Submission Guidelines
There’s something about the longest nights of the year that brings out tales of ghosts…
Whether unsettled spirits or spectral impressions created by long-forgotten events, we’re seeking ghostly stories set in the grip of winter. Stories that touch the weak walls between this world and the next. The Mysterious. The Odious. The Primal. Hauntings that stay with you after the lights go out on a solstice night that never seems to end.
Tell us tales of characters we have never seen before or points of view we have never considered. Of plots that chill you as much as your readers. Of creeping disquiet that only you can tell.
Genre master M.R. James once described ghost stories as “a pleasing terror.” Send us your most atmospheric tale set in the dead of winter…
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Windchills is to be a collection of ghost stories set in the winter months.
- We definitely prefer stories where winter isn’t arbitrarily mentioned in passing. We love stories where snow, ice, short days, and bitter cold are prominent … but we also know that winter varies from region to region, so feel free to explore a variety of settings.
- While ghost stories are flexible and open to interpretation, we will not accept stories that feature vampires, zombies, werewolves, etc. We’re after ghost stories, not ghost + other-supernatural-being stories. Also, please no pastiches based on A Christmas Carol—way too easy.
- Please no gratuitous violence or gore—the tone we’re going for is terror rather than horror.
- Windchills is open to all, though preference will be given to writers from the Rochester, New York area or those who have strong connections with Rochester, as that is part of the mission of our press. That said, our last anthology featured writers from as far away as Vancouver and Australia, so it’s the quality of your story that counts most.
- Word Limits: 3,000-8,000 words, though we can be flexible with the maximum length.
- Format: Submissions must be sent as a Word 97-2003 Document (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rtf). Please use a standard font, such as Times New Roman or Courier.
- Submission Deadline: Extended to September 30, 2014
- Reading Period: September-October 2014. Acceptances will be announced by the end of October 2014. Letters to prospective contributors will be sent at that time via email and/or U.S. mail.
- Target Publication Date: Winter 2014-15
- Payment: Two print copies + ebook copy + one-year membership to R-SPEC with all of the benefits and discounts associated with membership.
- Multiple Submissions: Each author may submit up to two stories. Only one story per author will be accepted. No simultaneous submissions to other publications, please.
- Reprints Accepted: No.
- Exclusive Rights: The contract will stipulate exclusive first World Publication Rights in the English Language for a period starting from the submission of your story to six months after publication, as well as non-exclusive electronic and podcasting rights. Copyright to each story will remain with the author; copyright to the anthology as a whole or excerpts will reside with R-SPEC. The terms will be very similar to those used for our previous Rochester Rewritten anthology.
Before you submit your work:
- Please make sure your email address is correct. And you may want to edit your spam or junk filter to allow email from r-spec.org.
We will respond within 24 hours to confirm that we have received your submission. If you don't receive a response within 48 hours, please contact us
