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Current Submission Calls and Guidelines

General Guideline Info:

We started as a theme anthology publisher where all the monies went to charity. Currently, we are still publishing nigh daily graphic art/horror news, podcasts, and reviews on the website (www.hauntedmtl.com) (and with pay!). We also publish horror novels, graphic novels, and occult non-fiction (read on for that submission page!). HauntedMTL.com (@hauntedmtl) is the location for the daily horror feed, including HauntedMTL Originals of art/fiction. If you have a horror short story, be on the lookout for our anthology calls!

What we are looking for is ‘interesting’ and ‘I need to see that again’ and ‘Jesus, that gave me a nightmare
’ Please note that this is not an offer to have stories about kittens in a blender or anything. We want submissions that are strong, punk, dark, humorous, and just strange enough to be true. If you have that story that other people wouldn’t touch with a 15-foot pole then send it over! Just make sure it’s worth the email postage before doing so.

Note: All submissions must be done via ‘Duosuma’ as linked below..

Current Calls!

Doctor Who

Are you a huge Doctor Who fan looking for a way to immerse yourself even further into the fantastic world of the Doctor? HauntedMTL is looking for a writer and podcast person to review Doctor Who and provide unique and interesting insights into the latest and original series episodes. 

We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual who is passionate about the show. You will be responsible for creating written reviews of each episode. Also, we are looking for someone to join our new podcast discussing the show in depth and engaging with the fandom.

The successful candidate will have excellent written communication skills, be able to write compelling and entertaining reviews. They should also be able to engage with the Doctor Who community online, preferably through social media and discussion forums. 

If you’re an avid Doctor Who fan who is looking for an opportunity to immerse themselves in the show, apply now for the chance to join HauntedMTL’s review team!

https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/reviewers-needed-RhPS3

OPEN CHARITY ANTHOLOGY CALL (Deadline 1 August 2024)

HauntedMTL Charity Anthology Submission Call: “Dancer”

HauntedMTL invites you to contribute to our latest anthology, “Dancer,” a curated collection of horror stories, art, and poetry. This anthology is dedicated to supporting humanitarian efforts, with all proceeds being split between Ukrainian charities HUMANITE and Red Cross. We are seeking original, spine-chilling submissions that will captivate and terrify our readers.

Submission Details

Categories Open for Submission:

  • Flash Fiction: Quick, intense stories up to 1,000 words that deliver a punch.
  • Short Stories: Engrossing narratives up to 5,000 words that weave terror and suspense.
  • Black and White Art: Stark, evocative images that capture the essence of horror.
  • Black and White Sequential Art: Graphic storytelling in black and white that thrills and chills.
  • Poems: Verses that evoke the eerie and uncanny.

Submission Guidelines:

  • Submissions must be in the horror genre and relate to horror (real or imaginary).
  • All written submissions must be in English.
  • Flash fiction and short stories must be typed and submitted in .doc, or .docx format.
  • Art submissions must be in .jpg or .png format, with a resolution of 300 dpi or higher.
  • Sequential art should be formatted as a complete narrative, limited to 5-10 pages.
  • Poems should not exceed 2 pages in length.
  • We accept only original, unpublished work. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please inform us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
  • Multiple submissions are welcome, but please send each submission separately.

How to Submit:

Deadline for Submission:

  • August 1st, 2024

We encourage writers and artists of all backgrounds to submit their work. This anthology is about giving voice to diverse horror stories while contributing to vital causes. By participating, not only will you be showcasing your talent, but you will also be making a positive difference in the lives of those affected by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Unleash your most haunting, beautiful, and imaginative creations. We look forward to receiving your submissions and crafting an anthology that both terrifies and inspires, all for a great cause.

Best of luck, and may your stories and art bewitch our senses and raise spirits for a noble cause!

HauntedMTL Team

General Horror Review Call

Be part of our horror review fam! https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/form.aspx?id=Q0OI4u3-RhPS3-0el1erO

Love horror? Have an opinion about it? Like to sweat and bust your butt in WordPress, SEOs, and/or video/podcasting? Like to get a (really really really) small honorarium for it? Boy, do we have the deal for you!

HauntedMLT is looking for fresh reviews (meaning for our site and not found anywhere else) on anything Horror – books, games, movies, tv, cosplay – anything horror! All you need is an original voice and some working knowledge of WordPress (Okay, so we can teach you wordpress!).

Join our ever-growing crew of LGBTQ friendly family. Cash in on the glory that is a free screener or review copy of a game. Share our pain when our fearless owner asks for ‘another reviewer for that muppet murder thing or something!’ Revel in the mysteries of behind-the-scenes of Montreal’s top horror review site that is owned by a guy named Jim!

If you think you are up for the challenge, send a quick bio/blurb on who you are and why you love horror. Also, you might want to send an original review of no more than 250 words on anything horror-related.We strongly encourage anyone BIPOC, LGBTQ, or generally underrepresented voices to apply 🙂

If you have questions feel free to tweet at us: @HauntedMTL 🙂

Good luck to all those who apply….

HauntedMTL is proud to present a series of print and ebook anthologies! The general submission rules are simple:

  • Say hi to us in your cover letter 🙂
  • Submit only your own work that you have copyright control – NO song lyrics, poems, etc in your work that isn’t 100% yours. This goes for trademarked entities (sorry, fan fic!)
  • Read the rules/themes of the call for which you are submitting. Every Anthology has its own theme.
  • If you submit you agree that we can use your work in print, ebook, and maybe the site (the last one is mostly for promotion)
  • For an accepted submission you will get–our thanks 🙂 As a lot of our anthologies are charity based we cannot offer compensation for them beyond a Thank You.
  • You are of legal age to have your work submitted and/or have written permission from your parent/guardian, etc.


Tips to improve your success!

  • Say hi and introduce yourself in the cover letter. Heck, talk what you had for breakfast – just make it personable.
  • If we ask for X word count don’t go over.
  • Stick to the theme.
  • Write us a synopsis and a logline aka ‘summary and a ‘this is a story about _______'”

To be ultra cool…

  • Follow us on Twitter @HauntedMTL and Insta: _HauntedMTL_ This will let you see what we are into (and we follow back so all good).
  • Read some of our works www.hauntedmtl.com has original works on it – read a few to get a feel. Buy previous anthologies to get a feel. See if what works is a good fit.
  • Be yourself 🙂

Current anthology call: Hell is for Children – Flash Fiction Charity (Lumos) Anthology

Anthology Contract Template (when you submit via Duosuma, there is a button that you must click that accepts this contract’s terms and conditions and acts as signed)

HauntedMTL LLC Anthology Contract

This contract (this “Contract”) is made between HauntedMTL LLC under the name HauntedMTL Press, of XXX address and _____________ (writer legal name) aka ________ (pen name if applicable), of _________________ (address with street, city, state, country, postal code). In this Contract, the party who is the publisher shall be referred to as “Publisher”, and the party who will be published shall be referred to as “Writer”.

The parties agree as follows:

AUTHOR’S GRANT:

The Author grants permission to include his/her/their story and/or art [TITLE], hereafter referred to as the “Work”, in [Anthology Name] an anthology to be published by the Publisher, hereafter referred to as the “Anthology”.

RIGHTS ACQUIRED:

This use of the Work by the Publisher entails the assignment of First World Anthology Rights, for publication in the English language anywhere in the world. It is also understood and agreed that the Publisher may use this Work only in the above-mentioned Anthology–in all formats including paperback, ebook, audiobook, and electronic editions–and re-printings of it as well as use in any best of collections, and that the Author shall retain all other rights to the Work not specified here or below.

PAYMENT:

As these are charity anthologies, the Author understands and agrees that no payments in money or in kind will be made by Publisher for the Work. 

AUTHOR’S WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS, AND INDEMNITIES: 

The Author represents and warrants that he/she/they is the sole author of the Work, that the Work is original, and that no one has reserved the rights granted in this agreement. The Author also represents, to the best of his/her/their knowledge, that the Work contains no matter unlawful in its content, nor does it violate the rights of any third party; that the rights granted in this contract are free and clear; and that the Author has full power to grant such rights to the Publisher.

The Author further warrants that any and all works submitted under this contract are not in the public domain and are not and have never been published in paper or any other format with any publishing company that may still own proprietary right to the Work.

The Author agrees to hold Publisher harmless and indemnify it from all damages, costs, and expenses directly resulting from a finally sustained judgment relating to any legal actions incurred by the Author arising from a breach of the above warranties.

EXCLUSIVITY CLAUSE: 

The Author agrees not to publish or permit others to publish this Work in any form prior to its publication and appearance in the above named Anthology and for the four (4) days after the appearance of the Anthology.

After the four (4) days the Author may publish or permit others to publish this Work as long as it states, “Originally published in [Name of Anthology]by HauntedMTL Press”.

CHANGES IN TEXT OR TITLE: 

The Publisher will make no major alterations to the Work’s text or title without the Author’s written approval. The Publisher reserves the right to make minor copy-editing changes.

AUTHORS CREDITS/PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS/IMAGES 

The Author will be credited on the table of contents and at the beginning of the story as: [Author Name] (author’s by-line). The Publisher or its designated Editor will receive credit for assembling the anthology (e.g., HauntedMTL or Edited by Jim Phoenix). 

The Author grants Publisher the right to use the Author’s name, image, likeness, and biographical material for all advertising, promotion and other exploitation of the Work.

Publisher may use part or all of the story on its website or in promotional materials to promote the Anthology.

The Author may be listed on the publisher’s website with a bio, photo and links to the author’s other works, social media and website. The Author is responsible for providing this information to the publisher and verifying its accuracy.

Promotional ImagesPublisher may have artwork commissioned based on the author’s Work to represent the Work in the publication as well as for promotional purposes. The rights to these images, their use, sale and disposition will remain with the publisher.

REVERSION OF RIGHTS:

If the Author fails to sign and return this Agreement within thirty (30) days of receipt, the Publisher’s offer to publish the work shall be considered withdrawn and all rights granted hereunder shall immediately revert to the Author.

INDEMNIFICATION:

Writer agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Publisher from all claims, losses, expenses, fees including attorney fees, costs, and judgements that may be asserted against the Publisher that result from the acts of omission of Writer. Writer guarantees that the work is written with the best of intentions, is free of plagiarism, is as accurate as reasonably possible, is entirely a work of their own, does not include any copyrighted material (e.g., song lyrics) that do not belong to the Writer, and includes no slander or libel. Further, the Writer attests that they own the copyright and are able to lease the copyright with no infringements or limits. 

ENTIRE AGREEMENT:

This Agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties, and there are no other promises or conditions in any other agreement whether oral or written. 

SERERABILITY:

If any provision of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, the remaining provisions shall continue to be valid and enforceable. If a court finds that any provision of this Agreement is invalid or unenforceable, but that by limiting such provision it would become valid and enforceable, then such provision shall be deemed to be written, construed, and enforced as so limited.

APPLICABLE LAW:

This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of New Mexico.

ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE:

If unable to physically sign, then by typing their names below, the Author and the Publisher agree to electronic signature of this Agreement, and further consent to be bound by its terms and conditions as if the Agreement had been manually signed. The Author further warrants that no certification authority or other third-party verification is necessary to validate their electronic signature.

The undersigned agree to the terms specified above.

____________________Jim Phoenix_____________________

Publisher: HauntedMTL LLC                                                                               

____________________________________________________

Author                                                                                                                  


CLOSED CALLS

Women’s Rights and Education (Charity)

Closes on 30 August 2022 11:59 PM UTC

After recent news regarding women’s rights, HauntedMTL would like to sponsor one of our world famous charity anthologies in the name of a few women’s rights and awareness organizations (please see below for the list of charities the anthology money will go to).

The theme and word count:

  • Word count: Under 13,000 words / graphic art is encouraged!
  • Theme: Horror with a feminine twist

The charities we are supporting with sales of this anthology:

  • The Emily Dickinson Museum
  • Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)
  • The National Women’s Law Center
  • Girls Who Code
  • NNAF Abortion Funds

Good luck to all of you! Show us what ya got 😉

Jim Phoenix

HauntedMTL

Note: The same rules n guidelines apply for this anthology call that apply to all of them–namely:

1) We do not pay you for publication as all of the money gets split and given to the charities.

2) We are a small press, so please be mindful when email us for an update (chances are, if you ask nicely we can give one but please be patient).

3) If we do not accept your piece it means it wasn’t right for us. Please don’t re-submit it.

4) We reserve the right to use your piece in the charity anthology (ebook and print) as well as our website (for publicity).

We do not give out free copies of the books. Sorry, again, this is for charity and we are trying to maximize our impact for this special cause.

EXPIRED Calls! – Older Submission Calls that are CLOSED

General call for micro, flash, and short story fiction!

General call for Mirco, Flash, and Short Story! aka “HauntedMTL Originals”

Closes on Friday, November 12, 2021 11:59 PM UTC

We want you to scare us. We want you to grip us. We want you to make us check under the bed, desk, and/or lawnmower. Swearing? OK. Killing? Sure, why not? Rape? Not our sponsor. Sex? You bet!

Give us something original – something ‘you’. We are taking everything from micro-fiction all the way up to 4500 words. If we select your story, it will appear (at our discretion) as:

  • A tweet card (micro fiction is mostly this)
  • On our website
  • In an anthology
  • A combination of the above!

Good luck and hope to get scared soon!

Signed,

Jim Phoenix


Byte Sized Horror – Multiple Prompts Available!

Hey everyone! Do you love horror? Do you love to create a new world and express yourself in writing? If so—read on! We are looking for new and upcoming writers (If under 18 you must have your parent’s permission!) of all backgrounds to be part of our Byte Sized Horror flash fiction roundup!

The premise is simple—we will provide a new writing prompt and select the top entry to include in our Byte Sized Horror podcast. We will read the winning story on our podcast and the winner will receive a cool bit of HauntedMTL swag so you can boast to your friends that you’re a published author!

There might be only 1 winner per prompt, but we will give everyone who enters full feedback from our chief editor.

The prompts

The prompts:

Prompt: Local Urban Legend Closes on 30 Aug 21

The quick rules:

1) If under 18, you MUST get your parents’/guardians’ permission!

2) You can enter for as many prompts as you want, but please only one entry per prompt.

3) The submission has to be 800 words or fewer!

4) You promise that everything you submitted is your own original work (that means no song lyrics or poems or lines from a movie unless you wrote the movie!).

5) You give us permission to use your story on our podcast. All winners will receive a choice of a virtual bit of HauntedMTL swag or something byte sized sent to your address—remember you need your parents’ permission for this!

Good luck to all who enter and we hope to see you see!

Signed,

Nicole and Mick, the co-hosts of the original creative horror story podcast made for kids.

Note to Parents: Although this podcast is kid friendly, the full HauntedMTL website is not! Please review everything before you agree to the terms of submission. 🙂