As an online press for dark literature, we publish our nonprofit magazine issues annually on All Hallows’ Eve (Oct 31st).
We also accept submissions for publication on our website under Dark Reads. There’s no theme for these submissions, however we are always interested in horror and dark fiction surrounding the thinning of the veil. Give us ghosts, ghouls, and small town cryptids.
Unleash something ancient from the abandoned crypt and make us wish you hadn’t.
Dark Reads Submissions Period
CLOSED
Magazine Submission Period for Issue 2
SUMMER 2024
Submissions ARE CLOSED
Subject to change depending on the volume of submissions, follow us on Twitter to keep up to date
Donate to our Ko-fi to receive an expedited response on your submission. Please see further details here.
Submission Guidelines
Please read our guidelines carefully, as any submissions that don't follow the rules may be automatically declined.
We accept Flash (up to 1,000 words), Short Stories (up to 2,500 words) and Poetry (up to three poems per submission & no longer than 30 lines per poem). We are also looking for Visual Art to accompany the fiction in our press, so if you have some macabre artwork, we would love to see it. We do not accept children’s horror or any literature/art aimed at children. While YA can work, it will have to be exceptional to be published. As we are a dark literary press, please only submit work that falls under this genre.
We do not accept multiple submissions. If your work was published by us in the last round of submissions, please hold off submitting in the following round to give other writers an opportunity to be read.
Simultaneous submissions are welcomed and encouraged, but please immediately withdraw your submission if it is accepted elsewhere.
We are not actively seeking reprints.
Please use .doc, .docx file formats only (not PDF and not in the body of the email), double-spaced with size 12 and a clearly readable font (Times New Roman, Cambria etc.) and save the document as your name and the title of your work.
Please do not double space after a full stop/period. This will need to be removed (painstakingly) and could result in a rejection due to lack of time/desire to live.
NOTE: We do not accept work which includes intolerance of a person or group’s race, religion, nationality, physical or mental ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Submissions graphically depicting sexual abuse, animal abuse, rape or gratuitous torture will be deleted unread.
We are not considering stories written, co-written, created, or assisted by AI. Do not send them or you will be banished.
How To Submit
We currently receive submissions via email only. When submitting, please include a short author bio (50 words or less) in third person, including your pronouns. Please title your email as ‘Fiction/Poetry/Art Submission — Magazine/Dark Reads’ depending on which you are submitting to. In your email, please ensure you include which type of work you are submitting and your total word count, excluding the title.
Submissions are sent to thinveilpress (at) gmail (dot) com
Don’t forget to attach your work to the email—we've all been there!
What to expect
If your work is accepted, we may work with you on fine-tuning your submission and author bio for publication. These are likely to be small edits, as we are unlikely to accept work that needs a complete rework.
As we are a small team, we can’t confirm when you will hear back but at present for DARK READS it’s around 2/3 months (magazine submissions will be significantly longer.). However, every submitter will receive a response regardless of the outcome. We’re dark, not cruel.
If you’re in a hurry, you can purchase an expedited response (within a week of submitting) by donating to our Ko-fi. Please ensure you leave us the title and date of your submission so we can find you!
Kindly note:
As a new literary press, we are currently unable to pay our writers. However, there is no submission fee to submit your work to us (and we intend to keep it that way).
If your work is accepted, we require 30 days of exclusivity to post your work (from the date of publication); first English serial rights and the right to archive your story with our website content. In Layman’s Terms, your work cannot be published elsewhere until 30 days after publication on Thin Veil Press and all rights will always revert to the author upon publication. If your work is subsequently published elsewhere (after the exclusivity period), please ensure you credit Thin Veil Press as its first publication.
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I don’t know why you’re still here…but since you are, include a ‘Stay Spooky’ in your submission email so we know you’re a weird overachiever.
If you would like to support us as a nonprofit literary press, please click on the button below. This helps us keep the website running & working towards paying contributors in future issues. Thank you, pumpkins!
