Sub Ops Duo

Crossed Genres has an interesting open call for SF and/or Fantasy speculative fiction novellas featuring tales of older women: "We’re looking for speculative stories featuring women of advancing age (late middle age and older). They’re smart, they’re tough, and they have wills of their own. They may be warriors, politicians, adventurers, etc. Even if they are also wives, mothers, wise women or healers, those archetypes must not be their defining characteristics. Their motivations, their driving force, must be their own. Whatever was in their past, they’re not interested in being in the background now. We want stories about women breaking free of suppression; we also want stories of women who’ve been empowered all their lives. We welcome and strongly encourage submissions with underrepresented main characters: characters of color, LGBTQ characters, etc." Length:  17.5-40K (firm); Payment:  "$0.01 per word, plus one print copy & the ebook."  No reprints, electronic submission via online form only, see guidelines for more details.  Deadline:  October 31, 2012

Postscripts to Darkness has a standing open call for "works of short (up to 3500 words) fiction for our soon-to-be twice yearly publication. We are currently open to submissions for volume 4, which will be published in the fall of 2013.  We are open to a variety of approaches and styles, but are interested in original work that pushes and plays with(in) the boundaries of the fantastic, the marvelous, the uncanny, and the horrific. We are not interested in formulaic re-treads of genre conventions, but in work that revises and interrogates the relationship between genre writing and literary experimentation."  Payment:  "As of Volume 4, we will offer fiction contributors $25 per story (payable through PayPal), regardless of length. We will also provide a complimentary pdf version of the book to each contributor. Contributors also have the option of purchasing more copies at a low contributor’s rate (30% off.)" No reprints, electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details.

Both of these ops were found among the marvelous market listings at Ralan.com.