Niteblade Magazine will accept poems and stories of any
length from drabbles to long short stories-- so long as they have an
element of fantasy or horror to them. I am not looking for cliche vampire
stories or dry poetry that no one but the author can understand or enjoy,
but I'm not an ogre either and have been known to be flexible when the
occasion demanded it.
E-zine Submission Guidelines
Last updated January 18, 2010
Short Version:
Simultaneous submissions: Yes
Reprints: Yes
Attached as .doc or .rtf files - NOT in the body of email unless they
are poetry
NOT indented
I highly suggest reading the long version because I am rejecting
stories unread if they fail to follow the guidelines. I don't have time
to do otherwise.
Rights:
Niteblade Fantasy and Horror Magazine will require the non-exclusive
right to use your story or poem in our free online edition, pdf editions
and the right to archive your work on our website indefinately.
Art:
Marge Simon does all the cover and interior art for Niteblade, however,
we wanted a way to be able to show off the work of talented artists whose
work could fall under the umbrellas of 'fantasy' or 'horror'. To that
end, Richard H. Fay joined the staff of Niteblade. He will be making
blog posts at the Niteblade blog intended to promote new and emerging
artists. If you would like to be featured, drop him an email at art@niteblade.com.
Payment:
Short Stories: $5 + a .pdf copy of
the issue the work appears in
Poems: $3 + a .pdf copy of the issue the work appears in
Payment will be made
by
your choice of paypal, epassporte or a donation to be divided between
Duotrope's Digest and Ralan's Webstravaganza.
For all submissions please email your story or poem as an .rtf
or .doc attachment to the appropriate address.
Poetry --> poetry@niteblade.com (up
to five poems at a time)
Fiction --> fiction@niteblade.com (one
story at a time)
Art --> art@niteblade.com (one
sample and a link to your portfolio)
I'm getting a significant amount of spam at these
addresses so make sure you have the word 'Niteblade' 'Submission'
or 'Query' in the subject somewhere. Any one will do, you don't
need to use all three :)
**I am not
accepting fiction submissions during the months of May and
November.**
When submitting prose please single space your
work, insert a blank line between paragraphs and do
not indent them. If I open
your submission and the story is indented I will reject it unread.
I can't be bothered to read the submissions of people who
can't be bothered
to read these guidelines. For the record, I don't care what font you
use, as long as I can read it.
Please include a cover letter (in the body of the email). Submissions
sent without one will be rejected unread. Include in that cover
letter
your legal name and the name you
want your story published under if it's different.
Keep in mind that Niteblade is a web-based market,
so longer stories are a harder sell than shorter ones.
I am happy to accept simultaneous submissions and reprints
-- assuming you have the right to submit that story elsewhere.
If your story is a
reprint please note it in your email and let me know where and when
it has been published before.
No multiple submissions please. Only one story and up to
5 poems per author will be considered at a time. If you've
got more that you'd love
to submit, wait until I've accepted or passed on your first submission
before sending the next one.
Do not tell me what your story is about or
include a synopsis in your cover letter. Let the story sell
itself.
Include a short bio written in the third person if you'd like
one included with your work if published. This is optional.
Nonfiction
Each issue of Niteblade will feature book reviews.
If you would like to have your
novel reviewed, please drop me a line at rhonda@niteblade.com .
What I like...
The best way to see what I like is to check out the current
issue -- all it will cost you is time. That being said,
you may still find the
following pointers helpful.
To me, horror stories don't need to involve murders,
monsters or villians (though they very well might), all
they need to do is scare me, send
a chill down my spine or make me shiver. The best stories, horror,
fantasy, sci-fi, whatever, are the ones that linger,
that play around the edges
of my memory long after I've put them down and walked away.
Fantasy stories can be damsels and dragons, sci-fi, surreal
-- anything 'fantastic'. I don't want to paint anyone
into a corner so my definitions
are going to err on the side of broadness. Not sure? Send it in --
you never know. For me, swords and sorcery will often
beat out rayguns and
robots, but there are exceptions to every rule and plenty of spots
for both in each issue of Niteblade.
Regarding poetry, I despise poems that are 'technically
perfect' but don't have anything to say and forced rhymes
make me cringe. Other than
that? The sky is the limit (yes, I know it's a cliche, you don't need
to tell me in your submission email. Sheesh.)
Hints...
My name is Rhonda Parrish. I am not a 'sir' and I get
cranky when you address me as such.
The magazine's name is Niteblade. Not Nightblade, not
Niteblayde, not even Knightblade. It's Niteblade.
I get cranky when you spell it wrong.
I get cranky when I have to read stories in the body
of an email (poems are okay).
If your submission includes a synopsis I'll know you haven't
read these guidelines and I'll be cranky.
It's best if I'm not cranky before I even start reading your submission.
Just sayin'.
Please consider tracking your submission
and reporting your response at Duotrope's Digest or Ralan's
Webstravaganza:
 ~*~ Ralan's
Webstravaganza
If you have any other questions please email rhonda@niteblade.com and I
will respond as soon as possible. |