Deadline: December 1st, 2024
Payment: $1,500 USD and a contributors copy
Theme: Horror from emerging North American Indigenous writers

Never Whistle at Night, Part II: Back for Blood invites emerging Indigenous writers to submit their horror stories for the sequel to the international bestseller. This next anthology, featuring 20+ terrifying tales, focuses exclusively on horror and continues our mission of creating opportunities for Indigenous voices. About half of the stories will come from this open call, while the other half will be contributed by established names: some of whom aren’t typically known for horror or even conventional narrative writing. Published by Vintage Books in the US and McClelland & Stewart and Random House Canada up north, this collection will explore the dark and haunting dimensions of Indigenous cultures across North America. Part II has an expected release of Fall 2026.

Submission Window: September 1 at 9am Pacific to December 1 at 11:59pm Pacific. (Please check your local time. This is a hard deadline. No exceptions.)

Submission Guidelines for Never Whistle at Night, Part II

We are seeking boundary-pushing horror stories from Indigenous writers of North America. Our anthology aims to showcase fresh, original voices in Indigenous Horror, and we encourage submissions that explore new and innovative themes. To ensure your story stands out, we advise all open-call writers to review our first anthology, Never Whistle at Night, to avoid duplicating plots or themes that we’ve already published.

Eligibility Criteria:

• You must be an Indigenous person of North America.
• You must be an emerging writer. What does “emerging” mean for this specific anthology?
  • A writer that has never been published.
  • A writer that has only published short stories in magazines, anthologies, etc.
  • A writer that has published no more than one novel or fiction collection through a traditional publisher by the time they submit. A traditional publisher is defined as a publishing company that is not owned or operated by the author, offers editorial services, and pays royalties or advances.
  • A writer that has self-published up to two books (novels or fiction collections) by the time they submit.

Submission Requirements:

• Original Work: We will not accept previously published stories.
• Written by You: We reject AI-generated content.
• Word Count: 3,000 – 5,000 words (slight flexibility allowed).
• Author Bio: Please provide a 200-word author bio that includes your Tribe(s) and/or Nation(s) and your social media handles at the end of each submission.
• Genre: Horror, not Dark Fiction. (Click here for what we consider dark fiction versus horror.)
• Formatting: Please submit your story in Shunn format (click here to follow the guidelines).
• File Type: Our submission portal will only accept Microsoft Word files (.doc and .docx extensions). Other file formats will not be accepted.
• Review Process: Both editors will be reading each submission. Please allow time for us to work through the decision-making process. Notifications will be sent three to six months after the submission window closes.

Multiple and Simultaneous Submissions:

• Multiple Submissions: Yes, you may submit up to three stories for consideration.
• Simultaneous Submissions: Yes, that’s fine with us. If your story is accepted elsewhere, please notify us by withdrawing your submission(s).

Compensation:

• If your story is accepted by the editors:
  • You will receive $1,500 USD upon further acceptance from the publisher.
  • You will also receive a contributor copy of the anthology, slated for publication in Fall 2026.

Inquiries:

• Please direct any inquiries not addressed in these guidelines to: [email protected]
  • As per typical open-call standards, please do not contact us regarding:
    • The current status of your submission(s).
    • Feedback for your submission(s).
    • Why your submission was rejected.
    • Requests to resubmit a revised version of a previously rejected story.
    • Asking for exceptions to any of the submission guidelines (word count, genre, etc.).
    • Personal connections or referrals—submissions will be judged solely on merit.

We look forward to reading your submissions and discovering new voices that push the boundaries of Indigenous Horror storytelling!

Via: Never Whistle At Night’s Moksha.