Here’s this month’s list of the most interesting open submissions calls for writers I’ve found!
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Grimm Retold
This sounds brilliant: an anthology of horror and dark fantasy stories retelling Grimms’ fairy tales. Pay close attention to the guidelines – the editors provide a list of valid fairy tales from the Grimm ‘extended universe’ (a term I’ve just invented, but which totally should be a thing).
Word count: 2000–8000 words
Payment: $25
Deadline: 19 April 2024
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Weird Horror
This terrific and prestigious magazine from Undertow Publications doesn’t open for submissions often – if you have a weird and horrific at the ready, now’s your chance.
Word count: 500–5000 words
Payment: 2 cents per word
Deadline: 15 March 2024
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Body Shots
A new literary journal with impressively broad preferences: ‘from Carver-esque to Lynchian, Hemingway-esque to Burroughsian, traditional to postmodern, realist to magical realist, genre to non-genre’.
Word count: Up to 7500 words
Payment: Ranging from $35 to $150
Deadline: Open until issue is filled
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Monstrous
The next issue of this magazine will contain time-travel horror stories, which is an intriguing mix.
Word count: 1000–1500 words
Payment: 6 cents per word
Deadline: 15 March 2024
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The Stygian Zine
Issues of this new magazine will be published by The Stygian Society twice a year and, judging by the name, will feature pretty dark and gloomy tales.
Word count: Up to 2500 words
Payment: $20 CAD
Deadline: 1 May 2024 for current issue
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Creature Features
The first volume in this new anthology series will feature tales of lycanthropy, i.e. werewolves.
Word count: 3000–8000 words
Payment: £20
Deadline: 1 April 2024
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Nordic Horror
Another brilliant concept, and a book I’d like to read when it’s published: this anthology will feature weird tales set in the Nordic Region.
Word count: 3000–6000 words
Payment: Likely between $125 and $200
Deadline: 31 March 2024
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Worlds of Possibility
Whereas most anthologies in my monthly roundups tend to contain dark fiction, Editor Julia Rios is on the lookout for stories ‘that leave the reader feeling hopeful, peaceful, or happy’.
Word count: Up to 5000 words
Payment: 10 cents per word
Deadline: 23 March 2024
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Boreal
This anthology, subtitled ‘an anthology of Taiga Horror’, will contain stories set in the wild, dark woods of Norway, Scandinavia, Iceland, Canada, Russia and Japan.
Word count: 2000–5000 words
Payment: 1 cent per word
Deadline: Open 15 March – 1 April 2024
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Cold
Death’s Head Press is putting together an anthology of cold or wintry horror short stories.
Word count: 2500–10,000 words
Payment: 4 cents per word
Deadline: 31 March 2024
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Hellbound Books’ Anthology of Horror
The editors of this anthology are seeking horror stories with no set theme.
Word count: 2500–8000 words
Payment: $5
Deadline: 1 June 2024
Find out more

Good luck if you submit a story to any of these venues! And remember, you can sign up for my email newsletter for monthly open submission calls direct to your inbox.

Image from Wikimedia Commons.