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Submission Guidelines

Fraidy Cat Press is proud to present Fraidy Cat Quarterly, published four times annually in print and ebook formats. 

We are currently closed to submissions of flash fiction and short stories. We are always open to submissions of black and white art. Any submissions sent outside of our open call period will be deleted unread.

Submit Fiction Here

Submit Art Here

Our themed submissions and publication schedule for 2025 will be:

Volume 5: Paranoia

  • General submissions: January 1,2025 – January 7, 2025
  • Extended window for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and Palestinian authors: January 1, 2025 – January 14, 2025
  • Publishing in March 2025

Volume 6: Growth

  • General submissions: April 1,2025 – April 7, 2025
  • Extended window for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and Palestinian authors: April 1, 2025 – April 14, 2025
  • Publishing in June 2025

Volume 7: Rage

  • General submissions: July 1,2025 – July 7, 2025
  • Extended window for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and Palestinian authors: July 1, 2025 – July 14, 2025
  • Publishing in September 2025

Volume 8: Gnaw

  • General submissions: September 1,2025 – September 7, 2025
  • Extended window for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and Palestinian authors: September 1, 2025 – September 14, 2025
  • Publishing in November 2025

We may not open to submissions if our publication schedule fills up early.

What To Submit

Fraidy Cat Press loves all things horror – from the eerie, creeping terror of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”’s systematic violence to the unhinged tilt of Laird Barron’s “The Imago Sequence” and everything in between. We want your stories that go bump in the night, your stories that creak like an intruding foot on the staircase, your best writing that screeches through the calm darkness. 

Put simply, Fraidy Cat Press is interested in:

  • Horror (and its related genre mashups and sub-genres)

Wordcount

Fraidy Cat Press is seeking:

  • Flash fiction (400-1,500 words long, $10 per accepted piece)
  • Short stories (1,501-8,000 words long, $20 per accepted piece)
  • Black and white artwork ($10 per accepted piece)

When To Submit 

We open for a limited weeklong period four times annually. Space in our quarterlies are limited.

We reserve the right to close to submissions early if we are flooded. Submit early to be sure your story will be considered. 

How To Submit 

Your submission should be in Shunn format, but we prefer you NOT include your address or phone number.

Please submit ONE story per reading period. Multiple submissions will be deleted unread. 

Simultaneous submissions are encouraged! Just please let us know as soon as your submission is accepted elsewhere. 

We strive to respond to all submissions within six weeks. 

Submission links for each window will be shared when we are open for submissions. Please include a bio written in third person of up to 100 words in your submission materials. 

Submit Fiction Here

Submit Art Here

Diversity Statement

Fraidy Cat Press welcomes and encourages submissions from authors of all races, ethnicities, belief systems, nationalities, backgrounds, sexual orientations, genders, and identities. 

What Not to Submit 

While we love all things horror, there are a few things we’re not open to publishing:

  • Extreme horror or torture porn 
  • Exploitative sexual violence 

Cliches and established tropes are a hard sell – if you want us to publish vampires, give them their teeth back a la Nathan Ballingrud’s “Sunbleached”. Zombies, werewolves, and other classic movie monsters require similar creativity to be considered. 

A Statement on AI 

AI-generated writing and images ARE NOT ART. By submitting to Fraidy Cat Press, you agree that your work was generated without the use of AI tools. If we find that your story or artwork has used AI in its creation, no future submissions from you will be considered. 

Artwork

We are also open to black and white artwork submissions to accompany our stories. Please submit up to 5 pieces per reading period in one emailed submission to fraidycatpress [at] gmail [dot] com  with the subject line “Art Submission – ARTIST NAME” (with your name). Artwork should be attached as JPG or PNG format. 

Payment & Rights

Fraidy Cat Press’s team are strong believers that art has value and artists should be compensated for their work. As we are a new press, we are able to pay $10 per accepted flash fiction or artwork and $20 per short story via Paypal at this time for first worldwide English-language rights, for use in the print, ebook, and digital editions. Each contributor in the US will also receive one free contributor copy. We ask for a 6-month exclusivity from the date of publication, and please credit Fraidy Cat Quarterly for any subsequent reprints or collections. Copyright remains with the author, and a contract will be provided.

Reprints

Fraidy Cat Press does not accept reprints at this time. 

Final Thoughts

Please do not self-reject! We know how challenging the submission grind is and honor and respect the work that goes into writing and sharing your work with outlets. 

Examples of books, anthologies, outlets and stories we love:

  • Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer 
  • Come Closer by Sara Gran 
  • Orange World and Other Stories by Karen Russell 
  • Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark 
  • The Night Cyclist by Stephen Graham Jones
  • The Imago Sequence by Laird Barron 
  • Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 
  • Windeye by Brian Evenson 
  • The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper 
  • A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
  • North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingrud
  • Cosmic Horror Monthly
  • Weird Horror Magazine
  • The Ghastling
  • Nightscript & Chthonic Matter Quarterly