Deadline: May 31st 2012
Payment: £20.00 upon publication

Cruentus Libri Press is pleased to announce its forthcoming anthology, now open for submission.

A Fistful of Horrors: Tales of Terror from the Old West is a Western themed horror anthology. We are looking for stories that successfully combine the setting and trappings of the Old West with skin crawling horror from the depths of mankind’s darkest imaginings.

WHAT WE WANT

The Old West setting is a must. We want to see saloons, grizzled old prospectors, cowboys, Native Americans, banditos, abandoned gold mines and the like. Historical accuracy would be nice, but we’re really after stories that capture the flavour of the Old West. If, in the reading of your story, we feel that Clint Eastwood or John Wayne could turn the corner at any minute for a brief cameo, then you’ve hit the nail on the head. As well as the classic Spaghetti Western motifs, we also welcome stories from the same period that focus on Native American culture – Wendigos, skin-walkers, deer women, Fastachees…you get the idea.

As important as the Western setting is to this anthology, it is more important to remember that it is a horror anthology. We want stories that will provide our readers with their recommended daily dosage of Vitamin Horror, so come out of the dark with your teeth bared and your claws tearing.

WHAT WE DON’T WANT

First of all, we don’t want parodies or pastiches of existing Western tropes, with a handful of vampires, lycanthropes or zombies thrown into the mix. If your story can be summed up as ‘Young Guns with Zombies’ or ‘Unforgiven with Vampires’ then this really isn’t the market for you.

Similarly, if you are going to write a story based on Native American folklore, don’t just retell the story that already exists in your own words. By all means incorporate the background of these tales into your story, but we want something new – a side to the myth that has yet to be explored.

This is a horror anthology intended for an adult audience. Whilst we have no qualms about including sex, violence and swearing in the stories, don’t make it gratuitous – ask yourself whether the scene in question adds to the story or if it is simply there to shock.

THE RULES

First, check out our Writer’s Guidelines and, specifically, that part pertaining to Anthology Submissions. They should tell you all you need to know about sending us your work.

Word Count: 2500-7500 words. Whilst we will accept some leeway in this word count, don’t be sending us flash fiction or novellas, as they will be returned unread.

Reading Period: 01 March 2012 to 31 May 2012.

Reprints: No

Multiple Submissions: No.

Simultaneous Submissions: We understand that writers want to find a home for their work and, as such, we have no problem with sending you story to other markets as well as our own. We ask only that you inform us if your story gets accepted elsewhere before the end of the reading period, so that we can remove it from our slushpile.

Payment: This anthology is a paying market. The author of each story accepted will receive £20.00 upon publication of the anthology. There will be no contributors copies of the book.

Rights: Cruentus Libri Press request First Print and Electronic Publishing Rights for each story published. This means that, once your story is published with us, thereafter it can only be marketed as a reprint. This can limit the number of markets that will accept it, as many publications will not accept reprints and those that do may offer a reduced pay rate as a consequence. Please bear this in mind when submitting your story for inclusion in this anthology.

Once you’re satisfied with your entry and you’re sure it meets the guidelines, submit it as an attachment to [email protected]

[via: Cruentus Libri Press.]