Macabre Magazine Gold Star Program Gold Star

Most English-speaking people are all extremely familiar with A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the classic tale of ghosts threatening a lonely, rich old man into being a better human being. Did you know about all the other Ghost Stories that Dickens wrote, many of them published for Christmas? Peter Hanning collected them in an anthology, first published in 1982 entitled "The Complete Ghost Stories of Charles Dickens."

Did you know that other beloved classics of stage and screen started as Christmas Ghost Stories, such as The Woman in Black? Or that Vallancourt has published five anthologies of them so far?

Winter is just the time for gathering around the fire to ward off the chill. We celebrate making it through another journey around the sun in part by remembering everyone who didn’t. For so many of us, it is a time of celebration and meeting old friends. For others, it is a reminder that our family isn’t present, or a reminder of other old wounds.

Macabre Magazine wants to continue this tradition of holiday chills and thrills. We want you to submit your original Christmas or Winter Holiday themed Ghost Stories, to be published digitalls as a special December issue. What lessons might modern Marleys have to teach us? What unfinished business ties them to this mortal realm, though their coil has been shuffled off?

We are particularly interested in non-traditional ghosts and other winter holidays. Does your family celebrate Las Posadas, Diwali, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, the Solstice, or the Festivus for the Rest of Us? What Ghosts might haunt that gathering? Is your annual office Christmas party full of spirits other than the spiked punch bowl? How does Christmas feel in the Southern hemisphere?

Submissions must include a ghost; be set in or around a winter holiday; and conform to all other submission guidelines below. While we are interested in diverse stories, we do not have the capacity to accept submissions in languages other than English at this time.

What We Publish

• Flash Fiction: 500–1,500 words
• Short Fiction: 1,500–5,000 words
• Long Shot Fiction: 5,000 to 10,000

We welcome all subgenres of horror, provided the work demonstrates control of craft, narrative cohesion, and an authentic voice.

Formatting

Professional presentation matters. A well-formatted manuscript signals to our editors that you take your craft seriously. We strongly encourage industry-standard submission practices, such as the Shunn Manuscript Format (omit identifying information; see Blind Review below).

Checklist for formatting:

• Emphasis: Italics, not underlining
• Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt, black
• Indentation: 0.5 inch
• Justification: Left margin only (ragged right)
• Spacing: Double-spaced (do not insert additional spaces after sentences or paragraphs)
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides
• Headers: Keyword from title + page number, upper right (not on first page)
• Smart quotes: On, but proofread carefully
• Title: Centered, halfway down the first page
• Word count: Upper right of first page, rounded to the nearest hundred
• File type: .docx only (no PDF or plain text files)

These formatting guidelines are not optional. Submissions that do not conform may be returned for correction. If a corrected file is not received within one (1) week, the submission will be rejected without consideration.

If you need assistance, refer to the Shunn Manuscript Format guidelines (ignore the identifying information section) or use Reedsy’s manuscript preparation video as a reference.

Blind Review Process

All fiction submissions are reviewed under a strict blind evaluation policy. No member of the editorial or review staff has access to contributor identities prior to a final decision of acceptance or declination.

Important: To preserve the integrity of our blind review process, all identifying information—including your name, email address, and any personal details—must be removed from both the manuscript and file name before submission. Failure to comply will result in immediate disqualification of the piece.

Our reading team includes professionals and scholars with advanced degrees in English, psychology, sociology, and related disciplines, as well as experienced writers and editors within the horror community. This structure ensures every submission is evaluated on the basis of craft, originality, and emotional impact alone.

We believe this approach represents the truest form of diversity, equity, and inclusion—one that eliminates bias by considering only the quality of the work itself.

Multiple & Simultaneous Submissions

• Multiple Submissions: Up to two (2) manuscripts per submission are allowed. Review times may increase accordingly.
• Simultaneous Submissions: NOT permitted.

Reprints Policy

We do not accept reprints. This includes any work previously published in print, online, or self-published platforms such as blogs, newsletters, Medium, Substack, or Patreon.

Generative AI Policy

Macabre Magazine publishes only original, human-authored work. Any form of generative AI use is prohibited.

This includes the use of AI tools for:

• Ideation or prompt generation
• Outlining or story structuring
• Drafting or dialogue generation
• Revision or rewording
• AI-assisted editing or grammar/style optimization beyond standard word processors

Any submission found to contain or derive from AI-generated content will be immediately rejected and permanently barred from future consideration.

Horror must come from the human imagination—imperfect, inspired, and alive.

Review Timeline

We will publish this special issue on December 13th, 2026. Submissions will be open until October 1st. We will assess special issue submissions on a rolling basis during the submission period.

We aim to respond within eight (8) weeks. Some submissions may require up to ninety (90) days. If you have not received a decision (acceptance, rejection, or request for revision) after this period, you may inquire through our contact form.

Payment and Contributor Benefits

At present, Macabre Magazine does not offer monetary payment. As the publication grows, it is our long-term commitment to provide fair compensation to contributors.

Contributors whose work appears in the digital or print edition may receive a complimentary digital copy of the issue in which their work appears.

Rights

By submitting your work to Macabre Magazine, you agree to grant the following rights upon acceptance:

• Exclusive First Serial Rights: Six (6) months, in English, following publication. During this time, the contributor agrees not to publish the work elsewhere.
• Perpetual Archival Rights: Non-exclusive rights permitting Macabre Magazine to retain, display, and preserve the work in its digital archives, anthologies, or affiliated platforms.
• Promotional Rights: Perpetual right to reproduce excerpts, images, or media from the work for marketing, publicity, or review purposes that promote the contributor and their work.
• Anthology Inclusion Rights: Right to republish accepted works in future anthologies, special editions, or collected volumes, with full contributor credit.
• Audio Rights: Right to produce, publish, and distribute audio adaptations or narrations of accepted works on our official media platforms.
• Audio-Visual Rights: Right to adapt, feature, or incorporate accepted works within multimedia formats exclusively for promotional, editorial, or archive purposes (such as videos or visual showcases). For clarity, the contributor retains all film, television, dramatic, and theatrical rights to the work.
• Award and Nomination Rights: Right to nominate accepted works for consideration in literary and artistic awards, prizes, or external anthologies (including, but not limited to, the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, or the Bram Stoker Awards).

After the six-month exclusivity period, all other rights revert to the author. Copyright remains with the creator at all times.

Final Notes

Submission of fiction to Macabre Magazine constitutes acknowledgment and acceptance of these guidelines in full. The editorial board reserves the right to amend these policies as necessary without prior notice; however, no such revision shall retroactively alter the rights of works already accepted for publication.

Submit

Fiction Submission Guidelines

Macabre Magazine publishes horror fiction that honors the genre’s rich history while advancing it into new territory. We seek stories that unsettle, disturb, and resonate—narratives grounded in human experience, moral consequence, and authentic emotion. Whether quiet or grotesque, psychological or supernatural, gothic or pulpy, if it is horror, it belongs here.

Ask yourself: Is this the best possible version of this story? Does it haunt, disturb, or remain with a reader after the final line? If so, it belongs with us.

• Flash Fiction: 500–1,000 words
• Short Fiction: 2,000–5,000 words

We welcome all subgenres of horror, provided the work demonstrates control of craft, narrative cohesion, and an authentic voice.

Professional presentation matters. A well-formatted manuscript signals to our editors that you take your craft seriously. We strongly encourage industry-standard submission practices, such as the Shunn Manuscript Format (omit identifying information; see Blind Review below).

Checklist for formatting:
• Emphasis: Italics, not underlining
• Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt, black
• Indentation: 0.5 inch
• Justification: Left margin only (ragged right)
• Spacing: Double-spaced (do not insert additional spaces after sentences or paragraphs)
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides
• Headers: Keyword from title + page number, upper right (not on first page)
• Smart quotes: On, but proofread carefully
• Title: Centered, halfway down the first page
• Word count: Upper right of first page, rounded to the nearest hundred
• File type: .docx only (no PDF or plain text files)

These formatting guidelines are not optional. Submissions that do not conform may be returned for correction. If a corrected file is not received within one (1) week, the submission will be rejected without consideration.

If you need assistance, refer to the Shunn Manuscript Format guidelines (ignore the identifying information section) or use Reedsy’s manuscript preparation video as a reference.

All fiction submissions are reviewed under a strict blind evaluation policy. No member of the editorial or review staff has access to contributor identities prior to a final decision of acceptance or declination.

Important: To preserve the integrity of our blind review process, all identifying information—including your name, email address, and any personal details—must be removed from both the manuscript and file name before submission. Failure to comply will result in immediate disqualification of the piece.

Our reading team includes professionals and scholars with advanced degrees in English, psychology, sociology, and related disciplines, as well as experienced writers and editors within the horror community. This structure ensures every submission is evaluated on the basis of craft, originality, and emotional impact alone.

We believe this approach represents the truest form of diversity, equity, and inclusion—one that eliminates bias by considering only the quality of the work itself.

• Multiple Submissions: Up to two (2) manuscripts per submission are allowed. Review times may increase accordingly.
• Simultaneous Submissions: NOT permitted.

We do not accept reprints. This includes any work previously published in print, online, or self-published platforms such as blogs, newsletters, Medium, Substack, or Patreon.

Macabre Magazine publishes only original, human-authored work. Any form of generative AI use is prohibited.

This includes the use of AI tools for:
• Ideation or prompt generation
• Outlining or story structuring
• Drafting or dialogue generation
• Revision or rewording
• AI-assisted editing or grammar/style optimization beyond standard word processors

Any submission found to contain or derive from AI-generated content will be immediately rejected and permanently barred from future consideration.

Horror must come from the human imagination—imperfect, inspired, and alive.

We aim to respond within eight (8) weeks. Some submissions may require up to ninety (90) days. If you have not received a decision (acceptance, rejection, or request for revision) after this period, you may inquire through our contact form.

At present, Macabre Magazine does not offer monetary payment. As the publication grows, it is our long-term commitment to provide fair compensation to contributors.

Contributors whose work appears in the digital or print edition may receive a complimentary digital copy of the issue in which their work appears.

All accepted contributors are also eligible for a one-year complimentary membership to the American Horror Society, granting access to professional resources, networking, and member-only events.

By submitting your work to Macabre Magazine, you agree to grant the following rights upon acceptance:

• Exclusive First Serial Rights: Six (6) months, in English, following publication. During this time, the contributor agrees not to publish the work elsewhere.
• Perpetual Archival Rights: Non-exclusive rights permitting Macabre Magazine to retain, display, and preserve the work in its digital archives, anthologies, or affiliated platforms.
• Promotional Rights: Perpetual right to reproduce excerpts, images, or media from the work for marketing, publicity, or review purposes that promote the contributor and their work.
• Anthology Inclusion Rights: Right to republish accepted works in future anthologies, special editions, or collected volumes, with full contributor credit.
• Audio Rights: Right to produce, publish, and distribute audio adaptations or narrations of accepted works on our official media platforms.
• Audio-Visual Rights: Right to adapt, feature, or incorporate accepted works within multimedia formats exclusively for promotional, editorial, or archive purposes (such as videos or visual showcases). For clarity, the contributor retains all film, television, dramatic, and theatrical rights to the work.
• Award and Nomination Rights: Right to nominate accepted works for consideration in literary and artistic awards, prizes, or external anthologies (including, but not limited to, the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, or the Bram Stoker Awards).

After the six-month exclusivity period, all other rights revert to the author. Copyright remains with the creator at all times.

Submission of fiction to Macabre Magazine constitutes acknowledgment and acceptance of these guidelines in full. The editorial board reserves the right to amend these policies as necessary without prior notice; however, no such revision shall retroactively alter the rights of works already accepted for publication.

Submit

What We Are Looking For

Macabre Magazine is dedicated to nonfiction that interrogates and expands the boundaries of horror. We seek essays, criticism, cultural analysis, and interviews that examine horror across literature, film, art, philosophy, and popular culture.

We value critical writing that situates horror in its broader artistic and social context—work that explores not only what frightens us, but what that fear reveals about humanity itself.

• Essays & Critical Nonfiction: 2,000–6,000 words
• Interviews (Text): 2,000–6,000 words
• Interviews (Audio): Up to 30 minutes in length; must be professionally edited and accompanied by a verbatim transcript (.docx).
• Audio Nonfiction: We welcome recorded essays, conversations, and commentary exploring the art, philosophy, or cultural study of horror.

All submissions must be original and unpublished. We do not consider reprints, translations, or any work created or assisted by AI tools.

Professional presentation matters. Submissions must be prepared in a standard, readable format. We strongly encourage industry-standard practices such as the Shunn Manuscript Format (ignore the contact information instructions).

Checklist for formatting:
• Font: 12-point Times New Roman (or equivalent), black
• Spacing: Double-spaced throughout
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides
• Indentation: 0.5 inch at the start of each paragraph
• Justification: Left-aligned (ragged right)
• Title: Centered on the first page
• Word count: Include in the header of the first page
• File type: Word (.docx) only — no PDFs or plain text files

Submissions not meeting these guidelines may be returned for correction. If a revised file is not received within one (1) week, the submission will be rejected without further consideration.

For audio essays, interviews, or commentary pieces:
• Submit in .mp3 or .wav format (minimum 320 kbps).
• Include a verbatim transcript in a separate .docx file.
• Audio must be clearly mixed and mastered for consistent volume and intelligibility.
• Recorded content must adhere to all ethical, originality, and blind review standards applied to written work.

Submissions not meeting technical or editorial standards may be returned for correction.

Identifying information should appear only in the Duosuma submission form. Files containing identifying details will be rejected unread.

Important: All submissions are reviewed under a strict blind review policy. To preserve the integrity of this process, contributors must remove all identifying information—including names, email addresses, or personal details—from the manuscript and transcript files prior to submission.

Our blind review process ensures that all work—written or audio—is evaluated exclusively on its intellectual merit, originality, and contribution to the study of horror. The review team includes editors, cultural critics, and scholars specializing in literature, media, and the humanities.

We uphold impartiality and equity by focusing solely on the quality of the work itself.

• Multiple Submissions: Authors may have up to two (2) nonfiction submissions active at a time. Review timelines may lengthen accordingly.
• Simultaneous Submissions: Permitted. If your work is accepted elsewhere, you must withdraw it immediately through Duosuma.

We do not accept reprints. This includes any work previously published in print, online, or self-published venues such as blogs, newsletters, Medium, Substack, or Patreon.

Macabre Magazine publishes only original, human-authored work. The use of generative AI is prohibited at every stage of the creative process—including ideation, outlining, drafting, revising, and editing.

Submissions found to involve AI assistance will be rejected immediately and may result in a permanent ban from future consideration.

Critical thought and artistry must come from the human intellect and imagination.

We aim to respond within six (6) weeks. If you have not received a decision after that time, you may query through Duosuma.

At present, Macabre Magazine does not offer monetary payment. Contributors whose work appears in the digital or print edition may receive a complimentary digital copy of the issue in which their work appears.

All accepted contributors are also eligible for a one-year complimentary membership to the American Horror Society, providing professional development resources, networking opportunities, and member-only events.

By submitting your work to Macabre Magazine, you agree to grant the following rights upon acceptance:

• Exclusive First Serial Rights: Six (6) months, in English, following publication. During this time, the contributor agrees not to publish the work elsewhere.
• Perpetual Archival Rights: Non-exclusive rights permitting Macabre Magazine to retain, display, and preserve the work in its digital archives, anthologies, or affiliated platforms.
• Promotional Rights: Perpetual right to reproduce excerpts, images, or media from the work for marketing, publicity, or review purposes that promote the contributor and their work.
• Anthology Inclusion Rights: Right to republish accepted works in future anthologies, special editions, or collected volumes, with full contributor credit.
• Audio Rights: Right to produce, publish, and distribute audio adaptations or narrations of accepted works on our official media platforms.
• Audio-Visual Rights: Right to adapt, feature, or incorporate accepted works within multimedia formats exclusively for promotional, editorial, or archive purposes (such as videos or visual showcases). For clarity, the contributor retains all film, television, dramatic, and theatrical rights to the work.
• Award and Nomination Rights: Right to nominate accepted works for consideration in literary and artistic awards, prizes, or external anthologies (including, but not limited to, the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, or the Bram Stoker Awards).

After the six-month exclusivity period, all rights revert to the author. Copyright remains with the creator at all times.

Submission of nonfiction to Macabre Magazine constitutes acknowledgment and acceptance of these guidelines in full. The editorial board reserves the right to amend these terms without prior notice; however, no revisions shall retroactively alter the rights of works already accepted for publication.

Our goal is to foster rigorous, thoughtful, and transformative discourse about horror—its craft, culture, and consequence. We look forward to reading and hearing your work.

Submit

What We Are Looking For

Macabre Magazine seeks poetry that pushes the boundaries of horror—language that unsettles, imagery that lingers, and voices that transform the familiar into the uncanny. We welcome lyric, narrative, experimental, and prose poems that demonstrate precision of craft and a resonance with the dark heart of the genre.

• Poetry: Up to five (5) poems per submission, not exceeding ten (10) total pages.

We accept all poetic forms and structures, provided the work displays mastery of craft and thematic alignment with the genre.

Professional presentation matters. Submissions must be prepared in a clear, readable, industry-standard format.

Checklist for formatting:
• Font: 12-point Times New Roman (or equivalent), black
• Spacing: Single-spaced, with stanza breaks clearly marked
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides
• Justification: Left-aligned (ragged right)
• Title: Centered on the first page
• File type: Word (.docx) only — no PDFs or plain text files

Submissions that do not meet these requirements may be returned for correction. If a revised file is not received within one (1) week, the submission will be rejected without further consideration.

Identifying information should appear only within the Duosuma submission form. Manuscripts containing identifying details within the file will be rejected unread.

Important: All submissions are reviewed under a strict blind review policy. To preserve the integrity of this process, contributors must remove all identifying information—including name, email address, or personal details—from the manuscript file and file name prior to submission.

Our blind review process ensures that every poem is evaluated solely on the merits of craft, originality, and artistic resonance. The review team comprises scholars, editors, and poets with advanced literary training and professional expertise in horror, poetics, and cultural studies.

We uphold impartiality and equity by considering only the work itself—never the identity of its creator.

• Multiple Submissions: Up to two (2) poetry manuscripts may be submitted at a time. Review timelines may lengthen with multiple entries.

• Simultaneous Submissions: Permitted. If your work is accepted elsewhere, you must withdraw it immediately via Duosuma.

We do not accept reprints. This includes any poem previously published in print, online, or in self-published venues such as blogs, Medium, Substack, or Patreon.

Macabre Magazine publishes only original, human-authored work. The use of generative AI is prohibited at all stages of creation—including but not limited to ideation, outlining, drafting, revising, or editing.

Any submission found to involve AI assistance will be rejected immediately and may result in a permanent ban from future consideration.

Horror—and the art it inspires—must come from the human imagination in all its depth, imperfection, and insight.

We aim to respond within six (6) weeks. If you have not received a decision after that period, you may query through Duosuma.

At present, Macabre Magazine does not offer monetary payment. Contributors whose work appears in the digital or print edition may receive a complimentary digital copy of the issue in which their work appears.

All accepted contributors are also eligible for a one-year complimentary membership to the American Horror Society, providing professional development resources, networking opportunities, and member-only events.

By submitting your work to Macabre Magazine, you agree to grant the following rights upon acceptance:

• Exclusive First Serial Rights: Six (6) months, in English, following publication. During this time, the contributor agrees not to publish the work elsewhere.
• Perpetual Archival Rights: Non-exclusive rights permitting Macabre Magazine to retain, display, and preserve the work in its digital archives, anthologies, or affiliated platforms.
• Promotional Rights: Perpetual right to reproduce excerpts, images, or media from the work for marketing, publicity, or review purposes that promote the contributor and their work.
• Anthology Inclusion Rights: Right to republish accepted works in future anthologies, special editions, or collected volumes, with full contributor credit.
• Audio Rights: Right to produce, publish, and distribute audio adaptations or narrations of accepted works on our official media platforms.
• Audio-Visual Rights: Right to adapt, feature, or incorporate accepted works within multimedia formats exclusively for promotional, editorial, or archive purposes (such as videos or visual showcases). For clarity, the contributor retains all film, television, dramatic, and theatrical rights to the work.
• Award and Nomination Rights: Right to nominate accepted works for consideration in literary and artistic awards, prizes, or external anthologies (including, but not limited to, the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, or the Bram Stoker Awards).

After the six-month exclusivity period, all rights revert to the author. Copyright remains with the creator at all times.

Submission of poetry to Macabre Magazine constitutes acknowledgment and acceptance of these guidelines in full. The editorial board reserves the right to amend these terms as necessary without prior notice; however, such revisions shall not retroactively alter the rights of works already accepted for publication.

Our goal is to preserve horror’s literary and cultural vitality by publishing work that engages, disturbs, and endures. We look forward to reading your best.

Submit