Welcome to All Worlds Wayfarer
Submissions are currently CLOSED.
The most recent anthology submission call (for Into the Dark) closed on October 31st, 2024.
Submission Guidelines for the Into the Dark Anthology
Speculative fiction is a powerful tool for exploring not only the darkest and most challenging aspects of our world, but of worlds beyond it—and in the psyche. It can take us on harrowing and haunting journeys and introduce us to fascinating and frightening characters. It can leave us shaken and sorrowful and scared. But it is within the darkest stories that hope burns brightest: acts of desperation, passion, and overcoming that showcase the power and resilience of the human—and perhaps non-human—spirit. And in the terrifying unknown, in the gaping maw of the blackest abyss, beauty and wonder await. After all, fear is a component of awe—and of courage. The unknown is filled with possibility for those willing to face it.
For this anthology, we're looking for character-driven dark fantasy and fantastical horror stories that take on challenging themes, spark fear and wonder and so many other emotions, and immerse the reader in extremes of experience. Throw off the shackles of the safe and mundane and delve Into the Dark.
What We're Seeking
For this anthology, we're looking for 1500-4000 word stories in the below genres:
- Dark Fantasy
- We're especially hungry for high fantasy stories, but will also consider low fantasy stories.
- Fantastical Horror
- We're looking specifically for horror with fantasy-inspired elements, not speculative horror in general. A cosmic or creature horror story might be a fit, but a fully sci-fi horror story wouldn't be a fit for this anthology. Most ghost stories, for instance, also wouldn't be a fit, unless they feature more cosmic consequences.
We're looking for stories that prioritize characters and themes, rather than extensive world-building, fast-paced plots, or shock value. We want stories that have something to say. We also appreciate striking voices and literary-leaning prose, but are open to many different POVs and writing styles. We love encountering non-human protagonists that offer unique perspectives. We also love own-voices stories that explore the marginalized or misunderstood experiences of our world through the allegorical power of speculative fiction. We enjoy both epic tales of cosmic consequence and quieter stories of personal fate. Most of all, we're looking for stories that leave an impact on the reader.
When it comes to what we're not looking for, we're not a fit for comedic, tongue-in-cheek, or satirical stories; rather, we're looking for stories with serious, suspenseful, or grim tones, and if one offers a spark of light or beauty in the dark, all the better. While romantic elements and sexual references are fine, we're also not a fit for romance-focused or erotic stories. Heavily trope-driven stories (e.g. traditional fantasy races, slasher horror) are hard sells.
If you'd like more insight into what we're about and what we usually do and don't go for, check out the editors' interview at the Six Questions blog.
We publish in the adult, new adult, and young adult age ranges.
We don't publish poetry, non-fiction, unsolicited visual artwork, or excerpts from longer works at this time.
Submission Rules
To ensure that your story is considered, please adhere to our guidelines.
Word Count
For anthologies, we consider short stories between 1,500 to 4,000 words.
(Note that, unlike in our magazine issues, we don't include flash fiction in our anthologies).
Content Rules
Please provide any content warnings that readers may wish to be aware of before reading (if your story is accepted for publication, we reserve the right to add or remove content warnings as we feel appropriate).
- You must own the rights to your submitted work.
- AI-generated content is not allowed. (See below for more details about our AI policy).
- No sex scenes. Suggestive themes, sexual references, and black screens are fine; explicit sexual content and erotica aren’t the right fit for All Worlds Wayfarer.
- Graphic violence is fine as long as it serves the story and isn't gratuitous.
- Coarse language is fine as long as it serves the story and isn't gratuitous.
- Alcohol and drug references are fine as long as they serve the story and aren't gratuitous.
- No hate speech or messaging against any real-world demographic based on race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sex, sexuality, age, neurodivergence, physical or mental illness or disability, size, class, religion, or belief system. (Characters may be prejudiced, but your story's themes should not be prejudiced.)
- No fan fiction. (We can't publish it for legal reasons.)
- No first drafts. (While an occasional typo is expected, please only submit polished work that has gone through at least a round or two of self-editing.)
- Stories dealing with challenging themes can be powerful, but if you do address any such topics (prejudice, abuse, mental illness, etc) please do so with sensitivity and empathy.
Note for Into the Dark: As this is a dark fantasy and horror anthology, we expect to encounter plenty of bleak and challenging topics, themes, and emotions within the submitted stories, along with violence and gore and perhaps slightly more sexual content than is typical for us. Don't hold back or censor your stories - rather, aim to tackle any serious themes with intention and respect. We're looking for dark but meaningful stories, not for shock value.
Manuscript Formatting
Please use these formatting guidelines:
- 12 point Times New Roman or Courier New font
- Double spacing
- 1" margins
- Scene breaks demarcated by *** or # symbols
- Auto characters (e.g. auto indents instead of tabs, curly quotes instead of straight quotes, alt 0151 em dashes without spaces, and alt 0133 ellipses)
The readability helps the editors respond to submissions faster and makes formatting for publication easier if we accept your work. We won't auto-decline if the formatting doesn't fit the guidelines exactly, so don't stress. However, if the formatting is so far off that we would need to re-format the story to read it (e.g. the fonts are much too large or too small or too decorative, parts of the text are cut off, etc), then the editors may decline it for formatting issues at their discretion.
AI-Generated Submissions (Not Allowed) and Other Rights Issues
We do not accept AI-generated submissions. All submitted stories must be directly authored by you (or another author who has explicitly and legally offered you submission rights, as in some cases of translated or agented stories). By submitting a story to All Worlds Wayfarer, you are declaring that it is not an AI-generated story and that you hold all necessary rights. If we discover that a submission has been AI-generated, plagiarized, or stolen, we will not consider the submission and may choose to blacklist the submitter. Should a story be found to be AI-generated, plagiarized, or stolen after publication, it will be removed from future editions of the book and the author will be found in breach of contract, with all that entails.
Translated Submissions
Translators are welcome to submit translated stories, but please include proof that you have permission to publish the story (e.g. a contract with the author) in the submissions email.
Simultaneous, Previously Published, and Multiple Submissions
We accept simultaneous submissions, but please let us know if your story is accepted for publication elsewhere. While we consider previously published stories for our magazine issues, we only consider as-yet unpublished stories for our anthologies. Please submit only one story at a time to All Worlds Wayfarer and wait for a response before submitting another story. We aim to respond to all submissions within one month.
Publishing with Us
Selection goes both ways: Please make sure we're right for your goals before you submit.
Rights
If your story is published in the Into the Dark anthology, we retain exclusive physical and digital publishing rights for one year (starting at the ebook edition's publication). Afterward, the story will remain available in all formats of the book, but all rights revert to you. Note that your story will then be considered previously published, which may affect future submission opportunities with other markets, as not all markets accept previously published work.
Editing
We proofread accepted stories prior to their publication. We may also perform light copyediting. In either case, you will have the opportunity to approve or decline the changes. We will not perform any developmental edits. Note that, as a US-based publisher, we change all alternative spellings to US English spellings as part of formatting.
Formats
Our anthologies are published digitally and physically (in ebook and hardcover formats upon release, and in a paperback edition 1-4 months later). As part of the standard IngramSpark catalog, they will be available at most major online booksellers (including Amazon and Amazon Kindle, B&N.com, Kobo, Apple Books, and Walmart.com) as well as available for independent bookstores and libraries to stock at their discretion.
We will be running a Kickstarter campaign for Into the Dark after the submission call but prior to publication; if Kickstarter stretch goals are successfully funded, the anthology may become available in additional formats, such as audiobook. However, there is no guarantee that the Kickstarter campaign will be successfully funded.
All authors featured in the anthology will receive a free .pdf digital edition prior to release.
Payment
Writing is challenging work—mentally and emotionally—and we passionately believe in paying writers for their labor. At this time, we can offer token payments of $20 for published submissions. In the future, we would love to be able to provide our authors with the larger payments they deserve.
On that note, we will be running an experimental Kickstarter campaign for Into the Dark after the submission call but prior to publication; if the Kickstarter campaign is successfully funded, we will offer larger payments to all included authors. The amount depends on which funding goals are reached. The basic goal would allow for $100 flat-rate payments, but stretch goals would allow for per-word-based payments at semi-pro or pro rates. Note that there is no guarantee that the campaign will be successfully funded at any tier. If it isn't, the anthology will still be published, but we will only be able to offer authors the original $20 honorarium, due to budget limitations.
Publication Schedule
We plan to publish Into the Dark in Q3-Q4 2025. We want to leave ample time for editing, book/cover design, and marketing, so that we can make the anthology the best it can be and help it reach as many readers as possible.
Please register for our newsletter if you would like to keep up with any updates.
How to Submit
Submissions are currently CLOSED; submissions for Into the Dark closed on October 31st, 2024.
- Please email [email protected].
- Include SUBMISSION in your subject line, along with your story's title.
- Include your story's word count and any relevant content warnings in your email.
- Include a short third-person author bio (200-word maximum) that you would like posted with your story in the event that it is published. Your bio may include links to your website, blog, newsletter, or social media accounts.
- Attach your story file to the email (.docx preferred, .doc or .rtf okay) or include a link to a Google Docs file.
- Send it our way!
We’ll do our best to get back to you within one month. If you have not heard from us by two months, or if you have other questions related to the submissions process, feel free to contact us at [email protected].
We welcome submissions from experienced and emerging writers in every demographic. Reading stories written by so many unique voices makes this journey worth taking. Don't self-reject! Whether or not we select your submission as a fit for All Worlds Wayfarer, we respect every author who shares their hard work with us.
We look forward to reading your tales!
