Their
Guidelines page -
http://www.diabolicpublications.com/guidelines is a little worrisome.
We do not accept simultaneous submissions! Please state in the email to which you attach your submission that your manuscript has been sent EXCLUSIVELY to Diabolic Publications, and will not be sent to any other publisher for a period of at least Ninety days.
A 90 exclusive on all submissions? Is that normal for a small press?
We acquire all forms of publication rights for three years, with an automatic one-year renewal unless either party provides a written request after the three year term, but prior to each one year renewal date.
Do they have the means to take advantage of, say, foreign language rights? If not, why do they want 'em?
Their payment for digital short stories is only .03/word. Reprints pay only .01/word. That seems low to me. I hope someone more familiar with short story submission will jump in and advise if that's a normal pay scale.
Editing: If your manuscript has been edited by a professional editor, if so you must provide the name and contact information of the editor and a copy of any contract you have with that editor. Diabolic Publications retains the right to edit any submission accepted for publication for basic grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure.
(bolding added) That's "editing"? Really? The story can have gaping plot holes, characters can change name (or gender, like
Atlanta Nights) willy-nilly, the story arc can do a "crazy Ivan" midway through the story, but the "editor" will blissfully move on, secure in the knowledge that everything is spelled correctly?
Their "editor" needs to take a quick look at their own website. They have a redundant "if so" in that first line. They also seem confused about how long it takes them to respond. They state 90 days, then state, it might take 120 days and, at the very bottom of the page state "We reply within 12 weeks...", which would be 84 days or 60 business days.
