Be sure to check each category for openings.
What we are looking for: At Dark Forest Press, we want to publish the wonderfully weird and bizarre along with the dark and horrific. We want the erotic and the transgressive as well as stories which haunt us at random moments weeks after putting them down. We want stories that feel big and stories which force the reader to confront the darker sides of reality. If you think your work fits anywhere in these worlds of play, consider sending it our way. Check the appropriate categories below for open submissions.
Novel & Novella Submissions
Submissions are CLOSED – next opening: 7/1/2026 – 7/31/2026
Category: Novels & Novellas
Word Count: 20,000-180,000
Reprints: No
Simultaneous Submissions: Yes
Target Age Group: Mature Audiences
Rights: World English first rights in print, electronic, and ebook, and a five-year exclusivity period. All copyright belongs to the author.
Submission Guidelines:
- Please verify that your manuscript is in modern Shunn format
- Do not send first drafts. Please only send work that has been edited and polished. We want to see your absolute best work.
- Please include a one to two page synopsis at the beginning of your manuscript.
- Please format the subject line of your email like this: [Novel/Novella] Submission – Title – Author Name
- Attach your manuscript to the email as a Word document (.docx)
- Payment is a 50/50 net royalty split.
- Simultaneous submissions okay, just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere ASAP.
- We do not accept multiple submissions.
Failure to meet any or all of these guidelines is grounds for automatic rejection without reading the submission and without a response.
Email will be posted here during open submission window
Short Story & Poetry Submissions
Submissions are CLOSED – next opening: 7/1/2026 – 7/15/2026
Short Stories
Word Count: 1,000 – 6,000
Reprints: No
Payment: $0.01 per word, max $25
Simultaneous Submissions: Yes
Target Age Group: Mature Audiences
Rights: World English first rights in print, electronic, and ebook, and a six month exclusivity period. All copyright belongs to the author.
- Please only submit one story
- Please verify that your manuscript is in modern Shunn format
- Do not send first drafts. Please only send work that has been edited and polished. We want to see your absolute best work.
- Please format the subject line of your email like this: Scattered Story Submission – Title – Author Name
- Attach your manuscript to the email as a Word document (.docx)
- Simultaneous submissions okay, just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere ASAP.
- We do not take multiple submissions.
Failure to meet any or all of these guidelines is grounds for automatic rejection without reading the submission and without a response.
Email will be posted here during open submission window
Poetry
Line Count: up to 60
Reprints: No
Payment: $25
Simultaneous Submissions: Yes
Target Age Group: Mature Audiences
Rights: World English first rights in print, electronic, and ebook, and a six month exclusivity period. All copyright belongs to the author.
- Do not send first drafts. Please only send work that has been edited and polished. We want to see your absolute best work.
- Please only submit 1-3 poems for consideration.
- Please format the subject line of your email like this: Scattered Poetry Submission – Title – Author Name
- Attach your manuscript to the email as a Word document (.docx)
- Simultaneous submissions okay, just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere ASAP.
- Only submit a max of two poems.
Failure to meet any or all of these guidelines is grounds for automatic rejection without reading the submission and without a response.
Email will be posted here during open submission window