Submission Guidelines
HOW TO SUBMIT: We have implemented a new support ticket system to simplify the submission process. In order to submit your work you must first sign in or create an account. No submissions are accepted from anonymous users. Next, you will find a link on the navigation menus that will direct you to the submission ticket form. Once the form page has loaded you will see a title and body section. Place the title of your submission in the title area and your full author name, contact information, and any other correspondence or notes pertaining to your submission in the body section. NOTE: do not paste your story in the "body" textarea. This is for communication purposes only (i.e. author information, bio, notes, and any questions or instructions you may have in regards to your work). Think of it as the body area of an email.
You must submit your work as an attachment in .doc, .docx, .rtf or .txt format only. Other file formats for images are also accepted such as .jpg, .png, .gif, and compressed archives in .zip file format. You will find the "File Attachments" link near the bottom of the submission form page directly above the save and preview buttons; click the "File Attachments" link and it will expand to reveal the upload field and "Browse" and "Attach" buttons; click the "Browse" button and a file browser will popup allowing you to select your attachment; click the "Attach" button to upload the attachment. When finished, select "Save" at the bottom of the page. Only one submission is permitted at a time for fiction and poetry. Articles and artwork can have multiple submissions, but they should be compressed into a single archive file via .zip file. You may view the status of your submission any time by selecting "Submission tickets" on the navigation menu on the right side display column.
FICTION: Stories from 500 to 5000 words (anything longer or shorter w/o query first or that do not follow the guidelines will be automatically declined). Macabre Cadaver is looking for well-written fiction that defies classification, breaks the rules, sets new standards, knows no boundaries, and doesn’t fit nicely into any particular nook or cranny. We publish speculative fiction which incorporates themes of horror, science fiction, and dark fantasy, but also we are interested in suspense, crime and murder, and mystery. Any story is welcome as long as it is unique and distinctive. We read a lot of stories, so grab us from the first word and keep us interested until the last; surprise us with new and insightful twists and turns and ideas. Don’t forget about the perplexing “human condition” and the need for characters to be affected by the outcome of your story. Something important must depend on the outcome or the suspense, anticipation, and desire to continue reading are lost.
NON-FICTION AND POETRY: Articles about speculative topics, horror, science fiction, fantasy, fiction in general, movies, books, artwork, writing, etc., or anything to do with the speculative genre are always welcome. Articles must be 1000-3500 words in length. Poetry is welcome in any form, however, at this time poetry is not our primary focus, and it will be a tough sell, but if it's really good we'll take a look and if we like it we'll publish it. Please submit each poem as a separate document. We accept poems in lengths of up to 50 lines. Multiple submissions are accepted for non-fiction and poetry.
ARTWORK: Artwork of all kinds is accepted, from pen and ink sketches to full color compositions in any medium, including photography. We are looking for high quality artwork for our covers and inner pages of Macabre Cadaver to accompany articles, stories, and poetry, or to be displayed in feature artist galleries. Multiple submissions are accepted for artwork.
FILE TYPES: Accepted file types are: txt, rtf, doc, docx, jpg, gif, png and zip.
FORMATTING: All fiction submissions must be in standard manuscript format: double spaced, minimum of 1 inch margins all around, running header with: AUTHOR NAME / TITLE / PAGE NUMBER on every page (except title page). Please use a readable font (Courier New is preferred); do not use script or bold or all caps, and use underlines instead of italics to emphasize words. Avoid using fancy styles or markup that will interfere with readability. Include your name, address, phone number, and email in the upper left corner of the first (title) page, and then the title and byline centered about 1/3rd of the way down the page. Include the word count in the upper right corner of the first (title) page. This is your chance to make a first impression. When we open the story and begin reading this will be the first thing we will see, and it does make a difference if the story is properly formatted.
You can find a sample of standard manuscript format here.
IMAGES: Image files can be combined and sent in a zip file, but the maximum file size for any submission is 1 megabyte. The maximum recommended size for images is 800x600 pixels at 72dpi resolution for web content and 300dpi for print. If your combined image files exceed 1MB please contact us for further instructions on how to submit them to us.
RIGHTS: Macabre Cadaver magazine requires First North American publication rights, covering all print and electronic versions of the magazine, including, but not limited to, anthologies, PDF and HTML. We will send a contract with full explanation of rights upon acceptance. A sample contract (currently under revision) can be viewed here. Additionally, we will utilize a preferred electronic contract and signature system that will expedite the contract process. The option for traditional signature contracts sent via postal mail will be provided, but this will slow down the publishing process.
PAYMENT: Payment will be made with a flat rate of $10 for short stories, non-fiction articles, and artwork (per item), and $5 for flash fiction and poetry. Payments are made after publication by check or electronic deposit through PayPal.
OTHER INFORMATION: Response times may take up to 90 days, however if you haven't heard from us by then you may query us to obtain the status of your submission. You can always check the status of your submission via the "Submission tickets" link on the right hand navigation menu. The status and priority will change accordingly as your submission goes through the selection process. No simultaneous submissions (excluding non-fiction and artwork). Please query for reprints.
Updated August 30, 2010
