SUBMISSIONS

 
 

What We're Looking For

The Pale Leaves is looking to publish horror and weird fiction in the forms of short stories.

We post new prompts for short stories every Sunday, which can be found on our blog.  

Guidelines & Format

We are looking for stories 1,000 to 2,000 words in length. If it’s a few words short or a few words over, that’s fine, but please don’t send something way over or way under. This will probably change in the future, but for now, please stick to the guidelines provided.

We do not want previously published works at this time. 

Format your story appropriately. For more information on the proper format for submitting short stories, click here. In terms of what is acceptable, we do not want excessive lewdness or extreme gore. That isn't to say that we won't allow these things, but there are boundaries. 

  • Some sexual situations and sensuality is allowed, but please, do NOT send us porn.

  • The gore should not be extreme. In the same vein as the above, do NOT send us gore porn. Body horror is perfectly fine, and gore is fine, but please, nothing extreme. It’s just not our bag.

  • Also, no SA. Hardline rule. No SA.

 

Submission Periods

We post our stories on Sundays so submissions open whenever a new prompt is posted, and they close on Saturday morning. Just submit it before Saturday morning so there’s actually time to read it or make any necessary changes.

How to Submit

Once you've finished and formatted your work, send it as an attachment to thepaleleaves@gmail.com. Be sure to send in your submission using the email address that is attached to your PayPal account.

In the subject line, put your name and then, in parentheses, the name of the prompt. For example: Jane Smith (There’s Something Going On Behind Two Resolutions Baptist) or (…Behind Two Resolutions Baptist)

In the body of the email, tell us a little bit about yourself! Should your story or poem be published, there will be an author bio at the bottom, and this is what we will use. Feel free to leave social media links!

 

Payments

At this time, we pay $30 USD for short stories. If this goes well, kids, we will be paying more. We pay through PayPal, and all payments are sent out before we publish. 

 

Rights & Ownership

By submitting your work, you give us the right to publish your story on our website as well as promote it through social media. That's it. We don't hold the exclusive rights for 90 days or anything like that. We want to showcase fantastic work—not hold it hostage.