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Graveside Press Paper Angel Press Gold Star Program Gold Star

You have attempted to access a call for submissions that is either no longer open to the public or no longer valid. Any currently open public calls will be listed below.

Graveside Press is a new imprint focused on horror, managed by members of the publishing teams that brings you Paper Angel Press, Water Dragon Publishing, Unruly Voices, and Cupid’s Arrow Publishing.

Bringing you sleep-shattering tales since October 2024.

STANDARD PAY RATES

  • Standalone works (novels, novellas, short stories "Tiny Terrors") - 50% royalties of net earnings paid quarterly
  • Anthology submissions - 2¢ per word to be paid 90 business days after publication
  • Illustrations - $75

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

When submitting, please do not send your manuscript already formatted as a book with fancy chapter headers, fonts, margins, etc. We would greatly appreciate if you can follow the formatting guidelines below:

  • file type: *.doc or *.docx
  • Font: Any legible serif, e.g., Times New Roman, Garamond
  • Include author information at the top of page 1 (see sample below)
  • Use formatted indents and not tabs to begin each paragraph
  • Use hard returns to start new paragraphs
  • Use page breaks to begin chapters on a new page


If you would like an example of what a properly formatted manuscript looks like or need help with any of the above, check here.

When in doubt, just remember we want your MS as clean and readable as possible!

More information can be found here on our website.

Have a question you can't find an answer to?
Hannah Rebekah Graves (Aquisitions Manager) - [email protected]

Quick Links to Open Calls:

GRADEside Middle Grade & Young Adult Horror Free

Open

Beware the children...


We're asking for your tales again, this time not for Graveside Press, but for GRADEside Stories!

Gradeside is your haunted carnival for the tales geared toward younger readers—still spooky, but with a little restraint. Both middle grade and young adult titles are considered, however, if we feel your YA title skews to an upper YA older audience, we may ask to publish it as a standard Graveside title.


Requirements:

  • wordcount: 2,000-6,000 (short story) / 20,000+ (novella or novel length)
  • aimed at a middle grade to young adult audience (10+)
  • have a PG to PG-13 rating


The standard horror elements are allowed, but keep in mind who you're writing for. Topics such as extreme body horror, assault, torture, etc., will not be considered. MG stories should maintain a PG rating, and YA should stick to PG-13.

Monster Anthology Free

Open
Closes on Saturday, May 31, 2025 11:59 PM PDT (in 11 days).

You asked for it, and we're doing it...

Graveside Press's next themed anthology will be MONSTERS.


What are we looking for?
Monsters! Specifically...people who love monsters.

Like...a lot.

Give us your spicy monsters, but keep in mind this is still horror; we aren't looking for sweet urban fantasy tales. Your submission should still have a heavy horror factor.

SUBS ARE OPEN FOR ART AND STORIES.

Requirements:

  • wordcount: approximately 2,000 - 6,000 words.
  • contain some kind of monster, creature, or cryptid from folklore, mythology, or your imagination.
  • contain some level of spice (all heat ranges accepted).
  • any character involved in adult activities must be 18+.
  • NO: non-con, r*pe, or other s*xual assault.
  • Illustration subs should be at least 300ppi

Estimated publication date for this anthology is February 13th, 2026. A little ways out, but it's Friday the 13th and the day before Valentine's Day. We can't pass that up!

Disability Horror Anthology

Temp Closed
Opens on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 12:00 AM PDT (in 133 days).

You asked for it, and we're doing it...

Graveside Press's next themed anthology will be Disability!


What are we looking for?

We're giving the spotlight to an often overlooked marginalized community. Our goal for this anthology is to uplift disabled creatives and characters in the horror genre. We'll be on the lookout not only for short stories, but horror poetry and illustrations, too. Please see our general submissions page for pay rates and royalty info.

"The ADA defines a person with a disability as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity."

Requirements:

  • wordcount: approximately 2,000 - 6,000 words.
  • HORROR
  • be written by an author with a disability
  • feature a character with a disability (note: the character doesn't need to share the same disability as the author)
  • any character involved in adult activities must be 18+.
  • NO: non-con, r*pe, or other s*xual assault.

Estimated publication date for this anthology is April 2026.

General Call for Submissions

Temp Closed
Opens on Sunday, February 1, 2026 12:00 AM PST (in 256 days).

We can't wait to read your terrifying tales!

GSP is interested in horror of all sub-genres, from psychological to hauntings to creature-features and beyond.

As mentioned below, if you're looking to submit a short story or something for our GRADEside line, please make sure you submit to the appropriate call.

What we accept

  • novellas (15,000 - 40,000 words)
  • novels (40,000+ words)
  • collections and anthologies
  • series
  • various heat levels welcome
  • #OwnVoices stories encouraged

    What we do NOT accept

    • stories shorter than 15,000 words should be submitted to the Tiny Terrors call
    • stories aimed at younger audiences (middlegrade and younger YA) should be submitted to the GRADEside call
    • extreme splatterpunk without plot
    • erotica

    Pay rate

    • Standalone works (novels, novellas, short stories "Tiny Terrors") - 50% royalties of net earnings paid quarterly
    • Anthology submissions - .02¢ per word to be paid 90 business days after publication

    Full submission guidelines can be found here.

    SUBMISSIONS CONTAINING GENERATIVE AI ARE NOT PERMITTED. Can you lie about it? Sure. But your potential contract with us also forbids it. So just don't do it. :)

    Sapphic Horror Anthology

    Temp Closed
    Opens on Sunday, June 1, 2025 12:00 AM PDT (in 11 days).

    You asked for it, and we're doing it...

    Graveside Press's next themed anthology will be SAPPHIC HORROR!


    What are we looking for?

    WLW stories don't get enough attention, and we're fixing to change that. In time for Pride month next year, we're going to have a kick-ass collection of dark sapphic horror tales to share with the world.

    Please remember, this is still a horror anthology. Happy endings and sweet romances aren't a requirement!

    WE ARE LOOKING FOR ART, POETRY, AND STORIES.

    How many pieces can I submit?

    • You may submit up to one of each type of sub. E.g., you can submit an art piece, a story, and a poem, but you cannot submit two stories and an art piece.

    Do these stories have to be #OwnVoices?

    • We waffled on this a bit, but ultimately decided no. Since the theme is highlighting sapphic stories, we want everyone to have a shot. The submissions readers for this call are a majority queer and/or sapphic themselves, and we trust their judgement to find the best submissions!

    Requirements:

    • wordcount: approximately 2,000 - 6,000 words.
    • art: can be spicy, but must be tasteful due to distributor guidelines.
    • central focus: sapphic authors, characters, and storylines.
    • 18+ content is allowed but is not a requirement.
    • any character involved in sexual activities must be 18+.
    • NO: non-con, r*pe, or other s*xual assault. dubcon tentatively considered on a case-by-case basis.

    Estimated publication date for this anthology is June 2026.

    Pay Rates: please see our main submissions page for rates and royalties.

    Witchcraft Anthology

    Temp Closed

    You asked for it, and we're doing it...

    Graveside Press's next themed anthology will be WITCHCRAFT.


    What are we looking for?
    WITCHES! Obviously. Whether you're going with modern-day witchcraft practices or the fairy-tale evil witch, we're ready for you.

    Requirements:

    • wordcount: approximately 2,000 - 6,000 words.
    • central focus: witchcraft of some sort.
    • any character involved in adult activities must be 18+.
    • NO: non-con, r*pe, or other s*xual assault.

    Estimated publication date for this anthology is December 5th, 2025.

    Pay Rates: please see our main submissions page for rates and royalties.