Whereas last month’s open submission calls all seemed to be horror-flavoured, this month I’ve come across a wealth of science fiction venues seeking story submissions. Maybe horror editors prefer the winter, and the impending arrival of spring is bringing out all the SF publishers?
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Metastellar
Currently, this online venue (which has the strapline ‘Speculative fiction and beyond’) is on the hunt for science fiction, fantasy, or horror flash fiction.
Word count: Up to 1200 words
Payment: 8 cents per word
Deadline: 31 March 2023
Find out more
Utopia Magazine
The focus of this hard-SF magazine is refreshing upbeat: ‘enthralling stories set in a future we want to believe in, one we would fight to make a reality.’
Word count: 100–5000 words
Payment: 4 cents per word
Deadline: Ongoing
Find out more
Lightspeed
This prestigious venue is rarely open for submissions, so get in there while it’s open! First up is this slot solely for science fiction stories; an open submissions call for fantasy will follow in late April.
Word count: 1500–10000 words
Payment: 8 cents per word
Deadline: Open to BIPOC-only from 24–31 March 2023, open to all from 1–7 April 2023
Find out more
Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores
This well-established online zine seeks SF, fantasy and weird stories, both serious and humorous in tone.
Word count: 1000 words or more
Payment: 8 cents per word
Deadline: Ongoing, but only open on the 1st and 2nd of each month
Find out more
Weird Horror
This newish project from celebrated editor Michael Kelly is now well-established and well-respected. It has two reading periods each year: March and September.
Word count: 500–6000 words
Payment: 1.5 cents per word
Deadline: 31 March 2023
Find out more
They Hunt By Night
An anthology that will feature stories set pre-1950, featuring fearsome creatures that… well, hunt by night.
Word count: 6000–9000 words
Payment: Share of royalties
Deadline: 30 June 2023
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Alone on the Borderland: Tales of Edwardian Dread
This anthology edited by John Linwood Grant will feature weird fiction set between 1901 and 1919 – from the death of Queen Victoria to the immediate aftermath of the Great War and the Spanish Influenza epidemic.
Word count: 5000–10000 words
Payment: Percentage of Kickstarter net profits, plus percentage of first year royalties
Deadline: 30 June 2023
Find out more
Translunar Travelers Lounge
Perhaps there’s been a shift in tastes recently, as this is another speculative fiction publication seeking stories that are fun (a fun story is defined by the editors as one that ‘works on the premise that things aren’t all bad; that ultimately, good wins out’).
Word count: Up to 5000 words
Payment: 3 cents per word
Deadline: Open 15–21 March 2023 to writers of colour, then 16 March to 15 April 2023 to all
Find out more
Infinite Worlds
This print publication is very smartly designed. While that’s not everything, it’s certainly a factor, let’s be honest.
Word count: 1500–5000 words
Payment: 8 cents per word
Deadline: Ongoing
Find out more
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Buckminster Fuller image from Wikimedia Commons
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