I’ve received several emails and IMs about places to submit to for different genres. One particular question popped out at me. Where do I submit a horror novel? Not a paranormal or paranormal romance, but Horror?

Great question. So for this genre spotlight I give you:

Horror, three submission houses and a place to find out more!

From Dorchester Publishing:

HORROR

Suspenseful, terrifying novels with dark atmosphere and chilling plots. Contemporary settings are preferred, but historical settings are possible if well done. Supernatural horrors (ghosts, vampires, demons, monsters, etc.) are preferred, although psychological suspense and killers on the loose can work if well-handled and original, and if the focus of the book remains horror and fear, not mystery. Please avoid science fiction, fantasy and mystery novels.

Finished manuscripts should be 80,000–100,000 words and addressed to the attention of Don D’Auria, Executive Editor.

From Tor-Forge:

Submissions guidelines


  1. The first three chapters of your book, prepared in standard manuscript format on white paper. (If your chapters are really short or really long, or you don’t use chapter breaks, you may send the first 40-60 pages of your book, provided you stay under 10,000 words.)
    The submitted text must be made up of consecutive pages and should end at the end of a paragraph, not in mid-sentence.
    Standard manuscript format means margins of at least 1 inch all the way around; indented paragraphs; double-spaced text; and Courier or Times Roman in 10 or 12 pitch. Please use one side of the page only and do not justify the text.
    Do not bind the manuscript in any way. Make sure the header of the ms. includes either your name or the title of the book and the page number (on every page).
  2. A synopsis of the entire book. The synopsis should include all important plot elements, especially the end of the story, as well as aspects of character development for your main characters. The synopsis should run between three and ten pages in standard manuscript format.
  3. A dated cover letter that includes your name and contact information and the title of the submitted work. Briefly tell us what genre or subgenre the submission falls into and mention any qualifications you have that pertain to the work. Please list any previous publications in paying markets.
  4. A self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope for our reply letter.
    Unfortunately, it’s no longer possible for us to return submissions due to a change in postal service policy that requires packages weighing more than a pound be mailed at a post office. Since we use a company mailroom rather than a post office, when we try to return submissions, they are sent back to us by the postal service or disappear in transit.
    We recycle your proposals. (That’s not a euphemism for being tossed in a wastebasket–we recycle all white paper.)
    If you live outside the United States, please go to http://www.usps.com/onlinepostage to see internet postage options.
    If you do not include an SASE, you will not receive a reply at all.

Please send only one proposal in each submissions packet. If you have written a series, send a proposal for the first book only. If we like what we see, we’ll ask for the rest.

Many people include postcards for us to return when the proposal reaches us. Unfortunately, we don’t open submissions until we’re ready to read them, so you’ll likely get the “I got it” postcard the same day you receive our response to your project.

If you want to be sure that your manuscript was delivered to our offices, please ask for a return receipt or a signature confirmation when you post it.

Don’t stop reading! Here are some tips to help the whole process work smoothly:

  1. Don’t send a query letter. It’s practically impossible to judge a project from a query. We’d rather see your proposal.
  2. Don’t send submissions or inquiries by email or fax. We do not respond to emailed or faxed submissions, queries, or inquiries about the status of submissions.
  3. Don’t send disks. We want to read words in black type on white paper. And it’s not that we don’t trust you, but your system might have viruses you don’t know about.
  4. Don’t send us the only copy of anything. Things get lost in transit.
  5. Don’t send interior or cover art or an author photo. There’s time for that later, if we like your project.
  6. Don’t send jewelry, food, toys, 3-dimensional representations of anything, or anything that might be construed as a bribe. Over the years, we’ve seen all of the following and more: handmade bracelets and earrings, anatomical models, home-baked cookies, fine fabrics, fancy bookmarks, cocoanuts, fancy manuscript boxes . . ..None of this has any impact on our consideration of your work. The work has to sink or swim on its own merits.

Thanks!
Send submissions to:
Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010

Address submissions as follows:

General fiction of all types including mysteries, thrillers, mainstream fiction, women’s fiction, and horror: Acquisitions Editor, Fiction

Generally we respond to unsolicited submissions within 4-6 months. Unfortunately, your manuscripts and our replies sometimes go astray in transit. Because of the volume of submissions, it’s not possible for us to track down any individual project; please don’t call for a status report. If you have not heard back from us after six months, please resubmit.

Oooh, resub after 6 months…yipe.

And for those interested in epublishing: Samhain Publishing

How to Submit

All submissions must be sent by email as we are primarily an epublisher, and all our work is done through the internet.

Please send a query letter telling us a bit about you along with a 2 to 5 page synopsis and sample chapters — attached, not within the body of the email as it makes reading difficult! You may, at your discretion, send the whole manuscript as it will be requested if it passes the first review.

Please format your work as follows:

  • RTF (Rich Text File) or .doc (Word Document) file
  • 1 inch margins
  • 1.5 line spacing
  • Times New Roman, 12pt.
  • Page break before each new chapter

The first page must have your contact information
and the basic details of your story:

  • Real Name/Pen Name
  • Address
  • Contact Phone
  • Email address
  • Working Title (include series name if applicable)
  • Word Count
  • Genre/s
  • Blurb (less than 200 words)

When you have your manuscript polished to within an inch of its life and ready to go, please send your query and submission to editor@samhainpublishing.com. Please allow up to 8-10 weeks for a personal reply. An auto responder will reply to let you know that your email has been received.

For more information:

A fantastic place to check out: The Horror Writers Association or HWA http://www.horror.org/index.htm