Author: Stuart Conover

Closed Markets

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CLOSED MARKET: Hysterical – Poetry

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Payment: $50 per accepted prose piece or group of poems.

Hysterical publishes previously unpublished works of prose, poetry, and hybrid/cross-genre writing. Work is considered previously published if it has appeared in any publication or website, including personal sites and blogs, though exceptions may be considered. Please note in your cover letter if your work has appeared on a personal site/blog.

In general, we are seeking writing that navigates and subverts societal expectations across and between genres. Basically, we want to be surprised.

Hysterical is open to submissions only from writers who are women, femmes or non-binary people.

Simultaneous submissions are accepted, as long as they are noted as such at the time of submission, and any work accepted elsewhere is withdrawn from consideration as soon as possible.

HUMOR

Any genre can be funny, of course, and Hysterical will have a humor section in each issue. So, if you think your piece is funny, please label it as humor, plus whatever genre it’s in. Humor will only be part of each issue, so if your piece is otherwise awesome and affecting, send it over too!

submit

POETRY

Please submit 3-5 poems, unless you’re submitting a single long piece. We accept both .doc and .PDF, but keep in mind that formatting doesn’t always translate well across Mac and PCs, so formatting-dependent pieces are advised to be submitted in PDF form.

NONFICTION

We’re seeking all manner of nonfiction–from criticism, reporting, narrative nonfiction, etc. Please submit pieces up to 5,000 words in length. We accept both .doc and PDF formats.

FICTION

Short stories, prose poems, flash fiction, novel excerpts, whatever. If it’s at least somewhat made up and it’s in prose, it’s fiction. We accept fiction in .doc and PDF form, up to 5,000 words in length.

HYBRID

If your piece is somewhere in between, that’s great. We’re lovers of experimentation and cross-genre pollination. Clarify the mixture in your cover letter if you want, or if you want us to just dive in, we’re game.

PAYMENT

We’re dedicated to paying for work, as we value writers and art. At the time of this writing, payment is $50 per accepted prose piece or group of poems.

RIGHTS

Hysterical will acquire First Electronic Rights (worldwide English) and non-exclusive print anthology rights. This means that your piece will debut with us and cannot have appeared elsewhere, private websites and social media included and may be published in an annual anthology. All rights will revert to the author 90 days after publication.

Via: Hysterical.

Articles

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Horror Tree Update: “May” The Writing Be With You, Always

Wow. April flew by. I honestly ended up writing this last minute as I’ve been so busy with life that I didn’t realize it was time for another brief update! One of those things has been planning Mother’s day for my lovely wife, as we have a few mothers out there who frequent the site – Happy Mother’s Day (in advance!)

So, let’s get on with the update, shall we?

Seriously once again a huge thanks to everyone who donates to our Patreon. No changes in the last month but while that hasn’t added it also means it hasn’t subtracted and we continue being able to just maintain on paying the bills. THANK YOU FOR NOT LEAVING US!

Last month we added a few donation levels so please be sure to check out the Patreon page for more details!

These new levels will help us pay all of our contributors sooner if we can make those goals!

Trembling With Fear – I do have a brief anthology update for you. The TOC is for all intents and purposes done, as is the majority of the rest of the book. Once we have a few things finalized to give us a page count we can finish up the cover and finally, FINALLY, be able to share Trembling With Fear: Year 1 (working title, probably not the final title) with the world!

That being said, we’re always open for more shorts, drabbles, and now serials as well. Please shoot them over if you have interest in contributing!

If you’ve been loving any of these shorts please be sure to comment on the post that contains them so that the authors can hear what you think!

What Is New At The Horror Tree?!

What Is About To Grow At The Horror Tree?

One of our long-term readers has gifted a quick interactive game which is brief but amusing. We’ll be inserting it into the site and, possibly, adding more in the future. More on that soon! Not much else immediately new is ready to be announced for the upcoming month.

A Brief Update!

Doubling down on social upates. Once again the numbers have moved, let us see if the Tree is growing or withering on the vine!

  • Horror Tree’s Twitter – Moved from 6612 to 6634 followers. Not a huge jump but at least the numbers are going up! Thanks!
  • Horror Tree’s Facebook – Minor bump in readers here. We had 1694 and went up to 1706! With how rare it is for pages to show up to viewers anymore this is always a pleasant surprise.
  • Horror Tree’s Instagram – We hadn’t started using the Instagram account last month though the account was live with 6 followers. Having FINALLY started to use it we’re now up to 188. We’ll take it!
  • Horror Tree’s Pinterest – Just like Instagram our Pinterest was inactive with 6 followers. Views are actually pretty high here having over 1,000 on pins but the follow count only jumped to 8. So, there’s that.

On the non-social front, we always strive to be open with changes to the site. Previously, at the end of individual posts, there was internal linking done through Google. We recently changed it to show external sites which would also show Horror Tree article posts as well. We’ll see how that plays out to potential readers.

I hope we’re still the resource that you love for writing. If you’re looking to help the site or contribute to us please check out this page or donate to our Patreon! If you have any questions, concerns, thoughts, or want to reach out make sure to hit our contact page or reach out on Twitter!

Magazine / Ongoing Submissions / Pro

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Ongoing Submissions: Amazing Stories

Payment: Six cents per word

Introduction

So. We’re all geeks here, so we probably don’t have to tell you that Amazing Stories was started in 1926 by Hugo Gernsback, giving it the distinction of being the first science fiction magazine. You already know that Amazing Stories published many of the early greats in the field, including Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, E. E. “Doc” Smith, Ursula Le Guin, Isaac Asimov, John Campbell Jack Williamson and Claire Winger Harris.

But what has Amazing Stories done lately?

The field of science fiction (or scientifiction as Gernsback liked to call it) has changed substantially in the ninety years since Amazing Stories was first published. For one thing, science has progressed substantially, giving us men on the moon, a map of the human genome, virtual reality, the Internet of things, and real robots and artificial intelligence; never before have science fiction writers had so many toys to play with, and new ones seem to be appearing every day. For another thing, science fiction readers are more sophisticated than they were an almost century ago; they’ve been there and done that with the formulae of the genre, and they’re looking for what’s next.

Amazing Stories plans to be what’s next.

What We’re Looking For

Amazing Stories is looking for short stories that are fresh and new. We want to be surprised. We want to be delighted. We want your stories to be amazing. It’s not enough to be technically proficient and have a sort of, somewhat semi-original idea; we want to be dazzled by your original style and substance.

Remember when science fiction was optimistic, when the future was something to be embraced as a bold adventure instead of a place of dystopias, seemingly endless wars and mutant monstrosities to be feared? Amazing Stories will not shy away from stories that explore the negative impacts of technologies on individuals and society, but we have a strong preference for stories that take a bright view of human ingenuity and the possible futures we can make with it. Have you ever read a short story or novel and thought to yourself, “I want to take part in making that future a reality?” That is what we would like to see.

We intend to have a balance of relatively known and relatively new writers. Don’t be reluctant to submit stories just because you aren’t a famous writer – if you have an original idea and style, submitting to Amazing Stories could be your first step to becoming one.

We are happy to consider stories with a strong point of view, especially in light of the fact that one of the strengths of science fiction is its exploration of how science and technology can change interpersonal relationships and politics. However, we do not want stories that are basically political screeds or other kinds of preaching. Point of view needs to arise naturally out of the workings of the plot and the interactions of the characters.

We will not reject stories solely because of “adult” content. Keep in mind, however, that such content is not in keeping with our optimistic approach, which will make stories with graphic content (of a sexual or violent nature) a hard sell.

Amazing Stories encourages visible minorities, QUILTBAG writers and members of other minority or marginalized groups to submit to the magazine. The future will be diverse; we would like to see that reflected in the stories we tell and the writers who tell them.

We speak humor here. Well written humorous stories are always welcome.

The Deets

LENGTH: 1,000 to 10,000 words

PAYMENT: Six cents per word. Payment is upon final acceptance.

RIGHTS: Amazing Stories buys first world publication rights. In addition, we are buying non-exclusive electronic archival rights, in perpetuity, and the right for non-exclusive publication in the quarterly issue (ebook and print on demand, as well as a print “collector’s edition”). We also ask for non-exclusive rights to republish the story in an anthology for a separate fee.

REPRINTS: Although Amazing Stories publishes reprints, they will be limited in number and solicited by the publisher, so please do not submit them (although suggestions are appreciated). The reprint rate is $100 regardless of story length.

SUBMISSIONS: We do not accept emailed or print submissions. Stories must be submitted using our online submission system, which will be open starting on a date which we will announce. This will require setting up an account. Under LogIn on the top right corner of this page, you will be asked to create a username and supply your email address. When you have submitted this information, you will receive an email asking you to activate your account. Click on the link in the email and you will now have an Amazing Stories submissions account.

When you next log onto the submissions page, you will see more options, including “Submit a Story” and “Stories.” When you click on “Submit a Story,” you will be asked for information about the story and to upload a digital copy. If you want to see a list of stories you have submitted and what their current status is, click on the “Stories” button.

Amazing Stories uses a randomized submission system, so please make sure that your name does not appear anywhere on the manuscript; if any identifying information appears anywhere in your submission, it will be rejected unread. We could repeat this instruction five times to show you just how serious we are about it, but we’d hate to waste the bandwidth, so let’s assume that you are paying attention and will follow it.

SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSION: No. Just…no.

MULTIPLE SUBMISSION: Also no.

MANUSCRIPT FORMAT: Do we have to tell you to use standard manuscript format? Really? Double spaced? Bold and italics in bold and italics? If you’re in doubt, you can find the standard guidelines here: www.sfwa.org/2008/11/manuscript-preparation/. But Remember: DO NOT include your name on the ms.

Via: Amazing Stories.

Trembling With Fear

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Trembling With Fear 04/29/2018

One of the things on my To Do list includes revamping my website, making it more professional and keeping it up-to-date, unfortunately this is one of the areas in my list of tasks which continually gets pushed to the bottom of the pile – I might get to look at it in the summer holidays, perhaps. Actually, scrub that perhaps, I WILL sort it in the summer. A decent, professional website is a must for authors. It is your ‘shop window’ as much as Amazon or any other outlet which may be selling your work. It gives your readers a chance to find out a little more about you and start that reader/writer relationship.

However, whilst I have lapsed on this front, that doesn’t stop me checking out those belonging to others. I like to look at layout, style and content in the hope I can pinch some good ideas. A blog I’ve looked at this weekend comes from one of our contributors, Lionel Ray Green. It warmed the cockles of my heart to see his comments with regard to Horror Tree which he feels is ‘more like a writing community than a website’, (https://lionelraygreen.wordpress.com/2018/04/11/my-5-go-to-sites-as-a-horror-writer/). His website is entertaining and well presented, so why not drop by and take a look.

Speaking of the element of community or family which we foster here, I would like to wish another contributor of ours, Martin Fuller a very Happy Birthday for 28th April. A late-comer to the world of horror writing, he is still relatively new to publication BUT he has shown originality, a willingness to listen to ideas and a good sense of humour, plus he appears to have his apostrophes finally under control! Anyone else got a birthday soon? (I’ll just whisper mine’s 15th May ).  Happy Birthday again, Martin.

Stephanie Ellis

Editor, Trembling With Fear

Anthology Update: Cover is partially done and will be finished once we have an exact page count. TOC had an error we found which has been corrected. Most of the interior text is sorted. Need to snag some blurbs and a few misc things and we might have an actual update but it IS almost there! GAH!

‘Trembling With Fear’ Is Horror Tree’s weekly inclusion of shorts and drabbles submitted for your entertainment by our readers! As long as the submissions are coming in, we’ll be posting every Sunday for your enjoyment.

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

Dream endings

I died again last night, this time by hanging. The abrasive bite of the rope crushing my throat, my body dancing at the end of a noose for the amusement of a jeering mob still haunts me. Death’s oblivion ended my torment, as it had on all the other occasions.

I awoke with a muted cry, disorientated, nauseous, sweat pouring from my body. I’d vomited immediately, ridding myself of last night’s supper and the remains of my dignity.

I collapsed on the bathroom floor, weeping until fatigue pulled me into more mundane dreams.

I opened my eyes to a cold dawn, still on the tiled floor, shivering with cold, the memory of fear still haunting me.  

Staggering back to my bed, I lay staring at the ceiling trying to make sense of the latest insanity.

These were not mere nightmares but something else. Something evil in my mind and perhaps my very soul, was destroying me.

It had started at the beginning of June, when one evening I drifted into sleep slumped in my favourite chair, assisted by a large glass of brandy and a warm, soothing fire.  The dream started quickly.

I felt the heat of a blazing sun. I was balanced on a tree branch reaching for some fruit.  I was in the body of a creature covered in a thick coat of matted hair. I could think clearly but had no control of the body I inhabited. Its brain had limited intelligence and bestial needs. I looked out of its eyes sharing its desperate thoughts of survival. Without warning there was a bellowing roar behind me and I was pushed from the branch.

I landed hard, my ribs breaking, pain dominating my senses. Another creature, more ape than man, loomed over me. It attacked me raining down blows with its fists. I succumbed to the savage wave of violence, bones breaking and blood flowing. The final blow to my temple did for me. Black nothingness descended.

 

I came around, jumping out from my chair, somewhat shaken but amazed at the dream’s clarity. The next day I joked with my friends and colleagues at the university about my dream adventure. I was teased mercilessly, enduring playful taunts of ‘monkey man’ and ‘goodbye Mr Chimps’. It seemed a harmless fantasy in daytime.

My next dream-sleep extinguished any merriment I had felt as I again was killed.  

On that occasion, I was recognizably a man, wearing the skins of animals. I felt an adrenaline -fuelled rage as I found I found myself fighting with Neanderthal man, stocky and powerfully built. I was screaming, advancing on him, violence in my heart. The man creature gave a guttural howl and with a deadly swiftness, threw a piece of sharpened stone at my forehead. I fell stunned, and was set upon by this semi-human beast. My skull was crushed by a flint hand axe and the deep darkness came again.

The next dream reversed the roles and it was I who was the Neanderthal.  I instinctively felt that many centuries had passed since the previous attack. It was I who now held the carved hand axe, but my human opponent held a flint- headed spear. The encounter was brief.

The man thrust out the spear, piercing my stomach. Burning agony filled my abdomen and I fell onto the cool earth. I gazed into the eyes of my killer, saw his joy and exhilaration as he pushed the spear into my throat. Another black curtain fell across my mind before consciousness returned and I sat up in bed sobbing.

Weeks of death dreaming have now passed always restricted to the final few moments of the life I was inhabiting.

Fighting back was futile. I was killed in single combat or against large groups of assailants.

It was always pain.

Always death.

My execution on the gibbet signalled a change. I now die by the hands of executioner and interrogator.

I have sought medical assistance believing my mind is suffering an acute mental ailment, but firm diagnoses are hard to drag from the doctors and specialists I consult. I take the drugs they prescribed but to my despair, their effects make me feel more wearisome, unable to fend off fearful sleep.

Nothing stops the visions which become ever more real and prolonged in nature.

In the third week of nightmares I have two nightmares each sleep.

In the first double dream I was flogged and nailed to a cross,  hauled upright into the view of columns of Roman soldiers. They marched past me, some grinning at my plight, others gazing on with pity.  Although the dream can only have lasted part of the night, the dream time passed infinitely slowly. I expired over several days eventually dying of thirst. No sooner had the familiar darkness delivered me from that suffering than I was thrown into another hell. Here I was being hunted with dogs by men on horseback. My death was a savage mauling, torn apart by those huge and vicious canines.

There was no escaping my doom.

My doctors were baffled, and despite numerous tests and treatments the bloody visions continued.

On the Monday two days ago, I died three times.

With the first I was dragged to a scaffold and hung by the neck until near unconsciousness.

I was cut down, my genitalia sliced from my body, and my intestines ripped out of my abdomen and burnt before my eyes.  

My screams echoed throughout the hospital ward where I had been brought for observation. No sedative could quiet me. No frantic attempts by worried nurses could wake me. I slept on in torment.

The second dream and another hideous ending, this time being burnt alive tied to a stake. Faggots of dried wood blazed high around me, watched by a silent crowd, my flesh burning from my bones as monks chanted prayers and labelled me heretic.

The third dream was so evil, so terrifying  I can’t even bring myself to think of it, shutting it away, afraid to even look upon the memory.

I came around on my hospital bed, surrounded by concerned medical staff. I realised in my heart they could do nothing for me and despite their strenuous objections, discharged myself and returned home.

The end of June approaches and I have endeavoured to stay awake for three days and nights.

I avoid alcohol and continually drink coffee supplemented by drugs to keep me in the land of life.

I know I am becoming irrational, barring my door to friends and avoiding their pleas to help.

In my fatigued state I trip, injuring my foot. In my discomfort I pray to God for an end to the torment. There is no answer.

Now crying like a frightened child, I pray to the Devil himself for release.

Sleep catches me unawares. My head sinks onto my chest, the world slips away.

I dream again, but this time it is different. I stand on a wooden scaffold, a guillotine at my side.

A woman is pushed up the steps and forced to kneel, her head placed securely in the lunette. She awaits my hand on the trigger which releases the blade. I listen to the frenzied shouts of the crowd. I release the rope. The blade falls, her head is severed, and droplets of warm blood splash my hand. White light blinds me.

I am again on a scaffold, looking onto yet another crowd through the eyelets of a mask. Kneeling by a wooden block is a man of noble birth. He places a small purse in my left hand which jingles with coin. In my right hand in the shaft of an axe, its cruel blade rusted with old blood. I kill the traitor before me. Light shines.

The Saracen who tries to stop me taking the city for God’s glorious crusade, I kill.

The politician whose policies are contrary to my masters, I kill.

The priest who preaches heresy. I kill.

The Celtic warrior defying Rome, I castrate, then slash his throat. I kill.

I kill.

I kill.

These deadly visions of murder and cruelty never cease. I travel through time and space, a spectre and implement of death.

Throughout the endless waves of blood, I feel as if this is all a test, a macabre interview for some hateful purpose, some job where only Satan himself can be my employer.

Whatever will occur now, I can only state with bitter, painful experience, that it is better to be the victor than the defeated, the executioner rather than the condemned, the torturer rather than the tortured.

I dream on.

 

Martin Fuller

Martin P. Fuller is just the west of 60 and trying to enjoy a semi-retirement from being a law enforcement officer for over thirty-four years. He works part time delivering cars for a rental company and endeavors to join as many writing classes as time and finances allow. He lives in a small terrace cottage in Menston, Yorkshire England.

It was because of these writing classes that he started gain the courage to submit his work for publishing. He prefers darker stories especially if he can affix a twist in story although he has dabbled in some comedy and poetry pieces.

So far, he has had work printed in self-produced anthologies from writing groups but hopes for a story to appear in October in an anthology published by comma press. He is hopeful that people will like the twists and turns of his dark mind. Either that or recommend serious therapists!

I Will Always Have His Heart

His warm eyes, strong jaw and washboard stomach are hers, I’ll always have his heart.
His insatiable desires, inquisitive mind and easy charm are hers, I’ll always have his heart.
His tattered flesh, battered organs and severed tendons are hers, I’ll always have his heart.
The bits of meat I didn’t recognize, the chewed scrapings left upon the blade are hers, I’ll always have his heart.
His ripped nerves, splintered bones and threadbare tendons are hers, I’ll always have his heart.
She may have had him first, she may have him when I’m done, but I’ll always have his heart.

Kevin McHugh

Kevin McHugh is a writer from Scotland. He writes Short Fiction, Comics and hopes to one day string enough coherent words together that he can pass them off as a novel. His influences include Clive Barker, H.P. Lovecraft, Warren Ellis and Ira Levin. When not writing or reading he can be found listening to punk rock, reading comics books and watching the best schlock horror the 1980’s has to offer. He can be found on the twitter machine @kevinmchugh

My First Kill

After years of false predictions, one panned out in the form of an infection. I darted from one end of the house to the other, collecting my zombie killing tools. All those years of playing Call of Duty and watching The Walking Dead were about to pay off.

With a backpack filled with ammo and my pistol at my side. I opened the door. A smile spread across my face when I realized it was my neighbor. Planting my feet, I took aim. I declared victory before squeezing the trigger. Click. My heart stopped. I forgot to load the gun.

Andrea Allison

Andrea Allison currently resides in a small uneventful town located in Oklahoma after moving from a small uneventful town in Texas. She is an author who enjoys writing horror of all varieties and her work has appeared both online and in print.

Porcelain Doll

A porcelain doll sits on a shelf in Granny’s guest bedroom. Her gown glows like moonlight. When I nod off, she titters. When I startle awake, her hand rests against her flour-white cheek.
I climb out of bed, eyes on the doll, and inch toward the door. I turn to open it.
Something hits the hardwood. Tiny saddle-shoes tip-tap toward me.
I rush into the hallway and pull the door shut.
She kicks, bangs, and unleashes lunatic giggles.
She can’t reach the knob.
I slink toward the living room couch, curl up.
Over the piano, the clown oil painting glowers.

Kevin M. Folliard

Kevin M. Folliard is a Chicagoland writer whose published fiction includes scary stories collections Christmas Terror Tales and Valentine Terror Tales, and adventure novels such as Matt Palmer and the Komodo Uprising. His work has also been collected by Double Feature Magazine, Flame Tree Publishing, Parsec Ink, and more.

LINKS:

Author Website: http://www.kevinfolliard.com/

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/Kevin-Folliard/e/B0097S7T0A/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Christmas Terror Tales on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristmasTerrorTales/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kmfollia/

 

Magazine / Ongoing Submissions / Poetry / Pro

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Ongoing Submissions: Analog’s Science Fiction and Fact

Payment: 8-10 cents per word for short fiction (up to approximately 20,000 words), 6 cents per word for serials (40,000-80,000 words), 9 cents per word for fact articles, and $1 per line for poetry.

Payment & Rights

Analog’s Science Fiction and Fact magazine is an established market for science fiction stories. Analog pays 8-10 cents per word for short fiction (up to approximately 20,000 words), 6 cents per word for serials (40,000-80,000 words), 9 cents per word for fact articles, and $1 per line for poetry. We buy First English Language serial rights plus certain non-exclusive rights explained in our contract.

Story Content

Analog will consider material submitted by any writer solely on the basis of merit. We are eager to find and develop new, capable writers.

We have no hard-and-fast editorial guidelines, because science fiction is such a broad field that I don’t want to inhibit a new writer’s thinking by imposing Thou Shalt Nots. Besides, a great story can make an editor swallow his preconceived taboos.

We publish science fiction stories in which some aspect of future science or technology is so integral to the plot that, if that aspect were removed, the story would collapse. Try to picture Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein without the science and you’ll see what I mean. No story!

The science can be physical, sociological, psychological. The technology can be anything from electronic engineering to biogenetic engineering. But the stories must be strong and realistic, with believable people (who needn’t be human) doing believable things–no matter how fantastic the background might be.

Fact Articles

Fact articles should be about 4,000 words in length and should deal with subjects of not only current but also future interest, i.e., topics at the present frontiers of research whose likely future developments have implications of wide interest. Necessary images should be provided by the author in camera-ready form.

Our readers are very intelligent and technically knowledgeable but represent a very wide diversity of backgrounds. Thus specialized jargon and mathematical detail should be kept to a necessary minimum. Our audience largely reads us for entertainment, and a suitable style for our articles is considerably more informal than many professional journals.

Electronic Submission and Manuscript Format

Analog uses an online submissions system—we do not accept email submissions. Please see Manuscript Guidelines for information about paper submissions.

Our online submissions form for fiction asks for your name, email address, cover letter, story title, and story. Your cover letter should contain the length of your story, your publishing history, and any other relevant information (e.g., if you send us a story about a medical disaster and you happen to be an emergency room nurse, mention that). We ask for the same information for poetry. Please include up to six poems in one submission for poetry, and wait until you have heard back on those before sending us more.

All stories and poems should be in standard manuscript format and can be submitted in .DOC format. For information about standard formatting, see William Shunn’s guide to Proper Manuscript Format. After you have submitted your work, a tracking number will be displayed and an automated email confirmation containing this information will be sent to you. If you have not received this email within twenty-four hours, please notify us by email.  Your tracking number will allow you to monitor the status of your submission through our website, so please don’t lose it. NOTE: Email providers occasionally treat our email as spam.

Manual Submission and Manuscript Format

We strongly prefer that submissions be made through our electronic submission system at analog.magazinesubmissions.com.

If you must submit hardcopy, manuscripts must be computer-printed, double-spaced, on white paper, one side of the sheet only. Please avoid unusual or very small typefaces. Indent paragraphs but do not leave extra space between them. Please do not put manuscripts in binders or folders. We do not accept e-mail or fax submissions.

Author’s name and address should be on the first page of the manuscript. No material submitted can be returned or acknowledged unless accompanied by a stamped and addressed envelope (not a postcard). No simultaneous submissions, please.

Other Information

For serials, include a detailed synopsis and any prior publishing commitments with your submission. A complete manuscript is strongly preferred for all shorter lengths.

Payment is on acceptance.

Reply Process

Our average response time runs about two to three months. If you have not heard from us in four months, you can query us about the submission at [email protected]. Thanks for your interest in Analog and good luck!

Our Editorial Address

Dell Magazines
Trevor Quachri, Editor
44 Wall Street, Suite 904
New York, NY 10005-2401
E-mail: [email protected]

Art Guidelines

What We’re Looking For

We are interested in professional-level, mostly realistic work. Photographs are not normally used, but artists illustrating for us have worked with photos, using surreal effects.

The illustration must be able to visually interpret the story in such a way that it accurately represents the story, hooks the reader, and doesn’t give away the ending. Our stories contain a wide range of subject matter that that you must have the ability to draw. We like to see the capacity to illustrate an entire scene: one that not only has a character or characters, but also has a detailed background. You must know anatomy, perspective, balance, and figure proportions. We are not a comic book company, so please don’t send samples of comics pages.

What to Send

Send four to six samples of your best work. Do not send us your originals. Send only copies. They can be photocopies, stats, slides, transparencies, or tearsheets.

For either black and white interiors or color covers, you can use any medium. Many of our artists use pencil, pen & ink, airbrush, watercolor, scratchboard, etc. Electronic files are acceptable as long as it is in Mac format, eps or tiff, but please send a disk – DO NOT E-MAIL THE FILES!

Please include a self-addressed stamped, business-sized envelope for a response, or a large one if you want your samples returned to you.

Payment

$1,200.00 for color cover art.
$125.00 for black and white interiors.

Our Address

Dell Magazines
c/o Victoria Green
Analog Science Fiction and Fact,
44 Wall Street, Suite 904
New York, NY 10005-2401

For sample copies, send a SASE and a check or money order in the amount of $5.00 for each copy to the editorial department at the same address

Via: Analog.

Articles / Interviews

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The Horror Tree Presents…An Interview with Gehenna & Hinnom’s Charles P. Dunphey

Stuart – First, if you could share with our readers your goal for Gehenna & Hinnom in three sentences or less?

Charles – Our dream is to create a home for authors of weird fiction and cosmic horror that will always welcome them with open arms, no matter their experience or lack thereof. Coinciding with this is the equally important aspiration to provide quality fiction for fans of the fringe genres, stories that will always be inclusive and high quality, with zero of the politics one might find in many other small presses.

Stuart – When did you found Gehenna & Hinnom and what caused you to do so?

Charles – Gehenna & Hinnom was first birthed as Gehenna Publishing House back in 2016, though my lack of experience led to me shutting the doors quite promptly and before any works had been published. I wanted to guarantee my promises, and I’ve always been a firm believer in keeping your word. When I realized I needed more time to set the foundations and learn of the markets and mechanics of publishing, I took over a year and tirelessly researched, developed connections, and educated myself as much as possible. Shortly after, in April 2017 (a year already! Wow!), we opened our doors with the brand you see before you now, Gehenna & Hinnom Books.

As far as the driving factors in diving into a profession as risky as publishing, there were many reasons. Perhaps the most important were 1) I saw an influx of quality work in the dark fiction markets that wasn’t receiving the attention it deserved, 2) I’ve always been a “helper” and, as I expected, helping authors get published has become the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done, 3) In 2016, I read a collection titled The Nameless Dark by T.E. Grau. After reading it in a frenzied session, I knew that’s the type of fiction I wanted to publish.

Concerning my personal purposes with the initial founding of the company, I had gone through a terrible hardship where I was afraid that I’d never have the opportunity to make a change in the world. It was in those dark moments that the inspiration first festered, and it’s since evolved into immense resolve to not only assure my life has a meaningful impact, but to more importantly secure those impacts through the good that I can do for other people (authors and readers).

Stuart – What is the greatest hardship that you’ve encountered while bringing your press to life?

Charles – The greatest hardship is, and always will be, funding and time. I think it’s easy to not understand just how much becoming a Patron for a publisher, or ordering a few paperbacks, leaving reviews, buying subscriptions, etc., can do for a small press. It’s a constant uphill climb, the stress is unparalleled, especially when the staff are as small as 1-2 people. There have been a lot of great small presses that have folded because of these reasons, and it’s always heartbreaking to see. We’ve been fortunate enough to see an increasing amount of submissions each period and the responses we’ve received have been immensely encouraging. But this also means the expectations rise, and the workload increases. Needless to say, I enjoy every second of it. But I highly encourage all readers and authors alike, to consider supporting your favorite publisher in whatever way you can. Even if it’s in a small way, it helps immensely in the long run.

Stuart – How has Gehenna & Hinnom evolved since its inception?

Charles – Well, crazy enough, this month marks our first-year anniversary (as per my revelation earlier). And we have evolved drastically. I’d say the biggest change so far has been the types of stories we publish and our constant goal of increasing our payrates. The current driving goal is to become a professional paying market, which is a lot harder than it may sound. As far as content, we initially wanted to publish a plethora of themes, from Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror, and beyond. But as 2017 came to a close, we realized where our voice in literature thrived. In weird fiction and cosmic horror. These are the stories we find the most compelling, and we hope that our company becomes a welcome home to purveyors of the weird and cosmic.

Stuart – You work on anthologies, a magazine, novellas, novelettes, and chapbooks – how do you keep it all sorted?

Charles – There is a long answer. The short answer is: no sleep, panic attacks, a mental breakdown here and there, and A LOT of caffeine. ‘Tis a labor of love, no doubt. But the most rewarding one in existence. I try to tackle one specific thing at a time to stay organized, and always carefully plan everything out, i.e. payment schedules, response deadlines, etc., (sometimes I plan these a year in advance!). The biggest challenge of running a company by yourself, or mostly by yourself (thank Cthulhu for Caleb Stephens) is by holding yourself accountable. You either can, or you can’t. That’s the defining factor in whether or not a small business is right for you.

Stuart – One of the recent issues with small presses is that they have been growing at too rapid of a rate, what have you been doing to prevent that problem from occurring?

Charles – I never take on more than I can handle. We could have easily jumped the gun and immediately went for semi-professional rates in Hinnom, but I understood that the company was very young and, as I mentioned above, I never make promises I can’t keep. It’s all baby steps. I think a lot of small presses get excited and take on more than they can handle. Patience is key to success, and the worst thing you can do is make guarantees that are unsustainable. You have to be logical, precise, and honest with yourself and your company. Never put all your eggs in one basket. Besides the day job and publishing, I also run two other online businesses, and do freelance editing jobs, in case I ever need that extra funding for the publishing house. Like I said earlier, no sleep.

Stuart – What is a key area that you try to focus on when working with an author?

Charles – The most important focus will always be building a relationship. The backbone of the horror community is a thriving source of support for each other. I’ve never encountered a group of people so willing to help one another for little to no gain on their parts. It’s truly remarkable. I’m also a firm believer that there is always room for improvement. For the many who have had the experience of me editing their story/novel, they can tell you that I am incredibly thorough and don’t find it difficult to offer criticism. Writing is all about improving your craft. At the end of the day, my only focus is to help authors get published. If it’s not with G&H, then I want to help them in any way I can to find success elsewhere.

Stuart – From a publishing standpoint, have you seen a greater level of sales in physical or digital copies?

Charles – As far as numbers, we definitely move more digital, which is understandable. We take great lengths to ensure our print and e-book editions are unique and as professional as possible, and we have moved a great deal of physical copies as well, which we are very thankful of.

Stuart – How do you juggle running a publishing house with the rest of your life?

Charles – The simple answer is I don’t. It’s a constant, grueling, and stressful process that moves a hundred miles per hour. Accountability is the top of the pyramid in my everyday life, and I do my absolute best to treat my promises as life or death. Sacrifices are made sporadically, whether they be personal or social, and I often put the publishing over everything else. I’m lucky enough to have a wonderful person in my life who understands this, and she’s never held it against me. I suppose it also helps that I’m naturally inclined towards an antisocial lifestyle. Who can blame me? Reading horror is much better than wasting money at a pub!

Stuart – Sell our readers! Why should the authors who frequent Horror Tree specifically check out Gehenna & Hinnom as an outlet for their work?

Charles – We have the utmost respect for Horror Tree and find it to be the best damn author resource out there. For the vile fiends who follow HT, I guess I’d like to say that I honestly believe Gehenna & Hinnom is unique. We put our authors above everything. We don’t see you as a wallet, but much more the opposite. An investment. Our entire mission statement is based on helping authors, and I like to think it’s our specialty. We don’t see writers as one-and-done numbers, we treat them as relationships and we always hope to be a resource to anyone who desires help, regardless of what it is. I’ve always strived for G&H to be personal, not just a machine that pumps out releases and lacks in correspondence. I don’t want G&H to be just another small press, but a home. And a warm, welcome one at that. There’s never a moment we don’t appreciate you, and we’re humbled by every submission we receive, regardless of the result. So, come in a check out our macabre selection of tales, and if the madness hasn’t grasped you by then, you just need to dig a little deeper.

Stuart – Are there any upcoming anthologies or announcements you’d like to give our readers an early hint at?

Charles – Many! Recently, we opened our doors for submissions of novellas, novelettes, and themed chapbooks. Though we’re only publishing 3-4 novellas and novelettes, and 3 chapbooks, we think they are going to be our coolest publications yet. The chapbook themes are “Nightscapes,” “Have You Ever Seen a Portal?” and “Void Beckoning.” If you like to write or read nightmarish horror, interdimensional horror, or deep space horror, these might be the calls/releases you’re looking for. We’re also offering semi-professional rates for the novelettes and chapbooks, and a decent signing bonus for novellas (with royalties!). Also on the horizon, our first single-author short story collection is in production by none other than Lovecraftian maestro Peter Rawlik. You have a little while before Strange Company and Others releases, so if you haven’t read Rawlik’s work before, I encourage you to start now! Besides these, the obvious reminder that Hinnom Magazine Issue 006 will be live for preorders by the time you read this, and it will release on the 30th. We also have an annotated collection of Arthur Machen’s work in production, which we will announce the cover art for very soon. I actually was just speaking with the cover artist and contributing editor of the collection, Travis Holmes. Incredibly talented artist. He illustrated both Hinnom 003 and Hinnom 004. If you haven’t checked out his work, you can find him on DeviantArt under the name “WendigoMoon.”

And, hoping it’s okay with Stuart and HT, there is a special announcement I’d like to make first here. We announced the covers for the next two magazines of Hinnom, and we actually have permission from the artists to release the covers of all Hinnom issues until February 19th 2019! Along with that, I have some very special art that was received last night that I’d like to share. Mind you, it is early concept art, but a great preview nonetheless. It’s for the upcoming Nightscapes chapbook, and the illustration is by none other than Year’s Best Body Horror cover artist David Dawkins.

Illustration by Vincent Van Hoof

Illustration by Tyler Reitan

Illustration by David Dawkins

Illustration by Anna Strain

Illustration by Dave Dick

Illustration by Shawn Langley

Illustration by David Dawkins

Stuart – Where can our users find out more about your company?

The best place for learning about Gehenna & Hinnom will always be the homesite. But we also have a lot of other presences across social media. I’ll include the links below. Make sure to follow us and like the page on FB. Our free newsletter is a great way to get exclusive announcements and updates on releases, and our Patreon account has some pretty awesome rewards.

Homesite: https://gehennaandhinnom.wordpress.com/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gehennabooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gehennaandhinnombooks/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GehennaBooks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/c-p-dunphey-5124b2150/

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dmhxy1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorcpdunphey/

 

Closed Markets

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CLOSED: Reckoning Magazine

Reckoning no longer meets our definition of ongoing and we will post new calls as they become available.

Payment: six cents a word for prose, twenty dollars a page for poetry, art minimum twenty-five dollars per piece.
Note: Reprints allowed but need to query

If you want to know what we’re looking for, try reading Reckoning 1, the interviews, the Reckoning twitter, LCRW 33, or any of these.

lcrw33_med

The short version: fiction preferably at least a tiny bit speculative, nonfiction preferably more creative than journalistic, poetry tending towards the narrative and preferably with some thematic heft, art your guess is as good as mine. But the heart of what I want is your searingly personal, visceral, idiosyncratic understanding of the world and the people in it as it has been, as it is, as it will be, as it could be, as a consequence of humanity’s relationship with the earth.

We are actively seeking work from Indigenous writers and artists, writers and artists of color, queer and transgender writers and artists, and anyone who has suffered the consequences, intended or otherwise, of dominant society’s systemic disconnect with and mistreatment of the natural world. And we’re actively seeking new ways to reach all of the above. Seriously, if you know of a way we can do that, please share.

We’re no longer accepting submissions by email; queries are ok. Simultaneous submissions are ok. Multiple short poetry submissions is ok; with longer submissions, please send just one at a time. Feel free to submit again after you hear back. Query for reprints. Length: 0 – 45,000 words, inclusive. Response time has ranged from one to three months. Payment is six cents a word for prose, twenty dollars a page for poetry, art minimum twenty-five dollars per piece. Arbitrary cutoff point for the third issue will be the autumn equinox, 2018.

Submit your work here via Moksha!

(All of the above shall be subject hopefully not to too much change but certainly to clarification, evolution and adaptation.)

Via: Reckoning Magazine.

Magazine / Ongoing Submissions / Pro

 by 

Ongoing Submissions: Nature’s ‘Futures’

Payment: SFWA approves though rate isn’t specified.

Futures

Futures is the award-winning science-fiction section of Nature and it accepts unsolicited articles. Each Futures piece should be an entirely fictional, self-contained story of around 850–950 words in length, and the genre should, broadly speaking, be ‘hard’ (that is, ‘scientific’) SF rather than, say, outright fantasy, slipstream or horror. Each item should be sent as a Word document attachment to [email protected], including full contact details and a 30-word autobiographical note to be appended to the story if published.

We ask contributors not to send presubmission enquiries but to send the whole story. Unsolicited artwork is not considered. Before submitting, prospective authors are advised to read earlier Futures stories at nature.com/futures; selected examples are also available here. More detailed guidelines can be found at http://blogs.nature.com/futureconditional/2015/04/19/how-to-write-for-nature-futures/.

Via: Nature.