Submission Guidelines
Copyright Mike Kerins
We are currently reading submissions for Dark River Magazine, its Stories pages, and Poetry pages.
We do not specialize in splatter and gore for the sake of it. Intelligent, thought-provoking horror is favoured over shock.
We only accept email submissions (fiction here and poetry here). Please ensure that they are in .doc, .docx, or .rtf formats. Art submissions should be sent here, and should be in .jpeg, .png, or .gif formats. (We have to do it this way to avoid tonnes of spam. If you want to see the address where your mail will be sent, just hover your mouse over the link and it will show up at the bottom of your browser window.)
Important, please note: We expect a short cover email with synopsis, brief bio (including previous publication credits, if any), and whether or not, if published, you would like readers to be able to contact you. If so, let us know how. Any material/details shared with us will be kept strictly confidential.
If you can't be bothered doing this, it is only fair to assume we might not bother to read your submission.
For written work, we DO NOT accept simultaneous submissions. However, we will consider reprints, but they must be exceptional.
We are looking for the following:
*Short Stories/Novellas (up to 15,000 words), no more than three per submission;
*Poetry (up to 100 lines), no more than 5 per submission (additional guidance for poets below);
*Art (please send JPEG, GIF or PNG files only, no more than three per submission);
*Art Portfolios (JPEG, GIf or PNG only, three samples only please);
*Photography (again, JPEG, GIF or PNG files only, no more than three per submission);
*Non-fiction articles (anything horror related, no more than three);
*Academic articles (horror related, fully referenced, bibliography, etc.), again, no more than three;
*Serial novels (contact us first with a query letter),
*Graphic short stories/serials (contact us with a query letter); and,
*Short films/serials (again, contact us with a query and we will get back to you).
As we are a FREE publication, there is no payment available at this time. However, we will supply a written critique where we can. Each submission will receive a personal response from the editor
We require one-time print/electronic rights and print/electronic archive rights. Many magazines will not publish pieces that have been published in print or on the web. Once your work has been published, it can only ever be re-marketed as a reprint severely limiting the number of markets that will accept it, and drastically reduces the pay rate it can receive. It is up to you, the author, to decide whether giving up first print/electronic rights for no payment other than exposure is really what you want to do. It is our intention to publish anthologies in the future. We will contact you with a separate contract for this if your work is chosen. If you have any questions/queries, contact us here.
The editor would also like to note that there is no difference in the quality of work chosen for the website or the magazine. Selections are usually made thematically and stylistically so that you work will receive maximum exposure.
We do not specialize in splatter and gore for the sake of it. Intelligent, thought-provoking horror is favoured over shock.
We only accept email submissions (fiction here and poetry here). Please ensure that they are in .doc, .docx, or .rtf formats. Art submissions should be sent here, and should be in .jpeg, .png, or .gif formats. (We have to do it this way to avoid tonnes of spam. If you want to see the address where your mail will be sent, just hover your mouse over the link and it will show up at the bottom of your browser window.)
Important, please note: We expect a short cover email with synopsis, brief bio (including previous publication credits, if any), and whether or not, if published, you would like readers to be able to contact you. If so, let us know how. Any material/details shared with us will be kept strictly confidential.
If you can't be bothered doing this, it is only fair to assume we might not bother to read your submission.
For written work, we DO NOT accept simultaneous submissions. However, we will consider reprints, but they must be exceptional.
We are looking for the following:
*Short Stories/Novellas (up to 15,000 words), no more than three per submission;
*Poetry (up to 100 lines), no more than 5 per submission (additional guidance for poets below);
*Art (please send JPEG, GIF or PNG files only, no more than three per submission);
*Art Portfolios (JPEG, GIf or PNG only, three samples only please);
*Photography (again, JPEG, GIF or PNG files only, no more than three per submission);
*Non-fiction articles (anything horror related, no more than three);
*Academic articles (horror related, fully referenced, bibliography, etc.), again, no more than three;
*Serial novels (contact us first with a query letter),
*Graphic short stories/serials (contact us with a query letter); and,
*Short films/serials (again, contact us with a query and we will get back to you).
As we are a FREE publication, there is no payment available at this time. However, we will supply a written critique where we can. Each submission will receive a personal response from the editor
We require one-time print/electronic rights and print/electronic archive rights. Many magazines will not publish pieces that have been published in print or on the web. Once your work has been published, it can only ever be re-marketed as a reprint severely limiting the number of markets that will accept it, and drastically reduces the pay rate it can receive. It is up to you, the author, to decide whether giving up first print/electronic rights for no payment other than exposure is really what you want to do. It is our intention to publish anthologies in the future. We will contact you with a separate contract for this if your work is chosen. If you have any questions/queries, contact us here.
The editor would also like to note that there is no difference in the quality of work chosen for the website or the magazine. Selections are usually made thematically and stylistically so that you work will receive maximum exposure.
What are we looking for?
Copyright David Hutchison
Intelligent, subtle horror and art. Shock, gore, splatter all have their place, but it needs to be done properly. Nothing's taboo - it just needs to be done well.
Look around the site. Get a feel for Dark River. That's the best advice we can offer.
For artwork, we are looking for beauty in the horrific. Images that make us stop and think or that inspire. The same applies to short films and graphic serials.
Look around the site. Get a feel for Dark River. That's the best advice we can offer.
For artwork, we are looking for beauty in the horrific. Images that make us stop and think or that inspire. The same applies to short films and graphic serials.
Additional Guidance for Poetry
We here at Dark River Press love dark poetry. We are connoisseurs of dark verse, always sampling some silken morsel of words. To give you an idea of what sort of tastes and flavors our palates favor, here are some guidelines:
1. Send no more than 5 poems. The extreme cap is 100 lines--but if it's long, it had better be good.
2. Must be exquisitely dark.
3. Formalism is welcome and highly encouraged. We love to see use of rhyme, meter, and especially both. However, we'll look at anything--we can be won over by delightfully outré imagery; perilous and poignant turns of phrase; ravishing, bewitching vocabulary.... Whatever you send, it should utilize gorgeous language--it is supposed to be poetry, after all.
4. Poetry is not exempt from proper punctuation--we want to see periods, commas, semicolons, etc., all where they would be if the piece were laid out as prose. True, arranging lines as poetry sometimes changes things a little--but please make an effort. However, we do understand that to create some poetic effects, ‘correct’ punctuation is the enemy.
5. We are not afraid of uncommon vocabulary--you will not lose points for utilizing any word in the English language (why else do we have them?!) Neither do we shy away from antiquated or 'obsolete' words and usages. However, if you're going to go this route--tread carefully, and be consistent.
1. Send no more than 5 poems. The extreme cap is 100 lines--but if it's long, it had better be good.
2. Must be exquisitely dark.
3. Formalism is welcome and highly encouraged. We love to see use of rhyme, meter, and especially both. However, we'll look at anything--we can be won over by delightfully outré imagery; perilous and poignant turns of phrase; ravishing, bewitching vocabulary.... Whatever you send, it should utilize gorgeous language--it is supposed to be poetry, after all.
4. Poetry is not exempt from proper punctuation--we want to see periods, commas, semicolons, etc., all where they would be if the piece were laid out as prose. True, arranging lines as poetry sometimes changes things a little--but please make an effort. However, we do understand that to create some poetic effects, ‘correct’ punctuation is the enemy.
5. We are not afraid of uncommon vocabulary--you will not lose points for utilizing any word in the English language (why else do we have them?!) Neither do we shy away from antiquated or 'obsolete' words and usages. However, if you're going to go this route--tread carefully, and be consistent.
Music: Copyright Tony Longworth
