Nightmare Magazine

About

Nightmare is a horror and dark fantasy magazine. In Nightmare’s pages, you will find all kinds of horror fiction, from zombie stories and haunted house tales to visceral psychological horror. We believe that horror is for everyone, and we aim to publish the widest possible variety of the most delicious, spine-tingling tales.
Edited by Shirley Jackson award-nominated writer and Locus award-nominated editor Wendy N. Wagner, every month Nightmare brings you all-original content, with a mix of short stories, flash fiction, and poetry, and featuring a variety of authors—from the bestsellers and award-winners you already know to the best new voices you haven’t heard of yet. When you read Nightmare, it is our hope that you’ll see where horror comes from, where it is now, and where it’s going.

Important: Some submission periods may be limited to certain demographics; as always, read the current guidelines before submitting.

Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2012

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 12 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

874 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Slower: Nightmare Magazine's overall average response time is slower than most magazines.
More Challenging: Nightmare Magazine's overall acceptance rate is lower than most magazines.
More Responsive: Nightmare Magazine's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Fantasy Subgenre: Dark Fantasy
Horror Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Dark Fantasy

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,500 - 7,500 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Dark.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: May vary.

Payment:

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment. Details: USD $0.08/word.

Submissions:

Method: Moksha submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are NOT allowed.
Media: Text.

Expand section Nonfiction Closed

Expand section Poetry Closed

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

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For the Editor(s):
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Nightmare Magazine Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

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Accuracy

We have received 105 reports from 91 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

0 min | 129.3 mean avg | 164.0 median | 216 max days (63.7 std dev)

Responses

90.47 %

Acceptances:

1.90 % of submissions accepted (162.5 avg. days per acceptance) | 2.20 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

88.57 % (135.9 avg. days per rejection) | 4.3 % personal, 76.3 % form, 19.4 % unspecified | 2.9 % shortlisted

Non-Responses

0.95 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

0.95 % (164.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)

Withdrawals

8.57 % (27.3 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

81 responses are pending (4 min | 9.5 mean avg | 10.0 median | 12 max days waiting | 109.2 std dev) from 81 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 100 days. (63.8 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 100 days.)
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 30 Aug 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 24 Aug 2026.
Date compiled: 05 Sep 2026 13:02 UTC (less than a minute ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 31 Aug 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.