Open Calls

WATG Press Multi-Author Anthology (Every 2 months)

Status: Upcoming
Details will be revealed in March (late February for paid subscribers on Substack).

The next multi-author anthology is coming soon.

• Theme: To be revealed in March

• Early Access: Paid Substack subscribers receive the call early

• Official Open Call: March 2026

• Deadline: End of March 2026

• Length: Flash pieces under 1,000 words

• Publication: April 2026

• For more info: join us on Substack.

Monthly Mag Call
Status: Open monthly from the 3rd to the 19th

Our monthly magazine seeks bold, experimental work that pushes against expectations.

• Theme: Writing Against the Grain (ongoing spirit of the Mag)

• Open Call: 3rd to 19th of each month

• Publication: 1st of the following month

• Length: Micro fiction and nonfiction under 300 words

• Payment: one month of paid subscription to the Mag, including one digital copy of the issue

• Guidelines & Submission Process: available on Substack

Drabble the Dark contest - Themed

• Open Call: 3rd to 19th of each month

• Length: Exactly 100 words

• Publication: Following month

• Payment: one month of paid subscription to the Mag, including one digital copy of the issue

• Guidelines, Theme & Submission Process: available on Substack

Special Call — Dark Tales from the Outside

Status: Open

We are gathering chilling tales rooted in world cultures, myths, local horrors, exile, alienation, “outsider” perspectives, or horrors that come from places we rarely look. These may be grounded in a specific location or set in realms that exist only in imagination. Show me shadows from every corner of the map, and from places with no map at all.

• Theme: Horror Tales Around the World

• Length: Flash fiction under 800 words

• Genre: Horror/Dark Fiction

• Payment: No paid market; contributors receive one digital copy

• Deadline: No deadline — call closes once we have accepted enough stories

• Guidelines & Submission Process: available on Substack

Bring us tales of fear, folklore, and haunting narratives from your corner of the world—or beyond.

Accepted Stories Count by Region

(This list will be updated as the anthology fills. Regions are broad and flexible.)

5 - United States / Canada
4 - Europe
1 - Beyond Earth (space-based, cosmic, extraterrestrial settings)
1 - Other Worlds (created worlds, invented mythologies, secondary worlds)
0 - Africa
0 - Asia
0 - Australia & Oceania
0 - South America
0 - Greenland / Arctic Regions/Antarctica
0 - Inner Territories (mindscapes, dreams, psychological or metaphysical places)

Single Author Anthology Submission Guidelines

Status: Open

Please Read Carefully Before Submitting

WATG Press is currently accepting submissions for single-author anthologies, preferably flash and microfiction. Short stories are welcome under certain conditions—please read the full guidelines carefully before submitting.

WATG Press is a small, independent publisher. We do not offer advances, but all accepted work receives fair contract royalties. This press is not for chasing quick profit. We value slow, steady growth and long-term, respectful partnerships with our authors.

Before submitting, please read all guidelines carefully—submissions that don’t follow them may be rejected.