Nightmare Press is open to any and all forms of dark fiction!!!

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GENRES/SUBGENRES WE PUBLISH:

Gothic fiction, horror, dark fantasy, suspense/thrillers, paranormal fiction, dark romance, bizarro, weird fiction, hardboiled crime, dark sci-fi, dark noir, occult fiction, weird west, surrealism, grimdark, giallo, erotica, steampunk, cyberpunk, magical realism, pulp fiction, and dark literary fiction.

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WHAT WE WANT:

- Stories that are interesting and creative: Not everything is about money and writing for the market. We want to give intriguing stories a chance. If you have something that you believe is unique and fascinating, we will consider it, even if you don’t have a following or strong online presence.
 

- Manuscripts that are properly written and developed: An interesting idea isn’t always enough. A writer must be competent when it comes to grammar and structure. They must understand character development, world-building, and the importance of readable narrative. We don’t expect perfection, but we expect an author to put forth their best efforts when creating their work. Respect for the craft is paramount to us, and we don’t like half-hearted attempts.
 

- Marketability: As much as we love the industry, the art, and putting great books out into the world, we also understand that while writing is an art, publishing is a business. It takes time and money to keep a publishing house running, so we also look for works we think will sell. If you have a following and a strong online presence, and a marketing plan to go along with them, that will certainly help your case. If the work is something that appeals to our audience, or is something we think we can sell to readers, that will also help your case.

 

 

WHAT WE OFFER:
 

- 50% royalties: Whatever we make off your book, you get half.
 

- We cover all costs of publishing: This includes editing, formatting, covers, copyright, and the ISBN. We don’t charge for any of that (no reputable publisher does), nor do any of the publishing costs come out of your share of the royalties (that’s backend vanity press when “publishers” do that, so always watch out!). If you have your own cover artist, or a cover already made, or you want to make the cover, we will allow that if we believe the cover is up to standard. We will only require you to sign a waiver stating you waived your contractual right to a cover created by one of the artists we commission.
 

- Author copies at cost: Many presses only give you a small discount to order author copies, and some upcharge each book by a couple of dollars. We will ship you author copies at cost (printing + taxes + shipping). This way, if you decide to have a book signing, or personally put books in local retailers, the money you make from these events/deals are all yours.

 

 

GUIDELINES:
 

- We prefer 40k words or more, but we will consider less if the story is intriguing and developed.
 

- Short story collections are acceptable, but must hit the 40k mark. Though we do publish them, they are less likely to be accepted. Something about them must stand out.

 

- We don’t shy away from extreme content (graphic violence, gore, detailed sex), but please make sure there is a story behind the content. We’re not interested in books that are chapter after chapter of gratuitous shock content (occasional gratuitousness is acceptable, but not entire works).
 

- To submit, send a brief synopsis in the body of the email, and attach a Word document manuscript to the email (DO NOT paste the manuscript in the body) to nightmarepress@yahoo.com

 

 

A FEW MORE POINTS:

- While we want to respond as quickly as possible, we are VERY busy with several manuscripts at present time, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Initial responses might be quick, but if we consider your manuscript, it could take a few months before we make a final decision. So, please be patient if you submit.
 

- Since the wait time could be long, we do not expect you to submit your work only to us. If you are interested in submitting to other presses or literary agents, please feel free to do so. We understand the nature of the business and that authors need to do what’s best for them. We only ask that if you are accepted by another press, you give us the professional courtesy of letting us know. We do our best to be as transparent and offer open communication as possible, we expect the same.
 

- While Nightmare Press is always growing its promotional network, and the platforms we are currently on, please understand the importance of author engagement. No one can sell and explain your work better than you can. Author success – whether you are with a small press, midlevel press, or one of the Big Five Publishers – depends largely on how much the author is engaged in promotion. Yes – we at Nightmare Press will seek out podcasts and reviewers; we will share on our platforms; and, we will attempt to get your books into bookstores local to you, but nothing is ever guaranteed, and many places like to hear directly from the author. We will work with you and assist you in promotion as best we can, but we are also doing the same for numerous authors and their books, so our attention is incredibly divided. If you wish to maximize the success of your book, you must get involved. We’re not asking that you go out and line up stores and buyers, or spend oodles of money on advertising, just letting people know your book is out, finding and engaging in your personal audience. Utilize social media. Seek out podcasts and blogs; let us know if any local stores might be interested in carrying your book. We’re willing to work with you as best we can on all accounts of marketing.