Horror Book Publishers Accepting Submissions
Every horror publishing house below was checked on its own website in October 2026: who is open, who needs an agent, what to send and how long replies take.
Published Updated Reviewed every month · next review November 2026
Horror publishers to try first
Houses with a route in for horror writers.
- 1
Jo Fletcher Books
Science fiction, fantasy and horror from unagented writers by email.
Reply: About 24 weeks
- 2
Kensington
Horror among its genres, from unagented, hybrid and indie authors.
Reply: About 12 weeks
- 3
Titan Books
Horror and genre fiction; fiction pitches by synopsis and letter only.
Reply: Not stated
- 4
Angry Robot
Adult science fiction, fantasy and horror through agents and Open Doors periods.
Reply: About 10 weeks
- 5
Cemetery Dance
Specialty horror press; closed now, but agents and reprint rights holders can contact it.
Reply: Not stated
All Horror publishers
Filter by what you write and how you want to submit. Open publishers come first; every card shows when we last checked it.
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Independent publishing companyKensingtonFiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, HistoryNew York, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Kensington Publishing has an open submission policy and works with unagented, hybrid and indie authors. Email a query only, in the body of the email with no attachments, to submissions@kensingtonbooks.com. Allow at least three months; no reply means it is not a fit. It does not take children's, YA, poetry, short stories or AI-written work.No agent neededSend: Query only, in the email body; no attachmentsEmail12 wks replyest. 1974View profile →Independent publishing companyTitan BooksFiction, Art and Photography, ComicsLondon, UKOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Titan Books, in London, is open to nonfiction proposals for film, TV, art and comics reference books. For fiction and comics it reads only a brief synopsis with a covering letter, not a manuscript, and it is not looking for general fiction right now. Most of its fiction comes through agents.Some imprints unagentedSend: Nonfiction proposal; fiction: synopsis and letter onlyReply time not statedest. 1982View profile →Independent publishing companyAngry RobotFiction, Diverse and BIPOC voices, Fantasy and Sci-FiUKAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Angry Robot reads adult science fiction, fantasy and horror novels through literary agents. Unagented writers can submit only during its occasional Open Doors periods, announced on its site and social media; the last ran in April 2024. A separate call for unagented Black authors was extended indefinitely.Send: Agent proposal; unagented only in Open Doors periodsEmail10 wks replyest. 2009View profile →
Big 5 publishing houseGollanczFiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, HorrorLondon, UKAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Gollancz reads science fiction, fantasy and horror only through literary agents. Its parent, Orion, does not consider unsolicited manuscripts. Gollancz has run open submission windows in the past, but none is open now, so the route in today is an agent.Send: Through a literary agent onlyReply time not statedest. 1927View profile →
Big 5 publishing houseOrbitFiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, HorrorLondon, UKAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Orbit UK reads science fiction and fantasy through literary agents only and cannot respond to unsolicited material. Hachette UK's Future Bookshelf occasionally runs group-wide open submission periods, which are the only other route.Send: Through a literary agent onlyReply time not statedest. 1974View profile →
Big 5 publishing housePenguin Random HouseChristian, Children's, Fantasy and Sci-FiNew York, USAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Penguin Random House does not accept unsolicited submissions, proposals or manuscripts. Its imprints read work from literary agents. Its Berkley imprint has run short open windows for unagented writers, but none is open or announced in October 2026.Send: Through a literary agent onlyThrough an agentReply time not statedest. 2013View profile →
Independent publishing companySaltFiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, HorrorCromer, UKAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Salt Publishing does not accept unsolicited submissions from authors. Literary agents can email submissions, and silence after one month means no. Literary fiction is at the heart of its list.Send: Through a literary agent, by emailThrough an agent, Email4 wks replyest. 1999View profile →
Small pressTachyon PublicationsFiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, HorrorSan Francisco, California, USAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Tachyon Publications is open to agents only. It reads agented adult speculative fiction, including science fiction, fantasy and horror, sent as a pitch in the email body with the full manuscript attached. It is not considering anthologies, series novels or reprints, and it takes no direct submissions from authors.Send: Agent pitch in email body + full manuscriptThrough an agent, EmailReply time not statedest. 1995View profile →
Independent publishing companyCemetery DanceFiction, Comics, HorrorForest Hill, Maryland, USClosed nowChecked Oct 2026Cemetery Dance Publications is closed to unsolicited submissions for its magazine, Grave Tales comics and eBooks, with no reopening date. Agents may still contact it, and authors who hold the eBook rights to a book first published by a New York publisher can email the press directly.Send: Closed; agents, or authors with reprint eBook rightsEmailNo reopening date givenReply time not statedest. 1988View profile →
Small pressDead InkFiction, Horror, IndependentLiverpool, UKClosed nowChecked Oct 2026Dead Ink Books is not open for general submissions as of October 2026. The Liverpool small press publishes weird, bold and genre-defying fiction, and warns writers about people pretending to be its editors.Send: Closed to general submissions for nowNo reopening date givenReply time not statedest. 2011View profile →
Independent publishing companyOrca BooksChildren's, Comics, Diverse and BIPOC voicesVictoria, CanadaClosed nowChecked Oct 2026Orca Book Publishers is closed to submissions as of October 2026. Its last window ran until the end of August 2026. It publishes children's and teen books by Canadian citizens and permanent residents only, through CanSubmit.No agent neededSend: Depends on the series; through CanSubmit during the windowOnline form+1 moreNo reopening date given16 wks replyest. 1984View profile →
Big 5 publishing houseTorFiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, HorrorUnited StatesClosed nowChecked Oct 2026Tor is closed to submissions today. Its submission portal for Tor and Tor Teen shows no open window, and the last one listed ran in October 2021. The novella program is closed too. Watch the portal for a new window or work with a literary agent.Send: Closed; past windows took a full manuscript + cover letterOnline formNo reopening date given24 wks replyest. 1980View profile → What do Open, Closed and Agent needed mean?
- Open now: the publisher's own site says it is reading submissions today, in at least one genre listed.
- Closed: not reading new submissions right now. We show the reopening date when the publisher gives one.
- Agent needed: it only reads manuscripts sent by a literary agent.
Submit with confidence
Four checks before you send anything to a publisher, whichever list you use.
Check it on their own site
Guidelines change. Read the publisher's own submissions page on the day you send.
Never pay to be published
A traditional publisher pays you. If a company asks for money, it is a paid service.
Send exactly what they ask
Query, proposal or sample chapters: follow the format and word count to the letter.
Track every submission
Note the date, the reply time and whether no reply means no before you follow up.
Horror publishers range from Big Five genre imprints to specialty presses, and only a few read unagented novels at any time. We list 13 horror book publishers, and 3 of them are open to submissions today. Every listing was checked on the publisher's own site and shows whether you need an agent, what to send and how long a reply takes. Use the filters to find the horror houses reading now. Each profile also shows the date we last checked the publisher's own page, so you can see how current the rules are.
Horror publishers that read unagented work
A few horror publishers still read work without an agent. Jo Fletcher Books reads science fiction, fantasy and horror by email, with the first 10,000 words and a one-page synopsis. Kensington reads horror queries from unagented, hybrid and indie authors. Titan Books reads fiction pitches as a brief synopsis and covering letter, though it is not looking for general fiction now.
Agent-only and closed horror book publishers
Many horror book publishers read only through agents, including Gollancz, Orbit and Tachyon. Angry Robot runs occasional Open Doors periods for unagented writers. Cemetery Dance, a specialty horror press, is closed to unsolicited work but still hears from agents and from authors holding reprint eBook rights.
Horror within science fiction and fantasy
Much horror is published by science fiction and fantasy houses. Tor, Angry Robot and Jo Fletcher Books all list horror alongside their speculative fiction. If your book blends genres, query the houses whose lists show similar books.
Before you submit horror
Finish and revise the novel first. Most horror houses want a query letter, a synopsis and opening chapters, and several give long reply times. Read each profile for word counts, formats and whether silence means no.
How we check these listings
Every publisher on this page was checked on its own website, and we review each listing every month. We list only traditional publishers, which pay authors and do not charge them to publish. If a house adds fees, packages or a paid route, we say so on its profile or leave it out of the directory.
Horror publishers and short fiction
Most horror book publishers on this page want novels rather than short stories. Jo Fletcher Books does not take short stories or novellas, and Cemetery Dance has closed its magazine to unsolicited stories. If you write short horror, magazines and anthologies are usually the better first step before a novel.
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Questions authors ask
Answers use the live data on this page.
Which horror publishers accept unagented submissions?
On this page, Jo Fletcher Books reads unagented science fiction, fantasy and horror by email, and Kensington reads horror queries from unagented, hybrid and indie authors. Angry Robot opens Open Doors periods. Most other horror book publishers listed here read only through agents.
Is Cemetery Dance accepting horror submissions?
Not unsolicited ones. Cemetery Dance has closed its magazine, comics and unsolicited eBook lines with no reopening date. Agents may still contact it, and authors who hold eBook rights to books first published by New York publishers can email the press.
What should a horror submission include?
Most horror houses ask for a query or covering letter, a synopsis and opening chapters. Jo Fletcher Books wants the first 10,000 words or three chapters and a one-page synopsis, and Titan wants only a brief synopsis and letter. Check each profile before you send.
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How we verify listings. We list traditional publishers only: no hybrid, vanity or paid self-publishing companies. Every listing is checked on the publisher's own website and rechecked every month. This page was last updated 25 Oct 2026; next review November 2026. Spotted a change? Tell us.
