Woodland Terrors: The Cellar Door Issue #1
Compiled & Edited by Aric Sundquist
Short Story Submission Call: July 1 - 15, 2021 (EST) (CLOSED)
Short Story Submission Call: July 1 - 15, 2021 (EST) (CLOSED)
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 will be filled from open submissions.
- Title: Woodland Terrors: The Cellar Door Issue #1
- Theme: Horror/thriller stories that take place in or near the woods.
- Type: Creature feature, thriller/suspense, gothic/ghost story, serial killer, cult, cosmic horror.
- Word Count: 2,000 - 7,500 words.
- Payment: $25.00 + digital/paperback copy.
- Featured Author: Daniel Barnett.
- Accepted authors: Scotty Milder, Amelia Gorman, Maggie Slater, SR Miller, Mark Wheaton, Scott Paul Hallam, Ai Jiang, Douglas Ford.
- Cover Art: Mikio Murakami.
- 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.
- 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 Previously unpublished only.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.
- 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, WT Submission: ("Title") by (Author's Name). For Example, WT Submission: "To Build a Fire" by Jack London. Attach the story as a separate document.
- Response Time: 2-3 weeks after submissions close, if not sooner.
- Submission Period: July 1 - 15, 2021 (reopening to submissions from October 15 - November 15, 2021). Stories sent before or after will be deleted unread.
- Send Submissions to: darkpenpress (at) gmail (dot) com
Influential movies: The Ritual, Dog Soldiers, Here Alone, The Edge, Wrong Turn, The Blair Witch Project, The Evil Dead, Deliverance, Cabin in the Woods, The Witch, The Village, Annihilation, The Hunt, Shoot to Kill, The Final Terror.
Influential writings: The Willows by Algernon Blackwood, Through the Woods by Emily Carroll, The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne, Off Season by Jack Ketchum, The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King.
Influential writings: The Willows by Algernon Blackwood, Through the Woods by Emily Carroll, The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne, Off Season by Jack Ketchum, The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King.
Note added on 10-15-21: We have a few slots left to fill for this one, so we're reopening to submissions from October 15 through November 15, 2021 EST. We're looking for slightly shorter stories this time around (2,000 to 5,000 words is the sweet spot, but we'll consider anything up to 7,500 words). Although everyone is definitely welcome to submit, we have a special preference for women authors this time around. Good luck!
Note added on 5-10-22: Reopening for submissions to Woodland Terrors. Looking to fill one final slot in the TOC. If you have a creepy story set in the woods, send it over! Strong preference for stories from women authors, but open to everyone.
