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Thursday, August 27, 2020

Why a personal goal of 100 rejections this year? (updated 8/31/2020)

Note: deadlines listed at the end as per usual, clickable and updated.

But first, today, since I seem to be drawing closer to my goal, I thought I would start by revisiting some of my personal history behind my current goal of 100 rejections. It's a history of not quite making it or giving up too soon or life getting in the way. What happens to many of us creatives I suppose.

I've always loved reading and writing from early on. There's some book I cannot recall the title of, but it was a prefect creative, artistic journal with lots of open-ended, dreamy exercises that I remember toying with at an early age. Not to mention playing with my siblings in the various yards of each house my family moved into based on whatever latest deal my mother found. We pretended to travel into fantastic worlds while explore the amazing environment of Oregon. And lots of imagination-based gaming and whatnot with my friends. In elementary school, I smothered journals with words and pictures for my teachers, in particular Mr. Covey, with maps of fantastical lands, mind working through how I would immerse myself in those places.

I won an elementary school essay writing contest at one point, snagging grand prize. A whole set of massive, shiny, gold-flaked encyclopedias and dictionaries was an awesome prize at the time. I joined a writing conference for young writers which pushed me to develop my immersive writing further; the only sketch I remember is this piece set in the jungle with a leopard that drew a lot on the suspense and darkness of Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man. I read stacks of books, played a ton of games, and felt poetic about the world. In high school, I was writing a ton of rhythmic poetry and I joined a slam poetry event once wearing the perfect grungy beatnik style get-up, an experience I carried into college. Landed me on the front page of the newspaper.

Later on, I won an essay writing contest in community college. After a year of community college, I traveled around Europe for five months, and wrote a ton of poetry and story sketches, immersing myself in scenes that I would use later in a few university writing courses, in particular one on meshing multi-media with writing, and with a travel writing course. Plenty of writing and literature courses, but the best was the KIDD intensive writing program, during which I worked on a thesis project related to Japan-USA relations, implementing character studies, social studies, relationship issues, and language issues. That program was such a wonderful experience, joining forces with the other writers in my group. I won 3rd place for fiction for a story (novel excerpt) I wrote called Lost Woman. It included Japanese language and dealt with feminist and international culture clashes. I believe it was 5000-7000 words. They paid about $100. Most I'd ever been paid for my writing.

At the time, I thought I'd done a lot. Looking back, I could've done so much more. But regardless, it was a terrific experience. I dropped the ball for a while after.

I wrote scattered poems about ghosts and loneliness in my neighborhood in greater Tokyo, since lost along with everything before 2012, I believe. From 2012 or so I started reading more speculative fiction, especially the online magazines. Eventually, a friend invited me to join his writing group and we tried out some NaNoWriMo writing and other writing. It was great. So much motivation and I now have 3-5 novels I need to fix up and send out. I even pitched two of those novels to agents at the Willamette Writers Conference in 2017. There was a lot of interest. I just needed to send them samples! 

Then I got back home. The difficulty of balancing work and having a family and writing landed on me, and I never got those samples sent out. Then family life worsened and a sudden child custody battle and divorce tore apart my life. I pushed through the battle to make sure my children would have a father and I pushed through the recovery phase using workouts and DJing to try and stay focused and forward-thinking. Finally, I got back to writing and submitting to Writers of the Future from 2019. Rejections, even though I was putting in the work and the stories were great. I knew I had good writing on my hands so I kept at it. I also knew I'd need an extra push, so I found Wulf Moon's writing group on the Writers of the Future forum. And after seeing another writer mention such a challenge to write more (I believe it was Eric Witchey), I pushed myself to try and make at least 100 submissions in 2020. I assumed they would be rejections, but that act of submitting would push me to revise and create more anyway, much as workouts and DJing had pushed me to crawl out of my dark hole of broken family and destroyed fatherhood.

I want everyone to consider how important pushing through rejections to keep submitting can be. If I had continued doing that from 2005 until now, I certainly would have been a happier person, realizing my dreams, instead of crawling back toward them while trying to meet basic needs.

Whatever excuses I make for having done nothing much from 2005 to 2014, it was a mistake. Since 2005, I haven't received any wins to speak of, not really, but the energy I've put in this year, has helped me get closer and closer to my primary dream of sharing my fantastical worlds and stories with the public at large.


Here is my past writing submission experience 2005-2019 (contrast with the energy of 2020)
2005        Won 3rd place for fiction in the KIDD writing competition at the University of Oregon for the                 first chapter of my "Lost Woman" (fittingly, it's been lost to a broken hard drive, but,                                nevertheless, I'm loosely basing my WotF Q4 submission on it...)
.......        Sadly, few attempts at successful writing until 2014
2015 Rejections: 5 (2 short, 3 flash)
2016 Rejections: 7 short; 2 Honorable Mentions at Writers of the Future
2017 Rejections: 8 short; 2 Honorable Mentions at Writers of the Future; writing conference                            experience with connections and novel pitching experience
2018 N/A (recovery from shattered life via workouts and DJing classes/practice as Ryje Ryder)
2019 Rejections: 5 (4 short, 1 flash)

Personal Goal of 100 Rejections in 2020 (current stats)
2020 Rejections: 60 (35 short, 23 flash, 2 poems)
                Pending: 16 (13 short, 2 flash, 1 novel grant app)
                Total 2020 Submissions:  76


Last week I received 4-5 rejections. One rejection said "your story was close". This was from a top tier publication. The last three stories I submitted to that magazine were direct rejections. No interest. But to have that rejection be closer than the other three has sent me on an emotional rollercoaster. It is wonderful to have that positive feedback, but also frustrating to still be climbing up out of not quite there. In the long run, the most important thing is to keep going through the process of writing fresh, revising, submitting, and doing it again and again.

New/unpublished writers should plan on submitting to these three: Grimdark Magazine's Matthew Ward's Pay It Forward Writing Competition (8/30-9/5), Writers of the Future Quarter 4 (7/1-9/30), and Dream Foundry Contest (8/10-10/11).

Note: Upon a Once Time deadline is now 9/18; added 3 Zombies Need Brains LLC anthologies w/ 12/31 deadline; added Lost Contact deadline of 12/31

Lists in order of appearance: 
1. Submissions Deadlines in August and Beyond (pay 5¢-20¢/word USD or equivalent
2. Submissions Deadlines in August and Beyond (pay 1¢-4¢/word USD or equivalent)
3. Publications Open for Submission (No specified deadline; pay 5-20¢/word USD or equivalent)
4. Publications Open for Submission (No Specified Deadline; pay 1-4¢/word USD or equivalent)
5. Conferences, Conventions, and Workshops to Sign Up For
6. Where to search for submission windows on your own? 
7. Need motivation for the submission game?

Updated lists below. Click each item to reach the submission page or closest available equivalent. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Submission Deadlines in August and Beyond (pay 5-20¢/word USD or equivalent)

8/29, Community Chest Contest (Pacifica Literary Review), ~5,000 words (up to 3 poems), $350, Genre: General, one winner per contest category (fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction), Theme: no theme but slighly favors entries dealing with our current reality in some manner

8/15-8/31, Cast of Wonders (Flash Fiction Contest), ~500 words (including title), 8¢/word, Genre: any YA (12-17 year old target audience)

8/31, The SLF $500 Diverse Writers and $500 Diverse Worlds Grants; these are two different grants; to apply provide a ~500-word description of projects, a ~5000-word writing sample, a bibliography of previously published work if any, and for the Diverse Writers grant only provide a brief statement of what aspect of your background relates to diversity; Application Process: Send the 3-4 items listed above to our diversity grant jury as attached .doc files, at diversity@speclit.org. Include a brief cover letter with your name and contact info (e-mail, phone in case of emergency), and please note which grant(s) you’re applying for; Note: "Writers may apply for either or both grants. Please note: your project does not need to center on identity issues. We also do not expect or want work that simply attempts to check off all the boxes in a tokenistic way, but rather are looking for writing that offers deep characterization, complex cultural landscapes, and strong literary quality overall."

8/31, Strange Horizons (Mexico Issue), ~4000, 10¢/word, Genre: any speculative, Note: only for Indigenous people in Mexico, Mexican people, and people of Mexican origin

5/1-8/31, The McNeese Review, ~6000 words, $50/story, Genre: General/Fantasy/SF, Simultaneous OK, Poetry OK (up to 3 poems, pay unclear, same as story?)

9/1 or early September, A Multiplicity of Stories, 900-10,000 words, $100CAD/story ($50CAD reprints), Genre/Theme: various spec/various interests that include city planning, climate change, possible futures, and alt history

8/12-9/4 Uncanny Magazine, 750-6000 words, 10¢/word, Genre: SF/F Wants: "intricate, experimental stories and poems with gorgeous prose, verve, and imagination that elicit strong emotions and challenge beliefs. Uncanny believes there’s still plenty of room in the genre for tales that make you feel." Note: currently closed to poetry.

9/4, On the Premises Short Story Contest 36, 1000-5000 words, prize money (1st $220, 2nd $160, 3rd $120, HM $60), Theme: Smell, Genre: any except children’s and gross horror, https://onthepremises.com/current-contest/

8/30-9/5, Matthew Ward Pay it Forward Writing Competition (Grimdark Magazine), ~4000 words, Genre: grimdark (SF/F), 1st Place = 7¢/word (AUS), Note: only eligibile if you haven't sold a short story that pays more than token (~US$100) or royalty only (also no published novelists)

9/7-9/13, Nightmare Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Dark Fantasy/Horror, BIPOC authors only, Poetry (up to five poems, $40/poem), Reprints OK

9/14-9/20, Nightmare Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Dark Fantasy/Horror, Poetry (up to five poems, $40/poem), Reprints OK

7/1-9/18, Upon a Once Time, 1000-3000 words, 8¢/word, Theme: mashup of two fairytales, Genre: SF/Fantasy/Grimdark/New Weird/Dying Earth/genre-bending

8/28-9/20, 2000-4000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Horror, Theme: Terrifying Ghosts, Reprints OK, Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK, Note: send stories to 2020@flametreepublishing.com and "include Terrifying Ghosts in the subject header of your submission email," Note: subscribe to Flame Tree's newsletter for advance notice of these submission windows

9/22, Reckoning: 5th Issue, ~20,000 words, 8¢/word ($30/page for poems), Genre: SF/F/General, Theme: enivironmental justic, Simultaneous OK, Poetry OK (prefer multiple 3-5 poems <10 pages, but send only one if longer)

9/25, Incoming Magazine, Pitches for 20-page black and white comic, Genre: SF, £ 800/$1000, email story outline (text/storyboard) and a selection of concept art/past work to: magincoming@gmail.com

9/1-9/30 PodCastle, ~6000 words (3000-4500 best), 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy, Simultaneous OK, Reprints ($100 for >1500 words, $20 for flash)

9/30, Future Science Fiction Digest, 500-10,000 words (~5000 preferred), 8¢/word, Genre: SF, Theme: positive East Asia

7/1-9/30, WotF Q4, ~17000 words (aim for 3000-10,000), 8¢/word, prize money (1st $1000, 2nd $750, 3rd $500, annual grand $5000, plus Hollywood workshop; semi-finalists get feedback), Genre: F/SF, Note: contest for new writers w/o 4+ pro-level publications; the forum is very helpful, especially the Super Secrets thread; free workshop available on website

9/30, Ombak Magazine, ~4000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: F/SF/H (weird fiction), Simultaneous OK, Limited to authors from Southeast Asia

8/10-10/11 Dream Foundry Contest, Words ~10,000, prize (1st $1000, 2nd $500, 3rd $200), Note: contest for new writers (have published 4000 words or less, earned $320 or less from those words and never been nominated for a major award), Note: winners are not published but do receive critiques along with the financial reward

10/31, Chiral Mad 5, ~5000 words (poetry: ~50 lines, up to 5 poems), 6¢/word (poems:$1/line) Theme: The End Is The Beginning / The Beginning Is The End, Note: for underrepresented demographic only, "If you are not part of an underrepresented demographic (POC, LGBTQIA+, female), please do not submit at this time, but feel free to send recommendations", Note: proceeds go to BLM

11/1 Weird Christams Flash Fiction Contest (3rd annual), ~350 words, prize money (1st=$50, 2nd=$25,10+HMs=$5, Genre: SpecFic/SF/F/H/Humor/Weird, Reprints: query, Note: accepts narrative poetry, multiple entries OK

10/15-11/2, PseudoPod (General Submissions), 1500-6000 words (4500 best), 8¢/word, Genre: any horror, Reprints OK 

11/30, ServiceScape Short Story Award, ~5000 words, $1,000 USD (one winner), Genre: any

11/30: Cast of Wonders (General Submissions), ~6000 words (best 3000-4500 or flash <1000), 8¢/word, Genre: any YA, Note: good feedback provided last time I submitted

11/30-12/4, Fireside (Autumn 2021 Issue), ~3000 words, 12.5¢/word, Genre: Any (English or Spanish) 

8/7-12/26, Campfire Macabre (Cemetery Media Gates), 500-1200 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Horror, Theme: Cemetery Chillers, Spook Houses, Supernatural Slashers, Witchcraft, Within the Woods, Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (submit 1 story per theme, up to 5 stories)

12/31, Lost Contact, 1000-7000 words, 5¢/word, Genre: Horror/Weird Science, Theme: use lost contact idea as you please and link it with horror and technology, Simultaneous OK

8/27-12/31, THE MODERN DEITY’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY, DERELICT, and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE (three anthologies from Zombies Need Brains LLC), 7500 words, 8¢/words + royalties, Theme 1: urban fantasy w/ a god/deity, Theme 2: SF/F about abandoned ships, Theme 3: SF/F about colliding cultures, Sub to contact@zombiesneedbrains.com w/ name of anthology and title of story submitted, Multiple OK (separate emails), Reprints/Simultaneous NO

7/1-2/28/2021, The Wild Hunt: Stories of the Chase, 1000-3000 words, 8¢/word,  Theme: The Wild Hunt's folklore, myths, and drama), Genre: SF/Fantasy/Grimdark/New Weird/Dying Earth/genre-bending

8/10/2021-8/31/2021, PseudoPod (Flash Fiction Contest), ~1500 words (500-1000 best), 8¢/word, Genre: any horror, Reprints OK, Simultaneous OK (if not an Escape Artists podcast)


Submission Deadlines in August and Beyond (pay 1-4¢/word USD or equivalent)

8/30, Heartwreck: Romantic Disasters at Sea, 2000-5000 words, 2¢/word, Seeking personal essays and creative memoir about love gone wrong at sea

8/15-8/31, Apparition Literary Magazine, 1000-5000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Speculative/Fantasy/SF/Horror/ Literary, Theme: Satisfaction 

5/1-8/31, Under the Hooded Monster Contest, 1000-10,000 words, grand prize $100, Theme: YA fantasy short stories about a person facing and overcoming a monster

8/31, Spawn: Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies, 1500-5000 words (not strict), 6c (AUD) per word, Genre: speculative, Theme: body horror related to pregnancy/birth/babies, Note: for Australian writers only, Reprints OK (sort of)

8/1-8/31, Curiosities, ~7500 words, 4¢/word (reprints 1¢/word), Genre/Theme: dark corners of retropunk (steam,diesel,dread,bronze, and others, but no atompunk)

9/15-11/15, New Tales of Fairy Godmothers by Kate Wolford, 4000-7500 words, 1¢/word, Genre: fairy tale fantasy, Theme: new fairy godmother tales that refresh/subvert the trope, simultaneous OK

9/15-11/15, Lamplight Magazine, ~7000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Dark/Literary

1/4-11/15, In Darkness Delight Anthology (Corpus Press), 2500-7500 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Horror, SF (soft)

11/30, Women Destroy Retro Science Fiction, 750-1500 ($10) or 1501-2500 words ($15), Genre/Theme: retro-futurism with a female filled world of impossible wonders, Note: Women authors only (Transwomen authors accepted because transwomen are women)

12/1 Worldbuilding Fantasy Anthology, 3500-7000 or 9000-15,000 words, flat payment (short $100; novella $200), Theme: Politics as Conflict. Genre: any Fantasy (PG-13)

3/15/2021-5/15/2021, Lamplight Magazine, ~7000 words. 3¢/word, Genre: Dark/Literary


Publications Open for Submission (No specified deadline; pay 5-20¢/word USD or equivalent)











CLOSED TO SUBS UNTIL FEB 2021 Hybrid Fiction, 500-5000 words (or serialized novellas), 6¢/word, Genre: speculative hybrid/cross-genre (blend of 2+ genres, such as dark fantasy, steampunk western, historical fantasy, weird western, crime fantasy, etc.)










Where to search for submission windows on your own?




Where to Submit Short Stories: 30 Magazines and Websites That Want Your Work, a decent list with a literary focus

28 Themed Submission Calls for August by S. Kalekar, submission possibilities including a few good ones I haven't had time to add to the lists above

Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: plenty of updated lists of agents, calls for submission, contests, conferences, recipes, and more


Need motivation for the submission game? 

Submitting Short Fiction: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Genre Edition by Holly Lyn Walrath, a useful guide on playing the submission game written in 2019

Submission Tetris: An Analytic Approach by Laurence Raphael Brothers, a brief but useful consideration of what and where to submit in the submissions game from SFWA


Also, great advice at these links below

Charlie Jane Anders' advice: chapters from her forthcoming non-fiction book Never Say You Can't Survive with new chapters released every Tuesday

Delilah S. Dawson's page of links, including her advice on how to get published


And here, more links

This is a listing of speculative award winners. Go read, study, and improve yourself.

Here are grants to apply for with the Speculative Literature Foundation

This is a listing at critter.org that shows general response times of various publishers and magazines

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Thursday, August 6, 2020

Submission Window and Deadlines List (August 2020; Updated on 8/15/2020)

Personal Goal of 100 Rejections in 2020 (current stats)
Rejections: 49 (29 short, 18 flash, 2 poems)
Pending: 19 (14 short, 5 flash)
Total Submissions: 67

Additions to note and deadlines coming soon: Uncanny Magazine opening 8/12-9/4, No Police = Know Future deadline on 8/15, TU Dublin Short Story Competition deadline 8/19, two SLF diversity grants w/ deadlines on 8/31, and more. I also added a few sites where you can continue the submissions search on your own, as well as a few places to get advice on the submissions game. Good luck, skill, magic and enjoy the process for what it is.

Also added three more: 9/30 Future SF Digest seeks positive East Asia short stories, Cemetery Gates Media has a horror flash fiction contest open from now until 12/26, and also added the lower paying (3¢/word) Apparition Literary Magazine as they have interesting flash fiction contests with art prompts as well general story submission windows.

SF-fans might want to write up a quick statement: 8/23, Dreamforge Magazine, 50-word statement of how SF gives you hope for tomorrow and SF-inspired tech makes life better today, prizes for top 3 

New/unpublished writers should plan on submitting to these three: Grimdark Magazine's Matthew Ward's Pay It Forward Writing Competition (8/30-9/5), Writers of the Future Quarter 4 (7/1-9/30), and Dream Foundry Contest (8/10-10/11).

Lists in order of appearance: 
1. Submissions Deadlines in August and Beyond (pay 5¢-20¢/word USD or equivalent
2. Submissions Deadlines in August and Beyond (pay 1¢-4¢/word USD or equivalent)
3. Publications Open for Submission (No specified deadline; pay 5-20¢/word USD or equivalent)
4. Publications Open for Submission (No Specified Deadline; pay 1-4¢/word USD or equivalent)
5. Conferences, Conventions, and Workshops to Sign Up For
6. Where to search for submission windows on your own? 
7. Need motivation for the submission game?

Nothing special to blog about; straight to the updated lists. Click each item to reach the submission page or closest available equivalent. Do tell me of any submission possibilities I should add to the list.


Submission Deadlines in August and Beyond (pay 5-20¢/word USD or equivalent)



8/23, Great River Review, Poetry (1-3 poems), $120, Note: BIPOC poets only, Note: must provide mini reading of your work

8/27, Motherland (Lethe Press), 2000-10,000 words, 6¢/word, Genre: LGBTQ+, Weird, Theme: set in Motherland, a landyke community founded on the Delmarva Peninsula in 1968 by Ida Marmer and Robinia Atwell. Stories can be set during any time period, from the founding of Motherland to the current day. All stories must feature lesbian or bisexual protagonists. We recommend authors read the NY Times article and the book Landykes of the South before writing their submission.

8/28, Fireside Summer 2021 Issue, ~3000 words, 12.5¢/word, Genre: Any (English or Spanish) 

8/15-8/30, Cast of Wonders (Flash Fiction Contest), ~500 words (including title), 8¢/word, Genre: any YA (12-17 year old target audience)

8/31, The SLF $500 Diverse Writers and $500 Diverse Worlds Grants; these are two different grants; to apply provide a ~500-word description of projects, a ~5000-word writing sample, a bibliography of previously published work if any, and for the Diverse Writers grant only provide a brief statement of what aspect of your background relates to diversity; Application Process: Send the 3-4 items listed above to our diversity grant jury as attached .doc files, at diversity@speclit.org. Include a brief cover letter with your name and contact info (e-mail, phone in case of emergency), and please note which grant(s) you’re applying for; Note: "Writers may apply for either or both grants. Please note: your project does not need to center on identity issues. We also do not expect or want work that simply attempts to check off all the boxes in a tokenistic way, but rather are looking for writing that offers deep characterization, complex cultural landscapes, and strong literary quality overall."

8/31, Strange Horizons (Mexico Issue), ~4000, 10¢/word, Genre: any speculative, Note: only for Indigenous people in Mexico, Mexican people, and people of Mexican origin

8/12-9/4 Uncanny Magazine, 750-6000 words, 10¢/word, Genre: SF/F Wants: "intricate, experimental stories and poems with gorgeous prose, verve, and imagination that elicit strong emotions and challenge beliefs. Uncanny believes there’s still plenty of room in the genre for tales that make you feel." Note: currently closed to poetry.

9/4, On the Premises Short Story Contest 36, 1000-5000 words, prize money (1st $220, 2nd $160, 3rd $120, HM $60), Theme: Smell, Genre: any except children’s and gross horror, https://onthepremises.com/current-contest/

8/30-9/5, Matthew Ward Pay it Forward Writing Competition (Grimdark Magazine), ~4000 words, Genre: grimdark (SF/F), 1st Place = 7¢/word (AUS), Note: only eligibile if you haven't sold a short story that pays more than token (~US$100) or royalty only (also no published novelists)

9/22, Reckoning: 5th Issue, ~20,000 words, 8¢/word ($30/page for poems), Genre: SF/F/General, Theme: enivironmental justic, Simultaneous OK, Poetry OK (prefer multiple 3-5 poems <10 pages, but send only one if longer)

9/25, Incoming Magazine, Pitches for 20-page black and white comic, Genre: SF, £ 800/$1000, email story outline (text/storyboard) and a selection of concept art/past work to: magincoming@gmail.com

9/1-9/30 PodCastle, ~6000 words (3000-4500 best), 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy, Simultaneous OK, Reprints ($100 for >1500 words, $20 for flash)

9/30, Future Science Fiction Digest, 500-10,000 words (~5000 preferred), 8¢/word, Genre: SF, Theme: positive East Asia

7/1-9/30, WotF Q4, ~17000 words (aim for 3000-10,000), 8¢/word, prize money (1st $1000, 2nd $750, 3rd $500, annual grand $5000, plus Hollywood workshop; semi-finalists get feedback), Genre: F/SF, Note: contest for new writers w/o 4+ pro-level publications; the forum is very helpful, especially the Super Secrets thread; free workshop available on website

8/10-10/11 Dream Foundry Contest, Words ~10,000, prize (1st $1000, 2nd $500, 3rd $200), Note: contest for new writers (have published 4000 words or less, earned $320 or less from those words and never been nominated for a major award)

10/31, Chiral Mad 5, ~5000 words (poetry: ~50 lines, up to 5 poems), 6¢/word (poems:$1/line) Theme: The End Is The Beginning / The Beginning Is The End, Note: for underrepresented demographic only, "If you are not part of an underrepresented demographic (POC, LGBTQIA+, female), please do not submit at this time, but feel free to send recommendations", Note: proceeds go to BLM

11/1 Weird Christams Flash Fiction Contest (3rd annual), ~350 words, prize money (1st=$50, 2nd=$25,10+HMs=$5, Genre: SpecFic/SF/F/H/Humor/Weird, Reprints: query, Note: accepts narrative poetry, multiple entries OK

10/15-11/2, PseudoPod (General Submissions), 1500-6000 words (4500 best), 8¢/word, Genre: any horror, Reprints OK 

11/30: Cast of Wonders (General Submissions), ~6000 words (best 3000-4500 or flash <1000), 8¢/word, Genre: any YA, Note: good feedback provided last time I submitted

11/30-12/4, Fireside (Autumn 2021 Issue), ~3000 words, 12.5¢/word, Genre: Any (English or Spanish) 

8/7-12/26, Cemetery Media Gates Untitled Flash Fiction Anthology, 500-1000 words (submit 1 story per theme, up to 5 stories), 8¢/word, Genre: Horror, Theme: Cemetery Chillers, Spook Houses, Supernatural Slashers, Witchcraft, Within the Woods

7/1/2020-2/28/2021, two anthologies from Open Air and Nothingness Press, 1000-3000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/Fantasy/Grimdark/New Weird/Dying Earth/genre-bending, Note: overall story call for both anthologies linked here (direct pdf linked to anthology themes detailed below)

Upon a Once Time (Theme: mashup of two fairytales)
The Wild Hunt: Stories of the Chase (Theme: The Wild Hunt's folklore, myths, and drama)

8/10/2021-8/31/2021, PseudoPod (Flash Fiction Contest), ~1500 words (500-1000 best), 8¢/word, Genre: any horror, Reprints OK, Simultaneous OK (if not an Escape Artists podcast)


Submission Deadlines in August and Beyond (pay 1-4¢/word USD or equivalent)

8/1-8/15, Apparition Literary Magazine Flash Fiction Contest (monthly), ~1000 words, $10 for the winning story, Genre: Speculative/Fantasy/SF/Horror/ Literary, Theme: artwork prompt of From Mother Earth Flows the River of Life by Daphne Odjig (see site) 

8/16, FU Review Issue 9 Interrupt, no word limit (~2 prose pieces and/or ~5 poems), €20 per author, Theme: "When the internet cuts off, when the light goes out as you sit down to read, when the heart doesn't beat, when a heart doesn't beat for you, when the visa is rejected, when the binary breaks, when you fall in love, when two worlds collide, when — we pause this program for an important announcement — a dog barks (the autoplay ad starts) when the lightning strikes the picnic the stranger asks for directions the rain starts the statue of the slave trader hits the water when the the rain ends when a missile —"

8/30, Heartwreck: Romantic Disasters at Sea, 2000-5000 words, 2¢/word, Seeking personal essays and creative memoir about love gone wrong at sea

8/15-8/31, Apparition Literary Magazine, 1000-5000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Speculative/Fantasy/SF/Horror/ Literary, Theme: Satisfaction 

5/1-8/31, Under the Hooded Monster Contest, 1000-10,000 words, grand prize $100, Theme: YA fantasy short stories about a person facing and overcoming a monster

8/31, Spawn: Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies, 1500-5000 words (not strict), 6c (AUD) per word, Genre: speculative, Theme: body horror related to pregnancy/birth/babies, Note: for Australian writers only, Reprints OK (sort of)

9/15-11/15, New Tales of Fairy Godmothers by Kate Wolford, 4000-7500 words, 1¢/word, Genre: fairy tale fantasy, Theme: new fairy godmother tales that refresh/subvert the trope, simultaneous OK

9/15-11/15, Lamplight Magazine, ~7000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Dark/Literary

1/4-11/15, In Darkness Delight Anthology (Corpus Press), 2500-7500 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Horror, SF (soft)

12/1 Worldbuilding Fantasy Anthology, 3500-7000 or 9000-15,000 words, flat payment (short $100; novella $200), Theme: Politics as Conflict. Genre: any Fantasy (PG-13)

3/15/2021-5/15/2021, Lamplight Magazine, ~7000 words. 3¢/word, Genre: Dark/Literary


Publications Open for Submission (No specified deadline; pay 5-20¢/word USD or equivalent)











CLOSED TO SUBS UNTIL FEB 2021 Hybrid Fiction, 500-5000 words (or serialized novellas), 6¢/word, Genre: speculative hybrid/cross-genre (blend of 2+ genres, such as dark fantasy, steampunk western, historical fantasy, weird western, crime fantasy, etc.)










Where to search for submission windows on your own?




Where to Submit Short Stories: 30 Magazines and Websites That Want Your Work, a decent list with a literary focus

28 Themed Submission Calls for August by S. Kalekar, submission possibilities including a few good ones I haven't had time to add to the lists above

Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: plenty of updated lists of agents, calls for submission, contests, conferences, recipes, and more


Need motivation for the submission game? 

Submitting Short Fiction: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Genre Edition by Holly Lyn Walrath, a useful guide on playing the submission game written in 2019

Submission Tetris: An Analytic Approach by Laurence Raphael Brothers, a brief but useful consideration of what and where to submit in the submissions game from SFWA


Also, great advice at these links below

Charlie Jane Anders' advice: chapters from her forthcoming non-fiction book Never Say You Can't Survive with new chapters released every Tuesday

Delilah S. Dawson's page of links, including her advice on how to get published

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Saturday, July 25, 2020

Expanding (9 deadlines soon; WWC 2020 next week; 40 rejections so far!)

There are at least 9 deadlines coming up on 7/31-8/2, so feel free to jump to the updated deadlines listed below. I started including a few more details, such as poetry, multiple subs, simultaneous subs. You should also check the conferences. Willamette Writers Conference is coming up very soon; you should register by Monday and jump into Eric Witchey's class. Highly recommended.

It's going fairly strong with my writing; I've written a few new short pieces and done some revision. Submitted a bunch. Now if I could just fit in some work on a novel. I've probably been holding back enough and need to wrap up and consider how to publish, perhaps starting with those agents I met at the conference years back...

Current Stats for Personal Goal of 100 Rejections in 2020 
Rejections: 40 (25 short, 14 flash, 1 poem) 
Pending: 19 (10 short, 5 flash, 1 poem)
Total 2020 Submissions: 59

The writing sprints went well this week, and I've just about finished the story for the Third Flatiron story call. I like how it loosely linked to another flash I sent into a contest earlier this month. Now to just sort out that ending and polish it up to send in for a few critiques, so I can get to other matters.

Thankfully, more members from the Super Secrets challenge group joined my shared critique folder, and we have been exchanging emails. I find this was one of the major changes that helped me after joining the Super Secrets challenge group: more exchanges with other motivated writers. Writing together with others who are just as motivated, exchanging critiques or brainstorming or discussing ideas, is incredibly inspirational.

Good news that I noticed: Apex Magazine is open for submissions, and their already successful Kickstarter is still going. Amazing Stories successfully funded their Kickstarter.

Missed: I just missed the submission window for Addition Magazine (1000-5000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: general, SF), so submit right away next time it opens.

Lists below. Do let me know if you have anything else I should add.


Conferences, Conventions, and Workshops to Sign Up For

Willamette Writers Conference 2020, July 30 - August 2, 7 AM - 8 PM Pacific Time, Online, $299/$349, Note: I wish I could go but work won't allow me to make time for this, definitely take a class from Eric Witchey if you can (it's called Character Fluency, and is 5-7 PM PST on 7/27/. 7/28. 7/29). There's still time to sign up! In fact, I may be able to fit Witchey's class in between work obligations.












8/1, Cemetery Gates Media Untitled Anthology, 3000-6000 words, 5¢/word, Genre: Horror, Theme: local lore or location-based oddities, Simultaneous OK

8/1-8/2, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, 1000-40000 words (shorter preferred), 6¢/word (reprints 2¢/word), Genre: F/SF, Poetry ($1/line, ~40 lines, reprints 50¢/word), Articles (2-6¢/word, reprints 1-4¢/word), Note: great feedback provided if requested in cover letter

8/1-8/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)

8/15 (or until filled), No Police = Know Future, ~4000 words. 8¢/word. Theme: SF stories that give potential (and hopefully positive) futures that involve alternatives to modern day policing. 

8/15-30 (tentative), Cast of Wonders (Flash Fiction Contest), ~1500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: any YA, Note: good feedback provided last time I submitted, https://www.castofwonders.org/submissions/

8/23, Great River Review, Poetry (1-3 poems), $120, Note: BIPOC poets only, Note: must provide mini reading of your work

8/24-8/28, Fireside Summer 2021 Issue, ~3000 words, 12.5¢/word, Genre: Any (English or Spanish) 

8/30, Heartwreck: Romantic Disasters at Sea, 2000-5000 words, 2¢/word, Seeking personal essays and creative memoir about love gone wrong at sea

8/31, Strange Horizons (Mexico Issue), ~4000, 10¢/word, Genre: any speculative, Note: only for Indigenous people in Mexico, Mexican people, and people of Mexican origin

Submission Deadlines and Windows in September and Beyond

9/4, On the Premises Short Story Contest 36, 1000-5000 words, prize money (1st $220, 2nd $160, 3rd $120, HM $60), Theme: Smell, Genre: any except children’s and gross horror, https://onthepremises.com/current-contest/

9/22, Reckoning: 5th Issue, ~20,000 words, 8¢/word ($30/page for poems), Genre: SF/F/General, Theme: enivironmental justic, Simultaneous OK, Poetry OK (prefer multiple 3-5 poems <10 pages, but send only one if longer)

9/25, Incoming Magazine, Pitches for 20-page black and white comic, Genre: SF, £ 800/$1000, email story outline (text/storyboard) and a selection of concept art/past work to: magincoming@gmail.com

9/1-9/30 PodCastle, ~6000 words (3000-4500 best), 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy, Simultaneous OK, Reprints ($100 for >1500 words, $20 for flash)

7/1-9/30, WotF Q4, ~17000 words (aim for 3000-10,000), 8¢/word, prize money (1st $1000, 2nd $750, 3rd $500, annual grand $5000, plus Hollywood workshop; semi-finalists get feedback), Genre: F/SF, Note: contest for new writers w/o 4+ pro-level publications; the forum is very helpful, especially the Super Secrets thread; free workshop available on website

8/10-10/11 Dream Foundry Contest, Words ~10,000, prize (1st $1000, 2nd $500, 3rd $200), Note: contest for new writers (have published 4000 words or less, earned $320 or less from those words and never been nominated for a major award)

11/1 WEIRD CHRISTMAS Flash Fiction Contest - 3rd annual; SpecFic/sf/f/h/humor/weird (flash). Words: <350. Fee: $0. Prizes: 1st=$50; 2nd=$25 10+ HMs=$5; + pub & podcast. Reprints: query. Note: will accept narrative poetry, multiple entries okay. Judge: Craig "Kringle" Brewer. E-subs: EMAIL ONLY. Contact: Craig "Kringle" Brewer (QS). Results & PubDate:: 7 December 2020

10/15-11/2, PseudoPod (General Submissions), 1500-6000 words (4500 best), 8¢/word, Genre: any horror, Reprints OK 

9/15-11/15, Lamplight Magazine, ~7000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Dark/Literary

1/4-11/15, In Darkness Delight Anthology (Corpus Press), 2500-7500 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Horror, SF (soft)

11/30: Cast of Wonders (General Submissions), ~6000 words (best 3000-4500 or flash <1000), 8¢/word, Genre: any YA, Note: good feedback provided last time I submitted

12/1 Worldbuilding Fantasy Anthology, 3500-7000 or 9000-15,000 words, flat payment (short $100; novella $200), Theme: Politics as Conflict. Genre: any Fantasy (PG-13)

11/30-12/4, Fireside (Autumn 2021 Issue), ~3000 words, 12.5¢/word, Genre: Any (English or Spanish) 

7/1/2020-2/28/2021, Upon a Once Time, 1000-3000 words, 8¢/word, Theme: Mashup of two fairytales, Genre: SF/Fantasy/Grimdark/New Weird/Dying Earth/genre-bending

7/1/2020-2/28/2021, The Wild Hunt: Stories of the Chase, 1000-3000 words, 8¢/word, Theme: Wild Hunt (folklore, myths, drama), Genre: SF/Fantasy/Grimdark/New Weird/Dying Earth/genre-bending





Hybrid Fiction, 500-5000 words (or serialized novellas), 6¢/word, Genre: speculative hybrid/cross-genre (blend of 2+ genres, such as dark fantasy, steampunk western, historical fantasy, weird western, crime fantasy, etc.)



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Monday, July 20, 2020

39 rejections and 11 pending, Wulf Moon workshop, and upcoming deadlines

Hello everyone. I hope life and your creative pursuits are going well. My goal of 100 rejections in 2020 is still underway. Not sure I'll make it, but we'll see. Current stats are 39 rejections (24 short stories; 14 flash, 1 poem) and 11 pending (9 short stories, 2 flash stories, 1 poems).

I took a wonderful online workshop from Wulf Moon over the weekend. I love that so much is available online now! Since I almost never travel to the USA. Moon went over all the essentials for a prize-winning story and provided plenty of motivation. Great class with practical handouts and exercises. 4 hours was not enough. Recommended. He's teaching it again in November: How to Write Winning Stories that Take the Gold! And he's also teaching a new class in October: The Secrets of a Howling Good Plot.

I am about to join a writing sprint with a fellow Super Secrets challenge member. We're aiming to write something fresh for the Third Flatiron story call. We'll either be using a writing prompt from Super Secrets or a prompt idea I have from the Clarion West workshop I attended.

That's all the news for now. I updated the deadlines list below. Please do let me know if there is anything missing from the list. I'm always looking for more places to submit (though I try to aim at 5 cents a word or above). Currently a speculative short story focus here, though I try to mention opportunities for poetry and may be gradually adding on more general/literary publications.

All the best with life and creativity!

R.J.K. Lee


Submission Deadlines Coming Up in July, August, and September 

7/1-7/31, Mysterion, ~9000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: speculative that engages with Christianity

7/1-8/1, Third Flatiron, 1500-3000 words, 8¢/word, Theme: Brain Games Stories to Astonish, Genre: SF/F/H/steampunk/cyberpunk/myth/satire

8/1-8/2, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, 1000-40000 words (shorter preferred), 6¢/word (reprints 2¢/word), Genre: F/SF, Poetry ($1/line, ~40 lines, reprints 50¢/word), Articles (2-6¢/word, reprints 1-4¢/word), Note: great feedback provided if requested in cover letter

8/1-8/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)

8/15 (or until filled), No Police = Know Future, ~4000 words. 8¢/word. Theme: SF stories that give potential (and hopefully positive) futures that involve alternatives to modern day policing. 

8/15-30 (tentative), Cast of Wonders (Flash Fiction Contest), ~1500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: any YA, Note: good feedback provided last time I submitted, https://www.castofwonders.org/submissions/

8/24-8/28, Fireside Summer 2021 Issue, ~3000 words, 12.5¢/word, Genre: Any (English or Spanish) 

9/4, On the Premises Short Story Contest 36, 1000-5000 words, prize money (1st $220, 2nd $160, 3rd $120, HM $60), Theme: Smell, Genre: any except children’s and gross horror, https://onthepremises.com/current-contest/

9/1-9/30 PodCastle, ~6000 words (3000-4500 best), 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy, Simultaneous OK, Reprints ($100 for >1500 words, $20 for flash)

7/1-9/30, WotF Q4, ~17000 words (aim for 3000-10,000), 8¢/word, prize money (1st $1000, 2nd $750, 3rd $500, annual grand $5000, plus Hollywood workshop; semi-finalists get feedback), Genre: F/SF, Note: contest for new writers w/o 4+ pro-level publications; the forum is very helpful, especially the Super Secrets thread; free workshop available on website


Submission Deadlines and Windows in October and Beyond

8/10-10/11 Dream Foundry Contest, Words ~10,000, prize (1st $1000, 2nd $500, 3rd $200), Note: contest for new writers (have published 4000 words or less, earned $320 or less from those words and never been nominated for a major award)

11/1 WEIRD CHRISTMAS Flash Fiction Contest - 3rd annual; SpecFic/sf/f/h/humor/weird (flash). Words: <350. Fee: $0. Prizes: 1st=$50; 2nd=$25 10+ HMs=$5; + pub & podcast. Reprints: query. Note: will accept narrative poetry, multiple entries okay. Judge: Craig "Kringle" Brewer. E-subs: EMAIL ONLY. Contact: Craig "Kringle" Brewer (QS). Results & PubDate:: 7 December 2020

10/15-11/2, PseudoPod (General Submissions), 1500-6000 words (4500 best), 8¢/word, Genre: any horror, Reprints OK 

9/15-11/15, Lamplight Magazine, ~7000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Dark/Literary

11/30: Cast of Wonders (General Submissions), ~6000 words (best 3000-4500 or flash <1000), 8¢/word, Genre: any YA, Note: good feedback provided last time I submitted

12/1 Worldbuilding Fantasy Anthology, 3500-7000 or 9000-15,000 words, flat payment (short $100; novella $200), Theme: Politics as Conflict. Genre: any Fantasy (PG-13)

11/30-12/4, Fireside (Autumn 2021 Issue), ~3000 words, 12.5¢/word, Genre: Any (English or Spanish) 

7/1/2020-2/28/2021, Upon a Once Time, 1000-3000 words, 8¢/word, Theme: Mashup of two fairytales, Genre: SF/Fantasy/Grimdark/New Weird/Dying Earth/genre-bending

7/1/2020-2/28/2021, The Wild Hunt: Stories of the Chase, 1000-3000 words, 8¢/word, Theme: Wild Hunt (folklore, myths, drama), Genre: SF/Fantasy/Grimdark/New Weird/Dying Earth/genre-bending



Publications Open for Submission (No Specified Deadline; Pay 1-4 Cents/Word)

Dark Moon Digest, 1500-7000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Horror (complex, creepy, like Twilight Zone or Black Mirror


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Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Submissions Update & Upcoming Deadlines

Hey Everybody,

Upcoming submission windows are listed (and clickable!) at the bottom of this post.

I'll start with an update on my own submissions. I believe I made 12 submissions in June, two of them new stories finished in June, and the other submissions including six stories written previously and revised a bit before sending back out.

First, the Writers of the Future entry for the 3rd Quarter deadline is done and submitted. I have high hopes for this one. I won't say it's my favorite (that's still reserved for my second entry to WotF, first HM-winner, kick-ass Atena Maverick versus Signboard City, who will get more attention this summer as I return to some noveling on the side of my non-stop short story and flash production--it's time), but this story I submitted is the first one that received full feedback from a pro writer, Wulf Moon, the pack leader of the Super Secrets Challenge group on the Writers of the Future forum. He provided a ton of excellent feedback. The only other pro feedback I can think of is Eric Witchey's wonderful advice on my novel pitch in 2017 and some story feedback from Eugene Writers Anonymous somewhere in 2014-2017.

This piece was a joy to watch progress since it first started on a little napkin in the summer of 2014, upon which I decided to draw a little fantasy map just like I always used to do in journals in elementary school. That started the world which was soon built into a novel, "What We Must Give," in the Fall/Winter of 2014, a novel that went through many revisions 2014-2017. And then, after the darkness that tore into my life in 2018, I returned in 2019 and joined Wulf's Super Secret Challenge group on the Writers of the Future forum. In January 2020, when I read one of the prompts for the flash challenge, I knew it was time to dive back into that world. I wrote out this beautiful flash story that I may still try and publish separate from the other pieces.

After submitting that flash to a couple publications, I ended up expanding it into a short story in May. My writing partner and I exchanged multiple drafts as we prepared to submit our stories to Moon. It was tough for me as I had to cut out links to the novel and characters and scenes and even a full on plot line that may be moved to the follow-up short story. This story went through a complete re-write after my writing partner pointed out a way to get closer to the Heart's Desire of my MC. After all that, it went into the hands of Moon and, following his comments, I took the story to the revision board again, worked through many revisions with my writing partner for a few more weeks, up into the last day of the deadline, and by the end I feel like the emotion was raw and the world was laid bare. More to come with this world: a follow-up short story with the same characters and a few new ones, and then I'll take both stories and using them as guides in revising the novel itself.

As for the four stories I submitted by June 30th:
- for Cast of Wonders for their Banned Book Weeks theme of Lifelines, a 2000-word piece about an estranged father tanuki with an odd power he uses to reach his daughter
- for The Binge-Watching Cure III, a 1000-word piece about an inventor who creates devices for super villains but must refuse a delivery to handle some family trouble
- for F&SF, a 6900-word dark fantasy story about siblings who try to save a childhood friend from the cult their parents now lead (this has seen so many revisions since it grew from Eugene Writers Anonymous prompt to WotF HM-winner; one day it shall be published) 
- for Podcastle, a doppleganger tries takes over the identity of a Duchess to create world peace but runs into magic hat problems

I also made another 7 submissions in June:
- for Fireside, a new SF 2100-word short story written in June in which a human colony delegate tries to defend his alien-obsessed friend from the dangerous experiment the aliens executed on him
- submitted to four different publications after a rejection in May, this is a new 1000-word horror story written in May in which the fragility of life and relationships plague the MC when the cult leader asks if he's ready for the monthly barrel roll
- submitted to Augur and Dark Matter, a 5000-word SF time travel piece with a prison escape and family reunion (was an HM-winner with WotF)

Now for July. Bigger goals with less clear deadlines. I want to return to working on my novels. I think I'll go back to the Atena Maverick versus Signboard City one first (tentatively named "Hum"). So I'll start by looking at two very different versions, polish up the pitches for both versions, then ask my writing partner to help me decide which path to take. After that, start the revision process for that novel again.

Besides the noveling, I will continue the short story production and submission process. I'm still with Wulf Moon's Super Secrets Challenge group, so I'll be keeping up with that and preparing my Q4 submission for Writers of the Future. I'll also be taking a workshop with Wulf Moon later in July through Fyrecon's day of masterclass workshops, Fyrelite. Thankfully, it's online this year, so I can join them from Japan on July 18th. I'll also be taking some of the free workshops with Clarion West. I'm signed up for Arkady Martine's workshop, "Moving from the Novel to the Short Story--and Back Again". I also took one of the writing sprints with Tegan Moore, and it was great, so I will take more.

I'm super excited to hear the Lightspeed's sister magazine Fantasy Magazine is coming back! It just opened for submission and the first return issue is coming in November. Looking forward to that read. They just opened for submissions and I have an excellent 6900-word dark fantasy story to send their way. With that, the list we've all been waiting for. I'm just collecting these from what I've noticed on FB, Twitter, or wherever. I'm sure you can find this on your own, but I've found it helpful whenever people mention their publication and submission finds, so here you are. Ton more listed in this update. Will collect even more next time.

Submission Deadlines in July

DUE SOON: Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, 7/1-7/2 (1st and 2nd of every month), Words 1000-40,000 (shorter better). Pay 6 cents/word. Genre: SF and Fantasy (no horror),

DUE SOON: Fantasy Magazine, 7/1-7/7 (monthly window), Words ~7500, Pay 8 cents/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy

DUE SOON: Dreamforge, 7/1-7/15. Words 100-15,000 (under 5000 best). Pay 4-8 cents/word. Genre: SF and Fantasy (no horror). Theme: “Hope of the Big Idea,” meaning stories that call upon powerful new visions of how life could be shaped for the better either through technological or social change, or both. Seeking: More flash fiction between 500 and 1500 words. I’d like to feature more authors, especially talented beginners.

DUE SOON: Augur, 6/15-7/15. Words ~5000. Pay 8 cents/word. Submit up to 2 short stories per window, or 4 across genres and poetry of 5 pages or less with 5 poems or 10 pages total per window. Genre/Theme: Multiplicity of Futures (afrofuturism, soft scifi, scifi fabulism, Indigenous futurity, hopepunk, dystopia, utopia, post-apoc, solarpunk, scifi-realism, Canadian scifi, ecofiction, hopeful futures; trauma/oppression beside hope/better futures). Not interested in pandemic fiction or hard scifi, mostly want human/character-driven narratives. Always interested in dreamy realism, slipstream, fabulism, magical realism, literary speculative. Best submission defies categories; something too spec or not spec enough for other magazines.

Third Flatiron, 7/1-8/1, Words 1500-3000, Pay 8 cents/word, Theme: Brain Games: Stories to Astonish, Genre: SF/F/H/steampunk/cyberpunk/myth/satire

Mysterion, 7/1-7/31, Words ~9000, 8 cents/word, Genre: speculative that engages with Christianity


Submission Deadlines and Windows in August and Beyond

No Police = Know Future, 8/15 (or until filled). Words: ~4000. Pay: 8 cents/word. Theme: SF stories that give potential (and hopefully positive) futures that involve alternatives to modern day policing.

Upon a Once Time, 7/1/2020-2/28/2021, Words 1000-3000, Pay 8 cents/word, Theme: Mashup of two fairytales, Genre: SF/Fantasy/Grimdark/New Weird/Dying Earth/genre-bending

The Wild Hunt: Stories of the Chase, 7/1-2/28/2021, Words 1000-3000, Pay 8 cents/word, Theme: The Wild Hunt (folklore, myths, drama), Genre: SF/Fantasy/Grimdark/New Weird/Dying Earth/genre-bending


Publications Open for Submission (No Specified Deadline)

Asimov's, 1000-20,000, 8 cents/word, Genre: SF/F

Beneath Ceaseless Skies, ~15,000, 8 cents/word, Genre: literary adventure fantasy (no urban fantasy and nothing modern)

Clarkesworld Magazine, 1000-22,000, 10 cents/word, Genre: SF/F

Daily Science Fiction, 100-1500, 8 cents/word, Genre: SF/F/slipstream, will consider flash series

The Dark, 2000-6000, 6 cents/word, Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy/Experimental

Dark Matter, Words: 1000-5000. Pay: 8 cents/word. Genre: science-fiction

Focus on the Family Clubhouse, 500-2000, 15 cents/word, Genre: SF/Fantasy/Humor/General, Age/Theme: 8-12 year old and Christian values

Hybrid Fiction, on hiatus until July(?), Words 500-5000, Pay 6 cents/word. Genre: all submissions must be speculative hybrid/cross-genre (any blend of 2+ genres such as dark fantasy, steampunk western, historical fantasy, weird western, crime fantasy, etc.)



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