T H E   F L A M E   T R E E   B L O G

Hubspot Header Darkest tales 01.jpg

Flame Tree Fiction

2017 Short Story Submissions

Posted by Nick Wells

Gothic-Fantasy-4-books-2017-FINAL.jpg

UPDATE: SUBMISSIONS are now CLOSED for Lost Worlds, Supernatural Horror, Time Travel & Heroic Fantasy. Thanks to everyone who submitted.

As always we need between twenty to thirty short stories by contemporary writers to complement a selection of classic tales. We are keen to encourage new writers, without prejudice to age, background or previous publication history. It’s the story that matters, and the quality of writing.

Submit by email to 2017@flametreepublishing.com 

Beautiful and Powerful

Oh my, it seems like yesterday when we announced our first short story collections, in 2015. Forget Pandora’s box it feels like we’ve tunneled deep into a mountain and found a pit of eternal imagination.

Our first deluxe edition short story compilations, Chilling Horror, Chilling Ghosts and Science Fiction are still in print and we’re currently deciding how much of the 2016 crop to reprint: Murder Mayhem, Crime & Mystery, Dystopia Utopia and Swords & Steam, all are fantastic.

Our anthologies are designed to be read in print. They look and feel fantastic. You’ll feel proud to hand them to your friends, family, colleagues. We’ve had so many great reviews (which really makes a difference to us), such as:

Beautifully bound book with silver foil pages full of excellent short stories. (5.0 out of 5 stars | By soso on 11 Mar. 2016)

An awesome collection of old and new. The opening story, "Stay Away from the Accordian Girl" is absolutely splendid.

We’re just about to release two special editions with H.G. Wells and Lovecraft Short Stories as we seek new ways of growing this part of our list, and we’re reading through some wonderful submissions for our new full novel list, Flame Tree Press (more on that soon).

The 2017 Short Story Titles

Lost Worlds will be packed with dark valleys, high mountain passes, dinosaurs, dark creations and hidden tribes, complementing works by the likes of Jules Verne, H. Rider Haggard and Arthur Conan Doyle.

For Supernatural Horror, your work will join the chilling classic stories of M.R. JamesEdgar Allan Poe and more.

Time Travel: from H.G. Wells to Edward Page Mitchell, tales of travelling back and forth in time have brought us ancient and future civilisations, terrifying visions and cautionary tales. Now we’re looking for some brand new stories too.

Heroic Fantasy: Somewhere between epic historical fantasy, sword and sorcery and Tolkien-esque fantasy exists a thick vein of storytelling that would make Robert E. Howard proud. We’re looking for savage swordplay, high magic, daring deeds and gaudy battles.

Formal Call for Submissions (2017)

We are looking for new and recent short stories. We do not require exclusivity. You hold copyright, licensing us just for this publication. We don’t mind if your story has been previously published online or in print (we do need to know publication and date). Simultaneous submissions are fine, but you must have the right to license your story in an anthology.

Word length is most likely to be successful at 2000-4000. 

Submit by email to 2017@flametreepublishing.com 

Fees, Copyright and Other Terms

  • We pay Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) rates of 6 cents per word.

  • We would prefer to pay via PAYPAL because bank charges to the US and Canada in particular can be crippling for all concerned.

  • Payment will be made within 30 days of the final advertised publication date (see our website, flametreepublishing.com for details), although we might choose to pay some early.

  • Submission does not imply the right to publication. Each story will be read and assessed by the selection panel.

  • Please submit in .doc or .rtf formats, double spaced, with your name and email address in the footer or header of each page.

  • We will read each story and confirm its status within 30 working days of the submission deadline.

  • The anthologies will be published worldwide, available online and to bookstores worldwide, in print and ebook formats.

  • You can submit more than one story, and to each collection.

  • Final submission date is 28 February 2017.

Submit by email only to: 2017@flametreepublishing.com

Selection Panel

The selection will be made by our group of life-long, in-house enthusiasts: Nick Wells (Publisher), Laura Bulbeck (Senior Editor) and Josie Mitchell, Gillian Whitaker and Cat Taylor. If required, the final selection will be mediated by our series editors. We try to keep everyone up-to-date as much as possible with occasional email updates.

A Word about the SFWA

To confirm, we became an SFWA qualifying market last year, so being published by us will help your status with them of course, but also with other readers and writers.

About Flame Tree Publishing

Now over 25 years old we started in 1992, covering a wide range of art and culture titles, with a strong vein of highly-illustrated Gothic and Fantasy books, notebooks and art calendars. Our Gothic Dreams books includes NecronomiconSteampunkDystopia, our large format titles Gothic ArtFantasy Art and Dragon Art are sumptuous, and we publish gothic fiction reprints by Mary ShelleyH.G. WellsJules Verne, and more, in our Flame Tree 451 imprint. 2017 will also see the publication of a true labour of love: the all new Astonishing History of Science Fiction.

So, a final reminder for this year's short stories:

Submit by email to 2017@flametreepublishing.com 

Thank you, and good luck. We look forward to reading your tales of imagination.

Gothic Fantasy slim 2017-Lost Worlds.jpg

Topics: Gothic Fantasy, creepy stories, Short Stories

Subscribe for email updates