Top Paying Horror Markets

Hi everyone. I had planned on doing this at the start of this year but a hiatus from the site and later, a computer problem (which caused me to lose my list) prevented me from getting my project off the ground.

I've yet to be published but it is my hope that when I am, I will be able to join the Horror Writers Association even if it is only as an affliate to start with until I qualify for active membership. http://www.horror.org/ (Guidelines to membership are at the left.)

Although, based on some of the wording there I suppose one could sell a large story for .01 cents a word and technically qualify for affliate status,
but my goal is active membership one day so I've been targeting markets that pay at least .03 cents a word and up. I've started a list of those markets and I'd like to share them here.

Unfortunately, the list was longer when I first made it (sorry). Hopefully I, along with the help of other AW members, can add to it. While most of us who have been at the submissions game for a while will know about all these markets already, maybe this will help new AW'ers who are looking for markets to send to.

ABERRANT DREAMS -- www.hd-image.com
.03 cents/word--up to $100 max
10,000 word limit

AEON SPECULATIVE FICTION -- www.aeonmagazine.com
.03 cents/word
7,500 word limit

BIG OLE FACE FULL OF MONSTER -- www.gomonstergo.com
.025 cents/word
5,000 word limit

CEMETERY DANCE -- www.cemeterydance.com
.05 cents/word--up to $250 max
5,000 word limit

CITY SLAB -- www.cityslab.com
.01 to .05 cents/word
5,000 word limit

CLARKESWORLD MAGAZINE -- www.clarkesworldmagazine.com
.10 cents/word
4,000 word limit

DARK RECESSES PRESS -- www.darkrecesses.com
.03 cents/word--Up to $150 max for print version
5,000 word limit

DARK WISDOM -- www.darkwisdom.com
.05 cents/word
5,000 word limit (query for longer works)

DOORWAYS MAGAZINE -- www.doorwayspublications.com
.05 cents/word for stories up to 3,500--$200 for Novellas between 15,000 and 20,000 words (query required)

FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION -- www.sfsite.com/fsf/
.06 to .09 cents/word
25,000 word limit
(duotrope had them listed as accepting horror the last time I checked)

GUD MAGAZINE -- www.gudmagazine.com
.03 cents/word +Royalties
15,000 word limit

HELIOTROPE MAGAZINE -- www.heliotropemag.com
.10 cents/word
5,000 word limit

HORROR LITERATURE QUARTERLY --http://horrorlit.horrorfictionnews.com
.05 cents/word
4,000 word limit

ON SPEC MAGAZINE -- www.onspec.ca/
.03 cents/word and up (rates in Canadian currency)
6,000 word limit

ORSON SCOTT CARD's INTERGALACTIC MEDICINE SHOW -- www.intergalacticmedicineshow.com
.06 cents/word for stories up to 7,500 words and .05 cents/word for stories above that (check guidelines for "horror")
(duotrope had them listed as accepting horror the last time I checked)

PARADOX MAGAZINE -- www.paradoxmag.com
.03 to .05 cents/word
15,000 word limit

THE PEDESTAL MAGAZINE -- www.thepedestalmagazine.com
.05 cents/word
6,000 word limit

SHROUD MAGAZINE -- www.shroudmagazine.com
Up to .05 cents/word--Up to $250 max
5,000 word limit

SPACESUITS & SIXGUNS MAGAZINE -- www.spacesuitsandsixguns.com
.03 cents/word--Up to $100 Max
4,000 word limit

WEIRD TALES -- www.weirdtales.net
.03 to .04 cents/word
10,000 word limit (query for longer works)

WITHERSIN MAGAZINE -- http://withersin.com
.01 to .05 cents/word--Up to $150 Max
5,000 word limit

WRONG WORLD -- www.wrongworld.com
.075 cents/word
3,500 word limit

Check their websites for specific guidelines.

DISCLAIMER: While I'm hoping one of these mags will help me on the way to HWA membership someday, they may or may not qualify for affiliate/active membership. Ultimately, I think, it is up to the membership comittee at the HWA to determine which sales do or do not qualify you for membership. Still, I hope the list can help someone.

I may try and do a similar list for the Sci-fi forum later this summer for SFWA membership, unless someone beats me to it.

Good luck everyone. And if you beat me to HWA membership using this list, I'll put a voodoo curse on you worse than any Thinner the King could dream up. Just kidding...or am I?

Doodlebug, if you go to their website, www.horror.org and look at the panel on the left to Membership Requirements, you'll see what kind of sales you would need to be an affliate or active member.

Horace, I think HLQ is only temporarily closed to submissions. Their guidelines page says they're closed to subs as of June 10, but there's no mention that they've closed shop once and for all. On the other hand, I didn't see anything about when their next reading period is.

Added Doorways Magazine. Was checking my submissions just now, one of which is to Doorways and saw that they've raised their payments for short stories to .05 cents/word.

Hi Cactuswendy, yes I saw that link. Saw it back in Dec/Jan when I first talked to Haggis about making my list even.

The problem, however, with the other link, is that you have to wade through tons of posts--some of which have links to great horror sites, but horror sites that aren't magazines you can submit short stories to. And some are links to zines you can submit to, but would not qualify for membership to the HWA. For example, a token payment of $5 or $10 bucks wouldn't qualify.

And yes, there are a number of great sites where you can look up magazines by genre, duotrope is my personal favorite, but again, even if you narrow down the field to show semi-pro and up, you always get a few dozen extra magazines that pay token to semi-pro in your search. Which makes the search for specific places to submit even longer.

One of my writing goals, as I've said, is to someday qualify for membership to the HWA. I had intended to post this list for people who share the same goal. Sure I could just add it to the list in the link you posted, but then it would be buried away on page 2 or 3 of that thread and lost to someone who has limited free time to search and starts at the very first post and didn't have time to make it to the list I added. I made it to help make things easier for people who don't have time to spend five or six hours searching half a dozen sites for markets.

EDIT: Actually, I made the list for myself. But I'm sharing it for the people who don't have tons of time, or newbie writer's who get overwhelmed trying to search for markets.

Thanks Horace. I think that was on the original list I lost. Adding it.

williemeikle said:

Some news

Dark Wisdom is currently closed pending a change of format... might be going to an annual anthology.

Clarkesworld is currently closed pending a change of editor.

Wrongworld is a great market. They pay up to 10c/word, pay on acceptance, and also have occasional reprint issues which will pay for your old stuff

Willie

Click to expand...

Thanks Willie. I'll leave Dark Wisdom up for a little bit in the hopes they'll decide soon. I know they've been closed to submissions for a little while now.

Didn't know about Clarkesworld--damn, I have a story with them right now too. Going on 46 days now. I hope they don't ask for people to resubmit. Hopefully they'll find someone quick though.

EDIT: Ah, just went to the Dark Wisdom site. They will be moving to anthologies but they are switching the magazine to an online publication. Payment rates for the magazine will stay the same which should still qualify it in the list.

"Online publications are fine, as long as they're paying you the required amount." -- Derek Clendening of the HWA when I spoke with him in emails this past winter.

Thanks Haggis. That's fine.

Thanks Outlaw,

Added all but Flesh & Blood. The link to their site isn't working.

I'll be adding a few more maybe this weekend, but for now I wanted to mention that I was on Duotrope yesterday and today, looking for markets for 3 recent rejections.

Their upgrading has been coming along pretty well. Using the "professional payment" in your search is now bringing up mostly "pro markets" only. A couple of semi-pro to pro markets show up but it's not as bad as before.

They're doing a nice job, IMHO. I can't wait to see the end result when they're finished with their upgrades.

Alex