15 Horror Magazines That Pay For Your Scary Words (featuring Alex Gonzalez)
This week, our guest writer, Alex Gonzalez, author of Land Shark, discusses the phenomenon of TropeMaxxing" and why we love it while also questioning whether it could potentially diminish the authenticity of storytelling.
I’ve noticed a very specific trend among YA, Romance, and Fantasy readers that I don’t see (at least to such an extent) with other genres. For lack of a more serious word, I’ll dub it TropeMaxxing.
It’s very interesting to watch the arc and, dare I say, the redemption of the trope. Working and living and studying as a writer, you learn about tropes in unclear terms. They’re good, but can be a crutch. They’re familiar and can ground readers, but they can quickly become cliched. Embracing tropes can be dangerous, but subverting tropes can be a trope in itself. Now, anyone strolling through certain alleys of BookTok will find readers categorizing works by the tropes they have and how successful the tropes are therein. You want a book with ‘forced proximity,’ here’s twenty. You want ‘enemies to lovers’, ‘reluctant royalty’, ‘share one bed,’ and ‘perfect boyfriend is a jerk’, let me run them through my software, and here are fifteen novels for you. It's especially interesting that while the rise of TVTropes is pretty cynical and smug in its (way too broad) assessment of tropes, the TropeMaxxing community is pretty down for it. They can’t get enough!
The ability to take a felt pen and circle what’s happening on the page and be like, “Yes, I want more of this specific thing,” is a fascinating approach to reading. And as someone that works and lives in the genre world, I’m curious as to why such a paradigm shift hasn’t bloomed for say, cop thrillers and/or cosmic horror and/or philosophical sci-fi. The fact is, those genres also have tons of tropes, but are the readers, perhaps, more iffy about indulging them?
It seems like we can all point out tropes when we see them, but as an experiment, I wanted to study some of my own favorites and untangle why I actually like them:
“Old Rich White Guy w/ Esoteric Hobby” – This is pretty much the spine of most cosmic horror and a quick examination will reveal why. If you want someone to summon an eldritch horror, you probably want a character with agency (an old rich white guy), a character with means (an old rich white guy), and a character that’s never been told no (an old rich white guy). You’re going to need a guy like this to self-finance an archeological dig in Jordan and then salivate over the spooky clay slabs. Yes, he’s almost always the villain, but the fact is these stories seldom happen to poor people who mind their own business.
“Last Shift Before Retirement” – I like this one for a lot of reasons. For one, it’s easy, instant stakes! The guy has a life of ease ahead of him. Ice tea on the veranda, empty nesting with the missus, some late stage hobby like golf or model building. But additionally, it shows a character that’s capable. He’s not a rookie. He knows how to use his gun, how to work the angles, how to grease the wheels. As a reader, I’m ready for him to solve this damn thing. This guy is also going to have the sharpest character arc. He’s thought one way his entire life and now this new bad guy coming down the freeway is going to shatter his world. “I think maybe a man would have to put his soul at hazard.” Etc. etc.
“Molly Millions” – I don’t see a lot of people talking about this one, so maybe I’m taking crazy pills, but this is firmly in the sci-fi/cyberpunk world. Basically, she’s a kick ass no bullshit girl that gets our main dull boy into gear. Trinity, Molly, to a lesser degree, Y.T. from Snow Crash. I like this one because they’re much more energetic to read, they say all the pertinent plot points, and they have all the cool gadgets. In practice, she makes your hero cool and actually makes him do something. God bless her.
Now hang on. I say I like those, but would I intentionally seek out a book with all three? It’s tough to say. Why not? Gun to my head, how do I pick any of the books I end up reading?
On the other hand, there’s the obvious fear that TropeMaxxing is the wrong way. A book shouldn’t be judged by the quality or amount of tropes it has, but I genuinely don’t feel like that’s what’s going on. In fact, I think it’s a very close reading and self awareness. You’re looking at the spread and going, “These things are working for me. I want more of them.”
The problem with me is that I’m conflicted. I like that readers can identify patterns and explain why they like them, why they work on the page and in the plot, and why they’re comforting. It’s fascinating how each one kind of speaks to the next in a broader, meta text, a meta text that happens in book clubs and in fandoms. But I also find myself searching for works that don’t work for anybody. Books and stories that are, almost to their detriment, impossible to categorize. With the rise of TropeMaxxing, I wonder if the inverse will gain popularity: the NegaTrope. This book has absolutely zero known tropes and is the most unfamiliar thing you’ll ever read. It’ll be disorienting and haunting. It’ll have its own category on BookTok too, an Iceberg even, and you’ll be a pariah for mentioning it.
I’m curious to see how all this unfolds and how/if different genre fanbases draw the line. I intended this to be a craft essay on horror writing, and maybe it still is. Afterall, what do we owe the reader, what do we owe ourselves, and what do we owe the genre?
Are the tropes we’re using authentic and earned?
Are we bending over backwards to use them? Or to avoid them?
And can the reader tell the difference?
If you want to learn more about tropes and horror, Alex is teaching a 4 week workshop with Write or Die next week, From Frights to Film: A Horror Screenwriting Intensive! It will be September 27th-October 18th from 8 PM-10 PM EST. You can sign up here! (or learn more and find a 15% ($41.75) off discount code for paid subscribers at the end of today's post.)
This is one of our paid subscriber lists this month. Our paid subscriptions are what give us the ability to gather all of this information and maintain our database. If you have the means, you can upgrade here.
Of course, we are always happy to comp those in need, just let us know. Our next free list will be Monday (Sep. 25th).
Last Girls Club is an indie feminist horror magazine, newsletter, and podcast. All are artist run publications and creations whose goal is to promote the female.
Special Sauce: “My biggest advice is your story needs to be a story, not a cool scene from a larger story. It must have a beginning, middle, and end. I reject many well written pieces because they do this. If you don't know what a story arc is, learn it.
Grammar and clarity are important, if I can't follow it or who's speaking isn't clear neither will our readers.
Resist fridging characters." 'Fridging' is the practice of killing off or hurting a minor character in order to motivate or torture a main character. The term comes from the world of comics, describing an issue of Green Lantern in which the hero's partner is killed and stuffed in a refrigerator for the protagonist to find." It's lazy writing and often offensive. It's the basis for the rape trope in many stories.
Do use established mythologies and folklore and rethink their motivations or existence in the modern world. They've stuck around for a reason.
And finally, don't write in a vacuum. FInd writing classes and Facebook groups, join your genre's associations, and get feedback. It will only make you better.
Stay spooky. And as we always say in The Last Girls Club: May the shadows embrace you and the monsters fear you more. - Eda Easter
Catch Feels! Read:
Chill Sub Breakdown:
Last Girls Club is a US-based magazine founded in 2020 that is fee-free, pays writers and responds within 45 days.
They accept simultaneous submissions. T
hey are open to some previously published works. Submit via Duosuma.
Genres [Fiction. Flash. (2) Nonfiction. Poetry. (3)]
Our records show that they are active on social media.
Apparition Lit is a quarterly speculative fiction magazine that features original short stories, poetry, and artwork.
Special Sauce: “We would love to see more horror/dark speculative fiction in our submission box, especially from BIPOC writers. As far as advice goes, we will consider a wide range of sub-genres, but as with all flavors of speculative fiction, we want evocative stories and poems that make us think and feel and experience something new. If the horror elements are for shock, we won't dig it. That's not a value judgement about extreme horror--Apparition Lit just has other vibes! We don't shy away from violence, even body horror, and there are writers who have experienced trauma and whose stories deserve to be told, though we are not the market for works that include detailed descriptions or on-page depictions of rape, sexual abuse, child abuse, or violence toward animals. We want horror that makes us feel the fear and dread along with the characters, so make us care deeply about your characters! Immerse us in your world, sweep us away with your prose and imagery, use the horrific to shine a light on something, leave us thinking about your words for days after reading. And yes, send us your dark stuff!” - Clarke
Catch Feels! Read:
Chill Sub Breakdown:
Apparition Lit is a US-based magazine founded in 2017 that is fee-free, pays writers and responds within 30 days.
No simultaneous submissions. Submit via Moksha.
Genres [Fiction. (Pay: Per word: 0.05) Poetry. (5) (Pay: 50)]
Our records show that they are active on social media.
They are in the Top 5% of most popular magazines on Chill Subs.
This is a quarterly journal of speculative fiction. We are interested in all speculative genres (horror, fantasy, science fiction, slipstream, steampunk, magical realism, etc) up to 5,000 words in length.
Catch Feels! Read:
Chill Sub Breakdown:
Bards and Sages Quarterly is a US-based magazine founded in 2008 that is fee-free, pays writers.
They accept simultaneous submissions.
They are open to some previously published works. Submit via email.
Genres [Fiction. (Pay: Ranges: 20 - 50)]
Our records show that they are active on social media.
They are in the Top 5% of most popular magazines on Chill Subs.
(Listed in Erika Krouse's Top 500 Fiction Magazines)
A journal of feminist fairy tales, folklore, & myths from Sword & Kettle Press. We believe that folklore helps us make sense of the world we live in. We love stories that represent a wide range of cultures, identities, & viewpoints. We love stories that embrace nuance & complexity.
Catch Feels! Read:
Chill Sub Breakdown:
Corvid Queen is a US-based magazine founded in 2018 that is fee-free, pays writers and responds within 120 days.
They accept simultaneous submissions. Submit via their form.
Genres [Fiction. (Pay: 5) Flash. (1) (Pay: 5) Nonfiction. (Pay: 5) Poetry. (1) (Pay: 5)]
They nominate work for BOtN.
Our records show that they are active on social media.
They are in the Top 10% of most popular magazines on Chill Subs.
F/F/H zine of Nebula nommed/winning & Hugo-nommed fiction, Ignyte-winning Submission Grinder, Long List Anthology.
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Chill Subs Breakdown:
Diabolical Plots is a US-based magazine founded in 2008 that is fee-free, pays writers and responds within 30 days.
They accept simultaneous submissions.
Genres [Fiction. (Pay: Per word: 0.1)]
Our records show that they are active on social media.
A brand new online magazine for dark speculative fiction and anticapitalist sci-fi, fantasy and horror pop culture analysis. Neon, dragons and unsettling psychological terror.
Special Sauce: "The stories published in Seize The Press are the ones with an off-kilter vibe and the ones that realise the story doesn't end when the reader puts the book down. We publish dark speculative fiction of all kinds, but the best sci-fi and fantasy features a healthy dose of horror, however you choose to interpret that." - Jonny Pickering, EIC.
"Seize The Press nonfiction pieces are just as likely to be anti-capitalist critiques of genre as they are essays on how technology intersects with current SFFH, or reviews of speculative media of all kinds (including novels, film, and even video games). Your essays don't need to be cutting edge, but we do want them to be scathing." - Karlo Yeager Rodríguez, nonfiction editor.
Catch Feels! Read:
Chill Subs Breakdown:
Seize the Press Magazine is a GB-based magazine founded in 2021 that is fee-free, pays writers and responds within 30 days.
They accept simultaneous submissions. Submit via email.
Genres [Fiction. (Pay: Per word: 0.03) Nonfiction. (Pay: 50)]
Our records show that they are active on social media.
The Colored Lens was created to showcase stories that shift our perspective on the world, through the far-reaching genre of speculative fiction. However, the fundamentals of good storytelling always come first.
Chill Sub Breakdown:
The Colored Lens is a US-based magazine founded in 2011 that is fee-free, pays writers and responds within 7 days.
No simultaneous submissions. Submit via their form.
Genres [Fiction. (Pay: 20)]
They are in the Top 10% of most popular magazines on Chill Subs.
Infinite Horrors is poised to change the game in its genre. A beautiful print magazine featuring 60+ pages of shocking violence, spine-tingling art, soul-shattering horror stories and comics, and interviews with the ghastliest of the ghastly.
Chill Sub Breakdown:
Infinite Horrors Magazine is a US-based magazine founded in 2022 that is fee-free, pays writers and responds within 90 days.
They accept simultaneous submissions. Submit via email.
Genres [Fiction. (Pay: Per word: 0.08)]
Our records show that they are active on social media.
Horror, Dark Fiction, Speculative Fiction Online Magazine
Chill Sub Breakdown:
Tales from the Moonlit Path is a US-based magazine founded in 2005 that is fee-free, pays writers and responds within 30 days. T
hey accept simultaneous submissions.
They are open to some previously published works. Submit via email.
Genres [Fiction. Nonfiction. Poetry.]
Our records show that they are active on social media.
Each month The Dark brings you the best in dark fantasy and horror, selected by award-winning editor Sean Wallace and published by Prime Books!
Chill Sub Breakdown:
The Dark is a US-based magazine founded in 2013 that is fee-free, pays writers and responds within 7 days.
No simultaneous submissions. Submit via email.
Genres [Fiction. (Pay: Per word: 0.05)] Our records show that they are active on social media.
They are in the Top 5% of most popular magazines on Chill Subs. (Listed in Erika Krouse's Top 500 Fiction Magazines)
Propagule is an independently-run convergence of the arts that is especially interested in the aesthetically novel, experimental, transgressive, and uncategorizable. Immanent in everything Propagule publishes is a dedication to imagination and boundlessness.
Chill Sub Breakdown:
!Propagule is a US-based magazine founded in 2022 that is fee-free, pays writers and responds within 120 days.
They accept simultaneous submissions. Submit via Submittable.
Genres [Fiction. (Pay: Ranges: 5 - 20) Flash. (Pay: Range: 5 - 20) Nonfiction. (Pay: Ranges: 5 - 20)]
They nominate work for BOtN.
Our records show that they are active on social media.
They are in the Top 10% of most popular magazines on Chill Subs.
A bi-monthly science fiction, fantasy, and horror magazine featuring original, mind-bending short fiction from many of the top pros of the field. New issues are released on the first Tuesday of every other month.
Chill Sub Breakdown:
Apex Magazine is a US-based magazine founded in 2005 that is fee-free, pays writers and responds within 30 days.
No simultaneous submissions. Submit via Moksha.
Genres [Fiction. (Pay: Per word: 0.08) Flash. (Pay: Per word: 0.08)]
Our records show that they are active on social media.
They are in the Top 2% of most popular magazines on Chill Subs.
They are well-established on social media (20K+ following) (Listed in Erika Krouse's Top 500 Fiction Magazines)
a quarterly science fiction, fantasy, and horror magazine, publishing short stories, poetry, interviews, articles of interest, and book reviews
Chill Sub Breakdown:
Andromeda Spaceways Magazine is a AU-based magazine founded in 2002 that is fee-free, pays writers.
No simultaneous submissions. Submit via their form.
Genres [Fiction. (Pay: Per word: 0.01) Nonfiction. (Pay: 10) Poetry. (1) (Pay: 10)]
Our records show that they are active on social media.
They are in the Top 10% of most popular magazines on Chill Subs.
We are a queer and trans literary zine interested in writing that blends genres, celebrating gender benders and genre blenders alike. BENDER is about creating a space for work that doesn’t fit into neat categories.
Chill Sub Breakdown:
BENDER is a GB-based magazine founded in 2023 that is fee-free, responds within 14 days.
No simultaneous submissions.
They are open to some previously published works. Submit via email.
Genres [Fiction. Flash. Nonfiction. Poetry.]
Our records show that they are active on social media.
Dark Matter Magazine is a print & digital publication of dark sci-fi & horror.
Chill Sub Breakdown:
Dark Matter Magazine is a US-based magazine founded in 2020 that is fee-free, pays writers and responds within 60 days.
They accept simultaneous submissions.
They are open to some previously published works.
Genres [Fiction. (Pay: Per word: 0.08)]
Our records show that they are active on social media.
September 27th-October 18th from 8 PM-10 PM EST.
✔ Learn tropes vs. cliches and what genre expectations are worth indulging and which are worth subverting.
✔ Flesh out the rules, and boundaries of horror and learn how to create characters that will jump off the page.
✔ Leave this workshop with a sheet of your character and their wants and needs, a 3 act structure and the first several pages of your script, the inciting incident, and a written scene of action.
Dates: September 27 - October 18
Time: 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM EST
**Use the code HORROR15 for 15% off!**
Also, check out Alex’s WOD Feature, What to Read Based on Your Favorite Horror Movies and TV, for some spooky season recommendations!
Alex Gonzalez is the author of Land Shark and the co-creator of horror zine You Are Not Alone. He's been published by Death's Head Press, People Holding, and Catapult. He's also a WGA screenwriter and his fiction is represented by FinePrint Lit. He is currently working on his second novel.
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