PARABNORMAL
MAGAZINE
Submissions are accepted Feb 1 – Mar 31, Jun 1 – Jul 31, Oct 1 – Nov 30.
Anything submitted outside those periods will be deleted unread.
We no longer accept simultaneous or multiple submissions.
No matter how far we move forward as humans, we are still bound by the instincts and ancestral memories of our animalistic past. None of these are so strong as the fight or flight response. However, there are times when we seem to be perfectly safe, completely at ease and comfortable, when that urge to run from something sneaks up on us. What causes these sensations? Is there something lurking in the darkness? Why is that man giving you the creeps, he’s not even looking at you? And yet, there is something odd. Something instinctual, something you know without fully understanding. We may have moved on, we may have forgotten and left behind those old stories and legends of beasts, voracious monsters, and dark spirits... But they have not forgotten or left us...
What We Want
The subject matter of parABnormal Magazine is, yes, the paranormal. For us, this includes ghosts, spectres, haunts, various whisperers, and so forth. It also includes shapeshifters and creatures from various folklores.
PLEASE NOTE:
CREATURES LIKE VAMPIRES, GHOULS,
WEREWOLVES, AND ZOMBIES
ARE NOT PARANORMAL.
Shapeshifters, for the purpose of this magazine, refer to the spiritual shift, not the physical. Think Native American shaman. Paranormal activity centers around the human, not the creature.
We do not want stories that involve excessive blood, gore, digestive tracts, and so forth. We also dislike stories with pornographic content. If you write a story with gore or sex, it must be appropriate to the plot and presented well. If you write a dark story, make sure it is spooky. Makes sure it is a story that should be read with all the lights on, with the reader looking over his or her shoulder while turning the pages.
Once again, we are not interested in zombie, ghoul, werewolf, or vampire stories for this publication.
No ghouls, no zombies, no werewolves, no vampires.
N.B.
The recent emergence of AI-assisted writing has given rise to concerns about copyright. We employ the latest in software to detect AI generated content. Although the technology is not perfect, we are confident enough in it to insist that stories submitted have a minimum of 65% confidence of human creation.
We have received submissions that not only did not meet our normal guidelines, but rated far below 65% and could be traced to other works online. Authors of work submitted below that level of confidence will be advised of the reason for rejection.
We apologize for the necessity of subjecting work to this kind of scrutiny, but we do not want to violate any creator's copyright and want to showcase only original content.
Additionally, we receive many submissions from outside the United States. We honor international copyright laws and will reject translations of material not in public domain or submitted without the authorization of the original author.
Publishing Details
parABnormal Magazine is a print digest [trade paperback format] released quarterly (March, June, September, December) and publishes original stories, articles, art, reviews, interviews, and poetry. Its format is perfect-bound trade paperback, 6×9, color cover and b&w interior.
The editor of this magazine is H. David Blalock.
Submission Details
We are looking primarily for original works. We ask for one-year exclusive print and electronic publication First North American Serial Rights [FNASR] followed by non-exclusive rerprint rights. See contract for further details.
We will consider story or article reprints, but no more than 1-2 per issue, and please query first, before sending reprint materials. Previously published interior art will be considered.
Stories: We prefer original stories with word counts between 3000 and 6000 words. We do not accept flash or micro fiction.
Our policy concerning reprints: If your story has been published before, please query first. We do not accept reprint submissions of material published in print or online in the past 24 months or if available elsewhere online in any form.
If some words in your story require italics, please italicize them. Do not underline them or indicate them with symbols. Double-space your manuscript, and use a common font. Times New Roman is preferred. Indent paragraphs 1/4″. No tabs or spaces.
We pay $25.00 for original stories, $7.00 for reprints.
Poems: Poem length should be from 5-15 lines. Query for longer, shorter will not be considered. If some words require italics, please italicize them. Do not underline them or indicate them with symbols. Original poems only, please. No reprints.
We pay $6.00 for each poem.
Articles, Reviews, and Interviews: We are looking for original articles and reviews with word counts between 1500 and 4000 words. If some words in your work require italics, please italicize them. Do not underline them or indicate them with symbols. Double-space your manuscript, and use a common font. Times New Roman is preferred, and we also like Courier New. Indent paragraphs 1/4″. Query if you have questions. Query if your article is a reprint.
We pay $20.00 for original articles, $6.00 for reprints. $7.00 for reviews and interviews.
Art: We are looking for innovative art on the theme of the digest. Interior art must be black and white, We do not accept unsolicited cover art. If you want to submit cover art, query first with a link to an online portfolio.
For interior art, we pay $5.00 each.
In addition to the payments above,
each author and artist will receive a copy of the magazine in which their work appears.
How to Submit
Submit your work to parabnormal.magazine@gmail.com. In the subject line of the e-mail, put the type of submission as applicable, your last name, and the title of the work submitted.
SUBMISSION EXAMPLE
“Story/Poetry/Art Submission – Dahmer – A Special Dinner”
Stories/Articles/Reviews/Interviews: email as a Word (no DOCX files please!) or RTF attachment. Please include at a minimum your contact information and word count in your e-mail AND at the top left of the first page of your attachment.
PLEASE, DO NOT PUT ANY FANCY FORMATTING INTO YOUR SUBMISSIONS, such as adding your name, title and page number randomly throughout the story, headers and footers, or anything else that might take away from reading and editing. This is because it can cause problems with both reading and editing your submission. It is important to note that style is much different than the above, and centering certain parts, bold, or italicized type is acceptable. It takes a great deal of time to read and edit things properly, so if we see things like this, Hiraeth Publishing reserves the right to delete your submission unread and without notifying you.
Poetry: No more than three at a time — in the body of the e-mail. Please do NOT send poetry in an attachment and remember to include at a minimum your contact information in your email.
Art: email as a standard JPG or GIF attachment. 300 dpi, black and white only. Remember to include at a minimum your contact information in your email.
CONTACT INFORMATION EXAMPLE
J. Q. Public Word Count: 5772
14 N Anywhere St
New York, New York 10013
paypal [if any]:muchloot@wallet.com
If your submission does not include your contact information,
Hiraeth Publishing reserves the right to delete your submission unread and without notifying you.