Submission Guidelines
SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED - will re-open October 17 - 31
FROST ZONE STORIES
Submissions open: October 17 - 31, 2026
The submission manager is set to close at midnight Canadian and US Pacific time,
but please don't wait until the last minute as the portal is automated.
This submission period is for 2027 publications.
Stories between: 1000 - 4000 words
Please do not include your name in the story manuscript, nor in the file name, so that submissions can be read and rated anonymously.
Short Fiction: We are seeking original, clear and concise, unpublished short stories 1000 - 4000 words.
Please only submit your own work. We do not currently publish translations.
No multiple submissions.
Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know as soon as possible if accepted elsewhere.
Note: unpublished means work that has not appeared anywhere previously
- this includes print and/or digital books, anthologies, zines, magazines, blogs,
social media, defunct venues, podcasts, recordings, videos, websites, or anywhere else.
We are seeking short horror fiction, and dark fiction. Successful submissions most often fall under (or have strong elements of) one the following:
Quiet Horror
Literary Horror
Psychological Horror
Supernatural Fiction
Weird Horror
Horror Adjacent Fiction
This covers a wide range of subject matter including shadowy, bleak literary stories with a horror or supernatural element, tales of the supernatural, folk horror, hauntings, misadventure (with some of the above noted aspects), and more - including the unexpected, the dreadful, the chilling, and the strange.
Frost Zone Stories is not the best place for extreme horror, splatter punk, ultra violence, or erotica. Nor are we looking for straight out fantasy, SciFi, or Crime/Noir - see above for what works best. Hybrid genres may be accepted. Please note that FROST ZONE is simply the name it is not a theme; there is no theme.
NO animal or child abuse, sexual assault, graphic or explicit sexual content, extreme horror, ageism, bigotry, hatred or prejudice toward any group/demographic.
No AI: we do not want to publish work created in whole or in part or assisted by artificial intelligence.
We want to publish your words, not machine-generated words, which by the way are taken from other authors' work - that is how these 'programs' are trained. So no, no thank you.
We also aim to never use AI generated art. We will create art in-house, or at times pay trusted artists to license their work.
PAYMENT:
Frost Zone is based in CANADA and payments are issued in Canadian funds.
Canadians will be paid via eTransfer to have no fees deducted, but may choose to be paid via Paypal upon request, which will be subject to fees.
If you are located outside of Canada, you will be charged fees and exchange rate - not by us, and not within our control. Also, please only submit if you are able to accept Paypal payments.
accepted authors may choose ONE method of payment:
1. $15.00 CAD plus 1 print contributor's copy
2. 2 print contributor's copies, $0.00 monetary payment
3. $20.00* CAD plus 1 eBook (ePUB) contributor's copy
All payments are in Canadian Dollars and outside Canada fees will be charged as noted above.
We cannot predict exchange rates, and have no control over the fees which you will be charged by Paypal. Paypal Canada does not permit us, or make it possible for us to pay the fees for you.
* Option 3 was added for authors who DO NOT WANT a print copy. Please don't choose this only to state no free contributor's copies were offered to you - they absolutely are; kindly refer to options 1 and 2.
RIGHTS: if your story is accepted we will seek first worldwide English language rights for print and digital/eBook publication. We ask for exclusivity for three months and non-exclusive rights thereafter.
Author retains copyright to their work.
Format for submissions: preferably double-spaced in a standard font (such as Times New Roman, or Garamond) 12 pt., indented paragraphs (not tabs or spaces), .doc or .docx file - similar to SHUNN modern or classic but without identifying information. There is no need to include your address or telephone number; we will ask for these only if your story is accepted. Please do include your general location (Country) in either the cover letter or bio section in the submission form.
We will retain your preference of Canadian, UK, or USA spelling - but please use Canadian/American punctuation, in particular, double quotation marks for dialogue (single quotation marks for a quote within a quote).
REMINDER: do not put your name on the manuscript or in file name. Stories are to be read anonymously for impartial rating. (There is a place for you to enter your name and email etc. in the submission manager). Stories are read and rated anonymously as the first step in story selection. Decisions are not made anonymously.
Decisions are never personal. Responses will be sent as form letters, and many quality stories will receive a declination due to the limited space available, or similarity to another accepted story, for a couple of reasons. Each issue will be carefully curated and the 8-10 or so stories that work best for us will be selected to make up each book.
PLEASE DON'T RESPOND TO REJECTION EMAILS -
the answer is in the form email we send - there are limited spaces; we select from the stories that best suit this publication.
Yes, your story may be great but we can only publish a limited number, and always wish you the best in placing your story in another market.
We are looking only for FICTION. Each issue will have a notice similar to the following. Please make sure your story complies.
The stories in this publication are works of fiction. Characters, names, places, events, and businesses are either fictional or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, places, events, or businesses is purely coincidental. Each story is the product of the author's imagination.
Authors must be 18 years old or over to submit stories to us.
Submissions are taken through Dumosuma® and the call will be open on dates specified at top of this page.
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