The Horror Tree

Horror Tree is a resource for authors that lists open markets, articles, interviews, original fiction, and more!

The Horror Tree Recent Markets, Articles, Interviews, and Fiction!

Events / Flat Amount / Magazine

Taking Submissions: The New Gothic Review #2

Deadline: August 15th, 2020
Payment: $15 for short stories
Theme: Gothic fiction for the 21st century.

What we’re looking for:

We’re looking for previously unpublished short stories that embrace and reimagine Gothic fiction for the 21st century.

  • Compelling plots with a strong literary bend.
  • Eerie atmosphere is key.
  • Stories with Weird elements are welcome.
  • You can’t have Gothic without a little bit of terror & horror… that being said, we are not a horror fiction magazine.

Our previously published works will provide the best indication of what we are looking for. Our past issue is available for free here.

What we’re not looking for:

  • Stories that contain gruesome violence, gore, or explicit sexual content.
  • Fantasy.
  • Strong science fiction.
  • True Crime.

(more…)

Articles

Here Is What You Can Expect From Den Of Geek And Tor’s Virtual TorCon Next Week!

The world is slowly reopening but conventions are just not happening this year. Fortunately, for the book lovers out there Den of Geek, Tor.com, and Tor have teamed up to give us TorCon! Yesterday, we featured details about their author roundtable for an exclusive ‘Night of the Living Dead’ screening!. Now, we have the full line up to share with you as well as links to how to register to the various events which will be running from Thursday, June 11th through Sunday, June 14th!

Here is what you have to look forward to!

Thursday 6/11:

  • 7 PM ET/4 PM PT: Christopher Paolini and Brandon Sanderson in conversation
    Bestselling authors, SFF icons, and friends Christopher Paolini (To Sleep in a Sea of Stars) and Brandon Sanderson (Rhythm of War) chat about their upcoming projects, their writing processes, science fiction, fantasy, and everything in between. This conversation will be pre-recorded and available only during the weekend of #TorCon. We’re taking questions for this one in advance, so leave yours in the comments!
    Register Here

Friday 6/12:

Saturday 6/13:

  • 1 PM ET/10 AM PT: “Books & Brunch” Facebook Live Reading Series
    Nothing pairs better with brunch than books. Join Calculating Stars author Mary Robinette Kowal for a balanced brunchfest of book talk…and a sneak peek at her upcoming “Lady Astronauts” novel, The Relentless Moon.
    Register Here
  • 5 PM ET/2 PM PT: Chaotic Communal Storytime
    Authors can take inspiration from anything to write stories that move us emotionally and transport us to other worlds. Now let’s see how they do when we’re the inspiration. Join K. A. Doore (The Unconquered City), S. L. Huang (Critical Point, Burning Roses), Arkady Martine (A Memory Called Empire), and Kit Rocha (Deal With the Devil) as they use your writing prompts to create a brand new story—and talk about their craft and inspirations along the way.
    Register Here

Sunday 6/14:

  • 1 PM ET/10 AM PT: “Books & Brunch” Facebook Live Reading series
    Nothing pairs better with brunch than books. Join authors Jenn Lyons (The Ruin of Kings and the upcoming The Memory of Souls), and Nathan Makaryk (Nottingham and the upcoming Lionhearts) for a balanced brunchfest of book talk…and a sneak peek at their new books!
    Register Here
  • 4 PM ET/1 PM PT: Chaos and Cosmos
    Pop culture has shifted its attention to the messy, the morally ambiguous, and the weird, and we’re all in on that! Come join some of the genre’s most exciting authors as they discuss how they are breaking traditional rules of genre fiction, creating compelling and truly thought-provoking works of science fiction and fantasy—and how chaos may reign in both fantasy worlds, the cosmos, and the real world alike. Panelists include Kate Elliott (Unconquerable Sun), Andrea Hairston (Master of Poisons), Alaya Dawn Johnson (Trouble the Saints), and Ryan Van Loan (The Sin in the Steel), moderated by Kayti Burt of Den of Geek.
    Register Here
  • 7 PM ET/4 PM PT: Cory Doctorow and Nnedi Okorafor in conversation
    Technology. Science. Politics. Their books touch on all of these, and now…they’re talking about it. Join critically acclaimed, award-winning authors Cory Doctorow (Attack Surface, Little Brother) and Nnedi Okorafor (Binti, Remote Control) for a discussion moderated by Kayti Burt of Den of Geek.
    Register Here

Anthology / Events / Flat Amount

Taking Submissions: Twisted Anatomy

Deadline: July 11th, 2020
Payment:Flash: 250-1000 words – $5.00, Short: 1001-5000 words – $7.00, 5001-7000 words – $10.00
Theme: Body Horror

Sci-Fi & Scary is pleased to announce that we are opening submissions for our first charity anthology, with a goal of publishing in mid-February, 2021.

Proceeds will be split between:

Pulmonary Hypertension Association 

and

National Domestic Violence Hotline

Twisted Anatomy: A Sci-Fi & Scary Body Horror Anthology*

*Tentative Title

We blame Laurel Hightower. One innocent discussion about vagina tentacles planted a seed that very quickly took root. Body horror is perhaps one of the most disturbing kinds of horror. Our bodies are meant to behave in certain ways, and the corruption or mutation of that, of our own selves turning against us, in a declaration of war against an enemy we can’t fight because it’s in our own skin? Terrifying. Women in particular have so little control over their own bodies as it is in some areas. To have even more taken from us? No , thank you. But it’s fascinating, isn’t it? Body horror holds an unique allure, so we’re excited to invite everyone to participate in this anthology.

What is Body Horror?

Body horror or biological horror is a subgenre of horror that intentionally showcases graphic or psychologically disturbing violations of the human body. These violations may manifest through aberrant sex, mutations, mutilation, zombification, gratuitous violence, disease, or unnatural movements of the body.

Wikipedia.com

Specifically, we are looking for tales of mutation (think Vagina Monsters!)  and corruption, though other forms will be considered as well. We will not accept stories depicting rape, pedophiia, or espousing views that promote bigotry, racism, sexism, or homophobia.

We will be including content warnings in this anthology as we believe in letting readers experience what they want without fear of stumbling over trauma-inducing material unexpectedly. These will be in a list at the back of the book.

Because we are Sci-Fi & Scary, we want to make sure that science fiction is represented in this endeavor, so please don’t be afraid to look into the future or onto other planets when you are considering topics for submission. Please note including a science fiction element is not a requirement. It is just something we’d like to see more of. (more…)

Anthology / Events / Flat Amount

Taking Submissions: Beneath the Misty Surface

Deadline: December 31st, 2020
Payment: $5
Theme: A fantastical war going on under the fog, a new planet that needs some adventurers to discover it, a monster to scare someone’s socks off under the misty surface of a glass pane, or anything in between.

Content:
A fantastical war going on under the fog, a new planet that needs some adventurers to discover it, a monster to scare someone’s socks off under the misty surface of a glass pane, or anything in between.

Accepted Styles:
Short stories and flash fiction

Accepted Genres:
Anything that isn’t erotica or children’s fiction

Simultaneous Submissions:
These are allowed, but please withdraw your submission immediately if accepted by another publisher.

Reprints:
No. Stories posted on the internet, including but not limited to, FB, personal websites, blogs, etc., are considered published.

Number of Submissions per Author:
1 short story or 3 pieces of flash fiction

Length:
A short story should be less than 5,000 words. Each flash fiction piece should be less than 1,500 words. (more…)

Events / Magazine / Pro

Taking Submissions: Vastarien: A Literary Journal

Deadline: June 30th, 2020
Payment: 5 cents ($.05) per word for nonfiction and prose fiction. Poetry pays $50 flat per poem.
Theme: Work inspired by Ligotti

WE WANT:

  • Nonfiction from 2,000 to 7,500 words. Scholarly and/or critical articles pertaining to Ligotti or associated authors (see below) or the kind of thematic and topical issues in which we’re interested. As for contemporary authors to add to this list, Livia Llewellyn, S. P. Miskowski, Junji Ito, Matthew M. Bartlett, T. E. D. Klein, Kelly Link, Helen Marshall, Gemma Files, Ramsey Campbell, Allyson Bird, Laird Barron, Caitlín Rebekah Kiernan, Nicole Cushing, Victor LaValle, Mark Samuels, and many more have produced work that we would love to see subjected to intelligent critical analysis and discussion.
  • Literary Horror Fiction from 750 to 6,000 words. We are looking for original work inspired by Ligottian and/or related themes (regarding which, see the list on our main page).
  • Poetry at a length of no more than 50 lines, dealing with subjects and themes that fall within our area of interest.
  • Artwork that similarly addresses our subject matter.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT: Vastarien believes in promoting a range of excellent writing and artwork from authors of diverse backgrounds, genders, and sexual orientations. We encourage submissions from authors and artists traditionally underrepresented in horror and pieces that reflect these varying perspectives.

The following authors and their work are of especial interest to Vastarien:

  • Charles Baudelaire
  • Thomas Bernhard
  • Aloysius Bertrand
  • Jorge Luis Borges
  • William S. Burroughs
  • Angela Carter
  • Louis Ferdinand Celine
  • E. M. Cioran
  • Charlotte Perkins Gilman
  • Douglas Harding
  • Shirley Jackson
  • U. G. Krishnamurti
  • H. P. Lovecraft
  • Vladimir Nabokov
  • Emile Nelligan
  • Michael Persinger
  • Edgar Allan Poe
  • Maurice Rollinat
  • Arthur Schopenhauer
  • Bruno Schulz
  • Paul Valery
  • Peter Wessel Zapffe

LENGTH: See the specific guidelines above for length requirements for different types of submissions. Additionally, in no case will a submission over 7,500 words be considered for publication without prior approval. Words subject to inclusion in the overall word count shall include the body of the submission and any explanatory footnotes; citations shall not be included in the overall word count. (more…)

Anthology / Contributor's Copy / Events / Flat Amount / Semipro

Taking Submissions: Consumed

Deadline: August 15th, 2020
Payment: $20 for the first 3,000 words, then a 1/2 cent per word + print contributor’s copy
Theme: The Wendigo

Hunger.

Insatiable hunger.

Hunger that changes you…consumes you…turning you into a nightmare version of what you once were.

Denver Horror Collective is looking for stories of the Wendigo. The point of view could be a person becoming the Wendigo, from a Wendigo, pursued by a Wendigo, or a witness to a Wendigo-esque situation unfolding.

Submissions may cover cannibalism, lust, plague, war, anxiety, greed, power, or any topic a person or animal could become obsessed with. Read the Wiki on the Wendigo at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo, then feel free to think outside the box and let your imagination run wild.

Submissions do not have to have characters turn into a literal Wendigo. Character(s) must go through some sort of a transformation due to the “hunger.” You do not have to use the term Wendigo. We just ask that authors use the core concept of the Wendigo as inspiration for their story.

Please take a moment to read the KEY NOTES and all submission information below to ensure your story content and format fall within guidelines.

DEADLINE: August 15, midnight

WORD COUNT: 3,000-12,000 words (lower limit firm, query for longer)

PAYMENT: $20 for the first 3,000 words, then a 1/2 cent per word + print contributor’s copy

REPRINTS: No

SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: No

MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: No (if you have more than one idea, you’re welcome to query as to which concept we would be more interested in)

FORMAT:
-Use the Shunn format ( https://www.shunn.net/format/classic/ ) with the following caveats:
-12-point Times New Roman, Courier New, or Arial font
-Use paragraph formatting for paragraph indents. Do not manually tab or space in.
-No headers, footers, or page numbers

SUBMISSION:
-Submit in DOC, DOCX, or RTF format
-Submit as an attachment, not in the body of the email.
-Include “Submission,” “Story Title,” “Author Name,” and “Word Count” to nearest 100 words in the subject line. (EX: Submission Last Plate by Jane Doe 3,300 words)
-The body of the e-mail should include an introduction, any publication information you would like to include, and a bio up to 250 words.
-E-mail submissions to [email protected]

KEY NOTES:
-First or third person only
-Past-tense only
-No pedophilia
-No rape in a positive light
-Graphic scenes should be used to move the story, scene, or character forward, and not be included just for shock value.
-Accepted submissions will be hand edited and uploaded to Dropbox in PDF format for the author to access.

TIPS
-Do not capitalize entire words in dialogue or to show excitement/yelling. Let your description and/or punctuation do the work for you.
-Ellipses signify an extended pause or trailing off. Em dashes signify interruption.
-If you’re unsure, ask questions. Please place the words “Submission Question” in your email subject line and query [email protected]

Via: Denver Horror Collective.

Events / Flat Amount / Magazine / Poetry

Taking Submissions: Silver Blade Poetry August 2020 Issue

Deadline: July 31st, 2020
Payment: $8
Theme: Cutting edge Science Fiction, Slipstream, Classic and Modern Fantasy

Submissions

Welcome to the Silver Pen Writers Association group of publications. From this web page, you will have an opportunity to submit your work to Silver Blade Magazine.

General Guidelines

(Updated February 2020) Give us something unexpected and well written.  Technique, voice, characterization, and language will all play a part in our decision to publish.  Amaze us with your writing, use of language, sense of story, and memorable characters.  Give us a story readers will not be able to forget and will eagerly recommend to others.

The following are “hard sells” here:

  • Stories possessing several of the cliché elements listed here.
  • Fan Fiction or erotica
  • Anthropomorphism (talking cats, foxes, toasters or whatever)
  • Sloppy work–significant typographical, spelling, or grammatical errors (please proofread before you submit)
  • Publicly available items (seriously, why would we pay to publish something being given away on a blog, forum, social media, etc?)

Our editorial policies respect the artistic license of our authors.  However, there are occasions when changes are needed that go beyond basic spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections. In any case, the author will be given the choice of final approval, prior to publication, over substantial edits made by our staff. We appreciate your willingness to work with us in this regard. Do not submit if you are not open to suggestions.

Formatting

All submissions should…

  • Have 1 inch margins, 1 1/2 line spacing and double space between paragraphs.
  • NO fancy headers or footers, text effects, background colors or images.
  • Use a standard font (Arial, Calibri, Times Roman, Courier) in 12 point size.
  • Exceptions will be made ONLY for poetry submissions (see below).

Silver Blade Poetry

Poetry up to 1,000 words: Submit Now

Our poetry reading periods are as follows:

  • December and January (For the February Issue)
  • February (break / no reading)
  • March and April (For the May issue)
  • May  (break / no reading)
  • June and July (For the August issue)
  • August (break / no reading)
  • September and October (for the November issue)
  • November (break / no reading)

(more…)

Anthology / Events / Flat Amount

Taking Submissions: Through Other Eyes

Deadline: June 15th, 2020
Payment: $20
Theme: Speculative fiction with non-human protagonists

Stories take us beyond the bounds of our own lives—into new worlds and new situations. Perhaps most importantly, they invite us into new minds. Through the eyes of the characters we temporarily become, we not only live other lives, but discover new ways of looking at our own. Speculative fiction takes us a step farther—beyond the bounds of humanity, itself.

Through Other Eyes is an anthology of tales featuring non-human protagonists. Become someone—and something—else.

Submissions are now open! We’re eager for monsters, androids, vampires, elves, and aliens, but we’re especially excited to meet species of your own design. Familiar or new. Humanoid or non. Your imagination is in charge.

  • Submissions will be open until at least June 15th but may run longer.
  • The expected publication date is November 2020.
  • Open to word counts ranging from 1500 words to 5000 words.
  • Open to all speculative genres (fantasy, sci-fi, horror, slipstream, weird fic, etc) as long as the main POV character isn’t human.
  • No reprints.
  • Accepted stories will receive a $20 honorarium.
  • The anthology will be roughly double the length of a standard issue of All Worlds Wayfarer and feature both physical and digital editions.
  • All standard submission guidelines, when not in contradiction with this list, apply.
Standard Submission Guidelines

We love stories that take us on tours through the fantastic—whether in other dimensions or in the hidden spaces of our own world. We’re looking to highlight an often unseen side of speculative fiction: we want to encounter characters so vivid that our souls slip into their bodies, themes that challenge and move us, and language that makes us swoon. Immersive world-building and twisting plots are awesome aspects of our genres, but we’re looking for stories where these factors are shaped around the characters and themes, instead of the other way around. So often speculative stories are seen as escapist romps or slow, encyclopedic affairs—while there’s nothing wrong with these styles, we know the possibilities are infinite!
(more…)

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This