Authortunities #45 Jan. 27—Feb. 24
❗❗❗ KDP Virtual Voice Beta ➕ S&T Submissions Update #2 ➕ FREE Space and Time #16 from August 1972 〓 Nearly 200 author opportunities for you!
KDP Virtual Voice Audiobook Beta!!!
This changes everything.
It was an exciting week on KDP. Just as I began my reprint ebook experiment, Amazon invited me to beta test their new Audiobooks with Virtual Voice Beta program. According to KDP, “Today, just 4% of KDP eBooks have an audiobook available. Audiobooks with virtual voice can support authors in bringing new stories to customers on Amazon, Audible, and Alexa.”
It was a trick figuring out how to get my ebooks to work, but once I did I got two of my backlist produced as audiobooks within 10 minutes. That included approval by Amazon!
They are really paying attention to Virtual Voice right now. I was able to beta test hardbacks a few years ago and those early adopters got white glove treatment. I expect the same will hold true this time.
As far as the ebook experiment, the goal has slightly changed with the new Virtual Voice option. The original plan was to release 12 reprints as short read ebooks with links to both Authortunities and Inujini to see if they were effective promotions. Then publish all the stories as a collection next year. Now I want to take advantage of the Virtual Voice.
The new plan is to release the 12 reprints as before, making use of all my “free days”, but release the full paperback/ebook collection as early as possible so I can get it in audiobook. Then I’ll see if all the shorts help sell that book.
So far I’ve only gotten six of the planned 12 done because KDP seems to be taking longer than normal and not all of them have cleared KDP yet. I also produced a new version of both End of Mae and Bitter Suites so I could do audiobooks for both. There is a lot of info to cover which I don’t have room for here, so I plan to do a video of how I published from the start of the ebook to the Virtual Voice audiobook later this week in the “My Writes” section.
For now, you can look at everything I did this week as it updates here published under Authortunities Press* 🔗https://amzn.to/3vQz0M6.
Speaking of those free promo days, Bitter Suites will be free from now until Wednesday, January 31, 2024, 11:59 PM PST, and it looks like the audiobook will also be free if you want to hear what it sounds like. I went with a younger British accent voice. 🔗https://amzn.to/4b6TH6F
Look for more details on KDP Audiobooks with Virtual Voice Beta, including a video demo, later this week.
*expect an announcement about Authortunities Press at some point next week as well
Space and Time Submissions Update
Right now there are around 140 excellent submissions being considered and we have a lot of narrowing down to do. This issue is already packed, so here’s a hint: right now we need some Flash fiction up to 1k words. I’ve accepted one 10k story, much longer than we usually take, so I will be looking for short and micro fiction pieces so I can have more authors and keep the page count the same. Paper costs and our sweet spot is 109 pages or below. This means bring on the micro fictions!
You have until January 31. Here is your invitation: https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/space-and-time-nDoUw
Unquiet Spirits edited by Lee Murray and myself has made the preliminaries for Superior Achievement for Long Non-Fiction along with three of the essays from Lee Murray, KP Kulski, and Nadia Bulkin for Short Non-Fiction!
Thank you everyone for the unbelievable love. 🧡🧡🧡
This Week’s API HOUR
This week on API Hour │ Meet Bryan Thao Worra │Poet, President and Person of Interest and, in his own words, “"...a peculiar literary unicorn." Read all about Bryan Thao Worra, a full time poet powerhouse, here.
Next week I have a video interview with S. P. Somtow, the first Asian President of the Horror Writers Association, a science fiction, fantasy, and horror author writing in English and a Thai-American musical composer.
Exercise Your Writes Selections + Update
On Feb. 1 I’ll have a special publisher, author, friend and editor as my guest on next month’s Exercise Your Writes. We are still working out if the interview will be live or pre-recorded, but whatever we decide will pop up on Feb. 1 at 2 pm EST here.
Congratulations Pete Kelly and Elaine Pascale. Their videos will play at the end of the show.
🚀Enjoy your free issue of Space and Time magazine! This week’s issue is #16 from August 1972. It will be free from now until Wednesday, January 31, 2024, 11:59 PM PST.
FYI: Whenever you read for free on Amazon you support authors with your Kindle Edition Normalized Page Count (KENPC). As much as we all want to support each other, very few of us can afford to buy every book. Reviews, shares, likes and KENPC are all easy ways to support your favorite artists. 🧡🧡🧡
🔗Own #16 from August 1972 for free!
Reader Accomplishments
🧡 From John Reinhart: I am happy to report that Samjoko Magazine recently picked up three of my poems for their latest issue. I received an acceptance the same day for “humanorigami” in Star*Line. Best of all, I’m working on submitting regularly again - thanks in large part to your quiet insistence in Authortunities.
🧡 Authortunist Mark Mellon writes hardboiled, two-fisted, blood and guts pulp fiction. His sword and sorcery tough guy/muscle man, Melkart of Tyre, has been published or will appear ten times in leading fantasy magazines like Cirsova, Swords And Sorcery, Savage Realms, and Tales From The Magician’s Skull. Two new Melkart stories are now out: Melkart And The Daimon’s Bride for free in Eternal Haunter Summer and Melkart In The Land Of Blue Men in the DEC 23 issue of Savage Realms on Kindle, available through Amazon. Nobody does sword and sorcery better than Melkart the Mighty! Find Mark Mellon’s Eternal Haunted Summer here and Savage Realms Monthly: December 2023 here.
Thank you for sharing John and Mark! You both have a 3 month paid professional level subscription heading your way to celebrate.
❗ Open to all Authortunities readers — share your news! Send a 100 word write up of your publishing news to authortunities@substack.com and I’ll comp you a 3 month paid professional level subscription to say congratulations.
I read this great article by
this week called “Eleven Urgent & Possibly Helpful Things I Have Learned About Writing From Reading Thousands of Manuscripts” on Substack. She has some spot on advise on how to make our writing more appealing to editors and agents. This is a solid article packed with info. I’ll be sharing it to anyone I mentor from now on, as well as look at it for my own writing.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote in last week’s poll: “Which part of the writing process do you find most challenging?
17% of you think “Starting a new project.”
62% of you think “Developing the middle.”
21% of you think “Concluding the story.”
✅ I don’t know what my answer is, honestly. Maybe I should have added “depends on the story” as a choice. For me, some flow from start to finish. Some flow once I get going. Then there are those that come out like sandpaper on a sunburn. As long as they get written, right? Thank you to everyone who voted!
Time for a new poll! Voting stays open for the next three days, and I’ll share the results in next week’s Authortunities. This week I want to know…
And finally, thank you to all the great sources we get our author opportunities from. You can find a list at 🔗https://angelaysmith.com/subscribe/
🏁 This calendar is organized by emoji! Ctrl F to find what you want.
In this entire calendar share you will find:
47 newly opened submissions 🟢
78 submission deadlines 🔴
12 events for authors ⭐
18 reprint markets ♻️
12 education 📚
12 award 🏆
3 grants 💲
Send comments, triumphs and pitfalls to authortunities@substack.com
🟢 JAN 27 · Snake Bite Books - Creature Feature Classics #1: Lycanthropy now accepting submissions until April 1, 2024. Looking for a variety of werewolf stories in different settings and sub-genres. Compensation: £20 & 3 author copies.
🔗 https://snakebitebooks.wixsite.com/snake-bite-books/open-calls
🟢 JAN 27 · Shivering Timbers! seeking original short horror stories with a pirate theme, set in 'The Golden Age of Piracy' (1650s – 1730s) or before. Accepts fiction from 2K to 7K words. Pays £20 regardless of story length plus a paperback and digital copy. Accepts reprints. Submissions close on June 1.
🔗 https://www.phobicabooks.co.uk/submission-guidelines
⭐📚 JAN 27 · From Kundiman, “ Writing the Environment: “Through the Garden’s Dormant Splendor," a multi-genre craft workshop from 2-4:30 pm EST open to all writers of color and taught by Jane Wong. The non-refundable tuition fee is $50. This class will be held over Zoom.
🔗https://www.kundiman.org/writing-the-environment?
🔴💲⭐📚 JAN 28 · From Kundiman, a scholarship to attend “Writing the Crisis with Bobuq Sayed" closes. The workshop is open to all writers of color, and students must be able to attend all four sessions of the workshop held on Saturdays from 2-4:30 pm EST. The non-refundable tuition fee is $300. There is one scholarship spot available, and the applications are open through Sunday, January 28th. This workshop will be held over Zoom.
🔗https://www.kundiman.org/writing-the-crisis?
⭐📚 JAN 29 · The Horror Writer Association’s Horror University Online presents “Writing for Haunts: Learn how to develop a live haunt script that will fill your attendees with anxiety and dread, giving them nightmares for weeks afterwards, and entertain rather than just startle them.” Instructor is Kevin Wetmore. On the Teachable platform at 8 pm EST, workshop costs $65.
🔗https://horror-university.teachable.com/p/writing-for-haunts
🔴 JAN 30 · SAND 27 closes to submissions of visual art, poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, flash fiction, flash nonfiction, and translations that “push the boundaries of form, message, and voice in fresh and unpredictable ways.” There is a €3 reading fee for poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction with a free submission option for writers and artists for whom fees create a financial barrier to submitting. Pays semi-pro rates that vary according to funding.
🔗https://sandjournal.submittable.com/submit
🔴 JAN 30 · Women's Writing Workshop is open to women writers for creative non-fiction up to 5,000 words on the theme of Toxic Workplaces. Payment: 2 cents/word. Deadline: January 30, 2024.
🔗 https://www.cynthialewisauthor.com/p/anthology.html
🔴 JAN 31 · Kentucky Visions Short Story Contest is open for submissions. $20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline: Jan 31, 2024. First prize $500, second prize $250, third prize $100. Finalists and winners receive a certificate suitable for framing, and their story will be published in an anthology highlighting the best of Kentucky short fiction. All submissions must have a Kentucky connection.
🔗https://www.bluegrasswriterscoalition.com/kentucky-visions-short-story-contest
🔴 JAN 31 · Gwyllion seeks short stories and poetry under the themes of fantasy, space opera, pulp fiction, swords-and-sorcery tales of mystery and adventure. No entry fee. Payment: £10 per accepted story or poem. Deadline: January 31, 2024.
🔗 https://gwyllionmagazine.com/submissions/
🔴 JAN 31 · West Avenue invites short stories (up to 5,000 words) and poems for "A Frolic of Fairies." Payment: £10. One submission per author and the theme of the piece must be in keeping with the title of the anthology.
🔗 https://www.westavenuepublishing.co.uk/p/anthology-submissions.html
🔴 JAN 31 · Funemployment Quarterly is open for science fiction/fantasy submissions based on the theme End Times & Oddballs. Payment: $20 CAD. Deadline: January 31, 2024. Think of an odd few days, an odd few folks, the odd weather we’ve been having, the odd lights in the sky, remaining calm (or not), and what it all means when the finish line is in sight.
🔗 https://funemployment.xyz/submissions/
🔴 JAN 31 · The Temz Review is accepting prose submissions (fiction and creative non-fiction) up to 10,000 words. Payment: $20. Deadline: January 31, 2024.
🔗 https://www.thetemzreview.com/submissions.html
🔴 JAN 31 · Alien Dimensions is seeking science fiction stories (5000-7000 words) on the theme of Mars Colonization. Payment: $20. Deadline: January 31, 2024.
🔗 https://aliendimensions.com/submission-guidelines/
🔴 JAN 31 · Split Lip Magazine closes free submissions for poems, memoirs, flash, fiction, art, interviews/reviews, and mini-reviews until January 31 or free cap is reached. Payment is $75 per author for poems, memoirs, flash, fiction, and art, $50 for interviews/reviews, and $25 for mini-reviews.
🔗https://splitlipthemag.com/submit
🔴♻️ JAN 31 · Short Story on Substack is closed for short stories from 6- 10,000 words in any genre. Payment is $100 + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Selected story to be announced on the 15th. Reprints welcome.
🔗https://shortstory.substack.com/about?nthPub=601
🔴 JAN. 31 · Event Poetry and Prose closes free submissions for poetry and prose. Payment is $40/page for poetry and $35/page for prose, up to a maximum of $500.
🔗https://www.eventmagazine.ca/submit/
🔴 JAN. 31 · Space & Time magazine closes to submissions with the theme “Solution Revolution” on for speculative poetry and prose. Payment is $5 per poem made via PayPal upon acceptance, plus a digital contributor copy. They buy first print, electronic and audio rights. After a work is published, rights immediately revert to the author. Submissions accepted in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French or Italian.
🔗https://spaceandtime.net/submissions/
🔴 JAN 31 · Rattle Magazine’s Ekphrastic Poetry challenge calls for poems inspired by a visual art prompt posted on their site. Poets have until the end of the month to write. Two winners will receive online publication and $100 each.
🔗https://www.rattle.com/ekphrastic/
🔴 JAN 31 · CLASH OF THE QUERY LETTERS accepting entries. $5 CAD ENTRY FEE. Deadline: Jan 31, 2024. Judge: Michelle Barker. First place: $700 CAD. One-page query letter. Original, unpublished work only.
🔗https://darlingaxe.com/pages/query-letter-clash
🔴 JAN 31 · Kent and Sussex Poetry Society Open Poetry Contest is accepting entries. £5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline: Jan 31, 2024. Open to anyone aged 16 and over, from anywhere in the world. Poems must be in English, your original work, on any subject, in any style, no longer than 40 lines. Prizes: 1st Prize £1000, 2nd Prize £300, 3rd Prize £100, 4th Prize 4 x £50.
🔗https://kentandsussexpoetry.com/kent-sussex-poetry-society-open-poetry-competition-2024/
🔴 JAN 31 · The Bombay Literary Magazine closes to submissions of fiction, poetry, translated fiction, translated poetry and graphic fiction but will “only consider the first 400 submissions in each category”. Payment of an honorarium of ₹ 5,000 (approx. $61 or €51) per contribution.
🔗https://bombaylitmag.com/submit/
🔴 JAN 31 · Cardinal Rule Press is set to open for submissions of children’s picture books that empower readers aged 4-11, as well as non-fiction books for parents (word count up to 70k). Payment is through royalties. The submission window closes on January 31, 2024.
🔗https://cardinalrulepress.com/submissions/
🔴🏆 JAN 31 · Terrain.org is in search of Writers and Poets. This magazine focuses on place, climate, and justice. They publish poetry (send 2-6 poems), nonfiction, and fiction, and pay a minimum of $50. They also have an annual Editor’s Prize of $500 per genre for underrepresented writers (see guidelines). The deadline for poetry is end-January 2024; submissions for certain sections are open year-round.
🔗 https://terrainorg.submittable.com/submit
🔴♻️ JAN 31 · Mysterion is looking for speculative stories in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, with Christian themes, characters, or cosmology. Stories can be up to 9,000 words. Mysterion pays eight cents/word for original stories (or original translations of stories that have not previously appeared in English), and four cents/word for reprints.
🔗 https://www.mysteriononline.com/p/submission-guidelines.html
🔴 📚 💲JAN 31 · Highlights Foundation Scholarships Offers 25 full tuition scholarships, 20 partial tuition scholarships for workshops at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center, 30 full tuition scholarships for online courses, and 15 scholarships for personal retreats.
🔗 https://www.highlightsfoundation.org/apply-for-a-scholarship/
🔴🏆 JAN 31 · Kinsman Quarterly presents the Iridescence Award for short stories and poetry by BIPOC authors. Themes should embrace the supernatural, extraterrestrial, or paranormal. Prizes include publication in the Iridescence anthology with cash awards up to $500. Genres include fantasy, folk mythology, science fiction, and the paranormal.
🔗 https://www.kinsmanquarterly.org/iridescence-award
🔴🏆 JAN 31 · Harbor Editions Prizes - Laureate Prize for Poetry looking for submissions from BIPOC writers and previous finalists for poetry manuscripts. Prize: $500 and publication.
🔗 https://smallharborpublishing.submittable.com/submit
🔴🏆 JAN 31 · Harbor Editions Prizes - Harbor Review Editor Prize seeking for a micro poetry chapbook manuscript. free submissions for BIPOC writers and previous finalists. Prize: $200.
🔗 https://smallharborpublishing.submittable.com/submit
🔴🏆 JAN 31 · Ghost Story - Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition offers a prize of $1,000 and publication on the Ghost Story website and in the 21st Century Ghost Stories anthology biannually for a work of flash fiction with a supernatural or magical realist theme. The editors will judge. Submit a story of 250 to 1,000 words using only the online submission system. Entry fee: $15.
🔗 http://theghoststory.com/flash-fiction-competition
🔴🏆 JAN 31 · The Drabble Harvest Contest is seeking drabbles that dabble on the theme of "Alien Fetishes" (rawr). Submit a drabble with precisely 100 words and a title of up to 15 words. Prize: $5.
🔗 https://www.hiraethsffh.com/drabble-contest
🔴♻️🏆 JAN 31 · Substack is hosting its Monthly Short Story Competition. Length: 6000-10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue. Reprints are accepted if you still have distribution rights.
🔗 https://shortstory.substack.com/about
🔴💲JAN 31 · A.C. Bose Grant offers $1,000 annually to South Asian or Desi diaspora writers developing speculative fiction. Preference is given to work accessible to older children and teens in the jury process.
🔗 https://speculativeliterature.org/grants-3/slf-ac-bose-grant/
🔴 JAN 31 · Underdog Press is currently open for submissions for their fiction anthology "Nightmares Before Bed." The theme revolves around underdogs rising to the occasion when hope seems lost. The focus is on horror, and they specifically request no sexual violence, abuse of children, overly disturbing images, or excessive gore. Fantasy horror or sci-fi horror submissions are encouraged. The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2024, and stories should be between 3,500-12,000 words. Payment is $0.03/word.
🔗 https://theunderdogpress.com/pages/submission-guidelines
🔴 JAN 31 · Critical Blast Publishing is accepting submissions for "The Devil You Know Best," the third volume in their anthology series. They seek stories featuring encounters with the literary/mythological/theological Devil, exploring various genres from comedy to tragedy, horror, fantasy, or science fiction. All genres are welcome as long as they align with the theme. The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2024, with a preferred length of 2,000-10,000 words. Payment is $25.
🔗 https://www.criticalblast.com/content/publishing
🔴 JAN 31 · Heathen Magazine is in search of Horror and Dark Fantasy Writers. They are looking for stories no more than 7,500 words in length, with preference given to stories that have less than 5,000 words. The initial submissions period is open until 11:59 p.m. Central on January 31st, with the first issue released in Spring 2024. Heathen pays writers a HWA-qualifying $0.05 per word.
🔗 https://heathen.moksha.io/publication/heathen/guidelines
🔴 JAN 31 · Alpennia: Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast seeks fiction podcast submissions on lesbian-themed historic settings. Open to all writers, stories must be set before 1900, avoiding time-travel or past memories. No erotica. Deadline: January 31, 2024. Length: Up to 5,000 words. Pay: $0.08/word.
🔗 https://alpennia.com/blog/2024-fiction-series-information
🔴 JAN 31 · Brink Literary Journal is open for submissions on the theme 'Boundaries.' Accepting fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translations, and cross-genre work. Two reading periods: January and July. Deadline: January 31, 2024. Length: Up to 3 poems; any length for prose. Pay: $25/poem; $50-100 for prose.
🔗 https://www.brinkliterary.com/submit-brink
🔴 JAN 31 · The Cellar Door: Marshland Horrors and After Tomorrow - Genre: Creature feature, serial killer, undead/zombies, voodoo/witchcraft, suspense/thriller, cosmic horror. Looking for horror/suspense stories in swamps, bayous, and marshlands. Payment: $25.00 + digital & paperback copy.
🔗 https://www.darkpeninsulapress.com
🔴 JAN 31 · FIYAH, a quarterly speculative fiction magazine that features stories by and about Black people of the African Diaspora closes for prose and poem submissions up to 15k words for $0.08 USD per word for fiction, $50 for poetry and $0.10 USD for nonfiction.
🔗https://fiyahlitmag.com/submissions/
🟢 FEB. 1 · Corvid Queen Journal seeks fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction, especially feminist tales and retellings of traditional stories, up to 5,000 words. Payment: $5. Deadline: January 30, 2024.
🔗 https://corvidqueen.com/submit
🟢♻️ FEB. 1-2 · Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores is open for new work, reprints, poetry (up to 40 lines) and prose from 1,000 words and up. Payment is .08 per word for new fiction, .02 per word for reprints, .02-.08 for new fact based work, .01-.04 for reprinted fact based work, $1 per line for original poetry, .50 per line for reprinted poetry. No simultaneous or multiple submissions.
🔗https://cosmicrootsandeldritchshores.com/submissions/
🟢 FEB 1 · Moving Across the Landscape in Search of an Idea is seeking stories for an anthology to be titled Moving Across the Landscape in Search of an Idea. Various genres are accepted. Pays $0.08/word.
🔗 http://aanpress.com/submissions.html
🟢 FEB 1 · The Forge Literary Magazine calls for fiction and nonfiction under 3,000 words including flash and micro fiction for $75 flat rate until the free submissions quota is full. “If there is no free link, we’ve hit our quota.”
🔗https://forgelitmag.com/submit/
🟢 FEB 1 · Rattle Magazine’s Ekphrastic Poetry challenge calls for poems inspired by a visual art prompt posted on their site. Poets have until the end of the month to write. Two winners will receive online publication and $100 each.
🔗https://www.rattle.com/ekphrastic/
🟢 FEB 1 · Flame Tree Fiction Newsletter calls for monthly themed submissions from newsletter subscribers only (free to subscribe) up to 1k words for $0.08 per word USD for original fiction.
🔗https://www.flametreepress.com/submissions/
🟢♻️ FEB 1 · Flash Fiction Online calls for speculative fiction flash from 500-1k words for $80 USD flat rate until February 21 or “unless we reach our submission cap of 425 stories”.
🔗https://ffo.submittable.com/submit
🟢♻️ FEB 1 · Showcase: Object & Idea seeks flash fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. A poem and a prose piece are selected for each monthly issue, and the authors answer questions about the meaning behind their work. Payment is $50. Reprints accepted.
🔗https://theshowcase.submittable.com/submit
🟢 FEB 1 · Split Lip Magazine opens tip jar submissions for poems, memoirs, flash, fiction, art, interviews/reviews, and mini-reviews until February 29. Payment is $75 per author for poems, memoirs, flash, fiction, and art, $50 for interviews/reviews, and $25 for mini-reviews.
🔗https://splitlipthemag.com/submit
🟢 FEB 1 · Nashville Review accepts submissions in Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, and Translations. If you are unable to view Poetry or Fiction as an option to submit, that means they have reached their submission cap and are no longer accepting submissions in that category. Payment varies by category.
🔗https://nashvillereview.submittable.com/submit
🟢 FEB 1 · The Forge accepts fee-free submissions of fiction and nonfiction and opens on the 1st of the next month once they hit a submission cap. They prefer works up to 3,000 words but accept up to 5,000 words. Pays $100.
🔗 https://forgelitmag.submittable.com/submit
🟢 FEB 1 · The Paris Review will open for prose submissions on February 1, 2024. Accepts submissions via Submittable until they hit their submission cap.
🔗 https://www.theparisreview.org/about/submissions
🟢 FEB 1 · Riddlebird accepts literary fiction and personal essay submissions. For fiction, “Their favorite writers include authors like George Saunders, Souvankham Thammavongsa, and E.C. Osondu.” They pay $100 for works of 650-5,000 words. Scheduled to reopen on February 1, 2024.
🔗 https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/riddlebird-Ae4Nk
🟢 FEB 11 · CatsCast opens for speculative fiction stories about cats, including non-Earthly species. Stories should have happy or hopeful endings for all featured cats. Pays $0.08 per word USD for original fiction, $100 flat rate for reprints over 1,500 words, and $20 flat rate for flash fiction reprints. Submissions open on February 1 and close on February 11.
🔗 https://escapeartists.net/catscast/catscast-submission-guidelines/
🟢♻️ FEB 1 · Short Story on Substack is open for short stories from 6-10,000 words in any genre. Payment is $100 + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Selected story to be announced on the 15th. Reprints welcome.
🔗https://shortstory.substack.com/about?nthPub=601
🟢♻️ FEB 1 · Poetry on Substack is open for poems with “a rhyme scheme or a rhythm scheme” (no blank or free verse) in any genre. Payment is $10 + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Reprints welcome.
🔗https://poetica.substack.com/about
🟢 FEB 1-2 · Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores is open for new work, reprints, poetry (up to 40 lines) and prose from 1,000 words and up. Payment is .08 per word for new fiction, .02 per word for reprints, .02-.08 for new fact based work, .01-.04 for reprinted fact based work, $1 per line for original poetry, .50 per line for reprinted poetry. No simultaneous or multiple submissions.
🔗https://cosmicrootsandeldritchshores.com/submissions/
🔴📚 FEB 1 · Bucknell University’s Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing is open to US writers in the literary arts, working on a first or second book. The prize includes $5,000 and a residency. Deadline: February 1, 2024.
🔗 https://www.bucknell.edu/academics
🔴🏆 FEB 1 · Dragonblade’s Write Track Historical Writing Contest is open to both new and established authors. Grand prize of $1,000 and a publishing contract with Dragonblade Publishing. Historical Romance defined as any romantic story taking place from World War II and earlier. Top six finalists have the opportunity to participate in a novella bundle published by Dragonblade Publishing. 1st Runner Up: $500 prize and potential publishing. 2nd Runner Up: $100 Prize and interview on Dragonblade Publishing’s Website. 3rd Runner Up: $50 Prize and announcement on Dragonblade Publishing’s Website.
🔗 https://www.dragonbladepublishing.com/writerscompetition/
🔴🏆 FEB 1 · The Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award seeks captivating tales envisioning the near future of manned space exploration (approximately 50-60 years ahead). Accepting submissions of up to 8,000 words featuring Moon bases, Mars colonies, orbital habitats, and more. Payment: 8c/word, with additional non-cash awards. Deadline: February 1, 2024.
🔗 https://www.baen.com/contest-jbmssa
🔴🏆 FEB 1 · St. Gallen Symposium Global Essay Competition is open to young writers born in 1994 or later, enrolled in a graduate or postgraduate program. Theme: 'Striving for more or thriving with less – What pressing scarcity do you see, and how do you suggest to tackle it?' Essay should be 2,100 words. Prize: CHF20,000 split between three winners, plus coverage for travel, accommodation, and admission to the symposium in Switzerland.
🔗 https://symposium.org/global-essay-competition/
🔴🏆 FEB 1 · Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College - Paterson Poetry Prize is awarding $2,000 annually for a poetry collection published in the previous year. Winning poet expected to participate in an awards ceremony, give a reading, and teach a workshop at the Poetry Center in Paterson, New Jersey. Publishers and authors may submit two copies of books of at least 48 pages published in 2023 by February 1. No entry fee.
🔗 http://poetrycenterpccc.com/awards
🔴 FEB 1 · Moving Across the Landscape in Search of an Idea is seeking stories for an anthology to be titled Moving Across the Landscape in Search of an Idea. Various genres are accepted. Pays $0.08/word.
🔗 http://aanpress.com/submissions.html
🔴 FEB 1 · Flash Fiction 500 is seeking flash fiction under 500 words only. £5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline: Feb 1, 2024. No poetry. £100 top prize. Winning stories performed at an awards ceremony and published in the festival book. Check details at
🔗https://www.flashfiction500.com/
🔴 ♻️ FEB 1 · Mysterion's submission window is open for speculative stories—science fiction, fantasy, horror—with Christian themes, characters, or cosmology. They accept reprints and offer a payment of 8 cents/word for original works and 4 cents/word for reprints.
🔗https://mysterion.moksha.io/publication/mysterion
🔴 FEB 1 · Rattle Magazine’s Ekphrastic Poetry challenge calls for poems inspired by a visual art prompt posted on their site. Poets have until the end of the month to write. Two winners will receive online publication and $100 each.
🔗https://www.rattle.com/ekphrastic/
🔴 FEB 1 · Menage A-More is seeking Writers for a collection of adult stories about more than two lovers of ANY gender. Submit no more than 3 stories (7.5k words max each) in PDF format to oakpawpublishing@gmail.com. Payment is $10 per story & 1 contributor copy.
🔗 https://www.oakpawpublishing.com/copy-of-wired-differently
🔴 FEB 1 · Frivolous Comma is dedicated to spotlighting and elevating diverse writers of speculative fiction, especially those underrepresented (BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+), they focus on stories set in some type of transition. They accept science fiction, fantasy, horror, the uncanny, or any work (fiction, nonfiction, or poetry) orbiting these genres. Pays $0.08/word with a $100 minimum.
🔗 https://www.frivolouscomma.com/submit/
🔴 FEB 1 · Carnage House Issue 2: A splatter-friendly web ’zine. Looking for gore, extreme horror, splatterpunk, and horror with sexual elements. Offers a token payment of $5 USD. Submissions close on February 1. NSFW memes warning on the website.
🔗 https://carnagehouse.com/subs.php
🔴 FEB 1 · +doc — A Journal of Longer Poems is a Biannual journal focused on longer poems and poem sequences, including visual poetry. Pays from CA$50.
🔗 https://julianday.ca/press_+doc.html
🔴 FEB 1 · The Santa Clara Review accepts a wide variety of work from all over the world. Submit fiction or nonfiction prose under 6,000 words, and no more than five poems or pieces of artwork at a time. Simultaneous submissions allowed.
🔗 https://santaclarareview.com/
🔴 FEB 1 · Southword a Well-regarded literary journal published by the Munster Literature Centre. Open for fiction (up to 5,000 words) and poetry. Pays €50 per poem and €300 per short story.
🔗 https://munsterlit.ie/southword/
🔴 FEB 1 · The Amphibian Literary Journal is looking for work that expresses aspects of healing that are life-changing, profound, painful, cathartic, joyous, or liberating. Closes on February 1st.
🔗 https://theamphibianlit.wordpress.com/coming-soon-on-december-1st/
🔴 FEB 1 · Slippery Elm Literary Journal accepts fiction (up to 5,000 words), poetry, creative nonfiction, and visual art. Affiliated with The University of Findlay. General submissions are fee-free, and contests have a fee attached.
🔗 https://slipperyelm.submittable.com/submit
🔴 FEB 1 · Celticfrog Publishing invites submissions for "Bigfoot Country." They seek original stories featuring Bigfoot as the central theme, whether from sightings, the creature's perspective, or anything in between. Embrace creativity and avoid well-worn paths. Accepting various formats (e.g., play, epic poem, graphic story). Deadline: February 1, 2024. Length: Up to 4,000 words. Pay: Minimum CAD100.
🔗 https://www.celticfrogpublishing.com/call-for-submissions-bigfoot-country/
🔴 FEB 1 · Bad Day Book is open for poetry and prose submissions. Check the site for themes. Payment ranges from $40 to $75, depending on length. The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2024.
🔗 https://thebaddaybook.com/submit-your-story/
🔴 FEB 1 · The First Line Journal is accepting submissions for fiction and poetry using the pre-set first line: "Mr. Morton needed a new pair of shoes." They also welcome 4-part stories and nonfiction critical articles about a favorite first line. Deadline: February 1, 2024. Length: 300-5,000 words for fiction; 500-800 words for nonfiction. Pay: $25-50 for fiction, $25 for nonfiction, $10 for poetry.
🔗 http://www.thefirstline.com/submission.htm
🔴 FEB 1 · Last Girls Club is open for feminist horror short stories and poems on specified themes. Payment: Varies. Deadline: November 1, 2023. Fiction is limited to 2,500 words or less. Authors are paid $0.015 USD per word upon acceptance ($37.50 USD max). Flash fiction is limited to under 1,000 words. Authors are paid $0.015 USD per word upon acceptance ($15 USD max). Poems are limited to 200 words or less for each poem. Poets are paid $10 USD upon acceptance.
🔗 https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/last-girls-club-lImp7
⭐ FEB 2 · The First Friday - Third Thursday Quick Reads event highlights women and non-binary writers of sci-fi, fantasy and speculative fiction at 12 pm EST. This event features C.D. Britt, Jessica Cage, Janice Hardy, LCW Allingham, Tamika Thompson and C.E. McGill along with emcee/host Sarah Smith along with support from authors Anne Nydam and Terri Bruce.
🔗https://strongwomenstrangeworlds.weebly.com/
🔴 FEB 2 · Havok Season 11: Remember April seeks flash fiction on the theme of “fictional retellings of real life,” short fiction between 300 – 1,000 words. No payment for online publication.
🔗https://gohavok.com/submission-guidelines/upcoming-themes/
⭐📚 FEB 3 · The St. Louis Writers Guild presents Workshops for Writers Tax Season 2024: Tips and Strategies Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CST for a free LIVE workshop with tax professional Dan Connors on tax strategies for writers, editors, and other creatives. Presenter, Dan Connors, will join us LIVE, in-person at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO. The event will also livestream via Zoom. Open to the public.
🔗 https://www.stlwritersguild.org/
🔴 FEB 4 · Flame Tree Fiction - Odin is inviting submissions for an enthralling book exploring the larger-than-life stories of Odin and his kin. Original short stories (3000 to 4000 words) will be compensated at 8 cents/word, while reprints will receive 6 cents/word. Explore new angles to Odin's character, present different viewpoints, and imagine new futures.
🔗https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic/odin-submissions-0
🔴 FEB 4 · Flame Tree Fiction - Anansi is seeking original short stories (3000 to 4000 words) for a collection exploring the versatile character of Anansi. Compensation is 8 cents/word for originals and 6 cents/word for reprints. Submissions should bring new perspectives to Anansi's character, presenting different viewpoints and exploring untapped storylines.
🔗https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic/anansi-submissions-0
🔴 FEB 4 · Flame Tree Fiction - Medusa is in search of original short stories (3000 to 4000 words) that offer a wider perspective on the misunderstood mythological figure. Compensation is 8 cents/word for originals and 6 cents/word for reprints. Submissions should explore alternative paths, present different viewpoints, counter the patriarchal narrative, and pursue hinted storylines.
🔗https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic/medusa-submissions-0
🔴 FEB 4 · Sci Phi Journal January 2024 Call seeking hard SF that explores the structural, systemic, and epic aspects of speculative fiction. Pays 3 (Euro) cents per word for original fiction and 1 (Euro) cent per word for translations. Submissions close on February 4, 2024.
🔗 https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/sci-phi-journal-v1BL8
🔴 FEB 5 · LANDO grants for writers are now open for applications. If you're a writer exploring the challenges of migration, immigration, or the refugee experience, you're eligible to apply for a $7000 grant sponsored in collaboration with The de Groot Foundation. Open to poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or creative nonfiction.
🔗 https://degrootfoundation.org/
⭐📚 FEB 5 · The Horror Writer Association’s Horror University Online presents “Shifting Shapes: When Characters Transform Learn the scenecraft for depicting how a “normal” body mutates, how a mind breaks down into madness, or how a human being morphs into a monster or something else, entirely unexpected.” Instructor is Michael Arnzen. On the Teachable platform at 8 pm EST, workshop costs $65.
🔗 https://horror-university.teachable.com/p/shifting-shapes-when-characters-transform
🔴 FEB 6 · Utopia Science Fiction is seeking utopian science fiction, poetry, and nonfiction on the theme of Relationships (platonic, romantic, family, etc). They aim for work that develops and explores character relationships. Deadline: February 6, 2024. Length: 100-5,000 words preferred for fiction, up to 6,000 words for nonfiction, up to 5 poems. Pay: $0.04/word for fiction, $30 for nonfiction, $25 for poetry.
🔗 https://www.utopiasciencefiction.com/submit
🔴 FEB 7 · Utter Speculation Novella Series seeks “about what is behind real mysteries and legends. The stories must start with the known facts. They can be rooted in real world explanations or supernatural causes, but they need to answer the question, what causes this? Then they can go wherever you want them to go regarding genre, style and explanation.” Payment is “signing bonus and royalty split to be discussed upon offer to publish.”
🔗 https://www.speculationpub.com/submissions
🔴 FEB 7 · Big Wing Review invites literary submissions for its second print + digital publication (scheduled for release in May 2024). They welcome essays, prose, flash fiction, poetry, spoken word, and visual art works. Submission is free.
🔗 https://www.bigwingreview.com/submissions
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