There are some fantastically exciting opportunities for writers this month! The first couple end within the next couple of days, though, so you’ll need to work fast if they’re of interest to you…

Sign up for my email newsletter if you want advance notice of open calls like these.

Roots of My Fears
This anthology of ‘ancestral horror’ will be edited by Gemma Amor and published by Titan Books. It already boasts a lineup including Ramsey Campbell, Premee Mohamed and Adam Nevill among other high-profile authors, but there’s room for a single story from this open submissions period – which ends very soon!
Word count: Up to 5000 words
Payment: 8 cents per word
Deadline: 4 August 2024
Find out more

Motives Unknown
This is an exciting opportunity, if you fit the bill! Fantastic indie publisher Dead Ink, in partnership with literary agencies Curtis Brown and C&W, is seeking stories for a new crime anthology. But to qualify, you must be writer in (or with strong ties to) the north of England, and you must also be unagented. If that’s you, act quickly – the deadline is very soon!
Word count: Up to 1000–6000 words
Payment: Unspecified fee, plus a consultation with a literary agent
Deadline: 5 August 2024
Find out more

This Way Lies Madness
Editors Lee Murray and Dave Jeffery are seeking dark fiction about ‘monstrous manifestations of trauma and guilt, paranoia and persecution, anxiety, addiction, and crippling terror’ for this anthology to be published by Flame Tree.
Word count: Around 2000–4000 words
Payment: 8 cents per word
Deadline: 13 October 2024
Find out more

Uncanny
Uncanny is one of the very best SF/F fiction websites around, with its stories frequently winning big awards – and it rarely opens for submissions, so get to it!
Word count: 750-10,000 words
Payment: 10 cents per word
Deadline: Open 5 August–2 September 2024
Find out more

Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction
This high-profile contest is free to enter, and this year’s theme is ‘The Unspoken’. Shortlisted stories will feature in an ebook anthology published by the excellent Comma Press.
Word count: 2000–7500 words
Payment: £500 prize, and publication for shortlisted authors
Deadline: 22 September 2024
Find out more

Gwyllion
This well-designed zine, which has reached its ninth issue, features science fiction and fantasy by writers with links to Wales.
Word count: Up to 10,000 words
Payment: £15
Deadline: Ongoing
Find out more

Saros
This brand-new speculative fiction magazine will have an emphasis on literary SF and stories with ‘a touch of the bizarre’.
Word count: 2000–15,000 words
Payment: $40
Deadline: Open 5–18 August 2024
Find out more

Apparition Lit
This quarterly magazine accepts speculative fiction based on a specific theme which changes each issue – the upcoming prompt is the word HARBINGER.
Word count: 1000–5000 words
Payment: 5 cents per word
Deadline: Open 15–31 August 2024
Find out more

Flunk
This Australian online zine is up to its fifth issue, and is seeking SF/F and horror stories.
Word count: Up to 5000 words
Payment: $50 AUD
Deadline: Ongoing
Find out more

Bookworms Horror Zine
In the words of the editors: ‘We generally enjoy “fun”, “80s style” horror reminiscent of the zine’s old-school vibe, but we’ve also been blown away by fresh voices that take the genre in a new direction.’
Word count: Up to 1500 words
Payment: 8 cents per word
Deadline: 1 September 2024
Find out more

Rabid Otter
The editors at Riverfolk Publishing are currently putting together an anthology of technology-based horror.
Word count: 6000–10,000 words
Payment: $100
Deadline: 30 September 2024
Find out more

Black Cat Weekly
It’s nice to see more crime-fiction venues popping up recently. Unlike most, Black Cat is explicitly open to speculative mysteries alongside classic styles.
Word count: Around 1500–15,000 words
Payment: From $15–$50
Deadline: Ongoing
Find out more

Starspawn: A Miskatonic Mystery
This anthology is not only linked to HP Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos, it’s actually linked to an in-development indie video game. That means stories need to relate to very particular worldbuilding detailed on the submissions page.
Word count: 2500–7500 words
Payment: 2 cents per word
Deadline: 15 September 2024
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Gods & Services
This anthology will contain stories that adhere to a very specific prompt about a flea-market shop that sells gods.
Word count: 3000–10,000 words
Payment: $25
Deadline: 30 August 2024
Find out more

Tales Untold: Underdogs of Society
The editors of this anthology are seeking stories about societal underdogs that promote diversity, representation and inclusion and which also include ‘a unique twist/climax’.
Word count: 3000–8000 words
Payment: $50
Deadline: 30 September 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.