OPEN CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS
BLACK HARE PRESS is—and has always been—an inclusive publisher. LGBTQ+ characters always welcome.
All our calls are for dark speculative fiction or weird/horror.
No co-authored projects, please, unless the call specifically says they are allowed.
For full Submission Guidelines and Rights go here.
SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL CALLS:
Submission Guidelines
Whilst we are open to all genres and styles of writing, ultimately we reserve the right to reject topics that are not suitable for our publications. Please read the individual submission call information for guidance.
Word count requirements, deadline dates and author compensation are detailed against each submission call. Hyphenated words will be counted as one word. Paragraph breaks are not included in word counts.
All submissions must be in English.
Our stance on;
Bestiality – Unless your character is in the fantasy world (ie werewolf) this is a hard no.
Erotica – Don’t go overboard, but if your story requires sex scenes, go for it.
Graphic non-con sex is never OK. If your story needs it, glimpse but don’t dazzle.
Formatting
NO TABS!
All manuscripts must be in .doc/.docx format.
In the header section of your manuscript please include your story title and the manuscript word count (excluding header section information).
Font : Times New Roman 12 point
Spacing : Double line spaced. Indent new paragraphs. Single space between sentences.
Scene breaks : ***
Spelling : British English
Manuscript
All submissions are read blind. Do not include personal information IN your manuscript (no name, no pen name, no email, no address).
Do not include personal information in your document name.
Your document name must be [CALL] – [THEME (where there is one noted)] – [TITLE]. doc/x (no brackets).
Your document must be attached – no links, please. We won’t follow them.
Bios
Bio:
Novellas: No limit
Short stories: Maximum of 100 words plus 2 non-retailer links
Rest: Maximum of 50 words plus 1 non-retailer links
Emails
Address your email “G’day awesome Black Hare Press Team”
Email Subject:
In your email subject, include [CALL] – [THEME (where there is one noted)] – [TITLE] – [PEN NAME]
For example;
DARK MOMENTS – UNDERWATER – Red Cloud – Ann Orfer
GRIMDARK – DRABBLES – Clash of the Tantrums – Ann Orfer
SHORT READS – The Elephant in the Room – Ann Orfer
Email Body:
In your email body, please include; the call, the theme (where one is noted), your story title, your pen name, word count, bio.
Email To:
Email to the address listed on the call.
DARK MOMENTS MONTHLY CHALLENGE
MARCH 2023 SUBMISSION THEME: Killer Penguins – Not quite Pingu, or Skipper from Penguins of Madagascar. We’re looking for your bloodiest, evilest penguins. Do they work alone, or roam in gangs? Are they more Jekyll and Hide? Wherever they are, no fauna, flora, human, fishery, or livestock is safe.
This theme will be open for submissions from 1st MARCH 2023 and will close midnight 31stMARCH 2023 (last place on Earth). Submissions received outside of this timeframe will not be read.
You must include the theme in your email subject (as shown above). Reading will start once the submission period has closed.
The BEST 12 drabbles will be chosen for publication in APRIL/MAY 2023, and will be the first in the YEAR FIVE annual print publication.
Word count : EXACTLY 100 words, excluding title and pen name
Author eligibility : Open to all.
Reprints : Not allowed
Simultaneous Submissions : Not allowed
Multiple Submissions : One per pen name, per theme << IF YOU SEND MORE THAN ONE, WE WILL REJECT THEM ALL, UNREAD
Publication : Online in Dark Moments. May be included in a single anthology in print and digital formats at a later date (but within one year of initial publication)
Author compensation : 0.04 USD per word via Paypal
Submit to : darkmoments@BlackHarePress.com
DRABBLES – HO HO HO
- 2 word title
- 100 word story (excluding title and pen name).
- A bio of no more than 15 words, plus one link << this is really important. Don’t include links to retailers (ie Amazon) as the books get rejected when they have retailer links. If you want to include one, we suggest you set up something like linktr.ee (here’s ours: linktr.ee/blackharepress) or bio.site (here’s ours: bio.site/blackharepress)
- $1 USD per acceptance.
- Up to 10 acceptances per pen name. Want more? Easy—use another pen name.
- First three to 10 get a $10 Amazon voucher.
- First to 10 also gets a paperback copy of the final product.
- One email, one drabble. We won’t look at submissions with more than one drabble, as we don’t have time to extrapolate them into the read process.
- Blind submissions for the actual manuscript, please.
- Reprints are OK, but we’ll have no space for “First Published” acknowledgements, so please check your obligations with previous publishers first (if your first publisher is BHP, then you automatically have permission, as long as it wasn’t published in the last 12 months).
- No simultaneous submissions, please.
Theme: December, holidays around December (Immaculate Conception, St Nicholas Day, Christmas, Bodhi Day, Feast Day of Our Lady Guadalupe, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Zarathosht Diso, and anything else you can think of), myths and legends, etc.
Genre: Must be dark, but any genre, including (not an exhaustive list): horror, science fiction, LGBTQ+, romance/ steamy/erotic horror, cosmic, speculative, fantasy.
Submit to: darkdrabbles@blackharepress.com.
Will be available in: Paperback, hardcover, and digital.
Publication Date: circa December 2023
PATREON MONTHLY CHALLENGE
Word count : 100 to 2000
~A monetary award: 0.04 USD per word for the first 100 words, 0.01 USD per word thereafter. To be paid via PayPal in the month after publication on Patreon.
~Or a paperback copy of the annual publication.
(Please indicate preference with your submission).
Plus;
A digital copy of the annual publication
and print discounts.
DRABBLES – LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT
NOW CLOSED
- $1 USD per acceptance.
- Up to 10 acceptances per pen name.
- First three to 10 get a $10 Amazon voucher.
- First to 10 also gets a paperback copy of the final product.
- One email, one drabble. We won’t look at submissions with more than one drabble, as we don’t have time to extrapolate them into the read process.
- Blind submissions for the actual manuscript, please.
- Reprints are OK, but we’ll have no space for “First Published” acknowledgements, so please check your obligations with previous publishers first (if your first publisher is BHP, then you automatically have permission, as long as it wasn’t published in the last 12 months).
- No simultaneous submissions, please.
- Include a bio of no more than 15 words, plus one link << this is really important. Don’t include links to retailers (ie Amazon) as the books get rejected when they have retailer links. If you want to include one, we suggest you set up something like linktr.ee (here’s ours: linktr.ee/blackharepress) or bio.site (here’s ours: bio.site/blackharepress)
Theme: Valentine’s Day / Love / Couples. NB: Doesn’t have to be about Valentine’s Day specifically.
Genre: Must be dark, but any genre, including (not an exhaustive list): horror, science fiction, LGBTQ+, romance/ steamy/erotic horror, cosmic, speculative, fantasy.
NB: No more “human hearts as gifts in chocolate boxes” tropes, please.
Submit to: darkdrabbles@blackharepress.com.
Will be available in: Paperback, hardcover (black & white and colour editions), and digital.
Publication Date: circa February 2023
DRABBLES – RUN, RABBIT, RUN
NOW CLOSED
- $1 USD per acceptance.
- Up to 10 acceptances per pen name.
- First three to 10 get a $10 Amazon voucher.
- First to 10 also gets a paperback copy of the final product.
- One email, one drabble. We won’t look at submissions with more than one drabble, as we don’t have time to extrapolate them into the read process.
- Blind submissions for the actual manuscript, please.
- Reprints are OK, but we’ll have no space for “First Published” acknowledgements, so please check your obligations with previous publishers first (if your first publisher is BHP, then you automatically have permission, as long as it wasn’t published in the last 12 months).
- No simultaneous submissions, please.
- Include a bio of no more than 15 words, plus one link << this is really important. Don’t include links to retailers (ie Amazon) as the books get rejected when they have retailer links. If you want to include one, we suggest you set up something like linktr.ee (here’s ours: linktr.ee/blackharepress) or bio.site (here’s ours: bio.site/blackharepress)
- Theme: Murderous/evil/sly bunnies and hares. NB: Doesn’t have to be about Easter specifically.
- Genre: Must be dark, but any genre, including (not an exhaustive list): horror, science fiction, LGBTQ+, romance/ steamy/erotic horror, cosmic, speculative, fantasy.
- Submit to: darkdrabbles@blackharepress.com.
- Will be available in: Paperback, hardcover, and digital.
- Publication Date: circa April 2023
PATREON MONTHLY CHALLENGE
Word count : 100 to 2000
~A monetary award: 0.04 USD per word for the first 100 words, 0.01 USD per word thereafter. To be paid via PayPal in the month after publication on Patreon.
~Or a paperback copy of the annual publication.
(Please indicate preference with your submission).
Plus;
A digital copy of the annual publication
and print discounts.
SHORT READS
REOPENS 1st JANUARY 2023
We are looking for dark stories, in any genre.
Please ensure your first 500 words compel the reader to want to go further.
Word count : 5,000+
Please include a blurb (40+ words, we’ll work with successful entries to finesse it for publication), and a short synopsis. Include both of these in your manuscript, before your story. Remember: we have a blind read process, which means our read team do not know any of the author’s details. Please do not include your personal information (name, pseudonym, address, email, bio, etc) in your manuscript – your story will be rejected and will not be eligible for resubmission. However, please include your personal information in the email body.
Each story will be its own publication, published in digital format, and assigned to one of our new series headers.
Sequels are always a possibility, and where accepted, the first and subsequent publications will be re-directed to the “single author” stream, which includes print editions.
Monetary awards will be based on wordcounts after edits (so please don’t pad);
~5,000 to 10,000 – $20 USD
~10,000 to 17,000 – $30 USD
Plus one digital copy
Submit to : shortreads@blackharepress.com
Please allow 12 weeks for a response.
SHORT READS
REOPENS 1st JANUARY 2023
We are looking for dark stories, in any genre.
Please ensure your first 500 words compel the reader to want to go further.
Word count : 5,000+
Please include a blurb (40+ words, we’ll work with successful entries to finesse it for publication), and a short synopsis. Include both of these in your manuscript, before your story. Remember: we have a blind read process, which means our read team do not know any of the author’s details. Please do not include your personal information (name, pseudonym, address, email, bio, etc) in your manuscript – your story will be rejected and will not be eligible for resubmission. However, please include your personal information in the email body.
Each story will be its own publication, published in digital format, and assigned to one of our new series headers.
Sequels are always a possibility, and where accepted, the first and subsequent publications will be re-directed to the “single author” stream, which includes print editions.
Monetary awards will be based on wordcounts after edits (so please don’t pad);
~5,000 to 10,000 – $20 USD
~10,000 to 17,000 – $30 USD
Plus one digital copy
Submit to : shortreads@blackharepress.com
Please allow 12 weeks for a response.
DARK MOMENTS MONTHLY CHALLENGE
MARCH 2023 SUBMISSION THEME: Killer Penguins – Not quite Pingu, or Skipper from Penguins of Madagascar. We’re looking for your bloodiest, evilest penguins. Do they work alone, or roam in gangs? Are they more Jekyll and Hide? Wherever they are, no fauna, flora, human, fishery, or livestock is safe.
This theme will be open for submissions from 1st MARCH 2023 and will close midnight 31stMARCH 2023 (last place on Earth). Submissions received outside of this timeframe will not be read.
You must include the theme in your email subject (as shown above). Reading will start once the submission period has closed.
The BEST 12 drabbles will be chosen for publication in APRIL/MAY 2023, and will be the first in the YEAR FIVE annual print publication.
Word count : EXACTLY 100 words, excluding title and pen name
Author eligibility : Open to all.
Reprints : Not allowed
Simultaneous Submissions : Not allowed
Multiple Submissions : One per pen name, per theme << IF YOU SEND MORE THAN ONE, WE WILL REJECT THEM ALL, UNREAD
Publication : Online in Dark Moments. May be included in a single anthology in print and digital formats at a later date (but within one year of initial publication)
Author compensation : 0.04 USD per word via Paypal
Submit to : darkmoments@BlackHarePress.com
DRABBLES – HO HO HO
- 2 word title
- 100 word story (excluding title and pen name).
- A bio of no more than 15 words, plus one link << this is really important. Don’t include links to retailers (ie Amazon) as the books get rejected when they have retailer links. If you want to include one, we suggest you set up something like linktr.ee (here’s ours: linktr.ee/blackharepress) or bio.site (here’s ours: bio.site/blackharepress)
- $1 USD per acceptance.
- Up to 10 acceptances per pen name. Want more? Easy—use another pen name.
- First three to 10 get a $10 Amazon voucher.
- First to 10 also gets a paperback copy of the final product.
- One email, one drabble. We won’t look at submissions with more than one drabble, as we don’t have time to extrapolate them into the read process.
- Blind submissions for the actual manuscript, please.
- Reprints are OK, but we’ll have no space for “First Published” acknowledgements, so please check your obligations with previous publishers first (if your first publisher is BHP, then you automatically have permission, as long as it wasn’t published in the last 12 months).
- No simultaneous submissions, please.
Theme: December, holidays around December (Immaculate Conception, St Nicholas Day, Christmas, Bodhi Day, Feast Day of Our Lady Guadalupe, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Zarathosht Diso, and anything else you can think of), myths and legends, etc.
Genre: Must be dark, but any genre, including (not an exhaustive list): horror, science fiction, LGBTQ+, romance/ steamy/erotic horror, cosmic, speculative, fantasy.
Submit to: darkdrabbles@blackharepress.com.
Will be available in: Paperback, hardcover, and digital.
Publication Date: circa December 2023
PATREON MONTHLY CHALLENGE
Word count : 100 to 2000
~A monetary award: 0.04 USD per word for the first 100 words, 0.01 USD per word thereafter. To be paid via PayPal in the month after publication on Patreon.
~Or a paperback copy of the annual publication.
(Please indicate preference with your submission).
Plus;
A digital copy of the annual publication
and print discounts.
SHORT READS
REOPENS 1st JANUARY 2023
We are looking for dark stories, in any genre.
Please ensure your first 500 words compel the reader to want to go further.
Word count : 5,000+
Please include a blurb (40+ words, we’ll work with successful entries to finesse it for publication), and a short synopsis. Include both of these in your manuscript, before your story. Remember: we have a blind read process, which means our read team do not know any of the author’s details. Please do not include your personal information (name, pseudonym, address, email, bio, etc) in your manuscript – your story will be rejected and will not be eligible for resubmission. However, please include your personal information in the email body.
Each story will be its own publication, published in digital format, and assigned to one of our new series headers.
Sequels are always a possibility, and where accepted, the first and subsequent publications will be re-directed to the “single author” stream, which includes print editions.
Monetary awards will be based on wordcounts after edits (so please don’t pad);
~5,000 to 10,000 – $20 USD
~10,000 to 17,000 – $30 USD
Plus one digital copy
Submit to : shortreads@blackharepress.com
Please allow 12 weeks for a response.
DRABBLES – LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT
NOW CLOSED
- $1 USD per acceptance.
- Up to 10 acceptances per pen name.
- First three to 10 get a $10 Amazon voucher.
- First to 10 also gets a paperback copy of the final product.
- One email, one drabble. We won’t look at submissions with more than one drabble, as we don’t have time to extrapolate them into the read process.
- Blind submissions for the actual manuscript, please.
- Reprints are OK, but we’ll have no space for “First Published” acknowledgements, so please check your obligations with previous publishers first (if your first publisher is BHP, then you automatically have permission, as long as it wasn’t published in the last 12 months).
- No simultaneous submissions, please.
- Include a bio of no more than 15 words, plus one link << this is really important. Don’t include links to retailers (ie Amazon) as the books get rejected when they have retailer links. If you want to include one, we suggest you set up something like linktr.ee (here’s ours: linktr.ee/blackharepress) or bio.site (here’s ours: bio.site/blackharepress)
Theme: Valentine’s Day / Love / Couples. NB: Doesn’t have to be about Valentine’s Day specifically.
Genre: Must be dark, but any genre, including (not an exhaustive list): horror, science fiction, LGBTQ+, romance/ steamy/erotic horror, cosmic, speculative, fantasy.
NB: No more “human hearts as gifts in chocolate boxes” tropes, please.
Submit to: darkdrabbles@blackharepress.com.
Will be available in: Paperback, hardcover (black & white and colour editions), and digital.
Publication Date: circa February 2023
DRABBLES – RUN, RABBIT, RUN
NOW CLOSED
- $1 USD per acceptance.
- Up to 10 acceptances per pen name.
- First three to 10 get a $10 Amazon voucher.
- First to 10 also gets a paperback copy of the final product.
- One email, one drabble. We won’t look at submissions with more than one drabble, as we don’t have time to extrapolate them into the read process.
- Blind submissions for the actual manuscript, please.
- Reprints are OK, but we’ll have no space for “First Published” acknowledgements, so please check your obligations with previous publishers first (if your first publisher is BHP, then you automatically have permission, as long as it wasn’t published in the last 12 months).
- No simultaneous submissions, please.
- Include a bio of no more than 15 words, plus one link << this is really important. Don’t include links to retailers (ie Amazon) as the books get rejected when they have retailer links. If you want to include one, we suggest you set up something like linktr.ee (here’s ours: linktr.ee/blackharepress) or bio.site (here’s ours: bio.site/blackharepress)
- Theme: Murderous/evil/sly bunnies and hares. NB: Doesn’t have to be about Easter specifically.
- Genre: Must be dark, but any genre, including (not an exhaustive list): horror, science fiction, LGBTQ+, romance/ steamy/erotic horror, cosmic, speculative, fantasy.
- Submit to: darkdrabbles@blackharepress.com.
- Will be available in: Paperback, hardcover, and digital.
- Publication Date: circa April 2023
THEME : GRIMDARK
ALL PARTS OF THIS CALL ARE CLOSED
Grimdark, a sub-genre of speculative fiction, brings readers dystopian, violent worlds with amoral or morally questionable protagonists. The tone is always grim and dark—from whence the name comes—and valourises the protagonist’s struggles as they choose between good and evil.
Some reading examples;
- A Song of Fire and Ice—George R.R. Martin
- The Gaslight Dogs—Karin Lowachee
- Certain Dark Things—Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- The Poppy War—R.K. Kuang
- Lord Foul’s Bane—Stephen Donaldson
- Gardens of the Moon—Steven Erikson
- The Court of Broken Knives—Anna Smith Spark
Your characters might be human or speculative fiction—vampires, werewolves, androids, aliens, fae. Can include romance elements and comedy, but, as always, err on the very dark side.
GRIMDARK : DRABBLES
CLOSED
See Theme: GRIMDARK tab for more information about this theme.
This will form part of our “Dark Drabbles” series.
Please make sure your email subject is: GRIMDARK – DRABBLES – Your Story Title – Your Byline
Submit to : fourpartsubs@blackharepress.com
GRIMDARK : 500 WORDS
CLOSED
See Theme: GRIMDARK tab for more information about this theme.
This will form part of our “Five Hundred Fiction” series.
Submit to : fourpartsubs@blackharepress.com
GRIMDARK : SHORT STORIES
CLOSED
See Theme: GRIMDARK tab for more information about this theme.
Submit to : fourpartsubs@blackharepress.com
GRIMDARK : NOVELLAS
CLOSED
See Theme: GRIMDARK tab for more information about this theme.
Novellas – 20,000 to 40,000 wordcount
Novella series are always a possibility, though we’re not looking for them in this call.
Author compensation will be in the form of;
- $100 USD advance
- 60% share of book royalties
- 80% share of merchandise royalties
Co-authored submissions welcome.
Stage 1 – First chapter only due within the submission window, along with a synopsis and rough plot outline and your short bio (for our use only, not for publication). Make it good, make us hungry to see more. Please allow 4 weeks from closing date for a response.
Stage 2 – Those successful in stage 1 will be invited to submit their completed manuscript (and their full bio) within 12 weeks. This full manuscript will go to our read team. Successful authors from stage 2 will be invited to sign contracts with us. Please allow 12 weeks from closing date for a response.