Aspec Paranormal AnthologyOpen Call

What we're looking for:
Stories that centre asexual and aromantic characters (or identities that fall under those umbrellas) in a paranormal context. Give us your ghosts and ghouls, your werewolf packs and vampire covens, the things that hide beneath the bed and between the trees.These stories can be cosy or lean into the more traditional horror elements of the genre, whatever floats your boat — as long as the characters at the heart of it are aspec.Word Count
2,000 to 7,500 wordsSubmission period
September 15th 2025 to November 30th 2025Submissions are open internationallyCompensation
Physical and digital copy of the anthology, and an honorarium of $20 AUDWhere to submit
Please email your submission to [email protected] with ‘[STORY TITLE] - Aspec Paranormal Anthology’ in the subject line.Pieces submitted after 11:59pm AEDT on the 30th of November will not be considered.We particularly would like to see submissions from:
- Aromantic, Asexual, and other Aspec authors
- LGBTQIA+ people
- Neurodiverse people
- People of Colour
- People with Disabilities
- Intersectional identities*Please note that we do not require anyone's identity to be disclosed in order for a piece to be acceptedDetails to include
In your submission email, please include your name, email address, the title of your story (a WIP title is fine), the word count, any trigger/content warnings, and a short synopsis of your piece.Please submit your piece as .doc or .docx file with a 12pt Times New Roman font with double line spacing - Modern Manuscript/Shunn formatting preferred but is not expected (please only include your email and name in the header.)Stories written in English only, please.Please let us know if this is a simultaneous submission and withdraw the submission if it has been accepted elsewhere.We would like to see:
- Asexual and/or Aromantic characters at the forefront of their stories and being badasses
- Well polished stories, not first drafts
- Ghosts, werewolves, vampires, folklore inspired stories etc
- Original stories unpublished elsewhere
- Queerplatonic and polyamorous relationshipsWe don’t want to see:
- Use of generative AI in the submission
- Erotica
- Rape/Abuse
- Incest
- Exploitation of Minors
- Reprints of previously published workRights
We claim first world electronic and print rights for a period of 6 months, and non-exclusive anthology rights. All rights are restricted to the English language unless specifically stated otherwise.Confidentiality
An author’s personal information (name, address, email, phone, etc) will not be shared with anyone outside our team, except if required under law. We will not be using stories submitted to train Generative AI.There is no fee for submittingQueer identities do not need to be disclosed in order to have a story acceptedA follow up call may be made in early 2026 for Cover and Interior artistsWe aim to reply to all submissions by mid-February 2026But wait, who is running this circus?
Hello! My name is Meaghan, and I’m an author based in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia. I have a love for Spec Fic in all its forms, and a desire to see more asexual and aromantic stories out in the world. This anthology is a combination of both of those things and a healthy dose of enthusiasm and communityYou can find me through my linktr.ee and Phenomena Press on Bluesky, Instagram, and Tumblr_{Background photo by DanMeyers on Unsplash}