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| Pixabay |
Much like other genres of speculative fiction, horror enjoys a loyal, and possibly fixated, fan base. Horror isn't all blood and gore. The subgenres include everything from the mildly unsettling (like Twilight Zone), to splatterpunk (which is exactly what you think it is). Some of the genres accepted by horror magazines include: humorous horror, holiday horror, psychological horror, science fiction horror, slasher horror, supernatural horror, gothic horror, erotic horror, teen horror and, of course, anything with zombies, werewolves, vampires, or other malevolent creatures. Many of the magazines on this list also accept dark fiction, dark fantasy, and other genre crossovers that evoke a sinister mood.
Read the submission guidelines, and make sure to follow them carefully before submitting.
Many more paying markets, organized by topic and genre, can be found here: Paying Markets. You can find markets and submission calls specifically geared to dark fiction on Dark Markets.
Note: Many speculative fiction magazines accept horror in addition to science fiction and fantasy. You can find a long list of speculative fiction magazines here: Speculative Fiction Magazines Accepting Submissions.
Read the submission guidelines, and make sure to follow them carefully before submitting.
Many more paying markets, organized by topic and genre, can be found here: Paying Markets. You can find markets and submission calls specifically geared to dark fiction on Dark Markets.
Note: Many speculative fiction magazines accept horror in addition to science fiction and fantasy. You can find a long list of speculative fiction magazines here: Speculative Fiction Magazines Accepting Submissions.
| Publication | Payment | Submission Guidelines | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apex | $.06 per word | http://www.apex-magazine.com/submission-guidelines/ | No simultaneous submissions See submission periods |
| Nightmare | $.06 per word | https://johnjosephadams.moksha.io/publication /nightmare/guidelines |
Accepts horror and dark fantasy No simultaneous submissions See submission periods |
| Tales from the Moonlit Path | $10 | https://talesmoonlitpath.com/ | See submission periods Themed issues |
| Spooky | 1 cent/word | https://spooky-magazine.com/submission-guidelines/ | Cozy horror. Fun horror. Classy horror. Dare we say, wholesome horror? See submission periods |
| Just Chills Podcast | $50 | https://justchillspodcast.com/submissions/ | Horror. Length: 4000 – 7000 words |
| Gothic.net | Payment is negotiated | http://www.gothic.net/submissions/ Online form |
Length between 2,000 and 10,000 words |
| Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine | 1.25 cents/Word (AUD) with a A$20 minimum per piece | https://www.andromedaspaceways.com/ submissions/ |
Accepts works up to 10,000 words in length. Submissions of up to 20,000 words are permitted from subscribers and from authors resident in Australia and New Zealand See submission periods |
| Aurealis Australia |
AU$20 to $60 per 1000 words | https://aurealis.com.au/submissions/ Submissions from Australian and New Zealand writers: 1 February – 30 September Submissions from anyone anywhere: 1 August – 30 |
Accepts short stories between 2000 and 8000 words |
| Kaleidotrope | $0.01/word | http://www.kaleidotrope.net/guidelines/ | See submission periods Also accepts poetry |
| Three-lobed Burning Eye | $100 for short fiction, $30 for flash fiction | http://www.3lobedmag.com/submissions.html | No simultaneous submissions |
| Three Crows | $0.01/word | http://threecrowsmagazine.com/submissions/ |
Dark and weird fantasy, horror, and sci-fi |
| Last Girls Club | Fiction, 15 cents/word. Poetry, $10. | https://www.lastgirlsclub.com/submit | Feminist horror See submission periods |
| Madness Heart | $10 for stories | https://madnessheart.press/submissions/?v=7516fd43adaa | Madness Heart publishes full-length horror, as well as anthologies See submission periods |
| Psychopomp | Advance against royalties of $750, as well as 25% of net receipts. | https://psychopomp.com/novella-guidelines/ | Speculative fiction or literary novellas between 20,000 to 40,000 words that fall under the umbrella of goth, death, funerary, grief, loss, alternative, otherworldly themes. |
| Black Petals Horror/Science Fiction Magazine & Yellow Mama | "Bragging rights" | http://www.blackpetals.net/id4.html | Bizarre tales and chilling poetry |
| Pseudopod | $.08/word for original fiction, $100 flat rate for short story reprints, and $20 flat rate for flash fiction reprints (stories below 1500 words) | http://pseudopod.org/submissions/ | Podcast |
| Xanax Hamster | 5 cents/word | https://frombeyondpress.com/books/xanax-hamster/ | Horror flash fiction that has been rejected by other publications. |
| Grinning Skull Press |
0.025 cent/word
|
https://grinningskullpress.wordpress.com /submission-guidelines/ |
Novels, novellas, short stories |
| Black Hare Press | 5,000 to 10,000 – $25 USD; 10,000 to 17,000 – $50 USD | https://www.blackharepress.com/submissions/ | 5,000 words minimum |
| Hungur | $25 $12 for reprints |
https://www.hiraethsffh.com/hungur-chronicles-guidelines | Vampires |
| Dark Peninsula Press | $25 - $50 for anthologies | https://www.darkpeninsulapress.com/submissions.html | Anthologies See calls for submissions |
| Dark Dispatch | Unspecified | https://darkdispatch.com/submissions/ | All things dark: dark fantasy, science fiction, horror, and crime See reading periods |
| Dreams and Nightmares | $15 - $30 | http://dreamsandnightmaresmagazine.com /guidelines.htm |
Mostly poetry |
| Nightmare Magazine | 8 cents/word | https://adamant.moksha.io/publication/nightmare/guidelines |
Dark fantasy and horror short stories, poems, and nonfiction See reading periods |
| Electric Spec | $20 | http://www.electricspec.com/Submissions.html | Macabre See reading periods |
| Stone’s Throw | $25 | https://www.rockandahardplacemag.com/stones-throw-submissions | Dark fiction See reading periods |
| khōréō | 0.10/word for fiction, $100 for nonfiction, and $40-300 for art. | https://www.khoreomag.com/submissions/ | See reading periods Open to writers who identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms Stories, essays, and art: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. |
| White Cat Publications | 2 cents/word | https://whitecatpublications.com/guidelines/ | Accepts mystery, romance, thrillers, suspense, ghost stories and horror stories (no slasher stories, please), westerns, steampunk and fantasy. |
| Gamut | 10 cents/word | https://houseofgamut.moksha.io/publication/house-of-gamut | "We are looking for a wide range of dark speculative fiction" Themed issues |
| Polar Borealis | $10 for one thousand words or less. One cent a word for stories 1,000 words to 3,000 words in length | https://polarborealis.ca/submission-guidelines/ | See submission periods Horror with SF aspects Open only to Canadians, long-term foreign residents living in Canada, landed immigrants, or Canadians currently living outside Canada |
| Ghost Orchid Press | Royalties | https://ghostorchidpress.com/submission-guidelines/ | Novellas (20,000 – 40,000 words – firm limit) "We’re looking primarily for dark fiction including horror, gothic, and dark fantasy. We love genre mixing, works that stray from the well-trodden path, or that offer a fresh perspective on existing tropes. BIPOC and LGBTQ+ authors are especially encouraged to submit." |
| Unnerving Magazine | 1¢/word | https://unnervingmagazine.submittable.com/submit | Horror, dark science fiction (light), dark fantasy, crime, thriller, suspense, and dark literary See submission periods Closes when monthly cap is reached |
| The Maul | 8¢/word 2¢/word for reprints |
https://themaulmag.com/?page_id=31 | Horror 100 - 3,000 words See submission periods |
| Horror Addicts.net |
Some submissions are paid, some not | https://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/current-submission-calls/ | HorrorAddicts.net is a podcast, blog, and publisher run by horror addicts, for horror addicts. |
| Don't Flinch Podcast | $100 | https://dontflinchpodcast.com/script-submissions/ | Scripts 20 - 30 minutes in length |
| Underbelly Zine | $10 | https://underbellyzine.blogspot.com/p/what-we-want-extreme-horror.html | Extreme Horror See submission periods |
| Tales From Between | £15 plus a physical copy of the issue. REPRINT: £5 plus a physical copy of the issue. | https://talesfrombetween.wordpress.com/submissions/ | Horror up to 1000 words Has submission periods |
| Heathen | 5 cents/word | https://heathen.press/ | Horror, dark fantasy Up to 7500 words See submission periods |
| Fraidy Cat | Flash fiction (400-1,500 words long, $10 per accepted piece); Short stories (1,501-8,000 words long, $20 per accepted piece); Black and white artwork ($10 per accepted piece) | https://fraidycatpress.com/submission-guidelines/ | Horror, dark fantasy, art See reading periods |
| Unfading Daydream | $5 - $10 | https://unfadingdaydream.wordpress.com /submissions/ |
1,000 - 7,000 words See reading periods |
| Infinite Horrrors | $0.08/word | https://www.infiniteworldsmagazine.com/submissions-faqs | 1500–5000 words Accepts short fiction, illustrations, comics |
| Crone Girls Press | Payment not specified | https://cronegirlspress.com/submissions/ | Dark speculative fiction anthologies and horror flash fiction. See reading periods |
| Underland Arcana | $0.01 / word—up to 5,000 words—for publication on the website. Additional publication in other formats (ebook and collected print editions, for example) will be under a shared royalty basis | https://www.underlandarcana.com/submissions/ | Short fiction that veers into the numinous, the esoteric, the supernatural, and the weird. "We like these stories to be mildly speculative, fantastic, mysterious, and/or horrific (if you prefer genre tags)." See reading periods |
| Unleashed | $25 | https://www.skywatcherpress.com/anthologies | Horror Up to 10,000 words See reading periods |
| Cosmic Horror Monthly | 1 cent per word for original fiction. 1/2 cent per word for reprints; $10 – $20 for interior artwork. Negotiable; $100 for cover art. Negotiable. | https://cosmic-horror.net/submissions/ | Up to 7,500 words Horror, dark scifi See reading periods |
| The Drop | $10 | https://inkbloodbook.company/#thedrop | 1000 words max Dark fantasy and science fiction See reading periods |
| ergot | $25 | https://www.ergot.press/about | ergot seeks experimental fiction and hybrid work under 10k words that pushes the boundaries of what literary horror is and what it might become. |
| Pulp Modern | $25 | http://www.pulpmodern.net/pulp-modern-submissions/ | 2,000 - 3,500 words See reading periods "No subject is taboo" |
| Fanatical | £20 | https://www.fanaticalmag.com/p/submissions_16.html | Sci-fi, fantasy and horror stories between 2,000 and 6,000 words These stories should be inspired by/based on tabletop games - roleplaying games, board games, miniature wargames. |
| Ghoulish Tales | 10 cents/word | https://ghoulish.rip/reopened-for-short-story-submissions-ghoulish-tales/ | See reading periods Short stories that fit our personal definition of the word GHOULISH, which is “fun horror that aims to celebrate all things spooky.” |
| Anathema | $50 (CAD) for fiction and non-fiction | http://www.anathemamag.com/submissions/ | Any genre with speculative content See reading periods You must be a queer person of colour/Indigenous /Aboriginal to submit to Anathema |
| Mithila | $50 for short fiction, $10 for original poetry/essays /flash |
http://mithilareview.com/submission-guidelines/ | 4,000 - 8,000 words Flash, under 2,500 Accepts poetry |
| Horror Story Magazine | 2 cents/word | https://horrorstorymagazine.com/submissions/ | 2,000 - 10,000 words Accepts poetry Themed issues Print and online |
| Roads Less Traveled | £40 per story regardless of length | https://www.midnightstreetpress.com/submission-guidelines | Horror and dark fiction mashups Also accepts nonfiction and interviews |
| The Dark | 5 cents/word for original fiction up to 6,000 words on publication for first world rights; up to 6,000 words 1 cent/word for reprint fiction |
http://thedarkmagazine.com/submission -guidelines/ |
Horror and Dark Fantasy 2,000 – 6,000 words Fast response time Accepts reprints |
| Bag of Bones Press | £0.005 per word | https://www.bagofbonespress.com/submission-calls | "Speculative, surreal, supernatural, dark fiction with creeping, poetic, dread-inducing prose, and endings we can't predict, but we're open to all subgenres of dark fiction." |
| Gallery of Curiosities | originals, 3 cents/word reprints 1 cent/word |
https://gallerycurious.com/p/submissions-1599834174/ | "Anachropunkish retro-vintage elements" Magazine and podcast length up to 7500 words See reading periods |
| Dark Yonder | $50 | https://www.thaliapress.org/darkyonder | "Neo-noir" Dark literary fiction (crime, horror, speculative lit, etc) |
| Deadly Drabble Tuesdays | $8 | https://www.hungryshadowpress.com/submissions | Horror, weird, and dark drabbles (defined here as 100-word microfiction, no more, no less) |
| Liminal Stories | 6 cents/word | http://liminalstoriesmag.com/submissions/ | Up to 10,000 words See reading periods |
| Allegory | $15 | https://www.allegoryezine.com/submissions | See reading periods |
| Diabolical Plots | 8 cents/word | http://www.diabolicalplots.com/guidelines/ | No simultaneous submissions See reading periods |
| The Arcanist | $50 | https://thearcanist.io/submit-your-work/home All forms of speculative fiction, 1000 words max |
Medium-based publication, weekly |
| Book Worms | 8 cents/word | https://rsaintclaire.com/ |
Horror See reading periods |
| The Vanishing Point | $25 |
https://vanishingpointmagazine.com/index.php/submissions/ | Horror, Sci-fi, Dark Fantasy, and all things speculative No simultaneous submissions See reading periods |
| Cosmic Horror Monthly | 3 cents per word | https://cosmichorrormonthly.com/ligotti-submissions/ | Cosmic horror See reading periods |
| Sanitarium | $5 | https://www.thesanitarium.co.uk/submissions | See reading periods |
| Kangas Kahn | 8 cents/word | https://www.kkpublish.com/ | See reading periods Has themes |
| Broken Arrow |
$20 for print magazine, $10 for online publication | https://www.brokenantlermag.com/submit | Horror and weird fiction, as well as sci-fi and dark fantasy |
| Tales to Terrify Podcast | $0.01 USD per word | https://talestoterrify.com/submissions/ | They periodically have calls for specific themes Length varies Reprints accepted |
| Red Cape Anthologies A-Z | £10 | https://redcapepublishing.com/submissions/ | These is an anthology series. See themes and deadlines. |
| The Dark Door | $25 per illustration featured (or a bundled rate of $25 for multiple marginals), and a rate of $15-50 USD per story depending on word count | https://illadvisedrecords.com/thedarkdoor | Terrifying tales and insidious illustration in the style of 70s and 80s pulp horror fiction zines |
| Perpetual Motion Publishing Newsletter | $25 | https://pmmpublishing.submittable.com/submit/34164/perpetual-flash-fiction | Flash fiction up to 1500 words Has reading periods |
| Nightmare Fuel | 5 cents AUD per word | https://nightmarefuelmagazine.com/submit/ | Dark fiction and poetry up to 666 words Australian writers only Has reading periods |
| The NoSleep Podcast | $100 for short fiction, and $125 for regular submissions. | https://www.thenosleeppodcast.com/submissions | First-person perspective |
| MetaStellar | $0.08/word for original fiction | https://www.metastellar.com/write-for-us/ | Fantasy, horror, and science fiction of up to 7,500 words. Accepts reprints. |
| Hellbound Books | $5 | https://hellboundbookspublishing.com/subs-anthologies.html | Themed anthologies |
| Archive of the Odd | $15-$25 for fiction of 500-5,000+ words | https://archiveoftheodd.com/submissions/ | “Archive of the Odd is a zine of uncanny occurrences, told in even stranger ways.” Has reading periods |
| Weird Horror Magazine | 1.5 cents/word | https://undertowpublications.com/weird-horror-magazine | Weird horror 500 - 6000 words Open to submissions in March and September |
| The Ghastling | £15 | https://theghastling.com/submit/ | Psychological horror, folk horror, ghost stories and the macabre. Has submission periods |
| Dark Moon Digest | $0.03 per word for original fiction/$0.01 per word for reprints | https://darkmoondigest.submittable.com/submit | Fiction reminiscent of The Twilight Zone, Black Mirror, Tales from the Crypt, and Tales from the Darkside Has submission periods |
| The Dread Machine | $0.03 per word for original fiction/$0.01 per word for reprints/$10 per poem | https://www.thedreadmachine.com/submit/ | Futuristic dark fiction, speculative fiction, cyberpunk, slipstream, and science fiction Has reading periods |
| Anterior Skies | One cent per word. $15 minimum (if you write a 200-word poem, you’ll get $15, not $2); max payment is $50 (if you write a 6,000-word short story, you’ll get $50, not $60). | https://jcstreetsoldier3.wixsite.com/strange-elf-press/blank-1 | Yearly anthology Cosmic and weird stories, ranging from fantasy (preferably low fantasy, but high fantasy will be considered, but it has to wow me) to sci-fi to noir, as long as there’s a dab of horror somewhere in there. Has submission period |
| Horror Story Magazine | 2 cents/word | https://horrorstorymagazine.com/2023/03/06/taking-submissions-for-edition-1/ | Horror stories and poetry 1000 - 2000 words |
| Witch House | $10 | https://witchhousemag.blogspot.com/ | Cosmic horror Has submission periods |
| Dark Dead Things | $.02 per word for short story and nonfiction; flat rate of $30 per poem | https://www.darkdeadthings.com/submissions | Weird short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. "We love horror but are open to anything strange, surreal, or subversive." Has submission periods |
| Broken Antler | $10 - $20 | https://www.brokenantlermag.com/submit | "ALL genres of horror, as well as sci-fi and dark fantasy. The editors are partial to a wide range of subgenres—body, cosmic, folk, gore, etc.… For poetry, creative nonfiction, and hybrid submissions, we’re looking for work that is haunting and monstrous, weird and bizarre. Extra points if your work is experimental or doing something unusual with form.” |
| Monstrous | 6 cents/word | https://monstrousbooks.com/submissions | Dark fiction, flash, comics, prose, and articles. Print format |
| Nightlight Podcast | $200; Flash fiction, 5 cents/word; Reprints, $50. | https://nightlightpod.com/ | Horror by Black writers Has submission periods |
| Zombies Need Brains | 8 cents/word | https://www.patreon.com/posts/66268714 | Science fiction, fantasy, and horror, including all subgenres |
| Dark Holme Publishing | £50 | https://www.darkholmepublishing.uk/anthology-submission-guidelines | Horror and dark fantasy |
| PsychoToxin Press | Royalties | https://www.psychotoxin.com/p/open-submissions | Novelettes, novellas, novels, short story collections, short stories |
| Max Blood’s Mausoleum | $30 | https://maxblood.pub/submissions/ | Horror short stories up to 8,000 words |
| Die Laughing | $10 for flash, $25 for shorts | https://dielaughingmag.com/about-2/ | Horror comedy |
| Horrorsmith | $25 | https://www.horrorsmithpublishing.com/pages/submissions | Horror and thriller short stories Word Count - 3,000-10,000 words |
| Frost Zone | $15 CAD | https://www.frostzonestories.com/p/submissions.html | Dark literary fiction 1800 - 3800 words |
| Skull and Laurel | 3c/word (USD) originals; $25 (USD) reprints | https://tenebrouspress.com/submissions | Weird Horror, Dark Fantasy, Dark Science Fiction. Short Fiction, Narrative Poetry. They also encourage things like comic strips, mixed media, found footage, puzzles, games, experiments, and other weird forms, as long as they tell a story. Translations welcome. Word count: 100 to 4999 words. |
| Dust & Dark | 7 cents/word | https://www.dustanddark.com/submissions/ | We’re looking for stylish, atmospheric horror fiction, and we take a broad view of what that means. We’re interested in clearly defined characters, evocative settings, tight pacing and compelling plots. But most of all, we’re looking for stories that leave a lingering sense of unease after we’ve read them. We’re much more interested in expertly rendered dread than straightforward shocks. Word count: 2000 - 7000 words. |
| Infinite Horrors | 8 cents/word | https://www.infiniteworldsmagazine.com/submissions-faqs | Horror and comics |
| House of Long Shadows | Subscription revenues share | https://houseoflongshadows.substack.com/p/submission-guidelines | Gothic Horror Reprints accepted |
| Just Keep Up | $10 a story, $10 a poem | https://www.justkeepupmagazine.com/submissions | Stories should be science fiction and/or horror (preferably both) and 100-10,000 words long |
| Table Cell | Table Cell | Table Cell |
Table Cell |
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