ChiZine Publications Submission Guidelines

We accept unsolicited novel and short story collection manuscripts of up to 100,000 words. (We do not accept poetry at this time, although we might make an exception for a novel-in-verse, like Dorothy Porter's noirish The Monkey's Mask. Query first.)
We are a dark fiction genre publisher. This includes science fiction, fantasy, horror, magic realism, industrial thrillers, etc. We are interested in the unusual, the outré, the transgressive. We are interested in pushing the boundaries.
Your submission should include:
- a SHORT cover letter (you can put this in the body of your e-mail) with contact info and a brief bio note;
- a one-page synopsis of your manuscript;
- and the first 3–4 chapters/stories of your book.
DO NOT send the whole manuscript.
DO NOT SEND: Twilight retreads, Sookie Stackhouse homages, Tolkien knock-offs, stories set in worlds created by other writers.
Your submission should be, above all, well-written—strong style, characters, plot. Leave your clichés and genre tropes at home. Give us an unusual point of view. Make us sit up and take notice. Please be sure to read this page about our publishing philosophy before you submit.
No multiple submissions.
Simultaneous submission is okay, so long as you tell us it's simultaneous, and alert us immediately if it's accepted elsewhere.
Please e-mail submissions as a readable attachment (DOC, RTF, or ODT) in standard manuscript format to submissions@chizinepub.com.
Response time will vary depending on volume of submissions.

Writers we love: Anyone we've published. See our catalogue.

Also: Peter Abrahams, Douglas Adams, Nancy Baker, Iain Banks (with the “M” or without), Clive Barker, L. Frank Baum, Ray Bradbury, Octavia Butler, Mike Carey, Jonathan Carroll, Raymond Chandler, John Connolly, Mark Danielewski, Andrew Davidson, Samuel Delaney, Cory Doctorow, Ben Edlund, Steven Erikson, Neil Gaiman, Malcolm Gladwell, Rumer Godden, Phyllis Gotlieb, Dashiell Hammett, Ernest Hemingway (the short stories), Shirley Jackson, Tove Jansson, Etgar Keret, Stephen King, Ursula K. LeGuin, Jonathan Lethem, John Ajvide Lindquist, Kelly Link, Ngaio Marsh, Patricia McKillip, E. Nesbit, Chuck Palahniuk, Dorothy Parker, Robert B. Parker, Cherie Priest, J.K. Rowling, Geoff Ryman, Anne Sexton, Scott Smith, Neal Stephenson, Peter Straub, Donna Tartt, Josephine Tey, Peter Watts, Fay Weldon, Joss Whedon, Ysabeau Wilce, Kate Wilhelm.

Writers we’re much less fond of: Piers Anthony, Dan Brown, Mary Higgins Clark, Patricia Cornwell, Joy Fielding, John Grisham, Robert A. Heinlein, Laurell K. Hamilton (excepting the first three Anita Blake books), Kim Harrison, James Joyce, Ira Levin (who shall never be forgiven for Son of Rosemary), Stephenie Meyer, Anne Rice.