Submission Guidelines
Welcome to The Bitter Wolf! Read these guidelines before submitting, please!
Currently, the Wolf publishes original horror flash fiction, fiction, poetry, and essays on any horror-related topic. Take a look at the content currently on the site and YouTube channel - I’m interested in a variety of horror sub-genres and promoting the work of independent horror creators. Outside of regular contributors to the blog, The Bitter Wolf publishes 2 works of flash fiction per month and 12 longer pieces a year, so if you’d like to submit your work, please follow these guidelines to make it a smooth process:
EMAIL YOUR SUBMISSION: Attach all submissions as a Word doc or link to a Google doc and submit to [email protected] with the subject “Bitter Wolf Submission”. Please specify if you’re submitting in one of the following areas:
FLASH FICTION - less than 1,000 words
FICTION - 1,000 - 7,500 words
ESSAYS - 1,000 - 7,500 words
POETRY - up to 3 poems
CONTENT: The Wolf loves all things horror! Send your body horror, slashers, giallo, creature features, anything you want! That being said, the following topics are very much off-limits: bestiality, pedophilia, incest, and hate crimes/extremist views without the proper narrative context. The Wolf wants to help promote marginalized voices and especially encourages submissions from POC and LGBTQIA+ individuals.
COVER LETTERS: Not necessary, unless you really feel you have to explain something!
AUTHOR BIO: Please include a bio ~50 words.
SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: Submit wherever you want, it’s your art! But let me know if it’s accepted elsewhere in the meantime.
MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: Please don’t submit more than one piece at a time! If you receive a rejection, you can submit again whenever you want. If you have a piece accepted, please wait at least 6 months before submitting again.
PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED: I am especially interested in helping to promote the work of independent and emerging writers, so your work should be previously unpublished.
RESPONSE TIME: Since I am opening submissions for the first time, I’m not sure how long it’s going to take me to respond yet! I will update this once I have a sample size! But I will get to them as quickly as possible.
A NOTE ON AI: Any submissions involving the use of generative AI will be automatically rejected and future submissions will not be considered. It’s extremely obvious if you’ve used it.
PAYMENT: 50 USD for flash fiction / 125 USD for fiction and essays / 50 USD per poem
AUTHOR RIGHTS STATEMENT
All work submitted for publication remains the intellectual property of the author. By submitting, the author grants The Bitter Wolf non-exclusive, first publication rights to publish the work in print, digital, or other media formats as specified in the submission guidelines. The author retains all other rights, including the right to republish, adapt, or distribute the work elsewhere after publication, provided appropriate acknowledgment is given to The Bitter Wolf as the original publisher.
The author warrants that the work is original, unpublished, and does not infringe upon any third-party copyrights or intellectual property rights. Upon acceptance, the author may be required to sign a publication agreement detailing these terms. The Bitter Wolf respects the author's moral rights, including the right to be credited as the creator of the work and to object to any derogatory treatment that distorts or harms the work’s integrity.
For inquiries regarding rights, reprints, or permissions, contact [email protected].
Currently, the Wolf publishes original horror flash fiction, fiction, poetry, and essays on any horror-related topic. Take a look at the content currently on the site and YouTube channel - I’m interested in a variety of horror sub-genres and promoting the work of independent horror creators. Outside of regular contributors to the blog, The Bitter Wolf publishes 2 works of flash fiction per month and 12 longer pieces a year, so if you’d like to submit your work, please follow these guidelines to make it a smooth process:
EMAIL YOUR SUBMISSION: Attach all submissions as a Word doc or link to a Google doc and submit to [email protected] with the subject “Bitter Wolf Submission”. Please specify if you’re submitting in one of the following areas:
FLASH FICTION - less than 1,000 words
FICTION - 1,000 - 7,500 words
- Short stories or selections from novels will be considered.
ESSAYS - 1,000 - 7,500 words
- Creative nonfiction, personal essays, movie/book/music/art commentary.
- If you plan to use images in your essay, please make sure to include your sources.
- Important: The Bitter Wolf does NOT publish reviews!
POETRY - up to 3 poems
CONTENT: The Wolf loves all things horror! Send your body horror, slashers, giallo, creature features, anything you want! That being said, the following topics are very much off-limits: bestiality, pedophilia, incest, and hate crimes/extremist views without the proper narrative context. The Wolf wants to help promote marginalized voices and especially encourages submissions from POC and LGBTQIA+ individuals.
COVER LETTERS: Not necessary, unless you really feel you have to explain something!
AUTHOR BIO: Please include a bio ~50 words.
SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: Submit wherever you want, it’s your art! But let me know if it’s accepted elsewhere in the meantime.
MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: Please don’t submit more than one piece at a time! If you receive a rejection, you can submit again whenever you want. If you have a piece accepted, please wait at least 6 months before submitting again.
PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED: I am especially interested in helping to promote the work of independent and emerging writers, so your work should be previously unpublished.
RESPONSE TIME: Since I am opening submissions for the first time, I’m not sure how long it’s going to take me to respond yet! I will update this once I have a sample size! But I will get to them as quickly as possible.
A NOTE ON AI: Any submissions involving the use of generative AI will be automatically rejected and future submissions will not be considered. It’s extremely obvious if you’ve used it.
PAYMENT: 50 USD for flash fiction / 125 USD for fiction and essays / 50 USD per poem
AUTHOR RIGHTS STATEMENT
All work submitted for publication remains the intellectual property of the author. By submitting, the author grants The Bitter Wolf non-exclusive, first publication rights to publish the work in print, digital, or other media formats as specified in the submission guidelines. The author retains all other rights, including the right to republish, adapt, or distribute the work elsewhere after publication, provided appropriate acknowledgment is given to The Bitter Wolf as the original publisher.
The author warrants that the work is original, unpublished, and does not infringe upon any third-party copyrights or intellectual property rights. Upon acceptance, the author may be required to sign a publication agreement detailing these terms. The Bitter Wolf respects the author's moral rights, including the right to be credited as the creator of the work and to object to any derogatory treatment that distorts or harms the work’s integrity.
For inquiries regarding rights, reprints, or permissions, contact [email protected].