Dark Moon Digest is looking for quality short stories for future issues. Any category or topic will be accepted as long as it is in the horror genre. There are no deadlines for submitting your work as submissions will be selected for future issues, so submit at your leisure.

(FLASH FICTION: Please use this link if you are interested in submitting flash fiction stories to Dark Moon Digest.)

Submission is open to all writers, published or unpublished.

The story style does not matter. It can be anything from a slasher type story (although we have to admit right up front, those are not our favorites) to a humorous tale or anything in between. But most importantly, it must be an entertaining horror short story. We must want to turn that page to see what happens next and how things end. Scary, gruesome, macabre, gory, frightening, shocking dark and suspenseful--well, you get the idea.

If you are interested in writing for Dark Moon Digest, we strongly encourage you to purchase an issue to see what kinds of stories we are inclined to accept. We receive hundreds of submissions each month and only select 9 to 12 for our publication every quarter. If you want to make it in, you should get to know us a little better. You can easily purchase a copy at Amazon and most other online bookstores.

Here are the rest of the submission guidelines:

FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES CLOSELY. We reserve the right to reject any submission not complying with these guidelines.

• DEADLINE: There is no deadline. Stories will be reviewed as they are submitted for future issues of Dark Moon Digest. Stories may also be considered for our monthly e-magazine, Dark Eclipse or one of our many anthologies.

• PAYMENT: As of Dark Moon Digest #8, authors of all stories selected for publication will receive payment of $10.00 or a copy of the issue of Dark Moon Digest in which their story appears. (This does not apply to flash fiction stories. Authors of flash fiction whose stories appear in Dark Moon Digest will receive a complimentary PDF, Nook or Kindle copy of the publication.)

• All short stories must be submitted by the author holding the copyright. (If your short story is not copyrighted, don’t worry. Copyright laws protect your work from the moment you begin writing. Check here for more information on copyrights.) Authors of stories chosen for publication will need to sign an agreement with Dark Moon Digest stating they currently hold said copyright.

• Your horror short story must be previously unpublished in print format unless you hold the copyright. However, we give preference to original stories and not reprints. (You must inform us if a story has previously been published and where it was published so we may verify that you actually hold the copyright.) Stories previously published online are fine as long as you hold the copyright and are not bound by exclusivity to any person, party or website. Stories which currently appear online are not eligible for submission.

• By submitting your horror short fiction work to this Dark Moon Digest, you are assigning Dark Moon Books First World American Serial Rights and the permission to possibly publish the work in one of our anthologies. You keep all other rights including the original copyright. Stories published in either the magazine or the anthology will carry notices which stipulate the copyright resides with the author. (NOTE: If your work has previously appeared in another publication or anthology, we will discuss publication rights with you.)

• All submissions should be a minimum of 1,500 words and should not exceed 4,000 words. This is a strict guideline. Submissions not falling within these parameters will not be accepted. (If you are interested in submitting a novelette, novella or novel, please use the Dark Moon Book guidelines and do not submit it as a short story to Dark Moon Digest.)

•  Queries are not required on short stories. (They are required for novelettes, novellas and novels.)

• No gratuitous sex or foul language should be used unless it is integral to the story. Throwing in extraneous sex and four-letter words is not a formula for instant success. However, this is a publication for mature audiences and will contain blood, guts, violence, sex and mature language.

• You may withdraw your short story from consideration at any point, but this request must be made in writing (e-mail acceptable).

• Multiple submissions are accepted, but please do not send more than two or three stories per quarter.

• Due to the number of submissions we receive each month, we do not send out rejection letters or e-mails. However, our story database is updated daily and we know the status of all stories at any given time. (Stories are read by a minimum of three different staff members so that we may better evaluate submissions.) You may inquire as to the status of your submission at any point, but should wait a minimum of 90 days for a valid status of your story.)

• Simultaneous Submissions: Since the majority of our staff are also writers, we understand how frustrating the submission process can be. For this reason, we have no problem with simultaneous submissions. However, please contact us immediately if your story us accepted elsewhere.

• Entrants selected for publication will be contacted prior to publication with further instructions. There are some instances in which we might ask the author for a re-write (with suggestions) if we feel it would improve the story and its chances of being published. We also reserve the right to edit submitted stories for length and content. Authors will always be contacted in advance if we choose to use their story in Dark Moon Digest, Dark Eclipse or a Dark Moon Books anthology. Authors will also always receive an edit of their story for approval prior to publication.

FORMATTING INFORMATION:  VERY IMPORTANT!

• Submit all stories via e-mail to HorrorQuarterly@gmail.com as an attachment in either Word (.doc) or rich text format. Please use “Short Story Submission” in your subject line. No queries are required.

• Story title should be formatted including the name of the story (or an abbreviation for longer titles), the author name, and the number of words. (e.g. If you have a story titled "Brittle Bones", your name is Zed Johnson and the story totals 2539 words, you would name your file: Brittle Bones_Zed Johnson_2539)

• Include your name (first and last), your mailing address and your e-mail address on the first page of your short story and in your e-mail. Please do not use headers or footers. Page numbers are not necessary. Also inform us if you are using a pen name, but please include your real name as well.

• Please use a serif type to format your short story. (i.e. Times Roman, Georgia, Garamond, Courier).

Inquires and questions regarding submissions  should be directed to Stan Swanson, editor at HorrorQuarterly@gmail.com.

Good luck and have fun, but stay scared!

Add your name to our mailing list to be notified when the next issue of Dark Moon Digest - The Horror Fiction Quarterly, will be available as well as to receive news about upcoming titles, contests and more. We have a strict policy regarding e-mail addresses and will not share your e-mail address with any other party, publication or company. Authors submitting stories will have their name added to our mailing list automatically, but can have their name removed at any time.