SUBMISSIONS

Dark Yonder publishes twice a year, in April and October. We are now accepting submissions for the October 2026 issue. If you submitted a story after April 15, 2026 you are automatically under consideration for the October issue.

General Guidelines

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR:

First and foremost, we’re looking for great stories and unique voices in the neo noir genre. That means a plot. It means a beginning and an end. It means that unusual writing styles are welcome. Bonus points for surprising the reader. It might mean going out on a limb with what you see as your truth. Most of all, we are looking for stories about the real world around us, one that is grounded in our world, past or present, and one that is relevant to the issues we grapple with today. We believe the most powerful stories examine the darkness we live with each and every day. In short, we are looking for stories that illuminate reality, not stories that try to escape it.

DO NOT SUBMIT IF....

If your story is classified as science fiction, horror, fantasy, or any other subgenre set in another world, it will not be accepted nor will we read it or acknowledge it. We just don't have the time to read stories that are not in our genre, no matter how good they may be.

If you’re a writer, check out our submission guidelines below for more information on being part of Dark Yonder.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

There are no setting requirements, but all stories submitted must be categorized as neo noir. See our description of neo noir above. But keep in mind that we’re not looking for your grandfather’s noir fiction. We’re looking for new, unique voices and interpretations of dark literary fiction. Everyone is well versed in the fiction that America is raised on; we’re looking for fiction that takes us… yonder.
Our sweet spot is 3,000 to 5,000 words, with a 5,000 word max. You may submit a story under 3,000 words but no flash or fan fiction, please.
Simultaneous submissions are fine, although we will need to be notified if your story is accepted elsewhere as we require exclusivity.
We do not accept reprint submissions.
Because we publish twice a year, there are no submission deadlines. When your story comes in, it will be considered for the upcoming issue. Sometimes, if we have an excess of good stories, we may hold it for consideration for the issue after that. You will usually be notified within a month of our latest issue's publication if your story is accepted for publication.
You will be notified of our decision about your submitted story whether or not you are accepted for publication, but sometimes our notification emails may land in your spam folder. If the deadline to hear back from us has passed as outlined above, and you have not yet heard back from us, please check your spam folder before you inquire about your submission as we lack the manpower to answer every inquiry in a timely fashion.
For the subject line of your submission: please start with the title of your story, followed by a dash and your full name.
If your submission is selected for publication, you will be asked to provide a 200 word or less author bio and online profile with your story. You may include information on where readers can purchase your other work in this bio.
Authors will receive $50 for each story chosen for publication in Dark Yonder.
Authors accepted for publication will also receive one copy of the issue they appear in. Authors living in the U.S. will have a print copy mailed to them. Authors with an international shipping address will have an eBook version emailed to them.
Dark Yonder will own all rights to your story for a period of one year following publication. After that, rights will revert back to you as the author.
Please submit your story to darkyondersubmissions@gmail.com. As noted above, for the subject line of your submission: please start with the title of your story, followed by a dash and your full name.
Dark Yonder also offers opportunities for publishers to advertise their books. If you are interested in purchasing an ad in an upcoming issue of Dark Yonder, please contact us at darkyondersubmissions@gmail.com.

A Final Word

The editors at Dark Yonder serve as volunteers. We do this because we believe deeply in the tradition of using literature to reflect and change our world. We also believe this approach is needed more than ever. We are dedicated to giving both new and experienced authors a chance, but reading manuscripts takes time. So please be patient with us and understand that we have a lot on our plates. It may take a while to get back to atypical inquiries.