No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite complacency men went to and fro over this globe about their little affairs, serene in their assurance of their empire over matter. It is possible that the infusoria under the microscope do the same. No one gave a thought to the older worlds of space as sources of human danger, or thought of them only to dismiss the idea of life upon them as impossible or improbable. It is curious to recall some of the mental habits of those departed days. At most terrestrial men fancied there might be other men upon Mars, perhaps inferior to themselves and ready to welcome a missionary enterprise. Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us. And early in the twentieth century came the great disillusionment.
| Name | What they want | Pay Per Word USD (originals) | Flat Pay USD (originals) | Website | Notes |
| Factor Four Magazine | All speculative fiction, especially SF, fantasy, supernatural, and superhero fiction | $0.110 | https://factorfourmag.com/submissionsinfo/ | ||
| Baen Fantasy Adventure Award ANNUAL CONTEST – DUE 2/1 – 4/30 | Adventure fantasy | $0.080 | https://www.baen.com/contest-faa | ||
| Bioluminescent (Android Press) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 4/30/22 | Optimistic SF with the lunarpunk aesthetic | $0.080 | https://www.android-press.com/lunarpunk-anthology-submissions | ||
| Cyberpunk-Solarpunk Anthology (Android Press) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 3/31/22 | Cyberpunk and solarpunk stories | $0.080 | https://www.android-press.com/cyberpunk-vs-solarpunk-anthology | ||
| Jim Baen Memorial Writing ANNUAL CONTEST – DUE 10/01 – 02/01 | Near future positive space exploration SF | $0.080 | https://www.baen.com/contest-jbmssa | ||
| Nightmare Magazine | Horror/dark fantasy | $0.080 | https://adamant.moksha.io/publication/nightmare/guidelines | Prefers < 5,000 words. SUBMISSION PERIODS: 2x yearly, usually March and September. | |
| Planet Democracy (Mithila Review) ONE-TIME THEMED ISSUE / ANTHOLOGY – DUE 5/20/22 | Hopepunk and solarpunk | $0.080 | https://mithilareview.com/hopepunk/ | ||
| Galaxy’s Edge | SF and Fantasy | $0.070 | https://www.galaxysedge.com/submissions/ | Submissions open every week, then close when they hit their quota | |
| Halloween Ghost Anthology (Alienhead Press) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 5/31/22 | Halloween ghost stories | $0.060 | https://www.gabytriana.com/alienheadpresssubmissions | ||
| Shoreline of Infinity | SF and Fantasy | $0.052 | http://www.shorelineofinfinity.com/submissions/ | RIGHTS: Also takes audio rights. ONE-TIME 2022 SUBMISSION PERIODS: 4/4 – 4/14 (SF fairy tales), 6/13 – 8/28 (flash fiction competition), 9/11 – 9/14 | |
| Azathoth: Ordo ab Chao (Hellnotes) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 5/31/22 | Horror themed to Lovecraftian god Azathoth and order out of chaos | $0.050 | https://hellnotes.com/open-call-azathoth-ordo-ab-chao/ | ||
| Planet Scumm | SF and weird fiction | $0.050 | https://www.planetscumm.space/submit | ONE-TIME SUBMISSION PERIOD: open until 5/2/22 | |
| Translunar Travelers Lounge | Fun speculative fiction | $0.030 | https://translunartravelerslounge.com/submissions/ | SUBMISSION PERIOD: 3/15-3/21 (POC), 3/22-4/15, 9/15-9/21 (POC), 9/22-10/15 | |
| Fission (British Science Fiction Association) ANNUAL ANTHOLOGY – DUE 2/1-3/15 | SF | $0.027 | https://bsfa.co.uk/fission | ||
| Shacklebound Monthly Newsletter | All speculative fiction, especially dark | $0.020 | https://shackleboundbooks.wordpress.com/submissions/ | ||
| Dread Space (Shacklebound Books) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE UNTIL FULL | Military SF horror | $0.010 | https://shackleboundbooks.wordpress.com/submissions/ | ||
| Maelstroms (Shacklebound Books) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE UNTIL FULL | Dark fantasy, themed to the sea | $0.010 | https://shackleboundbooks.wordpress.com/submissions/ | ||
| Electric Literature | Literary, all genres, incl. experimental. The Commuter takes flash fiction. Recommended Reading takes short stories. | $300.00 | https://electricliterature.submittable.com/submit | SUBMISSION PERIODS: Recommended Reading (short stories) has 2 1-week open submission periods, usually in Spring and Fall, The Commuter (flash fiction) has 4 1-week submission periods. NOTE: Long response time. | |
| Fairy Tale Review | Fairy tale poetry and prose | $50.00 | https://fairytalereview.submittable.com/submit/ | ONE-TIME theme 3/21/22-6/30/22: queer fairy tales | |
| Futures that Never Were (Broadswords and Blasters) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 7/1/22 – 7/15/22 | Sword and planet fiction | $40.00 | https://broadswordsandblasters.wordpress.com/2022/03/01/open-call-broadswords-and-blasters-presents-futures-that-never-were/ | ||
| Out of the Darkness (WolfSinger Publications) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 8/15/22-10/15/22 | Speculative fiction, themed to escaping the darkness | $20.00 | https://www.wolfsingerpubs.com/out-of-the-darkness | ||
| War Torn (Shacklebound Books) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 4/1/22 OR UNTIL FULL | Reprint SF featuring war | $20.00 | https://shackleboundbooks.wordpress.com/submissions/ | ||
| Never Cheat a Witch (WolfSinger Publications) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 5/15/22-7/15/22 | Speculative fiction, themed to cheating a powerful magical entity | $15.00 | https://www.wolfsingerpubs.com/never-cheat-a-witch-guidelines | ||
| Ring of Fire (WolfSinger Publications) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 7/31/22 | Speculative fiction, themed to a ring of fire | $15.00 | https://www.wolfsingerpubs.com/ring-of-fire-guidelines | ||
| Luna Station Quarterly | Fantasy, science fiction, creepy horror by women-identified writers only | $5.00 | http://lunastationquarterly.com/submissions | Submission periods: Sept 15 – Nov 15, Dec 15 – Feb 15, Mar 15 – May 15, June 15 – Aug 15 | |
| Fireside Fiction (novellas and novels) – DEAD MARKET | All genres, explicitly including spec-fic | $0.000 | https://firesidefiction.com/submissions | ||
| Fireside Fiction (short stories) – DEAD MARKET | All genres, explicitly including spec-fic | $0.125 | https://firesidefiction.com/submissions |