UNNERVING
ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSIONS
OPEN
In the near future, Unnerving will be dipping its claws into CRIME fiction, and to launch into this avenue, I’m compiling an anthology. Meaning, I need stories. Short ones: 1,500-8,000 words, preference being 2,500-4,000 words in length. Remuneration is $0.01/word USD + a paperback copy. I’m asking for six months exclusivity. Reprints are okay, as long as they were last printed more than five years ago (personal collections excluded in this period) and are not available to read online (Audio excluded from this request).
I want gritty stories. Think Jim Thompson, James M. Cain, Sara Gran, Jo Nesbo. I also like humorous stuff with a dark edge. Think Donald Westlake, Adam Howe, Brian Evenson. I like twists. I like oddity. I like violence.
Now, for what I don’t want: no police procedurals, no copaganda, nothing supernatural, no rape revenge stories, nothing pro-religion, and nothing cozy or soft.
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Stories written using AI tech will not be considered.
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Send stories to unnervingsubs@gmail.com in a .docx or .doc file. No PDFs. Double-space your manuscripts. Please use the word ANTHOLOGY in the subject line.
Submissions close May 15, 2023.
ALL SUBMISSIONS CLOSED
Unnerving Magazine accepts short story submissions of horror and suspense. Generally leaning toward horror.
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Sex, gore and violence are welcome in moderation. Action over emotion, every time.
Please no hard science fiction, sword and sorcery fantasy, romance, humor that isn’t sinister or literary works that venture so far into experimental that they become nonsense, no cop dramas unless hard boiled gumshoe, no fan fiction, no war stories, no stories where rape is the lead character's motivator, and no blatant rip-offs. No Lovecraft characters, locations, or wording.
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Payment is 3¢/word for original fiction, 1¢/word reprint fiction, and $0.20 line for original poetry.
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I ask for three months exclusivity from publication date and non-exclusive print-on-demand rights for five years.
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Submit only one reprint and one original at a time, and no more. Submit in .docx or .doc. Double-spaced. No tabs. No extra spaces after periods. Please use common sense when formatting. Everything hard on the eyes will be rejected automatically. Give publication history of story if reprint.
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Allow for up to 6 months to hear back before querying.
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Simultaneous submissions are welcome (which means submitting to other publications, not sending me every story you've ever written).
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Submit up to one original and one reprint.
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Payment by PayPal only within 30 days of publication.
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If accepted, wait six issues to submit again. If rejected, try again if you feel like it.
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Eddie Generous is the editor and makes all publishing decisions.
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Only stories from 1300-8,000 words will be considered. (FIRM! DO! NOT! ASK! TO! SUBMIT! OTHER! LENGTHS!)
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Poetry minimum 12 lines and maximum 100 lines.
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Send submissions to: .
In the subject line state something like: NAME/TITLE/LENGTH/ORIGINAL or REPRINT or POETRY.
