The Gravity of the Thing is published quarterly. They publish both new and established writers, and like to champion voices that are sometimes quieted in the literary exchange, such as women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQIA communities. They are accepting submission till February 29th.

Fiction and nonfiction writers may submit any number of six word stories, stories that contain exactly six words, but only one may be published. Fiction and nonfiction writers may also submit one piece of flash writing, 500 words or fewer, or one short story, 3000 words or fewer. The Gravity of the Thing also accepts longer works of fiction and nonfiction as featured writing. These submissions may be 3000 to 5000 words. Excerpts from longer pieces should be self-contained. Poets may submit up to five poems.

The Gravity of the Thing accepts submissions online, but not via post or email. They accept simultaneous submissions, but do not accept previously published work.

If you’d like to read more or submit to The Gravity of the Thing, please visit their website at http://thegravityofthething.com/submit/.

WHAT:  Self-E Library Journal provides a platform for independent authors to make their works available to library patrons.  This feature only materialized this year in 2015, and many states need submissions from independent authors.

WHERE:  Individual states elect to subscribe to this component.  From there, the system is made available at different tiers either through the state (the Arizona State Library); through counties (San Diego County Library in California); or through specific libraries (Queens Public Library in New York).  If your state has not yet subscribed to Library Journal Self E, you are still able to submit your work.  There will soon be an international Indie component.

WHY:  Aspiring writers can expect to see three distinct benefits come from having their work included in their state’s Indie Anthology.  First and most obvious, it provides a new audience for the independent author.  Second, social media changed the mechanics of the writing industry.  Being able to cite published work which has passed the scrutiny of a panel and been approved by a public library system definitely gives the independent author prestige points.  Third, that small boost in distinction and publicity can greatly encourage the aspiring writer to set more goals and finish projects.  In other words, it inspires independent authors to keep writing!

WHY NOT:  Library Journal Self E retains perpetual, non-restricted, worldwide rights to your submission.  Put simply, they will always have the ability to distribute, market, and reproduce your work electronically through any public library system.  The author does retain intellectual and propriety rights.

HOW:  Having your writing featured in Library Journal Self E system may not prove as beneficial to established independent authors who have published major work, particularly writing which shows potential to develop into even larger ventures, like documentaries, screen plays, or series.  However, this avenue can certainly benefit a writer who has only published one or two small projects and anticipates building a freelance career by providing two significant fan bases: 1) readers who download your book, and 2) the panel members who take the time to judge whether your work meets their criteria.  Take advantage of this free opportunity to have your work showcased in a notable public domain by visiting their submission page:

https://library-journal.biblioboard.com/

Good Luck to All!

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Anna Chan has published 2 loose fiction novellas through Createspace, and several articles anonymously through BLOGMUTT.  Technical writing includes training materials for Army air traffic controllers.  Her current projects are a children’s bedtime storybook, featuring a story for each night of the year; a romance; and another loose fiction book about the small Arizona desert town she lives in.

The following four anthologies are all looking for very different submissions.

2Leaf Press is seeking submissions for the anthology, What Does it Meant to be White in America, a collection of stories and essays that asks just that, from a white perspective. The editors are Gabrielle David (publisher and editor) and Sean Frederick Forbes (author, poet, professor). Compensation is one copy of the book. The deadline is December 1, 2015. Read their full submission guidelines here.

Nomadic Devotion is publishing an anthology of creative nonfiction on sound and locality. This anthology will feature narratives by various authors on the deeply trans-formative experience of the convergence of humans, sound, and locality. Writers may submit one creative nonfiction piece between 1,000-3,000 words via email. for more information visit their webpage here. They close to submissions on December 1st, 2015.

MIEL will publish an anthology of writing on [ S O F T N E S S ], edited by Margaret Patton Chapman and Éireann Lorsung. Work for this anthology will be read from September 15, 2015 until February 1, 2016. Responses will be sent to submitters that spring. The editors are looking for text or image-text in all forms—prose, poetry, fragments, hybrid or null forms, incomplete objects, notes—that explores, rests within, arises from, or occupies the space of the [ S O F T ]. Contributors will receive two copies. The publisher is planning to crowdfund the project. Learn more here.

DarkHouse Publishing is seeking submissions for the forthcoming anthology Black Coffee. They are seeking noir tales of mystery and crime that are between 2,500 – 6,000 words words in length. They are open to unpublished works as well as reprints. All submissions must be made via email. Authors will share equally fifty percent of royalties received. The anthology will contain between 12 and 20 stories. Deadline is December 31st. To learn more visit their website here Update: Elsewhere on the website they say they are not accepting submissions, but the call is still up.