PLEASE NOTE: This venerable magazine has recently been acquired by a new publisher. And therefore there will be a new Editor-in-Chief: Marvin Kaye. New Submission Guidelines as well as new submission instructions will be forthcoming soon.
Currently closed to all submissions of any kind – there are no outstanding submissions under consideration at this time.
Watch this space for updates soon!
(Below are the original guidelines and instructions)
Fiction/Poetry Guidelines
Founded in 1923, WEIRD TALES® was the chief source for many types of fantastic fiction for a substantial portion of the 20th century; it helped launch the careers of imaginative authors as wildly diverse as H.P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury and Tennessee Williams. The present incarnation has been published continuously since 1988 — and today, we are trying to be what WEIRD TALES® might have become if it had continued from 1923 to the present uninterrupted. Where other current-day magazines of the fantastic often focus on a certain “flavor” (e.g., fantasy, horror, science fiction), WEIRD TALES® ‘ aesthetic is harder to pin down — except that, quite simply, we are all about stuff that is weird. Truly extraordinary fiction you cannot find anywhere else. Stories that might tap on the shoulder of an innocent bystander, whisper in their ear, slap them across the face, and leave them with a strange new passion for the unique and unknown.
FICTION
Short stories of 8,000 words or less (Preferred length is under 6,000). WEIRD TALES® is looking for well-written work that is unusual and original; works of the fantastic, stories that are unique and strange with a proclivity toward the dark side. A new take on traditional storylines is also welcome as long as it is different and distinctive. Think in terms of the exploration of the imagination and stories which push the boundaries. Also, interested in the quirky and the peculiar, but the work must still be accessible, so no experimental fiction for the sake of experiment.
POETRY
This is probably not the best market for poetry as we focus more on short fiction, however, you are welcome to use our online submissions process to submit your poetry. Again, as with fiction, looking for unusual, unique and unclassifiable work.
ONE-MINUTE VIDEOS
These are sharp little micro-stories of 20 to 150 words, presented in a quick sequence of brief one-screen chunks — sort of a funky hybrid of a movie trailer, a Zen koan, and an Adult Swim between-show bumper. They don’t necessarily have to be funny — but they DO have to be immediately grabbing and viciously memorable. And, of course, weird. Flat payment of $25 for video/online publishing rights (see our website for examples). Send your scripts — that is, your stories demarcated with individual screen breaks, text only – via the Submissions Portal.
REPRINTS
Do not send reprints and do not query about reprints. If we are interested in reprinting one of your stories, we will come to you. Also, anything that is published on the internet is considered a published work and therefore would be a reprint in our eyes.
NONFICTION GUIDELINES
We are currently not accepting unsolicited nonfiction. If you would like to write or review for us, please email the nonfiction editor (nonfiction (at) weirdtales (dot) net) with a short resume and examples or links to your previous work.
PAYMENT
Within 6-8 weeks of acceptance, unless another arrangement is made. FNASR (First North American Serial Rights plus certain non-exclusive rights explained in our contract): for Fiction – 5 cents a word. For Poetry – $20 per poem. Also two copies of the issue in which the work appears (reduced rates to contributors for additional copies). We also reserve the nonexclusive right to reprint stories, for an additional fee, in collected editions (such as “Best-Of” volumes) drawn from our magazines.
HOW TO SUBMIT
We use an Online Submissions Portal that has been developed to assist in better communication and improved response times. Please Note: ALL online submissions must use this portal; do not send submissions via email. (Note: We do not accept unsolicited nonfiction. Do not submit nonfiction through the portal.)
Here is what you need to know when submitting your work via the Portal:
You will be asked to supply the following: Full Name, email address, submission type (Fiction, Poetry, One-Minute Video, Online Fiction), Title (of the work), Cover letter (which should contain the total word count, past publishing history highlights, whether or not the story is submitted elsewhere and any other applicable information), the work as an attachment in either RTF or DOC format.
After you have submitted your story, a tracking number will be displayed and an automated email confirmation containing this information will be sent to the email address you have provided. If you have not received this email within 24 hours, please email us (weirdtales (at) gmail (dot) com). Your tracking number will allow you to monitor the status of your submission via the Submissions Portal.
HARD COPY SUBMISSIONS
For hardcopy submissions through the mail please send to the Editorial Address (P.O. Box 38190, Tallahassee, FL 32315). Provide an SASE with proper postage to ensure a response. If the postage is not enough to return the manuscript, it will be considered disposable. WEIRD TALES is not responsible for loss or damage to any unsolicited work. We prefer all submissions in standard manuscript format. Again, Simultaneous submissions accepted, but no multiple submissions. Allow 6-8 weeks for a response.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Unless specifically requested, do not send a revision of an already rejected story (and please don’t query us about it).
- Please do not request personal comments or reasons for non-acceptance of your work. We have limited time and must focus on the current batch of submissions before us as well as our publication schedule. Any queries of this type will be ignored as we simply do not have the time.
- No multiple submissions. If we already have a submission under consideration from you, do not send another until we have responded to the previous one. It is not fair to the other writers.
- Response time is typically 6-8 weeks although we are currently running a bit behind – thanks for your patience.
- If you can lookup the status of your submission, then we ask you please not to query us about it. This only slows us down.
New Issue!