We are currently closed for submissions – accepting flash only.
Our current submissions period is over, however we are still accepting flash fiction (stories up to 2,500 words). Unfortunately, we do not currently compensate for flash fiction. Please see below for submission details.
What we’re looking for
Tales to Terrify is a volunteer-run fan podcast featuring short horror, dark fantasy, and other disturbing fiction. We greatly value diversity and inclusivity, and seek to publish fiction from writers of different races, religions, nationalities, physical or mental abilities, gender identities, and sexual orientations.
We encourage you to challenge the definition of horror. Standard tropes and monsters are welcome, but give us your own unique take. Avoid the cliche and expected, unless as devices used purposefully and cleverly to further your story.
Drag us deep into the unsettling atmosphere of a crumbling Gothic mansion. Show us the gritty, real-world horrors of evil people with dark intentions. Make our blood run cold and our breath catch in our throats as we’re hunted by ravenous creatures. Unhinge our minds with reality-bending, psychological horrors. Make us feel the pain and sorrow of a long-suffering spirit.
We do our best to honour the diversity within the genre and you should, too. We want to be terrified by your concepts, by your implications, by your story’s possibilities. We want to read works that threaten to bleed into our reality and corrupt something as ordinary as a toaster. Anything is allowed as long as it’s well-conceived and well-written.
What we’re NOT looking for
- Stories that are not horror, dark fantasy or some form of disturbing fiction
- Fan fiction
- Sex is fine, but total erotica and torture porn are not
- Stories that include intolerance of a person or group’s race, religion, nationality, physical or mental ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation
- Gratuitous gore and violence with no purpose – blood and guts are fine as long as there’s something deeper
Manuscript Format
- FLASH – up to 2,500 words
- Microsoft Word or Rich Text Format
- Double spaced
- 12 pt. Courier New or Times New Roman font
Please include author, title and word count on first page.
Stories pasted into the body of an email will be rejected without being read.
Submission Procedure
Please get a feel for what we’re after by listening to our podcast prior to submitting your story.
Flash fiction may be submitted via email at talestoterrify(at)gmail(dot)com. Your story will then be reviewed by a member of our staff and rated based on submission quality and suitability for our podcast. We receive plenty of great submissions that just don’t fit our tone or won’t work well in an audio format, so don’t be discouraged if you’re rejected.
You will be notified once your story has been accepted or rejected. If accepted, we’ll be in touch with contract and publication details.
Simultaneous/Multiple Submissions
Simultaneous submissions (submitting the same stories to other publishers at the same time) and multiple submissions are allowed. Each author may submit up to two stories during the submission period. Any story beyond the first two or which is received outside of the submission period will be rejected unread.
Response Times
Most submissions will receive a response within 30 days, although it could take more time for consideration purposes. Feel free to query if you haven’t heard anything in 60 days.
Please do not respond to rejection letters. However, you can submit a different story at that time if we are open for submissions.
Payment
We do not pay for flash fiction (less than 2,500 words). We hold open submissions for longer works (2,500-10,000 words) several times a year, and pay $50 per story for accepted submissions.