Taking Submissions: Dark Decades – 6 Anthologies

by · Published · Updated

Deadline: October 1st, 2023
Payment: Contributor’s Copies
Theme: Six calls set in different decades with different themes that all have 4 requirements that you can see below

Most people would agree that technical advancements have made our lives easier or, at the very least, more entertaining. But, what about the flip side? What horrors were unleashed for the sake of creation? What monsters emerged as technology evolved?

We invite you to travel back in time with us as we discover the dark side of six decades.

Get creative with the themes. Bring us thrills and chills. Just remember to adhere to the basic guidelines. We can’t wait to experience it.

Series Submissions Guidelines

Applies to all individual calls for submissions listed below

  • Word/Entry Limits:

    • Only 1 story per person, per book (Feel free to submit one for each book in the series!)

    • Short stories (English only) between 1,500 words and 5,000 words

    • Original works only – no reprints

  • Submit your story in the official entry forms (links below).

    • Opens: June 1, 2023

    • Final Submission Deadline: October 1, 2023 (or until full)

  • Reprints: No

  • Multiple Submissions: No

  • Simultaneous Submissions: Yes, but please alert us and/or withdraw your submission if accepted elsewhere.

  • While it will not affect an entrant’s chances of acceptance, those entrants who tip will receive a digital copy of each of the Dark Decades anthologies that they submitted to when it is released. (Example: If someone tipped when submitting to Listen and Capture, but didn’t tip when they submitted to Lurk, they would receive digital copies of Listen and Capture, but not Lurk. And each submission would be weighted/considered for publication equally, irrespective of tip status.)

  • A word on response times: Having been on the receiving end of things, we know what it’s like to eagerly await word about submissions. We promise to do our level best to get back in touch with people as quickly as possible.

  • Contributors Selected:

    • Will receive full publishing credit in the anthology

    • Two contributors copies:

      • One (1) free digital copy

      • One (1) free paperback copy

  • Copyright: UNSETTLING READS, LLC was founded by two authors. We very much respect the rights of creators and do our best to promote both the works included in our anthologies and their creators. For more questions about copyrights, etc. please check out this sample contract or email us directly at [email protected].

NOTE: Send us your stories that unsettle, unnerve, frighten, discomfit, challenge, and/or just generally entertain. Please do not send us stories that glorify rape or abuse — especially of children or animals. We also will not include stories that promote bigoted thinking. While we recognize that some amount of violence is often seminal to these genres, we’re not interested in scenes that painstakingly, even lovingly, describe extreme violence.

Submit through Duosuma

ESCAPE: An Unsettling Reads Horror/Thriller Anthology (Robin Knabel and H. Dair Brown, eds.)

“What Lurks in the Shadows?”

Picture yourself in an old theater. Velvet curtains, plush seats. Ornate sconces line dark walls. The smell of popcorn coated in sticky butter permeates the air. Lights dim, and the screen flickers to life. Film spools onto a spinning reel, and jittery images appear. Monsters and horrors come to life before your very eyes. But, what if they decide they don’t want to stay on the screen? What if their creators are equally as gruesome? What happens when abominations of imagination come to life? Help us discover what lurks in the shadows.

We’re looking for stories that follow these FOUR guidelines:

  1. Respect the genre norms from the Horror/Thriller genres (and their associated sub-genres).

  2. Feature the 1920’s prominently in the setting of the story

  3. Feature film and/or cinema

  4. We’re looking for stories that focus on the theme: IN THE SHADOWS

Submit through Duosuma

LISTEN: An Unsettling Reads Horror/Thriller Anthology (H. Dair Brown and Robin Knabel, eds.)

“Bringing the World Into Your Home”


Radio was the original broadcast medium, bringing the world to you, no matter what corner you occupied. People gathered around their radios to harvest news about their soldiers at war and to root for their favorite sports heroes. They spun the knob to let the music and radio plays/shows offer an escape from their lives. Some could even stay tuned in while driving, a luxury car radio tuned to the frequency of local radio stations. But what if this connection, this escape felt more like an invasion, a trap, or an addiction? Send us stories about people on either (or both!) sides of the speaker: those listening to the radio and those sending out the messages, advertisement, and/or entertainment. What happens when the world invades your most private places?”

We’re looking for stories that follow these FOUR guidelines:

  1. Respect the genre norms from the Horror/Thriller genres (and their associated sub-genres).

  2. Feature the 1940’s prominently in the setting of the story

  3. Feature radio

  4. We’re looking for stories that focus on the theme: MESSAGE RECEIVED

Submit through Duosuma

WATCH: An Unsettling Reads Horror/Thriller Anthology (Robin Knabel and H. Dair Brown, eds.)

“We Interrupt this Broadcast…”

You’ve adjusted the channel on the television console, and you’re settling in on the family couch. Variety shows, news, and commercials saturate your mind. It all seems safe, run-of-the-mill. But, who’s controlling things? What kinds of messages, subliminal or otherwise, are being delivered to you and your family? Can the people on the screen see into your home? How can innocent voyeurism go wrong? Help us discover what happens when you tune in.

We’re looking for stories that follow these FOUR guidelines:

  1. Respect the genre norms from the Horror/Thriller genres (and their associated sub-genres).

  2. Feature the 1960’s prominently in the setting of the story

  3. Feature television

  4. We’re looking for stories that focus on the theme: TUNE IN

Submit through Duosuma

CAPTURE: An Unsettling Reads Horror/Thriller Anthology (H. Dair Brown and Robin Knabel, eds.)

“Capture and Release Relive”

The VCR and the camcorder took much of the world by storm in the 1980’s—especially in America. The novelty of being able to watch a movie at home on demand created “watch parties.” As more people found room in their budgets for these hot gadgets, private watching (and rewatching) of videos became more the norm. Experiences, shows, and movies could be captured and rewatched, relived, dissected, analyzed, or sometimes… erased. Bring us stories of moments, events, shows or movies caught on these ubiquitous plastic tapes and the fallout when maybe the least kind thing to do is to rewind.

We’re looking for stories that follow these FOUR guidelines:

  1. Respect the genre norms from the Horror/Thriller genres (and their associated sub-genres).

  2. Feature the 1980’s prominently in the setting of the story

  3. Feature at least one VCR or camcorder recording

  4. We’re looking for stories that focus on the theme: UNKIND REWIND

Submit through Duosuma

HOST: An Unsettling Reads Horror/Thriller Anthology (Robin Knabel and H. Dair Brown, eds.)

“You’re Connected”

Working, seeking out information, finding entertainment, and building relationships all happen on an object that sits in your lap or on your desk. The internet infiltrated the world, worming its way into homes and personal devices. Who’s hiding behind those screens? Friends, strangers, and bullies have access to you at lightning speed. What happens when someone on the information superhighway takes a detour to darkness? Help us discover who is watching and waiting for you to make a connection.

We’re looking for stories that follow these FOUR guidelines:

  1. Respect the genre norms from the Horror/Thriller genres (and their associated sub-genres).

  2. Feature the 2000’s prominently in the setting of the story

  3. Feature a computer and/or the internet

  4. We’re looking for stories that focus on the theme: CONNECTIONS

Submit through Duosuma

LURK: An Unsettling Reads Horror/Thriller Anthology (H. Dair Brown and Robin Knabel, eds.)

“They’re Always Listening”

In the last century, people listened to what came out of the speakers on their devices. Now, those devices/speakers listen to us. From our smartphones to our TV remotes to our refrigerators and cars to those harmless looking little disks scattered throughout our homes, voice technologies (AKA Voice Assistants) are everywhere. And different generations prefer different assistants. Many of us rely on them every day to wake us up, answer our questions, schedule our time, etc. What happens when these handy little “friends” like Siri and Alexa aren’t at hand—or aren’t so friendly?

We’re looking for stories that follow these FOUR guidelines:

  1. Respect the genre norms from the Horror/Thriller genres (and their associated sub-genres).

  2. Feature the 2020’s prominently in the setting of the story

  3. Feature a cell phone and/or social media

  4. We’re looking for stories that focus on the theme: TETHERED/OBSERVED

Via: Unsettling Reads.

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2 Responses

  1. No Thanks says:
    June 5, 2023 at 3:29 pm

    So they want all stories to adhere to their specific dictates but they don’t want to pay anything? Gross. Easy pass on this one.

    And those covers are lazy AF.

  2. Really No Thanks says:
    June 7, 2023 at 10:27 pm

    Totally. Pretty over publishers that pull this move. They expect the world and offer nothing in return.