Tales from the Moonlit Path publishes dark, eerie, speculative stories. Horror is not a necessary element, although fiction should contain some aspect of the weak, frail, changeable human condition.
Gore and explicit sex for the sake of visceral shock will not find a home here, though we are not opposed to it in general, if it belongs in the story.
We are interested in character-driven stories more so than plot-driven, and we prefer dark fiction that makes us think, makes us feel, wraps us in its well-spun dream.
Hard sci-fi and fantasy are a hard sell for us, but not impossible. Revenge and ironic stories are also a hard sell.
Although we would love to publish fiction longer than 2,000 words, it is our experience that reading stories longer than that on a monitor can be tiresome and hard on the eyes. So please, fiction must be no longer than 2,000 words.
Please include a short cover letter with your story, your name, email address, paypal information for payment, word count (please make sure an accurate word count is included in your short cover letter) and bio if we choose to publish your work. We accept email submissions only at fiction@talesmoonlitpath.com. WE DO NOT ACCEPT ATTACHMENTS. If your story is attached, it will be deleted unread. Please submit your story embedded within the email, with this format in the subject line: Your last name: Fiction-submission.
We do NOT send received notifications for fiction submissions but feel free to query us after six weeks if you have not heard back from us for a status update.
For poetry guidelines, please submit them to: tlrelf@gmail.com and embed the poetry in the body of the email. Please only submit 3-5 poems at a time. Please format your subject line: Your last name: Moonlit Path Poetry-submission. For full poetry guidelines, please click here.
For article or movie/book review guidelines, please submit to: fiction@talesmoonlitpath.com and embed the article in the body of the email. Articles and movie reviews should be no longer than 2,000 words. Please format your subject line: Your last name: Article-submission.
By submitting your work, you will automatically be subscribed to our Newsletter. We will not use your email for any other purposes.
We offer $10 for every published story in quarterly issues. We offer honorable mentions and a $50 first place prize for Special Edition Issue Challenges. We are not, at this time, able to pay for poems, articles or artwork.
Please allow 6-8 weeks after publication for payments to be made. Also, we do not account for conversion rates and PayPal payment fees for international (outside the United States) payments.
Please allow one month before querying about your submission. Simultaneous submissions are welcomed (and encouraged, you have to get your work out there, right?) just kindly let us know if your story has been accepted elsewhere so we can remove it from consideration. You also may enter two separate stories for submission to Tales at the same time or while one is still being considered. However, please note that unpublished stories will be weighed more heavily for inclusion in the magazine.
We ask for first electronic rights, reprint or second rights.
We look forward to reading your work and sharing it with the world!
We are now open to submissions for our Bloody Valentine’s Day issue, slated for publication February 11th, 2021.
What are our stats? We run at a rough 10% acceptance rate per issue for both contest and regular submissions. Poetry submissions run a bit higher. Proper formatting, great proofreading, and sizzling writing will increase the odds for you. We favor previously unpublished stories, but will never overlook a great fit for the magazine.
