108 Calls for Submissions in December 2021 - Paying markets

This December there are more than eight dozen calls for submissions. 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 calls for submissions on the first day 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!

(Image: Pixabay)

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Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. Genre: Short stories and poetry. See themes. Payment: 20.00 USD for featured authors, or $10.00 USD for stories published on their &More page and $5.00 USD for poems. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Podcastle. Genre: Fantasy podcast. Length: Up to 6,000 words. Payment: $0.06/word for original; $100 for reprints, $20 for flash fiction reprints. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Mukana Press. Genre: Short stories by African authors to be included in its inaugural Anthology of African Writing. Stories previously published only on online literary platforms are welcome if rights were reverted to the author upon publication. Stories must range between 1000 - 8000 words. Payment: $500 and royalties. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Kaleidotrope. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry—science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but also compelling work that blurs the lines between these and falls outside of neat genre categories.   Payment: For fiction, $0.01/word (1 cent a word) USD. For poetry, a flat rate of $5 USD per accepted piece. For artwork, a flat rat of $60 for cover art. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Catapult. Genre: Essays and articles that discuss education and writing. Payment: Not specified.  Deadline: December 1, 2021.

United Faedom. Genre: Romantic Fantasy. Theme: Adult rated, mild erotica. Length: 8k-10k. Payment: $20. Deadline: December 1, 2021. Some reprints accepted.

United Faedom. Genre: Cozy Romance. Theme: Young Adult/Clean Adult. Length: 8k-10k. Payment: $20. Deadline: December 1, 2021. Some reprints accepted.

Abbey Review. Genre: Short stories, poems, and screenplays. Payment: $30 per short story, poem, and screenplay, and the best piece of writing gets paid an additional $70, for a total of $100. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Archive of the Odd. Genre: Speculative fiction, horror preferred. “Archive of the Odd is a zine of uncanny occurrences, told in even stranger ways.” They’d like a variety of time periods. Stories can be in any format, except traditional prose. Some of the suggested formats are: academic papers; technical writing; medication warning sheets; sales papers; newspaper articles; recipes; knitting/crochet/weaving/what-have-you guides; care guides (plant, animal, rock garden, etc); or any other unusual format. Submissions do not have to be entirely in text. Payment: $15-25 for fiction of 500-5,000+ words. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

The Antihumanist. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, art - all genres. "We seek to publish the most challenging and thought provoking flash fiction and essays. We believe only by confronting the bare bones of reality we understand our place in the world." Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Parabola. Genre: Original essays and translations, poetry, reviews. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 1, 2021. See themes.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on theme of Surgery. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

United Faedom. Genre: LGBTQ+ Romance. Theme: Adult, mild erotica if desired. Length: 8k-10k. Payment: $20. Deadline: December 1, 2021. Some reprints accepted.

Scary Dairy Press: Bloody Rock Anthology. Genre: Horror. "Does the rock of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s take you back to the nightmares of yore? If you can brew a scary tale that Alice Cooper and the Dead would love, we just might love it too!" Payment: $.03 per word. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Eternal Haunted Summer. Genre: Poetry, short fiction about Night. Payment: $5. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Sundog Lit. Genre: Poetry, nonfiction, and fiction. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Markaz Review. Genre: Video clips, interviews, caricatures, political cartoons, artwork, photography, short story, essay, or review proposal on theme: Laughter. Payment: Small honorarium. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 6 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: December 2, 2021.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction on Theme of SWIMMERS & SOARERS. Payment: $10 via PayPal for each story published in an Anthology. Deadline: December 5, 2021.

Augur Magazine: Joyful Imaginations. Restrictions: Creators who are Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, Disabled, and/or Trans, who are also Canadian citizens/permanent residents and/or who are living within the settler-defined borders of the land colonially known as Canada. Genre: Dream-touched realism, slipstream, fabulism, magical realism (note: educate yourself before you claim this term) and, for lack of a better descriptor, “literary” speculative fiction. Payment: $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: December 5, 2021.

ADDA. Restrictions: Citizens of Commonwealth countries. Genre: Poetry (up to 2 poems, 5 pages maximum), literary non-fiction (2000-5000 words), short fiction (2000-5000 words) and graphic fiction (finished panels or samples of illustrations, 15 pages max) that are in conversation with the Commonwealth’s commitment to freedom of expression. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 5, 2021.

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: December 7, 2021. Opens to submissions on December 1.

Dilettante Army: A Spectre Is Haunting. Genre: Play Mad Libs with Marx and Engels’s famous phrase and fill in the blanks of this popular and flexible metaphor. “A spectre is haunting ______; the spectre of ______.” Payment: $500. Deadline: December 7, 2021. 

Trembling with Fear. Genre: Horror flash fiction up to 2500 words. Payment: $5. Deadline: December 7, 2021. 

Island. Restrictions: Open to Australian and New Zealand citizens and residents. Genre: Fiction.  Payment: 10 - 20 cents per word. Deadline: December 8, 2021.

Revolute. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 8, 2021.

Three Time Travelers Walk Into ... Genre: Fiction. “Take any three famous people from history, toss them together, and have an adventure." Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: December 9, 2021.

Colp. Genre: Short fiction, all genres. "We would like stories that in some way involve feet (whether they be human, animal or otherwise). Be creative." Length: 1000 - 5500 words. Payment: AU$5.00 for stories under 2500 words / AU$10.00 for anything above 2500 words. Deadline: December 10, 2021.

Farmer-ish. Genre: Poetry and nonfiction. Payment: $50 for most essays, recipes, and how-to pieces. Individual poems and book reviews will pay $25. Deadline: December 10, 2021.

Rabbit: Architecture. Genre: Nonfiction poetry on theme: Architecture. Payment: "We are able to pay all Australian contributors. International contributors receive copies of the journal." Deadline: December 10, 2021.

Exposition. Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction, poetry, scripts for stage & screen, film, experimental narratives, visual art, and comics on the theme of “Flux.” Payment: $35.   Deadline: December 10, 2021. Open for one day only.

Inked in Gray. Genre: Short stories on theme: For Those Who Deserve to Exist. "This anthology is about marginalized folk, for marginalized folk. We are looking for passionate, visceral stories about rising up, overcoming, and righting (and re-writing) transgressions." Payment: $30. Deadline: December 11, 2021.

Short Fiction. Restrictions: Submissions are restricted to those not from the USA. Genre: Short fiction. Payment: 2p (£0.02) per word, to the nearest 100 words, with a minimum of £30 and maximum £100. Deadline: December 12, 2021.

Faces. Genre: Nonfiction, activities for children 9 - 14 on theme: Spring (celebrations/folktales/cultural events). Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 13, 2021. Queries only.

Extra Teeth. Genre: Short fiction between 800 and 4,000 words. Payment: £100. Deadline: December 14, 2021.

Cobblestone. Genre: Fiction, poetry and nonfiction articles of historical accuracy and lively, original approaches to the themes for children from ages 9–14. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 15, 2021. See themes. Queries only.

Copper Nickel. Genre: Poetry, fiction, essays, and translation folios. Payment: $30 per printed page + two copies of the issue in which the author’s work appears + a one-year subscription. Deadline: December 15, 2021. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fees.

Dose of Dread. Genre: General horror flash fiction. Preference for dread-inducing stories. Length: 500 - 1,000 words. Payment: $10. Deadline: December 15, 2021.

SHARKPACK Poetry Review Annual 2021. Genre: Poetry. Publication is in paperbook, with selections featured online.  Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 15, 2021.

The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, mixed media, visual arts, "and even kitchen sinks, if they are compressed in some way.” Payment: $50. Deadline: December 15, 2021.

Muse Magazine. Genre: Nonfiction articles for children on theme of Extinction. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 15, 2021.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on theme of Superheroes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: December 15, 2021.

Southern Indiana Review. Genres: Fiction, CNF, poetry. Payment: $50-$100 per piece. Deadline: December 15, 2021.

Plainsongs. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50 for "award" poem. Deadline: December 15, 2021.

Eye to the Telescope. Genre: Speculative poetry. Theme: Light. Payment: US 3¢/word rounded up to nearest dollar; minimum US $3, maximum $25. Deadline: December 15, 2021.

Walled City Journal. Genre: Poetry and prose. Payment: $10. Deadline: December 15, 2021. 

The Great Void. Genre: Speculative fiction on theme: Space Opera. Payment: Revenue sharing.   Deadline: December 15, 2021. 

Brink. Genre: Hybrid, cross-genre fiction, nonfiction poetry. Payment: $25 Poem; $50 Work (less than 1500 words); $50 Art (1-3 Images); $100 Art (4+ Images); $100 Work (more than 1501 words). Deadline: December 15, 2021. See themes.

Exposition. Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction, poetry, scripts for stage & screen, film, experimental narratives, visual art, and comics on the theme of “Flux.” Payment: $35.   Deadline: December 16, 2021. Open for one day only.

Poetry: Exophony. Genre: Poetry. "In this special issue of Poetry, we’ll celebrate the diversity of “exophonic” poets—(i.e. poets whose first language is not English)—who’ve helped to shape contemporary English-language poetry around the world." Payment: "For text poems, we pay $10/line with a minimum honorarium of $300 per poem. For visual poems, audio poems, and video poems, we pay $300 per poem. If a piece is published in multiple formats, such as print and video, we pay for each format." Deadline: December 16, 2021.

Black Ocean. Genre: Full-length poetry manuscripts in translation. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 17, 2021.

The Wild Hunt. Genre: Speculative short stories (max. 3000 words) and flash fiction (500-1000 words). "The Wild Hunt is an online literary magazine that celebrates the weird, surreal, the other, and imaginary worlds. Its aim is to feature writing and artwork that includes strange occurrences, mysterious places, magic, creatures and monsters, the uncanny, fairies, folklore, horror, the ghostly and ghoulish, and any whirlwind adventures." Payment: £0.02/word. Deadline: December 17, 2021.

Augur Magazine: Joyful Imaginations. Genre: Dream-touched realism, slipstream, fabulism, magical realism (note: educate yourself before you claim this term) and, for lack of a better descriptor, “literary” speculative fiction. Payment: $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: December 19, 2021.

Collective Chaos: An Apocalyptic Anthology. Genre: Short fiction (short stories, poetry, flash fiction) within the cosmic horror or apocalyptic genres Payment: $15. Deadline: December 20, 2021.

Buckmxn Journal. Restrictions: Open to Oregon and SW Washington residents only. Genre: Fiction and creative non-fiction. Payment: $100. Deadline: December 20, 2021.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Preteens. Genre: True stories and poems. "Adolescence is a great time to learn about the power of gratitude, practice thankfulness, and to appreciate the blessings in your life, including your friends and family. These are skills that preteens and teenagers need to develop as part of social and emotional learning." Payment: $200. Deadline: December 20, 2021.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens. Genre: True stories and poems. "Adolescence is a great time to learn about the power of gratitude, practice thankfulness, and to appreciate the blessings in your life, including your friends and family. These are skills that preteens and teenagers need to develop as part of social and emotional learning." (Check Preteens for topics.) Payment: $200. Deadline: December 20, 2021.

Cast of Wonders. Genre: YA Speculative fiction. Podcast. Payment: $.08/word for original fiction of any length (yes, including flash!). For reprints, a $100 flat rate for Short Fiction, and a $20 flat rate for Flash Fiction. Deadline: December 20, 2021.

Baffling. Genre: Speculative stories that explore science fiction, fantasy, and horror with a queer bent. Length: 1200 words max. Payment: $.08/word. Deadline: December 20, 2021.

JOURN-E: The Journal of Imaginative Literature. Genre: Adventure, Detection & Mystery, Fantasy, Horror & the Supernatural, and Science Fiction. Payment: One (1) cent per word for prose fiction and non-fiction, BUT with the following maximums: Up to $50.00 maximum for short stories; up to $35 maximum for scholarly articles; up to $15 maximum for reviews. Poetry from 3-13 lines--$7.50. Poetry from 14-50 lines--$15.00. Poetry over 50 lines--$15.00 plus 25 cents per line over 50 lines up to a maximum of $35.00. Interior Illustrations--$25-$50.00 (half-page to full-page). Cover Art in Full RGB Color--$100 [will be commissioned, or the illustrator should contact the editor with a concept before finished work and submission]. Deadline: December 21, 2021.

"letters i'll never send" Genre: First-person accounts including letters, prosaic poems, diary entries, postcard letters, very short personal essays, and other genre-bending experimental pieces. 1000 words max. Payment: $50. Deadline: December 21, 2021.

Hippocampus Magazine. Genre: Memoir Excerpts, Personal Essays, and Flash Nonfiction. Payment: $40. Deadline: December 23, 2021.

Story Seed Vault. Genre: Microfiction tweets based on science. Payment: Short Fiction (<150CH) $3AUD per story; Long Fiction (>150CH/<200CH) $2AUD per story. Deadline: December 24, 2021. Opens on the 10th.

The Future Fire: Noir. Genre: Speculative stories that combine themes or aesthetic from Noir fiction and cinema with the existing goals of TFF (progressive, feminist, queer, postcolonial, inclusive, accessible, ecological and international speculative and genre fiction). Payment:  $50 (US) for each original short story or novelette (up to 17,500 words) or $25 for flash (up to 1000 words) or poem (up to 100 lines). Reprints are welcome, but the pay rate will be half that for original works ($25 for shorts/novellettes; $12.50 for flash/poems). Deadline: December 24, 2021.

The Puritan. Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $100 per nonfiction piece, $50 fiction, $15 per poem. Deadline: December 25, 2021.

Antimony and Elder Lace. Genre: Full-length books: 60,000 words minimum. Mystery (and all associated subgenres); Horror (and all associated subgenres); Thriller (and all associated subgenres); Dark Fantasy or Science Fiction. Payment: Royalties? Deadline: December 25, 2021.

Every Day Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction on new year themes. Length: 1000 words max. Payment: $3. Deadline: December 26, 2021.

Worlds Enough: Fantastic Detectives. Genre: Fantasy stories about crimes in fantasy settings, ranging from “second world” settings to urban fantasies. Length: Up to 15,000 words. Payment: $20. Deadline: December 30, 2021.

Cincinnati Review. Genre: Prose, poetry, art. Payment: $25/page for prose in journal. $30/page for poetry in journal. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

(I Just) Died In Your Arms: Crime Fiction Inspired by One-Hit Wonders. Genre: Crime fiction based on a song that’s a true One-Hit Wonder. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Black Spot Books: Into the Forest. Restrictions: Open to writers who identify as women. Genre: Horror short stories featuring BABA YAGA. Payment: 6 cents a word (USD). Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Soft Skull Press: Black Punk Now. Restrictions: Open to Black punk artists and writers. Genre: Nonfiction, fiction or comics for an anthology that’s defining Black punk today. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Channel. Genre: Fiction, art, creative non-fiction, and poetry that engages with the natural world, and have a particular interest in work which encourages reflection on human interaction with plant and animal life, landscape and the self. Payment: €40/poem, and €40/page of prose up to €120. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

JMS Books: LGBTQ Romance: Opposites Attract. Genre: LGBTQ romance stories. "Stories about characters who are complete opposites, but who fall in love anyway. Think people from different walks of life, different careers, even different colleges or opposing sports teams. Whatever it is that opens a gulf between them ultimately turns out to be what attracts them to each other." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

WE’RE HERE: THE BEST QUEER SPECULATIVE FICTION 2021. Genre: Queer speculative fiction. Submissions are open for all speculative work published in 2021 under 17,500 words that deals either implicitly or explicitly with queerness. Payment: $0.01/word. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Books by Hippocampus. Genre: Book-length works: Memoirs (query, proposal + first three chapters or equivalent); Essay collections (query + three essays); Craft of writing books (proposal). Payment: Royalties? Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Bouchercon. Genre: Crime fiction, less than 5000 words, not previously published. "We would like the stories to be set in Minnesota or Minnesota adjacent (Wisconsin, Iowa, Canada, the Dakotas). Payment: $75. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Zombies Need Brains. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy. Three anthologies: Noir, Shattering the Glass Slipper, and Brave New Worlds. They want a range of stories, from humorous to dark. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Chestnut Review. Genre: Poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, visual media (art/photography). Payment: $120. Deadline: December 31, 2021. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fee.

Monstroddities. Genre: Horror. "Terrify us with your best story or poem about monsters or unexplained occurrences that are rarely used in horror." Payment: $50 flat rate per story, $25 flat rate per poem. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Workers Write! Tales from the Key of C. Genre: Fiction and poetry from the music industry – “about music teachers, singer/band members, band managers, roadies, conductors, DJs, studio musicians, anyone who makes money making music.” Payment: $5 - $50. Deadline: December 31, 2021. (Or until full.)

Critical Read. Genre: True stories of the fine, literary and performing arts: artwork biographies, reported stories, profiles, cultural history, essay, interviews and first person stories.  Payment: Varies. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Diet Riot: A Fatterpunk Anthology. Genre: Horror. Haunted houses, ghost stories, creature features, splatterpunk, serial killers, witches, monsters, you name it. Just make sure your story features at least one fat protagonist. Length: 4000 - 6000 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Dancing Star Press. Genre: Speculative fiction novellas. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Cloud Lake Literary. Restrictions: Canadian writers. Genre: Fiction, art. creative nonfiction, poetry, and children’s literature (up to and including YA). Payment: $50 CAD/per page to a maximum of $150 CAD. Visual Art Submission: $50 CAD/per submission. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Dragon Soul Press: Rogue Tales. Genre: Fairytale. "Fairytales will never be the same in this reverse harem anthology. All versions of bedtime stories, folklore, etc are welcome." Word Count – 5,000-15,000. Payment:  Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2021. (Deadline extended)

Allegory. Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. Payment: $15. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

We’re Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2021. Genre: Queer speculative short fiction reprints from 2021. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Crow Toes Quarterly. Genre: Playfully dark fiction, poetry and art for children. See themes. Payment: $20 - $50. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Auroras & Blossoms: PoArtMo Anthology. Restrictions: Open to 13-16 Year-Olds. Genre: Poetry and art. "We created PoArtMo as an invitation to artists in every discipline to create positive art every June (Positive Art Month) and throughout the year (Positive Art Moves)." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Ninth Letter. Genre: Prose and poetry. Payment: $25 per printed page, with a maximum payment of $150, as well as two complimentary copies of the issue in which the work appears. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Felis Futura: An Anthology of Future Cats. Genre: Stories, poetry, and visual art about the future which feature cats. Payment: $10 per accepted poem, 1c/word ($5 minimum) for accepted fiction ($15 per page for graphic narrative fiction), $20 per accepted piece of non-narrative internal visual art $100 (negotiable) for the cover illustration. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Kenyon Review. Genre: Work in translation. Payment: Translator will receive $120 per poem or $300 for a work of prose, with a $75 honorarium paid to the author of the original work. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Hardboiled and Loaded with Sin. Genre: Crime short stories 1500-7,500 words. Payment: $10.  Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Freeze Frame Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction. Payment: $10. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Stormdance Publications: Grumpy Old Fairy Tales. Genre: Grumpy retellings of classic Fairytales. "We’re looking for fun new twists on classic Grimm fairytales and well-known folklore.  Is your tale of little Red Riding Hood told from Granny’s perspective?  Maybe she’s a werewolf?" Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Newfound. Genre: Fiction, Flash, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, and Visual Arts. Theme: Communities of Care. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Arc. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

FIYAH. Genre: Speculative fiction, art, and poetry about African Diaspora. Length: Short fiction 2,000 – 7,000 words and novelettes up to 15,000 words. Payment: $150 per story. $50 per poem. $300 per novelette. Deadline: December 31st, 2021. 

Hiraeth Publishing: Cosmic Crime Stories. Genre: Tales of future crimes and future detectives. Payment: Pay rates for original stories: $25.00. Pay rate for reprinted stories: $10.00. Pay rate for original illustrations: $6.00 per illustration. Deadline: December 31st, 2021. 

Book XI: Be Careful What You Wish For. Genre: Philosophically informed stories, essays, or poetry that address the theme: Be Careful What You Wish For. Payment: $50/poem, $200/prose. Deadline: December 31st, 2021. Or until filled.

Manawaker Studios: Felis Futura – An Anthology of Future Cats. Genre: Fiction (including graphic narrative), poetry, and art about the future which features cats. “Submitted works should be of any genre, as long as the work depicts a world that is noticeably in the future. All works must also prominently feature at least one cat. It does not have to be a cat of the genus Felis. Other members of the cat family are also acceptable, as are non-biological cats, metaphorical cats, robots with the acronym K.A.A.T., and so on.” Payment: $10/poem, $0.01/word for fiction, $15/page for graphic narrative. Deadline: December 31st, 2021. 

Modern Poetry in Translation. Genre: Translations of poetry. Send up to six poems. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Meadowlark Reader. Genre: CNF. “True stories about Kansas written by Kansans." Payment: $10 plus one contributor copy. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Poetry Wales. Genre: Poetry, features and reviews. Payment: Poems £20/page. Reviews £67.50/1500-word review. Articles £200/3000 word, or in that proportion, depending on number of published words. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Native Skin is an online literary magazine directly devoted to advancing equality by celebrating a noted point of exclusion—skin. Genre: Poetry, creative nonfiction, art. Payment: Varies: up to $100.  Deadline: December 31, 2021.

The Maine Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction up to 3,000 words. Payment: $25 - $50. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

 

And a few more...

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on theme of Victorian England. Payment: 15 GBT.  Deadline: January 1, 2022.

Liquid Imagination. Genre: Modern fantasy, science fiction, slipstream, or literary ficiton and poetry up to 6,000 words. "We want awe and intensity, maybe tinged with the ominous side of life." Payment: $8 for short stories (1001 words up to 6000 words) and poems, and $3 for flash stories (up to 1000 words). A $2 bonus will be added for authors who accept payment via Paypal. Deadline: January 1, 2022. 

Folkloric: Lovecraftian Inspired Tales of Folklore & Horror. Genre: Dark fantasy and horror. Payment: $100-150. Deadline: January 1, 2022. 

Particular Passages. Genre: Poetry, fiction, art on theme: Particular Passages. "The theme is: you just don’t know what’s behind that door until you open it." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 1, 2022. Reprints accepted.

The Quiet Ones. Genre: Queer-centered horror and dystopian fiction for adults and young adults. Theme: True Love Never Dies. Payment: $25. Deadline: January 1, 2022.

The Best New True Crime Stories. Genre: Nonfiction, true crime accounts on theme of Crimes of the Famous and Infamous. Payment: $130, and 2 print copies of the book. Deadline: January 1, 2022.

Antilang. Restrictions: Open to Canadian writers. Genre: Poetry, short/flash fiction, creative non-fiction (including, but not limited to: creative essays, ficto-criticism, flash memoir, photo essays), and hybrid/multi-media such as comics, postcard fiction, and collaborations across media. Payment: $20 CAD. Deadline: January 1, 2022. See theme.

Substack for Fiction Writers

Subscription services for writers have had a spotty history. For one thing, these services have previously been based on borrows, rather than sales, and authors tend to focus on sales. As a consequence, there aren't many subscription services that have stood the test of time. Oyster collapsed after a scant two years, leaving Scribd and Kindle Unlimited to hold down the fort, at least for book borrows.

The newest kid on the block, Substack, takes a different approach. Readers can subscribe to anything the writer produces: short stories, essays, commentary, serialized novels, how-tos, you name it. Authors have the option of charging a fee or not charging anything at all. 

Why bother with yet another publishing platform? There are already so many of them.

Substack has an astonishing Alexa ranking of 931. That means it's among the top thousand websites in the world, as far as traffic is concerned. A few digits under a thousand may not seem significant, but consider the fact that the New Yorker is ranked at 3390, and the Paris Review, one of our most prestigious literary magazines, is ranked at 140,000. 

One of the reasons for its impressive amount of traffic has been Substack's ability to attract big names. Salman Rushdie is one of them. Substack contacted Rushdie through his agent and invited him to publish on their platform. Surprisingly, he accepted. Someone of Rushdie's stature has absolutely no need of another platform, but his reasoning was that he wanted to reach readers with "something new." 

The reason most writers give for signing up with Substack is artistic freedom. They can write whatever they please without a publisher monitoring their output. Salman Rushdie says it gives him a more "complex relationship with readers." That "complexity" is that it gives writers who have already signed up with a publisher an additional source of readers, and of revenue. Another is that writers can publish views that would otherwise be discouraged.

But is Substack really any better than a traditional publisher? Some authors have answered that question with a resounding yes. A former Forbes media and entertainment writer, Zack O’Malley Greenburg, received an advance from Substack comparable to what a major publisher would offer, and on top of that, he is charging for his weekly newsletters. Comic book writers, among them James Tynion IV, are also turning down lucrative deals with Marvel and DC in favor of Substack. Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club, turned down Hachette to sign a deal with Substack for his forthcoming novel, Greener Pastures. He plans on distributing it through weekly newsletters over a span of 52 weeks. 

Serializing novels is nothing new. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas was originally published in serial form in 1844. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, and Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea were also serialized. But while Substack is willing to offer famous authors a substantial advance, an unknown author would probably have no greater chances of a sale than trying to get the attention of a traditional publisher. Substack's only appeal to unknown authors it that, like self-publishing, it allows an author to simply put a book out there, come what may.

I have not seen any statistics on how Substack compares to self-publishing platforms, but my guess is that there probably isn't much difference in sales. Like Medium, Substack provides a certain amount of searchability by topic, but an awful lot of promotional work would be required if you are just starting out. 

That being said, Substack offers of couple of features that make it appealing to writers, one of which is that you can import your existing blog, or create a new one. You can also send newsletters via Substack. And if you already have a newsletter, you can import your subscriber list. 

The monthly fee for newsletters can vary anywhere from free to $2 a month to a yearly fee of $200. The writer sets the fee. While writers don't have to pay to sign up, Substack charges 10% of the subscriber fee. An additional 2.9% of your billing rate, plus 30 cents per transaction will be taken out by Stripe, the service Substack uses for billing. Like many self-publishing platforms, Substack offers editing, proofreading, art and design, and legal services as part of their packages.

In addition to subscriptions, Substack also runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." The prize is $100 for the chosen story plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Submit stories by the end of the month. (Only one story receives the full payout.) Their preferred length is 6000 - 10,000 words. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute. Read more about the competition HERE.

Find out more about Substack:

Substack

Serialized Books Are a Burgeoning Business at Substack

Using Substack as Your Blog

The one where writing books is not really a good idea

Chuck Palahniuk to Serialize a Novel on Substack

Authors Choosing Paid Substack Serials Over Full Books Worries Me as a Reader

How Much Money Can You Really Make on Substack?

Substack Review: Can This Platform Help You Get Paid to Write Newsletters?

Why authors are turning down lucrative deals in favour of Substack

The Rise Of Substack—And What’s Behind It

77 Writing Contests in December 2021 - No entry fees

This December there are more than five dozen writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and short plays. Prizes range from a gold medal to $25,000. 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!

(Image: Pixabay)

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Short Short Writing Contest 2022. Genre: Fiction, non fiction, memoir or poetry but it must contain the name of a continent, a horse's gait, the title or a lyric of a song from the 90's, a food you would want to eat for your last meal, the name of a gemstone, and a zodiac sign. Word Limit: 250 words.  Prize: Winners will choose either free tuition to the Get The Lead Out generative workshop online January 21 - 23, 2022, or discounted tuition to the Boulder Generative Workshop in-person, March 18-20, 2022 (does not include travel to/from the event or lodging). Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Tony Quagliano Poetry Fund, International Poetry Award. Restrictions: Open to poets who have a published body of work over a period of years. Poems must be in English. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: December 1, 2021. (Biennial award)

Thomas and Lillie D. Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing. Restrictions: Open to published writers who are writing from the region. Genres: All. Prize: $1000. Deadline: December 1, 2021. 

The Association of Jewish Libraries Jewish Fiction Award. Genre: All works of fiction with significant Jewish thematic content written in English–novels, short story and flash fiction collections–by a single author published and available for purchase in the United States during 2021 are eligible for the 2022 award. Jewish thematic content means an extended grappling with Jewish themes throughout the book, including Judaism, Jewish history and culture, Jewish identity, etc. Prize: The award will include a $1,000 cash prize as well as support to attend the AJL conference to receive the award. Deadline: December 1, 2021. 

The David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction is offered annually to the best book in American historical fiction that is both excellent fiction and excellent history. Prize: $1,000.      Deadline: December 1, 2021.

The Bird in Your Hands Prize: a Contest that Centers and Celebrates BIPOC Voices. Restrictions: Open to BIPOC writers. Genre: poetry, fiction, and nonfiction in any form under 500 words. Prize: $1,000.  Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Poetry Center at Smith College Prize. Restrictions: Open to sophomore or junior high school girls in New England. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

The Pushcart Prize honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in small presses and literary magazines. Magazine and small press editors may nominate up to six works. Pushcart Press publishes yearly anthologies of the winning submissions. Prize: Publication. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Royal Institute of Philosophy Essay Prize. Topic: Essay on Self and Society. Prize: £2,500 top prize. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry. Restrictions: Open to African poets who have not yet published a collection of poetry. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $1,000 and book publication through the University of Nebraska Press and Amalion Press in Senegal. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

The W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction honors the best fiction set in a period when the United States was at war. It recognizes the service of American veterans and military personnel and encourages the writing and publishing of outstanding war-related fiction. Genre: Military fiction. Prize: $5000. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Polar Expressions Publications Competition. Restrictions: Open to Canadian students in kindergarten through grade twelve. Genre: Short Story. Prize: $300, $200, $100. Deadline: December 3, 2021.

Spectator Competition No. 3229: Born Again. You are invited to provide the story of the Nativity retold in the style of a well-known author. Please submit up to 150 words/16 lines. Please email entries to lucy@spectator.co.uk. Prize: £30. Deadline: December 3, 2021.

Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 5, 2021. Opens December 3.

Invisible City Nonfiction Flash Contest 2021. Genre: Flash nonfiction, 750 words max. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 5, 2021. 

The Ogham Stone. Genre: poetry, verse, stories, prose, monologue, dialogue or any literary form you want as long as it is 50 words. Prize: Gift voucher to the value of €50. Deadline: December 5, 2021.

Bocas Emerging Writers Fellowships. Restrictions: Open to Caribbean-based writers in English. Genre: Poetry and prose. Prize: A cash award of TT$10,000; Six months’ mentorship from an established author; Publication of a chapbook with an excerpt from the writer’s work in progress; Participation in a one-week intensive online writing workshop hosted by Arvon (UK). Deadline: December 6, 2021.

The Cemetery Gates Society. Genre: Horro flash fiction on theme "Creepypasta." Cemetery Gates Media is a publisher of horror, paranormal and fantasy fiction. Prize: $100. Deadline: December 8, 2021. 

Greater & Grander Collective Folk Fiction Writing Competition. Genre: Fiction on theme of science education. Prize: $250. Deadline: December 8, 2021. 

J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award. Genre: Nonfiction book. Applicants for the award must already have a contract with a U.S.-based publisher to write a nonfiction book. Award: $25,000.  Deadline: December 9, 2021.

Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize is sponsored by the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival. Genre: Non-fiction essay between 4 to 10 pages, set in Brooklyn about Brooklyn and/or Brooklyn people/characters. (Up to 2500 words). Prize: $500. Deadline: December 10, 2021.

Friends of American Writers. Restrictions: The author must be a resident (or previously have been a resident for approximately five years) of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota or Wisconsin; or the locale of the book must be in a region identified above. The author must not have published more than three books under his/her own pen name. Genres: Books can be fiction or creative non-fiction and published in 2021. Self-published and e-Books are not eligible. Prize: $500 - $2000. Deadline: December 10, 2021.

Flo Gault Student Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Full-time undergraduate college students in Kentucky. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $1000. Deadline: December 11, 2021. 

Apparition Lit. Genre: Flash fiction up to 1000 words on theme. Prize: $30. Deadline: December 14, 2021. See themes.

Shaughnessy Cohen Award for Political Writing. Genre: Book of literary nonfiction that captures a political subject of relevance to Canadian readers and has the potential to shape or influence thinking on contemporary Canadian political life. Book must be published in Canada. Prize: CAN $25,000.  Deadline: December 14, 2021.

 

Hefner Heitz Kansas Book Award in Poetry (Kansas Book Award). Restrictions: Author must establish a connection to Kansas by birth, education, employment, residence or other significant claim. Genre: Poetry book. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: December 15, 2021.

sweettooth//HONEY Contest. Genre: Flash fiction, mini poetry. Prize: $40. Deadline: December 15, 2021.

elements&flour//LOAFOFBREAD Contest. Genre: Translations in Poetry. Prize: $200. Deadline: December 15, 2021.

Commonwealth Club of California Book Awards. Restrictions: Open to residents of California. Genre: Book of poetry, fiction or nonfiction. Prize: Gold medal. Deadline: December 15, 2021.

Quantum Shorts Competition. Genre: Fiction stories, under 1,000 words, that are "clearly inspired by some aspect of quantum physics." For 2020, entries also must contain the phrase "It's a lot to think about." Prize: $1,500 and online publication. Deadline: December 16, 2021.

Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel Competition. Restrictions: The Competition is open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any published novel (except that authors of self-published works only may enter, as long as the manuscript submitted is not the self-published work) and is not under contract with a publisher for publication of a novel. Genre: Murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: December 17, 2021.

Spark Award: Held by SCBWI , open to members of SCBWI who are self-published. Genres: Fiction and nonfiction. Prize: Envy. The SCBWI is our most prestigious national organization (US) for children's book and YA writers. Deadline: December 19, 2021.

International Young Theatre Playwriting Contest. Genre: Plays for young audiences (no plays for children or adult audiences, or musicals), written in any official European language Prize: €2,400 for Category A, €1,000 for Category B and other prizes. Deadline: December 20, 2021.

Beatrice Medicine Award for Scholarship in American Indian Studies. Genre: Essay and/or book about Native American studies published in 2021. Prize: $250. Deadline: December 20, 2021.

Secret Attic. Genre: Short story up to 1500 words. Prize: £20.00 Amazon Voucher. Deadline: December 20, 2021. 

Rider University Annual High School Writing Contest. Restrictions: Open to high school students.  Genres: Essays, poetry, fiction. Prizes: 1st-$100, 2nd-$50, 3rd-$25. Deadline: December 20, 2021.

Roswell Award for Short Science Fiction. Genre: Science fiction, 1500 words max. The Feminist Futures Award will be awarded to a distinct winner for an outstanding feminist sci-fi story. Prize: $500. Finalists have their stories read by celebrities in Hollywood. Deadline: December 21, 2021.

The Tomorrow Prize & The Green Feather Award. Restrictions: Open to Los Angeles County high school students. Genre: Science Fiction, and environmentally focused sci-fi story. Prize: Tomorrow Prize: $250, $150, and $100 USD. Green Feather Award: $250.00 & online publication by the Nature Nexus Institute.  Deadline: December 21, 2021.

Solarpunk Holidays. Genre: Micro-fiction (250 words or less) on theme: Solarpunk Holidays. Prize: $25. Deadline: December 23, 2021.

Eerie River. Genre: Horror short story on theme Were-Beasts. Prize: .5 cents per word CAD (half a cent), with a max of $15 plus a one-time royalty bonus payment based on six months of sales. Deadline: December 25, 2021.

The Wallace Stegner Prize in Environmental Humanities. Genre: Monograph. "Manuscripts must emphasize interdisciplinary investigations of the natural and human environments and their fundamental interconnectedness, research in primary and secondary sources, and high quality writing in the tradition of Wallace Stegner. Preference will be given to projects that discuss issues related to the American West. We welcome book-length manuscripts that emphasize narrative form and draw on the humanities, as well as the particular methods and perspectives of history, geography, natural history, environmental science, creative nonfiction, or related disciplines to consider environmental subjects, broadly defined." Prize: $5,000. Deadline: December 30, 2021.

VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Genre: First novel published in 2021. No self-published books.  Prize: $5,000. Deadline: December 30, 2021.

Green Stories Writing Prize. Genre: Novel about building a sustainable society. Prize: £1000 for the winner and £500 for runner up, plus the following: Half price manuscript appraisal (worth £300-400) for top three entries by established literary consultancy Daniel Goldsmith. Deadline: December 30, 2021.

Story Unlikely Short Story Contest. Genre: Short story. Length: 2,250 words max. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Hiraeth Publishing: Marcia's Murder Mysteries. Genre: Drabble (100 words) on Marcia's Murder Mysteries. Prize: $5. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Tartts Fiction Award. Restrictions: Open to Americans. Genre: Short story collection. Prize: Winning short story collection will be published by Livingston Press at the University of West Alabama, in simultaneous library binding and trade paper editions. Winning entry will receive $1000, plus their standard royalty contract, which includes 60 copies of the book. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Elizabeth Alexander Creative Writing Award. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Prize: $500 and publication in Meridians Journal: feminism, race, transnationalism. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

The Drabble Harvest Contest. Genre: Drabble on theme of "Marcia's Murder Myteries." A "drabble" is defined as a short story containing exactly precisely no more and no fewer than 100 words. It has a title, which can be from 1 to 15 words-- but no more than 15. Prize: $5. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Ezra Jack Keats Children's Book Award. Genre: Published or self-published picture books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world. Prize: $3,000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Hooks Institute National Book Award. Genre: Nonfiction book that best furthers understanding of the American Civil Rights Movement and its legacy. Prize: $1000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards recognizes outstanding works that contribute to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures. Awards are given for both fiction and nonfiction. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry, Griffin Poetry Prize. Restrictions: One prize goes to a living Canadian poet or translator, the other to a living poet or translator from any country, which may include Canada. Genre: Poetry. Books must have been published in English during the calendar year preceding the year of the award. Prize: C$200,000, is awarded annually in two categories – International and Canadian. Each prize is worth C$65,000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest. Genre: Speculative fiction prose, up to 17,000 words. Prize: $1,000 with $5,000 grand prize. Deadline: December 31, 2021. Read details HERE.

The Lyric College Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to undergraduates enrolled full time in an American or Canadian college or university. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

William Carlos Williams Poetry Competition. Restrictions: Open to students enrolled in programs leading to the Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy degree. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $300.  Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Neil Postman Award for Metaphor. Sponsored by Rattle. Genre: Poetry. All published submissions during the year are considered for the prize. Follow their regular submission guidelines. Prize: $2,000.  Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Rattle Ekphrastic Challenge. Genre: Poem inspired by artwork. (See site for image.) Prize: $100. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

The Four Quartets Prize. Genre: unified and complete sequence of poems published in America in a print or online journal, chapbook. Poems in the sequence may have been published in different journals provided that they were brought together and they form a complete sequence. Prize: Three finalists will receive $1,000 each. The winner will receive an additional $20,000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award.  Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter free of charge. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee. Genre: Poetry, unpublished and published. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Cecil Hemley Memorial Award. Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter free of charge. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee. Genre: Poetry, unpublished and published. Lyric poem that addresses a philosophical or epistemological concern. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Lucille Medwick Memorial Award. Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter free of charge. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee. Genre: Poetry, unpublished and published. Original poem in any form on a humanitarian theme. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Lyric Poetry Award. Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter free of charge. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee. Genre: A lyric poem on any subject. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

The Writer Magazine/Emily Dickinson Award. Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter for free. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee. Genre: A poem inspired by Dickinson though not necessarily in her style. Prize: $250. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

George Bogin Memorial Award. Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter for free. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee. Genre: Poetry that takes a stand against oppression. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Robert H. Winner Memorial Award. Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter for free. There is a charge of $10 - $15 for non-members. Open to mid-career poets who have not had substantial recognition, and is over forty, and who have published no more than one book. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $2,500. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Blue Mountain Arts Poetry Card Contest. Genre: Poem. Prize: $300. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Natan Notable Books Award. Genre: Recen­t­­ly pub­­lished or soon to be pub­lished nonfic­­tion book on Jew­ish themes. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Society of Classical Poets, Poetry Translation Competition. Genre: Metered translation of a poem from the Romantic period or earlier. Prize: $100. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

USNI General Prize Essay Contest. Restrictions: Authors must be USNI members or those eligible for membership. Genre: Essay "to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to national defense.” Prize: $6,000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

The Caribbean Writer Prize. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays or one act plays which explore the ideas resonating within the region and its diaspora, written by a US or UK Virgin Islands resident accepted for publication by The Caribbean Writer during the deadline year. 2021 theme: "Disruption, Disguise and Illuminations.” Prize: $300. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Black Caucus of the American Library Association. BCALA presents four awards to an African American writer published in the United States during the previous year: one for adult fiction, one for nonfiction, one for a first novelist and one for poetry. These awards acknowledge outstanding achievement in the presentation of the cultural, historical and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora. Prize: Four $500.00 awards. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Lilith Magazine Fiction Competition. Genre: Story of interest to Jewish women. Prize: $250.  Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Center Field of Gravity Award. Genre: Science-fiction, fantasy, and horror short stories or long-form poems up to but not exceeding 17,000 words. Prize: $200. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Shady Grove Literary Competition. Genre: Flash fiction, 300 words max. Prize: $100. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: December 31, 2021. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

Aniko Press Summer Flash Fiction Competition. Genre: Flash fiction (100 words max) on theme: Delight. Prize: Publication on their website and social media, a copy of Killernova by Omar Musa, plus a copy of Aniko Magazine Issue 2. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

3 Distinctive Writing Conferences in December 2021

Because of the holidays, writing conferences are sparse in December. That doesn't mean there are none worth attending.

The New York Pitch Conference is well worth attending if you are ready to publish a book. This conference draws editors from all the major publishing houses, as well as agents who want to hear your pitch. If you write commercial fiction or nonfiction, this conference is a career starter.

For a month-by-month list of conferences throughout the year see: Writing Conferences. (You will also find links to resources that can help you find conferences in your area on that page.)

(Image credit: vincent desjardins: PxHere)

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New York Pitch Conference. Dec 2 - 5, 2021 (Live conference) December 16 - 19, 2021 ( Video Conference): NY, NY. The New York Pitch Conference and writers workshop is held four times a year and features publishing house editors from major houses such as Penguin, Random House, St. Martins, Harper Collins, Tor and Del Rey, Kensington Books and many more who are looking for new novels in a variety of genres, as well as narrative non-fiction. The event focuses on the art of the novel pitch as the best method not only for communicating your work, but for having you and your work taken seriously by industry professionals. 

The Mesa Book Festival. December 4, 2021, Mesa, Arizona. The festival features presentations, readings, visits with authors, and a poetry open mic. "Everyone! Authors, Publishers, and Book Sellers are invited to  register for space to showcase, promote, and sell their books. Readers are invited to come and buy their books direct. We're encouraging a wide variety of literary arts purveyors to share their work to create a bigger audience for everyone." All events are free and open to the public.

The Algonkian Writer Retreat and Novel Workshop. December 8 - 12, 2021: Algonkian Park, Virginia. "You can show us your manuscript, improve your skills, clear your head, have your work read by our writer mentors, whatever works for you, whatever helps you grow and discover your vision as a writer. You discuss with us ahead of time via the Algonkian Writer Retreat Application the goals you wish to accomplish, and we'll work with you to make it happen. Do you desire a review? A line edit? Do you wish to discuss the reality of the current fiction market, your novel project, plot and characters, or perhaps get feedback on the opening hook or a few sample chapters? Or would you simply like a relaxed and productive dialogue about your goals as a writer?"

Note: These Kaz Conferences have application deadlines from December 1 to December 4.

Kaz Conference Keep Writing Nonfiction and Memoir Cohort – JANUARY/FEB 2022 (5 weeks) meeting Wednesdays Jan 5 - Feb 2 from 2 to 4PM EST. Are you a nonfiction writer working on a memoir? For 5 weeks beginning 2022 just 6-8 writers will gather via ZOOM -- at each workshop two writers will workshop 10 to 16 pages of a work of creative nonfiction/memoir. Virtual workshop tuition: $375 for 5 weeks - includes at least two reviews of your writing samples from Donna Kaz and your cohort. 

4 Agents Seeking Literary Fiction, Autobiography/Memoir, Commercial Fiction, Feminist Fiction, Healing/Health, Historical, Humor

Updated 10//15/23

Here are four agents actively seeking clients. Rebecca Rodd is seeking adult and adult-leaning YA literary fiction that centers people of color in all genres. In the non-fiction space, Rebecca is interested in millennial experiences and perspectives. She’s also interested in pop culture and social commentary, especially from underrepresented voices. Margaret Riley King wants Autobiography/Memoir, Commercial Fiction, Feminist, Fiction, Healing/Health, Historical, Humor, Literary Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Pop Culture, Regional, Religious/Spiritual. Jaclyn Gilbert is looking to represent voice-driven, emotionally compelling literary fiction and upmarket nonfiction with an experimental bent. John Baker is looking for anything under the broad church of SFF as well as horror.

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

NOTE: Don't submit to two agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another.

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

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Ms. Jaclyn Gilbert of Drift(less) Literary

CURRENTLY CLOSED TO QUERIES (SHE HAS STARTED HER OWN AGENCY)

Jaclyn Gilbert began her career in 2007 as an assistant in online marketing and special sales at Workman Publishing. In 2011, she joined Janklow & Nesbit Associates' foreign rights team. She has taught writing at the Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute, Curious on Hudson in Dobbs Ferry, and Pace University, as well as contributed to the Bread Loaf, Colgate, and Tin House Writers' Conferences. In 2018, Jaclyn joined Cullen Stanley International as a literary agent. She is passionate about working with writers to prepare their manuscripts for submission in the U.S. and abroad. 

What she is seeking: Drift(less) literary seeks to represent debut and established writers working on experimental novels, memoirs, essay and short story collections, and poetry. We are a process driven agency set on embracing risk and defying genre.

How to submit: See submission requirements HERE. (Temporarily closed to submissions)

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Margaret Riley King of William Morris Endeavor

Margaret Riley King has been a literary agent at WME since 2007, where she began her career after graduating from Princeton University.

What she is seeking: Autobiography/Memoir, Commercial Fiction, Feminist, Fiction, Healing/Health, Historical, Humor, Literary Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Pop Culture, Regional, Religious/Spiritual.

How to submit: Please send an e-mail to MRK@wmeagency.com with a query letter and the first three chapters.

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Ms. Rebecca Rodd of Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency

Rebecca received her Bachelor’s degree in English from (the illustrious) Spelman College and holds a Master’s degree in Library Science from CUNY Queens College. Before joining the agency, she was a Library Information Supervisor at Brooklyn Public Library. As a former Children’s Librarian, Rebecca still maintains a soft spot for picture books perfect for Storytime, that either make kids laugh or encourage literacy development, all while offering diverse representation. Today she still serves as an active member of the New York Black Librarians Caucus.

What she is seeking: Rebecca’s interests cover a wide range of genres, but most of all, she loves to read adult and adult-leaning YA literary fiction that centers people of color full of nuance and dimension. Whether she’s reading literary fiction, science fiction, magical realism, or suspense, she loves to get wrapped up in a story with thoughtful world-building, where the setting is just as significant to the book as the characters. And while she will always argue that “the book was better,” she is intrigued by stories she can imagine watching on the big screen, or preferably, or on the small screen from the comfort of her couch. In particular she wants:

- anything set on an HBCU campus

- all of the magical realism

- mythological retellings

- romance/love stories (deep and profound and HARD or light and feel good)

- all the millennial joy and adulting hardships

In the non-fiction space, Rebecca is interested in millennial experiences and perspectives. She’s also interested in pop culture and social commentary, especially from underrepresented voices.

How to submit: Use their form HERE.

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Mr. John Baker of Bell Lomax Moreton Agency (UK)

Alongside reading every book containing a jaded space captain, an in-over-his-head supernatural detective, or a past-their-prime mercenary crew on one last mission and all possible adventures in between, John has been building a small but unique list of authors, who all share a passion for subverting expectations and creating rich new worlds of adventure.

What he is seeking: John is looking for anything under the broad church of SFF, from literary to pulpy, high fantasy to gritty urban, but he would especially love to hear from anyone under-represented in the genre, particularly neurodiverse writers. John is also keen to grow his horror list, but definitely in the vein of psychological terror more than straight gore-fest

How to submit: See submission instructions HERE.