School is officially back in session for me, and that means trying to balance the craziest parts of the semester with my thesis along with this blog. I plan to cook up new ideas for this blog, but in the meantime, I wanted to work on another literary journal post. This time I chose gothic fiction.
Gothic fiction is a specific kind of horror fiction, distinct from regular horror and dark fantasy. When it first started, it focused on literary settings and aesthetics such as ancient castles and haunted mansions. Today, it includes a range of different settings like suburban homes, universities, and more. It also focuses on the paranormal and supernatural. Here are five literary journals looking for Gothic fiction.
Seaside Gothic
According to this literary journal, “Seaside Gothic publishes fiction, poetry, and nonfiction of high quality that meet the criteria of seaside gothic literature.” They look for fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual art. When you submit your work, send in one piece at a time. Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry should not exceed 1,000 words.
Find their full submission guidelines through this link.
The Dark Sire
According to this journal, “The Dark Sire is a non-paying market that continually seeks submissions of short fiction, poetry, art, and now screenplays … thus will accept submissions from authors and artists who delve into the mystery, psychosis, suspense, and looming darkness of the Gothic, Horror, Fantasy, and Psychological realms. Suitable subject matter may include, but is not limited to, vampires, monsters, old castles, dragons, magic, mental illness, hell, disease, or decay of society.”
They also accept fiction serializations as well as novel excerpts. If you want to submit an idea for a serialization, feel free to query them before submitting. However, fiction should not exceed 5,000 words.
Find their full guidelines through this link.
Grim and Gilded
They read year-round, though they also only publish a few poems and stories per month. In their guidelines, they say, “We appreciate pieces that contain elements or exist fully within the realms of fantasy, horror, high fantasy, magical realism, science fiction, urban fantasy, horror, contemporary fantasy, fairy tales, Gothic, steampunk, and thriller.” Additionally, they look for fiction of up to 6,000 words.
For their full guidelines on how to submit and format your pieces, look here.
Crow & Cross Keys
According to this journal, “We are looking for beautifully written poetry, flash fiction, and short stories with a speculative edge … We love the gothic, weird fiction, horror, folk, and fairy tales.” So this journal accepts more than just Gothic fiction! They look for up to three poems, flash fiction up to 1,000 words, and short stories between 1,001 and 5,000 words.
Find their full guidelines for formatting through this link.
House of Long Shadows
According to their journal, they look for “Gothic fiction. Mood and imagery are more important to us than genre distinctions. We’re open to contemporary, historical, and secondary-world settings.” They look for stories typically between 2,000 and 10,000 words, and they publish new stories every Saturday. You can find them on Substack. Additionally, contributors receive a $10 payment for an accepted story.
Find their full guidelines through this link.
You can get a FREE LIST of 100+ science fiction and fantasy literary journals to submit to when you subscribe!
I have a freelance editing service now! Contact me about book editing, beta reading, and brainstorming book titles. Use the contact form below to ask for a free 15-minute consultation.
…
Are you new to the blog? Check out my most popular post here!
#gothicfiction #literaryjournals
You can check out my AUTHOR SITE here.
