March 19, 2024

Mid-Century Murder Submissions

Submissions are now closed.

Call for Submissions – Mid-Century Murder

Mid-Century Murder – cozy to cozy-noir crime stories set in the late forties through the very early sixties. We want stories that evoke the era, though its fashions, homes, furniture and furnishings, vehicles, restaurants, stores and products, music, movies, radio and television, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

For authors on Facebook, we suggest two groups that could be useful in grokking the era. The first is Mid-Century Advertising. You can learn a great deal about an era by studying the advertisements. On that group you will find an unending supply of such ads. Another Facebook group to check out is America in the 1950s. It leans a bit heavy toward sentimentality and nostalgia but you will find good information mixed in.

Submission Period: October 15th, 2018 – March 31st, 2019

submissions@darkhousebooks.com Please put “Submission Mid-Century” and the name of your story in the subject line.

Length: 2500 to 6000 words.

Stories outside that range will be considered, but their length will work against inclusion. We admit to a preference for slightly longer work, with four to five thousand words in the sweet spot. We expect the anthology to have approximately seventy-five thousand words.

Payment: Royalty

Fifty percent of the gross royalties per calendar quarter will be distributed equally among the contributors. Contributor copies will not be offered. A limited number of review copies will be available.

Previously Published:

Reprints are fine, provided:

You have the right to authorize us to publish your story

The story has not been published more recently than 2017.

We ask for the exclusive right to publish your story for one calendar year following contract signing, excluding publications of those previously published.

Title subject to change.