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Flippin' Scales
Flippin' Scales, the second in A Flippin' Anthology Series, opens for submissions January 2026.
Take your favorite dragon (high fantasy, mythology, folklore from any culture or fiction genre all around the world) and Flip It. We’re looking for tales that have an unexpected take, unusual situation, hilarious twist, or other elements that set these dragons apart from the classic Great Wyrm. It can get dark, and a little NSFW, but must have humorous elements with dragons at the center. Tell a great story that pulls us in and takes us on a wondrous flight.
What we are looking for:
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An entertaining story that engages the reader and provides an escapist read.
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Perfect prose is not required, but manuscript should be edited to the best of the author’s ability and fit conventional story structure guidelines.
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NSFW language and mild violence are acceptable if they are needed to tell the story. Any spiciness should fade to black.
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LGBTQA+ and BIPOC authors are welcome.
What we are NOT looking for:
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Erotica
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Splatterpunk, body horror, excessive gore, or torture for the sake of shock. Dark themes and elements are fine, but it should serve the storytelling and not be included as simply violence for the sake of violence.
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Fanfiction or works which borrow heavily from established IP that are not the author’s own.
Word count: 2k-7k words. (word counts outside this range are negotiable if it serves the story)
Compensation : $10 USD and a physical author copy of the finalized book (ebook for authors outside the continental US).
Terms: First publication rights, and exclusive rights for 6 months following publication. Author retains all copyright. Publisher retains right to sell anthology in its original form, as a box set with other anthologies, or as a special edition without additional compensation to the author.
Format: 12pt font; special indent first line; 1.5 spaced; docx preferred
Submissions open: Jan 1st, 2025
Submission due - March 15th
Acceptance letters - March 31st
Edits round 1 sent - May 1st
Final edits sent - June 15th
Estimated Publication date - Aug 4th - checks/payments to be sent when book is live.
Email submissions as an attachment to ChaosInkBooks@gmail.com , Subject line: Flippin’ Scales.
Of Ballads and Bards
Submissions Open August 15th, 2025.
Open until Full
Storytelling has been a cornerstone of society since time immemorial, and one of the most lauded forms is ballads and bardic poetry, the art of telling grand tales in verse and rhyme. We’re seeking submissions that blend poetry and short stories into wondrous ballads of myth, magic, and adventure.
Think Edgar Allan Poe’s Nevermore, Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and Homer’s The Iliad. Epic quests in couplets, whispered legends in free verse, modern folklore in stanzas. We long for rhymes that could be recited by a wandering bard, whispered in the dark of a haunted hall, broadcast over the last radio in a dying city, or etched into the hull of a ship bound for unknown stars.
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The story can be in any genre: space opera, gothic ghost story, whimsical fantasy, penned in the form of a poem. We want pieces that sing on the tongue and linger in the mind.
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Guidelines:
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Narrative poetry 300 - 2,000 words (flexible if it serves the story).
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Clear story from start to finish, with strong characters and emotional arc.
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Vivid imagery and immersive worldbuilding.
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No extreme gore or explicit sexual content (implied or thematic darkness is acceptable)
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Must be original, not previously published work. No Generative AI-assisted work.
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Simultaneous submissions ok.
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Up to 3 pieces per author can be submitted (same email is ok, but pieces should be in separate attachments).
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Accepted authors receive $5 per accepted piece and a physical copy of the work (ebook copy for authors outside the continental U.S.).
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First worldwide print and digital publishing rights, exclusive for 6 months from publication date.
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Submit in 12-pt Garamond or Times New Roman, docx preferred, to ChaosInkBooks@gmail.com - subject: Of Ballads and Bards Submission