Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza

If there is one thing that draws all the people of the NuPlaza together, well it's Tolkien but that's not what I'm getting at, it's that we all love to write. Whether it be analysis of minutiae of the legendarium, writing parody poems, or writing several novels worth of fiction material, I'd say we're a pretty damn good gathering of scopcraftsmen. Many of us, too, have dreams of publishing our own works and showing off for the world at large. Being no different, my twitter feed is awash with small genre magazines and micro publishing companies promoting books, magazines, and anthologies. Recently I've begun the arduous task of looking for places that might want to publish a few of the stories I've written or am in the process of writing. It is not an easy or fun task much of the time. It mostly consists of wading through internet lists of broken links or questionable authenticity or looking at submission requirements that seem impossibly difficult to match.

So I thought of something, as I am known to do on occasion. What if we tried to help each other out? Create a thread of open calls for submissions from magazines or anthologies or publishing companies? A score of eyes scouring the internet's submission guidelines are bound to find more than a single pair

@Winddancer, that would be most kind of you if you did.

First up!

Name: Kaleidotrope Magazine
Submission Window: September 1st - September 30th
Site: Kaleidotriope
Genres/Themes: "predominantly speculative fiction and poetry—science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but also compelling work that blurs the lines between these and falls outside of neat genre categories"
Lengths: no strict count, but somewhere between 250 and 10,000 words
Payment: $0.01 per word USD

Name: Verum Literary Press
Submission Window: Currently Open
Site: Verum Literary Press
Genres/Themes: "Verum is seeking submission for issue #2 with the theme of HIDDEN"
Lengths: No more than 5,000 words
Payments: not listed, will inquire

Anyone up for some dark fantasy writing?

Name: Bag of Bones Press
Submission Window: November 1st - 8th
Site: Bag of Bones Press
Genres/Themes: "We're after co-authored, original, unpublished dark fantasy short stories. No theme, but your submission piece must sit in the fantasy genre and contain dark elements - we aren't after happy endings."
Length: 4,000 - 6,000 words
Payment: $0.01 per word USD, split between authors

Name: Solarpunk Magazine
Submission Window: September 1st - 14th
Site: Solarpunk Magazine
Genres/Themes: anything related to Solarpunk and CliFi
Length: 500 - 7,500 words
Payment: $0.08 per word USD

Name: Medusa Tales Magazine
Submission Window: October 1st - 15th
Site: Medusa Tales Magazine
Genres/Themes: "we seek speculative stories (sci-fi, fantasy, and horror) of human transformation and immobilization"
Length: 100 - 5,000 words
Payments: $0.01 per word USD

Name: Utopia Science Fiction
Submission Window: Currently Open
Site: Utopia Science Fiction
Genres/Themes: "We're looking for enthralling stories set in a future we want to believe in, one we would fight to make a reality."
Length: 100 - 5,000 words
Payment: $0.04 per word USD

Name: Sliced Up Press
Submission Window: Now - October 15th
Site: Sliced Up Press
Genres/Themes: "We’re looking for horror stories set on, in or around the sea, including coastal areas and islands, as long as the sea plays a key part. Let’s face it – the sea is terrifying!"
Length: 2,000 - 4,000 words
Payment: $0.01 per word USD

Name: Brigid's Gate Press
Submission Window: August 1st - September 30th
Site: Brigid's Gate Press
Genres/Themes: "We're looking for gothic romances that are equal parts horror and romance.
The short stories should be mysterious, atmospheric, and include a HEA (or happy for now). This is an open call with no slots reserved for invitation pieces. Women and non-binary authors only (our definition of women includes transgender women and femme-identifying individuals - and always will. If you identify as woman by any definition, or identify as non-binary, this call is open to you)."
Length: 2,000 - 6,000 words
Payment: $0.04 per word USD

Name: A Coup of Owls Press
Submission Window: September 1st - 30th
Site: A Coup of Owls Press
Genres/Themes: "WE ONLY PUBLISH CREATORS FROM UNDER REPRESENTED AND/OR MARGINALISED BACKGROUNDS AND/OR COMMUNITIES" "All genres, styles and themes will be considered and we especially love stories that are outside the box in their telling."
Length: drabbles - 100 words; flash fiction 101 - 1,000 words; short stories 1,000 - 8,000 words
Payment: drabbles & flash fiction - £5.00; short stories 1,000 - 4,000 words - £10.00; short stories 4,000 - 8,000 - £15.00

Name: Timber Ghost Press
Submission Window: Now - October 31st
Site: Timber Ghost Press
Genres/Themes: "We are seeking well-crafted stories and poems suitable for a middle-grade audience. We're looking for stories and poems in the same vein as Neil Gaiman, Victoria Schwab, Patrick Ness, Holly Black, and R.L. Stine... For this anthology, all entries must have a Utah connection, either on the part of the author or the story itself."
Length: flash fiction - 1,000 words or less; short stories - 1,001 - 5,000 words
Payment: flash fiction - $15.00 USD; short stories - $35.00 USD

This is an excellent idea! Do you mind if I contribute too? I have a living list of short story pubs I keep my eye on.

This blog also maintains and regularly posts an updated list of many pubs, organized chronologically by deadline.

World Weaver also occasionally posts calls for submissions.

Here are those on my list which are currently (or soon to be) open - info is for spec fic or SFF SHORT STORIES only (I know/have nothing about novels, novellas, poetry or art):
(generally the list is in order of highest word count to lowest b/c that's how my brain works)

Reckoning
https://reckoning.press/reckoning-7-guidelines-fiction/
Closes Sept 22 (so soon!)
$0.08/word for fiction
<20 k words
accepts sim subs
environmental justice speculative fiction. Issue 7's theme is water but they accept off-theme stories, too.

Beneath Ceaseless Skies
https://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/submissions/
Currently open, no dates specified
<15 k
$0.08/word for fiction
Sim subs ok
SFF in a secondary world

Fusion Fragment
https://www.fusionfragment.com/submissions/
Currently open, no dates specified
2 - 15k
$0.0035 CAD/word for fiction
SFF "slipstream, cyberpunk, post-apocalypse, and anything with a little taste of the bizarre"

Strange Horizons
http://strangehorizons.com/submit/ficti ... guidelines
Opens Oct 3 - until 1,000 stories received
<10 k accepted, prefer <5 k
$0.08/word for fiction
NO Sim subs
spec fic
More info @ http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/ ... n-october/

Uncanny
https://www.uncannymagazine.com/submissions/
Opens Oct 1 - ???
<6 k or <10 k (I'm unclear on this)
$0.08/word for fiction
unsure of sim subs acceptance
SFF - "intricate, experimental stories and poems with gorgeous prose, verve, and imagination that elicit strong emotions and challenge beliefs"

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores
https://cosmicrootsandeldritchshores.com/submissions/
Opens the first 2 days of each month
No word count limit
$0.08/word for fiction
NO sim subs
well written original science fiction, fantasy, myth, legend, fairy tales, eldritch; may be serious or humorous. more info @ https://cosmicrootsandeldritchshores.com/about/

Metaphorosis
https://magazine.metaphorosis.com/guidelines/
Always open
<10 k
$0.01/word for fiction
Sim subs ok
SFF "Beautiful writing showing engaging characters in science fiction or fantasy settings"

Cosmass Infinities
https://www.cossmass.com/submit/
Open Oct 1-14 for Black, Asian, Latin, LGBTQ+ and other under-represented authors
Open Oct 8-14 for all other authors
<7.5 k for fiction
$0.08/word
SFF

Apex
https://apex-magazine.com/submissions/
<7. k
$0.08/word
No sim subs
darker Sci Fi

Wyldblood
https://wyldblood.com/submissions-2/
Opens Nov 1 - ??
1 - 7k
£0.01/word for fiction
sim subs ok
spec fic

Mythaxis
https://mythaxis.co.uk/submissions.html
Opens Oct 23-30
1 - 7.5k
$20/piece
Sim subs ok
SFF

Hexagon
https://hexagonmagazine.ca/submit/
Open until September 30, again in November
<7.5 k
$20 CAD/piece over 5k words
NO sim subs
spec fic including: "science fiction, fantasy, horror, cyberpunk, sword and sorcery, magical realism, paranormal horror, dystopian epics, eldritch horror, superhero, space opera, afrofuturism, weird west, etc." and "pieces with engaging characters, fresh conflicts, and exciting narratives, not just concept pieces"

Luna Station Quarterly
https://lunastationquarterly.com/submissions/
Open until November 15
500 - 7 k
$5/piece for fiction
SFF, space opera, new fairy tales ONLY by women-identifying authors

Haven Speculative
https://www.havenspec.com/submit/
Open Sept 1-30 for limited demographic (authors of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups)
Open Oct 1- 31 for all other authors
<6 k
$0.01/word for fiction
sim subs ok
SFF "stories that balance a sense of wonder with a bold plot and emotional depth"

Uncharted
https://www.unchartedmag.com/submit/
always open
1-5 k words
$200/piece
sim subs ok
SFF, horror & thriller, crime & mystery

Tree & Stone
https://www.tree-and-stone.com/general-submissions
always open?
1-6 k
$0.02/word for fiction <1k; $20/pieces >1k words
nature-y SFF

Etherea Magazine
https://ethereamagazine.com/submissions/
currently open
2-5 k
$100 AUD per piece for fiction
SFF: no horror or grimdark, prefer Australian authors

Dollar amounts are USD unless otherwise noted.

Of course you can contribute @Kirinki! It's a resource for and by everyone here

Have to say I forgot to add the bigger magazines like Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Uncanny, and Apex because they're too well known. I was diving too deep in the small press. Thank you for adding them!

yay! awesome! here's a couple more...

Dream Forge
https://dreamforgemagazine.com/call-for-submissions/
Open til Oct 15
2-5k
$0.07/word
SFF, especially wanting solar punk and hope punk stories, no horror or dark endings

Merciless Mermaids: Tails from the Deep
https://wordfirewestern.moksha.io/publi ... guidelines
Open til Oct 7
Wanted: Genre: Original “dark mermaid” short stories and poetry in the genres of fantasy, science fiction, horror, humor, and romance, appropriate for a “PG-13” audience. Mermaids must be integral to the story. Diverse cultures and non-traditional legends and persons welcomed. Please, no copyrighted characters. Previously unpublished stories only (this includes independently published versions).
5k words max
$0.06/word

The Fairy Tale Magazine
https://www.fairytalemagazine.com/submissions
Opens Dec 1 - Jan 2 on theme: love
1-5 k (prefers 1-3.5)
$50/piece
"Fairy tales that are almost or entirely new or are just new takes on old tales are all welcome. Mashups of existing fairy tales are welcome as well. Submissions must follow the theme" of love for this submission period.

Penumbric
https://www.penumbric.com/subs.html
Open Dec 15 - Mar 15
<10 k
$10/piece
"work that constitutes the ever-moving edge of its kind, as a place between light and dark, consciousness and un, today and tomorrow; work exhibiting the strange, the bizarre, that which is not of the world we know, but more of a twilight realm or even altogether alien place. Not necessarily science fiction, not necessarily fantasy, not necessarily horror, and not necessarily not these things"

Apparition Lit
https://apparitionlit.com/submissions/
Opens Nov 15 - 30; extention through Dec 7 for BIPOC creators only
1-5k words
$0.05/word minimum $50/short story
speculative fiction on theme: dread

not normally keeping up w/ calls for novellas or novels but this one came across my screen so I thought I'd share:

https://magazine.interstellarflightpres ... a786ba770a
open to horror novellas (17.5-40k)
Open now until Dec 1 2022
read page for more info
translations accepted

Mythic Magazine
https://www.mythicmag.com/p/submissions.html
Opens Dec 1 - 31
2-5 k
$0.01/word
no sim subs
seeking diverse SFF

Air and nothingness press
http://aanpress.com/submissions.html
Opens Dec 1 - Jan 31
$0.08/word
exactly 1000 words on Theme gargantua: "Shellworlds, Alderson disks, Dyson spheres and swarms, O'Neill cylinders, Matrioshka brains, wormhole networks - these megastructures reshape stellar systems, are evidence of the engineering prowess of advanced civilizations, and are just darn cool concepts.
While these ideas usually fall under Hard SF, we are looking for authors to provide stories in any genre they choose. Tell us the tales of advanced civilizations, personal stories of the people who live in these spaces, the mythology that is created as these projects are born, to the time they crumble to stellar dust. "

Solarpunk Magazine
https://solarpunkmagazine.com/submissions/
1500-7500 words
$0.08/word minimum $100
opens Jan 1 - 14 to general solarpunk
no sim subs