What they want:

Bring out the Fey! Stories about the Sidhe? Sprites? Pixies? Boggans and Goblins? How about those Gnomes?

Looking for fictional stories involving the Fey Folk, both Seelie and Unseelie. From the campy to the deep and esoterical, from traditional faeries to the not-so-traditional (changeling kangaroos, anyone?), Western to Eastern, heck even Martian!

Fantasy is obviously expected but all spec-fic genres welcome. Got a SF story about a Space Leprechaun invasion of Earth? Send it! Slipstream? Go for it! A slasher involving psychopathic trolls with chainsaws and a fetish for wearing human skin? Ehhh….aw heck, why not?

Deadline: June 15, 2013
Length: 2,000-10,000 words
Payment: Royalties + contributor copy.
Submission Guidelines: http://www.seventhstarpress.com/submissions/

What they want:

The idea here is creation of a tribute to Ray Bradbury. We hope to publish the book on or before June 5, the one-year anniversary of his death. Just this once, we will consider poetry. Otherwise, we’re looking for stories that in some way honor Mr. Bradbury. A suggestion: PLEASE do not try to imitate his prose style. Use your own style.

Be sure to include, in your author bio attached to the story, what aspect of Ray Bradbury’s work you are saluting — which story, which book, etc.

Deadline: May 1, 2013
Length: Up to 4,000 words.
Payment: $10
Submission Guidelines: http://whortleberrypress.com/writersguideline.html

What they want:

What if pigs really could fly . . . with bloody snouts and a taste for human flesh? Or chickens developed a murderous hive-mind? And then there is Old McDonald and his brood of demented children. This anthology approaches horror from the scenic landscape of farms. What is really in that barn? What else gets plowed? Or planted? Barnyard Horror will deliver a harvest of poetry, flash fiction, horror art and short stories not soon forgotten, even if the reader wants to do so. So let us get to planting!

Deadline: Until filled
Length: Unknown
Payment: All contributors will receive a free copy of the Smashwords edition. In addition, two authors or artists will receive $25 each for “Best Of,” to be decided by the editor.
Submission Guidelines: http://jwkfiction.com/index.php/opsub

What they want:

No one should ever have to deal with cancer, especially a child. BLEED is a charity anthology where the profits will go to the Children’s Cancer Fund. We are looking for allegorical horror stories where the monster represents cancer.

Don’t forget, this is for all the little girls and boys who fight the good fight everyday.

Deadline: June 30, 2013
Length: Up to 10,000 words
Payment: Profits will go to the Children’s Cancer Fund.
Submission Guidelines: http://perpetualpublishing.com/2012/12/31/announcing-two-new-anthologies-bleed-and-long-distance-drunks/

What they want:

An anthology dedicated to psychological horror by established and new indie authors, poets and artists.  Submitted work should be challenging, disturbing or downright terrifying.

Deadline: May 31, 2013
Length: 2,000-5,000 words
Payment: Unknown
Submission Guidelines: http://www.vamptasy.com/open-anthology-calls.html

What they want:

Cancer scares us. It scares us and it intrigues us. There is so much we don’t know about it, but it’s out there, waiting to strike when we least expect it.  Cancer is not all-powerful and many people beat it, but to those who don’t cancer is cruel. It doesn’t show them the kindness of a quick death but draws things out, taking their life away in slices.

Due to the nature of cancer this collection will tend toward the darker side of the speculative fiction spectrum but we don’t want the entire anthology to be gloomy and depressing so the absolute best submissions will find a way to end on a high note, find something to be optimistic about, or evoke an emotion other than (or in addition to) sadness or dread.

Deadline: June 30, 2013
Length: Stories up to 7,500 words long and poems up to 40 lines long.
Payment:  $10.00 advance with an equal share of 25% of royalties.  A portion of the proceeds from this anthology will be donated to the American Cancer Society.
Submission Guidelines:  http://www.rhondaparrish.com/call-for-submissions-cancer-anthology

What they want:

This anthology weaves threads about those dedicated, even fanatical, about their faith or belief system.  They are called to take us someplace we’ve never visited, not wax on about their chosen tenets.  Stories about the classic “gaming Cleric” will fit here as will stories about those whose ways are perhaps misguided according to societal norms.  Remember our tag line, “What’s your Darkness?”

Deadline: Unknown
Length: 500-8,000 words
Payment: $10 for stories over 500 words, $20 for stories over 2000.  Royalties.
Submission Guidelines: http://www.gothiccitypress.com/2013/02/
calling-all-clerics-charlatans-and.html

What they want:

Dark Bits will be a collection of 52 horror flash fiction stories. We have no restrictions or subject or taste, only on the length. The anthology will be book and ebook formats. Reprints are welcome.

Deadline: May 15, 2013
Length: Up to 500 words.
Payment: $20
Submission Guidelines: http://apokrupha.com/2013/03/12/dark-bits-call-for-submissions/

What they want:

Daylight Dims will be an anthology of terrifying short stories. We are looking for  unique and interesting settings and situations.

Deadline: June 30, 2013
Length: 2,500-25,000 words
Payment: No payment
Submission Guidelines: http://stealthfiction.com/daylight-dims/

What they want:

As the title suggests, we are looking for stories which are in some way related to pirates, and which are told from the perspective of a dead character who is either in the story or referenced by it. The character must be dead when telling the story, although his or her demise can be before, during or after the events of the tale itself (we will give priority to stories where the circumstances of that death are integral to the story).

We are looking for new and original stories on this theme with surprising elements. We expect this anthology will appeal to writers of historical, ghost stories and horror fiction, and to fans of swashbuckling pirate adventures.

Deadline: May 29, 2013
Length: 2,000-6,000 words
Payment: Royalties
Submission Guidelines: http://www.fringeworks.co.uk/blog/?p=323

What they want:

We are looking for dark horror stories, no aliens! Stories that will not be accepted are stories with child rape, molestation, or pedophilia.

Deadline: July 1, 2013
Length: 1,000-5,000 words
Payment: US$.03/word, payable upon publication. Plus, one copy of the edition in which the work appears when edition is published as a paper copy. US$.01/word for reprints, payable upon publication.
Submission Guidelines: http://www.diabolicpublications.com/current

What they want:

We are looking for dark Vampires, of the old fashioned kind! Erotica is acceptable as long as the vampires drink human blood, bite, kill and so forth. We are not looking for love story type vampires. Stories that will not be accepted are stories with child rape, molestation, or pedophilia.

Deadline: Until filled?
Length: 2,000-8,000 words
Payment: US$.03/word, payable upon publication. Plus, one copy of the edition in which the work appears when edition is published as a paper copy. US$.01/word for reprints, payable upon publication.
Submission Guidelines: http://www.diabolicpublications.com/current

What they want:

We want the tone, atmosphere, and feel of the Gothic masters. Less gore/ blood and more fear/ suspense.

The latest Enter At Your Own Risk collection is a radical look at differing points of view. Every story has a protagonist. However, every story also has a cast of secondary characters to round out the narrative and themes. Below you will see a list of the stories we are offering and the fascinating look into the perspectives of some of those secondary characters. Interested in a challenge? We are adding one more Gothic master to our list!

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most famous Gothic dark fiction writers of all time. In his infamous story “The Black Cat,” we descend into a madman’s fears and paranoia. But what of the other two characters in the tale? The cat and the narrator’s wife play very significant roles in this story, but we never hear directly from them. We want the stories from the cat and the wife. How did they see these horrific events? How did they feel as they watched the protagonist slip into madness? Choose one of Poe’s other characters and re-tell his terrible tale!

Deadline: April 30, 2013
Length: 2,000-7,000 words
Payment: $35
Submission Guidelines: http://www.firbolgpublishing.com/dark-muses-spoken-silences/

What they want:

Fear, it seems such a simple word, a common word; one syllable that can be applied to almost anything. Well, we’re applying it to our new series.

There is always something to be afraid of in the dark; just the dark itself can paralyze some. Is it really quite as simple as it seems?

We don’t think so, and we’re pretty sure you’ll agree.

There is plenty to fear in the dark. Perhaps something lurking unseen in the shadows, a place so foreign no human mind has return from it unharmed, paranoia so pervasive it can drive the most sane individual over the edge.

Or maybe you are the dark; maybe you are what we need to be afraid of…

Elementary in concept? Maybe, but so much more complex when told with the finesse of a wordsmith. Tell us your tale of why we should be afraid of the dark. We love horror, we love bite, we love fear most of all. Think you can scare one of us? Give it your best shot!

Deadline: April 29, 2013
Length: 4,000-10,000 words
Payment: 50% of the royalties will be distributed between all contributors + Ebook contributor copy.
Submission Guidelines: http://www.sirenscallpublications.com/open_subs.htm

What they want:

Not afraid of the water, are you? Maybe you haven’t thought about what might be down there… Write us something original; tell us what is so terrifying about two Hydrogen atoms bonded to one Oxygen atom forming a single molecule. Should we be afraid of the water itself, or what it might be hiding below its surface? Shallow murky depths, clear hot springs that are deceptively deep, or underground caverns holding secrets yet to be discovered.

Think about it. Don’t just spin an average yarn – we want the reader to wonder if the next time they dip their toes into the water, it be their last.

The series is called FEAR, that should fairly well define the parameters, and remember – we publish fictional tales, not scientific journals.

Deadline: May 20, 2013
Length: 4,000-10,000 words
Payment: 50% of the royalties will be distributed between all contributors + Ebook contributor copy.
Submission Guidelines: http://www.sirenscallpublications.com/open_subs.htm