Submission Guidelines -- Dark Tree Tales

DARK TREE TALES, anthology

Dark Tree Tales anthology is now closed to submissions

UPDATE: At this point, the Dark Tree Tales anthology is on indefinite hold. Stay tuned for future updates...

Brian Lingard, Editor. Dark Tree Press, P.O. Box 748, Boylston, MA 01505-0748 or darktreepressNO@SPAMyahoo.com

Themed chapbook anthology of weird horror and dark fantasy. First Anthology Rights. All rights revert to the author on publication. Payment: 2 copies plus royalties (to be determined). RT 8-16 wks. Submission deadline: must be received by October 2003.

Since the time when mankind first decended from the trees, the image of a gnarled and twisted tree, with its dark and wrinkled bark has sent shivers down a man's spine. The dark, mysterious, dankness of an endless forest of black trees unnerves even the most stout and hardy soul. Something unseen lurks in the forest, something dangerous, sinister, and foreboding. Sometimes it seems that even the trees themselves can become animate and grab unsuspecting passersby.

Chapbook anthology of stories where the sinister aspects of an old dark tree or dark forest plays a major role in the story. The forest/tree should take on a role similar to any other character within the story. It should drive the plot. Any genre is welcome, including horror, mystery, dark fantasy, and science fiction. But the story must have elements of horror. Anything too bizarre, surreal, or experimental stands little chance. May consider a story with light humor, but again the story must be a horror story. Preferred story lengths are between 1000 and 6000 words, prefer about 3000 words. Please query for anything longer than 6000 words. Prefer original stories but may consider older reprints if they are exceptional. Typical response time is about 8 to 16 weeks.

Expected publication sometime in 2005. Expected length of chapbook will be up to 10 stories. The chapbook itself will be no more than 72 pages, saddle stapled, and digest sized.

Payment for fiction submissions is 2 contributor copies plus royalties to be divided amongst the contributors. Dark Tree Press buys First Anthology Rights. All rights revert to the author/artist upon publication.

Manuscripts should be submitted on 8.5" x 11" white paper with at least 1-inch margins on all four sides. Manuscripts must be single sided only, and should be double-spaced. Manuscripts can be either typewritten or printed via laser printer or inkjet printer in black ink only. Please use a mono-spaced font such as Courier. Hand written submissions will not be read.

The author's name, postal address and email address must appear in the top left corner of the first page. The approximate number of words must appear in the top right corner of the first page. Title and author's byline should appear about halfway down the first page.

Please include cover letter indicating which publication you are submitting to. Also include brief bio and list publishing credits if any, word count and email address. Please no simultaneous submissions, and no multiple submissions.

All submissions must be accompanied by a #10 SASE for our reply, otherwise the submission will not be read. If you'd rather receive a reply via email, please mention so in your cover letter. Please send only disposable copies. Please ensure that you keep us up to date with any postal or email address changes.

Electronic submissions of manuscripts are now accepted but must follow some simple rules. Email attachments must be as an RTF file (Rich Text Format). Submitting in body of the email is okay, but if the formatting is messed up, I will reject it immediately. The attached RTF file must look like a normal manuscript when printed out, otherwise I will reject it immediately. Email submissions to "darktreepressNO@SPAMyahoo.com" and put the word "submission" and the story's title in the subject heading of the email.

Where to send submissions?