Negative Space 3: The End of All Sanctuary
Compiled & Edited by Aric Sundquist
Short Story Submission Call: Jan 1 - 31, 2026 EST (CANCELLED)
Short Story Submission Call: Jan 1 - 31, 2026 EST (CANCELLED)
- Title: Negative Space 3: The End of All Sanctuary
- Theme: Survival horror. Specifically looking for horror stories with a "siege" or "trapped" sub-theme, found in movies like The Mist, Sinners, Don't Breathe, and Demon Knight. Home invasion stories are also welcome, especially with characters fighting against some sort of supernatural threat, like in Night of the Living Dead and Dog Soldiers.
- Please note: This is NOT a market for military horror, traditional gothic horror, space opera, fantasy, weird westerns, or stories featuring virtual reality. You can read the introduction to book one HERE.
- Accepted authors (so far): Eric J. Guignard (invited author)
- Cover Art: Mikio Murakami.
- Word Count: 2,000 - 8,000 words.
- Payment: $25.00 + paperback and digital copy.
- Rights: We are seeking first time rights for 1 year after publication. After that time all rights revert back to the author. The publication will appear in both print and digital formats. Please do not send any stories written with A.I. assisted content.
- Reprints: None. Previously unpublished only.
- Multiple Submissions: None.
- Simultaneous Submissions: None. (Responses are quick, and sent within a couple weeks.)
- File Format: Include your story as an attachment in MS Word (DOC or DOCX), LibreOffice, or Rich Text Format.
- Manuscript Format: Use the Modern or Classic Shunn Format. Include a short bio in the body of your email. Your subject line should read NS3 Submission: ("Title") by (Author's Name). For Example, NS3 Submission: "The Black Phone" by Joe Hill. Attach the story as a separate document.
- Response Time: Two weeks after submissions close, if not sooner.
- Submission Period: Jan 1 - 31, 2026 EST
- Publication Date: Fall 2026 (trilogy publishes triennially 2020, 2023, 2026)
- Send Submissions to: darkpenpress (at) gmail (dot) com
Influential Games/Series: Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Clock Tower, Dead Space, Rule of Rose, Siren, Parasite Eve, Amnesia, Haunting Ground, Obscure, The Medium, Eternal Darkness, Outlast, The Evil Within, Tormented Souls.
Influential Novels & Novellas: The Mist by Stephen King, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, Off Season by Jack Ketchum, The Troop by Nick Cutter, The Terror by Dan Simmons.
Influential Movies/TV: Night of the Living Dead, The Descent, Dog Soldiers, Don't Breathe, Barbarian, You're Next, The Collector, Prince of Darkness, The Thing, Evil Dead, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Vacancy, Alien, Underwater, Intruders (2015), Howl (2015), Demon Knight, From Dusk Til Dawn.
Influential Novels & Novellas: The Mist by Stephen King, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, Off Season by Jack Ketchum, The Troop by Nick Cutter, The Terror by Dan Simmons.
Influential Movies/TV: Night of the Living Dead, The Descent, Dog Soldiers, Don't Breathe, Barbarian, You're Next, The Collector, Prince of Darkness, The Thing, Evil Dead, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Vacancy, Alien, Underwater, Intruders (2015), Howl (2015), Demon Knight, From Dusk Til Dawn.
