The competition may be stiff for some of the well known anthologies, but getting one of your short stories published can open up numerous other publishing opportunities for you, including book deals. But that does not mean you should skim over the lesser known anthologies. There are just as many benefits to publishing in the lesser knowns and it gives you the experience you need to realize that you can be and are a successful writer.To improve your chances of success, always follow the submission guidelines. Make certain that you are formatting your stories correctly, stay within the word counts, and spruce up your cover letter. You want your story to be read and not rejected on a minor technicality. – Elizabeth Yetter
Apotheosis 2: More Stories of Survival After the Rise of the Elder Gods Simian Publishing is seeking stories about “human survival and defiance in a world subjugated by the return of the Elder Gods.” Word count should be 2,000 to 7,000 words and payment is 3 cents per word. Deadline for submissions is May 31, 2018.
Battling in All Her Finery: Historical Accounts of Otherworldly Women Leaders Mad Scientist Journal is seeking short stories for its anthology of “speculative fiction about women leaders in any field.” The pay is 2 cents per word and the story you submit should be between 500 to 8,000 words. The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2018.
‘Best of’ Anthology Blood Bound Books is seeking horror stories for its long running anthology. They are interested in all sub-genres of horror, as long as it is dark. Length should be 500 to 7,000 words and payment will be 5 to 8 cents per word. The deadline is May 31, 2018.
Blood in the Rain 4: Erotic Vampire Tales CWTCH Press is looking for super hot vampire tales. Length should be 2,500 to 7,000 words and payment is a flat $75 plus one print copy to US authors. Deadline for submissions is May 30, 2018. Check out their guidelines pages to learn more about what they are looking for.
Corporate Shadows This anthology is “inspired by the recent net neutrality rulings,” and submitted stories should somehow reflect this theme. Accepted genres include speculative fiction, suspense, horror, and science fiction. Word count should be between 2,000 and 15,000 words. Payment is 1 cent per word. The deadline for submissions is July 1, 2018. Check out their submissions guideline for more detailed information.
Fiends in the Furrows: An Anthology of Folk Horror Nosetouch Press is seeking submissions for its folk horror anthology which is described as “a haunting subgenera of horror, fusing atmospheric and horrifying elements of cults, pagan sex, and human sacrifice.” Stories should be 5,000 to 10,000 words and the pay is 1 cent per word. Deadline is May 1, 2018. Visit the submissions page for their guidelines/
Midnight Before Christmas Midnight Hour Media is looking for spooky Christmas stories for its holiday anthology. Genres may include horror, dark science fiction, and dark speculative fiction. Length should be 1,000 to 10,000 words and payment is 2 cents per word. Deadline for submissions is May 1, 2018. Read their submissions guideline for formatting information.
Midnight Hour Vol. 1 & 2 Midnight Hour Media is looking for dark speculative fiction, dark science fiction, and horror stories. Length should be 1,500 to 8,000 words and the pay is 2 cents per word. Deadline for submissions is May 1, 2018.
Monsters of Any Kind Independent Legions Publishing is seeking original horror stories for its latest anthology. Horror stories must have at minimum of one monster or creature in the story. The more unique the monster, the better. The word count should be 3,500 to 5,000 words and they pay a flat rate of $100. Deadline for submissions is July 10, 2018, so check out their submission guidelines to get started.
Scourge of the Seas of Time (and Space): A Pirate Anthology Queen of Swords Press is looking for short pirate stories for its anthology. The stories should focus on adventure and they are looking for characters with diverse backgrounds. Word count should be around 5,000 to 6,000 words. Payment is $100 flat payment for original stories and $50 flat payment for reprints. Submissions are due by May 15, 2018.
https://queenofswordspress.
SNAFU – Resurrection Cohesion Press is seeking military horror stories for its anthology. When writing for them, think Aliens, Terminator, and Resident Evil. They want stories that are full of action. Length should be 2,000 to 10,000 words and payment is AUD 4 cents per word and a contributor copy. The deadline is April 30th, 2018.
Sword and Sorceress 33 Sword and Sorceress stories generally have a strong female protagonist. The series is extremely popular and there is a lot of competition to get a story published in this series. The reading period will be from April 23, 2018 to May 13, 2018. Story length is up to 9,000 words and payment is 6 cents per word. Please read the very detailed guidelines on their website.
Tales from the Crust: An Anthology of Pizza Horror It sounds kind of nutty, but Dark Moon Digest is looking for short, pizza horror stories for its Tales from the Crust anthology. How do you write a horror story about pizza? They have no idea, so they are waiting to hear from the writers. Story length should be 1,000 to 5,000 words and the pay is 3 cents per word. Deadline for submissions is June 1, 2018.
http://www.darkmoondigest.com/
Unidentified Funny Objects This annual anthology publishes humorous science fiction and fantasy. Previous contributors include Neil Gaiman, Piers Anthony, and George R.R. Martin. In other words, the competition is stiff, but well worth aiming for. Story length should be 500 to 5,000 words and the deadline will be April 30, 2018. Payment is a healthy 10 cents per word plus a contributors copy. Visit the submissions page to find out about formatting and where to send your story.