Submissions open April 02 – 16

Canadians! We want your strange, unsettling, spooky tales featuring a ghost of one kind or another  – open to your interpretation.

From the Atlantic to the Pacific and anywhere in between…from our southern border up to the Arctic Ocean – from coast, to coast to coast, bring us your ghosts.

Original stories only – written by you, not previously published.

Set in Canada, written by Canadian authors.

500 – 1500 words.

(The submission portal will show 2 categories: flash fiction 500-1000 words, and short stories 1000-1500 words)

Please only submit one story

Simultaneous submissions are fine, please withdraw your story if accepted elsewhere.

NO AI: we do not want to publish work written in whole, in part, or assisted by artificial intelligence.

We want to publish your words, not machine-genterated words, which, by the way, are taken from other authors’ work – that is how these ‘programs’ are trained. So no, no thank you.

Even though we are fans of a wide range of dark fiction and horror, this is not the place for extreme horror, ultra-violence or erotica. We also will not publish work that contains animal cruelty, child abuse, sexual assault, graphic or explicit sexual content, extreme horror, anything pro-ageism, pro-bigotry, hatred or prejudice toward any group or demographic, or country.

COMPENSATION: $15.00 (fifteen) CAD + print copy

Payment is in Canadian dollars, paid via eTransfer.

Contributors will also receive a print copy, understanding that final page count will determine if this will be a Zine; low-fi, saddle-stitched (stapled), or a perfect bound thin book. In either case, the size is planned to be 5.5″ x 8.5″.

RIGHTS: If your story is selected, we wil seek first worldwide English language rights for print and digital/eBook publication. We ask for exclusivity for three months and non-exclusive rights thereafter. Author retains copyright.

FORMAT:  preferably double-spaced, standard font (such as Garamond or Times NR), in 11pt or 12pt. Similar to SHUNN, but please do not include your address or telephone number – we will ask for these only if your story is accepted.

Please DO let us know, in cover letter or bio, where in Canada you live. (There are spots for these in the submission manager).

Please keep in mind that declinations (rejections) are never personal.

Responses will generally be sent as form letters – due to volume and to prevent misunderstandings.

NOTE: we are only looking for FICTION. Please make sure your story complies with the following statement:

The stories in this publication are works of fiction. Characters, names, places, events, and businesses are either fictional or used fictiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, places, events, or businesses is purely coincidental. Each story is the product of the author’s imagination.

The setting can be fictional, or real, a general or specific location, or geographic region. If you are using a real place in Canada please write about it fictitiously. If naming a real business, brand, etc. is important to your piece, just add a note about it in your cover letter.

PLEASE allow upto six weeks after submissions close for a response, though it should be sooner.

PUBLICATION date will be TBD 2025 – most likely late autumn.

Submissions will be taken through Dumosuma®. Use the Submit button below; the portal will open on April 2nd.