Submissions

Night Shades is a fiction magazine that publishes four speculative stories per month.

Night Shades opens sporadically and for indeterminate periods of time. The details for the current open period will be in the box above (for example, until X date, or until I have X submissions). Notice of open periods will also be posted on the NS Bluesky (@nightshadesmag) which is the only social media for this magazine. You can also find NS on Duotrope and the Submissions Grinder but I have nothing to do with either of those listings. Unfortunately, it's just me and the gmail-based submission system of your nightmares and mine, so it's going to be messy.

Absolutely NO AI SUBMISSIONS.

Prose stories only, no poems.

500 words maximum.

No reprints.

Night Shades pays $65 USD for stories (minimum $0.13/word).

Please only submit one story at a time, and one story per open period.

Simultaneous submissions are fine, just let me know if you need to withdraw.

If your story is published, please wait 3 months before submitting again.

To submit, email me your story as a word document, formatted regular style , to nightshadesmagazine@gmail.com

In the body of the email, include the title of the story, the name you want to publish under, and a 100 word bio. Include your Bluesky handle if you have one. No need to include a cover letter. Please note: I'll copy edit each piece, but I won't do any development or line editing. I also cannot offer rejection feedback.

Submissions dated after the posted deadline will be deleted with no reply. Other emails will be answered!

Guidelines:

Please read Night Shades to get an idea of what the magazine publishes. Generally, any kind of speculative fiction is fine, but it must have a recognizable speculative element. Sci-fi, horror, and fantasy that's light on magic are all good bets. I also like slice of life or less plot-driven stories that create a world or a feeling or an image. Urban fantasy is a hard sell for me. I'm not looking for comedic, and I don't care for stories with a gimmick or ones that play a trope ironically. Your best bet is something genuine and strange, that takes big swings with language, and that takes advantage of the short form rather than strains against it.

Payment and Rights:

If your story is selected for publication, I'll email you about payment and we can choose a method. You'll be paid before your story is posted. All stories regardless of length pay $65, so you will be paid a minimum of $0.13/word.

I'm just a guy, I don't want your rights. If your story is published here, you can publish it wherever else you want, whenever you want. There is no exclusivity period or any other limitations.

About the Editor:

Anna Reser is a historian, writer, and editor. This is her second magazine; the first was Lady Science, a nonfiction publication for women and gender in the history of science. Her fiction writing has appeared in Hobart and elsewhere online.