OK, there are a few more requirements than just scaring us, but that's THE most important guideline to remember.
(By the way, Kath fixed the email links on this page so they actually work now! So all of you that have been trying to submit but were having trouble navigating the screwed-up links--submit away! The links are good to go! And a thousand apologies for the snafu.)
WHAT WE WANT: We want good scary stories! Horror, Dark Horror, Fantasy, Thrillers/Suspense, Supernatural/Paranormal are all welcome here.
Basically, anything that's strange, odd, and above all, scary! Other genres (even science fiction, plain old ghost stories, and romance) are fine as long as there's a thread of fright running through your tale.
If it gives you a chill while you're writing it, we want to see it! Good plot and strong characters are essential. A strong writing style and tone are important; we're looking for the hypnoidal (thanks to Jonathan Kellerman for le mot juste) tone that keeps our eyes
glued to your words with utter disregard for life around us while we're reading your work.
WHAT WE DON'T WANT: Obviously, no children's stuff :) Excessive sex, violence, or gore.
If it's relevant to the storyline, it's perfectly acceptable and desirable in moderation. Don't send work full of done-to-death plots unless you've created a new twist on an old plot. If we roll our eyes while reading it, we'll feed it to Cuddles the Demon.
We also DON'T WANT to have to edit your work. Make sure your work is complete and as beautiful as possible before submitting.
TYPES OF SUBMISSIONS ACCEPTED:
Short Stories: 1000 to 8000 words.
Poetry: Any style and length. I'd love to see some really good Horror-ku.
Flash Fiction: Under 1000 words. Sigh. It has to be really good.
Artwork: We want your artwork! See the main site page for our cover art contest coming soon.
Make sure your art is in .jpg or .bmp format, and try to keep it under 1MB.
Non-fiction related to horror will be considered, but drop me a note before you send the whole piece.
We're also looking for good non-fiction articles on the writing process. Tips and techniques on writing horror,
as well as general writing advice.
GRAVEDIGGINGS does NOT accept simultaneous submissions. We do accept multiple submissions, although you may
have only three pieces of work floating around here any given time.
PAYMENT: We're working hard to make it so we can pay our authors in cold hard cash, but we're not there yet. But we do offer this:
Your work, featured on the main page of the site for a period of time (to be determined at the editor's discretion), and then archived.
Your own bio page on the site; feel free to distribute the link anywhere you'd like.
You'll be able to tell your friends, families, acquaintances, and people you pass in the grocery store that you're
actually published on the net. Hey, we all gotta start someplace!
COPYRIGHT: Keep your rights! I don't want 'em! You retain all copyrights to your own work,
which means you're welcome to market your work elsewhere. If you sell your work (and rights) to another publication (print or online),
let us know right away and we'll remove your work from this site. Otherwise, your work will remain posted here for a minimum of 6 months.
HOW TO SUBMIT: We only accept email submissions. You don't need to query before submitting, although we'd prefer a query on any non-fiction
work you'd like us to consider. Make the editors happy by following the submission instructions below:
For fiction writing: In the subject line of the e-mail: The title of your work, type (novella, poem, etc) of work, and your last name.
For non-fiction writing: Send a brief query on what you'd like to write on, how you're going to do it, and why I should consider it.
For writing articles: You may either query or send the completed article. Check the articles list to make sure you're not duplicating something we already have.
For artwork: In the subject line of the e-mail: The title of your work, format, and your last name.
ALL content must be embedded in the email! We will delete any attachments, and the emails they're attached to. The exception to this rule is artwork.
You should attach your art to the email in .jpg or .bmp format.
Include the following information (in the following order) in your email:
Your full name.
Your pseudonym, if you have (or want) one.
Your email address
Word count for fiction, or line count for poetry.
A short bio. Include something interesting about yourself, as well as any publishing history. If you'd like a picture of yourself on your bio page, let me know and I'll request it when I'm ready.
Personal URL, if you have one.
Paste your work into the body of the email. Double-space your work, and I love Tahoma 12-pt if your email will let you do it.
Send your submissions to the appropriate email address: