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Check out our ONLINE STORE to order all of our past anthologies!

 

 


Unfortunately, we did not find enough subscribers to the ZNB PRESENTS magazine to be able to maintain it beyond the first two years. And the Kickstarter to fund the third year also failed. Because of this, we've been forced to shut down the magazine. I want to thank everyone who supported it through both the Zombies Need Brain Patreon, those who supported the Kickstarters for a bump to Year Two and Year Three, and all of the authors who submitted stories to the open calls for the magazine over the last two years. Because we are shutting down the magazine, there will, of course, be no open call from July 1st-7th this year.

There will be another Kickstarter this August-September for three more themed SF&F anthologies, as usual. Each of these will have an open call for submissions. Themes will be announced shortly. So keep an eye on this page, at the ZNB Facebook page, or the ZNB Twitter/X account.

The Patreon will continue with its usual non-magazine tiers (Zombies Unite!, Writers Unite!, and Write Faster!), but each tier will be at a discounted rate. Zombies Unite!, with behind the scene info about ZNB and early announcements of themes, cover art reveals, back cover copy, etc. will now be $2/month; Writers Unite!, with writing tips and advice and discussions about things happening in the publishing world, will now be $3/month; and Write Faster!, with snippets, short stories, and chapters of novel written by Joshua Palmatier, will now be $4/month. 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 for any of our themed anthologies currently seeking stories here.



Themes for this year's ZNB anthologies!  

The next Zombies Need Brains themed anthology Kickstarter will begin August 15th, Noon Eastern! We'll have the usual plethora of reward levels and add-ons, including tuckerizations, signed copies of novels, and more! Plus, the earlier you get in on the project, the more bonus material you can get, including ebookks of full novels, short story collections, and more. So mark your calendar and back early! We're shooting for $30K this time, due to an increase in the printing process for the mass market Kickstarter limited-editions. Click through the link here: tinyurl.com/ZNBKickstarter2024 and hit "Notify Me" so you're notified when the Kickstarter launches! Preview coming soon. Here are the new themes for this year:

WERE-2: It’s the night of the full moon, but there are more than mere werewolves skulking the streets. In WERE-2, we return to the back alleys in the dead of night to discover what other were-creatures might see you as prey. A were-raven? Were-squirrel? Were-octopus? You won’t know until you hear that rustle of feathers next to your ear or smell the brine of the sea in that gust from the window. Writers are asked to give us their most creative were-creature, with only one rule: No werewolves allowed! Edited by S.C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier, WERE-2 will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each. Anchor authors include: Randee Dawn, Auston Habershaw, Gini Koch, Gail Z. Martin & Larry N. Martin, Harry Turtledove, Tim Waggoner, Jean Marie Ward.

SKULL X BONES: Avast, ye scurvy dogs! It’s time to plunder! Pirates have enchanted and haunted readers for generations, from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island to the ill-fated Firefly. Whether it’s Blackbeard, Mal, or Han Solo, we love our swashbucklers, our One-Eyed Willies, and our scruffy-looking nerfherders. In SKULL X BONES, we want writers to give us their best science fiction or fantasy pirates, whether they be on the sailing ships of the deep wide ocean or the spaceships of the black void! Edited by David B. Coe & Joshua Palmatier, SKULL X BONES will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each. Anchor authors include: R.S. Belcher, Alex Bledsoe, Jennifer Brozek, C.C. Finlay, Violette Malan, Misty Massey, Alan Smale.

AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR: The city of Ampyrium is bustling with trade…in the midst of a Merchant War! In AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR, we return to the city that’s the hub for eight portals to other worlds, where the streets are shadowed on the brightest of days, the wares exchange hands both above and beneath the table, and all of it happens under the Eyes of the enigmatic Magnum. In AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR, we invite writers to come play in this shared-world city of magic and mayhem, saintliness and sin, established by the seven authors in last year’s AMPYRIUM. What nefarious plans will you perpetrate…or foil? Edited by Joshua Palmatier, AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each. Anchor authors include: Patricia Bray, S.C. Butler, David B. Coe, Esther Friesner, Juliet E. McKenna, Jason Palmatier, and Joshua Palmatier.

Writers, keep watch on the Kickstarter. We'll do an open call for submissions that will start as soon as the Kickstarter funds until December 31st. Start brainstorming now!



ZNB Awards!  

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

Justin Adams for DRAGONESQUE ed. by S.C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains LLC (June 2023), Finalist for the 2024 Dragon Award for Best Illustrative Book Cover, Buy the book: Kindle; Trade Paperback; Kickstarter Edition

"Machines" by Jennifer R. Povey, GAME ON! ed. by Stephen Kotowych & Tony Pi, Zombies Need Brains LLC (June 2023), Finalist for the WSFA Small Press Award 2024, Buy the book: Kindle; Trade Paperback; Kickstarter Edition

GAME ON! ed. by Stephen Kotowych & Tony Pi, Zombies Need Brains LLC (June 2023), Finalist for the Prix Aurora Awards 2024, Buy the book: Kindle; Trade Paperback; Kickstarter Edition

"Ashes of a Cinnamon Fire” by R.Z. Held, SHATTERING THE GLASS SLIPPER, ed. by Crystal Sarakas & Rhondi Salsitz, Zombies Need Brains LLC (June 2022), Finalist for the WSFA Small Press Award 2023, Buy the book: Kindle; Trade Paperback; Kickstarter Edition

"Not the Youngest, Nor the Prettiest, But Someone Else” by Alyse Winters, SHATTERING THE GLASS SLIPPER, ed. by Crystal Sarakas & Rhondi Salsitz, Zombies Need Brains LLC (June 2022), Finalist for the WFSA Small Press Award 2023, Buy the book: Kindle; Trade Paperback; Kickstarter Edition

"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 Prix 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



“Standing Orders” by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, DERELICT, ed. by David B. Coe & Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains LLC (July 2021), Finalist for the WSFA Small Press Award 2022, Buy the book: Kindle; Trade Paperback; Kickstarter Edition

"Decay in Five Stages” by Julie E. Czerneda, DERELICT, ed. by David B. Coe & Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains LLC (July 2021), Finalist for the Prix Aurora Award 2022, Buy the book: Kindle; Trade Paperback; Kickstarter Edition

"Foster-Child of Silence and Slow Time" by Brian Hugenbruch, MY BATTERY IS LOW AND IT IS GETTING DARK, ed. by Crystal Sarakas & Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains LLC (July 2020), Finalist for the WSFA Small Press Award 2021, Buy the book: Kindle; Trade Paperback; Kickstarter Edition

"Somewhere Else, Nowhere Else" by Juliet Kemp, PORTALS, ed. by Patricia Bray & S.C. Butler, Zombies Need Brains LLC (June 2019), Finalist for the WSFA Small Press Award 2020, Buy the book: Kindle; Trade Paperback; Kickstarter Edition

"O-Rings" by Elektra Hammond, ALTERNATE PEACE, ed. by Steven H Silver & Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains LLC (June 2019), Honorable Mention for the Sidewise Awards for Alternate History 2019, Buy the book: Kindle; Trade Paperback; Kickstarter Edition

"A Vague Inclination to Please" by Brandon Daubs, ALL HAIL OUR ROBOT CONQUERORS!, ed. by Patricia Bray & Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains LLC (September 2017), Finalist for the WSFA Small Press Award 2018, Buy the book: Kindle; Trade Paperback; Kickstarter Edition

"Through Milkweed and Gloom" by Wendy Nikel, SUBMERGED, ed. by S.C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains LLC (September 2017), Finalist for the WSFA Small Press Award 2018, Buy the book: Kindle; Trade Paperback; Kickstarter Edition

"Radio Silence" by Walter H. Hunt, ALIEN ARTIFACTS, ed. by Joshua Palmatier & Patricia Bray, Zombies Need Brains LLC (August 2016), Finalist for the WSFA Small Press Award 2017, Buy the book: Kindle; Trade Paperback; Kickstarter Edition

Check out our ONLINE STORE to order all of our past anthologies!

 


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