The Grim Reader

GrimReadersiteheader01bAuthors: Article Submission Guidelines

Authors…this is your opportunity to get free advertisement for your self-published or independently published (e.g., small press) horror novel! Please be sure to read ALL our guidelines below.

Dead-lines

The Grim Reader, for the time being, is a quarterly magazine. Like most magazines, our deadlines for articles are three (3) months prior to publication. Below are the submission deadlines for each issue:

  • January Issue – Submissions Deadline: October 1st
  • April Issue – Submissions Deadline: January 1st
  • July Issue – Submissions Deadline: April 1st
  • October Issue – Submissions Deadline: July 1st

Article Content

We’re looking for articles that elicit an emotional response from readers. We want the topics to make them shiver or say, “Ooo! How interesting! I never knew that!” Lovers of horror read this dark genre for the chills and thrills. They like a story that moves them so much, they’re checking under the bed for monsters. We want the same response from them through our articles so our magazine will be something readers will look forward to every issue.

We want authors to answer this question: What little tidbit of information did you learn when you did research for your book? That’s what your article should be about.

The important thing to remember: You’re writing an article about a TOPIC…NOT about your book or how that topic inspired you. We’re looking for non-fiction articles that cover one of the following topics. However, ideas are NOT limited to these. If it’s horror and it’s somehow connected to your book, allow us to consider it.

  • Psychology – Killers are who they are for a reason…they don’t process information like the rest of us. We’re looking for any articles profiling a killer, understanding the psyche behind crimes committed or helping readers learn about the mind of the criminally insane.
  • Historical Information – Information about a classic horror writer (e.g., H.P. Lovecraft or Edgar Allan Poe) to help a new generation fall in love with what helped horror evolve today. If it takes place in history and it’s connected to horror, submit it!
  • Legends, Myths and Lore – If your book is a twist on a legend, myth or piece of lore, then that particular legend, myth or lore is a great article to submit! Especially if the legend, myth or lore is local to you and not very well-known. 
  • Curses, Magic & Voodoo – Did you learn an interesting bit of information about the philosophy behind a particular curse or method of magic for your story? Perhaps a religious cult inspired you to craft a tale about rituals and sacrifices. Share what you learned about that cult with our readers!
  • Hauntings & the Spirit World – Though similar to Historical Information, this topic centers around ghosts and information dealing with what happens to the spirit after crossing over. Articles about paranormal investigations, real paranormal experiences, life after death experiences, etc.
  • Tools of the Trade – Weapons, ritual objects, poisons, ropes, chemicals and other items used in your story to do a victim in…most of those can generate an idea for an article, and perhaps give readers insight as to why one weapon is chosen over another. 
  • Possession & Exorcism – First-hand accounts of possession or exorcism, a particular case study or interesting tidbits that made you think, “I never knew that!” are good topics for these articles. Articles should provide new information, so please shy away from anything covering what’s already been done (e.g., if it sounds like a non-fiction account of The Exorcist).

Manuscript Submission Guidelines

We accept electronic submissions ONLY. Send a query letter to query (at) mysticalpress (dot) com and be sure to include “QUERY – THE GRIM READER” in the subject line if our link here did not do that for you.

Article length: 250-400 words (we are NOT accepting flash fiction, short stories or excerpts at this time – non-fiction articles ONLY)

Article format: Please include your article in the body of your e-mail following your query letter. E-MAILS WITH ATTACHMENTS WILL BE DELETED unless we specifically ask for an attachment in follow-up e-mails.

Please be sure to include the following in your query letter:

  • Name of the novel you wish to feature, and please include buy-links.
  • If your novel has not yet been released, please provide the release date and “back of the book blurb”. If it’s published, we’ll view that information online.
  • A brief description of your article and how it ties into your novel/novella.
  • The actual article you wish to submit (in the body of the e-mail below your signature block).

If we are interested in your article, we will contact you with further instructions. Please allow up to three (3) months for a reply. We do our best to respond to each submission, but it does take time. Thank you for your patience.

Though we would LOVE to pay our authors with cash compensation for submitted articles, we are not able to do so at this time. But, as we grow, this is our goal. At present, we provide compensation to authors through the tie-in with their novels. All articles will include the cover of the author’s featured book, buy links and a short blurb about the book. If you intrigue readers with your article, they will be enticed to buy your book.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at publish (at) mysticalpress (dot) com.