If you’re in need of a list of horror short story publishers, you’ve come to the right place.
Below we’ve featured 17 publishers and have illustrated which ones are currently accepting horror short story submissions.
1. Horror Addicts
Horror Addicts promotes new and established authors by publishing short horror stories on their blog. The site is designed for horror lovers by horror addicts who enjoy a good story.
This magazine is especially fond of dark twisted tales in alternative, cyberpunk, goth, dark fantasy, steampunk, and similar other genres. They do not publish tales that depict violence, rape, or racial discrimination.
While the company is yet to make a formal announcement about their 2021 horror anthology submission windows, they are accepting free fiction at the moment. You can send your horror short stories in any of their approved themes. The desired word count is between 200 to 1000 words and submission queries can be mailed here. For more details about their submission policies and accepted horror story themes, check out this page.
2. Gothic.net
With over 40,000 members, Gothic.net is a highly respected horror site. Many stories published on this site receive award nominations and mentions in the prestigious Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror awards.
The is currently looking for high-quality short horror stories ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 words. Payment rates are negotiable, and authors may be able to get bonus promotions for future projects.
Check out their submission guidelines before sending in your story.
3. WordFire Press
WordFire Press features authors such as Lucienne Diver, Kevin J. Anderson, Mike Resnick, and more. They are currently accepting short horror stories for their “Monsters, Movies, & Mayhem” collection.
The company encourages writers to submit all types of horror stories from funny and grim, to weird and unsettling. They also hold short story competitions once in a while. Unfortunately, the company is not accepting unsolicited submissions at the moment. However, you can always check this page for upcoming open reading periods.
4. The Dark Magazine
As evident from the name, The Dark Magazine is a publisher of horror, gothic, and speculative fiction. The company is co-edited by Sean Wallace and Silvia Moreno Garcia, they publish everything dark, eerie, and unexplained. Top authors include Simon Avery, Jessica Reisman, and H. Pueyo.
The magazine is issued monthly, and their short stories usually range between 2,000 to 6,000 words. Authors can expect up to 6 cents per word for all published original fiction (up to 6,000 words). Submissions can be emailed here. For more details about the submission guidelines check this page.
5. Oscillate Wildly Press
Specializing in Body and Cosmic Horror, Oscillate Wildly Press is yet another leading magazine for horror anthologies. This Brisbane based publisher was established in 2016 and they started their literary journey by publishing novels, short stories, and other collections. Since 2019, however, they only focus on Cosmic and Body Horror short stories through their magazine “The Asylum Diaries”.
Unfortunately, Oscillate Wildly Press is not open to submissions at the moment. However, you can keep checking their submission guidelines for details about the latest open reading periods.
6. Nightmare
Nightmare is a popular horror and dark fantasy online magazine. The magazine is edited by John Joseph Adams. All submissions to this magazine must be made through their online submissions system.
They accept short horror stories of between 1500 – 7500 words, however, they generally prefer that contributors keep stories below 5,000 words. Nightmare pays 8 cents a word for all original short stories.
They are currently closed for submissions. However, Nightmare recommends that new writers read the magazine before sending in stories during their submission period each month. They do not accept fan fiction on media-based horror stories.
For more information, check out their submissions requirements and guidelines.
7. Anathema Magazine
Anathema is home to exceptional work. The online magazine takes short horror story submissions from queer people of color, aboriginal creators, and indigenous writers. The free magazine recently ran a successful IndieGoGo campaign to keep publishing for a year and pay their writers.
This magazine usually accepts submissions of 1,500 – 3000 words all year round. They pay $100 (CAD) on publication. They do not, however, not accept translated works. As of now, the company is closed for submissions until January. You can still check out their submission requirements for the latest details about their open submission periods.
Since the magazine receives many submissions and they ask you allow at least 8 weeks for a response.
8. Allegory
Allegory is a bi-annual, online magazine that publishes short horror stories. It was founded by Ty Drago over 20 years ago. The magazine’s founder is also the author of the “Undertakers Series” and “Phobos” which was termed as a “strong contender for Science Fiction debut of the year” by Publisher’s Weekly.
At Allegory, top authors include Aryan Bollinger, Thomas Vaugh, Noah Lemelson, and more. The magazine specializes in horror, fantasy, and science fiction genres. They do not have a minimum or maximum word-count restriction, but they recommend that your submission be between 500- 4000 words. The pay is $15 for each story upon publication via PayPal or personal check.
Allegory Magazine has multiple submission periods and you can check this page for the latest dates and submission requirements.
9. Madness Heart Press
Madness Heart Press is an online bookstore, as well as a digital horror publisher. The full-service digital publisher puts out content on multiple social media platforms and demands only the best from their contributors.
Madness Heart Press accepts horror anthologies through their annual anthology publishing program, “Trigger Warning”. Stories need to be a minimum of 1,500 words and authors receive $5 against every published story. Unfortunately, the publisher isn’t accepting submissions at the moment. However, you can keep checking this page for all the details about their upcoming open reading schedules.
10. 96th of October
Formed in 2020, 96th of October is one of the newest horror short story publishers in our list. The company publishes anthologies in multiple genres including science fiction, fantasy, horror, alternate history, spirituality and more. Interestingly, despite having published only a few issues, the magazine is already known for its page turning horror stories with just the right dose of entertainment. 96th of October has also worked with popular horror story authors like Brett Rutherford, Michael Just, and Pablo Mendez.
The magazine is currently accepting submissions and they claim to respond with ‘startling rapidity’. Short fiction in all genres should range from 1,000 to 10,000 words and can be sent here. For more details about the submission policies, check this page.
11. Black Static
Black Static was founded in 1994. The online magazine was originally named Third Alternative and later renamed so readers across the United Kingdom could fully recognize it as a horror magazine. Black Static specializes in horror, dark fantasy, and fiction.
The magazine, a member of the elite horror publications in the country, has been praised for its innovative style and bravery. Their stories are entertaining yet bold and unafraid. Some of Black Static’s writers include Christopher Fowler, Stephen Volk, Lisa Tuttle, and Conrad Williams among others.
This publisher accepts short horror stories of 10,000 words or less. They do not accept work that has previously been published. Horror story authors can send their submissions to Black Static after reading the submission guidelines here. Aspiring contributors can also check out the magazine’s general submission guidelines on their website.
12. Morpheus Tales
Morpheus Tales is a dark and edgy magazine run by a team of highly experienced writers. Some members of their team have authored major novels such as John William Aldrich’s “The Boys of Summer”.
The UK publisher specializes in horror, fantasy, and science fiction or a blend between the three. The magazine accepts short horror stories of 3,000 words or less. All submissions must be sent as a Word document and written in 12 point Times New Roman Font.
If you have a compelling, character-driven story, submit your work to morpheustales@gmail.com. The magazine does not pay its contributors however, successful features receive a complimentary ebook version of the magazine.
Read Morpheus Tales strict writers guidelines before you send in your short horror story.
13. Dark Helix Press
This Indie publisher is based in Ontario, Canada. Dark Helix publishes an ezine featuring fiction, non-fiction, children’s and YA stories, and horror. The magazine is focused on increasing awareness and cultural diversity and is currently accepting manuscripts for different anthology projects.
The team at Dark Helix works with both established and emerging writers. They generally publish flash fiction and short stories. Unfortunately, the press is not accepting submissions at the moment. However, you can still check out Dark Helix Press’ website for more information about their upcoming open reading periods and detailed submission guidelines.
14. Lamplight
Lamplight is also an online magazine based in Canada. The Magazine features dark fiction. They do not have a specific genre, they prefer good stories with a dark twist. LampLight showcases the best dark fiction by working with writers from diverse backgrounds.
The quarterly magazine accepts multiple submissions during their two submissions periods on 15 March – 15 May and 15 September – 15 November. Any submissions received outside this period are not considered.
Payment is $0.03 per word and a maximum of $150 for original, unpublished stories and $0.01 per word for reprints. More details are available on the submissions guidelines page on their website.
15. Aurealis
Aurealis is an Australian Magazine that publishes compelling reads from both established and emerging writers. The magazine publishes horror, fantasy and science fiction. They recommend browsing through their magazine to get an idea of the stories they like to publish.
The magazine is partial to horror stories that are speculative rather than derivative. They are particularly strict about stories based on TV series and will not publish any superficial horror stories.
The online publication accepts submissions from Australian and New Zealand writers from 1 February – 30 September. Other authors can submit their works between 1 July and 31st July 2021. Short horror stories should be between 2000 – 8000 words. Pay is between A$20 – A$60 for 1000 words and is only made after the publication of your story. Contributors also receive a free copy of the issue containing their story.
Check out the submission guidelines on their website.
16. The Dark Sire
The Dark Sire is a leading quarterly horror magazine specializing in horror short stories. In addition to publishing short fiction and anthologies, the magazine also publishes poetry, art, and fiction across multiple categories like fantasy, gothic, psychology, and more. The Ohio based magazine is issued at the last day of every month and over the last few years, they have already established a solid presence among horror and gothic story enthusiasts. The Dark Sire is also known for its collaboration with both newbie and experienced authors like Gina Easton, W.C Mallery, and Mark Zimmerman.
As of now, the magazine is welcoming new horror anthology submissions. To get your work considered, fill out this form and email your query letter here. For more details about their submission policies, check this page.
17. Breach
Breach online magazine publishes short stories in the horror and dark fantasy genres. The online magazine based in Australia also publishes science fiction. They are currently celebrating their 10th issue by publishing 10 stories from Australia and New Zealand writers.
The publisher accepts short stories between 500-2000 words. The pay for short stories is $0.01 per word to a maximum of $20. They are also taking an interesting direction by accepting novelettes of between 17,000 – 40,000 words. While Breach is not accepting new submissions at the moment, you can keep checking this page for latest details about upcoming submission periods.
Do you know of any other horror short story publishers? Please tell us about them in the comments box below!
Anne Wachuka is a freelance writer for businesses that seek to improve their Google ranking. Whether you’re looking for lifestyle features, keyword-rich copy for your website or updates and rewrites of existing literature, she can help.