Gates: A Space Opera Anthology
Submissions are now open! Deadline: September 15th, 2026.
WANTED: Space opera stories about stargates, wormholes, and portals to the unknown
Who built them? Nobody knows. Where do they go? Only one way to find out.
Scattered across the galaxy—orbiting dead stars, buried in the hearts of nebulae, drifting silent at the edge of known space—are gates.
Rings of impossible geometry. Tunnels punched through the fabric of spacetime. Doorways that shouldn't exist.
And yet, there they are.
We're seeking bold tales of what happens when humanity steps through.
Your story might follow a lone starfighter pilot who stumbles onto an ancient ring gate and can't resist the pull. Or a salvage crew that accidentally triggers a wormhole and finds themselves somewhere very far from home. Or a first contact team that realizes—too late —the gate wasn't abandoned. It was waiting.
Think Stargate meets Robert A. Heinlein. Classic sci-fi adventure DNA paired with the primal thrill of crossing a threshold into the unknown—on a cosmic scale.
What we're looking for:
- Strong character-driven narratives about those who dare to venture forth
- Stories that capture the wonder, terror, and mystery of stargates and wormholes
- Rich atmospheric details that bring space exploration sites to life
- Original interpretations of why the portals exist and what they're here for
- Tales that connect mankind's primal, adventurous spirit to a space-age future
Story requirements
- Minimum length: 2,000 words
- Maximum length: 12,000 words
- Genre: Space Opera / Science Fiction (Science Fantasy blends may also be considered)
- Theme: Must feature stargates, wormholes or portals used for space travel
- Completeness: Stories should be complete narratives, not excerpts
- Quality: Must be entertaining, original, previously unpublished work
- Human: Your story must be written by you, not generated by AI
What to avoid:
- Stories set solely on Earth
- Purple prose
- Excessive gore or violence
- Explicit sex scenes
Submission deadline
September 15, 2026
Campaign launch target
Q4 2026
Payment
Guaranteed minimum: $60 per author.
As a contributing author, your payment would be calculated as a percentage of the profit from the Kickstarter campaign. I estimate this to be $60-120 per author. Payment would be split between contributing authors.
Rights
You agree to grant me (M.G. Herron at MG Publishing LLC) exclusive worldwide e-book, audiobook and print rights for 1 year from publication. You also agree to grant non-exclusive rights to sell your story as part of this anthology. Your work will not be re-used in any other format without your permission. After the year-long exclusivity period is over, you may republish or license the story in non-exclusive channels (not in KU).
How to submit
Send your story to matt@mgherron.com with the subject line, “GATES SUBMISSION - [Story Title]”
Questions? Email me at matt@mgherron.com
Join us in exploring the greatest mysteries our galaxy has to offer.
The answers await in Gates.
Previous campaign and story samples
Curious what to expect from this project? Want to read a sample of our stories? Check out the campaign for our previous anthology, Ruins.