I happened across a handful of interesting new markets that seem quite accessible for fledgling writers, so I thought I would share here.
My favorite of the group is an anthology focusing on Jack the Ripper’s return. Science Fiction, Steampunk, Horror, and any other genres are permitted. 3000 word minimum and they want British English. Pay is 4% royalties on profits. The only downer here, for me, is the British English, otherwise this sounds like a lot of fun.
Next up is an anthology that you will either love or hate, focused on those most polarizing of creatures – vampires. No sparkly ones, thankfully. Again, pretty much any genre is accepted, other than erotica. Word limit is 500 – 700 words, so this call is either really easy or really tough, depending on your preferences. Pay is shared royalties depending on number of authors.
Another unique call is this one, which is soliciting stories only from authors that do not have a published novel. Word limit is 5,000 words, with no stated limits on genre. Pay is a very respectable $.10 per word, up to the limit of $200. Expect to face a tough review of your work for such high pay.
Finally, it seems appropriate to wrap up this list with a call for stories about the end of the world. Straight up apocalypse. Another short one, with a word limit of 500 words, but again respectable pay of $20 per story. As with most apocalyptic open calls these days, they caution against zombie stories, but don’t explicitly rule them out.
Bonus Content
These two items aren’t really that accessible, and are more novelties, but I figured I would add them in since they are interesting.
The first is a 24 hour writing contest. On November 1st, they will reveal the details of the contest, and writers will have that day to put together a 1,000 – 5,000 word piece and submit it. Participants have a chance to win a $50 prize. Information will be posted at midnight in the US Eastern time zone, so unless you are a night owl, you’ll have less than 24 hours to work.
The other is a bit of a teaser for an upcoming project. Basically, they are trying to put together a magazine that will contain a collection of short stories (science fiction focus), and a complete playable game contained in the magazine. As a writer and an aspiring game designer, this idea appealed to me instantly. It sounds like they will accept submissions for both the stories and the games. Unfortunately, all of this is contingent on a Kickstarter campaign that has not yet launched. Keep an eye out if this project is as interesting to you as it is to me.
Nascent Aspirations 