Presenting...ZNB Presents!  

Since founding Zombies Need Brains in 2012, I've wanted to expand beyond themed anthologies and this, Year 10 of the small press, is the year I've decided to move forward with that. So I present to you all...ZNB Presents! This is an online magazine run through Zombies Need Brains' Patreon. Stories--along with an accompanying illustration--are published the 1st and 15th of every month. Subscribers simply subscribe to the Patreon at whatever tier they're comfortable with. (There are two tiers aimed specifically at magazine subscribers--one at $2/month and another at $4/month.) Stories will be selected through an open call for submissions. A set open call each year will run from July 1st through July 7th. Additional open calls will be run as needed after that. As the subscriber base increases, I'll add additional stories per month.

The main reason I wanted to start the magazine is that I feel there's a dearth of pro-rate markets for SF&F short stories with lengths between 2500 and 7500 words. I know this because I've written and attempted to publish such stories and the choices are few and far between. I wanted to provide such a market and felt ZNB was poised to do that at this time. I'm excited about the possibilities!

So, if you'd like to support small press and short story markets, swing on by the Zombies Need Brains Patreon HERE and become a patron!

If you're a writer, you can find the submission guidelines here. Keep in mind that we can't have markets like this unless we get subscribers, so spread the word about the new magazine!

Because of the low number of patrons at the Patreon, we are going to run a Kickstarter to generate some funds to keep the magazine going for Year Two. The Kickstarter will begin June 1st and run for 30 days. We are hoping to generate at least $5,000 to get us through to the end of Year Two, but anything above and beyond $5,000 would also be extremely helpful. Click HERE for the magazine's Kickstarter!

And just in case you were worried, we still intend to produce themed anthologies funded by a Kickstarter. See below for the latest Kickstarter themes.

I hope you join me for this new and exciting endeavor, as well as our future Kickstarters!

The Latest ZNB Kickstarter Was a SUCCESS!!!  

The latest Zombies Need Brains Kickstarter reached its funding goal and ended September 14th at Noon Eastern! Click HERE to get to it. This year, we funded FOUR new anthologies. Here are the themes:

DRAGONESQUE: Since Grendel and McCaffrey's Pern, readers have been enthralled with the magic and mystique of dragons. But it's rare that we get to see the world through the dragon's perspective. In DRAGONESQUE, you'll experience an anthology of fantasy and science fiction stories told from, or through, or with, the dragon's point of view. High fantasy, sword & sorcery, urban fantasy, dark fantasy, magical realism, and of course science fiction...DRAGONESQUE will feature a wealth of genres that even a dragon would be tempted to horde. Edited by S.C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier, DRAGONESQUE will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each.

GAME ON!: Games played in fiction often symbolize more than winning and losing. Games represent risk and reward, wealth and class, strategy and blind fortune. In science fiction and fantasy, games can be matters of cosmic importance and of literal life and death—whether the idle pastimes of Star Trek’s 3D chess, the all-consuming TTRPG of the Gamearth trilogy, a frenetic quest as in Ready Player One, the lethal reality TV shows of The Hunger Games, or choosing a new interstellar emperor as in The Player of Games. In GAME ON!, we’re looking for unique science fiction and fantasy takes on games, game playing, and games in culture. A game or games—real or imagined—should be central to the story in some fashion. Please note anything considered a ‘sport’ (i.e.: baseball, soccer, rollerball, etc.) won’t be a fit for this anthology. Games used in stories must also not infringe on real-world trademarked names or third-party copyrights. Edited by Stephen Kotowych & Tony Pi, GAME ON! will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each.

ARTIFICE & CRAFT: Art is everywhere. Our drive and ability to create for the sake of creativity defines us as a species and enriches our cultures, our societies, our lives. The best of these works of art, from novels to paintings to statues to music, are imbued with a special kind of magic. But when that magic is literal—when Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray ages instead of the actual man, and Mozart's Magic Flute plays its protective song—art takes on a whole new meaning. In ARTIFICE & CRAFT, we invite writers of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and other speculative fiction to spin their own tales of works of art that have been enchanted, hexed, charmed, or cursed. Edited by Edmund R. Schubert & David B. Coe, ARTIFICE & CRAFT will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each.

SOLAR FLARE: Imagine a Solarpunk future where societies value cooperation over consumerism, where technology solves ecological challenges rather than creating them. SOLAR FLARE will envision a future where humanity has embraced the Earth and learned to co-exist with it, not simply on it, where sustainability is a way of life, not merely a catch phrase. Join us as these stellar authors share their visions of a hopeful tomorrow. Edited by Patricia Bray & Joshua Palmatier, SOLAR FLARE will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each.

You can find the Kickstarter HERE! Since we've funded, the open call for submissions to all four of the anthologies has started. If you're a writer, and one of those themes inspires you to write a story, send it on in for consideration! You can find the submissions guidelines HERE. If you've got a story to submit, send it in HERE. And good luck!

Thanks to everyone who backed the project and boosted the signal during the long haul to reach our funding goal! Zombies Need Brains wouldn't exist without you!

ZNB Awards!  

Here's a list of stories published by Zombies Need Brains that have been nominated, were finalists, or winners for awards. Congratulations to all of these authors and the corresponding anthology's editors!


"A New Brave World” by Eric Choi, BRAVE NEW WORLDS, ed. by S.C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains, LLC (July 2022), Finalist for The Aurora Award 2023, Buy the book: Kindle; Trade Paperback; Kickstarter Edition

“Eight Mile and the City” by Steven Harper, WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, ed. by S.C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains, LLC (July 2021), WINNER!!! of the WSFA Small Press Award 2022, Buy the book: Kindle; Trade Paperback; Kickstarter Edition

All contents are copyright of Zombies Need Brains, LLC., 2017.