Short Story Submission: "Cast of Wonders" & "Metaphorosis"

I want to give my fellow authors a heads up that short story submissions are open for Cast of Wonders and Metaphorosis (where my story, “River’s Song” will soon be published). You’ll find the guidelines below. However, this is just an overview. It’s always wise to get short story submission guidelines directly from the magazine’s website and read what they have published in the past.

Cast of Wonders

DESCRIPTION: “Cast of Wonders is the leading voice in young adult speculative short fiction, founded in 2011 by Graeme Dunlop and Barry J. Northern. It became a part of the Escape Artists family of podcasts in 2016 alongside genre siblings Escape Pod, PseudoPod and PodCastle…. Every week we present short stories from some of today’s best genre fiction writers, featuring everything from hard science fiction, to urban fantasy, horror, steampunk, superheroes and more. Our stories are defined by their deep emotional resonance and that critical spark of wonder.” – https://www.castofwonders.org/about-us/

THEME: Seasonal Holidays (Christmas, Halloween etc.)

OPEN PERIOD: 2/1/2023 – 2/14/2023 (Just in time for Valentine’s Day)

SFWA QUALIFYING?: YES! 🙂

RESPONSE TIME: They aim for 8 weeks. – Query after 3 months.

WORD COUNT: 6,000 words (prefer 3,000 – 4,500 or flash fiction under 1,000 words)

SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: They usually do. There appear to be a few exceptions. As always double check their guidelines. However if you are accepted elsewhere, please let them know immediately.

MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: No.

REPRINTS: Yes!

PAYMENTS: $0.08/word for original fiction. $100.00 flat rate for reprints. $20.00 flat rate for reprinted flash fiction.

HOW TO SUBMIT: Through their Moksha Portal. All submissions must be anonymous. Read Guidelines for details.

WEBSITE: https://www.castofwonders.org

Metaphorosis

DESCRIPTION: “Metaphorosis is a magazine of science fiction and fantasy. We offer intelligent, beautifully written stories for adults.” – https://magazine.metaphorosis.com/about/

OPEN PERIOD: Always open 🙂

RESPONSE TIME: They try to respond within 24 hours! (Don’t query until after 2 weeks have passed)

WORD COUNT: 500 – 10,000 (Prefer stories between 2,000 and 6,000)

SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: Yes (But as always, let them know if your work is published elsewhere.)

MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: No.

REPRINTS: Only if it is a translation that has never been published in English.

PAYMENTS: $0.01/word (via PayPal)

NOTE: They give “bonus points” for stories that are vegan-friendly (they are NOT interested in stories that feature “extensive hunting” or animal cruelty.)

REVISION: There is a very strong chance they will suggest revisions. (This happened with my short story.)

ART: They are open for cover art submissions.

HOW TO SUBMIT: Through Their Moksha portal. No personally identifying information on your manuscript. Submissions should be in DOC, DOCX, ODT, or RTF format. Please read their submissions page for more details.

WEBSITE: https://magazine.metaphorosis.com/