Open Calls 2025

OPEN SUBMISSION CALLS FOR RACONTEUR PRESS, 2025

Guidelines for all our anthologies (psst! this is important!):

5,000 to 8,000 words. Length and genre are negotiable, as long as the story fits the concept and is entertaining. Any submission must be in Times New Roman (preferred, but you can use Georgian or other readable font), 12PT, double-spaced, with your name, title of the story, and your email on it. Name the file as [STORYTITLE]-[YOURLASTNAME]—[ANTHOLOGYTITLE]. Send it in a .docx format as an attachment—no links. Refer to the submission guideline graphic below for how to format your story—It has all the information you need! Feel free to download it for reference.

Raconteur Press will hold the rights for one year after publication; after one year, the rights will revert to the author, but we continue to pay you as long as the anthology is selling. Authors receive an equal percentage share of the proceeds from the anthology, along with the Press, our editors, and administration. Yes, you read that right. We don’t take 80% off the top and split the 20% left over between all the authors. We’re all in this together. This is why our anthologies are limited to ten stories.

IMPORTANT: PLEASE do NOT submit stories until the date the call opens. We don’t want to hang on to your piece for longer than necessary. You might find another market for it, or it decides to grow into a novel, or...so go ahead and write it, but tuck it away, and revisit it before submitting. 

Raconteur Press uses Pubshare (pubshare.com) to distribute payments and handle tax forms for anthology authors, so authors who contribute must have a free Pubshare account.

IMPORTANT: when you set up your Pubshare account, you MUST choose the method by which you want to receive your royalties. There are currently two choices: PayPal at the beginning of each month, or paper cheque each quarter. BE SURE that you have chosen a method of payment and input the required information. If you don’t, Pubshare will hang onto your royalties until you choose a method of payment and input the required information.

DOUBLE SECRET PROBATION IMPORTANT: One story submission per anthology. And the counting of submissions shall be one submission. The number of submissions shall not be two. Three is right out.

Submit to: racpresssubmissions[at]gmail.com

Questions about our publishing schedules can be addressed to Production[at]raconteurpress.com.

Finally, if you want to ensure your manuscript is read and is seriously considered for publication, read this.

• Printable schedule and open call list of 2025 anthologies can be downloaded here.

Here we are announcing all the cool anthologies for 2025!

Moggies of Mars
Sword & Planet Adventures Edited by Rita Beeman

The Red Planet is closed to new submissions!

Opens: 06/07/25
Closes: 07/27/25
Contracts: 08/09/25
Publication: 09/05/25

Planks & Plunder
Edited by Sarah Clithero

Closed, and coming soon!

Opens: 06/21/25
Closes: 08/10/25
Contracts: 08/23/25
Publication: 09/19/25

Glitched Grimm
With guest editor Steve Diamond!

Creepily closed! Thank you for the twisted stories!

Opens: 07/05/25
Closes: 08/24/25
Contracts: 09/06/25
Publication: 10/03/25

It Came From The Pulp - Creature Features
Edited by Spearman Burke

NOW CLOSED!

Opens: 07/19/25
Closes: 09/07/25
Contracts: 09/20/25
Publication: 10/17/25

Mercs and Mayhem
Edited by Nick Nethery

Stolen by Mercs…and closed!

Opens: 08/02/25
Closes: 09/21/25
Contracts: 10/04/25
Publication: 10/31/25

Bourbon and Lead - Dime Detective Stories
Edited by D. Jason Fleming (Deej)!

The early pulp magazines and books may have cost a dime, but these detectives need more than that to keep body and soul together. They were the gumshoes, the flat-feet, who used old-fashioned persistence and a healthy dose of common sense to track down clues and close the net on the perpetrators. Read Frederic Brown’s The Fabulous Clipjoint and you’ll have a clue to what we’re looking for. Men whose gruff exterior hid a soft heart and a sharp mind, they were not noir, they were something uniquely American, classless, and driven by a desire for justice—but not at all costs. They got their man, or woman, in the end. These detectives did their homework.

Opens: 08/16/25
Closes: 10/05/25
Contracts: 10/18/25
Publication: 11/14/25

Pinup Noir - High Class Muscle
With high-class guest editor Sam Robb!

The ladies have had their turn. Now it’s time for stories about those fellas who place themselves between the hazard and the helpless. Reluctantly or not, they’ll uphold their moral code, even if it costs them. Don’t forget your homework kids!

Opens: 09/13/25
Closes: 11/02/25
Contracts: 11/15/25
Publication: 12/12/25

Uncanny Valet
Edited by Rita Beeman

Robots, androids, drones. Stories about life with our synthetic helpers. Does artificial intelligence lead to artificial emotions? What happens when your kid wants to grow up to be just like his droid? Automatons with attitude. Do the homework!

Opens: 09/27/25
Closes: 11/16/25
Contracts: 11/29/25
Publication: 12/26/25

CAUTION: Void where prohibited by law (also Dragon Con). May contain live badgers, Albino Brain Chiggers, engine squirrels, six-fingered cowboys and/or tree nuts. Side effects are uncommon and may include spontaneous attraction to AI cover art, Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny, diabeetus, Sudden Unexplained Urge to Write Short Fiction (SUUWSF), the ability to commune with dolphins, Dallas Mouth, and a spastic colon. If sudden death lasts longer than four hours, consult a medical professional. If other symptoms last longer than 72 hours, check your author email—WHICH YOU SHOULD BE DOING, ANYWAY.