The Cellar Door - Issue #4: Tales of the Apocalypse
Compiled & Edited by Aric Sundquist
Short Story Submission Call: July 1 - 31, 2023
Short Story Submission Call: July 1 - 31, 2023
The Cellar Door is a biannual anthology of dark fiction. Each issue will contain 8 to 12 stories based around a specific theme and will include a brand new story from a featured author. The majority of the anthology (80%) will be filled from the open submissions.
- Title: The Cellar Door - Issue #4: Tales of the Apocalypse
- Theme: Horror, thriller, and suspense stories that take place during or after the apocalypse.
- Type: Apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, suspense/thriller, creature feature, supernatural. Please Note: This will be a double-sized issue, featuring somewhere around 20 stories. Humorous stories are also welcome.
- Word Count: 2,000 - 10,000 words.
- Payment: $25.00 + digital & paperback copy.
- Featured Author: TBA
- Accepted Authors (so far): Danielle Davis, Nik Patrick.
- 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 and will eventually be reissued in The Cellar Door Compendium.
- Reprints: None. Previously unpublished only.
- Multiple Submissions: None.
- Simultaneous Submissions: Yes, but state in your email that it is a simultaneous submission, and please email us immediately if the story is sold elsewhere. Also, be sure to follow the Manuscript Format guidelines below when submitting.
- File Format: Include your story as an attachment in MS Word, LibreOffice, or Rich Text Format.
- Manuscript Format: Use the Modern Shunn Format. Include a short bio in the body of your email. Your subject line should read, TOA Submission: ("Title") by (Author's Name). For Example, TOA Submission: "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury. Attach the story as a separate document.
- Response Time: 4 weeks after submissions close, if not sooner.
- Submission Period: July 1 - 31, 2023.
- Send Submissions to: darkpenpress (at) gmail (dot) com
Influential Movies/TV: A Quiet Place, 28 Days/Weeks Later, 9, It Comes at Night, Stake Land, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Snowpiercer, The Road, Sweet Home (TV), The Rain (TV), Falling Skies (TV).
Influential writings/series: Silo Trilogy by Hugh Howey, Wayward Pines Trilogy by Blake Crouch, The Stand by Stephen King, Severance by Ling Ma, Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, The Girl With All the Gifts by Mike Carey, Bird Box by Josh Malerman.
Influential writings/series: Silo Trilogy by Hugh Howey, Wayward Pines Trilogy by Blake Crouch, The Stand by Stephen King, Severance by Ling Ma, Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, The Girl With All the Gifts by Mike Carey, Bird Box by Josh Malerman.