THE DARK SIRE
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Paula Korkiamäk. (2019). Lonely Soul (Issue 2). Alcohol ink on paper.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

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Doria Walsh. (2019). Rorschach (Issue 2, cover). Alcohol ink on paper.
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Shaun Power. (2019). Just a Walk in the Rain (Issue 3). Pastel on paper.
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Shaun Power. (2019). Never Speak to Strange Psychopaths (Issue 3). Pastel on paper.
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Dena Simard. (2020). Welcome Back to the World (Issue 4, cover). Alcohol ink on Yupo paper.
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Lam Jasmine Bauman. (2020). Fire Lily (Issue 4). Pour on canvas.
The Dark Sire is a non-paying market that continually seeks submissions of short fiction, poetry, art, and now screenplays. The main focus of the magazine is to celebrate the influential work of Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, Anne Rice, Stephen King, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Fyodor Dostoevsky, and thus will accept submissions from authors and artists who delve into the mystery, psychosis, suspense, and looming darkness of the Gothic, Horror, Fantasy, and Psychological realms. Suitable subject matter may include, but is not limited to, vampires, monsters, old castles, dragons, magic, mental illness, hell, disease, or decay of society.

All works must be previously unpublished. Submission of fiction and poetry must use Shunn formatting, while screenplays should use OSCARS Formatting Guidelines or Final Draft Guidelines.

The mission of The Dark Sire is to give authors an opportunity not only to express their ideas through themed issues but to be published alongside the masters of fiction, as well. By carefully selecting the best of modern literature and then pairing that literature with the masters, a timeline of authorship is presented, one that connects readers and authors across time and space. The goal of each issue, then, is to bridge language barriers and cultural gaps between the old and the new.
 
                                                         "The future influences the present just as much as the past."
                                                                                               - Friedrich Nietzsche

All submissions (simultaneous is okay, but not reprints) are accepted through the submissions page. If your submission does not follow the guidelines presented below, our submission readers will immediately disregard it without further notice. Those creatives selected for publication will be contacted. If you haven't been contacted within 4-6 months, consider your submission rejected.

                If you have any questions about submissions after reading these guidelines, please contact the editor.
​
​

NOTE: We have industry professionals (agents, producers, directors) with subscriptions to TDS.
Please be sure to send your best work and follow all guidelines. 


​

There are different guidelines for each type of submission. However, some things are the same:
  • write a query letter that includes
    • Authors/Poets: professional bio, title and genre of work, word/line count, synopsis, website/social media links
    • Artists: professional bio, artist's statement, label information, website/social media links
    • Screenwriters: professional bio, title and genre of work, page count, synopsis, website/social media links​
      • See the OSCARS Formatting Guidelines for professional standards and expectations in formatting screenplays
      • Final Draft is also a great resource for formatting a professional screenplay

TIPS
  • Write your professional bio in 3rd-person
    • ​If accepted for publication, this will be the bio that's printed
  • Get the reader's attention with the synopsis
    • ​Make a great first impression that creates an urgency for us to read your work.
  • Give us links to your website and social media​
    • ​We'll use these on our website so our readers will be able to find more of your work to enjoy (FREE promotion!)
  • Provide exciting, original work that grabs the reader
    • Authors/Poets: Keep us gripped and take us for a ride
    • Screenwriters: Pack a punch in those 5-10 pages
    • Artists: Make it where we can't look away

AUTHORS

Scroll down for serialization submissions

Screenwriters

POETS

ARTISTS

  • Formatted using Shunn Short Story, including 1" margins on all sides, double-spacing, page numbers, and American Letter (8.5"x11", not A4)
  • Typed in Garamond 12-point font using the TAB key for indents (do NOT use the ruler, paragraph, indent, or spacing features, as they ruin formatting for TDS)
  • No longer than 5,000 words
  • Written in English
  • Saved as a WORD Document (.doc/.docx) with
    SS_LastName_ShortTitle_Genre
    ​
    (SS_Stephens_TheVampireArgos_Gothic)​

You may submit up to 5 short stories per quarter, but, each work must be submitted separately. One form/submission per work.

​HINT: The editor loves reading the synopsis section of the submission form. Grab her attention with it!
SERIALIZATIONS

Now accepting fiction for serializations. This is different than the normal short fiction submission, with its own requirements:
​
  • Use Shunn Novel Formatting
  • Garamond, 12 pt font
  • Double-spaced, 1" margins
  • Limited Series: Novel previews of only 3 chapters for promotion of author's work
  • Short Series: Novelette and Novella sized works, from 10-40K words
  • Ongoing Series: Longer, works with a minimum of 40K words, no maximum (we really want these!)
  • Written in English
  • Saved as a WORD Document (.doc/.docx) with
    S_LastName_ShortTitle_Genre
    ​
    (S_Stephens_TheVampireArgos_Gothic)​

Serializations will be printed in parts, called Chapters. Your submission must have the sections of your story marked as Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, and so on. This will show the editor how your story should be split and how it will read as a whole.

Novel chapters will either be printed in full or in halves. If a single chapter is more than 11-13 pages, be sure to split the chapter in half by marking it Chapter 1 Part One and Chapter 1 Part Two. NOTE: Printing 3 chapters of an unpublished manuscript will not stop you from being able to publish the full novel later on.
​
HINT: The editor is especially interested in work to be serialized over a long period of time. Currently, serializations are released MONTHLY, so an ongoing series could run 12 chapters per year; WEEKLY releases may be considered on a work-by-work basis. In this latter case, an ongoing series would need enough material to run for at least 6 months. The preferable timetable for an ongoing release is 12-36 months.

Don't have a MS yet, but have an idea? Submit your idea to the editor to get feedback, discuss story, and obtain an conditional accept. SUBMIT your idea to:

​darksiremag@gmail.com
  • Formatted using professional standards, which includes specific margins on all sides; appropriate spacing between headings, action, and dialogue; page numbers, and American Letter (8.5"x11", not A4)
  • Typed in Courier 12-point font
  • 5-10 page excerpts of feature-length screenplays OR up to 15 pages of a full short screenplay
  • Written in English
  • Saved as a PDF with
    SP_LastName_ShortTitle_Genre
    ​
    (SP_Stephens_TheVampireArgos_Horror)​

You may submit up to 5 screenplays per quarter, but, each work must be submitted separately. One form/submission per work.

​HINT: The editor has a degree in screenwriting. Present only professionally formatted work for consideration.

​NOTE: If accepted for publication, we may need a word document for magazine layout and formatting. Be prepared to supply this file upon request.
​​
  • Formatted using Shunn Poetry, including 1" margins on all sides, double-spacing, page numbers, and American Letter (8.5"x11", not A4)
  • Typed in Garamond 12-point font using the TAB key for indents (do NOT use the ruler, paragraph, indent, or spacing features, as they ruin formatting for TDS)
  • No longer than 2 pages
  • Written in English
  • Saved as a WORD Document (.doc/.docx) with
    P_LastName_ShortTitle_Genre 
    ​(P_Stephens_TheVampireArgos_Gothic)​

You may submit a single stand alone poem or a themed collection of poems. Either way, you can submit a total of 5 poems; a collection of 5 poems is counted as 5 poems, not 1. Each poem needs a title. As long as you follow the above guidelines for poetry, you can be as creative as you like with the design of your poetry.

NOTE: If submitting a collection of poems, they must focus on a similar theme or tone, making them stand alone while also being intermingled. Collections should use one title that encompasses the work as a whole for submission purposes, but each individual poem must also have its own title, as well. The synopsis then would be a summary of the whole body of work, with details about each poem and how the poems mix and match in the chosen theme/tone. To submit a collection, it must be in ONE document with appropriate spacing between poems, as shown in Shunn.
You can either submit up to 5 single piece images, each submitted one per form, or you can submit a themed portfolio of no more than 20 images. The submission of a portfolio is counted as 5 single pieces, so only 1 portfolio can be submitted per quarter.

Note on portfolios: If you wish to highlight a genre (like gothic or fantasy), the portfolio needs to focus on that genre and not something unrelated. For example, a gothic portfolio cannot have fantasy images. As long as they follow one theme, portfolios can be a mix of medium (pastel, acrylic), substrate (canvas, paper), and type (abstract, realism, photography).

Please read the specific guidelines below:

​SINGLE PIECES
​
  • High-quality photography (300 dpi/high resolution)
  • Lit well
  • Original work
  • Include label information
  • Saved as a .JPG with A_LastName_ShortTitle_Medium_Year
    A_Stephens_Argos_Acrylic_2018

NOTE: The editor is a professional artist and an educated art historian. She will expect all art submissions to follow industry standards (artist statement, piece label information, message of piece). Impress her with professionalism. Self-taught artists, the editor respects your hardwork and tenacity and encourages your submission. If you have any questions, please ask before submitting.

​PORTFOLIOS

Now accepting artist portfolios. This is different than a single piece submission in more than just the amount of images. First and foremost, a portfolio submission allows the editor to see the breadth of your work, which helps in the understanding of the work and the artist. And second, the editor - unlike with a single piece submission - can freely select images to print without the artist trying to figure out what will and won't get the editor's attention.

HINT: Have work but not sure what would fit TDS? Submit a portfolio and let the editor decide.

To submit a portfolio, you have two options:

ONLINE - think website
DIGITAL - think PDF or PPT

Whichever you chose, be sure to put some time into the creation of the portfolio, with all images bearing industry standard information (title, medium, substrate, dimensions, year).

ALL images should be:
  • well lit
  • 300 dpi, high-resolution
  • labeled correctly
  • Saved as a .JPG with A_LastName_ShortTitle_Medium_Year
     A_Stephens_Argos_Acrylic_2018)

REMEMBER: The editor is a professional artist and an educated art historian. She will expect all art submissions to follow industry standards (artist statement, piece label information, message of piece). Impress her with professionalism. Self-taught artists, the editor respects your hardwork and tenacity and encourages your submission. If you have any questions, please ask before submitting.
​

Are you ready?
​

SUBMIT NOW
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  • Home
  • About
    • Masthead
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    • TDS Awards
      • TDS Awards 2020
    • Contests
  • Store
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