February's 10 Fiendishly Fabulous Open Submission Calls
Due in Feb! ALL PAY. NO fees.
These calls are all closing before the end of Feb. Keep an eye out for my even BIGGER post for the rest of February and beyond in a few days.
WORLDS OF POSSIBILITY
Uplifting Sci-Fi & Fantasy - LAST CALL - Julia Rios is shutting down this project. - deadline Feb 17th - 10c a word - 5000 word max - no reprints -
“For this project, I am especially excited for works that leave the reader feeling hopeful, peaceful, or happy.”
- Authors can send her 3 pieces - sim subs are fine - My INSIGHTS - I’ve got five rejections from this market. But I sent 3 in for this final call!
Speculation Pub
VAMPIRE HUNTERS: An Incomplete Record of Personal Accounts -Jan 15- Feb 25 - 1000-5000 words - 2 cents a word - apparently they are using query manager, which I’ve never seen before. -no reprints - Diary/Journal Entry type stories from vampire hunters throughout history. These can be based off real people and characters or entirely made up but the history should be more or less sound. Be mindful of copy protected characters and material.
Stories should be formatted like a journal or diary, with a date. There can be one or several telling a story. We would also prefer a line or two (up to a paragraph) of context that would head each story in the anthology as to why this entry is included in the incomplete record.
For example: Louis Bernard was well known for his trumpet playing all over western Europe, but few were aware he also hunted vampires until he disappeared in 1897. This was the last entry into his journal.
SUB here - https://QueryTracker.net/query/SpecPub
MY INSIGHTS - none, new market, but what a fun call. I’m so writing something about my leech man vampire.
Unnerving Magazine
Crime and Mystery - Cottage Crimes - word count 2000 - 6000 - 1.5c cdn per word - no reprints - open till Feb 14th
“I’m looking for crime and mystery stories (no horror and nothing speculative for this one) that take place at a private vacation property. Many possibilities here, but I don’t want stories about ski chalets, timeshares, or a character’s permanent residence unless it shares property lines with vacation property. Most anything else should work (shoot me an email if you’re unsure), but there’s the usual stuff I don’t publish: copaganda, religious stories, anything right-wing. For this title, I’m leaning a touch softer than typical; I don’t mean cozy, but it can get close, as long as there’s still suspense. The stories I pick will be suspense heavy, for the most part.”
MY INSIGHTS - My writing friend and an author I’m completely in awe of,
was published here!!!! Congrats Pete! If you want to take a peek at his story, here it is.https://www.unnervingbooks.com/single-post/all-the-better-to-see-by-pete-lead
An extra note: Unnerving is opening up for their regular HORROR submissions from Feb 15-May 31, 1.5c a word - 500 - 3500 word count.
I sent in my story, The Hemolatchers for this. A weird vacation cabin in the woods and a date gone horribly wrong…
“I’m looking for suspenseful horror of ALL shades (though, as is my way, I don’t find characters being sad amidst spooky goings on to be suspenseful on it's own). Gimme gore, gimme literary, gimme whatever kind of horror you like as long as it’s suspenseful.”
Sci Phi Journal
Hard Sci-Fi - deadline Tuesday, Feb 5th - 3 Euros per word - 2000 word max - no reprints - “There are plenty of amazing print and online journals out there for ‘character-driven’ fiction, and we encourage you to read them. Sci Phi Journal (SPJ) is not one of them, though.
Hence, we are not too keen on stories predominantly about the sentiments and subjective experiences of fictional people. We want hard SF that zooms out of the personal and lifts off into the structural, the systemic, the epic. We yearn for carefully crafted philosophical speculation that puzzles over the questions of the future and alternate pasts. And we have a soft spot for stories created as ‘artifacts’ (fictional, ‘in-universe’ non-fiction). - MY INSIGHTS - I’ve sent them 3 stories and got 3 Rs. But their rejection letters are hilarious. (at least the ones I received.)
The Suburban Review
Lit - theme BOTTOM - submissions close Feb 9 - 500- 1000 words - pay $300-$450 - Bottoms up! The new year has begun and The Suburban Review is now looking for downright cheeky submissions for TSR #37: BOTTOM. The start of a new year can feel like a rabbit hole, so journey with us to find the gems down below.
We are ready to dive in deeper than ever before, so send us stories that make us hold our breath. BOTTOM invites us to follow those scratches leading to the basement or crack open a cold case. We want work fit for a smoky room and a deep bass rhythm, where the glasses are drained and secrets are slurred. Or maybe a meet-cute reaching for the lowest shelf at the supermarket. Cold, dusty, empty, or deep— we want it all! MY INSIGHTS - I’ve only subbed to this market 3 x, because sometimes there is a pay wall? I subbed for free on Jan 27th. It is my 57th sub of 2025!
Voices from the Mausoleum
HORROR - That Old House: The Kitchen - open till Feb 28th - pay $20 - 1000-4000 words - no reprints
The slice of a knife.
The heat of the oven.
If you can't handle the heat? Stay out of the kitchen.
Voices is seeking stories for the next installment in the That Old House! This time we take the journey into the horrors of the kitchen! We are seeking unique stories where 90% of the story takes place in the kitchen. Houses have many stories to tell, but each room can be a different experience. Do not limit yourself to a haunted house! Reach into your imagination and show the horrors that can happen in the kitchen. Each other can send in 3 stories. - please read the guidelines at the link below. MY INSIGHTS - I know nothing of this one!
Highlights Foundation
Scholarship Program - deadline Feb 10th - free workshops, etc. - Since the earliest days of the Highlights Foundation, we’ve offered scholarships for writers and illustrators to attend our workshops. It’s a tenet of the work we do here.
While the program has grown and evolved, its focus on our mission has remained: to positively impact children by amplifying the voices of storytellers who inform, educate, and inspire children to become their best selves.
Several awards are also sponsored by organizations who have partnered with the Highlights Foundation to make scholarships available. MY INSIGHTS - I’ve applied a couple times. No luck.
Women’s World
Romance- pay $500 - word count 750-800 words - Deadline Feb 7th for Cinco De Mayo themed and Mother’s Day stories. - They also look for mysteries. Those are 500 word stories, 450 for the plot, 50 for the solution. MY INSIGHTS - I haven’t sold to them yet, but I did repurpose a rejected mystery I wrote for them for the Halloween theme and sold it to EQMM!
5-minute Romance offers the reader a feel-good fiction “snack” that shimmers with hope and possibility. Participants of focus groups have revealed that they consider this one of the classic columns that differentiates Woman’s World from other magazines—in fact, they said that it wouldn’t be Woman’s World without it!
Submissions: Please email manuscripts to Fiction@WomansWorldMag.com. Please be patient: Due to the volume of manuscripts we receive, our turnaround time may range from two to six months. If after that time you don’t hear back, feel free to resubmit.
The Rumpus
Lit - theme Enough - Jan 3 - Feb 7 -pay $50 - 1000-3500 words - no reprints - ENOUGH is a Rumpus series devoted to creating a dedicated space for work by women and non-binary people.
We consider personal essays, critical essays, poetry, comics, and hybrid work. We are especially interested in work that considers who has been taught to speak up and who has been taught to be silent, who has access to healthcare and to therapy, and how these inequalities make vulnerable populations even more vulnerable. INSIGHTS - none, but Rumpus is very well respected. I sent in a dark cyberpunk dystopian piece.
Ripples in Space
Sci-Fi: Feb 1 - Feb 28th -pay $20 - no sub sims - no reprints - I don’t see a word count suggestion - For this anthology, Samak Press seeks original science fiction stories that fit snugly within the imagery, concept, and theme of first contact. Tales submitted to Ripples in Space can encompass more than one science fiction subgenre or blend other speculative genres into the narrative, if the central sci-fi thematic element is present in the story. We want suspenseful stories you can’t put down and thoughtful tales that linger with you long after the final page.
Original compelling stories will grab our attention. Stale retreads of familiar sci-fi cliches will banish you straight to the slush pile, never to return.
Dare to think beyond the usual tropes. Resist the urge to travel down the lazy path and craft a tale that feels like it’s ripped straight from the writer’s room of a Star Trek or Star Wars series or reads like fanfic for a major franchise like Alien or The Terminator. Avoid lazy cliches and tropes like omniscient paternalistic aliens sending Earth a message or space marines battling virtually unstoppable alien monsters. Craft deep, layered characters, paint mind-blowing visuals, and evoke a sense of wonder or dread. Surprise us with your story. Make us think.- My INSIGHTS - none
If you like what you are reading here, I have THREE books that you can get for free if you upgrade to a paid tier. Or you can just buy ‘em yourself. Personally, I love having my Guide of All Guides in paperback, right beside my computer.
Thank you for this! Now I have a few more markets to submit to.