Posted on by JenniferShelby

Submit Your Stories Sunday: Poems for Le Guin

Welcome to this week’s edition of Submit Your Stories Sunday! Every week I bring you a unique call for submissions to help you find a home for your stories or inspire a new one. Each call will contain a speculative element and will offer payment upon acceptance.

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Ursula K. Le Guin Tribute Poetry Anthology

Eligibility: original poems which pay to tribute in some way to the late poet and writer Ursula K. Le Guin. Speculative elements are welcome, but not required. There are no limits to words, lines, or style.

Take Note: writers can submit up to three poems

What makes this call stand out: it’s a lovely way to pay tribute to a prolific writer

Payment: $20 per poem, reprints are welcome but the rate will be lower

Submit by: October 15th, 2018

Click here to go to the original call for details.

Writerly links worth sharing this week:

In the greatest foreshadowing fail I have come across, a writer who specializes in stories about ladies killing their spouses is charged with murdering… her spouse. Welp.

Last Thursday would have been Roald Dahl’s 102nd birthday. In tribute, Emmanuel Nataf put together this collection of Dahl’s “Gloriumptious” words. Best read with a smile on your face.

What I’m Reading:

I’ve been reading the Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction issue of Uncanny. Having guest editors makes it stand out from other Uncanny issues in terms of overall style, but Uncanny’s ideals of inclusivity and imaginative fiction hold true.

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cover art: And With the Lamps We Are Multitudes of Light by Likhain

My favorite story in the collection is A. Merc Rustad’s first-contact story The Frequency of Compassion. It is nothing short of a masterpiece. Rustad is easily one of my favorite short story writers publishing today. I get a rush of delight when I see their name in a table of contents.

I tried and failed to chose a favorite from the nonfiction included in the issue. As a mother who experiences a varying range of anxiety, A. J. Hackwith’s And the Dragon Was in the Skin resonated deeply. Each essay changed something in the way I see the world. If you’re a writer, read them. Devour them. Listen. They have the power to make us better writers. Better people.

Julia Watts Belser’s poem You Wanted Me to Fly hit me hard, the last line especially. As writers, we need to do so much better.

If you’re not in a place to support Uncanny magazine financially (Space Unicorns!), you can read half of the issue for free at the link above. The second half should be available on the Uncanny website in October.

Happy writing!
Posted on by JenniferShelby

Submission Sundays: Arsenika

Welcome to this week’s edition of Submission Sundays! Every week I bring you a unique call for submissions to help you find a home for your stories or inspire a new one. Each call will contain a speculative element and will offer payment upon acceptance.

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Arsenika

Eligibility: Original, speculative poetry or flash fiction (less than 1000 words). Writers are welcome to submit 2 pieces of flash or 5 poems at a time.

Head’s up: Arsenika’s website has a fine collection of free-to-read stories available to see the kind of stories the editors prefer (or to read for fun!)

What makes this call stand out: Arsenika’s rates for flash fiction are considered professional rates ($0.06 per word at the maximum word count)

Payment: $60 for flash fiction, $30 for poetry, American dollars.

Submit by: September 15th, 2018, for this particular call. However, as an ongoing journal Arsenika has rolling submission dates. Please check their website to be sure.

Click here to go to the original call for details.

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Writerly links worth reading this week:

Electriclit wrote an excellent summary of the twitter uproar regarding penis-shaped soap that appeared in a book box this week. Warning: this is NSFW industry news. On a marketing note, going viral has only helped this subscription box and its elements.

This powerful piece on the writing mother by Claudia Dey entitled “Mothers as Makers of Death” has me wondering if she’s been inside my head for the past six years.

Posted on by JenniferShelby · 3 Comments

Submission Sundays: Apparition Lit

Welcome to this week’s edition of Submission Sundays! Every week I bring you a unique call for submissions to help you find a home for your stories or inspire a new one. Each call will contain a speculative element and will offer payment upon acceptance.

Copy of jennifershelby.blog

Apparition Lit’s Monthly Flash Fiction Contests

Eligibility: Original, speculative flash fiction under 1000 words written to the month’s theme. The following themes are coming up: August 2018 – parasites; September 2018 – Emily Dickinson’s Because I Could Not Stop for Death; October 2018 – you can see the bone; November 2018 – Security; December 2018 – the final problem.

Caveat: rejection letters are not sent for the flash fiction contests, instead watch the website for the winner published online on the 20th of each month.

What makes this call stand out: flash fiction is a wonderful way to sharpen your skills and keep yourself writing every day between longer stories and editing projects.

Payment: $5.00 American, flat rate.

Submit by: each theme must be submitted by the 15th of the assigned month

Click here to go to the original call for details.

Writerly links worth reading this week:

This article on how one author used multiple points of view well is an excellent lesson in using point of view to further your story.

Mermaid’s Tears is a wonderful piece of non-fiction focusing on a lesser-known aspect of mermaid lore.

Written Word Media created this post about promo-stacking for authors in the marketing phase.

Now’s your chance to vote for the finalists in 2018’s alternate Nobel Prize for Literature. The authors were chosen by a team of Swedish librarians and the laureate will be chosen out of the final four we vote in. Have your say, there are some wonderful authors nominated.

 

Posted on by JenniferShelby · 2 Comments

Submission Sundays: Tor novellas

Welcome to this week’s edition of Submission Sundays. Every week I bring you a new call for submissions. Each call will contain a speculative element and will offer payment upon acceptance.

Where ever you are on your writing journey, calls can inspire creativity and lead you to new markets. If you’re starting out, getting used to submissions – and rejections – is important. Every established writer has a stack of rejections behind them. It takes guts and a willingness to fail.

Ready?

Tor Novellas

Eligibility: polished, original science fiction and fantasy novellas between 20 000 and 40 000 words.

Caveat: they are open to submissions for two weeks, May 1 to May 15th. Not ready? They plan to open again in July, so watch their site.

What makes this call stand out: Tor has published some exceptional novellas, such as Seanan McGuire’s award-winning Wayward Children series.

Submit by: May 15th.

Payment: advance (to be determined) and royalties

Click here to go to the original call.

Happy writing!

Posted on by JenniferShelby

Submission Sundays: the Pirate Anthology

Welcome to this week’s edition of Submission Sundays. Every week I bring you a fresh call for submissions. Each call will contain a speculative element and will offer payment upon acceptance.

Where ever you are on your writing journey, calls can inspire creativity and lead you to new markets. If you’re starting out, getting used to submissions – and rejections – is important. Every established writer has a stack of rejections behind them. It takes guts and a willingness to fail.

Ready? Arrrr!

Scourge of the Seas of Time (and Space): a Pirate Anthology

Eligibility: Historical, fantastic, or space pirate stories of 5000-6000 words. Sexual and gender diversity welcome. Reprints and original tales welcome.

Caveat: Reprints must not have been published in the past year.

What makes this call stand out: it has pirates!

Payment: $100 for original tales, $50 for reprints

Submit by: May 15th, 2018

Click here to go to the original call for details.

Speaking of anthologies, check out Tired Tykes, a children’s bedtime story anthology currently crowdfunding. My story “Leif the Story Hunter” waits inside, ready to teach you how to catch wild stories with nothing more than blank notebook. You might even end up with a sentence for a pet. Click here for details!

Posted on by JenniferShelby · 1 Comment

Submission Sundays: The Never Beyond

Welcome to this week’s edition of Submission Sundays. Every week I bring you a new call for submissions, and this week it’s a brand new magazine! Each call will contain a speculative element and will offer payment upon acceptance.

Where ever you are on your writing journey, calls can inspire creativity and lead you to new markets. If you’re starting out, getting used to submissions – and rejections – is important. Every established writer has a stack of rejections behind them. It takes guts and a willingness to fail.

Ready? Allons-y!

The Never Beyond

Eligibility: accepting horror, fantasy, science fiction, and magical realism stories up to 3500 words, including flash, which have not been previously published. Query anything over 3500 words.

Caveat: you must have a PayPal account to receive payment (note: if you’re new to submissions, this isn’t unusual).

What makes this call stand out: while there are no back issues to get a feel for The Never Beyond (I love this title), there is a unique thrill to being published in the inaugural issue of a magazine which has the potential to become quite successful.

Payment: $0.01 per word (currency unknown).

Submit by: no dates given, but as this is a magazine rather than an anthology, temporary closures and re-openings should be expected.

Click here to go to the original call for details.

Happy writing!

Posted on by JenniferShelby

Submission Sundays: UFOs and Neil Gaiman

Welcome to this week’s edition of Submission Sundays. Each week, I bring you a unique call for submissions. Each call will contain a speculative element and will offer payment upon acceptance.

Where ever you are on your writing journey, calls can inspire creativity and lead you to new markets. If you’re starting out, getting used to submissions – and rejections – is important. Every established writer has a stack of rejections behind them. It takes guts and a willingness to fail.

Ready? This week’s call is a favorite of mine:

Unidentified Funny Objects 7

Eligibility: *humorous* speculative fiction from 500-5000 words. No reprints, multiple, or simultaneous submissions.

Caveat: this is a tough market. According to Duotrope, less than 1% of submitted stories are accepted. Does this mean you shouldn’t submit? Heck no. It just means you shouldn’t be discouraged if you receive a rejection.

What makes this call stand out: Neil Gaiman, my favorite author, has headlined a previous issue of UFO. Do I want to be published in the same series as my hero? You bet!

Payment: $0.10 per word (American) plus a contributor copy

Submit by: April 30th, 2018

Click here to go the original call for more details.

Posted on by JenniferShelby · 7 Comments

Submission Sundays: the Horror of Pizza

Welcome to this week’s edition of Submission Sundays. Each week, I’ll be bringing you a unique call for submission. Each call will contain a speculative element and will offer payment upon acceptance.

Where ever you are on your writing journey, calls can inspire creativity. Getting used to submissions – and rejections – is important. Every established writer has a stack of rejections behind them. It takes guts and a willingness to fail.

Ready? Here’s this week’s call:

Tales From the Crust: An Anthology of Pizza Horror

Eligibility: horror stories revolving around pizza, 1000 to 5000 words. Multiple and simultaneous submissions allowed, please query reprints first.

Photo from darkmoondigest.com

Caveat: the publishers want this call taken seriously. No humor. Scare them.

What makes this call stand out: How will writers pull the concept of pizza horror from silly to frightening? Is Soylent Green an available topping?Let the imagination games begin!

Payment: $0.03 per word (currency unknown)

Submit by: June 1, 2018

Click here to go to the original call for details.

Happy writing!

Posted on by JenniferShelby · 4 Comments

Submission Sundays: the Lantern and the Nature of Cities

Welcome to the inaugural post of a new writerly series called Submission Sundays. Each week, I’ll be bringing you a unique call for submission. Each call will contain a speculative element and will offer payment. As I want this to be an inclusive event, if the call is limited to a certain demographic I will offer a second call for submissions without those limitations.

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Where ever you are on your writing journey, calls can inspire creativity. Getting comfortable with submissions – and rejections – is important. Every established writer has a stack of rejections behind them. It takes guts and a willingness to fail.

Ready? Read on …

 

Engen Books/Kit Sora Flash Fiction Contest

Eligibility: open to unpublished works no greater than 250 words by Canadian writers (not Canadian? Don’t worry, there’s a second call below) in response to this photo by Kit Sora Photography:

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photo by Kit Sora Photography

What makes this call stand out: visual photo prompts open up the imagination in new and unexpected ways.

Caveat: entrants are required to share the contest via social media.

Payment: $0.10 per word, Canadian.

Submit by: April 14th, 2018. No time is given, so err on the side of caution and submit early!!

Click here to head over to the original call for complete details and submission guidelines.

Stories of the Nature of Cities 2099 Prize for Urban Flash Fiction

Eligibility: unpublished work of fiction, one entry per writer, to the topic of a green city in 2099, under 1000 words. Unlimited demographic.

What makes this call stand out: speculative fiction has historically influenced our current technologies, which means your green city ideas now may have an effect on cities of the future.

Payment: one gold prize of $3000 (currency unknown), two silver prizes of $1500, and 3 bronze prizes of $500. Plus publication.

Submit by:  April 15th, 2018, 11:59 EDT

Click here to go to the original call for more details and submission guidelines.

Good luck to everyone  submitting stories and happy writing always,                                                                                                                                                                              Jennifer