These are magazines, anthologies, and podcasts accepting horror fiction submissions. A few also accept other genres, like fantasy and science fiction, or poetry and non-fiction. Not all of them are open for submissions now, but many are. Some calls are themed. They are listed in no particular order. – S. Kalekar
Infinite Horrors
Infinite Horrors is a print publication, a spinoff of the science fiction magazine, Infinite Worlds. For Infinite Horror, they want horror stories of 1,500-5,000 words. They pay $0.08/word. They also publish comics. Details here.
Diabolical Plots
This award-winning magazine publishes science fiction, fantasy, and horror (everything must have a speculative element, even horror). They also accept translations. They accept work up to 3,500 words, and pay $0.10/word. Their submission period is 17-31 July 2023. Details here.
ergot.
“ergot. is a literary website interested in furthering the innovative and experimental tradition in horror.” They want fiction and hybrid work up to 10,000 words (including excerpts and work in translation) “that push out the boundary of what literary horror is and what it might become.” Pay is $25. Details here.
34 Orchard
They accept fiction (1,000-5,000 words) and poetry; they are reading for their Autumn issue during the first half of July. “At 34 Orchard, we like dark, intense pieces that speak to a deeper truth. We’re not genre-specific; we just like scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad.” Pay is $50. The deadline is 15 July 2023. Details here.
Spectrum: A Queer Neurodivergent Horror Anthology
They want horror prose related to neurodivergency of any sub-genre, genre chimera, or trope. Submissions are open for all writers, though they encourage #ownvoices stories from marginalized communities. “Deep in the recesses of our minds are twisted realities that closely mirror our own. In these pages our nightmares are laid bare, made to manifest. There is no waking up, there is no going back once you fall into the tapestry of terrors that await.” Pay is $0.10/word for stories up to 4,000 words. The deadline is 25 August 2023. Details here.
Book Worms: Halloween
This is a mail-order only horror zine. They want horror fiction and nonfiction on the Halloween theme. Pay is $0.08/word for works up to 1,500 words. Please note, submissions have to be mailed. The deadline is 15 September 2023. Details here.
Apparition Lit: Reclamation
Apparition Lit is a quarterly speculative fiction (1,000-5,000 words) and poetry magazine. “Speculative fiction is weird, almost unclassifiable. It’s fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and literary.” They will be reading submissions on the ‘Reclamation’ theme during the last two weeks in August 2023 (August 15-31st) by all writers; also see the note about their equity initiative in the guidelines here (scroll down) – “Our submission window will remain open for an additional week each quarter for writers who identify as BIPOC and self-identify in their cover letter.
We will also accept simultaneous submissions from writers who identify as BIPOC or LGBTQIA+. Please just note how you identify in your cover letter, that it is a simultaneous submission.” Pay is $0.05/word for fiction, and $50/poem. Details here and here.
(They also publish flash fiction online on monthly prompts, during the first fortnight of every month.)
The Dark
This magazine publishes horror and dark fantasy stories. “Don’t be afraid to experiment or to deviate from the ordinary; be different—try us with fiction that may fall out of “regular” categories. However, it is also important to understand that despite the name, The Dark is not a market for graphic, violent horror.” Pay is $0.05/word for stories of 2,000-5,000 words. They also accept reprints. Details here.
Aphotic Realm Press: Sonoran Horror
They want dark, sinister, or eerie stories for this anthology, presumably named after the Sonoran Desert. The editor says, “Terrors that dwell in the spooky, haunted forest is a well-known horror trope and for good reasons—many of the most memorable stories take place in that setting. Although I do enjoy those stories, I’ve never related to them. Born, raised, and still residing in Phoenix, Arizona, I don’t make it out to the woods very often. I’m not looking for westerns—historical, spatter, or the like. I want horror that showcases the sunbeaten land and the creatures and mysteries that dwell there. That doesn’t mean you can’t submit something historical but try to stay clear of the Western tropes. Think Gila monsters, scorpions, snakes, coyotes, and javelina. The abandoned copper mines. Indigenous folklore. The unbearable heat and the beautiful yet dangerous flora. The unsettling extraterrestrial activity and vicious monsoons…”. They pay is $0.01/word for stories of 1,000-5,000 words, and the deadline is 15 July 2023. Details here.
The NoSleep Podcast
This is a horror fiction podcast. They have detailed guidelines, including, “Horror is a diverse genre, and this is open to interpretation, but the main focus of a story should be to scare or unsettle. Stories should be written in the first-person perspective. While there are occasional exceptions to this rule, first-person tends to work by far the best for the show. … Provide good audio cues. … Make good use of dialogue. Stories with only one narrator can work but we prefer 2+ characters interacting.” For stories between 1200 and 2499 words, they pay $100. For stories of 2,500 words or over, they pay $125. Details here.
Seize the Press Magazine
They accept fiction submissions and non-fiction pitches. “Seize The Press Magazine is an anticapitalist publication looking to publish dark speculative fiction. Bleak sci-fi, dark fantasy, horror and all kinds of weird, messy, genre-defying stories that defy labels. We’re looking for stories that aren’t didactic or moralistic. We want stories where everything isn’t wrapped up neatly at the end. We want to promote a diverse range of voices from authors who write messy characters, so give us your problematic queers and your angry women—we want your difficult and morally questionable characters in unpleasant situations who don’t slide neatly into a narrow definition of positive representation and don’t fit the model minority mould.” They pay 3 pence (GBP) per word for stories up to 5,000 words. Details here.
Flash Frog
They want flash fiction of up to 1,000 words that is “Small. Brightly Colored. Deadly to the Touch.” They accept general submissions year-round, with some exceptions; they accept ghost story submissions during July. “Flash Frog is currently only open for Flash Frogtober submissions until July 31st. This means we want your ghost stories! Send us your traditional ghost stories, the ones that haunt and scare. Send us your unconventional ghost stories, the ones that make us rethink what a ghost story can be. We are open to your interpretation, so surprise us!” The deadline is 31 July 2023 for ghost story submissions, and they pay $25. Details here.
Spindle House: The Deeps
This is a new print and digital magazine and they’re reading work for their second issue. Their tagline is, ‘dark tales for dark nights’. You can read more about them and their preferences/influences here and here. “In the stories we publish, The Deeps may refer to remote forests, dark cellars, cursed wells, frozen wastelands, uncharted caverns, foreign dimensions, or even the vacuum of space itself—and yes, also the depths of the sea.” They want “fiction (500-6,000 words) and narrative poetry (up to 240 lines) that are horror and horror-adjacent, and particularly well-suited for traditional storytelling. (Imagine these stories/poems being read aloud on a dark night or around a fire.) We have a special interest in submissions that fit into the following subgenres: gothic horror, folk horror, cosmic horror, psychological horror, and urban legend.” Pay is $0.01/word, and the deadline is 15 July 2023. Details here.
The Off-Season: An Anthology of Coastal New Weird
They will open for submissions at the end of this month, and the first week of submission is only for marginalized voices. They want “disquieting and disturbing New Weird horror set in landscapes and communities on the edge of the sea. These coastal stories defamiliarize the ordinary, evoke dread even in the daylight, and haunt like half-remembered nightmares. Think ocean-loving cults, crumbling seaside mansions, empty resort towns, strange fisherwomen, beachside arcades, eerie lighthouses, literal tourist traps, jellyfish swarms, red tides, oil spills, intertidal zones, salt marshes, gaudy luxury hotels reclaimed by sea,” and more. Also, “New Weird is a subgenre of horror-fantasy that slides along the margins of other speculative fiction genres, subverts old tropes and conventions, and/or plays with form, style, and ideas.” Pay is $0.05/word for stories of 2,000-4,000 words. The submission period is July 31-August 6 for marginalized voices only (see guidelines); and August 7-August 28, 2023 for all submitters. Work sent outside the submission period will be deleted unread. Details here.
Exploding Head Fiction: The Nightmare Never Ends – A Something Bad Happened Anthology
They want fiction containing elements of horror centered on nightmares and/or dreams. “Stuck inside a dreamworld, stuck inside your head, terrors unfold. We are looking for stories that blend dreamscapes into reality, stories where nightmares come alive, where fears take shape, and we can no longer tell what’s real and what’s not.” Pay is $25 for stories of 2,000-5,000 words, and the deadline is 15 July 2023. Details here.
Mysterion
They want science fiction, fantasy and horror stories (up to 9,000 words) that engage meaningfully with Christian themes, characters or cosmology. The stories need not teach a moral, or be close to an approved theological position, or be pro-Christian. They are especially interested in stories that show Christians from cultures beyond those of the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. They also accept translations and reprints. They have two annual reading periods for fiction, January and July. Art is accepted through the year. They pay $0.08/word. The deadline is 1 August 2023. Details here and here.
Cosmic Horror Monthly
They have two reading periods, 1-7 January and 1-7 July. They publish cosmic horror, Lovecraftian, and weird fiction, as well as associated nonfiction. Pay is $0.03/word up to 5,000 words. Details here.
Written Backwards: Qualia Nous, Vol. 2 Anthology
They want dark science fiction and all blended sub-genres of science fiction (horror, fantasy, etc.) stories and poems. “What does the title mean? It’s up to interpretation. Qualia: instances of subjective, conscious experience; the internal and subjective component of sense perceptions arising from stimulation of the senses by phenomena; the way it feels to have mental states. Nous: intellections; awareness; perception; understanding; reason; thought; intuition; the faculty of the human mind; having the ability to understand what is true or real; practical intelligence.
While not many like the term “literary,” that is what this anthology is looking for: groundbreaking work that break normal conventions and will stand the test of time, propelling emerging and undiscovered writers into the mainstream.” They want stories of up to 10,000 words. They pay $0.10/word capped at 3,000 words for short fiction ($300), 5,000 words for long fiction ($500 for novelettes between 7,500 – 10,000 words); $50 for short poems, or $100 for long poems. The deadline is 31 July 2023. Details here.
Creepy Podcast
This is a podcast “dedicated to creepypastas and scary stories from around the internet.” They’re currently looking for stories that female and gender-neutral narrators can read, and are also looking for stories read by male narrators, of 1,000-5,000 words. They also want single-narrator stories of up to 3,000 words. They have detailed guidelines, including, “If you’re submitting a story for a special event or holiday like Christmas, Easter, etc. Or for our 31 Days of Horror, (or a story for one of their special calls) please let us know in the subject line of the email.” Pay is $0.02/word up to $70 for stories of 1,000-3,000 words, and $100 for Sunday Narration stories of 3,500-7,500 words. Details here.
Hungry Shadow Press: It Was All A Dream – An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right
They are looking for short horror, weird, dark fiction; they want writers to “take your least favorite horror trope and make it work.” Their guidelines say, “Take a trope that’s well-worn, overused, predictable, tough to swallow, and scare the hell out of us with it. Turn it on its head, or make it bizarre enough to still surprise. Really take some time to understand why your chosen trope often fails and how you can make it into a successful (read: scary, surprising, weird, shocking, heartwrenching, maybe even funny) horror story.” They are open to all writers till 15th July, and have an extended submission window exclusively for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and marginalized writers July 16 – July 22, 2023. They want stories of 1,500-3,000 words, and pay $0.05/word. Details here.
Dread Imaginings
This is a fiction magazine. “We want quiet horror at Dread Imaginings. No slashers, no zombies, no vampires, no werewolves (though transformation tales interest us). Also, no ghost stories.” Pay is $0.01/word for stories of 1,500-4,000 words. They will open for submissions sometime in 2023. Details here.
Imaginary Comma: Thirteen Podcast
“We are an audio-drama/audio fiction podcast specializing in feature length (~ one hour) productions that are characterized by slow-burn, atmospheric stories, horror and ghost stories.” And, “Our audience comes to us for slow burn, atmospheric, character driven stories. They want to know the characters and see them grow and change just as much as they want a good scare. Stories that aren’t character driven won’t be a good fit. Submissions of 5,000 words or more are most likely to be selected for wide release. Shorter submissions may be selected for special double feature episodes or episodes exclusive to Patreon supporters and other financial supporters of Imaginary Comma. … Stories with a first person central narrator and supporting characters work best for our format.” Pay is $50. Details here.
Weird Horror Magazine
They will open for submissions during September. “We are seeking horror and weird fiction… We are a home for the strange, the macabre, the eerie, the esoteric, the fabulist, and the gothic. The darkly numinous. The odd. We are not interested in extreme horror. Do not send science fiction or fantasy.” Pay is 1.5c/word for stories of 500-6,000 words. Their submission period is 2-16 September 2023. Their submission portal will open during the reading period. Details here.
TTA Press: Black Static
Black Static is a well-regarded British magazine of horror. Pay is unspecified. Watch for their next submission period. Details here.
Curious Blue Press: December Tales II
For this anthology, “Stories need not take place in December, but all stories must be ghost stories—no supernatural explained. (With apologies to Ann Radcliffe.) Fiction only.” Pay is $25 for stories of 2,000-3,500 words and the deadline is 15 July 2023. Details here.
Nightmare Magazine
This is an award-winning magazine of horror and dark fantasy; you can read more about them here. “We feature works spanning the broad spectrum of dark fiction, with an emphasis on fascinating characters and delicious prose. Our motto? Horror is for everyone!” Watch for their next submission period, which will be in 2024. Details here.
Cirsova
Their tagline is, ‘Magazine of Thrilling Adventure and Daring Suspense’. They have detailed guidelines about the kind of stories they want; apart from Weird Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror, some of the sub-genres are Monstergirls, Raygun Romance, Radium Adventures, Sword & Planet, Space Cops, Lost World, Pre-Historic/Antiquity, Occult Detective/Mystery, Mad Science, and Picaresque Adventure. Send stories of 2,000-7,500 words (can take longer – see guidelines). Pay is $0.0125 (one and a quarter cents) per word. The submission period is 1st – 7th August 2023. Please send your work only during the submission period. Details here.
Anterior Skies
This is an annual anthology of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. They will publish “cosmic and weird stories, ranging from fantasy (preferably low fantasy, but high fantasy will be considered) to sci-fi to noir, as long as there’s a dab of horror somewhere in there.” Pay is $0.01/word, up to $50. They are scheduled to reopen for submissions during 1st December 2023. Details here.
Dark Void Magazine
They want horror fiction that takes place off planet earth. Pay is $0.01/word for stories of 2,000-4,000 words. Details here.
Ill-Adviced Records: The Dark Door
“The Dark Door takes inspiration from 70s and 80s pulp horror fiction zines, and breathes new life into the format.” They publish fiction, illustrations, and dark music. For fiction, pay is $15 for under 500 words, $25 for 500 to 10,00 words, and $50 for 1,000+ words (pay rates on the submission form). They accept submissions on an ongoing basis. Details here.
Three-Lobed Burning Eye
This is a magazine of speculative fiction (up to 7,500 words) – horror, fantasy, and science fiction. “We’re looking for short stories from across the big classifications and those shadowy places between: magical realism, fantastique, slipstream, interstitial, Weird fiction.” They like voices that are “full of feeling, from literary to pulpy, with styles unique and flowing, but not too experimental.” They do not want extreme horror. They welcome translations. Their issues include audio readings. Pay is $30 for flash fiction, and $100 for short fiction. Details here.
Andromeda Spaceways
This is an Australian science fiction and fantasy magazine. They publish fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. They accept up to 10,000 words for fiction (20,000 word limit for Australia and New Zealand authors, and for subscribers). Pay is AUD0.01/word, up to AUD100 for short fiction, and AUD10 for poetry, flash fiction, and non-fiction. They plan to reopen fiction submissions on 1st September 2023. Details here and here.
Tales to Terrify
They want short horror, dark fantasy, and other disturbing fiction for their weekly podcast. “We encourage you to challenge the definition of horror. Standard tropes and monsters are welcome, but give us your own unique take. Avoid the cliche and expected, unless as devices used purposefully and cleverly to further your story.
Drag us deep into the unsettling atmosphere of a crumbling Gothic mansion. Show us the gritty, real-world horrors of evil people with dark intentions. Make our blood run cold and our breath catch in our throats as we’re hunted by ravenous creatures. Unhinge our minds with reality-bending, psychological horrors. Make us feel the pain and sorrow of a long-suffering spirit.” They pay $0.01/word for short fiction (2,000-10,000 words), and have several open reading periods through the year for these; they do not pay for fiction under 2,000 words. They also accept reprints. Details here and here.
Escape Artists: PseudoPod
PseudoPod publishes horror fiction of up to 6,000 words in audio and online formats. “We’re looking for horror: dark, weird fiction. We run the spectrum from grim realism or crime drama, to magic-realism, to blatantly supernatural dark fantasy. We publish highly literary stories reminiscent of Poe or Lovecraft as well as vulgar shock-value pulp fiction. We don’t split hairs about genre definitions, and we do not observe any taboos about what kind of content can appear in our stories. Originality demands that you’re better off avoiding vampires, zombies, and other recognizable horror tropes unless you have put a very unique spin on them. What matters most is that the stories are dark and compelling.” Until 31st July 2023, they are accepting reprints only, for their Anthologies and Collections call – they want to purchase submissions of “reprints from anthologies and collections released at any point in 2023.” (And during 11th to 21st August, they will be open for unthemed/general original horror fiction submissions; see their schedule. Do not send original fiction now.)They pay $20-100 for general reprints, and $0.08/word for original stories. Details here (guidelines for general submissions) and here (Submission portal and details of the reprint call).
khoreo
This award-winning magazine publishes work of immigrant and Diaspora writers and artists only, in the broadest sense of the term, and they will soon open for submissions. They want “fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. We’re especially interested in writing and art that explore some aspect of migration, whether explicitly (themes of immigration, colonialism, etc.), metaphorically, or with a sly nod and a wink.” They also accept artwork. Pay is $0.08/word for stories up to 5,000 words. They have changed their submission window, and will now be open during 15th July to 15th August 2023. Details here and here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
