The next update of Aswiebe's Market List will be after 04/15/2023.If you don’t want to miss an update, subscribe to the Aswiebe’s Market List newsletter: https://aswiebe.com/marketlist/subscribe-to-market-list/
Writers describe their planning process (or lack thereof) in all kinds of ways. Plotters! Pantsers! Plantsers! Architects! Gardeners! Drum Plotters!
Wait, no, that last one is a piece of graphics equipment.
I am not going to discuss all the different approaches, but this one secret is for all the kinds of writers who plot. Ready for it? Here goes.
You. Can. Change. Your. Mind.
Changing your mind can even be part of your process! It doesn’t mean your process is broken. Maybe you need something to write towards, but when you get there, you need to stop and think for a few days.
Imagine you’re following a treasure map to a walled city. When you finally reach it and climb that wall, you see that there’s a lot of city inside and you’re not exactly sure where the treasure is. And you also see a couple of pyramids in the distance, which look like they might have some treasures you never even guessed existed. Maybe while you were following the treasure map, you picked up some traveling companions. Now you need to consider their goals and skills too. Your treasure map didn’t fail; you’ve advanced to the next stage.
I call this the Replot Point, and I hit it about 3/4ths of the way through every writing project of sufficient length and density. Then it’s time for me to stop and think and scribble connections in my writing notebook. My subconscious has been leaving me breadcrumbs and making promises to my readers all the way along. It’s my job to follow those breadcrumbs and fulfill those promises, while getting from where I am to where I want to be. I plot from both ends to the middle. I make lists of all kinds of possible connections and outcomes. I think really hard about all of my characters’ goals and drives. I think about the emotional effect I want to produce in the reader.
And then I make a really detailed plot for the last quarter of the story. Did I change my mind about my initial plot for this part of the story? Maybe. Did I go from a big picture map to a city street map? Absolutely. Is there treasure at the end?
Well, that’s for the readers to decide.
What I’ve been up to lately, writing-wise:
I have created a detailed plot for the last 1/4 of my Altered Carbon meets The Expanse, as written by T Kingfisher* space opera/SF horror work-in-progress, and I am chugging along on it happily.
* Obvs, my pitch still needs a hell of a lot of work. But that’s a job for Future Abra.
Things Shiny or Useful
Archive of all shiny or useful links: https://aswiebe.com/marketlist/shiny-or-useful-writing-links/
Estate Planning Tips for Authors (video): https://authorsguild.org/resource/estate-planning-tips-for-authors/
SFWA Members Weigh in on AI & Machine Learning Applications & Considerations: https://www.sfwa.org/2023/03/03/sfwa-members-weigh-in-on-ai-machine-learning-applications-considerations/
Upcoming Virtual Conventions/Workshops
(Any registration fees are noted.)
Flights of Foundry (highly recommended! – ASW), April 14-16, 2023: https://flights-of-foundry.org/
The Nebula Conference, May 12-14, 2023 ($150). Purchasing a membership also gets access to recorded panels and year-round special events: https://events.sfwa.org/
The Orange County Library System has many upcoming, free virtual writing talks: https://www.ocls.info/writers-corner
Featured Market
Deathcap & Hemlock wants dark speculative flash fiction written in recipe format, pays $10.
What are we looking for?: Recipes that hint at a deeper narrative without violating the recipe structure will catch our eye. We are looking for short pieces, formatted like actual recipes (ingredients list, steps, measurements (metric, imperial; weight or volume—you decide!)). A short introductory paragraph to the recipe is okay, but optional.
Themes that are likely to mean you have a lot of competition in the slush include: revenge poisonings, transformation magic (eat something and it turns you into x), unwitting cannibalism.
We are not looking for stories about food or prose descriptions of how to make something. We are also not looking for anything that threatens actual people or real recipes for a poison that could be followed by readers. This is not a how-to site: we want speculative elements, we want recipes that ignite imagination (not felonies). Think outside the box of cereal killers.
Deathcap & Hemlock
Basics: dark speculative flash fiction, up to 1,000 words, pays $10, no reprints, due 3/31/23. Guidelines: https://www.deathcapandhemlock.com/submit
Market List Updates
Click below to see all the details about these new listings and what they're looking for. For hundreds of other listings, go to Aswiebe's Market List and download the latest version of the spreadsheet. Note: going forward, limited demographic market listings will be italicized.
| Name | What they want | F | SF | H/DF | Pay Per Word USD (originals) | Flat Pay USD (originals) | Website | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarkesworld Magazine | SF and fantasy, likes language | Y | Y | N | $0.120 | http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/submissions/ | Very fast response time! | |
| khoréo | Fantasy, SF, and horror themed to stories of immigration and diaspora. Limited demographic: diaspora authors | Y | Y | Y | $0.100 | https://www.khoreomag.com/submissions/ | SUBMISSION PERIODS: 1/1-1/31, 4/1-4/30 (ONE-TIME 2023 THEME: flash fiction 1,500 words or fewer), 7/1-7/30, 10/1-10/31 | |
| Little Blue Marble | SF fiction and poetry themed to climate change, especially hopeful | N | Y | N | $0.086 | https://littlebluemarble.ca/submission-guidelines/ | Original material up to 2,000 words, reprints up to 5,000 words. ONE-TIME SUBMISSION PERIOD: open until Summer 2023. | |
| Pseudopod (Podcast) | Horror and dark fantasy | N | N | Y | $0.080 | http://pseudopod.org/submissions/ | An Escape Artists publication. ONE-TIME SUBMISSION PERIODS: 4/1/23-7/31/23 2023 anthologies and collections, 8/11/23-8/21/23 general submissions, closed 8/22/23-7/31/24 | |
| Orion's Belt | Literary speculative flash fiction and poetry | Y | Y | Y | $0.080 | https://www.orions-belt.net/submissions | ONE-TIME SUBMISSION PERIOD opens 3/1/23 through 9/1/23 (historically open Mar-Aug) | |
| Metastellar | Fantasy, SF, and horror flash fiction | Y | Y | Y | $0.080 | https://www.metastellar.com/write-for-us/flash-fiction-story-submission/ | Not all submission windows are paid. ONE-TIME PAID SUBMISSION PERIOD: 3/1/23-3/31/23 | |
| CatsCast (Escape Artists) PODCAST | Speculative fiction themed to cats | Y | Y | Y | $0.080 | https://escapeartists.net/catscast/catscast-submission-guidelines/ | ONE-TIME SUBMISSION PERIOD: 3/11/23 – 3/19/23 | |
| Vastarien (Grim Scribe Press) | Literary horror and dark surrealism | N | N | Y | $0.050 | https://grimscribepress.com/submission-guidelines/ | ONE-TIME SUBMISSION PERIODS: March 2023 women authors, June 2023 general submissions open | |
| Dread Space Vol. 2 (Shacklebound Books) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 3/31/23 | Dark SF and SF horror, themed to military/paramilitary characters | N | Y | Y | $0.020 | https://shackleboundbooks.wordpress.com/submissions/ | ||
| Horror Story Magazine | Horror fiction and poetry | N | N | Y | $0.020 | https://horrorstorymagazine.com/submissions/ | ||
| Space Westerns Magazine | SF/fantasy/horror themed to space westerns, steampunk westerns, and weird westerns | Y | Y | Y | $0.020 | https://www.spacewesterns.com/submissions/ | Also accepts serial fiction with wordcount and pay limits applying per episode. | |
| Haven Speculative | All speculative fiction and poetry, esp. climate themed | Y | Y | Y | $0.010 | https://www.havenspec.com/submit | SUBMISSION WINDOWS: General submissions Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, and Dec. Limited demographic Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sept, and Nov. ANNUAL THEMED ISSUES: Wet (water-themed climate fiction) and Dry (desertification climate fiction) | |
| Last Girls Club | Horror and dark SF/Fantasy from the female perspective, themed | N | N | Y | $0.010 | https://www.lastgirlsclub.com/submit | SUBMISSION PERIODS (may close early if submission quota is reached): 1/1 - 2/1, 4/1 - 5/1, 7/1 - 8/1, 10/1 - 11/1 | |
| Dead Letters: Episodes of Epistolary Horror (Crystal Lake Publishing) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 4/1/23-6/1/23 | Epistolary horror | N | N | Y | $0.010 | https://www.crystallakepub.com/authorcentral/ | ||
| Propagule | All genres, experimental | Y | Y | Y | $0.005 | https://www.propagule.co/submissions | ||
| Imagine 2200 (Grist) ANNUAL CONTEST – DUE 6/13 | Solarpunk and optimistic climate fiction | N | Y | N | $3,000.00 | https://grist.org/climate-fiction/imagine-2200-contest-submissions/ | ||
| If There's Anyone Left 2023 Microfiction Contest ONE-TIME CONTEST – DUE 4/15/23 | Speculative fiction. Limited demographic: marginalized authors | Y | Y | Y | $250.00 | https://www.iftheresanyoneleft.com/submission-guidelines | ||
| All Women Are Werewolves (Erro Press) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 4/14/23 | Fabulist and literary fiction, mythic etc. themed to transformative womanhood. Limited author demographic: women (inclusive) | Y | Y | Y | $120.55 | https://www.erropress.com/submissions | ||
| word west revue | Western-themed fiction and poetry, including weird western and weird Americana | Y | Y | Y | $100.00 | https://www.wordwestrevue.co/submit | SUBMISSION PERIODS: 9/15-11/15, 3/15-6/15 | |
| Short Story Substack | All genres | Y | Y | Y | $100.00 | https://shortstory.substack.com/p/coming-soon | ONE-TIME SUBMISSION PERIOD: 4/1/23 – 4/30/23 | |
| Nemesis (Wicked Taxidermy Press) ONE-TIME CONTEST – DUE ?? | Speculative fiction, themed to enemies-to-lovers/friends | Y | Y | N | $100.00 | https://www.wickedtaxidermypress.com/submissions | ||
| Flash Fiction Online | All genres, including SF/F/H and literary | Y | Y | Y | $80.00 | https://ffo.submittable.com/submit | Submission period: 1st to 21st monthly, closed December. They do accept reprints during certain submission periods. | |
| Fairy Tale Review | Fairy tale poetry and prose | Y | N | Y | $50.00 | https://www.fairytalereview.com/submit/ | ONE-TIME SUBMISSION PERIOD: 3/8/23 – 7/15/23 | |
| Mirrors Reflecting Shadows (A Thin Slice of Anxiety) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 4/15/23 | All genres, incl. speculative fiction, horror, etc. | Y | Y | Y | $40.00 | http://www.athinsliceofanxiety.com/2023/01/call-for-submissions-mirrors-reflecting.html | Charity anthology – proceeds go to the Trevor Project | |
| Campfire Stories (Hollow Oak Press) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 3/31/23 | Spooky campfire horror | N | N | Y | $40.00 | https://hollowoakpress.com/campfire-stories-anthology/ | ||
| Bullet Points | Military speculative fiction | Y | Y | Y | $30.00 | https://www.nathantoronto.com/bulletpoints/submissions | Original fiction < 5,000 words, reprints variable. | |
| No Lives Left (Splatter Ink Publishing) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 4/1/23 | Horror themed to video games | N | N | Y | $30.00 | https://www.splatterinkpublishing.com/projects-3 | ||
| Solarpunk Magazine Micro Fiction Contest - MONTHLY CONTEST | Solarpunk with a monthly theme | N | Y | N | $25.00 | https://solarpunkmagazine.com/micro-fiction/ | ONE-TIME 2023 SUBMISSION PERIODS: 5/14-5/21, 8/14-8/21, 11/14-11/21 | |
| Planisphere Quarterly | All genres, themed | Y | Y | Y | $25.00 | https://www.planisphereq.com/p/guidelines.html | ONE-TIME THEMED SUBMISSION PERIODS: 3/15/23-4/30/23 speculative fiction, 6/15/23-7/31/23 metamorphosis, 9/1/23-9/30/23 hauntings | |
| Bathroom Horror Anthology (Voices From the Mausoleum) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 4/3/23 | Horror set in a bathroom | N | N | Y | $20.00 | https://twitter.com/FromMausoleum/status/1631730573524836377 | ||
| Crawling (Hear Us Scream) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 3/31/23 | Horror themed to sub-dermal body horror | N | N | Y | $15.00 | https://www.hearusscream.com/crawling-anthology | ||
| Penumbric Speculative Fiction Mag | Speculative fiction and poetry | Y | Y | Y | $10.00 | https://www.penumbric.com/subs.html | ||
| Deathcap & Hemlock | Themed to dark fiction in recipe format | N | N | Y | $10.00 | https://www.deathcapandhemlock.com/submit | ONE-TIME SUBMISSION PERIOD: 3/15/23 – 3/31/23 | |
| Drop, The | Dark fantasy and dark SF flash fiction | Y | Y | Y | $10.00 | https://inkbloodbook.company/#submissionguidelines | NOTE: accepted submissions are also publicly critiqued. ONE-TIME SUBMISSION WINDOW: 3/1/23 – 3/31/23 | |
| Luna Station Quarterly | Fantasy, science fiction, creepy horror by women-identified writers only | Y | Y | N | $5.00 | http://lunastationquarterly.com/submissions | Submission periods: Sept 15 - Nov 15, Dec 15 - Feb 15, Mar 15 - May 15, June 15 - Aug 15 | |
| Space Squid | Funny SF humor, weird, bizarro, fantasy, etc. | Y | Y | Y | $5.00 | https://www.spacesquid.com/scifi-fantasy-mag/contributorguidelines/ | ||
| Full Moon Chronicles (Howling Wolf Press) – DEAD MARKET | Speculative fiction, flash fiction, and poetry | N | N | N | $10.00 | https://www.howlingwolfpress.com/submissions/ | ONE-TIME INDEFINITE HIATUS due to hurricane | |
| Olde Wolf MONTHLY CONTEST – DEAD MARKET | All genres, themed contests | N | N | N | $100.00 | https://oldewolf.co/?page_id=694 | ||
| Mythic Magazine – DEAD MARKET | SF/F | N | N | N | $0.010 | http://www.mythicmag.com/p/submissions.html |
Keep writing, keep submitting, and good luck!
Abra Staffin-Wiebe, Keeper of Lists
Aswiebe’s Market List
Abra Staffin-Wiebe’s Author Website
Feel free to share this blog post/newsletter with others by whatever means you like, as long as you include all of it. The next update of Aswiebe's Market List will be after 04/15/2023. If you don’t want to miss an update, subscribe to the Aswiebe’s Market List newsletter: https://aswiebe.com/marketlist/subscribe-to-market-list/