July, 2022 Dark Fiction Short Story Markets

 HWA L.A.: July, 2022

New or Reopening Market Listings/ Notes

At Minimum Pro-Paying (5 cents+ per word)

Cosmic Horror Monthly
https://www.cosmichorrormonthly.com/submissions/
Payment: 6 cents a word
Story Length: 1,000–6,000 words (preference of 3,000–5,000)
Deadline: Open from July 1–July 7, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: Cosmic Horror, Lovecraftian, Weird stories, etc. Lovecraftian themes and mythos works are welcomed but try to avoid Lovecraft pastiche and styles mimicking that of his writer circle from the early 20th century; we are strongly favoring stories with a contemporary narrative style.


Seize The Press Magazine
https://www.seizethepress.com/submissions/
Payment: British 6 pence a word (abt. 8 cents a word US)
Story Length: up to 2,000 words
Deadline: ongoing
Reprints?: No
Response: 30 days
Description: Dark speculative fiction and anticapitalist sci-fi, fantasy and horror pop culture analysis. Neon, dragons and gore. Bleak science fiction, dark fantasy and horror (No moralizing, No happy endings).


Alternate History (anthology from Flame Tree Publishing)
https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic/alternate-history-call-for-submissions-0-0
Payment: 8 cents a word
Story Length: 2,000–4,000 words (soft range)
Deadline: July 11, 2022
Reprints?: Yes (paid at 6 cents a word)
Response: generally 3 months
Description: Every angle of alternate history from ancient worlds to distant futures, world wars, steampunk and more. What if the course of history had been changed by a different decision, a different victor, a different invention? Reimagine the world around us – some examples just to give you an idea: What if the Ancient Egyptians had conquered Rome? What if World War II had been won by the loser, not the victors? What if women had ruled the world for 4,000 years not men? The options are limitless for tales of true originality and with a vivid sense of realism...


Apex Magazine
http://www.apex-magazine.com/submission-guidelines
Payment: 8 cents a word
Story Length: up to 7,500 words
Deadline: Ongoing
Reprints?: No
Response: One month
Description: Exceptionally well-written Science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all its sub-genres.


Little Blue Marble
https://littlebluemarble.ca/submission-guidelines
Payment: 11 cents a word (Canadian; translates to about 8 cents/word)
Story Length: up to 2,000 words (reprints allowed up to 5,000 words at <1 cent/ word)
Deadline: Intermittent (currently set to close July 31, 2022)
Reprints?: No
Response: up to 12 weeks
Description: Speculative fiction that examines humanity’s possible futures living with anthropogenic climate change. We prefer fiction with a hopeful outlook, but the occasional dystopia might fit too.


Fantasy Magazine
https://adamant.moksha.io/publication/fantasy/guidelines
Payment: 8 cents a word
Story Length: Up to 7,500 words (preferred less than 5,000)
Deadline: Open from July 1–July 7, 2022 (open to BIPOC authors year-round)
Reprints?: No
Response: within 3 months
Description: Exceptional original fantasy and dark fantasy stories (including horror).



***Non-PRO-Paying Market, but Eric J. Guignard’s “Pick of the Month”

Mythulu e-magazine
https://mythulu.submittable.com/submit
Payment: 4 cents a word (up to $75)
Story Length: 500–2,800 words
Deadline: October 1, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: 90 days
Description: “Utterly unique” stories that brilliantly demonstrate the specific storycraft skill we’re teaching in each issue. Concept and clarity are more important than prose.
CURRENT THEME: Submit co-authored stories in any genre. (Also looking for non-fiction commentary and experiences with co-created projects.)


34 Orchard (ed. by Kristi Petersen Schoonover)
https://34orchard.com/guidelines
Payment: $50 flat
Story Length: 1,000–5,000 words
Deadline: July 1, 2022–July 15, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: August 31, 2022
Description: Dark, intense pieces that speak to a deeper truth. We’re not genre-specific; we just like scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad.