The Horror Tree

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

Category: Poetry

Poetry

Anthology / Events / Flash / Flat Amount / Poetry / Royalties

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Taking Submissions: The Needle Drops

Deadline: May 1st, 2021
Payment: Poetry: £15 per poem upfront payment upon publication + 0.5% revenue share scheme., Flash Fiction: £50 upfront payment upon publication + 1% revenue share scheme., Short Fiction: £100 upfront payment upon publication + 2% revenue share scheme.
Theme: Elevate us, and share thrilling stories of horror and romance, betrayal and bloodlust. Wherever you go regarding genre or form, we yearn to read what great works have yet to be read.

Currently, we’re in the process of establishing our first publication – The Needle Drops… Whilst we welcome all submissions, currently we are only moving forward with those within the horror genre, to be featured in Volume One releasing in the Summer / Fall of 2021. The preliminary end date for submissions is the 1st of May 2021. However, we especially encourage submissions at any time from BIPOC and those from LGBTQI+ community, as it is important to prioritise underrepresented voices and experiences, especially within the publishing industry – something which has been dominated by the white cis experience.

 

The Needle Drops… features an illustrated comic strip, original soundtrack, curated design by our in-house team and more. Dive into our blog for more information. One contributor will have the opportunity to work with our composer on an original soundtrack piece that will feature in the OST, available physically in the Limited Edition of The Needle Drops… as well as digitally via our Urhi Supporter scheme.

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

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Taking Submissions: Under Her Skin, a Black Spot Books Women in Horror Poetry Showcase

Deadline: May 31st: 2021
Payment: $5 and a contributors copy
Theme: Poetry about body horror
Note: Open to all poets who are women (cis and trans) and non-binary femmes.

To celebrate National Poetry Month, Black Spot Books will be publishing its inaugural Women in Horror Poetry Collection in April 2022: UNDER HER SKIN. This collection is open to all poets who are women (cis and trans) and non-binary femmes. Submissions open March 2021 and will close May 30, 2021, with decisions made on a rolling basis. Poems to be included in the collection will be chosen by Black Spot Book’s editorial staff and guest judges.

The theme of the inaugural collection is body horror. This is a broad spectrum and poets are welcome to interpret the prompt in their own vision–so long as it’s dark, unsettling, an on-theme. (more…)

Events / Flat Amount / Magazine / Poetry

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Taking Submissions: THEMA – Watch the Birdie!

Deadline: July 1st, 2021
Payment: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10
Theme: Watch the Birdie!

To download a PDF file of the guidelines, click here .

ALL SHORT STORIES, ESSAYS, POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS and ART MUST RELATE TO ONE OF THE PREMISES SPECIFIED ABOVE.

NOTE: Previously published pieces are welcome, provided that the submission fits the theme and that the author owns the copyright.

The premise (target theme) must be an integral part of the plot, not necessarily the central theme but not merely incidental. Fewer than 20 double-spaced typewritten pages preferred. Indicate premise (target theme) on title page. Be sure to Indicate target theme in cover letter or on first page of manuscript. Include self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with each submission. Rejected manuscripts unaccompanied by an SASE will not be returned. Response time: 3 months after premise deadline.  NO READER’S FEE.

Mail to: THEMA, Box 8747, Metairie, LA 70011-8747.

Outside the US: email [email protected]

On acceptance for publication, we will pay the following amount: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10; artwork, $25 for cover, $10 for interior page display.

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Flat Amount / Magazine / Ongoing Submissions / Poetry

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Ongoing Submissions: Polar Starlight

Payment: Poem (regardless of length–maximum 60 lines): $10
Theme: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Poems
Note: Canadian authors or residents of Canada onlystrong>

POLAR STARLIGHT is ALWAYS OPEN to poetry and cover art.

Contributors must be Canadian, or at least resident in Canada.

I prefer Science Fiction over Fantasy, though of course SF can include fantasy elements, so I’m flexible. Weird Fantasy would intrigue me. Also interested in Horror with SF aspects. Have a weakness for Lovecraftian Horror. Nothing obscene or ultra-violent. Idea-driven combined with character-driven would be ideal.

Particularly interested in beginning writers who haven’t made a sale yet. The primary purpose of this zine is to encourage beginning writers. I welcome experienced authors but will judge unpublished writers as a separate category so they won’t have to compete with pros. Ideally at least two to three first-sale stories will be in in every issue. Be sure to mention whether you have been published or not so I’ll be sure to place you in the proper category.

SPECIFICS:

I offer First Publication English Language World Serial Online (PDF) Internet Rights with a post-publication exclusivity period of just one week, after which the author/artist is free to sell as a reprint to anyone anywhere.

The exclusivity period is unusually short because I have no financial stake in holding on to rights and am more than willing to encourage the author to sell again ASAP.

Note that reprints are less desirable to most publishers and are more difficult to place. On the other hand, my payment rates are so low you might even make more money selling your work as a reprint than you did selling it to me as a first publication!

The advantage of selling First Publication to me is that I want to publish at least two or three works per issue which are first sales for previously unpublished authors, so I am more likely to buy than magazines concentrating on known authors with proven sales records.

I am also willing to publish reprints under the same rights as First Publication, but no exclusivity period is involved. You can sell it again even before I publish it.

Please bear in mind:

Short stories must be three thousand words or less. For budget / financial reasons I prefer stories 1,000 words or less, will look at stories 2,000 words or less but will only accept a few, and just one story 3,000 words or less per issue.

Up to 2 stories may be submitted. Doesn’t matter if simultaneous submission elsewhere.

Short stories can be Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror.

Subgenres can include:

Science Fiction: Alternate History, Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic, Contemporary/Near Future, Cyberpunk, Dystopian, Hard SF, Humorous SF, Mystery cross genre, Space Opera, Steampunk, Time Travel, Weird Tale, Weird Western, etc.

Fantasy: Dark Fantasy, Gothic, Heroic, Mythological, Science Fantasy, Shapeshifter, Steampunk, Supernatural, Sword & Sorcery, Weird Tale, Weird Western, etc.

Horror: Creature Horror, Gothic, Historical, Horror Western, Lovecraftian, Monsters, Noir, SF Horror, Shapeshifter, Steampunk, Supernatural, Weird Tale, Weird Western, etc.

In other words, almost anything goes as long as it is genre-related and imaginative.

Note: all poems received are considered submissions to both Polar Borealis and Polar Starlight. Can be sixty lines or less on any of the above themes

Up to 5 poems may be submitted. Can be submitted together. Doesn’t matter if simultaneous submission elsewhere.

Not currently open to themed interior art for specific stories (hope to be some day) or interior fillo pieces, but am currently open to potential Cover Art.

Be aware normally contributors are paid after they have signed the contract but before publication. (See “Contract” for a sample contract.)

Everyone submitting should include a short, one or two paragraph bio which confirms Canadian status, publication status, and makes you appear quite the character.

Include word count (if story) or line count (if poem).

Also, be sure to let me know if the work being submitted has been previously published or not, and whether my acceptance would constitute your first sale ever.

And please include your full mailing address as I will need to put that into the contract.

HOW TO SUBMIT:

E-mail a word doc (not a PDF) to me at <  [email protected]   > and include “PB Sub” in your heading.

The format of your submission should be as follows: A word doc. in either Courier or Times Roman font size 12, black print on white page, double spaced, beginning of paragraphs indented, ragged justification, your name and title on each page in the header, each page numbered, and your name, address and contact info on the title page. In other words, the standard, traditional, classic format.

Note: prefer single space between the end of one sentence and the start of the next sentence.

Note concerning poems: indentation, and justification albeit left, centred, or right, is entirely according to the visual pattern the poet has laid out. To ensure the layout is printed as intended, it would be best to submit the poem with Bookman Old Style font, point size 13, and line spacing 1.5, as this is how the poem will appear in the magazine.

Note concerning cover art: Must be portrait-shaped (as opposed to landscaped shaped) in JPEG form about 1,000 kb in size. It will fit under title on cover page and be surrounded by white space, no bleed. I will adjust size of JPEG to fit space.

Note: I do accept both reprints and multiple submissions, and don’t care if simultaneously submitted elsewhere.

Via: Polar Borealis.

Events / Flat Amount / Magazine / Poetry

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Taking Submissions: Consequence Journal

Deadline: May 1st, 2021
Payment: Not listed, last post on this stated: Poetry: $25 per page. Prose: $10 per page ($250 maximum). Translations $15 per page ($250 maximum)
Theme: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, reviews, visual art, and translations focused on the effects and realities of war and geopolitical violence

SUBMISSIONS are welcome during the spring and fall reading periods:

January 1—May 1

July 1—November 1

*Note: We no longer charge a submission fee

CONSEQUENCE is an independent, non-profit journal, and a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that publishes new content online throughout each month and a bi-annual periodical. We are interested in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, reviews, visual art, and translations focused on the effects and realities of war and geopolitical violence. Each submission may be accepted for print and/or online publication. We’re pleased to announce we now compensate writers for their work.

WRITERS whose work has appeared in the magazine include: David Abrams, Elliot Ackerman, Homero Aridjis, Peter Balakian, Jennifer Barber, Jerri Bell, Sven Birkerts, Kevin Bowen, Martha Collins, Martha Cooley, William Corbett, April Darcy, Stephen Dau, Jasmin Dzarnik, Ruth Edgett, Teresa Fazio, Max Frazier, Anne Germanacos, Jesse Goolsby, Tami Haaland, Lee Hancock, Bridey Heing, Jen Hinst-White, Fanny Howe, Daphne Kalotay, Mohammad Kazem Kazemi, Anne Korkeakivi, Phil Klay, Woody Lewis, Margaret Luongo, Christopher Lydon, Fred Marchant, Kai Maristed, Askold Melnyczuk, J. A. Moad II, Ruth Mukwana, Ed Ochester, Joyce Peseroff, Hilary Plum, Katey Schultz, Peter Dale Scott, Roy Scranton, Bob Shacochis, Tom Sleigh, Brian Turner, Barrett Warner, Julia Wendell, Afaa Michael Weaver, Nathan Webster, and Bruce Weigl.

We no longer accept mailed or emailed submissions. Submitters whose work is accepted for online publication will be expected to provide a photo to illustrate the work.

Fiction: Short story (up to 5,000 words), Flash (up tp 3 pieces or 1000 words), and Excerpts (up to 5,000 words)

Nonfiction: Interviews, Reviews, Essays, and Narrative Nonfiction (all up to 5,000 words)

Poetry: Up to 5 poems (please label the file with the number of poems, e.g. “Three_Poems”)

Visual Art: Artwork, Graphic Narratives, Video Essays, and Photo Essays

Translations: Accepted if the author’s permission has been granted

We do not consider work previously published in English. Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but if your work is accepted elsewhere, please let us know immediately.

submit

Via: Consequence.

Anthology / Events / Flat Amount / Poetry

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Taking Submissions: The First Line – Summer 2021

Deadline: May 1st, 2021
Payment: $25.00 – $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 – $10.00 for poetry
Theme: Story must begin with: “Lena was raised on violin lessons and minimal parental supervision.”

We love that writers around the world are inspired by our first lines, and we know that not every story will be sent to us. However, we ask that you do not submit stories starting with our first lines to other journals (or post them online on public sites) until we’ve notified you as to our decision (usually three to four weeks after the deadline). When the entire premise of the publication revolves around one sentence, we don’t want it to look as if we stole that sentence from another writer. If you have questions, feel free to drop us a line.

Also, we understand that writers may add our first line to a story they are currently working on or have already completed, and that’s cool. But please do not add our first line to a previously published story and submit it to us. We do not accept previously published stories, even if they have been repurposed for our first lines. And, just to be clear, we do not accept simultaneous submissions.

One more thing while I’ve got you here: Writers compete against one another for magazine space, so, technically, every literary magazine is running a contest. There are, however, literary magazines that run traditional contests, where they charge entry fees and rank the winners. We do not – nor will we ever – charge a submission fee, nor do we rank our stories in order of importance. Occasionally, we run contests to help come up with new first lines, or we run fun, gimmicky competitions for free stuff, but the actual journal is not a contest in the traditional sense.

Fiction: All stories must be written with the first line provided. The line cannot be altered in any way, unless otherwise noted by the editors. The story should be between 300 and 5,000 words (this is more like a guideline and not a hard-and-fast rule; going over or under the word count won’t get your story tossed from the slush pile). The sentences can be found on the home page of The First Line’s website, as well as in the prior issue. Note: We are open to all genres. We try to make TFL as eclectic as possible.

Poetry: We do accept poetry, though rarely. We have no restrictions on form or line count, but all poems must begin with the first line provided. The line cannot be altered in any way.

Non-Fiction: 500-800 word critical essays about your favorite first line from a literary work.

All Submissions: Writers should include a two- to three-sentence biography of themselves that we can use in the journal should your story, poem, or essay be accepted.

Multiple Submissions: We don’t mind if you want to submit multiple submissions for the same issue. However, it is unlikely we will use more than one of your stories or poems in the same issue.

Four-Part Stories: If you think you are up to the challenge, you can write a four-part story that uses the spring, summer, fall, and winter sentences (five parts, if you are brave enough to include the last line). However, all parts must be submitted at once (a single e-mail or snail mail) before the February 1st deadline. (If selected, each part will be published in its respective issue.)

Submissions: We prefer you send manuscripts via email to submission (@) thefirstline (dot) com. We accept stories in MS Word or Word Perfect format (we prefer attachments). Please do not send pdf versions of your story or links to Google docs. Make sure your name and contact information, as well as your bio, are part of the attachment. Stories also can be sent to The First Line‘s post office box. No manuscripts will be returned without an accompanying SASE with sufficient return postage. Here is the submission schedule for 2021:

Spring:
Darryl slid three quarters into the vending machine and weighed his options.
Due date: February 1, 2021

Summer:
Lena was raised on violin lessons and minimal parental supervision.
Due date: May 1, 2021

Fall:
“What should we do with the body?”
Due date: August 1, 2021

Winter:
Later that evening, they sat alone in their apartment, wondering if they had made the right decision.
Due date: November 1, 2021

Notification: We don’t make decisions about submissions until after each issue closes. We typically send notices out within three to four weeks after the issue’s deadline to everyone who submitted. You can also check the website’s home page for each issue’s production status.

Payment: We pay on publication: $25.00 – $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 – $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction (all U.S. dollars). We also send you a copy of the issue in which your piece appears. You’ll receive your money and issue at the same time.

Note to our international writers: Postage cost for sending author copies overseas is a little high, so we are reducing international author payment by the amount it would cost to send one author copy overseas. However, if you would like to receive an electronic version of the issue (PDF) instead of a hard copy, author payment will not change.

Via: The First Line.

Contributor's Copy / Flat Amount / Magazine / Ongoing Submissions / Poetry

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Ongoing Submissions: Haibun Drabbles

Payment: $1 and a contributors copy
Theme: A 100 word poem consisting of both a prose section and a haiku-like section, either of which may define, enhance, reinforce or otherwise support the other section.

As many of you know, a drabble is a brief story containing exactly 100 words, with a title of no more than 15 words (not included in the word count of the story).

And as you may also know, a haibun is a poem consisting of both a prose section and a haiku-like section, either of which may define, enhance, reinforce or otherwise support the other section. Combining the two creates a new poetry form, one you can be in on at the very beginning! The new form is called DRABBUN. Welcome aboard.

What we’d like to see, is a haibun of just 100 words total, including both the prose part and the poem (but not including the title). Your poem, which usually comes at the end of the story, should be three lines, have a Zen feel and a great ah-ha moment, just like a regular haiku/scifaiku. Your combination prose and poem should tell a story, and may be funny, sad, poignant or anything in between, as long as it is scifi, fantasy, or horror.

Hyphenated words count as one word. Count your own words to be certain of your total, don’t rely on your Word program. It’s only 100 words, you can do it. If your word count is incorrect, we will notify you and require an adjustment, or decline your submission altogether.

Payment is $1.00 per accepted haibun-drabble, and contributors will also receive a contributor copy.

Please send no more than two submissions in the body of an email to:  gatrix65 at yahoo dot com.

IMPORTANT: Put DRABBUN and your last name in the subject line of your submission e-mail.

Always include your FULL CONTACT INFORMATION (name, snail mail address, email and PayPal address) on every submission. Submissions without contact information may be deleted without notice. You may also send a brief (just a sentence or two) bio with your submission.

Editors for this issue of DRABBUN are Francis Wesley Alexander and teri santitoro. For questions, you can reach us at gatrix65 at yahoo dot com.

Via: Hiraeth books.

Anthology / Events / Poetry / Semipro

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Taking Submissions: Triangulation

Deadline: February 28th, 2021
Payment: 3¢ per word for fiction and 25 cents per line for poetry
Theme: Habitats. Sustainable habitats, in tune with their surroundings.

Triangulation will open for submissions on December 1, 2020. We are Parsec Ink’s speculative fiction anthology, since 2003. We’re looking for outstanding fantasy, science fiction, weird fiction, and speculative horror–from new and established writers. We are continuing to tackle environmental issues as we did with Triangulation: Dark Skies (about light pollution) and Triangulation: Extinction (about the loss of biodiversity). Tell us a story we won’t forget.

Theme: Triangulation: Habitats. Sustainable habitats, in tune with their surroundings.

Show us places we want to live that never existed or that we don’t know ever existed. Past, present, and future domiciles for humans, aliens, and fantasy creatures.

Ideally, the story plot will hinge on the habitat design. Let us hear about a new way to live, thriving, not merely surviving. What does it mean to live sustainably in outer space, underground, in the sea, floating in the atmosphere?

What does sustainability look like in a fantasy setting? Is the mana running out? Eye of newt getting scarce? Gnomes in the septic system?

Consider an Earthship, a faerie mound, a hobbit house, a generation starship where everything is recycled, a living starship where humans live in symbiosis with their environment, a forest city, a treehouse on Yggdrasil.

What will Biosphere 3 look like? A research station on Mars? The first or thirty-first lunar colony?

Flying houses. Tiny houses. Ultrasmart houses. Longhouses. Cave dwellings, cliff dwellings, teepees, igloos, tents, yurts, polystyrene dome homes, sandbag homes, straw bale homes.

Moated castles with crenelated battlements, slitted archery windows, double walls, drawbridges, spiral staircases curved to put a right-handed attacker at a disadvantage. Spires, minarets, secret passages, dungeons, wells, narrow twisty streets in a surrounding town, so armies can’t march through.

Phase change materials in the walls. Earth tubes. South-facing window walls. Large thermal masses for heating. Greenhouses. Buried root cellars (wine cellars).

Ah, but adding magic in the mix? The hut of Baba Yaga. The treasure cave of Aladdin.

Show us habitats we’ve dreamed about or never even dreamed of. Show us habitats we thought we understood and teach us something new about them.

Submission Requirements

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