Deadline: September 1st, 2014
Payment: Varies (see below)

WHAT WE WANT

The Literary Hatchet is an Internet journal devoted to dark fiction (short stories) and provocative poetry and prose. We are interested in well-written but easy to read works in the horror genre, but also accept works that are paranormal in nature.

We will consider previously published material but prefer original works.

We accept short fiction essays, first-person narratives, speculative fiction, short stories, poetry, photography, art, illustrations, and humor pieces.

We’re interested in new angles on old ideas, or topics that don’t get covered frequently. We like to showcase articles that don’t just sum up some issue but make us think and make us want to read further.

The above is not exhaustive. If you have an idea for an article that doesn’t seem to fit into one of these categories, feel free to send us a query at peartreepress (at) mac.com. If you don’t have an immediate idea for a piece, but you’d really like to write for us, let us know and be prepared to show us work you’ve done. We can always think of subjects!

WHAT WE DON’T WANT

We do not accept erotica, either as articles or images
We do not accept articles or images with excessive crude language or outlandish sexual humor
We do not accept simultaneous submissions (submitting a piece to more than one journal or site at the same time)
We cannot consider partial or incomplete stories or essays
We do not accept rewrites of the “Lizzie Borden Took An Axe” doggerel
We do not accept Haiku poetry, unless as a part of a collection of five or more

GUIDELINES BY TYPE OF SUBMISSION

SHORT STORIES:
We accept short stories from 500-3,000 words in length. Feel free to contact us with inquiries about the type of stories we might be interested in if you are in doubt. We appreciate the well-written work, and acceptance is determined by whether the piece grabs the editor and holds their interest. We consider works of horror, dark subjects, paranormal, gothic works, detective fiction, and stories about monsters, either real or imaginary.

POETRY:
We are looking for high-quality extraordinary poems (both serious and humorous) that explore the darkness that resides in each of us. Personal pieces that offer a self-reflection are acceptable.

HUMOR:
We accept jokes, short humor pieces, humorous first-person stories, farce, and take-offs.

ART, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND ILLUSTRATIONS:
All submitted art and illustrations must be in 300 dpi, JPG or GIF formats and no larger than 1200 X 1200 pixels.

INTERVIEWS:
If you would like to interview someone our readers would find interesting (including, but not limited to, authors, celebrities, relatives of Borden case members, experts in a related field of study), you can submit your idea to us for approval.

COMPENSATION, RIGHTS, AND LENGTH

RIGHTS: By submission of your work, you are agreeing to The Hatchet and its publisher PearTree Press holding exclusive first-printing world rights for a period of 6 months. While your piece is online, it may not appear anywhere else on the Internet, in print, or sold for profit. Rights revert back to the writer/artist at the end of 6 months.

We ask, but do not require, that you then give us non-exclusive electronic rights to include your work in our archives after it is rotated off the issue. You have the right to remove your article from the archives at any point after 6 months.

COMPENSATION AND LENGTH REQUIREMENTS: We pay compensation for almost all work accepted for publication. Payment is made upon publication. Checks are sent by mail. Foreign contributors can choose to be paid by international money order or by PayPal.

FICTION, SHORT STORIES:

500-2500 words — $15
INTERVIEWS:

compensation is paid to the person conducting the interview — $10
POETRY:

we prefer poetry under 100 lines — $5
ART/ILLUSTRATIONS:

in JPG or GIF format only — $5
HUMOR PIECES:

500-2500 words — $10
75-499 words — $5
25-74 words — no fee paid
FIRST PERSON STORIES:

250-750 words — $1

We buy exclusive first-printing world rights for 6 months.

Submissions must be made via email to peartreepress(at) mac.com, with the subject heading “[SUB]” followed by the title of your piece.

For all submissions, please include your name, address, email address, and word count. Also please include a 25-50 word bio. A small JPG or GIF photo of you is not required but will be appreciated.

Multiple submissions are accepted, but only one submission per email please.

No simultaneous submissions accepted.

Via: Submittable