art by Tom Mattel

We are a "4theluv" market, exposure only. No monetary compensation.

Submission Guidelines

All submissions to The Horror Zine are subject to editing, but we work closely with the authors during the editing process. Nothing is published without the author's pre-approval and consent. Remember, even Stephen King has editors.

Jeani Rector is the Editor of The Horror Zine and you can find her HERE. Dean Wild is the Assistant Editor of The Horror Zine and you can find him HERE. Christian A. Larsen is our Media Director and you can find him HERE. Bruce Memblatt is our Kindle Coordinator and you can find him HERE.

The Horror Zine does not accept any material that contains adult or sexually explicit content; abuse or harming of women or children; any rape scenes; serial killers; gore for gore's sake; or splatterpunk. We do not accept any submissions written in Olde English, Victorian, or 19th Century styles. We also do not accept any fiction told in a diary or letter format.

FICTION:

Email your story as an RTF attachment. Formatting is important! All must be single spaced, Times New Roman, font 12. No paragraph indentions, but one blank space inbetween paragraphs. Left justify only, do not justify both borders.

Email me (you will find me HERE).

The subject line should be the word "Short Story Submission."

The word count needs to be between 1,900 words to 5,000 words. No Flash Fiction at this time.

What I Am Looking For in Fiction:

Original short stories that are creative and fresh. I am not only seeking horror, but also mystery, suspense, science fiction, and most of all, good character development.

I am looking for Hitchcock-type endings, Twilight Zone-type weirdness, and/or something deliciously twisted. A surprising ending is a plus. I am also looking for good ghost stories, monster stories, vampires, but something exciting and new is even better.

And! Remember the legends…vampires are killed by stakes, werewolves by silver bullets, and zombies by a shot to the head. If you are going outside the box on any of these, make it believable for readers who are used to the status quo of legends.

The best story you can submit has a buildup of suspense, and then contains an unexpected and surprising ending, no matter what the subject.

Here are some general guidelines to writing short stories: 

1) start with action
2) familiarize the reader with your protagonist; make him/her likeable
3) provide an obstacle for your protagonist
4) describe how your protagonist overcomes, or at least deals with, the obstacle
5) give the reader hints as to the ending
6) provide a completely different ending than your hints

It is also important to balance the amount of dialogue to the amount of action. Too much dialogue and you are "telling" the story instead of "showing" the story.

HOW TO GET PUBLISHED BY MAGAZINE EDITORS can be found HERE. No one is obligated to buy EVER, but it may be helpful.

POETRY:

I like rhymed poetry; however, if you rhyme it, don't do it rigidly. In other words, do not focus on the rhyme instead of the content or else the poetry will sound forced. Free-form is good and I like that as well. All poetry must be deliciously dark. Show some emotion.

I am looking for amazing and beautifully descriptive prose, yes, but I also want the poem to touch its readers; I want the reader to say, "Yes, I can relate," or "I understand," or "I've felt that way too" when he or she reads your work. Humor is greatly appreciated as long as it isn't offensive.

For your poetry submissions, be sure to send at least five poems. I will choose three out of the bunch for publication on The Horror Zine.

The poetry should be in font 12 Times New Roman, single spaced, no indentions preferred.

Email information HERE

The subject line should be the word “Poetry.”

ART:

I’m looking for works that make the viewer want to study your piece. I accept all types of art: dark, mysterious art, yes; but also things of beauty. You are not limited in your choices of what to send me. Are you talented? Then send me your art.

Please email me a link to your art gallery or photo bucket.

Email information HERE

The subject line should be the word "Art."

Disclaimer:

For published pieces we take First Electronic Publishing Rights. Bear in mind that some print magazines will not publish pieces that have been published on the web, so for all intents and purposes, if your work is published by us on the internet, it might be marketed to print magazines as a reprint, which can limit the number of markets that will accept it, and can reduce the pay rate it can receive. It is up to you, the author, to decide if publishing your work on our web site, giving up your First Publishing Rights for no payment other than exposure, is what you want to do.

The Horror Zine is recommended by the following: