10 Dark Fiction and Horror Publications Open for Submissions - Paying markets

Updated 1/25/25

Here are ten publications currently seeking horror, dark fiction and fantasy, and anything else that is scary, spooky, disturbing, or unnerving.

I freely admit that horror is not my cup of tea, but there are plenty of people who enjoy having their spines tingled. So, if you write horror, you will have an enthusiastic audience.

All of these publications pay, some quite nicely and none charge submission fees. A few accept reprints, as well as nonfiction articles and poetry. Art is also welcomed. Word counts range from flash fiction to novellas.

For more dark fiction and horror markets see:

Mega-List of Paying Markets for Horror, Dark Fiction and Poetry

Mega-List of Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazines - Paying markets

18 Publishers Accepting Dark Fiction and Horror - No Agent Required

17 Podcasts Accepting (Mostly) Speculative Short Stories - Paying markets

325 Paying Markets for Short Stories, Poetry, Nonfiction

 

(Image: Vincent Price: Piqsels)

_____________________

The Hungur Chronicles. Genre: Horror. Vampires or creatures with vampiric themes. Payment: The payment for original stories is $25.00; for reprints, $12.00. Payment for poems is $5. Payment for illustrations is $8.00. Payment for articles is $10. Payment for cover art is $25.00.

White Cat Publishing accepts the following genres: mystery, romance, thrillers, suspense, ghost stories and horror stories (no slasher stories, please), westerns, steampunk and fantasy. Payment: 02 cents per word. They prefer short stories to be 2,500- 3,000 words in length.

The Dark is an online magazine published monthly. They are seeking Horror and Dark Fantasy 2,000 – 6,000 words. Payment: 6 cents/word for original fiction up to 6,000 words.

The NoSleep Podcast. "We want you to frighten us and mess with our heads, so we in turn can terrify our listeners. We welcome and encourage a broad, diverse range of submissions from all across the horror genre, and can’t wait to read the spine-tingling tales you send us." Payment: $100 for short fiction between 1200 and 2499 words, and $125 for stories of 2500 words and over.

Infinite Worlds/Infinite Horrors. Genre: Science fiction, horror between 1500–5000 words in length. Payment: 8 cents/word. Also accepts art.

ergot is a literary website interested in furthering the innovative and experimental tradition in horror.

ergot seeks fiction and hybrid work under 10k words that pushes out the boundaries of what literary horror is and what it might become. Payment: $25.

Stone’s Throw. Genre: "We're looking for dark fiction, crime and noir, length between 1,000 and 2,000 words." Payment: $25. Open to submissions the first four days of every month.

Dark Holme Anthology. Genre: Horror and dark fantasy. Payment: £50.00.

Black Hare Press. Genre: Dark speculative fiction or weird/horror. Payment: 5,000 to 10,000   – $25 USD; 10,000 to 17,000 – $50 USD.

13 Publishers Accepting Dark Fiction and Horror - No Agent Required

"First dates can be so awkward" (Wikimedia)

Updated 8/4/25

Here are thirteen publishers accepting dark fiction, horror, urban fantasy, military horror, and anything that goes bump in the night - including vampires. None require an agent, and all are traditional publishers.

Some of these publishers have been in business for a long time and have a great track record. Others are start-ups. Read their websites, look at the covers of the books they publish (do you like the art?), check out their authors on Amazon - in short, investigate before you submit your work. And be sure to read submission requirements carefully and follow them to the letter.

You can find additional speculative fiction publishers (including some horror) here: Publishers Accepting Unagented Manuscripts. All of these are traditional publishers. (No vanity presses.)

_______________________________


Black Bed Sheet Books. Black Bed Sheet Books specializes in publishing fiction of a dark nature: Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Suspense, Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller. Accepting novels, novellas, short story collections. Black Bed Sheet Books has published over 80 authors. Advance: No information. Formats: Print and ebooks. Read guidelines here.

By Light Unseen Media. "By Light Unseen Media is currently seeking outstanding and unique manuscripts in the area of vampire fiction and non-fiction. Authors are asked to query before submitting manuscripts. Unsolicited manuscripts will not be considered." Advance: $200; Formats: Print (POD) and ebooks. Read guidelines here.

Chaosium Fiction. Currently, the Chaosium fiction line primarily features works centered on the Cthulhu Mythos. "We will consider original novels, anthologies, single-author collections, and non-fiction. Our target length for book releases is 90,000 to 100,000 words, though we will consider longer or shorter works if the content is compelling. We will consider reprints." Chaosium is a professional fiction market, offering advances, royalties, and, for short fiction, a word rate in line with HWA and SFWA guidelines. Read guidelines here. Has submission periods.

Cosmic Egg. Cosmic Egg is an imprint of John Hunt Publishers, a mid-list house located in the UK. The publisher offers traditional publishing deals as well as co-operative publishing for authors. The parent company publishes a total of 300 titles per year with global sales and a focus on physical stores. Worldwide distribution. Cosmic Egg imprint publishes speculative fiction: Vampires, Werewolves. Dragons and Faeries or Angels and Demons, Fantasy (including magical realism and spiritual fantasy), Metaphysical Cosmology, Horror or Science Fiction (including Steampunk). Advance: None. Royalties are 10% of net. Formats: Print and ebooks. Note: It has come to my attention that in some cases authors are expected to pay for some or all of publishing costs. Legitimate publishers do not require authors to pay for publishing their books under any circumstances. Read guidelines here.

Dead Sky Publishing is on the lookout for fiction, noir fiction, thriller, mystery, gothic fiction, dark magical realism, literary horror, science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction stories. Dead Sky Publishing accepts novel, novella, creative samples and/or story/series proposals for comics, graphic novels, art books and photography books. Please read guidelines here.

Flame Tree Press, an imprint of Flame Tree Publishing, specializes in speculative fiction, including horror. Flame Tree sells through all major wholesalers, retailers, and online outlets. In addition, foreign language co-editions and translation rights are sold to publishers in many countries around the world, including France, Germany, China and Brazil. They publish simultaneous hardcover, paperback and ebook editions to the trade market, online and retail stores, and library markets and pay industry standard royalties. Advances are modest. Read guidelines here.

Grinning Skull Press publishes novels, novellas, and anthologies. Terms: 50/50 split on royalties. Read full guidelines here. No simultaneous submissions. Has reading periods.

Hellbound Books wants Horror, Bizarro, Erotic Horror, and Dark Erotica. They publish novels (60,000 to 120,000+ words), novellas (30,000 to 60,000 words), and anthologies. Royalties are 25% of net. Read full guidelines here.

Madness Heart Press is a home for all dark literature. They publish horror novels, chapbooks, poetry, novellas, short story collections. They are also interested in non-fiction, plays, and any number of forms of storytelling. "So long as they are dark, and twisted, we are interested. We are interested in all manner of sub-genre as well. Erotic, Extreme, Splatter, Bizarre, Serial Killers, Sci-Fi. We hate to say it over and over again, but if your story is dark, we may be interested in it no matter what genre or format it comes in." Has submission periods. Read guidelines here.

The Parliament House publishes Urban fantasy, Supernatural thriller, Paranormal romance, Dark fantasy, Horror and paranormal fiction with an emphasis on uplifting marginalized voices and unconventional narratives. "We strive to inscribe magic onto every page and to capture our passionate readership with the enduring power of storytelling. Our mission is not only to offer readers fantastical escapes, to make the impossible possible, but to share stories that are thought-provoking, evocative, and speak to the complexities of our lived reality." Read their submission guidelines. Check site for open submission periods.

Severed Press. "Established in 2008 Severed Press is a leading independent publisher of horror and science fiction. Publishing trade paperbacks and E-Books. Severed Press has earned a reputation for excellence, quality and commitment to new and established authors alike. We are proud of the diversity of our authors and aim in continuing to build strong relationships worldwide. Authors include seasoned masters of horrors such as Tim Curran, Mark Tufo and Jake Bible to best selling newcomers David Achord and Joseph Talluto." Severed Press is currently accepting novel submissions in the following categories: Apocalypse/Survival Horror, Dark Humour, Sci-Fi Horror, Anything out of the ordinary. Advance: None. Pays royalties. Note: Promotion and marketing for novels locally in Australia. Please read full submission guidelines here.

Tartarus is a small British independent press founded in 1990. They specialize in collectible hardback limited editions of literary supernatural/strange/horror fiction. They also publish paperbacks and ebooks. Tartarus has been the recipient of four World Fantasy Awards, and in 2010 received a "Stoker" from the Horror Writers Association. Submissions: Tartarus is looking for short story collections and novels of between 75,000 and 120,000 words. They are not interested in high fantasy, violent horror or young adult fiction. Electronic submissions should be sent to rosalieparker@btinternet.com as a Word or rtf attachment. Please send a synopsis or first two or three chapters/stories when first getting in contact. Please read full guidelines here. Has submission periods.

Tenebrous Press publishes New Weird Horror. They accept submissions of novels, novellas, and projects that fall under the graphic novel/comics umbrella, or other outside the box approaches to New Weird Horror. They are seeking work that starts at 20,000 words. They have no fixed upper limit. They ask for: “World English first rights in print, electronic, and ebook, and a three-year exclusivity period. All copyright belongs to the author”. They try to respond to all submissions within three months. Read full submission guidelines HERE. Has submission periods.

Mega-List of Paying Markets for Horror, Dark Fiction and Poetry

Pixabay

Updated 8/4/25

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 Open Call: Horror 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: Mega-List of Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazines - Paying markets

Publication	Payment	Submission Guidelines	Notes
Apex	$.08 per word	http://www.apex-magazine.com/submission-guidelines/	No simultaneous submissions See submission periods
Nightmare	$.08 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/submissions/	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	$25	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
Tales of Horror	6 cents/word for fiction, $40 per poem	https://ashtonspot.com/talesofhorror/	Accepts fiction up to 5,000 words in length.  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 March – 30 September Submissions from anyone anywhere: March	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	$.08/word	http://www.3lobedmag.com/submissions.html	No simultaneous submissions
Tales of Horror Magazine	$0.06/word fiction, $40 per poem	https://ashtonspot.com/talesofhorror/	Horrific and weird stories Reprints accepted
Last Girls Club	$0.015 USD/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.
Red Raven	£10	https://www.redravenbooks.com/#writers	Short horror
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
Crepuscular	10 cents/word with minimum of $5	https://www.patreon.com/posts/submission-85137677	Microfiction stories exploring places, characters, and questions buried in the gray areas 250 words max
Grinning Skull Press	0.025 cent/word	https://grinningskullpress.wordpress.com /submission-guidelines/	Novels, novellas, and occasionally 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  Drabbles (100 words)
Hungur	$25 $12 for reprints $5 per poem	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
A Midnight Kind of Place	£15	https://www.amidnightkindofplace.com/submissions/	Horror market based in Scotland in the UK, focused on short stories 500-10,000 words See reading periods
Dreams and Nightmares	$12	http://dreamsandnightmaresmagazine.com /guidelines.htm	Mostly poetry
Nightmare Magazine	8 cents/word $40 per poem	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
The Phantom Pulse	$0.03 per word for unpublished fiction and $0.01 per word for reprints	https://www.thephantompulse.com/	Traditional horror, sci-fi horror, dark fantasy, and the weird. We have diverse reading tastes and are open to experimental forms and stories.
Waxen	"Fair compensation"	https://www.waxen.org/	We are looking for short fiction, poetry, and illustrations. We are interested in the weird, the occult, the surreal, and the horrific. We love experimentation.
(s)crawl	$20	https://scrawlmag.com/submissions/	Horror fiction 100 - 5,000 words Poetry 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. Accepts nonfiction
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/ ON HIATUS	Horror, dark fantasy  Up to 7500 words See submission periods
The Other Stories	15 GBT	https://theotherstories.net/submissions/ CLOSED ?	Horror podcast See themes
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
The Slab Press	1p a word to a maximum of £50	https://theslab.press/calls-for-submission/	Horror Themed issues
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
Agita	5 cents USD per word	https://agitamag.com/submissions/	Horror or dark science fiction flash stories 1000 words max See reading periods
ergot	$25	https://www.ergot.press/	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 Revival	$25	https://www.pulprevivalpress.com/services-2	WORD COUNT: 1,000 – 7,500 words Has themes
Die Laughing	$10 for flash, $25 for short	https://dielaughingmag.com/about-2/	That sweet spot of horror comedy that is genuinely funny but also genuinely scary. Can be as goofy, gory, or smutty as you like!
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.”
A Midnight Kind of Place	Original fiction receives £30 (GBP), reprints receive £10 (GBP)	https://www.amidnightkindofplace.com/submissions/	Horror anthologies 1,000 – 10,000 words Accepts reprints
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
Sometimes Hilarious Horror	$25 for original stories, $10 for reprints	https://sometimeshilarioushorror.blogspot.com/2024/01/submission-guidelines.html	Horror stories of up to 15,000 words Accepts art
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."
The Fifth Corner	Payment unspecified	https://thefifthcorner.ca/submissions/	Accepts original, unpublished short fiction that explores dark, unsettling, and psychologically resonant themes.
Dark Yonder	$50	https://www.darkyonder.online/submissions	"Neo-noir"  Dark literary fiction (crime, horror, speculative lit, etc)
Stygian Lepus Magazine	$5	https://stygianlepus.com/submissions/	Dark speculative fiction
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
Illustrated Worlds Magazine	1 cent/word for fiction, $10 for poetry, $20 - $50 for art.	https://www.illustratedworldsmagazine.com/submission-guidelines.html#/	Dark fantasy and horror, fiction and art See reading periods
Book Worms	8 cents/word	https://rsaintclaire.com/	Horror See reading periods
Nocturne Magazine	$10, $25 for art	https://www.nocturnezine.com/submissions-and-guidelines	Horror, dark fantasy, or speculative 6000 words or fewer. Flash fiction (under 1000 words)
Polymorphic	$30 CAD	https://polymorphicmagazine.com/submissions/	Short horror stories and art
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 Antler	$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	£10	https://redcapepublishing.com/submissions/	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	$15	https://cloakedpress.com/sfwgs-nightmare-fuel/	Anthologies
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	2 cents/word	https://www.weirdhorrormagazine.com/submit	Weird horror 500 - 7000 words Open to submissions periodically
The Ghastling	£15	https://theghastling.com/submit/	Psychological horror, folk horror, ghost stories and the macabre. Has submission periods
Horrific Scribes	$25	https://horrificscribblings.com/about/submissions/	Dark fiction, mostly horror (all subgenres) but also the horror-adjacent, e.g. dark fantasy and dark sci-fi and also surreal and experimental work with dark edges.
The Dundee Review	£25 per published story (approx. $33 USD or €29	https://dundeereview.com/submit/	All forms and styles of Gothic short fiction, including tales of terror and wonder, horror, crime, dark romance, science fiction, speculative fiction, the weird or the fantastical. And we are open to all authors, wherever you may be.
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).	CLOSED	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	CLOSED	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
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
Monstrous	6 cents/word	CLOSED	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/submissions-portal	Horror and dark fantasy
PsychoToxin Press	Royalties	CLOSED	Novelettes, novellas, novels, short story collections, short stories
Max Blood’s Mausoleum	$30	CLOSED	Horror short stories up to 8,000 words
House of Long Shadows	Subscription revenues share	https://houseoflongshadows.substack.com/p/submission-guidelines	Gothic Horror Reprints accepted
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.
Infinite Horrors	8 cents/word	https://www.infiniteworldsmagazine.com/submissions-faqs	Horror and comics
Table Cell	Table Cell	Table Cell	Table Cell
Table Cell	Table Cell	Table Cell	Table Cell
Table Cell	Table Cell	Table Cell	Table Cell
Table Cell	Table Cell	Table Cell	Table Cell
Table Cell	Table Cell	Table Cell	Table Cell

5 Horror Publishers Accepting Submissions Directly from Writers - No Agent Required

Updated 12/15/24

Why do people enjoy being scared to death? This is a question that has haunted philosophers through the ages. Is it the rush of adrenaline? Dopamine? Endorphins? 

Or perhaps it's simply a way of externalizing our hidden fears and anxieties while safely tucked in bed with a book.

Also see: 3 Horror and Dark Fiction Publishers Accepting Unsolicited Manuscripts

____________________

Sourcebooks Horror

Sourcebooks Horror is actively acquiring agented and unagented Horror fiction including Own Voices, marginalized voices, inclusive and diverse stories. "We’re looking for strong writers of all ethnicities, races, sexualities, gender identities, abilities and ages, whose stories have something fresh to offer in the Horror genre."  Please read full submission guidelines here.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• completed manuscript at 80,000 to 100,000 words
• we accept email submissions as WORD attachments
• always include a 1-3 page synopsis (including the ending)
• a short query letter within the body of the email
• if you have a track record, please include your sales history
• please allow 8-12 weeks for response

The Evil Cookie Publishing

The Evil Cookie Publishing specializes in horror anthologies and novels/novellas within the realm of Splatterpunk / Extreme Horror / Dark Humor. They are always on the lookout for "gore-rifically unique" novels/novellas. Fast-paced stories with high-octane gore with a perfect blend of splatterpunk and dark humor are preferred. Not looking for anything too religious or political. 

Read full guidelines here.

____________________

By Light Unseen Media

"By Light Unseen Media is currently seeking outstanding and unique manuscripts in the area of vampire fiction and non-fiction. Authors are asked to query before submitting manuscripts. Unsolicited manuscripts will not be considered."

Advance: $200

Formats: Print (POD) and ebooks

____________________

Severed Press

"Established in 2008 Severed Press is a leading independent publisher of horror and science fiction. Publishing trade paperbacks and E-Books. Severed Press has earned a reputation for excellence, quality and commitment to new and established authors alike. We are proud of the diversity of our authors and aim in continuing to build strong relationships worldwide. Authors include seasoned masters of horrors such as Tim Curran, Mark Tufo and Jake Bible to best selling newcomers David Achord and Joseph Talluto."

Severed Press is currently accepting novel submissions in the following categories: Apocalypse/Survival Horror, Dark Humour, Sci-Fi Horror, Anything out of the ordinary.

Advance: None. Pays royalties.

Note: Promotion and marketing for novels locally in Australia.

____________________

Tenebrous Press

Tenebrous Press publishes New Weird Horror. They accept submissions of novels, novellas, and projects that fall under the graphic novel/comics umbrella, or other outside the box approaches to New Weird Horror. They are seeking work that starts at 20,000 words. They have no fixed upper limit. They ask for: “World English first rights in print, electronic, and ebook, and a three-year exclusivity period. All copyright belongs to the author”. They try to respond to all submissions within three months. 

Read full submission guidelines HERE.

3 Horror and Dark Fiction Publishers Accepting Unsolicited Manuscripts

Updated 9/11/24

Horror is an immensely popular genre. (Zombies! Vampires! Werewolves!)

Perhaps, for that reason there are relatively few publishers accepting unagented manuscripts. (Many horror publishers say they are "swamped.")

The publishers I have listed below accept a variety of formats: short stories, novellas, and novels. All are traditional publishers.

Please read all submission guidelines carefully.

Note: You can find an extensive list of hundreds of publishers accepting manuscripts directly from authors here: Publishers Accepting Unagented Manuscripts
______________________

Black Bed Sheet Books specializes in publishing fiction….particularly of a dark nature: Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Suspense, Young Adult, Contemporary, Thrillers, anything appealing and written very well. "If you don’t think your writing is exemplary, don’t shy away.  If it shows promise and meets what we’re looking for, we can work with you to make it exemplary.  We believe in opening doorways for damn good talent that larger publishers don’t seem to have time for, as well as working with accomplished, seasoned pros."

They also accept submissions for their EBOOK-ONLY line of titles.  Their Ebook-only line generally consists of content too short to publish in print. 

They receive an average of 2,500 submissions a year and their response time is a minimum of six months. 

Submissions: Contact them first with a query. Read guidelines here.

______________________

Unveiling Nightmares welcomes works across a variety of genres, including horror (all sub-genres including extreme/splatterpunk), romance, science fiction, erotica, poetry, and young adult fiction. "Whether your story sparks love, nightmares, adventure, passion, or discovery, we’re excited to explore its depths. At Unveiling Nightmares, we understand the craving for adventure, excitement, and thrills that our readers seek. Yearning to escape the mundane and delve into worlds teeming with mystery and intrigue.

Whether you have a novelette, novella, a gripping novel, or a collection of short stories, we’re eager to take a look." 

Submissions: Please read full guidelines here.

______________________

Unnerving publishes Horror, Crime, Mystery, & Dark General Fiction novels and novellas. "The themes are fairly open (not interested in stories that revolve around people feeling unloved or out of place, nor sad tales about sad people being sad, seriously don't send me this stuff, I don't want it), but my favorite stuff resembles the glory days of horror 70s, 80s, even the early 90s. Stuff like Stephen King's Pet Sematary, The Shining, Carrie, Revival, Creepshow. Think Douglas Clegg, Ray Garton, John Saul, Michael McDowell, Thomas Tryon, and so on. Also, open to absurdity, splatterpunk, dark comedy, smut." 

The finished products will need to be between 20,000 and 110,000 words in length. 50/50 net royalties split. No contract fees. 5-year publishing terms. Unnerving also publishes anthologies. 

Submissions: Please read full guidelines here. Has submission periods. CLOSED