OPEN SUBMISSION CALLS FOR RACONTEUR PRESS, 2023-2024
Guidelines for all our anthologies:
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, 12PT, double spaced, with your name, title of the story, and your email on it. Send in a .docx format. Please attach the file to your email, no links. Please see the submission guideline graphic on the Raconteur Press Facebook page.
Raconteur Press will hold the rights for one year after publication, after one year the rights will revert to the author.
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 on to your royalties until you choose and method of payment and input the required information.
Submit to: racpresssubmissions[at}gmail.com
(Questions about our publishing schedules can be addressed to racpressproduction[at]gmail.com)
All Will Burn, Volume 2
We’ll do anything as parents to protect our children–ANYTHING. From taking on the local bully with a father’s strength, or going all the way to darker places, keeping our child safe is written in our DNA. We’re looking for stories about a parent’s response to their child being in a dangerous or difficult situation, and how they solved the problem. Not all the situations need to be dark–nor do they have to be on this planet, this time frame, or even in this universe. The stories can be humorous…or deadly serious. This is Volume 2 of the anthology!
Opens: 10/1/23
Closes: 12/1/23
Contracts: 12/16/23
Publication: 1/12/24
Steampunk!
The Age of Steam went on a little longer than anyone expected and the aesthetics are awesome! Now, tell us a story where Steam makes sense. Murder? Magic? Mayhem? Anything and everything goes but don’t just stick some gears on it and call it Steampunk, build your worlds and tell your stories!
Opens: 10/15/23
Closes:12/15/23
Contracts: 12/30/23
Publication: 1/26/24
Giant! Freakin! Robots!
With Guest Editor Dr. James Young
Short story must involve some type of mecha, i.e., the “giant robots” of Gundam and Macross fame. Whether punching giant monsters in the face, running around slashing aliens on some distant planet, or subjecting their foes to “another anime missile massacre,” giant robots have long fascinated science fiction audiences. Here’s your chance to put your own spin on “Just get in the robot!”
Opens: 11/29/23
Closes: 12/29/23
Contracts:1/13/24
Publication: 2/9/24
Pinup Noir, Volume 3
The final volume in our Pinup Noir series. Everybody loves the femme fatale; the tough-as-nails dame with the smoky voice and the legs that go on forever – almost as much as they love the cynical gumshoe with the strict moral code and the tiniest soft spot in his heart. Hard-boiled detective fiction – America’s gift to literature – was introduced to the world in the middle of the Roaring Twenties, allegedly reached its height in the 1950s; and if you listen to the pundits, died out with the pulp magazines. Hogwash. Hardboiled detective fiction lives on in its offspring: the roman noir, film noir, neo-noir, Mediterranean noir, and last – but certainly not least – cyberpunk.
Opens: 11/12/23
Closes: 1/12/24
Contracts: 1/27/24
Publication: 2/23/24
Space Marines 3
Marines. The first into battle and the fiercest warriors, either individually or as a unit. With a long tradition of fighting aboard ships and on land, their tactics might change when those ships go to space but their fortitude will not. The third in our series of how Marines move into a new environment.
Opens: 11/19/23
Closes: 1/19/24
Contracts: 2/3/24
Publication: 3/1/24
Moggies in Space 3
Continuing our popular Cats in SPAACE! Series. Since the first feline walked into the first human dwelling and decided they liked the staff, Cats have been going where they want and doing what they do. Whether hunting, lounging or deigning to grace their companions with company, cats will continue to do what cats do.
Which is anything they want. Volume 3 in our popular series.
Opens: 12/2/23
Closes: 2/2/24
Contracts: 2/17/24
Publication: 3/15/24
YOU Again? Your Honor Volume 2, The END of the Spurgle Chronicles
Sometimes, things go wrong. Sometimes, they go very, very wrong. And then you’re explaining to the judge where the contraband came from, why the goat is covered in peanut butter, and why the courtroom suddenly smells like a freshly fertilized field.
Opens: 12/23/23
Closes:2/23/24
Contracts: 3/9/24
Publication: 4/5/24
Wyrd West
Witches, and werewolves and cowboys, oh my! Strange things are done in the midday sun, especially when there’s magic around. Tell your tales about monsters and magic in the Old West.
Opens: 1/8/24
Closes: 3/8/24
Contracts: 3/30/24
Publication: 4/19/24
Space Cowboys 5
This anthology series hit a nerve with the reading public. Something about the rugged individualism of the cowboy strikes a chord in us all. A certain romanticism exists in the feeling that cowboys inhabit a simpler world; one that’s clearer, brighter and makes more sense than our day to day existence. Cowboys have a certain reckless reputation and that doesn’t fade away when you move them into space and onto alien worlds. Men and women who face hardships and rope a living out of an unforgiving landscape without waiting for orders from a distant authority. They do what needs to be done and take care of their animals, their people, and themselves.
Opens: 1/22/24
Closes:3/22/24
Contracts:4/6/24
Publication: 5/3/24
Goblin Marketplace
What happens when fairies show up at the farmer’s market? Would you make a deal with a goblin? What would you expect to find at an interstellar market? Let your imagination run and tell us those tales of bargains, bad deals and unexpected treasures.
Opens: 2/6/24
Closes:4/6/24
Contracts:4/20/24
Publication: 5/17/24
Hooves, Sabers & Tracks
With Guest Editor Dr. James Young
Short story must involve some aspect of mounted warfare from antiquity to the modern era. Think “What if Custer had brought his gatlings?” or “What if Leslie McNair has a fatal accident in 1941 and the U.S. has Pershings at Normandy?” Only stipulation is the point of deviation has to be realistic to the technology of the time. If you’re giving the 2nd ACR tri-barrels to defend the Fulda Gap, this is the wrong anthology for you.
Opens: 2/19/24
Closes: 4/19/24
Contracts: 5/4/24
Publication: 5/31/24
Alien Family Values
With Guest Editor Sandra Medlock
Galactic War has disrupted planets, towns, and families all over the colonized cosmos and communities are reeling from the impact. But several colonies have opened their doors to the families and species who have lost their homes and loved ones. Many families have become mixed species by adopting or fostering those that are lost or hurt.These are their stories. Some are touching. Some are humorous. And some are horrifying, because not all blended alien families, adoptions or fosters turn out well.
You get to choose the planetary system and species and describe the galactic upset that leads to this Alien Family Value–or simply jump into the middle of family life. Be sure to describe your family, species, and fosters/adoptees so that the reader can understand the dynamics of the story.
Opens: 3/3/24
Closes: 5/3/24
Contracts: 5/18/24
Publication: 6/14/24
Moggie Noir
Cats. Noir. Spectacular Tail. Go.
Opens: 3/23/24
Closes: 5/24/24
Contracts: 6/8/24
Publication: 7/5/24
Coffee Adventures
The perfect cuppa joe. The nectar of the gods. The safety liquid you hand your partner in the morning. We love the stuff, and can’t get enough. But how did we FIND that amazing bean? We invite our authors to visit our favorite coffee merchant, King Harv’s Coffee, and pick a variety from his amazing list. Then write a fantastical story about the detective work, the journey, the adventure of finding the oh-so-perfect bean. Was there a coffee shop on that asteroid? And where did they get the brew? Don’t limit yourself to this planet! OR SF! Sword and Sorcery works too!
From Dave at King Harv’s Coffee: It all began when we took over the dome at the old South Pole station for the use as a coffee greenhouse. As you undoubtedly well know, the coffee was banned from world trade to by that ridiculous Antarctic treaty, and it became clear to us that coffee grown on alternate planets and celestial objects was the only thing that made economic sense. Shockingly this has never been reported on in the main stream media!
Opens: 4/8/24
Closes:6/28/24
Contracts: 7/13/24
Publication: 8/9/24
The Super Generation
In 1955 there was an unexplained cosmic event that granted some people extraordinary abilities.
It was never repeated. Abilities were not passed down to their children. This means that in the not too distant future, the so called “Super Generation” will be nothing but a note in history books.
These are their stories, their memoirs, and how they changed history.
Opens: 5/12/24
Closes: 7/12/24
Contracts: 7/27/24
Publication: 8/23/24
The Big Ones, WWII
With Guest Editor Dr. James Young
Short story must involve some aspect of World War II. Think “What if Force Z had fighter escort?” to “Trinity ends with a ‘click’…then silence.” Only stipulation is the point of deviation has to be realistic to the technology of the time. If you’re giving the U.S.S. Nevada rail guns at Pearl Harbor, this is the wrong anthology for you.
Opens: 5/26/24
Closes: 7/26/24
Contracts: 8/10/24
Publication: 9/6/24
Moggie Noir Volume 2
Cats. Noir. Spectacular Tail. Do it again.
Opens: 6/9/24
Closes: 8/9/24
Contracts: 8/24/24
Publication: 9/20/24
We Be Trippin’
If you’ve watched our #RaconteurRoadTrip adventures in the North Texas Troublemakers Facebook group, you know we’ve had some…interesting adventures. So why not do an anthology? Tell us travels full of hijinks and strange circumstances, danger, humor, and odd encounters as we journey through the universe, the neighborhood, or across town.
Opens: 6/23/24
Closes: 8/23/24
Contracts: 9/7/24
Publication: 10/4/24
Wyrd West Volume 2
Because we KNOW we’ll get a bunch, here we go with Volume 2! Witches, and werewolves and cowboys, oh my! Strange things are done in the midday sun, especially when there’s magic around. Tell your tales about monsters and magic in the Old West.
Opens: 7/6/24
Closes: 9/6/24
Contracts: 9/21/24
Publication: 10/18/24
Coffee Stories Volume 2
Because we KNOW how many of us drink the stuff—we’re going to need TWO volumes of this one. The perfect cuppa joe. The nectar of the gods. The safety liquid you hand your partner in the morning. We love the stuff, and can’t get enough. But how did we FIND that flavorful bean? We invite our authors to visit our favorite coffee merchant, King Harv’s Coffee, and pick a variety from his amazing list. Then write a fantastical story about the detective work, the journey, the adventure of finding the oh-so-perfect plant. Don’t limit yourself to this planet! OR SF! Sword and Sorcery works too!
From Dave at King Harv’s Coffee: It all began when we took over the dome at the old South Pole station for the use as a coffee greenhouse. As you undoubtedly well know, the coffee was banned from world trade to by that ridiculous Antarctic treaty, and it became clear to us that coffee grown on alternate planets and celestial objects was the only thing that made economic sense. Shockingly this has never been reported on in the main stream media!
Opens: 7/27/24
Closes: 9/27/24
Contracts: 10/12/24
Publication: 11/08/24
December Titles TBA
Yep, we’re holding open a couple of spaces at the end of the year. July has a special surprise, and we get some great ideas as we go along, so we’ll fill those in as we go.