DARKENED HORIZONS SUBMISSIONS

DARKENED HORIZONS ISSUE 5

Darkened Horizons Issue 5 will continue in the tradition of the past Issues. Stories of all kinds will be reviewed, regardless of theme or genre. Please note that, as in the past, this Issue will contain graphic violence, sexual themes and strong profanity. It will be released with a parental advisory as the others have been.

SHORT STORIES:

Stories can be anything from comical horror to hard science fiction, but keep in mind that the name of the anthology is Darkened Horizons. Stories should be dark in theme. 75% percent of the stories rejected by our editors are purely because the story is not dark enough. We at Darkened Horizons celebrate new talent and are eager to nurture new authors as long as they are willing to allow us to work with their strengths to eliminate their weaknesses. It is the goal of Darkened Horizons to make good authors into great authors.

We will continue to strive for perfection with each issue. Please submit only one short story at a time. No reprints or simultaneous submissions will be accepted. Please do not submit any serial stories without querying beforehand. We are easy to get along with as long as you are willing to work with us.

TECHNICAL GUIDELINES:

Stories between 500 and 10,000 words will be considered. If you are going to submit a short short, it had better be something amazing. We strongly frown upon first-person narratives and present tense. If you intend to send something in either format you should be aware that the odds are stacked against you.

Stories should be double spaced in Times New Roman font. There shouldn't be any additional spacing between paragraphs. Use the preset "Tab" key feature for indentation. Please send all files in .doc or .rtf formats.

Submissions should be sent to subs@darkenedhorizons.com. In the subject line please put the word submission, the name of the anthology and the name of your story. Example:

SUBMISSION DARKENED HORIZONS ISSUE 5 "I'M OUT OF ORIGINAL TITLES" (please don't name your short "I'm out of Original Titles," I may be using that title for my next novel).

POETRY:

Please submit no more than three poems at a time. Epic poems will be considered. The theme of the poems should coincide with the theme of the anthology. Send all submissions to subs@darkenedhorizons.com with a subject line that says, POETRY SUBMISSION DARKENED HORIZONS ISSUE 5 "POEM(S) NAME(S)"

ART SUBMISSIONS:

We will be considering original pieces of art for the exterior of the volume. Art submissions should be sent to artsubs@darkenedhorizons.com with a subject line that reads something like, ART SUBMISSION DARKENED HORIZONS ISSUE 5.

PAYMENT:

Payment for shorts and artwork for this volume will be in exposure only. If your art or story is accepted you will receive an e-book contributor's copy.

DARKENED HORIZONS PRESENTS

WAR OF DARKNESS

This volume is to be dedicated to the return of Darkened Horizons' co-owner, William R. Bobé. We are looking for stories about war and, as the title describes, it should be very dark material. There must be a war going on in the story, whether it be in a modern world, the past or in a post apocalyptic society.

SHORT STORIES:

The only real "rule" is that war is a necessary plot key. The editors would like to see stories that tell original and emotional horror in the face of war. You can write whatever genre you desire for this special edition. Horror and/or Fantasy will have the best chances of publication.

Don't use someone else's ideas for your submission. We will not be accepting stories based off of Star Wars, Star Trek or any other "Star" series. We don't want to have a hundred submissions about a post apocalyptic world full of humans fighting off wicked zombies. Come up with something fresh and original.

TECHNICAL GUIDELINES:

Stories between 500 and 25,000 words will be considered. If you are going to submit a short short, it had better be something amazing. We strongly frown upon first-person narratives and present tense. If you intend to send something in either format you should be aware that the odds are stacked against you.

Submissions should be sent to subs@darkenedhorizons.com. In the subject line please put the word submission, the name of the anthology and the name of your story. Example: SUBMISSION WAR OF DARKNESS "JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN TODAY"

Include a cover letter with a short synopsis of the story. Past writing credits are not required, we are eager to work with new/unpublished authors as well as professionals in the field.

POETRY:

ART SUBMISSIONS:

PAYMENT:

Payment for shorts and artwork for this volume will be in exposure only. If your art or story is accepted you will receive an e-book contributor's copy.

DARKENED HORIZONS PRESENTS

DISTANT HORIZONS

Distant Horizons will be released as a special edition of Darkened Horizons. Depending on the quality of submissions it may become a sister publication in months to come.

What we're looking for:

SHORT STORIES:

Short stories should be dark fantasy. The editors of this particular project don't care what kind of fantasy. Sword and sorcery as well as traditional fantasy are acceptable.

We're not going to limit your creative flow by telling you what you can and cannot write. If you need to have a scene of rape, child abuse or extreme violence, by all means write it. However, if we feel that the story does not benefit from the scene we will either reject the entire manuscript or ask you to edit it out.

Simultaneous submissions will not be accepted, nor will reprints. We want fresh, original ideas. We are NOT looking for Anne Rice erotic fantasy/horror. We want unique voices, unique stories and unique endings. Each story must have an ending. Keep in mind that at this point we're not sure if it will be a continuous project or if it will be a single issue.

Fantasy stories should introduce you to a world that is completely believable. If we're not buying your world full of pissed off fairies we're not going to accept the submission. Don't rehash LOTR whilst throwing in a bit of a Satanic twist, either. We don't plan to accept any submissions about Hobits having orgies in the name of the dark lord.

TECHNICAL GUIDELINES:

Include a cover letter with a short synopsis of the story. Past writing credits are not required, we are eager to work with new/unpublished authors as well as professionals in the field.

POETRY:

ART WORK:

We will be accepting art work for the interior and exterior of the release. Send artwork in either .jpg or .gif formats. In the subject line of the email please include the words ART SUBMISSION and the name of the volume in which you wish your art to appear. Example: ART SUBMISSION DISTANT HORIZONS

Please email all art submissions to artsubs@darkenedhorizons.com.

PAYMENT:

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the payment for shorts and artwork for this volume will be in exposure only. If your art or story is accepted you will receive an e-book contributor's copy.

DARKENED HORIZONS.COM WEBSITE SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES

As a sister release to our ongoing Anthology series the website will now be releasing, free of charge, between 5 and 10 stories a month. Stories should follow a dark theme and be between 3 and 20 pages long.

Stories that you wish to submit for the website should be exclusively written with the site in mind. Note that the only payment received will be exposure. People who want to see the quality of stories that Darkened Horizons releases will be going to the site to see what we have to offer. Your story should reflect your best writing so people will want to buy the volume you're featured in.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE FEATURED IN AN ANTHOLOGY TO SUBMIT TO THE WEBSITE.

PAYMENT WILL BE MADE IN EXPOSURE ONLY.

We welcome art and poetry submissions as well. Please note that all submissions will be left on the website until you send, in writing, a request for them to be removed.

Please send submissions to websubs@darkenedhorizons.com. Include the type of submission as well as the title. In example: ART SUBMISSION "DR. FRANKENSTEIN".