Taking submissions for edition 1

Updated.

Horror Story Magazine is opening for submissions for its premier edition.

A few things to note.

• Edition 1 will feature both print and electronic versions.
• Authors will receive two free print copies and one electronic copy. Additional copies may be purchased at cost.
•  As noted below, we reserve the right to print in our magazine, on our website, in our newsletters, and/or on our Patreon page.
• As the new kid on the block, we know we will have to push hard to generate sales. So,
  • We’ll be pushing via social media.
  • We’ll dedicate an advertising budget to get the word out.
  • We will use newsletter support as well to spread the good word.
  • While not establishing a requirement, we hope the authors published will use their social media platforms to let folks know what’s up.

The relevant details

Edition 1’s theme will be … good old-fashioned monster stories: vampires, werewolves, ghosts, ghouls, Frankenstein-style creatures, or newer creatures, including those of your creation. Give us a monster, and tell us a great story.

• Length: 2,000-10,000 words.  A little more or a tad less is OK.
• Accept Poetry: Yes! We accept poetry that does not have to adhere to the minimum listed word limits.
• Payment: Not much out of the gate, but 2 cents per word for this issue. Poetry will be paid per poem rather than per word.
• Rights: Digital and online publication rights. In addition to the magazine, we may publish your work online on our website or via our newsletter or Patreon. We ask that you not pursue republishing with another publisher for at least six months.

Send your submissions to submissions@horrorstorymagazine.com.

There are also some general thoughts on the submissions page. Be sure to glance over those.

March 15 update. A few other notes are based on questions we’ve received. 

As long as the theme of monsters is followed, we’re pretty open. That includes a little cross-genre, comedic horror, etc.

Simultaneous submissions are OK. Let us know if your story gets accepted elsewhere. 

Reprints are fine. Make sure you are selling rights you own!

There is no firm deadline. We’ll read until we have all we need, but we’d like to be wrapped up by May 1 at the latest. 

A few monster stories we like: Dracula and Frankenstein. ‘Salem’s Lot and Popsy by Stephen King. Fear by Ronald Kelly. Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones. Lots of others. 

Looking ahead

Horror Story Magazine is currently planned to be a quarterly publication. Not every issue will have a theme so feel free to submit your best work.

We’re also preparing a call for submissions for our first-ever anthology.

Check back for updates on those and other calls.