Fiction Submissions

A pair of vintage-style headphones resting on a weathered, leather-bound occult book. Old documents and a skeleton key sit on a dark wooden table lit by a single candle. In the background, a shadowy, multi-tentacled creature is visible through a window. Text reads: "Old Ones Keeper - Human-Authored Dark Fiction."

Thank you so much for your interest in submitting your Horror Fiction for my monthly editorials. Let’s go over the guidelines. What we are looking for and what we absolutely do no want.

Stop and Read This First

Before you hit submit ask yourself: Does my work evoke atmospheric dread?

We are heavily influenced by masters of the craft: Lovecraft, Blackwood, Machen, Bierce, Straub, and King (among others). While we love film, we are looking for prose that can build tension on the page, and not just on the screen. Also, as these will receive an audio narration, it should rely more heavily on atmosphere than conversation.

Dialogue heavy scenes can be tricky for readers.

What We Want

  • Original Works of Fiction: Weird, Cosmic or Folk Horror (we may be open to other veins of horror, but not at this time)
  • Cosmic or Folk Horror realm. This does not mean we are aiming for pastiche, though.
  • Mythos-adjacent works are fine. No Parody.
  • Emphasis on Atmosphere, Dread, and Voice.

What We Do not Accept

  • Excessive gore that borders on the pornographic
  • Sexual abuse or sexual violence used as a primary horror device
  • Bestiality
  • Fiction that does not correspond with the weird, cosmic or folk
  • Poetry of any kind (including prose poetry)

Anything outside of this will not be considered.

The Guidelines

  • Fiction of 1000-5000 words (Sweet Spot is 2000-3000)
  • Manuscript Format
  • We plan to narrate these pieces for our Podcast, please do not have too many voices

We only consider works created entirely by a human author. As such, all work created in whole or in part by AI will not be considered.

Rights & Permissions

Authors retain full copyright to their work.

By submitting a piece to Old Ones Keeper, the author grants Old Ones Keeper non-exclusive rights to:

  • Publish the work on oldoneskeeper.com
  • Produce, distribute, and archive an audio narration of the work for podcast and Patreon release

All audio adaptations will credit the author by name and, where applicable, include a link to the author’s website or social media.

These rights are non-exclusive. Authors are free to publish the work elsewhere at any time.

Authors may request that their work be removed from future audio releases at any point. Previously released episodes will remain archived unless otherwise agreed.

Where to Submit

Please Submit Using This Form Here.

Be patient, as a fellow writer I know how nerve racking it can be to wait. Submissions will usually be reviewed within 10 days.

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