Deadline: April 30th, 2025
Payment: 1 cent per word and a contributors copy
Theme: Creature Feature with the premise of situations where something is being sought out by a person/group.

My first foray into horror was creature features. Growing up, I loved movies that involved monsters: Them!, Godzilla, The Birds, Swamp Thing, Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Fly, and many more. Pair that with my background in anthropology and biology, and it’s a Petri dish of ingredients bound to spawn new terrors. What better way to celebrate the second year of Inky Bones Press than to publish an anthology based on the subjects that inspired me to both love and write horror. I can’t wait to read your twists and interpretations of the requirements lurking below.

What horrors will you unleash?

Theme:

Situations where something is being sought out by a person/group. They could be grave robbers, treasure hunters, archaeologists, cryptozoologists, entomologists, biologists, hide-and-seek fanatics, anything you choose—as long as their plans go awry. Get weird and creative!

Must Include:

• Bones: you can mention the word itself or be more specific. Ex: spine, skull, vertebrae, ribs, skeleton
• A creature of your choice: tiny, monstrous, an alien—just make sure it’s scary!

Genres:

• Horror | Science Fiction | Fantasy
• Applicable horror sub-genres of the above

Type & Length of Work:

• 1,500-3,500 words
• Short story (English only)

Release:

• Late 2025/Early 2026: date to be determined

Submission dates:

• Opens: March 1, 2025
• Deadline: April 30, 2025 (11:59pm EST)

Payment:

• Semi-Pro: 1c/word
• Contributor copy
• E-book copy

I’m looking for:

• Examples: Action/Adventure Horror, Creature Horror, Dark Fantasy, Dark Fiction, Dystopian, Gothic, Historical, Paranormal, Science Fiction Horror, Paranormal, Supernatural, Vampire, Zombie, etc.
• Scares, creepy vibes, nightmare fuel, unease, monsters, and fear—just to name a few.
• Make me afraid to turn off the lights when I go to sleep!

I’m NOT looking for:

• Hate-based stories, extreme horror, splatterpunk, rape, torture, animal abuse, romance, or erotica.

Formatting:

• File type: *.doc or *.docx
• Font: Times New Roman, Arial, Garamond, Courier New
• Font size: 12 pt
• Spacing: Double
• No page numbers, please

Reprints:

• No

Multiple Submissions:

• No

Simultaneous Submissions:

• Yes, but please alert me and/or withdraw your submission if accepted elsewhere. (Congrats in advance, if so!!!)

Editing:

• All accepted submissions will be edited and returned for author review before publication.

AI Stance:

• Authors will be required to state AI was NOT used in the creation of their stories.

Via: Inky Bones Press Duotrope.