Scare Street
They want short horror stories with a focus on ghosts, the supernatural, paranormal, monsters, and dark tales. “We go for stories that are dark, literary; we are looking for the creepy, the weird and the unsettling” according to their guidelines. The magazine also accepts reprints.
Deadline: 25 July 2020
Length: 3,000-7,000 words
Pay: “$10 per 1,000 words” ($0.01/word)
Details here.
34 Orchard This is a magazine of fiction and poetry. Their guidelines say, “we like dark, intense pieces that speak to a deeper truth. We’re not genre-specific; we just like scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad. We like things we can’t put down and things that make us go “wow” when we’ve finished. But our main goal here at 34 Orchard is to publish the stuff we like to read, and you’re not in our heads. So don’t over think it. Just submit.” They are reading now for the Fall issue. Deadline: 31 July 2020 Length: 1,000-7,500 words for fiction; up to three poems Pay: $50 Details here.
Feral Cat Publishers: Dear Leader Tales Anthology They want fiction and poetry for their anthology, ‘Dear Leader Tales’. They want stories of a humorous or satirical bent which illustrate or lampoon an emperor’s hubris (and lack of clothing). They don’t want any real life current or past Dear Leaders named directly, but their known foibles are fair game. Examples beyond the political include CEOs who constantly quote Sun Tzu or Machiavelli incorrectly, cats plotting to overthrow their human overlords, in short anywhere clueless oppressors operate. They also accept reprints. Deadline: 31 July 2020 Length: 1,000-5,000 words Pay: $0.03/word for fiction, $25 for poetry Details here.
Bold Strokes Books: In Our Words – Queer Stories from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Writers Bold Strokes Books recently issued a call for short story submissions on Twitter for an anthology. They want LGBTQ+ fiction from writers who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), from all over the world. Deadline: 1 August 2020 Length: 2,500-6,000 words Pay: $100 Details here (Twitter call) and here (publisher website).
Third Flatiron: Brain Games – Stories to Astonish They want science fiction, fantasy, horror, steampunk, cyberpunk, mythology, and satire fiction for this anthology. Their guidelines say, “The left side of the brain is associated with logical and analytical characteristics, while the right brain with creativity. We’d welcome stories from both sides of the brain. Stories could feature puzzle solving and ingenuity, inverted tv tropes, inventions (clockwork, practical, or Rube Goldberg), masterful creations (like JS Bach’s Goldberg Variations), and social commentary”. Deadline: 1 August 2020 Length: 1,500-3,000 words Pay: $0.08/word Details here (scroll down for theme details) and here (general guidelines).