7 New Agents Seeking YA, SF/F Romance, Nonfiction, BIPOC, LGBTQ and more

Here are seven new literary agents seeking clients. Analieze Cervantes is looking for stories in YA and Adult Fiction. She specializes in Sci-Fi, Romance, Thriller, Suspense, and Mystery. Analieze is especially open to BIPOC and LGBTQ voices. Jackie Williams reads a broad range of commercial and genre fiction. In non-fiction, she looks for books that expand the reader’s empathy and self-awareness. Kianna Shore is actively looking for YA. Patrick Munnelly is interested primarily in anything LGBTQ+ (nonfiction and fiction, including romance). In genre fiction, he prefers horror & fantasy. In nonfiction, he is interested in political science, current affairs, health & wellness, and fitness. Jemiscoe Chambers-Black is currently building her client list in middle grade, YA, and adult categories. Jemiscoe is especially open to BIPOC and LGBTQ voices and stories. Vanessa Campos is looking to help bring more diverse voices to business, entrepreneurship, and self-help. Shannon Snow is seeking romance, YA, fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change.

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.

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Ms. Analieze Cervantes of Harvey Klinger, Inc.

Analieze is a graduate from Cal State San Bernardino where she studied English: Creative Writing along with a minor in Screenwriting. She has also worked as an Editorial Freelancer for Independent Authors. She started her career as an intern at a New York Literary Agency and was mentored by Saritza Hernandez. She then joined the Harvey Klinger Literary Agency in 2020. 

What she is seeking: Analieze is currently building her own list and is looking for stories in YA and Adult Fiction. She specializes in Sci-Fi, Romance, Thriller, Suspense, and Mystery. Analieze is especially open to BIPOC and LGBTQ voices.

How to submit: Use her form here: https://querymanager.com/query/AnaliezeCervantes

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Ms. Jackie Williams of The Knight Agency, Inc.

Jackie Williams joined the agency in July of 2020, after working as a Food & Lifestyle Editorial Fellow for Chronicle Books. She began her career in government, graduating from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in Political Science and Latin American Studies, and subsequently assisted in consumer protection and international trade cases at the Federal Trade Commission. She enrolled at the George Washington School of Law, however realized she preferred the courtrooms of literary fiction to the actual courtroom.

What she is seeking: Jackie reads a broad range of commercial and genre fiction, especially stories with psychological suspense, dark, gritty voices, speculative elements, multi-generational plots, bleak, dystopian themes, and intricate world-building; even better if the stories are set in space.  In non-fiction, she looks for books that expand the reader’s empathy and self-awareness. She’s interested in collaborating closely with writers throughout all stages of their careers and bringing more multicultural representation to the publishing landscape.

How to submit: Use her submission form here:  https://querymanager.com/query/Jackie_Williams_TKA

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Ms. Kianna Shore of Ladderbird Literary Agency

Kianna is a recent graduate from UCLA's MFA Screenwriting program and Boston University's School of Global Studies. When she's not reading manuscripts or working with authors, Kianna can be found writing, learning languages, or running.

What she is seeking: Fantasy starring a character with a disability? For sure. YA historical with a queer BIPOC lead? Send it my way. I want to champion underrepresented writers who write

their #ownvoices. Right now I am actively looking for YA, but will consider well written

MG and NA that follow the same guidelines listed below.

YA Contemporary: I’d love to see protagonists, family and friends, and circumstances

that we haven’t seen before. Give me an enticing plot that betrays expectation and

characters that subvert stereotypes. Settings that are super specific to your neck of the

woods or abroad are welcomed!

YA Crime and Thrillers: I love twists and turns I don’t see coming (that will be hard-

but try me!). Give me young women that are in control of their own destinies - and law

breaking is how they’re going to do it. Confident characters that have the swagger of

your average villain -- who aren’t the average villain.

YA Fantasy: Let’s see some non-European based fantasy! I am better versed in East

Asian culture and mythology, but will work with anyone. Make me fall in love with the

world and the people in it. Although spectacular, submitted fantasies should have

well-developed characters and a strong plot. Think Avatar the Last Airbender,

Fullmetal Alchemist, or She-Ra. Keep me engaged, keep me on my toes. Keep me

reading.

YA Historical: Queer and marginalized people have existed throughout the ages - but

you wouldn’t believe it looking at many bookshelves today! Make the setting POP and

transport me to another time period, another world. Not looking for white savior stories!

Give me characters that are in charge of their own futures.

YA Science Fiction: I’d love to see some great science fiction that is science POSITIVE.

No more technology is evil stories! There is enough of that! Fiction that re-learns how to

navigate and prioritize technology or stories that show that science is not without bias is

great. Looking for work that is character driven and with heart!

How to submit: Use her submission form here: https://querymanager.com/query/kiannashore

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Mr. Patrick Munnelly of Bond Literary Agency

Patrick Munnelly worked with Sandra as an Intern while getting his Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Denver. After graduating, he spent 2 years as an editor with Literary Wanderlust Publishing. He rejoined the BLA team in 2020 as an associate agent, and also works as an Instructor of Writing and Rhetoric for the Community College of Aurora in Colorado.

What he is seeking: He is interested primarily in anything LGBTQ+ (nonfiction and fiction, including romance). In genre fiction, he prefers anything horror & fantasy. In nonfiction, he is interested in political science, current affairs, health & wellness, and fitness.

How to submit: To send your query,  please email queries@bondliteraryagency.com addressed to Patrick. Include your query letter in the body of the email—no attachments— with the FIRST 5 PAGES IN THE BODY OF YOUR EMAIL (no attachments). If querying about nonfiction, your query letter should provide enough information about the project and your credentials for him to determine if he wants to see your book proposal.

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Ms. Jemiscoe Chambers-Black of Andrea Brown Literary Agency

Before joining the ABLA family, Jemiscoe worked for over a decade in film and television as an Assistant Director. She has a BA and MFA in creative writing in fiction, working with mentors Wiley Cash, Jo Knowles, Marcus Burke, and Richard Adams Carey. She has also been a freelance editor and writing tutor for over five years, and contributed to the online literary magazine ​The Assignment. Jemiscoe lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, three kids, and two cats.

What she is seeking: Jemiscoe is currently building her client list in the middle grade, YA, and adult categories. In middle grade, Jemiscoe is most interested in contemporary manuscripts. They can focus on hard themes, but she enjoys those that also weave in humor, whimsy, adventure, and wonder. She's also open to fantasy, which can include paranormal, low fantasy, and magical realism. Horror, mystery, and graphic novels are also of interest.

In YA, Jemiscoe would love to see romance, especially rom-coms. Give her all the love stories in whatever form they come! She loves contemporary fiction that deals with friendship - its joys and struggles. She would also like to see fantasy (except high fantasy), mystery and horror.

In the adult space, Jemiscoe is looking for romance. It can range from sweet to steamy, but she is not interested in erotica or historical romance. She is also open to psychological thrillers, mysteries, friendship stories, strong power-women stories, or laugh-out-loud stories. Jemiscoe loves literary fiction with beautiful prose and a strong cast of characters. She would also like to see adult fantasy (except high fantasy).

Jemiscoe is especially open to BIPOC and LGBTQ voices and stories.

How to submit: Use the agency's form HERE.

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Ms. Vanessa Campos of D4EO Literary Agency

Prior to joining D4EO, Vanessa was Sales and Marketing Director of Entrepreneur Press. Vanessa has worked with authors ranging from CEOs to solopreneurs and sees every book as an opportunity to launch and diversify content to a larger audience through worldwide distribution and subsidiary licensing. At Entrepreneur she first served as marketing specialist and production manager before taking on the position of Sales and Marketing Director from which she launched more than 100 business books.

What she is seeking: She is looking to help bring more diverse voices to business, entrepreneurship, and self-help.

How to submit: Use her query manager HERE.

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Ms. Shannon Snow of Creative Media Agency

Shannon Snow worked in finance and marketing for 18 years before turning to her childhood first love… books and writers.  She started her career in publishing 2018 and then joined Creative Media Agency, Inc. in 2020, first as an intern before moving up to an associate agent.  Shannon has a B.A. in English Language and Literature.

What she is seeking: All subgenres of romance, YA, fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers.

How to submit: Send your query and the first five pages to query@cmalit.com

45 Calls for Submissions in August 2020 - Paying markets

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There are more than three dozen calls for submissions in August. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays.

I post the following month's calls for submissions toward the end of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.

Happy submitting!

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The First Line. Genre: Stories that use a first line provided by the journal. (See journal for first lines.) Also 500-800 word critical essays about your favorite first line from a literary work.  Payment:  $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 - $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction (all U.S. dollars). Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Lethe Press: Burly Tales. Genre: Classic fairy tales populated with gay Bears. “Strapping heroes are fine as long as they are stout.” All the stories should have a measure of whimsy and/or wonder, and be romantic with a happily ever after or happy-for-now ending. Payment: $0.05/word. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Violent Vixens: An Homage to Grindhouse Horror. Genre: Speculative fiction. "Our second fiction anthology, Violent Vixens, will focus on Grindhouse horror films, made famous by movies such as Night of the Living Dead, Death Proof, and Suspiria." Payment: $50. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Eerie River: With Blood and Ash. Genre: Dark Fantasy. "Earth, wind, fire, water and spirit. Dark versus light. We are giving a lot of leeway for story building, but magic must play a part in your world and there must be a dark fantasy element. Create a fantasy world for this to all play out in, or build something in ours. The choice is yours. The only requirement is that you must feature elemental magic." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

18th Wall. Genre: Supernatural stories set in the 1980s. "I love the Mall. But you wouldn’t want to be trapped here alone at night…" Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Cemetery Gates Media: Personal Local Lore/Oddities Anthology. Genre: Horror. The theme is: local lore or location-based oddities. "Write something dark into a setting you’ve experienced — it could be a place you’ve lived, or even just somewhere you’ve visited on a vacation." Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Mojo. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Payment: $15. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Third Flatiron: Brain Games: Stories to Astonish. Genre: SF, urban fantasy on theme of: Brain Games. Payment: 8 cents per word. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Timeworn Literary Journal. Genre: Historical fiction stories under 5,000 words. Must be set before 1996. "We're looking for "Historical Fiction from the fringe." Work with a bend toward the surreal, the dream-like, the strange. The offbeat kind of story that settles into your heart long after reading. That said, we also value beauty and warmth and a generally well-written story with soul. Romance, Mystery, Crime and the Gothic are all acceptable. Speculative elements strongly encouraged." Payment: $25. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Rogue Blades. Genre: Heroic adventure. Theme: No Ordinary Mortals. Payment: $30. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Hawk and Cleaver: The Other Stories. Genre: Horror short stories. Theme: Underwater. Payment: $5. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

midnight & indigo. Restrictions: Open to Black women writers. Genre: Fiction and personal essays. Payment: $50 - $75. Deadline: August 2, 2020.

Frontier Poetry: Types of Burns. Restrictions: Open to Black writers. Genre: All genres. Payment: $50. Deadline: August 2, 2020.

Third Flatiron: Infinite Lives: Short Tales of Longevity. Genre: Speculative fiction on theme of : Longevity. Payment: 8 cents per word. Deadline: August 3, 2020.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction 300 - 1,000 words on theme of Sixth Sense. Payment: Pays for anthologies only. Deadline: August 3, 2020. See accepted genres.

Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine. Genre: Fairy tales, and essays on theme of Angels. Payment: $100. US dollars only. Essays: $50. Deadline: August 3, 2020.

Scum. Genre: Feminist-friendly work of any variety, but as a general rule your piece should be under 2000 words (50 lines for poetry, max. 3 poems) and able to be classified as “fiction”, “culture”, “memoir”, “column”, “poetry”, and/or “review”. Payment: $60 AUD. Deadline: August 7, 2020. Opens to submissions on August 1.

Abyss and Apex. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. No horror. Payment: USD $.06/word (six cents a word) up to 1,250 words, and a flat payment of $75.00 for longer stories. Deadline: August 7, 2020. Opens to submissions on August 1.

Fantasy. Genre: Fantasy short stories and flash fiction. Payment: 8 cents per word. Deadline: August 7, 2020. Opens to submissions on August 1.

Marginalized Voices in Horror. Genre: Stories about or centered around LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, people with mental illness, neurodivergent, and people with disabilities. "We are looking for Own Voices fiction only." Payment: 2 cents/word. Deadline: August 12, 2020.

Ruminate. Genre: Fiction. Length: 5,500 words max. Payment: $20 per 400 words. Deadline:  August 14, 2020. Opens to submissions on August 1.

Hawk and Cleaver: The Other Stories. Genre: Horror short stories. Theme: The Dark Web. Payment: $5. Deadline: August 14, 2020.

Mizna, the only Arab lit and art journal in the United States, is seeking submissions for a special Comix Issue. Genre: Comics. "We are seeking comics submissions by Arab and SWANA artists living anywhere in the world responding to the prompt of A New World Order. These days, it seems as though revolutionary changes are happening daily. From global political upheavals to public health crises, we are living in unprecedented times that are changing the ways we think, work, act, live, and love. We may not know what the future holds, but one thing is certain: the world as we know it is changing forever. For this issue, we are seeking comics that explore what it means for reality (whether the personal micro realities that we inhabit, or the larger political realities that engulf us) to undergo radical, transformative shifts, for better or for worse." Payment: $25. Deadline: August 14, 2020.

Understorey Magazine. Restrictions: Open to Canadian women writers only. Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, spoken word, and visual art about women, gender, and technology. Payment: $50 - $100. Deadline: August 14, 2020.

Lackington’s: Archives. Genre: Speculative fiction on theme of Archives. Payment: 1 cent/word (CAD). Deadline: August 14, 2020.

Luna Station Quarterly. Restrictions: Open to women writers only. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $5. Deadline: August 15, 2020.

Songs of Eretz. Genre: Poetry, cover art on theme of Politics. Payment: $5. Deadline: August 15, 2020.

Honeyguide Magazine. Genre: Stories, art and poetry that examine the connection between animals and humans. Payment: $25 for featured writers, $50 for art. Deadline: August 15, 2020.

The New Gothic Review. Genre: Gothic fiction. Eerie atmosphere is key. Payment: $30. Deadline: August 15, 2020.

Consumed: Tales of the Wendigo. Genre: Speculative fiction. "Submissions do not have to have characters turn into a literal Wendigo. Character(s) must go through some sort of a transformation due to the “hunger.” You do not have to use the term Wendigo. We just ask that authors use the core concept of the Wendigo as inspiration for their story." Payment: $20 for the first 3,000 words, half a cent per word after that. Deadline: August 15, 2020.

Critical Read. Genre: Short essays of around 300 words on the particular work of art—be it a work of visual art, performing art, or literature—that you are turning to right now. Payment: $25.  Deadline: August 15, 2020.

FU Review: Interrupt. Genre: Prose, poetry, nonfiction, and English-language translations on theme of Interrupt. Payment: €20. Deadline: August 15, 2020.

Demon’s Dreaming Press: Something Good to Eat. Genre: Horror set in or around Halloween.  Payment: $100. Accepts reprints. Deadline: August 21, 2020.

The Ghastling. Genre: Psychological horror, folk horror, ghost stories and the macabre on theme of STRANGE SIGNS // RITUAL PROTECTION MARKS. Payment: £15 per story plus copy of magazine. Deadline: August 23, 2020.

Speculative City. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, and essays on theme of Governance. Must be set in a city. Payment: $20-$55. Deadline: August 24, 2020.

Fireside Quarterly. Genre: Short stories, poetry, nonfiction, art. Payment: 12.5 cents per word.Deadline: August 28, 2020. Opens August 24.

Satan Rides Your Daughter. Genre: Horror. "We are looking for the truly satanic and downright demonic for this anthology! 'Satan Rides Your Daughter' will be HellBound's loving homage to Dennis Wheatley, William Peter Blatty, Clive Barker, and every other documenter of hellish realms and their nefarious citizens!" Payment: $5. Deadline: August 30, 2020.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles & Divine Intervention. Genre: True stories. "Miracles are all around us if we’re open to them. Sometimes we just can’t explain how good things came about. Are they celestial, otherworldly, heavenly? However they happened, these events give us peace and comfort, guidance, hope and faith." Payment: $200. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Mud Season Review. Genre: Poetry, Fiction, CNF. Payment: $50. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Westerly. Genre: Short stories, poetry, memoir and creative non-fiction, essays and literary criticism. Payment: Poems: $120 for one poem or $150 for two or more poems; Stories: $180; Articles: $180; Visual art/Intro essay: $120; Reviews: $100; Online Publication: $100. "We expect our contributors to be subscribers of the Magazine. While we will accept submissions from non-subscribers, should your work be accepted for publication in this instance, you will be asked to accept a subscription to the Magazine as part payment for your work." Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Claw & Blossom Equinox Issue: Rise. Genre: Prose and poems that touch upon the natural world. Payment: $25. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

The McNeese Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry. Payment: $50. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Kingdoms in the Wild. Restrictions: Open to Black and African writers only. Genre: Poetry.  Payment: $125. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Strange Horizons. Restrictions: Open to Indigenous people in Mexico, Mexican people, and people of Mexican origin. This includes people living in Mexico, in the borderlands/la frontera and Rio Grande Valley, and in diaspora, as well as displaced and undocumented peoples making home in these places. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: 0.10 USD per word for original fiction and $100 flat rate for reprints. Translators will be paid 0.08 USD per word in the source text. Deadline: August 31, 2020. Reprints accepted.

Shenandoah. Genre: Fiction, CNF, novel excerpts, translations, comics. Payment: $100 per 1000 words of prose up to $500, and $50 per page of comics up to $500. Deadline: August 31, 2020. Opens August 15.

Strange Aeon: 2020 (Lovecraftian Tales). Genre: Lovecraftian Tales. Payment: $20. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

AND MORE...

Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. Genre: Poetry and fiction on theme of Migration. Payment: $20 for featured author stories; $10 for stories published on &More page $5 for poems. Deadline: September 1, 2020.

Bicycles and Broomsticks. Genre: Speculative short fiction that combines themes of witchcraft and bicycling, through a feminist lens. Both witchiness and bicycles must be inherent to accepted stories Payment: A portion of profits after expenses from the Kickstarter project used to fund the book is split between contributors; payments are not less than $30 each. Deadline: September 1, 2020.

Jellyfish. Restrictions: "Writers of colour." Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, 1000 words max. Payment: $50. Deadline: September 1, 2020.

40 Writing Contests in August 2020 - No entry fees

Wikimedia Commons

This August there are more than three dozen writing contests calling for every genre and form, from poetry, to creative nonfiction, to completed novels. Prizes range from two cases of beer to $15,000. None charge entry fees.

Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Most of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline is past, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck!

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PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists. Restrictions: Candidates must have published one or more novels for children or young adults that have been warmly received by literary critics, but have not generated sufficient income to support the author. Genre: Book-length children's or young-adult fiction. Prize: $5000. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grants. Restrictions: Open to women and trans artists in Greater Philadelphia to fund art for social change projects. People living in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia counties Delaware who are 18 years of age or older and who are not full-time students in a degree-granting arts program are eligible. Genres: Art in traditional or nontraditional modes, mediums or disciplines. Prize: $2500. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

The PEN/Jean Stein Grant for Literary Oral History. Genre: Literary work of nonfiction that uses oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement. Prize: $15,000 each. (Two prizes) Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Texas Teen Book Festival Fresh Ink Fiction Contest. Restrictions: Open to Texas residents aged 11-18 years. Genre: Fiction, no more than 2,000 words in length. Prize: $150. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Delaware Division of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowships. Restrictions: Delaware poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in Delaware for at least one year prior to application and who are not enrolled in a degree-granting program. Genres: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction. Prize: Established Professional Fellowships of $6,000 each and Emerging Artist Fellowships of $3,000 each. Deadline: August 3, 2020.

Spectator Prize. Genre: Sonnet. "You are invited to supply a sonnet with the following rhyme words in the given order: dead, sun, run, mead, lead, done, fun, weed, never, frost, shrills, ever, lost, hills." Prize: Publication. Deadline: August 5, 2020. Note: Please email entries to lucy@spectator.co.uk by midday.

Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. Prize: $500. Deadline: Opens August 7, 2020. Closes August 9.

The Spectator. Genre: Double dactyls on stars of popular or classical music (a maximum of three entries each). Prize: Publication. Deadline: August 12, 2020.

Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller. Restrictions: Open to residents of the UK or Ireland, 18 years or older. Unpublished authors only. (Author may be self-published.) Genre: Novel (adult). Prize: Publication with Welbeck Publishing. Deadline: August 14, 2020.

Scotiabank Giller Prize. Restrictions: Open to books published in Canada in English between July 1, 2020 and Sept 30, 2020. Must  be nominated by publisher. Genre: Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Prize: $100.000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Deadline: August 14, 2020.

Rebecca Swift Women's Poetry Award. Restrictions: Open to women poets in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Prize: £1,000. Deadline: August 14, 2020.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Poets living in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C., or West Virginia. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500, publication by Broadkill River Press, ten author copies, and two cases of Dogfish Head craft beer. Deadline: August 15, 2020.

Ligonier Valley Writers. Genre: Flash fiction on theme of "snakes and other reptiles";1000 words max. Prize: The first prize winner will receive $50, second prize $25, and third prize $15. Deadline: August 15, 2020.

Natan Notable Books Award. Genre: Recen­t­­ly pub­­lished or soon to be pub­lished nonfic­­tion book on Jew­ish themes. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: August 15, 2020.

The Yale Drama Series. Genre: Original, unpublished full-length plays, with a minimum of 65 pages. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: August 15, 2020.

TU Dublin Short Story Competition. Genre: Short story. "The planned 2020 anthology will be called 'Creation, Cosmos, & Caboodle' and we are looking for strong stories that (even loosely) reflect this title." Prize: €500.Deadline: August 19, 2020.

Endless Ink Publishing: Earth’s Final Chapter Short Story Competition 2020. Genre: Short stories set in the world of Earth’s Final Chapter. Prize: Top prize winner will receive $500.00 USD with the following three runners-up receiving $100.00 each. Deadline: August 21, 2020.

Wax Poetry and Art. Restrictions: Open to residents of India. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Royalties.  Deadline: August 23, 2020.

Wax Poetry and Art. Restrictions: Open to residents of Nigeria. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Royalties. Deadline: August 23, 2020.

Wax Poetry and Art. Restrictions: Open to residents of Nigeria. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Royalties. Deadline: August 23, 2020.

Peter Blazey Fellowship. Restrictions: Applicants must either be an Australian citizen or have Australian residency. Genre: Non-fiction in the fields of autobiography, biography or life writing. Prize: $15,000, and a one-month writer-in-residency at The Australia Centre. Deadline: August 24, 2020.

Costa Short Story Award. Restrictions: Open to writers in the UK or Ireland. Genre: Short story (maximum 4,000 words). Prize: £3,000. Deadline: August 28, 2020.

Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $750 in any single year. Genre: Travel Nonfiction. Prize: First prize is $200. Runners-up will receive $100. Finalists will receive $50. Deadline: August 30, 2020.

Debra E. Bernhardt Labor Journalism Prize. Genre: Article that furthers the understanding of the history of working people. Articles focused on historical events AND articles about current issues (work, housing, organizing, health, education) that include historical context are both welcome. The work should be published in print or online between August 26, 2019 and August 30, 2020. Prize: $1000. Deadline: August 30, 2020.

Wax Poetry and Art. Restrictions: Open to residents of the UK. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Royalties. Deadline: August 30, 2020.

Wax Poetry and Art. Restrictions: Open to residents of Canada. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Royalties. Deadline: August 30, 2020.

SLF Diverse Writers and Diverse Worlds Grants. Restrictions: Open to writers from underrepresented and underprivileged groups, such as writers of color, women, queer writers, disabled writers, working-class writers, etc. -- those whose marginalized identities may present additional obstacles in the writing / publishing process. Genres: Book-length works (novels, collections of short stories) of speculative fiction. Prize: $500. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. Restrictions: Emerging African American writers.  Genres: Short story collection or novel published in the current year. Prize: $10,000.  Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Lee & Low Books New Voices Award is sponsored by Lee &Low Publishers. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers of color who are residents of the United States and who have not previously had a children’s picture book published. Genre: Children's books - fiction, nonfiction or poetry. Prize: $1,000 and publication. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation or Multi-Lingual Texts. Restrictions: Translators and authors of multi-lingual texts. Genres: Poetry and prose. Prize: $200. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction. Genre: Essay, maximum 5,000 words. Prize: $250 top prize. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Kindle Storyteller Award (UK). Restrictions: The prize is open to all authors who publish their book through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.co.uk. Genre: Book. Prize: £20,000. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Val Wood Prize for Creative Writing. Genre: Short story on theme: ‘The Next Chapter.’ Prize: £200. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Jack Grapes Poetry Prize. Genre: Poetry. Prize: WINNERS will receive $200 each, plus publication. FINALISTS will receive $50 each, plus publication. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Micro fiction or essay on theme of Daring Move. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Under the Hood. Restrictions: Open to USA residents. Genre: YA Fantasy short story about facing down a monster and overcoming it. Prize: $100. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Words on the Waterway. Restrictions: Open to UK residents 16 years or older. Genre: Story in 300 words or less about your most memorable visit to rivers and canals. Prize: The winning entries will be published on the Canal & River Trust website and receive personally signed copies of books by Emmy award-winning actor and writer Stephen Fry - The Ode, Paperweight and Mythos. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Virus Poems. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Donations. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Hysteria. Genre: Poetry, short story, flash fiction. All genres except erotica or horror. Writers under 16 may enter. Prize: £25. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Nottingham Writers Studio: The George Floyd Short Story Competition. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction. “With this anthology, we seek to capture not only stories of social justice that capture the mood, tone, and energy of the vital Black Lives Matter movement, but the entire gamut of BAME life experience, from social justice to comedies by black authors to romances with a predominantly Asian cast. This competition is open to all as we welcome the experiences of advocates and allies as well as voices from the black community. Above all, we want to ensure in publishing the anthology we amplify, centre, and celebrate the voices and writings of people of colour.” Prize: £250, £125, £75; £30 for runners-up. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

16 Writing Conferences in August 2020 - Most held online

Pikist

While a good number of summer writing conferences have been rescheduled, many are going ahead as planned via online formats. You can still attend workshops, presentations, readings, discussions, lectures, and critiques via Zoom.

Plan ahead! Conferences often offer scholarships, but these have deadlines. If one of these conferences interests you, put the scholarship deadline date on your calendar for next year, or for whenever the conference rolls around again.

For a full list of conferences, organized by month, see Writing Conferences. While nearly all of these are in the United States, you can find links on that page that will take you to world-wide conference lists.

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Fine Arts Work Center Summer Workshops (poetry, fiction, art, and creative nonfiction). June 7 - August 21, 2020, Provincetown, Massachusetts. The faculty and presenters include poets Erin Belieu, Traci Brimhall, Mahogany L. Browne, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Peter Campion, Tina Chang, Michael Collier, Mark Conway, Vievee Francis, Kimiko Hahn, Terrance Hayes, Marie Howe, Major Jackson, Ada Limón, John Murillo, Eileen Myles, Porsha Olayiwola, Matthew Olzmann, Gregory Orr, Rowan Ricardo Phillips, Martha Rhodes, and Nicole Sealey; fiction writers Kristen Arnett, Andre Dubus III, Aja Gabel, Pam Houston, Reif Larsen, Wendy C. Ortiz, Shobha Rao, Victoria Redel, Sarah Schulman, Justin Torres, and Joan Wickersham; nonfiction writers Alysia Abbott, Elissa Altman, Jill Bialosky, Garrard Conley, Nick Flynn, Ann Hood, Paul Lisicky, Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, T Kira Madden, Gregory Pardlo, Dani Shapiro, Susanna Sonnenberg, Brian Turner, and Marion Winik; and graphic memoirist Nicole J. Georges. Tuition ranges from $650 to $750. The deadline for scholarship applications is April 10. General registration is first come, first served.  (See individual workshops for dates.)

Hurston/Wright Summer Writers Week. August 1 - 7, 2020: Washington, DC. For more than 20 years, the Hurston/Wright Summer Writers Workshop has offered a safe space for black writers in intensive workshop sessions and master classes. Workshops are led by award-winning writers who are influencing today’s literature. The program features critiques, craft talks, writing time and public readings. Hurston/Wright workshops serve emerging and experienced writers who are starting projects, developing projects or seeking to polish projects. More than a thousand writers have participated in workshops since the first session in 1996. Will be held virtually.

The 2020 Writers' Police Academy: Mudercon. August 6–9, 2020: Raleigh, NC. "MurderCon is a rare opportunity for writers to participate in hands-on “for law enforcement eyes only” training, using modern testing and evidence collection tools and equipment, in workshops taught by some of the world’s leading homicide investigation experts. This incredibly detailed, cutting-edge instruction has never before been available to writers, anywhere."

Cape Cod Writers Center Conference. August 6 - 9, 2020: Hyannis, Massachusetts. Supporting published and aspiring writers. Featuring distinguished authors, editors and agents in workshops on fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, poetry, mysteries and thrillers, social media, promotion and more!

The Greater Los Angeles Writers Conference, August 7 - 9, 2020: West Coast Writers Conferences presents a full weekend of panels, workshops and presentations by educators, noted speakers, and industry professionals focused on the craft and business of writing.

Colrain Classic. August 7 - 10, 2020. "A select group of poets will work with nationally known poets, publishers, and editors Joan Houlihan (Conference Founder / Lesley University MFA Program); Rusty Morrison (Co-founder/Publisher Omnidawn Press); Hilda Raz (Editor/Mary Burritt Christiansen Poetry Series, University of New Mexico Press); and Ellen Dore Watson (Smith College/Editor of Massachusetts Review). All poets with an in-progress book-length or chapbook-length manuscript are welcome to apply." Will be conducted online.

Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference. August 7 - 10, 2020: Truchas, New Mexico. The conference features evaluation and discussion of book-length and chapbook-length manuscripts with poets, editors, and publishers. The cost of the conference is $1,400, which includes lodging and meals. Using the online submission system, submit a brief bio and three to four poems.

Vermont College of Fine Arts Postgraduate Writers’ Conference. August 10 - 16, 2020: Montpelier, Vermont. The conference is designed for writers with graduate degrees or equivalent experience. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as readings, craft classes, and individual consultations with faculty members. "At the heart of the Postgraduate Writers' Conference's unique model is the small workshop size, with groups led by acclaimed faculty limited to five or six writers. The intimate format allows for an extraordinarily in-depth, far-reaching discussion of participants’ work. Beyond the daily group sessions, each member has an individual consultation with the workshop instructor. The schedule also features a rich menu of readings by faculty and participants, craft talks, generative writing sessions and social events that galvanize our vibrant, inclusive community." Will be held online.

Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. August 12- 22, 2020: Ripton, VT. Workshops in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction are at the core of the conference. Each faculty member conducts a workshop that meets for five two-hour sessions over the course of the 10 days. Groups are kept small to facilitate discussion, and all participants meet individually with their faculty leaders to elaborate on workshop comments. Faculty members also offer lectures on issues around literary writing and one-hour classes on specific aspects of the craft. Readings by the faculty, conference participants, and guests take place throughout the day and into the night. Participants meet with visiting editors, literary agents, and publishers who provide information and answer questions, individually or in small groups. Will be rescheduled for Fall 2020.

Writer’s Digest Conference. August 13 - 16, 2020: New York City. Annual Writer's Digest Conference featuring: Pitch Slam, with more than fifty agents and editors in attendance, educational tracks devoted to publishing and self-publishing, platform and promotion, and the craft of writing,  speakers and instructors.

The Whole Novel Online Workshop 2020. August 16, 2020 - August 22, 2020. "This is a seven-day online workshop that features a full manuscript critique, evening “live” lectures and discussions, daily writing prompts, one-to-one mentorship, faculty Q&A, optional open mic readings and more! Online Workshop Participant Cap: 20 students. Join Us To: Have the entire draft of your novel read and critiqued." Will be held online.

Killer Nashville Writers’ Conference. August 20 - 23, 2020: Nashville, TN. The Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference was created in 2006 by author/filmmaker Clay Stafford in an effort to bring together forensic experts, writers, and fans of crime and thriller literature. "At the conference, we try diligently to ensure that the weekend has something for every writer and lover of literature, and our sessions are structured to assist writers on multiple career levels. Our learning tracks tackle the craft of writing, business of writing, marketing, and forensics. Killer Nashville features nine breakout sessions for intense smaller group interaction, an authors’ bar (free for hotel guests), a moonshine and wine tasting, free agent/editor roundtable pitch sessions, a mock crime scene designed by special agents and other law enforcement professionals, cocktail receptions, the Guest of Honor Dinner and Awards Banquet, film previews, live music performances and—of course—all the great activities one can enjoy in downtown Nashville."

North Words Writers Symposium. August 27 - 30, 2019: Skagway, Alaska. Faculty: Bill Streever, Caroline Van Hemert, Heather Lende, Eva Holland, M. Jackson, Bryan Fierro, Nicole Stellon O’Donnell. Special Theme: Writing at a time of a threatened natural world.

Romance Writers of America. August 28 - 30, 2020: San Francisco, CA. The RWA Conference is the place where career-focused romance writers meet, mingle, and get down to the business of being an author. Conference highlights include the “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing; the Keynote speech; hearing from great speakers; book signings; and the Awards Ceremony. At the conference, career-focused romance writers can anticipate: education and information, networking with fellow writers, interaction with editors, agents, publishers, booksellers, and other romance publishing industry professionals. Will be held online.

49 Writers Tutka Bay Retreat. August 28 - 30, 2020: Tutka Bay, Alaska. Guest Instructor: Elena Passarello.

Developing a Series in Chapter Books Online Workshop 2020. August 30, 2020 - September 02, 2020. "This is a four-day online workshop that features evening “live” lectures, discussions, online Q&A sessions in addition to a revision roundtable, office hours for informal discussion, hands-on sessions and an optional open mic. There will be one-to-one sessions with faculty on your series overview and first chapter. Online Workshop Participant Cap: 16." Will be held online.

6 UK Literary Agents Actively Seeking Crime Novels, Nonfiction, Literary Fiction, SF/F and more

Here are six UK agents actively seeking writers. Simon Targett's interests stretch across a wide range of non-fiction as well as historical fiction. Ben Clark loves smart non-fiction of all kinds whether narrative, prescriptive or illustrated. On the fiction side he’s currently looking for tightly plotted thrillers, crime series and science fiction and fantasy. Anthony Goff represents literary and commercial fiction and non-fiction, and also several children’s writers. Margaret Halton focuses mainly on fiction. Anne-Marie Doulton's particular interests include literary fiction, narrative non-fiction (current affairs, biography etc) and high-quality thrillers and mysteries. Allan Guthrie's main area of interest is crime fiction.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change.

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.

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Mr. Simon Targett of Aevitas Creative Management

Simon Targett has been engaged in the media and publishing industry for more than 25 years as a writer, editor, historian and media consultant. An award-winning journalist and former Associate Editor of the Financial Times, he has served as a judge at the prestigious British Press Awards and written for a wide range of publications, including The Economist, the Washington Post and the Boston Globe. He served as the first Editor-in-Chief of The Boston Consulting Group and founded Thinking Cap Communications, a strategic thought leadership consultancy. Simon has a PhD from Cambridge University and lectures on journalism, PR and British and American history.

What he is seeking: Simon’s interests stretch across a wide range of non-fiction—including business and leadership, history, journalism, current affairs, biography, sport, music, popular science, nature, travel, genealogy—as well as historical fiction. The common factor is an emphasis on big ideas, great stories, and fine writing.

How to submit: Follow instructions on the agency website HERE.

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Ben Clark of The Soho Agency

Ben has been with the agency for ten years, he is an agent and actively building his list.

What he is seeking: Ben loves smart non-fiction of all kinds whether narrative, prescriptive or illustrated. Whether that is history, philosophy, memoir, technology, science, business, nature writing, or anything that explores the world we live in. He works extensively with brands, television producers and magazines in developing their IP for publication. He has a soft spot for fantasy and science fiction that transports you out of the everyday, something he feels we all need a bit more of. He is drawn to the strange and unusual, stories from the fringes that need to be seen by the mainstream or different perspectives on established narratives that challenge a status quo.

In particular he is on the lookout for academics who have a story to tell to a wide audience, experts who can help us understand what is going on in the world and people who can distill something fundamental about the human experience into the written word. On the fiction side he’s currently looking for tightly plotted thrillers, crime series and science fiction and fantasy with expert world building that reflects back something about the real world. Also anything that blurs the boundaries between genres.

How to submit: Send your query to sohoagencysubmissions@gmail.com along with the first three chapters or first thirty pages of your manuscript in word format, along with a synopsis.

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Mr. Anthony Goff of David Higham Associates Ltd

Anthony has been Managing Director of David Higham since 2000. He began his publishing career at Faber & Faber, starting in rights and then moving to editorial. After four years he decided that he preferred working with authors to sitting in meetings, and he became an agent. Anthony was President of the Association of Authors’ Agents from 2009 to the beginning of 2012.

What he is seeking: He represents many high-profile and successful authors of literary and commercial fiction and non-fiction, and also several children’s writers.

How to submit: Please send a one-page synopsis that gives a full explanation of the plot, and the first three chapters or up to fifty pages (double spaced). Read submission details HERE.

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Margaret Halton of PEW Literary

Margaret Halton joined PEW as an Agent in 2018. She studied English at Oxford and has had a varied career working for publishing houses and literary agencies on both sides of the Atlantic, including ICM and Rogers, Coleridge & White. She has been responsible for selling international rights in non-fiction titles as wide-ranging as Margaret Thatcher’s memoirs and Naomi Klein’s THE SHOCK DOCTRINE, and in novels by Toni Morrison, Richard Ford, Zadie Smith and Nick Hornby amongst many others. She worked as an editor at Granta Books where she was responsible for acquiring Mohsin Hamid’s first novel MOTH SMOKE and titles by Kamila Shamsie, Herta Muller and Colson Whitehead.

What she is seeking: Margaret focuses mainly on fiction. She loves novels that pack an emotional punch with characters you feel you get to know personally.

How to submit: Please submit the opening three chapters (or fifty pages) along with a synopsis. The synopsis should be a clear explanation of the plot from first to final chapter. Please accompany your submission with a brief cover letter that tells us a little about you as a writer. Send your work to submissions@pewliterary.com

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Ms. Anne-Marie Doulton of The Ampersand Agency

Anne-Marie Doulton has been an agent for over 10 years, and is based in London. Before joining Ampersand she worked as a commissioning editor for various general publishers and as a literary scout. Her clients at Ampersand include Philip Barclay, Sharon Bolton, Annie Caulfield, Kate London and Stephen Williams.

What she is seeking: Anne-Marie’s particular interests include literary fiction, narrative non-fiction (current affairs, biography etc) and high-quality thrillers and mysteries. 

How to submit: Send your first three chapters, together with a brief outline and some biographical details to: amd@theampersandagency.co.uk

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Allan Guthrie of The North Literary Agency

Allan has worked in the book trade since 1996 and has been a literary agent since 2005. He is also an award-winning novelist, freelance editor and former publisher. 

What he is seeking: His main area of interest is crime fiction.

How to submit: Use the agency's submission form HERE.

4 New Agents Seeking Romance, Fantasy, YA, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir and more

Here are four new literary agents actively seeking clients. Mariah Nichols is interested in adult and young adult fiction with genres including thriller, upmarket, romance/rom-com, horror, family drama, science fiction/paranormal, and women’s fiction. She is also wanting to represent nonfiction in categories such as cookbooks, memoirs, self-help, lifestyle, and how-to. Stories that showcase diversity and highlight mental health or special needs is something that she would especially like to see.

Amy Giuffrida wants middle grade and YA horror, romance, fantasy and mystery as well as adult Horror, Romance/Chic Lit/Rom Com and nonfiction. Shanna Furey is looking for Historical Fiction and Non-Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, Young Adult, Comedic, or General Fiction. Devon Halliday is interested in literary and upmarket fiction with sharp, insightful writing and vivid characters. She’s partial to speculative fiction, women’s fiction, contemporary fiction, metafiction, light psychological suspense, and romcoms. She leans toward adult fiction, but will also consider YA and cross-over projects. On the nonfiction side, Devon is on the lookout for creative and narrative nonfiction, investigative journalism, broad-perspective memoir, and popular science, psychology, medicine, and philosophy.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change.

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.

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Devon Halliday of Transatlantic Literary Agency

Devon Halliday joined Transatlantic as a Literary Agent in the summer of 2020, with prior experience at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, Susanna Lea Associates, Writers House, Maria B. Campbell Associates, and Folio Literary management in agenting and scouting. She grew up in Athens, OH, and studied Comparative Literature at Brown University. After years in the NYC publishing scene, she has returned to Ohio and is excited to build a list at Transatlantic.

What she is seeking: On the fiction side, Devon is interested in literary and upmarket fiction with sharp, insightful writing and vivid characters. She’s partial to speculative fiction, women’s fiction, contemporary fiction, metafiction, light psychological suspense, and romcoms. She leans toward adult fiction, but will also consider YA and cross-over projects. Devon is not the right agent for most thrillers, horror, mystery, or historical fiction.

On the nonfiction side, Devon is on the lookout for creative and narrative nonfiction, investigative journalism, broad-perspective memoir, and popular science/psychology/medicine/philosophy. She’s interested in any strong narrative voice that can bring a complicated or niche subject to the average reader.

How to submit: To query Devon, please send a query letter, author bio, and 20-page sample (for fiction) or proposal (for nonfiction) to querydevon@transatlanticagency.com. Please include “Query” in the subject line, and notify her if another offer of representation is received. Devon responds to all queries, though she regrets that she cannot offer personalized feedback.

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Mariah Nichols of D4EO

Mariah has a great passion for storytelling and for the publishing industry. With a BS degree in Business she wanted to apply her degree towards the world of books. After interning at Howland Literary her senior year, she soon transitioned to the role as a reader and in-house editor for the D4EO Literary Agency, working with Bob Diforio in all aspects of the business, with the intention of being named a D4EO literary agent.

What she is seeking: Mariah is interested in adult and young adult fiction with genres including thriller, upmarket, romance/rom-com, horror, family drama, science fiction/paranormal, and women’s fiction. She is also wanting to represent nonfiction in categories such as cookbooks, memoirs, self-help, lifestyle, and how-to. Stories that showcase diversity and highlight mental health or special needs is something that she would especially like to see.

How to submit: Use the agency form HERE.

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Amy Giuffrida of Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency

"My life is consumed with all things bookish. When I'm not working on books, I'm talking about stories with my classes as an 8th grade ELA (English/Language Arts) teacher. In my spare time, you can find me renovating my house, binge-watching TV shows on Hulu, or reading something scary—all while snuggling with my three rescue dogs."

What she is seeking: MIDDLE-GRADE AND YA: Horror- Give me your dark and twisted tales that make me question reality. I also love those campy stories full of tropes, so send them my way!

Fantasy/Paranormal- I want to see more stories with connection and relevance to culture and legends. I’m dying for a spooky ghost story! As for vampires? I’m totally interested in finding something unique and contemporary, especially if there’s an element of humor.

Romance- Remember your first kiss? I really want to see sweet first love stories. I want to feel that wave of butterflies first love creates and the awkwardness of a first kiss or that tension of having a crush—no matter the type of coupling (F/F, M/M, or F/M).

Contemporary- I am extremely interested in healthy female friendships, girl sport stories, and girls in rock bands. Give me girl power! I really want some darker or more serious stories as well, like kids dealing with homelessness, mental health, or adoption to name a few.

Mystery- I’d love to see stories including a group of teens that band together to solve puzzles and mysteries. Think of a modern day Goonies, Scooby-Doo, Nancy Drew (not the CW version), The Hardy Boys, or Pretty Little Liars. Make it gritty and dark for the win!

Novel in Verse- First love, discovering your true self, and growing up told in a lyrical form is exactly what I’m looking for.

ADULT: Horror- I want scary, smart stories. Show me your most devious characters and unreliable narrators. Romance/Chic Lit/Rom Com- Give me books that make me swoon, laugh, and cry all at the same time. Stories of best friends turned lovers makes me super happy, no matter the coupling. I’d love to see more of true love stemming from blind dates and making it in the face of diversity.

NONFICTION: I am looking for powerful stories from diverse voices, including cookbooks that highlight family stories or ancestral anecdotes. I also LOVE pop culture and am always searching for that fun book that gives us the scoop.

In all age categories, if you have a unique perspective on an old theme…send it to me! I am especially interested in underrepresented and diverse voices. All people need to see themselves in the characters on the page, so send me LGBTQIA, POC, #OwnVoices stories.

How to submit: For fiction, please include your query letter, synopsis, and the first 10 pages of your manuscript. For nonfiction, please send your query, proposal, and the first 10 pages. Queries should be submitted through QueryManager: http://QueryMe.Online/AmyGiuffrida

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Shanna Furey of Metamorphosis

It was uncommon growing up to find Shanna without her nose in a book. An avid reader from a young age, she began to get lost in the lives of historical figures long gone, which aided her love of history and pursuit of a Bachelor of Arts in History at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. Shanna currently lives in Colorado with her husband and their two very cuddly cats. When she is not reading Shanna enjoys baking, knitting, and doing DIY projects.

What she is seeking: Historical Fiction and Non-Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, Young Adult, Comedic, or General Fiction.

How to submit: Use the agency form: https://querymanager.com/query/1805

57 Calls for Submissions in July 2020 - Paying markets

Needpix

There are more than four dozen calls for submissions in July. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays.

I post the following month's calls for submissions toward the end of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.

Happy submitting!

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Thema: The Tiny Red Suitcase. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: The Tiny Red Suitcase.   Payment: $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: July 1, 2020. Accepts reprints.

Meetinghouse. Note: This is a new journal put out by Dartmouth College. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $100 minimum for prose, and $20/page for stories over 5 pages.  Up to 7,500 words per submission; up to 3 pieces of prose and up to 3 poems. Deadline: July 1, 2020.

Jaggery. Restrictions: South Asian diasporic writers and homeland writers. "We also welcome non-South Asians with a deep and thoughtful connection to South Asian countries, who bring their own intersecting perspectives to the conversation. (By South Asia we mean Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.)" Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, art, reviews. Payment: $100 for fiction, $25 for nonfiction/poetry/art/reviews. Deadline: July 1, 2020.

Writer Shed Press: Love and Sacrifice. Genre: Short stories on theme of Love and Sacrifice.  Payment: $20. Deadline: July 1, 2020.

Binge Watching Cure. Genre: Science fiction short stories. Payment: $100. Deadline: July 1, 2020.

Hawk and Cleaver: The Other Stories. Genre: Horror short stories. Theme: Ghost Ships. Payment: $5. Deadline: July 1, 2020.

Tell-Tale Press. Genre: Fantasy, horror, mystery/crime, and/or science fiction short stories. Payment: $5 for 500 to 1000 words; $10 for 1000 to 3000 words; $25 for 3000 to 5000 words. Deadline: July 1, 2020.

The Were-Traveler: People of Color Destroy Lovecraft. Genre: Horror. They want stories with "POC characters that turn Lovecraft's racism and monsters on his/their heads." Payment: $10 for shorts, $5 for microfiction. Reprints accepted. Deadline: July 1, 2020.

carte blanche. Genre: Poetry, Translations, Photography, and Comics. Theme: Anxiety. Payment: Modest honorarium. Deadline: July 1, 2020.

Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine. Genre: Fairy tales, and essays on theme of Angels. Payment: $100. US dollars only. Essays: $50. Deadline: July 3, 2020.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction 300 - 1,000 words on theme of Hearing. Payment: Pays for anthologies only. Deadline: July 5, 2020. See accepted genres.

Burial Day Books: Gothic Blue Book Vol 6 – A Krampus Carol. Genre: Short fiction and poetry. "Original Gothic Blue Books typically took place in either a monastery, convent or castle. In years past we have asked for short stories that take place in one of these locations, or a modern day location such as a morgue, haunted house or cemetery. This year, we have added a new theme – Krampus, Christmas, and ghosts / lore from the globe revolving around a major celebration." Payment: $50. Deadline: July 5, 2020.

Suburban Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, CNF, art on theme of echo. Payment: $75 - $150.  Deadline: July 6, 2020.

Space and Time. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry: science fiction, fantasy, horror, steampunk, magical realism. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: July 6, 2020.

Scum. Genre: Feminist-friendly work of any variety, but as a general rule your piece should be under 2000 words (50 lines for poetry, max. 3 poems) and able to be classified as “fiction”, “culture”, “memoir”, “column”, “poetry”, and/or “review”. Payment: $60 AUD. Deadline: July 7, 2020. Opens to submissions on July 1.

Owl Hollow Press. Genre: Fiction on theme of Viruses. "Viruses are not new to life or literature. But the ways we experience them are always evolving. Join us as we explore love and loss, passion and betrayal, fear and panic, togetherness and separation, community and isolation within viruses of all varieties—real and imagined." Payment: $50. Deadline: July 10, 2020.

Interstellar Light Press: 2020 Alternate Endings. Genre: Flash fiction stories from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) writers who re-envision the future. "What were you imagining for 2020 when it began? What’s on your apocalypse bingo card for next month? Does it feel like tempting fate too much to ask if our current reality can get any worse OR any better? We invite you to fast forward and tell us how any or all of 2020’s chaotic plot lines resolve, get tangled, tied off, or cut. Write us some Alternate Endings to tell around the fire until we get there. " 1000 words max. Payment: $80. Deadline: July 10, 2020.

Bronzeville Books:Happy Hellidays. Genre: Horror. “Give us some twisted, unexpected holiday stories. Don’t limit yourself to Christmas — we’re looking for all kinds of special occasions gone awry.” Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: July 11, 2020.

Twisted Anatomy. Genre: Body horror. "Body horror or biological horror is a subgenre of horror that intentionally showcases graphic or psychologically disturbing violations of the human body. These violations may manifest through aberrant sex, mutations, mutilation, zombification, gratuitous violence, disease, or unnatural movements of the body." Payment: Token Deadline: July 11, 2020.

midnight & indigo. Restrictions: Open to Black women writers. Genre: Horror and speculative fiction. Payment: $50 - $75. Deadline: July 12, 2020.

Hawk and Cleaver: The Other Stories. Genre: Horror short stories. Theme: Immortality. Payment: $5. Deadline: July 14, 2020.

CRICKET: Takes of the Sea (ages 9–14) Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for the theme of tales of the sea. Payment: Stories and articles: up to 25¢ per word. Deadline: July 15, 2020.

The Bare Life Review: The Climate Issue. Restrictions: Open to immigrant and refugee authors, including foreign-born authors living in the US, and writers living abroad who currently hold refugee and/or asylum-seeker status. Also, for this issue, anyone who has been displaced by climate change. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Payment: $100 - $300. $750 for accepted full-length prose pieces. Deadline: July 15, 2020.

Liquid Imagination: Silver Pen. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry. Payment: $3 - $8. Deadline: July 15, 2020.

Augur. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry for “A Multiplicity of Futures.” "We are especially looking for the following genres and themes: Afrofuturism, soft scifi, scifi-fabulism, scifi-fantasy, Indigenous futurity, hopepunk, dystopia, utopia, post-apoc, solarpunk, scifi-realism, Canadian scifi, ecofiction, & “hopeful futures." We are hoping to position stories and poetry that centre on trauma, systemic oppression and harm alongside pieces that examine hope, better futures, and quiet bildungsromans. We are also interested in pieces that tackle both sides of this coin." Payment: $60 (CAD) per poem, $0.11 cents (CAD) per word for short fiction (1000+ words), and a flat fee of $110.00 per flash fiction piece (1000 words and under). Deadline: July 15, 2020.

Dreamforge Magazine: Hope of the Big Idea. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy. "We’d like to see stories that call upon powerful new visions of how life could be shaped for the better either through technological or social change, or both." Payment: $0.04-0.08/word for fiction; $25-100 for poems and micro-stories. Deadline: July 15, 2020.

The Offing. Genre: Fiction, essays, micro fiction (tweet-length), art, lists, writing on science and the natural world. Payment: $25–$100. Deadline: July 17, 2020.

Minding Nature. Genre: Essays, art, and poetry on theme of "Growing systems of care for a more just and resilient future?" Payment: Honorarium. Deadline: July 17, 2020.

ArabLit Quarterly. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and nonfiction translated from Arabic on theme of Cats. Payment: $15/page. Deadline: Pitches for this issue should be in by July 20. Drafts of completed works should be in by August 2020.

A Public Space. Genre: Fiction or nonfiction about inheritance or legacy, broadly considers memory, or incorporates archival history. Payment: Honorarium. Deadline: July 20, 2020.

Book XI: Body/Embodiment. Genre: Prose and poetry. They want "philosophically informed creative work (though our understanding of “philosophically informed” is capacious)." Payment:  $200 for each piece (or $50 for each poem). Deadline: July 20, 2020.

Human/Kind. Genre: Poetry, prose and art on themes. (See site for themes.) Payment: $5 for each poem, prose, art, video, experimental or hybrid piece and $3 for each micropoem. Deadline: July 21, 2020.

Ruminate. Genre: Fiction, poetry. Payment: $20 per page. Deadline: July 22, 2020.

Non-Fiction: Open City Documentary Festival. Genre: Nonfiction on theme of Network. Payment: £150. Deadline: July 24, 2020.

Antimony and Elder Lace Press: Omens. Genre: Fiction on theme of Omens. Word Count: 1,000-7,500 words. “The idea of seeing the future or having warnings of what is to come is an idea that spans nearly every culture. Whether the omens are good or bad, there is the potential to affect us all. To be considered, your story must deal with the idea of omens in some fashion.” Payment: $0.01 per word and a percentage of royalties. Payment made upon publication. Deadline: July 25, 2020.

Electric Lit "The Commuter." Genre: Poetry, flash, graphic, and experimental narratives. Payment: $100. Deadline: July 27, 2020. Opens July 20.

Paper Angel Press: Heartwreck – Romantic Disasters at Sea. Genre: Personal essays and memoir/creative nonfiction pieces. "Maybe a relationship fell apart and you got stuck with a boat you didn’t think you wanted. Maybe, after five days at sea with a partner and five months to go, you realized you can’t possibly live with that person on a small boat. Whatever the disaster, if it happened on or around boats, we want to read about it.” Payment: $0.02/word. Deadline: July 30, 2020.

The Rumpus. Genre: Essays, Fiction, Poetry. "We strive to be a platform for marginalized voices and writing that might not find a home elsewhere, and to lift up new voices alongside those of more established writers we love. We work to shine a light on stories that build bridges, tear down walls, and speak truth to power." Payment: $300 divided among all contributors. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

Red Cape Publishing: F is for Fear. Genre: Horror. Payment: £10. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

Timeworn Literary Journal. Genre: Historical fiction stories in English under 5,000 words. They should be set before 1996, rooted in history and voice-driven. "We're looking for "Historical Fiction from the fringe." Work with a bend toward the surreal, the dream-like, the strange. The offbeat kind of story that settles into your heart long after reading. That said, we also value beauty and warmth and a generally well-written story with soul. Romance, Mystery, Crime and the Gothic are all acceptable. Speculative elements strongly encouraged." Payment: $25. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

NGY Review. Genre: Story on theme. Poetry on any theme. See site for themes. Payment: Token. (Payment in Japanese yen.) Deadline: July 31, 2020. Reprints accepted.

Existere. Genre: Poetry, prose, postcards, art. Payment: Small honorarium. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

Arc Poetry Magazine. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50 per page. Deadline: July 31, 2020. Arc does not accept general submissions from January 1 to March 31 and from August 1 to August 31.

Dragon Soul Press: All Dark Places. Genre: Speculative fiction. "In a world where so many dark things go bump in the night, terror awaits around every corner as these authors take horror stories to the next level." Word Count – 5,000-15,000. Payment:  Royalties. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

Dragon Soul Press: Fairytale Dragons. Genre: Speculative fiction. "A new twist on fairytales with a fresh element: dragons. Each fairytale has been reimagined with these beasts based on the author’s preference. Wise dragons, evil dragons, elemental dragons, oh my! These classic characters will never see this coming." Word Count – 5,000-15,000. Payment:  Royalties. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

VQR. Genre: Poetry, short fiction, personal essays, literary criticism, reporting. Payment: For poetry, $200 per poem, up to 4 poems; for a suite of 5 or more poems, $1,000. For short fiction, $1,000 and above.  For other prose, such as personal essays and literary criticism, $1,000 and above, at approximately 25 cents per word, depending on length. Note: Genre fiction is not accepted.  Deadline: July 31, 2020. Opens July 1.

The McNeese Review: Boudin. Genre: Fiction, poetry, CNF on topic of Football. Payment: $50.   Deadline: July 31, 2020.

Feral Cat. Genre: Fiction and poetry. Theme: "We’re looking for original fiction short stories and poetry in support of an election year theme “Dear Leader Tales” (DLT) anthology. We want stories of a humorous or satirical bent which illustrate or lampoon an emperor’s hubris (and lack of clothing). In that spirit, we don’t want any real life current or past Dear Leaders named directly, but their known foibles are fair game." Payment: $0.03/word ; $25 for poetry. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

Mojo. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Payment: $15. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

Channel. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. "We publish new, previously unpublished work that engages with the natural world. We have a particular interest in work which encourages reflection on human interaction with plant and animal life, landscape and the self." Payment: €15 per poem and €15 per page of prose up to a total maximum fee of €60. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

Typehouse. Genre: Fiction, poetry, art, and nonfiction. Payment: $10 - $18. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

Stonecrop Review. Genre: Creative Non-Fiction, Fiction, Reader’s Corner, Artwork, Photography on theme of Fauna. "We are particularly keen to publish works that explore nature in cities that have not been as widely represented in the urban nature canon." Payment: $20. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

Eerie River. Genre: Dark Fantasy novellas and novels.  Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

Understorey Magazine. Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, spoken word, and visual art about women, gender, and technology. "We feature writers who identify as female or non-binary and who also have a strong connection to Canada." Payment: $50-$100 (CAD) Deadline: July 31, 2020.

Nimrod Restrictions: Open to Black writers. "In solidarity and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, we are currently offering free general/thematic submissions for Black authors." Genre: Poetry on theme of Endings and Beginnings. Payment: $10/page, with a maximum payment of $200. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

Bright Wall/Dark Room. Genre: Critical essays between 2000 - 4000 words on Billy Wilder. Payment: $100 – $300 per essay. Deadline: July 31, 2020.

Third Flatiron: Brain Games: Stories to Astonish. Genre: SF, urban fantasy on theme of: Brain Games. Payment: 8 cents per word. Deadline: July 31, 2020.


And a few more for luck...

The First Line. Genre: Stories that use a first line provided by the journal. (See journal for first lines.) Also 500-800 word critical essays about your favorite first line from a literary work.  Payment:  $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 - $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction (all U.S. dollars). Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Cemetery Gates Media: Personal Local Lore/Oddities Anthology. Genre: Horror. The theme is: local lore or location-based oddities. "Write something dark into a setting you’ve experienced — it could be a place you’ve lived, or even just somewhere you’ve visited on a vacation." Payment: 5 cents/word.  Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Rogue Blades. Genre: Heroic adventure. Theme: No Ordinary Mortals. Payment: $30. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Hawk and Cleaver: The Other Stories. Genre: Horror short stories. Theme: Underwater. Payment: $5. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Eerie River: With Blood and Ash. Genre: Dark Fantasy. "Earth, wind, fire, water and spirit. Dark versus light. We are giving a lot of leeway for story building, but magic must play a part in your world and there must be a dark fantasy element. Create a fantasy world for this to all play out in, or build something in ours. The choice is yours. The only requirement is that you must feature elemental magic." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Violent Vixens: An Homage to Grindhouse Horror. Genre: Speculative fiction. "Our second fiction anthology, Violent Vixens, will focus on Grindhouse horror films, made famous by movies such as Night of the Living Dead, Death Proof, and Suspiria." Payment: $50. Deadline: August 1, 2020.