Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Cover art reveal for: EXPLORING DARK SHORT FICTION #1: A PRIMER TO STEVE RASNIC TEM


Finished mocking up front cover art & layout for probably the first release of rebranded (and now my own!) publishing house, Dark Moon Books!:

Book 1 in a series, for the brilliant Steve Rasnic Tem --> EXPLORING DARK SHORT FICTION #1: A PRIMER TO STEVE RASNIC TEM


With commentary by
Michael Arnzen, PhD and amazing interior illustrations by Michelle Prebich!


Monday, April 10, 2017

April, 2017 Dark Fiction Short Story Market Listings/ Notes


I’ve been compiling monthly reports of new or open markets for the Los Angeles chapter of Horror Writers Association for the past couple years.

Thought it might be beneficial to widen the audience by sharing this information publically for those who write fiction genre short stories, with a focus on horror.

These are some markets I find interesting, are currently open, and pay a minimum professional rate of five (5) cents per word:


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April, 2017 Market Listings/ Notes


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Midas Clutch: Tales of Opulent Horror  (edited by Steve Berman)
Payment: 5 cents a word
Story Length: 4,000 – 14,000 words
Deadline: January, 2018
Reprints?: Possibly (pay at 2 cents/ word)
Response: 4 months
Description: Weird and eerie stories of people consumed by wealth. Each tale must be suffused with the trappings of the well-to-do. Decadence should be paramount. However, we do not want these tales to be moralistic; we're celebrating those who can buy the finest things in life...they just happen to be the leads in a horror story. The better stories will incorporate status and wealth as both character traits and elements of the plot.


Unshattering (*New Market)
Payment: 10 cents a word
Story Length: up to 4,500 words
Deadline: None given
Reprints?: No
Response: Unknown
Description: Primarily looking for science fiction short stories that show us the way back to a livable future. While I expect that most will be science fiction, I am open to fantasy and literary fiction as well.


Fireside Fiction Company
Payment: 12.5 cents a word
Story Length: up to 4,000 words (flash fiction preferred)
Deadline: Open only April 16 – April 22, 2017
Reprints?: No
Response: Unknown
Description: To publish great speculative fiction storytelling, regardless of genre (ex. Neil Gaiman); unique voices.


Cicada Magazine YA literary/comics magazine – Puppets & Dolls issue
Payment: 10 cents a word
Story Length: flash fiction up to 9,000 words
Deadline: May 27, 2017 for current them; Open intermittently (and currently) for other non-themed
Reprints?: No
Response: 3-6 months
Description: YA/teen stories about puppets/ dolls: Children’s toys, storytelling props, decoration, conduits for the supernatural. How do we pull one another’s strings to get what we want? How do we project our feelings onto one another? How can this harm a relationship?


sub-Q Magazine
Payment: 6 cents a word
Story Length: 1,000 – 5,000 words
Deadline: Currently open. Intermittent dates.
Reprints?: No
Response: 90 days
Description: F/SF, horror, mystery, romance, and mash-up interactive fiction. Submitted works must include at least a detailed proposal for interactivity. We like beautiful, moving prose, but we also like pulpy fun! Don’t self-reject. Let us see what you’ve got!


Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword & Sorceress, #32 (ed. Elisabeth Waters)
Payment: 6 cents a word
Story Length: up to 9,000 words
Deadline: Open from: April 24 – May 14, 2017
Reprints?: No
Response: 1 week
Description: Stories should be the type generally referred to as “sword and sorcery” and must have a strong female protagonist whom the reader will care about!



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

The Anatomy of Monsters, Volume 2 (edited by Robert Teun)
Payment: $25 flat
Story Length: 3,000 – 10,000 words
Deadline: October 31, 2017
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: New takes on old monsters! Zombies, vampires, werewolves, all OK. Also open to more folklore horror, Witches! Baba Yaga! And many, many more! I prefer less splatter and more scare.