Submissions: Open

Submission Guidelines

It is essential to understand what Dark Harbor Magazine is looking for in submissions. The following are basic guidelines detailing what we are looking for, formatting, payment, ai-policies, and our submission review timeline. So, please, read the following carefully before submitting your work.

Note: We are developing a small series of articles covering a whole range of topics related to preparing a manuscript, pitch, and an author bio to help you present your best submission packet to editors.

What We are Looking for

If it is horror—it is for Dark Harbor Magazine. We are looking for horror short fiction and non-fiction.

Fiction

Dread. Fear. Unease. The Uncanny. Deep Character Development. Natural Dialogue. Plot Twists. Endings that Linger. All of the things that have made horror such an enduring genre. Any high-quality fiction that nodes to the genre's iconic roots with a contemporary edge.

Flash Fiction: 500-1,500 words.

Short Fiction: 1,500-7,500 words.

Non-Fiction

What makes horror tick? Why does it affect readers the way it does? What is its cultural significance and impact? These are some of the questions we want answered. If you have an articles, analyses, book reviews, or creative non-fiction that can answer these or related questions, we want to share them with our readers.

Non-Fiction: 750-2,000 words.

Formatting

Formatting your manuscript is just as important as writing a killer story. Moreover, it is important for your manuscript to be presented professionally. You can use the industry standard manuscript format: Shunn Manuscript Format.

Here is a checklist to help with your formatting:

• Emphasis: Italics, not underlining.
• Font: Times New Roman, 12 points, black.
• Indentation: 0.5 inch.
• Justification: Left margin only (leave right ragged).
• Line spacing: Double-Spaced.
• Margins: 1 inch all around.
• Page headers: Keyword from title and page number, upper right corner of every page but first.
• Smart quotes: On, but pay attention in case your word processor gets it wrong.
• Title: Centered one-half of the way down first page.
• Word count: Upper right corner of first page, rounded to nearest hundred.

Be sure not to include any identifying information in your manuscript. All submissions are read blind.

If a submission does not adhere to this formatting, the reviewing editor will request revised files that meet these standards, and if there is no response from the author, the manuscript will be rejected within one (1) week.

Multiple and Simultaneous Submissions

Both multiple and simultaneous submissions are allowed when submitting to Dark Harbor Magazine. However, we have some guidelines for both.

Multiple Submissions: We will accept a maximum of two (2) manuscripts per submission. Review times for multiple submissions may take additional time.

Simultaneous Submissions: If your work is accepted elsewhere, please, notify us as soon as possible. This will help our editorial team a lot.

Reprints Policy

We do not accept reprints. Reprints include publishing stories in other publications, such as magazines, as well as on personal blogging sites, such as Medium, Substack, Blogger, and even your own website.

Generative AI Policy

Dark Harbor Magazine stands against the use of generative AI. We have a strict zero-tolerance policy against its use, in any form, in submitted works: We publish only original, human-authored content.

Any use of AI-generated text is grounds for immediate rejection, as well as being banned from submitting works in the future.

Review Timeline

Our goal is to respond to all submissions with six (6) weeks. If you have not received an acceptance, rejection, or request for revised documents within that timeframe, please, reach out to us via our contact form.

Publishing Rights

If your work is accepted, Dark Harbor Magazine asks for a couple of rights.

First Print Rights: The right to be the first to publish your work.

Exclusivity Period: A six (6) month exclusivity period in which the author agrees not to submit their accepted work for publication elsewhere.

Right to Archive: Dark Harbor Magazine reserves the right to maintain accepted works in its archive for as long as the website is operational.

Payments

As of this time, we are unable to provide payment for submissions. As our publication grows, we will begin to pay our authors fair compensation for their work in the future.

Submitting Your Work

You can submit your work through our Duosuma submission call.