S U B M I S S I O N G U I D E L I N E S |
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Artwork
: Stories
: Articles
: Music : Books : Games : Movies : Reviewers |
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If your material is accepted for
publication, we will contact you within 30 days. Due to the volume
of solicitations we receive, we only reply to those we accept
for publication. If you do not receive a response within 30 days,
it's safe to assume the material was not chosen for publication. We do NOT accept email submissions of artwork, music downloads or short stories, so please follow the guidelines below for your appropriate category. Make sure your contact info is clearly noted on your submission. Items are not returned. If your music or book is reviewed, we will post the information online under the contents for the current issue. A R T I S T S P O T L I G H T We are looking to feature artists or photographers with a focus on gothic, horror, or dark fantasy themes. Our usual features consist of 2 to 4 pages of artwork or photography, along with a few paragraphs about the artist. If you have an online portfolio, send us the the link in an email. Do NOT send images via e-mail. We also accept color copies or b+w copies as samples for initial consideration. Do NOT send originals. No explicit erotica. No nudity. No overtly violent themes. No licensed characters. Artist must retain full copyright and have authority to give permission for publishing. Note where and when if previously or simultaneously published in another magazine. Upon acceptance, artist will be required to provide images in one of the following hi-res, printable formats: professional quality scans on a CD (300 dpi or better, tiff, jpg or eps), or photos (clear, sharp 4"x6" glossy prints). Photos will not be returned unless accompanied by SASE with correct postage. We will also require your biography, name and contact info, and website, as it should appear in print. Pay is in copies of the issue in which your artwork appears. Your website will be listed in the feature, and will be further promoted in the "Gravesites" section of the same issue.
S H O R T S T O R I E S We are interested in original horror, dark fantasy, and gothic stories. We do not publish poetry * Word Count: maximum of 3,000 words. * Strong gothic imagery described throughout. * Scary, creepy, mysterious and/or eerie qualities * Bloodshed is fine, but no "gross-out" gore or extreme violence. * Romantic scenes OK, but no adult-only sexual situations. * Compelling characters, intelligent dialog, no profanity. * An inventive, non-cliché storyline with a dark or ironic twist at the end. Stories should be typed in a clearly legible font, on clean white paper, and should be proofed for spelling and grammar. Word count should be noted. Multiple submissions accepted. Note where and when if previously or simultaneously published. Upon acceptance of your story, we will contact you to send in electronic format. We require one-time publishing rights for the issue in which your story appears. Pay is in copies of the issue in which your story appears. We will also be happy to promote your other written work (books in-progress or for sale) in a brief paragraph following your story, including contact info and author website, if any. Our artist may also illustrate a piece to accompany your tale if space and time allows. Artist retains ownership and copyright of any illustrations that accompany the story.
A R T I C L E S Have something of interest to the dark side which you'd like to share? Event coverage, hauntings, shopping, trends in culture... Do you have extensive knowledge (backed up by good research and study) about a particular person or event in history that has affected or contributed to the horror or gothic genre? Articles may be submitted via email. We can accept text in the message body of an email, or attachments in MS Word or Quark. Do NOT e-mail photos, but please note if imagery of your subject is available. Feel free to mail Xerox copies of your photos for initial consideration, or send glossy photos, or a cd of hi-res images. If you do not own the rights to the images, please do not submit them, but tell us whom we might contact to get permission for usage. Please include your complete contact info and type your name as you wish it to appear in print. Pay is in copies of the issue in which your article appears.
M U S I C R E V I E W S New releases, full-length, professional quality cds. Do NOT send links for us to listen to your music online. If you want your music heard, mail us a cd. NO home-made cds, NO demos. Genres we review: gothic, industrial, darkwave, dark orchestral, dark-edged dance, rock or metal with a solemn or dark-edged quality and gothic appeal. Genres we do NOT review: death metal, black metal, noize, experimental, drone, bubble-gum rock, country, rock-a-billy, easy-listening, motown, or rap. We do not review live shows. Booklet and tray card are required, for image placement as well as reference for the review. We will not run reviews of cds without their covers. Covers should remain unmarked. Feel free to cross out barcodes or send without a jewel case (just package against breakage). We don't care about selling cds; we just want all the material to conduct a fair review. Music cds submitted for review must be accompanied by a cover letter containing: band, title of cd, record label, release date, official band website and contact info. Do not email us to ask if your cd is or will be reviewed, and do not solicit interviews without first submitting a new release. If your cd is reviewed, and if we wish to contact the band for an interview, we will send an email to the contact provided in your cover letter.
B O O K R E V I E W S New titles of fiction (novels, anthologies, or collections) or non-fiction. Subjects we review: horror, dark fantasy, gothic (vampires, werewolves, ghosts, or any other supernatural themes), dark mysteries or thrillers. No explicit erotica. No extreme violence. No poetry. No work-in-progress. No e-books. No unpublished manuscripts. Galleys are accepted, but cover image is required. If sending a blank cover galley, include an image of the dust-jacket on cd or via email. Books submitted for review must be accompanied by a cover letter containing: author, title, publisher, release date, official author website and contact info.
G A M E R E V I E W S We review new releases of games specific to horror, mystery, or dark fantasy themes. Send us a complete, working copy of the game. We have the following platforms for play: IBM, MAC, PS2 and X-Box.
M O V I E S We welcome press releases and screenings of upcoming movies, cable or network television shows, and upcoming releases on DVD or video. Include contact info and interview opportunities. Subjects covered: horror, sci-fi, thriller, dark fantasy, or period films in a Medieval setting or with a dark storyline, also action films with a dark or gothic theme.
R E V I E W E R S If YOU want to review stuff for Dark Realms. Please send us some samples of items you have reviewed in the past and indicate your preferences (type of music, favorite books, etc.) and about how much time you can dedicate to writing reviews every 3 months. We'll be in touch. Pay is in copy(s) of the magazine in which review(s) appear. |