Submission Guidelines

Submission Guidelines
Don't just sit there, write a scary story.

Are you a comedy writer who would like to write a horror story for Deathbed?

Great! Here's how:

Send us an email to inquire how to submit. Please do not send stories or pitches until we have replied. Unsolicited pitches and stories will not be read or considered. We accept short fiction, short horror comics, and poetry.

Here's the specs:

  • A Deathbed horror story, comic, or poem should be no more than 4,000 words. Less is better.
  • To get a feel for what we like, please read Deathbed. While creating this site, we read a lot of pre-code EC Horror Comics and Stephen King's Night Shift. We grew up on Joe Bob Briggs, Dan O' Bannon, David Cronenberg, and the Creature Double Feature. Write accordingly.
  • No pay (yet). We're new, and still figuring this out.
  • Stories previously published on your personal blog/newsletter or social media are potentially fine (with link back), but not pieces previously published elsewhere for pay. 
  • We aren't interested in: Horror-themed comedy pieces, non-fiction, true crime, horror parodies/fanfic using existing IP, or AI-generated stories or art.
  • Expect a reply in one to two weeks 
  • A seasonal or timely story (Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day themed stories, etc) would be fantastic, but we would need at least two months in advance.

    Thanks so much for your interest.

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