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 Dark
Scribe Magazine is a virtual publication that focuses exclusively on the creative
forces behind horror, suspense, thrillers, and other dark fiction and non-fiction
works. While the thrust of the magazine is on writers, we maintain a strong secondary
focus on editors, artists, screenwriters, retailers, short story fiction markets,
and Internet sites that support dark genre literature. Our target audience includes
readers of horror, suspense, thrillers and other dark genre fiction, genre authors,
publishers, retailers, and webmasters, aspiring writers, and bibliophiles.
Dark
Scribe Magazine is freelance friendly and welcomes outside submissions. We
are committed to the quality of the material in our magazine; the publication
track record of our writers is of secondary interest. Our goal is to establish
solid working relationships with our writers and the writing community at large.
To that extent, we are endeavoring to offer competitive pay rates as defined by
recognized professional writers associations (i.e. HWA, SFWA). As the creative
forces behind the magazine are writers themselves, we have attempted to create
submission criteria that are clear and concise, yet detailed enough to avoid ambiguity
and wasted time. Recognizing that time is money for both publisher and
writer, we will respond to queries in as timely a manner as possible, which usually
means within (30) days or less. Final decisions regarding queried submissions
will be made within 60-90 days upon submission. Payment will be made to
writers (or to a writer’s agent upon request) within (30) days of electronic publication.
These are Dark Scribe Magazine’s current needs: Interviews:
With authors, artists, editors, screenwriters, and other notable professionals
involved in some aspect of dark genre literature. Tips: While standard
profile pieces are acceptable in certain cases, we are looking for interviews
with strong angles or themes. Be sure to convey the angle(s) or theme(s) of your
proposed interview when pitching an idea to us. Status: Currently
accepting freelance submissions, but query first with proposals before submitting.
State availability of photos. Terms: $0.05 (five cents) per word Non-Fiction:
Must pertain to some aspect of dark genre literature. Examples
of current interests include: publishing trends, collecting trends, reports on
author and publishing events (awards programs, conventions, etc.), profiles of
iconic figures in dark genre literature, comparative analyses between the works
of different authors (both modern and classic), and essays pertaining to dark
genre literature and related topics. Tips: We are looking for engaging
pieces that will be of interest to a broad cross-section of our readership – think
literary but not academic. Status: Currently accepting freelance
submissions, but query first with proposals before submitting. State availability
of photos. Terms: $0.05 (five cents) per
word up to 3,000-word maximum word count; byline given w/ photo.
Reviews:
Book Reviews – horror, suspense, and thriller fiction and related
non-fiction only, but will consider works of science fiction with a horror slant.
Word count not as important as presenting a well-written, objective critical analysis
of the work. Reviews should include positive and negative aspects of the work,
written in professional language that focuses on the book rather than the cleverness
of the reviewer. That said, we welcome well-integrated color, wit, and personal
style. Our interests include primarily reviews of new titles, however we have
a secondary interest in catalog reviews of authors with multiple works. Tips:
If the review contains the words “I liked/disliked this book because…” chances
are it will not be considered. Likewise, if the reviewer’s personal feelings
about the author (the person – whether real or perceived) make it into the review,
the review will subsequently not make it into our magazine. Status:
Currently accepting freelance submissions, but query first with name of title
you’re interested in submitting. Terms: $20 per review; byline
given – no photo Short Fiction Reviews – Dark Scribe Magazine
wants to offer compact reviews of individual works of short fiction published
in dark genre print journals and literary magazines. Reviews of short works of
horror, suspense, and other dark genres should be succinct, critical analyses
of works that are thoughtfully evaluated against short story criteria. Looking
for reviews of short fiction published within the 6-month window preceding issue
street date. Tips: We’re devoting space in the magazine to spotlight
the short fiction format. Short stories appearing in novel or novella-length
books should be reviewed within the context of the anthology or collection in
which they appear; see above for full-length book review submission guidelines.
Status: Currently accepting freelance submissions, but query first
with name of short story you’re interested in reviewing. Kindly include the name
of the publication in which the story appeared and the date of publication.
Terms: $10 per review; 300-word maximum; byline given – no photo Submission
Guidelines for Dark Scribe Magazine:  Send
all queries to: magazine@darkscribepress.com
Please
remember that first impressions count. Your original query is important. For
some useful tips on submitting email queries and our preferred format, please
follow the guidelines offered here.
Queries with any kind of attachment will be deleted without being read. State
availability of photos in your query for interviews and feature pieces. Writers
who go the extra mile in securing images to accompany their own pieces will impress
us. Lacking the manpower of mainstream publications, writers who make our jobs
easier in this regard will be strongly favored for an encore appearance in our
magazine. Once
we have reviewed your query and responded indicating our interest in considering
a submission, please adhere to the following format: 
Send as Word attachments only – do not send submissions in body of email
Use Courier, 12-point font
Double space body of article
5-space indent at beginning of new paragraphs
No manual page breaks
No extra spacing between paragraphs – the 5-space indent will tell us where a
new paragraph begins
Use 1-inch margins – this includes top, bottom, left and right
Working title of article center on page – may be all caps, no quotations
No headers or footers
No page numbers
At the top of the first page in the left-hand corner, single-spaced, please include
the following information: Name
Street Address
City,
State, Zip Code
Email Address
Word Count (body of submission, excluding
title) Photos
and other images will be requested once an article has been accepted for publication.
When sending these, only high-resolution jpeg attachments will be accepted. A
separate Word file with well-written captions and any photo credits must be included.
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