10 Speculative Paying Calls Open Now!
Weird & Wonderful Opportunites that caught my eye in February.
Fission Magazine
Science Fiction - closes Feb 26th! - 2 pence per word - 5000 max - no reprints -This is the magazine of the British Science Fiction Association. You don’t need to be a member to submit. They are looking for stories for issue #5. Genre-bending allowed.
My Insights - I’ve sent two stories to this org, and R’s both times. Here is the standard letter: “Thank you for giving us a chance to read your story. We received a high number of entries and had to make tight choices. In the end, your submission wasn’t quite for Fission #3 and we’re going to pass on it this time. We wish you the best of luck finding the right market for it. We appreciate your thinking of us, and we’d be happy to see more of your work in the next issue of Fission.” NOTE - the story should be in the body of the email.
Dream Theory Media
Spec and Lit - this is their first submissions window - closes Feb 28th - 300 - 1000 words - $30 pay - no sim subs - their tagline is “Narrative Unbound” - and rather than list what they want, they listed what they don’t want. “No excessive profanity, violence / gore, sexual content, or stories promoting prejudice / hatred. Avoid ugly tropes such as “women in refrigerators.” Do not use characters and settings from IPs you do not own. No AI / ChatGPT generated stories.”
Also, it sounds like they have a sense of humour. “Use 12pt font, double-spaced, in a common font (such as Courier New, Calibri, Times New Roman, Aptos. But not Wingdings... because if you do, we’ll ask ourselves, “Who hurt you?”).
My Insights: absolutely none
Learn More, or just go ahead and send. your sub to submissions@dreamtheory.media. Please add “SUBMISSION:” to the subject of the email when submitting.
Wet Screams (Little Ghosts Books)
Monsterfucking Stories - (how can you not be already in love with this call?) - deadline April 14th - 2000-6000 words - 10c a word Cdn
Submissions with fade to black sex scenes will not be accepted. BDSM/CNC/dubious consent is permitted, but rape submissions will be rejected. No bestiality (creatures should be sentient and able to consent), no incest.
We encourage folks to explore the boundaries of creature feature intimacy! Vore, multiple appendages, suspenseful encounters, flying intercourse, prowling beasts… be creative. Blending horror & erotica is a plus. This anthology is intended to be risqué and fun. HEAs are not required, or can be redefined (a character could want to be devoured, for instance- dying happy could be a HEA/HFN).
Pieces in “first draft” phase are welcome! Time for in depth edits will be allocated in the publishing process. Don’t be scared to submit if you have never done this before- we are always excited to be your first time ;)
My Insights: besides being intrigued and slightly horrified… nothing.
Angry Gable Press
This Exquisite Topology - Speculative - open till March 31st - $25 per story - 500-6000 words - slipstream, speculative—science fiction, horror, fantasy, weird— and fabulist pieces exploring the radiance, awe, and exuberant thrall of “This Exquisite Topology” in short stories (1k-6k), flash fiction (~500-1k), or poetry (no line limit).
Submitted works should be cast through the lens of joy, exploring deformations and reformations of new landscapes and environments, new worlds, new beings, new moments of singularity or multiplicity, new visions, new paradoxes, or a redressing of old ones. Happy endings are not a requirement, just an engagement with the notion of happiness and the concept of Topology, using a speculative approach.
But what is topology? Topology is “the study of geometric properties and spatial relations unaffected by the continuous change of shape or size of figures” (Oxford Dictionary). Consider “properties of spaces that are invariant [don’t change] under any continuous deformation.” My Insights - I wasn’t going to sub here until I clicked on their list of Angry Gable Authors and saw names like
, , Avra Margariti, J.D. Harlock, and other authors I really admire.Horrific Scribblings
Horror: Horrific Scribes magazine - $25 pay - 1500- 5000 word count - couldn’t see a deadline - This looks like a new venture: This is what they are asking for:
Most of the stories will have elements of horror, ranging from bloodless slow burns to raucous extreme romps, but related genres–dark fantasy, dark sci-fi, surrealist and other experimental writing with dark tendencies–are likely to appear. Ordinary, formulaic fiction conceived to please the masses has its place, but it is not here. If it’s here, it offers a challenge. If it’s here, the author deserves your attention.
My Insights: I subbed here because I have lots of mini horror stories in my trunk. Plus, I love the self-portrait of the editor here.
Future of Sex
Science Fiction - open now - $70 pay - 800- 1000 words - no reprints - Science fiction has always been the genre to help society better understand the evolving world around us and speculate on future possibilities. Fiction provides permissiveness to explore the unknown and often controversial topics, such as the intersection of technology with sexuality. This is not a call for explicit erotica meant to arousal but for artful speculation and storytelling about what the future of sexuality and technology may hold.
Submissions must be SFW (Safe For Work). Use implicit rather than explicit language. Think sensual instead of overtly sexual. Stories should focus on the beneficial effects that technological or social developments may have on human sexuality and humanity as a whole.
My Insights: My friend, Akis Linardos, has sold several stories to this magazine and is very happy with the editorial process and speed of pay. Here is advice straight from him!
I just experiment with VR and AI ideas at the intersection of sex. They don't seem to publish profanity (they removed a 'fuck' from one of mine). So go soft with the language and hard on the ideas. I had one where they were transforming into things as they had sex in a metaverse.
They ask for proposals or ideas rather than full stories.
https://futureofsex.net/story-ideas/
Story Unlikely
Anything- deadline Sept 29 - 8c a word up to $400 - 2c a word for reprints -3500 word max - any genre - All stories get professional art (I love this) My INSIGHTS - I’ve sent six stories to this venue and received one rejection. In general, the editor Danny Hankner does not send rejections. I’ve talked to Danny a few times and he is a character —quite passionate about writing and short stories.
Take a look at his submission guidelines, he wants the first 250 words in the body of the email.
Foofaraw Press
Spec -(magical realism, sci-fi, fantasy, lit, Horror, mystery, etc.) - deadline March 31 - 500- 5000 words - 1c a word - no sim subs - no reprints - The Anthology is an annual print-only hardcover anthology based on the definition of "foofaraw." Every piece must align, at least a tiny bit, to one of these two definitions:
a great fuss or disturbance about something very insignificant.
an excessive amount of decoration or ornamentation, as on a piece of clothing, a building, etc.
They have a form to use - https://foofaraw.press/the-anthology-guidelines/
MY INSIGHTS - none, I always cringe at no sim subs from low-paying calls.
Monstrous Angels (Conquest Publishing)
Religious Horror - opens today till May 23rd - pay $20 - 250-8000 words - reprints YES
Monstrous Angels is an anthology that will explore one of the most enduring questions of religious horror–why are angels so compelling as anti-heroes and/or villains? We’ve seen it time and time again: Angelfall, Constantine, Legion, Angelology, the list goes on. We love our dark angels.
We want stories of the morally gray. Of angels and humans trying their best and failing. We want to explore all corners of this topic so feel free to be broad. Angel-like beings from other cultures are welcomed and encouraged. Our definition of angel is loose. We want winged divine creatures trying to navigate moral quandaries, being consumed by righteous anger, and experiencing the consequences of being too close to humans.
Give us your nasty angels. Your conflicted angels. We want dark, complicated stories.
My Insights - I don’t know this press, love the cover art of the magazine.
Graveside Press
Tiny Terrors - Horror - open till Oct 31 - 2000- 15,000 words (not so tiny a word count is it?) - sim subs yes, reprints yes - pay anthology stories: 2¢ per word - longer stories get royalties (over 5000) MY INSIGHTS - I have 2 rejections from this press. No real hints. YET.
Since 2025 began, I’ve subbed 85 stories. I’ve had four acceptances. 67 rejections. YES -67. But let’s focus on…
The Wins:
Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine has finally bought a second story from me. I assume it will be in the next Oct issue because it’s a Halloween mystery. (Interview with Janet Hutchings here)
Ethereal Nightmares at Dark Holmes Publishing purchased “Doomdel the Creepy Clown” (Interview with Kerry Holmes here)
Pulp Literature has accepted “The Trippy Trip to Triton”, I am not sure of the publishing date, and I hopefully have an upcoming interview in the works. This story got like a million rejections. You can read about the publication journey here:
Certain Age Magazine bought a little memoir about how I met Luke, my hubbie. Read it here.
What a month this has been.
I attended my second Superstars, and so much awesomeness went down there that I will do an entire post on it. WITH a section of my actual notes from the most profound classes I experienced for paid subscribers.
I finally signed the paperwork with Cherry Weiner and my first novel went on sub on Valentine’s Day! (or the Monday after)
With the help of Cherry, I’ve planned my second novel.
Instead of returning to 3 feet of snow and cold, I flew to Arizona for a much needed vacation with my family! (As a writer, it has been very difficult to keep my fingers off the keyboard.)
Of course, being on vaca has really slowed down any productivity. The only real words I’ve written are the first chapter of my new novel and half a short story for the Apex Feb flash call on the theme of “Crab Apples.” Rumor has it they are only allowing unpublished authors to sub to the March window. 😭
Happy writing all! And remember…
Some great calls here! Thanks.
Angry Gable Press is the second "paste your story into the email" market I've submitted to this month. It feels weird and clunky. 🤷♂️
Ellery Queen? You waited til the end before you tell us you sold to Ellery Queen? OMG this is fabulous. I pegged them as an invite-only publisher, regardless of what their submissions say. Congrats and salud