Seeking extreme horror submission calls

typicallydia · Apr 1, 2012

Hi there. I have tried to place a story I wrote which is darker than most. Usually, I stick to creeping shadows and suggested violence over straight-up extreme horror. This one has a fair bit of sexy language, a lot of entrails clogging sinks and even a death during sex. It messes with the kink BDSM dynamic without being an erotic story.

Thus, I am having trouble placing it. ~sigh~

Some editors find it too kinky for horror, and most shy away from sex-death in the first place. It is too vile for erotica by a long shot. I sits at 3606 words (comfy) and would best be described as urban-splatterotica.

Any ideas would be great! (That is, before I start up my own anthology call for Splatterotica Volume I - which I just might, and could do.)

Jcomp · Apr 2, 2012

Can you name a couple of the pubs you've tried to sub to? I can't think, off the top of my head, of any publication that readily states "we accept graphic erotic horror," (although there may indeed be some out there and I've just never noticed it in their guidelines), but I think knowing what publications have turned it down can help us measure how "extreme" we're talking.

Incidentally, I'm wrapping up two short stories that are also horror erotica, which is something I've never written before. I wouldn't categorize them as "extreme," but then again many people think my stories are considerably more graphic than I think they are, so who knows? So I'm interested in finding out if there are some good publications out there for this sort of material.

dolores haze · Apr 2, 2012

I found a few on Duotrope that will look at horrotica, but none that actually pay. Not even a token amount.

typicallydia · Apr 2, 2012

I have submitted it to Sex and Murder, SNM (which takes sexy, but not this), Short Scary Tales... a few others. I try to fit it with an anthology call that is looking for rough horror where sex and death is okay.

My biggest problem is searching for a submission call that suits it. I search often and find very little.

I should point out again, it is not really erotica. There is sex, but nothing erotic about it. One would think that with Deadite Press and such, this would not be so tough.

Right now, the story is in submission limbo for an anthology called Peep Show 2 - maybe check that one out, Jcomp.

And yeah, dolores, so many are non-paying when it comes to sex-death

unfortunate. A colleague suggested self-publishing a Kindle one-off that may work someday, but I hope to find a home for this stuff! Thank you both ~

Jcomp · Apr 3, 2012

Thanks for responding. Interesting. I'm going to do a bit of research and try to get back to you. Going along with what dolores said, trying to find a paying market for horror is already a bit challenging. And some horror pubs indeed seem to get squicked out by mixing sex with the horror, but there's surely a paying home for the story somewhere out there in the web which is as wide as the world.

Edit: Another question, now that I think of it, are you getting form rejections, or are the editors specifically stating that it's the subject matter that's turning them off?

Haggis · Apr 3, 2012

I know I've read stories similar to the kind you're discussing, but they were in anthologies from well established writers. Bentley Little wrote one, or maybe it was Jack Ketchum, and I've seen others. But I don't know of any specific 'zine or 'zines that do so. You might simply try subbing it out to any that don't expressly forbid such kinds of stories. :Shrug:

meowzbark · Apr 3, 2012

Anne Rice was another author who wrote a few erotica horror stories under the pen name Anne Rampling. Laurell K Hamilton also mixes sex and horror in a few of her books, though I don't think of her as scary.

I would look for already published erotica horror books/novellas and contact those publishers.

horrorshowjack · Apr 3, 2012

Necro Publishing has an anthology call listed on duotrope. They publish Ed Lee, and their EIC is rather proud of having been one of Lee's first sales.

There are two new small presses that might take it. Both are royalty only though.

No Boundaries has a splatterpunk anthology call. They also publish both extreme and erotic horror. Site lists down to 2500 words for sale, but I'm not sure if those are ones they are publishing themselves or vending for others.

Forbidden Fiction publishes erotic horror. They're primarily a dark & twisted erotica company though. I'm not sure what their gore threshold is. If it fits one of their special calls, length won't be a problem.

Jcomp · Apr 3, 2012

That Necro Publications anthology looks promising all around.

typicallydia · Apr 4, 2012

Thanks guys! I will def check out the Necro splatterpunk call, horrorshowjack.

And JComp, one rejection was form, five were personal yet short and offered no real critique. One was brilliantly damning where they could have mailed me an envelope of vomit and said as much. It was great. The same publisher offered to work with me on another (sans sex) submission though, so it was not all bad.

typicallydia · May 1, 2012

Found one! A nice fledgling splatterpunk antho ~

http://duotrope.com/market_7614.aspx

Seeking extreme horror submission calls

typicallydia

Jcomp

dolores haze

international guttersnipe

typicallydia

Jcomp

Haggis

Evil, undead Chihuahua

meowzbark

horrorshowjack

Professional Heretic

Jcomp

typicallydia

typicallydia