animalistic past. None of these are so strong as the fight or flight response. However, there are times when we seem to be perfectly safe, completely at ease and comfortable, when that urge to run from something sneaks up on us. What causes these sensations? Is there something lurking in the darkness? Why is that man giving you the creeps, he’s not even looking at you? And yet, there is something odd. Something instinctual, something you know without fully understanding. We may have moved on, we may have forgotten and left behind those old stories and legends of beasts, of voracious monsters, dark spirits, vampires, and shapeshifters… But they have not forgotten or left us . . .

​

​

What We Want

The subject matter of parABnormal Magazine is, yes, the paranormal. For us, this includes ghosts, spectres, haunts, various whisperers, and so forth. It also includes shapeshifters, mythological creatures, and creatures from various folklores. If your story also has science fiction or fantasy elements, we regard that as a plus.

​

Please, no stories that involve excessive blood, gore, digestive tracts, and so forth. If you write a dark story, make sure it is spooky. Makes sure it is a story that should be read with all the lights on, with the reader looking over his or her shoulder while turning the pages.

​

However, we are not interested in zombie stories for this publication. No ghouls, no zombies.

​

Please bear in mind that all stories are always about people. The technologies those people employ are significant only in relation to people, to your characters. Tell us stories about people, not about gadgets.

​

​

Publishing Details

parABnormal Magazine is a print digest [trade paperback format] released biannually in March and September and publishes original stories, articles, art, reviews, interviews, and poetry.

​

Its format is perfect-bound trade paperback, 6×9, color cover and b&w interior.

​

​

Submission Details

We are looking primarily for original works. We ask for First North American Serial Rights [FNASR]. We will consider story or article reprints, but no more than 1-2 per issue, and please query first, before sending reprint materials.

​

• Stories

        We are looking for original stories with word counts between 4000 and 8000 words. If some words in your story require italics, please italicize them. Do not underline them or indicate them with symbols. Double-space your manuscript, and use a common font. Times New Roman is preferred, and we also like Courier New. Indent paragraphs 1/4″. If your story has been published before, please query first.

        We pay $25.00 for original stories, $7.00 for reprints.

​

• Poems

        Poem length should be from 1-100 lines. If some words require italics, please italicize them. Do not underline them or indicate them with symbols. Original poems only, please.

        We pay $3.00 for each poem.

​

• Articles and Reviews

        We are looking for original articles and reviews with word counts between 1500 and 7000 words. If some words in your work require italics, please italicize them. Do not underline them or indicate them with symbols. Double-space your manuscript, and use a common font. Times New Roman is preferred, and we also like Courier New. Indent paragraphs 1/4″. Query if you have questions. Query if your article is a reprint.

        We pay $20.00 for original articles, $6.00 for reprints. For reviews, we pay $7.00 for each.

​

• Art

        We are looking for innovative art on the theme of the digest. Work should be black and white, suitable for reproduction at 9” by 12”. Cover art should be–but not necessarily must be–in color.

        For interior art, we pay $5.00 each. Cover art will receive $100.00.

​

In addition to the payments above, each author and artist will receive a copy of the magazine in which their work appears.

​

​

How to Submit

Submit your work to [email protected]

​

     In the subject line of the e-mail, put the Type of Submission, your last name, and the title of the work submitted. If you’ve submitted poems instead of stories, simply put POEMS where the title of a story would go instead.

​

SUBMISSION EXAMPLE

“Story Submission – Dahmer – A Special Dinner”

​​

Stories: email as a Word (no DOCX files please!) or RTF attachment. Please include at a minimum your contact information in your e-mail AND at the top left of the first page of your attachment.

​

Poetry: No more than three at a time — in the body of the e-mail. Please include at a minimum your contact information.

​

Articles and Reviews: email as a Word (no DOCX files please!) or RTF attachment. Please include at a minimum your contact information in your e-mail AND at the top left of the first page of your attachment.

​

Art: email as a standard JPG or GIF attachment. 300 dpi, black and white only.

​

     Next, make sure your contact information is in the upper left corner of your manuscript and in your email. Put the approximate word count in the upper right corner of your manuscript.

​

CONTACT INFORMATION EXAMPLE

J.H. Tobin                                 Word Count: 5772
14 N Moore St
New York, New York 10013
[email protected]
paypal [if any]:[email protected]​

​

     If your submission does not include your contact information, Alban Lake Publishing reserves the right to delete your submission unread and without notifying you.

​

     Please, do not put any fancy formatting into your submissions, such as adding your name, title and page number randomly throughout the story, headers and footers, or anything else that might take away from reading and editing. This is because it can cause problems with both reading and editing your submission. It is important to note that style is much different than the above, and centering certain parts, bold, or italicized type is acceptable. It takes a great deal of time to read and edit things properly, so if we see things like this Alban Lake Publishing reserves the right to delete your submission unread and without notifying you.