is, this week’s market, called Something in The Machine.
It’s an anthology that is going to center on horror and fright from the machines that our lives depend upon to an increasing extent every day. Here’s the catch, though. Your story needs to not come off as anti technology, or anti progress. While the horror should come from the machine, it shouldn’t be demonizing technology. As a techno freak, I approve. Two thumbs up and all.
Genre- Horror
Word Count- Under 10,000
Sub Date- July 31 (I told you it was soon.)
Wait Time- Not specified.
Payout- $5.00
Rights- First publication rights and exclusivity for six months.
Here’s your link to full submission details. Good luck.
Also, here’s a story prompt for your weekend pleasure. Or to get you started on your story here. What’s your favorite bit of technology? How could it kill you? I went with a tablet, myself. I’m pretty sure at this point I need it to breath.
Five more days until the exciting announcement.
This isn’t an anthology or a short story collection. It’s something different, and I think really cool. Have you ever written an in between story, lengthwise? I mean a story that was too long to be short fiction, but not long enough to be a novella? I have, and it’s irritating. I can’t cut it down or I risk losing important parts of the story. I can’t add anything to it without making it feel… puffy.
Well, if you write horror, Grave Markers are the answer to this. Fair warning, the publisher has said they only intend to take up to six a year. But this is totally worth it.
Genre- Horror
Word Count- 10,000 to 20,000
Sub Date- Any time
Wait Time- Standard, about two months
Payout- Not listed
As always, here is a link to full submission guidelines. Let me know if you have luck with this or any other market so that I can include you in the monthly brag board.
Something that doesn’t come up much here on Paper Beats World, but does come up pretty often in my house is my love of mythology. Greek is my favorite, but I also love Egyptian, Norse and Roman. Even though everyone knows that Roman is just Greek with different titles. So when I found Pantheon, I was enchanted. They are a magazine dedicated to telling stories about mythology. The next issue is about Hestia, Goddess of Hearth and Home. My personal favorite goddess. (Aphrodite can suck it.) Needless to say, I am really excited about this one.
Genre- Mythology.
Word Count- Not listed.
Sub Date- November 30
Wait time- Unsure
Pay out- 1 cent per word.
Rights- First print and electronic rights, retained for three months.
Here’s a link to the full submission guidelines. best of luck, and if you have any luck, let me know so I can post it on the brag board, on the last day of every month.
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I know, I know, I promised I was going to give the horror sites a rest, but it’s really hard when I keep finding such awesome ones! And I mean, really, what says summer more than a good campfire story?
Creepy Campfire stories for grownups is all about a good story. Gore is fine, so long as it’s not gratuitous.
I also have to add, that I heard about this awhile ago, and wrote it off because it had a reading fee. They took that away, so that’s a big plus. Remember, I never post markets that are pay to play.
Genre- Horror
Word Count- 1,500 to 6,000
Sub Date- August 1
Wait time- September 20.
Payout- 4 cents a word.
Rights-Exclusive print and epublishing rights of selected work for six months from publication date.
Don’t forget to check out the full submission guidelines, which can be found here. Good luck.
Did you have luck with this, or any other market? Let us know, and you’ll be listed on the Monthly Brag Board, published on the last day of each month!
Okay, one more horror anthology, then I’ll give it a rest, I swear.
This one is called Monster Waiting in the Woods. This, boys and girls, is for grownups only. They want dark, atmospheric stories for adults. No happy endings required.
Genre- Horror
Due date- September 1
Payout- $25.00
Wait Time- A decision will be announced November 2.
Word Count- 2,000 to 8,000
Rights-1 year exclusive rights, but if you contact them, they will consider letting you reprint it elsewhere.
Full submission guidelines can be found here.
Any luck with this or any other markets? Let me know, and I’ll post it on the monthly brag board, on the last day of the month.
Hello, hello, and welcome to the very first market of June. I have high hopes for this month, with four of my short stories out right now. I hope yours are just as high. With that in mind, I’ve got a two for one market today, with Imaginate.
Every quarter, Imaginate runs two contests, one for short fiction and one for flash fiction. They give you an image, and you come up with a story based on that image.
Short fiction contest/Flash Fiction
Genre– Open/ Open
Word Count– 2500 words/ 100
Payout– 5 cents a word/ 5 cents a word
Wait Time– After end of contest/ After end of contest
Sub Date– July 1/ July 1
Rights– First serial/ First Serial
If you have any luck with this or any other market, or just achive a great milestone this month, let me know and I’ll feature you on this months Brag Board, on June 30.
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