Short Story Anthology: Call for Writers
Do you have any relics lying around?
Yes, you are reading that correctly: the Based Book Sale, in coordination with the Writer’s Block authors Heidi Hill, L. Jagi Lamplighter Wright, and Michael Finney are co-editing a volume of stories around the theme of relics.
We are looking for submissions of stories dealing with any angle on the theme.
Queries due by End of Day Friday Feb 13th 2026.
Relic [rel-ik] / ˈrɛl ɪk /
NOUN
a surviving memorial of something past.
an object having interest by reason of its age or its association with the past.
a surviving trace of something.
relics,
remaining parts or fragments.
the remains of a deceased person.
something kept in remembrance; souvenir; memento.
Ecclesiastical. (especially in the Roman Catholic and Greek churches) the body, a part of the body, or some personal memorial of a saint, martyr, or other sacred person, preserved as worthy of veneration.
a once widespread linguistic form that survives in a limited area but is otherwise obsolete.
The Relics anthology is intended for a general audience, meaning the submission guidelines for inclusion in a Based Book Sale apply to this collection. No unauthorized fan fiction will be accepted.
Please query with your story idea, so as to avoid too many stories on the same exact topic.
Word count: No minimum, 10k maximum
Manuscript Deadline: May 3rd, 2026
Payment: Writers will receive equal shares of 70% of profits (through PubShare), 1 year of exclusivity from publishing date.
Send query pitches and questions as soon as possible to: BBSanthology@mail.com
Query acceptance does not guarantee a place in the anthology.
I submitted a query but was hasty and made a mistake and added the submission with the query. I apologize. If that knocks me out of consideration, maybe next time. I am excited for this compilation anyhow. In reading on with the comments, you are looking for unpublished work, so that knocks it out. Oh well. I made a big mistake by self-publishing my short stories instead of saving them for anthologies. I hope you enjoy the short read, anyhow.
Because I am indie, I've never queried anything in my life. Is there a specific format/style you would like? I absolutely plan on submitting something.