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This page is no longer available for TDS submissions. To submit, please use the updated URL:

darksiremag.com/guidelines.html

Any submissions from this page will be automatically rejected.
Please submit through the above URL only.









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The Dark Sire, a literary journal that publishes short fiction, poetry, and art, continually seeks submissions for upcoming issues (to be published quarterly). The editor will be celebrating the influential work of J.R.R. Tolkein, Edgar Allan Poe, Anne Rice, Stephen King, and thus will accept submissions from authors and artists who delve into the mystery, psychosis, suspense, and looming darkness of the Fantasy, Gothic, Horror, and Psychological realms. Suitable subject matter may include, but is not limited to, vampires, monsters, old castles, dragons, magic, mental illness, hell, disease, or decay of society. All works must be previously unpublished and submitted online using the appropriate style of Shunn formatting.

The mission of The Dark Sire is to give authors an opportunity to not only express their ideas through themed issues but to be published alongside the masters of fiction, as well. By carefully selecting the best of modern literature and then pairing that literature with the masters, a timeline of authorship is presented, one that connects readers and authors across time and space. The goal of each issue, then, is to bridge language barriers and cultural gaps between the old and the new.
 
"The future influences the present just as much as the past."
                                     - Friedrich Nietzsche
 
When submitting shorts and poetry, please be sure that each work is:
  • Formatted correctly, including 1" margins on all sides, double-spacing (fiction only), page numbers, and American Letter (8.5"x11", not A4)
  • Typed in Garamond 12-point font using the TAB key for indents (do NOT use the ruler, paragraph, indent, or spacing features)
  • No longer than 5,000 words (fiction) or 2 pages (poetry)
  • Written in English
  • Saved in WORD Document (.doc/.docx) format with SS (short story) or P (poem), author last name, shortened title, and genre (EX: SS_Stephens_TheVampireArgos_Gothic)
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When submitting artwork, please be sure that each image is:  
Submissions (including simultaneous submissions but not reprints) are accepted online only via our submissions page. If your submission does not follow the guidelines presented, the editor will immediately disregard it without further notice. Those creatives selected for publication will be contacted. If you haven't been contacted within 4-6 months, consider your submission rejected.


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If you have any questions about TDS or submission guidelines, please read the FAQ blog post before contacting the editor.
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Tolkein
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Poe
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Shelley
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Dostoevsky
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Richter

o Fantasy
       Low and high accepted, with a special interest in high dark fantasy. Influences include Tolkein, Martin, and Rowling.


o Gothic
       Victorian style or modern gothic accepted, with a special interest in vampire and aristocratic fiction. Influences include Poe and Rice.

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o Horror
       Blood, violence, and adult language is permitted, as is monsters, devils, angels, and killers. Slasher friendly. Influence includes Shelley and King.
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o Psychological
       Special intetest in psychological horror tales with deep, inner character development. Influence includes Dostoevsky.

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o Art
       Color and B&W artwork accepted, with a special interest in abstract and dark-themed works. Influences include Bosch, Fuseli, Pollock, Richter, and Kandinsky.​



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​Subjects of particular interest include:
vampires, monsters, old castles, dragons, magic, mental illness, hell, disease, and decay of society.




LGBTQ+ and minority friendly!



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Submit Now!


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