Submissions & FAQ

General Submissions Guidelines

The Hillsather Press publishes quarterly issues of fiction, poetry, and criticism. We are drawn to work that embraces the horror and dark literature, while offering something new. Surprise us with the strange and the spectral, the beautifully unsettling, and the hauntingly intellectual. Or splatterpunk. We accept splatterpunk as well.

General submissions are free for entry and all decided publications will receive a $25 honorarium.

We welcome submissions from writers of all backgrounds and levels of experience.

Please submit all writings in pdf form or docx form. If other accommodations are needed, please contact us.

Short stories up to 3,000 words that fall into horror, the gothic, dark academia, or adjacent themes. Whether it be atmospheric and lingering or sharp and uncanny, your fiction should leave readers unsettled yet compelled to linger.

Please send only one story per reading period.

Fiction

Poetry allows darkness to move in fragments. Whispers. Echoes.

We accept up to three poems per submission. Form is flexible and entirely up to you as the author—we welcome both traditional structures and free verse—so long as it follows our magazine’s primary genre interests.

Poetry

We publish essays and critical pieces up to 3,000 words that interrogate, celebrate, unearth, and discuss dark literature. This may include but is not limited to close readings of canonical texts, explorations of overlooked works, historical or cultural examinations, or creative-critical hybrids that blur the line between scholarship and art.

Our aim is to cultivate a dialogue that situates these literary works not as relics, but as a living tradition and think pieces.

Essays & Criticism

General submissions are open year-round for all subsequent issues, and upcoming issue deadlines will close 2 months before publication.

  • Deadline for Issue I: Inheritance
    November 30th, 2025

Expected response time: 6 weeks after deadline

Timeline

At this time, contributors will receive publication, a $25 honorarium, and a copy of the issue in which their work appears. As The Hillsather Press grows we hope to increase our honorariums.

Payment

Contest Submissions Guidelines

Issue: I
Theme: Inheritance

To mark the debut of The Hillsather Press, we invite submissions to our inaugural short story contest! We invite original works of short fiction up to 5,000 words.

The theme for this season is Inheritance—a word that may conjure bloodlines and estates, but also memories, secrets, hauntings, and legacies both visible and unseen. We encourage writers to interpret the theme broadly however they choose, and in ways that feel both timeless and unexpected.

For the purposes of blind judging, please remove all identifying information (your name/pen name or any added contact details) from the manuscript itself. Files should be submitted as docx files or PDFs. The title of your story should appear at the top of the first page, but no author information should be included.

The deadline for submissions is November 30, 2025. Multiple entries are permitted, though each requires a separate entry fee.

Prizes

First Place

$200, publication in Inheritance (Issue I), featured interview, free copy of published issue

Second Place

$100, publication in Inheritance (Issue I), free copy of published issue

Third Place

$50, publication in Inheritance (Issue I), free copy of published issue

All winning stories will be accompanied by editorial notes and highlighted in promotional features.

Entry Fee

A small fee of $5 per entry helps us provide fair compensation to our winners and fund the production of the magazine. Multiple entries are permitted, though all additional entries will require an additional entry fee. Please note that entry fees are nonrefundable.

Fee waivers are available for those who need it, please see more below.

Judging

All entries will be read blind. Please remove your name and identifying details from your manuscript before submitting. Submissions will be evaluated by The Hillsather Press editorial team, with guest readers assisting in the selection process.

Winners will be announced in January 2026, coinciding with the release of Inheritance (Issue I).

Fee Waivers

Here at The Hillsather Press, we believe that literature should not be gated by circumstance. For this reason, we offer a limited number of submission fee waivers each issue. These waivers are reserved for:

  • Writers experiencing financial hardship who would otherwise be unable to submit.

  • Young or emerging authors who may not yet have the resources to cover submission fees.

If you wish to request a waiver, please contact us with the subject line “Fee Waiver Request.” No in depth explanation is required beyond a simple statement that a fee would be a barrier to your submission—we trust the community. Waivers are granted on a first-come, first-served basis until the allocation for each issue is filled.

We encourage writers to use this option if needed, and equally encourage those who are able to pay to do so, helping us keep the magazine sustainable for all.

The Hillsather Press is a STRICTLY NO AI MAGAZINE. We do not allow submissions utilizing AI, nor use it in our decision, judging, or publication process.

AI entries are NOT permitted and will be removed from consideration. If AI is used for contest entries, entry fees remain nonrefundable.

General FAQ

  • No. Unlike our contests, regular submissions do not have a set theme. We only ask that your work fits within the broad realms of horror, gothic, or dark/uncanny literature.

  • Yes, but please only submit one piece per category at a time (e.g., one story and one poetry packet). Once you have received a response, you may submit again.

  • Yes. But please let us know right away if your work is accepted elsewhere so we may withdraw it from consideration.

  • Yes but only pieces that have not been awarded in any other publication such as magazines. Work published on personal blogs/self published spaces are allowed.

  • No. Regular submissions are always free.

  • We currently offer a $25 honorarium per accepted piece, as well as a contributor copy of the issue in which your work appears.

  • We aim to respond within 8–12 weeks after the close of each reading period.

  • Yes and we absolutely encourage it! You may submit to multiple categories within the same reading period, provided you follow the guidelines for each.

Contest FAQ

  • Yes. However, contest entries must follow the contest guidelines and include the $5 fee.

  • No, entries must be exclusive to The Hillsather Press until results are announced.

  • No, for contests The Hillsather Press does not accept work previously published on any other platform.

  • Winners will be announced in January 2026, coinciding with the release of our debut issue, Inheritance.

  • Your story will be published in Inheritance (Issue I). Winners will receive their prize money, a feature in the magazine, a contributor’s copy of the magazine, and recognition across our platforms. The first-place winner will also be invited for a short interview.

  • We ask for first publication rights and the right to archive your work in digital form. All rights revert back to you after publication.

  • Payment will be processed securely through our submissions portal when you upload your story.