Deadline: June 30th, 2012
Payment: Exposure Only

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

The Dead Sea is a horror anthology featuring stories set on the high seas. We are looking for tales that successfully combine this nautical setting with undead creatures from the dark recesses of your mind.

WHAT WE WANT

The nautical theme and the undead monsters are essential. We want to feel that sense of isolation that comes from being caught in the middle of the inhospitable ocean. We don’t care if the action takes place on an ocean liner, a life boat, an oil rig, a diving bell or anything else that you deem appropriate, so long as the comfort of terra firma is nowhere to be found. Likewise, your choice of undead can cover anything from the usual zombies, vampires and werewolves (yeah, we class them as undead here – that’s just how we roll) to ghosts, banshees and any other assorted horrors you can come up with.

WHAT WE DON’T WANT

Ghosts ships (a la The Flying Dutchman) and zombie pirates. We know that might come as a disappointment to you all, but they’ve been done to death (no pun intended). This is especially true in light of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and we fell we owe it to our readers to steer well clear.

That said, you are welcome to pen stories involving ghost ships of the Mary Celeste persuasion – eerily floating vessels, bereft of human life – just avoid glowing green galleons on the horizon and we’ll be fine.

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 April 2012 to 30 June 2012.

Reprints: Yes

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 you sending your 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: We regret that this anthology is a non-paying market, hence our decision to allow reprints. Likewise, there will be no contributors copies of the book, though contributors will be entitled to a discount on the book’s cover price.

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.]