SUBMISSIONS
MAGAZINE SUBMISSIONS
Yep, that’s right; the magazine is coming back…sort of.
I’m looking for suspenseful horror of ALL shades (though, as is my way, I don’t find characters being sad amidst spooky goings on to be suspenseful on it's own). Gimme gore, gimme literary, gimme whatever kind of horror you like as long as it’s suspenseful. As always, NO copaganda, NO pro-religious stuff, NO right-wing themes, NO erotic betrayals of sexual assault. Obviously, NO AI. People using AI to cobble together stories are not welcome; just go away, nobody likes you. This call is open only to human writers (sorry animals from Dean Koontz novels).
The goal is to publish three to four stories per month on the Unnerving site. At the beginning of the following year, the next issue of the magazine will debut physically, anthologizing the regularly published stories from the website.
Word count: 500 – 3,500 (firm)
Format: Word or the likes (no PDFs)
Rate: 1.5¢ CAD/word (payments via PayPal only)
Exclusivity: 6 months following publication (the story will be archived and available on the site until the site is no more or the author requests removal with reasonable cause)
Submission window: February 15, 2025 - May 31, 2025
Reprints: No
Multiple submissions: No
Simultaneous submission: Yes, but please withdraw if accepted elsewhere
Response times: 1-6 months
Send Submissions: unnervingsubs@gmail.com
Subject line: Magazine Submission - Word Count
Submissions without a cover letter will be rejected unread.
COTTAGE CRIMES SUBMISSIONS
I’m looking for crime and mystery stories (no horror and nothing speculative for this one) that take place at a private vacation property. Many possibilities here, but I don’t want stories about ski chalets, timeshares, or a character’s permanent residence unless it shares property lines with vacation property. Most anything else should work (shoot me an email if you’re unsure), but there’s the usual stuff I don’t publish: copaganda, religious stories, anything right-wing. For this title, I’m leaning a touch softer than typical; I don’t mean cozy, but it can get close, as long as there’s still suspense. The stories I pick will be suspense heavy, for the most part. Human authors only; stories written with AI aid will not be considered.
Word count: 2,000 – 6,000
Format: Word or the likes (no PDFs)
Rate: 1.5¢ CAD/word (payments via PayPal only)
Exclusivity: 6 months following publication
Submission window: January 1, 2025 – February 14, 2025
Reprints: No
Multiple submissions: No
Simultaneous submission: Yes, but please withdraw if accepted elsewhere
Planned publication date: May, 2025
Send Submissions: unnervingsubs@gmail.com
Subject line: Cottage Crimes
Submissions without a cover letter will be rejected unread.
Stories written using AI tech will not be considered.
Preferred Query Letter Style for Standalone Submissions
Submit to:
Subject line: Title/Name/Word Count
Example: Carrie/Stephen King/67,000 Words
Email:
<Salutation>
Brief synopsis of pertinent information of story submitted.
Example: Carrie White is a chubby loser with no friends, a religious-obsessive and abusive mother, and the gift of telekinesis—skills which she hones in quiet loneliness. A cool couple feels guilty for a prior transgression and attempt to integrate Carrie into high school society, unaware it will trigger a revenge plot against the girl. Embarrassed and enraged by the plot, Carrie uses her supernatural powers to destroy the high school society, town, and mother who have kept her down.
Top five writing credits.
Example: The Glass Floor – Startling Mystery Stories (Fall, 1967)
The Reaper’s Image – Startling Mystery Stories (Spring, 1969)
The Blue Air Compressor – Onan (January, 1971)
It Grows on You – Mashroots (Fall, 1973)
Nine short stories – Cavalier Magazine (1970-74)
Bio, maximum of one hundred fifty words.
Example: Stephen King teaches English at Hampden Academy and earned his English degree from University of Maine at Orono. His short stories have appeared in several journals, magazines, and periodicals. He lives in Maine with his wife and their children.
Links to your social media accounts and website (if you have one).
Final note: Unnerving books do not include trigger warnings as the only logical route beyond normalizing this activity is weaponizing it against free speech. (If you think this is an exaggeration, consider horror comic history, and the voluntary decision to follow the Comics Code Authority rules.) If this is a deal breaker, do not submit to Unnerving.
