Submissions Creed
We are happy to receive submissions for fiction publications that add to our catalog of dread, but only during specific open-call windows.
All submissions received outside of call windows will be deleted, unread.
We will accept novels, short story collections, and short stories and novellas for specific anthologies which are announced on our website, blog, and through our social media channels (@evildreadpress).
We are a trade-publishing house (i.e. we publish books for general readership made available through as many wholesale and retail channels as we can), but we firmly believe in challenging conventional thinking and always value quality over quantity.
We are interested in horror in all its’ flavors and splendor, and recognize that this may come in many forms; however, we do not do pure fantasy, comic books, or graphic novels (at least for now).
We will open submissions regularly throughout the year. These will be professional, paid opportunities (details provided for each submission call) for any/all writers worldwide, whether new or established. All of our publications will be supported by non-GenAI design-work, and will be edited and formatted professionally for print in paperback, hardcover, and ebook.
We do not accept submissions created using GenAI or AI-assisted/generated text to any degree.
Generally speaking, we expect to publish simultaneous hardcover, paperback and ebook editions made available to the trade market, online and retail stores, and library markets. We will work hard to promote and advocate for the books we publish – your success is our success.
We do not, and will not, charge submission fees.
General Information for Novels, Anthologies, and Short Story Collections
Novels
Details will vary within a specific submission call but we are generally looking for novels in the range of 60,000 to 120,000 words.
We will only consider completely new novels, previously unpublished in any form (including self-published).
Anthologies
We will only accept individual short stories and novellas that match the theme for a specific anthology call. We may accept previously-published stories on a case-by-case basis (providing, of course, that the author has secured/retained the rights to do so).
Short Story Collections
We do accept collections of short stories from a single author when specifically called for. Details may vary within a specific submission call but we are generally looking for collections in the range of 50,000 to 80,000 words.
General Submission Guidelines
All submissions received outside of call windows will be deleted, unread.
While not required, please provide any details of prior published work which are relevant to the genre.
It is not necessary to use a literary agent but please have them contact us directly and provide the submission if you have representation.
Within the submission window, please email your work to support@evildreadpress.com, and include:
• A synopsis of no more than 3 paragraphs.
• The word count.
• The whole manuscript or story, in .doc, .docx or .rtf formats.
• Your name and email address on the manuscript itself.
• To avoid any conflict of interest, please tell us if your manuscript/story is also under consideration elsewhere.
Response times: We will acknowledge receipt and will aim to make a judgement about publication as quickly as possible but this will be dependent upon a number of factors beyond our control (including the number of titles submitted overall). If you do not hear back within 6 months of submitting your work, please consider it to be not accepted.
We use industry standard contracts, and value authors' rights. We expect to work with the author during the editing process and to market their work effectively.
If you’d like to be included in our mailing list to keep up to date with news and advance notice on submission windows, please use the Contact Us form.