June's 16 Jumping Open Short Story Submissions!!

Summer's Hot Paying, No Fee Open Calls

May 24, 2025

∙ Paid

Three Ravens Publishing

Horror Comedy - theme “Creep Killer Clown” for the next Trailer Park anthology - pay royalties - closes July 1st - 5000-6000 words - After the success of the previous Trailer Park anthologies, we’ve decided to bring it back for another release of fun Creature Feature Horror.

Stories should be original creature-feature, horror-comedy with the same feel as The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, Shaun of the Dead, or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. And of course, our heroes winning the day in all of their redneck glory.

The added challenge this year, should you choose to accept it, volume 5 submissions should have a “Creep Killer Clown” twist to it.

Not sure what we’re looking for? Think Pennywise, Killer Clowns from Outerspace, or John Wayne Gacy.

My Insights: So I’ve tried to get into these Trailer Park anthologies a few times. No luck. The editor/owner of this imprint is William Joesph Roberts, nicknamed “Hillbilly”. I asked him about the royalty payout and though he won’t give me exact numbers, he assured me that the authors get paid and it’s more than a token. (Most royalty anthologies I’ve participated in have failed to pay out.) I’ve hung out with him for the last two years at Superstars and he is a really nice guy. Here is a video of him talking about the conference:

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ANOMALY

Dark Sci-Fi - June 1-7th - 8c a word - 300 words and under - no sim subs - no reprints - We're looking for dark and disruptive stories that have strong emotional resonance. We like stories that stick with us after reading, that get us thinking about the twisted use of technologies, the way the world may be, or how characters might react to an evolving technological future. MY INSIGHTS - got my first rejection after just a few days yesterday.

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The Deer is Messed Up

Horror - June 1-30 - 500-3000 words - 8c a word - no reprints - The Deer Is Messed Up is a horror anthology edited by Theodore Hill and spearheaded by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor. It's got deer! That are fucked up! Sometimes in a forest! - My Insights - My last name is Fawns so of course I am interested in deer. Horrific weird ones? Why not. The only info I could find on this call is on Kickstarter, and they have a very aggressive goal of $17,980. They aren’t there yet.

Check out the campaign

Orion’s Belt

Spec - open till Aug 31 - 1200 max - 8c a word -no reprints - Literature is a matter of the heart, not just of the intellect. As such, conveying exactly what kinds of stories will delight us is impossible. A story that sounds banal and cliche-ridden in concept can be philosophical and achingly beautiful in execution. Conversely, a story that sounds lovely in concept can fail to move us in execution. Additionally, while we prize elegant, vibrant writing, not every well-written story will appeal to us. My Insights: I’ve had 27 rejections from this market, and two stories held. Read one here.

Things they like:

Stories told through another medium; i.e., journal articles, mission reports, diary entries, etc. The more idiosyncratic and experimental a medium you use, the more likely we are to appreciate it.
Characters who are rogues or tricksters working outside oppressive bureaucratic systems.
Characters forced to make difficult decisions that may conflict with their moral codes.
Hard-won optimism, not to be confused with saccharine sentimentality.
Ecological storytelling that avoids clear answers or easy moralizing.
The blurring of lines between poetry and prose.
Extensive allusions to mythology or classic literature.
Non-linear stories, or other stories that play with our perception of time. Bringing in special or general relativity or quantum physics is a plus, though the focus should still be on the narrative, not on the science.

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SLICED-UP PRESS

Horror - deadline June 30th - pay $35 - 1000-4000 max - No sim subs - Send us your best short horror fiction inspired by early morning kids TV for our next anthology, Saturday Mourning Television. Tune us in to something scary based on any decade you like: the educational/bizarre 1960’s & 70’s, the advert-packed 80’s, the radical 90’s, the wayward & wacky 2000’s or anything beyond. Even web-based entertainment is fair game. And don’t limit yourself to tales involving kids, what about parents, or performers & hosts, workers behind the scenes, even animated creations. Let your imagination go wild, and remember not to sit too close to the screen!

All submissions must be in the horror genre. Bizarro, splatterpunk and extreme horror are welcome.

My Insights: They really want you to follow the guidelines, so read them before subbing. This looks like a fun call! Thank you, Jennifer Lesh Fleck, for this find!

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Dirty Magick Magazine

Spec - closes June 30th - 2000-12,500 words, $50 pay - yes sim subs - no reprints - First and foremost, we are interested in urban fantasy which we define as fantasy adventure fiction which takes place in modern settings. These places can be real or imaginary (although we prefer the former), but the story must have some combination of those typical elements: magic, other sentient races, enchanted objects, and mythical backgrounds. These all may be underground and hidden, but they must play a part in the story.

Next, we want sword and sorcery which we define as fantasy adventure fiction taking place in an ancient or alternative world where the protagonists must use their wits and weapons to survive. We contrast this with high fantasy (which we are not interested in) where quests taken on behalf of the rulers are world shaking. We are much more interested in the street level like the Fafhrd and Gray Mouser tales of Fritz Leiber and the Conan/Bran Mak Morn tales of Robert E. Howard.

Finally, we will consider gothic and supernatural horror. We won’t define this directly, but this is a market to submit vampire, werewolf, ghost, and cryptid fiction. Be warned, it would be best to use these creatures in one of the previously mentioned genres as that would be a quicker path to publication.

Now that we’ve established genres, here are some flavors which would be acceptable:

Steampunk, but only if it fits the urban fantasy description
Cyberpunk, with the same caveat
Grimdark, but only if the violence is not too graphic
Magical Realism, but only if there’s a compelling plot
Mystery/Crime-this where we started and we want to keep the fantasy-crime hybrid alive

These are some elements which we always want to see:

Humor is always welcome, especially if it is organic to the story
Fresh takes on fantasy races, especially if you can stretch beyond Tolkien/Gygaxian stereotypes
Good balance between plot and character-tell a strong story with believable protagonists
Strong sense of setting-we believe where a story takes place adds meaning
We are not afraid of unhappy endings if they are earned

My Insights - 2 rejections from their last open call. I just sent another one in today starring my lizard warrior. No one has bought a Leeza story yet, but I think she is amazeballs.

Baffling Magazine

Spec with Queer Bent - open June 1-15 - unthemed OR Mecha vs Kaigu- max word count 1200 - would love super short like 500 and under - 8c a word - yes to simsubs -no reprints - We are looking for speculative stories that explore science fiction, fantasy, and horror with a queer bent. We want queer stories and we want trans stories and we want aro/ace stories. We want indefinable stories. We welcome weird, slipstream, and interstitial writing.

My Insights: I’ve sent them five stories, they held one. Soul Storm (honestly, I think almost every market held this dang story before it was purchased.)

I had to look up what “Mecha vs Kaigu” means. Now I feel old. I still don’t get it. It’s a TTRPG. Which I think means “Table Top Role Playing Game”. I don’t do these. I even had to look up Mecha. It’s a “large armored robot.” And a Kaigu is a “giant monster.” You’re welcome.

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Raconteur Press

Fantasy - theme “Artifacts” - Closes June 15th - pay royalties - 5000-8000 words- Guest Editor John M. Olsen (I’ve met John at a few cons and he is the nicest, most remarkable man.) Length and genre are negotiable, as long as the story fits the concept and is entertaining. They only buy 10 stories per anthology, and authors get equal split of proceeds. - No multiple subs, and they are adamant about this.

Have you ever wondered where all those odd magical artifacts come from in fantasy novels? Stories describe everything from weird trinkets to devices with world-ending importance. We want fantasy stories about eccentric alchemists, quirky witches, and genius wizards without a lick of common sense as they create the stuff of legends. Make your artifacts fun, whimsical, and dangerous beyond all reason. Oh yeah, we’ve got homework for this one.

My Insights - I don’t normally post royalty pay calls, but I met one of the publishers at Superstars this year and he assured me the authors get decent payout for their stories. I’ve sent in my first story to this press!

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Camden Park Press

Culinary Cozy - Cooking Up Death - deadline June 30 - 6000-9000 words - royalties - reprints considered if older than Jan 1, 2020 - So… now I have 2 royalty pay calls in this list. But the concept is soooooo cool.

SOME SORT OF FOOD MUST BE USED AS THE MURDER METHOD.
This is a culinary cozy anthology, so food must be central to the story, not just a suspicion easily ruled out by an autopsy of the victim. Accidentally choking on fish or chicken bones isn’t going to work, either – unless the killer somehow managed to work them into a dish where they weren’t expected (it’s possible, but a bit of a stretch). I’m looking for premeditated murders, with potential victims innocently drinking the poisoned wine or eating the stuffed toxic mushrooms before succumbing to the lethal consequences, leaving other characters to worry about the contents of their own plates.

IN A PERFECT WORLD, I’D ALSO LIKE TO INCLUDE A RECIPE (NON-LETHAL!) OF A DISH / DRINK / TREAT / ETC. THAT IS FEATURED IN YOUR STORY.

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Death’s Head Press

Horror - Deep Anthology - May 1 - July 31 - word count 2500-10,000 words - 5c per word - Death’s Head Press continues its exploration of dark horizons. This time we seek the abyss.

We’re putting together an anthology for lovers of the unexplored depths of our planet and the universe.

My Insights - none, but oohhhhh, love the concept. I’m sending in my “Rowing the River Styx” which comes from the Dancing into the Dark universe.

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Inked in Gray

Science Fiction - Stellar Parallax: Hope in a Grimdark World - deadline June 30th - pay $50 - 2000-7000 words - no reprints, sub sims allowed - All stories should have a message of hope whilst surrounded by darkness.

Let’s not sugarcoat it — things are rough, and we don’t know what the next year or even month will bring.

This is why we need stories in which hope shines through the darkness. Give us your grimdark in space, in a near-future dystopia, in a far-future galaxy, or in a sci-fi version of the present day.

This anthology will feature gritty sci-fi in which the personal message is hopeful while the external world is dark. We want world-building that’s vivid, immersive, and believable, with the focus on the characters’ direct experience. Sweeping spans of time and vast civilizations aren’t necessary here, nor are nifty tech or clever political machinations — but feel free to include any of these if they serve the story.

Regardless of scale or time period, show us the characters’ sensory perceptions, physical experience, and emotional arc. Sci-fi is a genre uniquely equipped to allow expression of character growth because it lets us explore universal human experience within specific, sharply imagined futures.

STELLAR PARALLAX will sit at the place where seemingly impossible circumstances meet the inventiveness of human agency.

My Insights - I sent in a sad sci-fi story. I’ve never worked with this press before, but I have 3 rejections.

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West Mesa Press

Speculative - Working title “Family, Fae, Fiend, Friend, and Foe” - June 1 -31st - 4000-5000 words - no reprints - $10 pay - Submissions must be speculative and feature a family with some type of supernatural family member or members. Vampires and fairies, gnomes and zombies, leprechauns, bigfeet, ghouls, and poltergeists are all welcome. Horror, humor, fantasy, science fiction, or even an entertaining, but bizarre mashup of genres that we haven’t considered. Your characters may be young or old and the time frame may be from the dawn of mankind to the far future. My Insights - Robert Lupton contacts me directly about these calls. This is his fourth anthology.

Email your submission in to: westmesapress@gmail.com

Wolfsinger Pubs

Action/Adventure - Search for the Any Key - May 1 - Aug 29th - $15 plus royalties - 1000-7000 words - editor Dana Bell - This will be mostly action/adventure, but can be placed in any time period, on other planets or any type of setting. All genres accepted and may contain humor, drama, romance, etc. Diverse characters welcome, human or otherwise.

The catch – no traditional keys accepted. If the characters don’t find the key, that’s okay.

Example – on a certain TV show, characters were searching for forgiveness and the key to enter was tears of regret. Another film had a key as part of a puzzle box which opened several artifacts.

Please think outside the box when writing these stories. The Why of the search is the most important point.

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Strange Horizons

Spec - Novelettes - Opens June 4th - 10,000-18,000 words - 10c a word - capping subs at 300 so get in early - no multiple or sim subs - We want good speculative fiction. If your story doesn't have a speculative element, or strong speculative-fiction sensibilities, it's probably not for us.

Some particular things we love, or are interested in:

Fiction from or about diverse perspectives and traditionally under-represented groups, settings, and cultures, written from a non-exoticizing and well-researched position.
Unusual yet readable styles and inventive structures and narratives.
Stories that address political issues in complex and nuanced ways, resisting oversimplification.
Hypertext fiction, interactive fiction, and other stories that explore and exploit the forms available to us. If you have a work of this type that you think might be a good fit for Strange Horizons, please query us to discuss how to submit it.

My Insights - this is a dream market. I still haven’t gotten my R from the April open call. I keep trying and piling up the R’s - 8 so far.

More info

Diabolical Plots (HEADS UP!!!)

Spec - opening July 7 - 21 - 3500 max - 10c per word - no multiple or reprints - sim subs yes - ANON subs - Speculative fiction–science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Everything should have a speculative element–that includes horror. Feel free to mix in other genres at will–a fantasy mystery or a science fiction romance. MY INSIGHTS - this is one of those biggie markets we all want to get into. I’ve cornered David and interviewed him. He also runs one of the best story market tools and trackers in the industry at Submission Grinder

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Here is my latest interview with the publisher: