HAG News: #4
Featuring: Team news, new releases, events, craft and indie insights, and magazines currently accepting submissions.
The British Horror Authors Guild is a professional community for independent British horror writers. Our mission is to support, connect, and empower writers working in horror and dark fiction by providing a space for shared knowledge, practical advice, and peer support.
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BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/b-hags.bsky.social
Guild Desk
News
Elections
The 1st of June will mark the six month anniversary of the British Horror Authors Guild. From the beginning, the aim has been to make this a truly democratic organisation, with a board founded by and run by the horror community, without gatekeeping.
The board consists of three people, who divide responsibilities between them. Responsibilities include:
BlueSky
Facebook
HAG Chat
Instagram
Substack
TikTok
YouTube
Any interested parties with a knowledge of British horror literature are invited to volunteer to join the team. Please submit a short paragraph of no more than 150 words explaining why you would suit the team. In June, an election special will be launched.
Article Submission
Since the newsletter has started, two of the most popular segments have been the Craft Corner and the Indie Business Corner. If you would like to feature in HAG News, then we invite you submit articles to bhauthorsguild@gmail.com .
Updates from the team
Newton Webb, Editor, Co-Founder
Greetings, my wicked darlings.
Good lord, it’s my birthday once again. That means kleftiko, lashings of retsina, and an ungodly amount of complimentary ouzo.
The government has been kind enough to provide a bank holiday, so while everyone is down the public houses in the UK hoovering up multiple ales, I’m working at home, writing newsletters and stories. The perils of being self-employed.
Speaking of which, I’ve just finished a crime thriller short story. My last crime thriller short was a piece of flash fiction called ‘The Enigmatic Skeleton’. Suitably horrific, I assure you. That’s gone out to my beta readers today. They won’t get a chance to read it yet, though, as the gin-soaked old lushes are out playing.
I read six books this month, but these three were the best: Eeny Meeny, by M.J. Arlidge, Perfect Remains, by Helen Fields, Sleepy Head, by Mark Billingham.
Sweet Screams!
Newt
Bronte Rowan, Co-Founder, Social Media Manager
Happy Spring - I hope everyone has returned safely from their Beltane celebrations. Last month, I finally submitted my first short story - it moved on to the next round of the competition! Once I’m allowed to, I’ll share it on my Substack. I’m also looking forward to the online publication of my new monthly column on queerness in speculative fiction for the BFS - I’ll be sharing the link as soon as the first one is live! Next up is more research for my novel, and planning my trip to Vienna this coming weekend - Hit me with any spooky/haunted recs, please!
British New Releases
FREE Short Stories
A E Deakin
Colin Devonshire
Jack Thackwell
John Watson
Mata Haggis-Burridge
Fancy a little short horror story set in a peculiar taxi? Read... Smooth Ride
Tasty short horror story: Everything Is Better With Carbs And Cheese
Newton Webb
Events and Meetups
UK Horror Chapter Meet-Up 2026 (Horror Writers’ Association
The UK chapter of the HWA cordially invites the B-HAGs to our annual meet-up. July 10th - July 11th (pub on Friday, haunted/literary London on Saturday, more pubs on Saturday night). Here’s the link - https://fb.me/e/6J393IsMN I’d love to see a few of you there!
We’re hosting our second annual meet-up - this time, it’ll be a two day event as we realize that many of you will be traveling from further away!
Details will be announced later on, but here is what awaits you if you’re brave enough:
Friday:
Meet-Up in a Pub, get to know each other, socialize... Bring your books - we’ll talk about current issues faced by authors, and how to support each other.
Saturday:
Haunted Literary London - Yes, we’ll go “full tourist”. but in the weirdest way imaginable. We’ll finish at another pub.
Your host, Bronte Rowan, will be around on Sunday too for those of you who want to add yet another day.
Most of the events, or at least meeting points, will be near King’s Cross. We’ll try to make this as affordable as possible, so we’ll try to stick to no-budget or low-budget places. Attending the meet-up is free (other than the drinks/food you’ll be buying for yourself).
If you are interested in showing us a part of London and explaining it’s literary history, do get in touch with us ( hwa.uk25@gmail.com ).
If you know of a bookstore or other location that’d be interested in hosting us, or letting us give us a talk, please REALLY do get in touch!
While you can show up last minute, please click “attending” so that we can plan the trip accordingly.
HAG Chat
Craft Column
Indie Business Corner
Trending YouTube Shorts
Community Notes
Did you know we have a horror writing group?
Join us on Mondays at 19:30 GMT. Bring approximately 400 words of your own work and we will critique each other’s pieces together.
Opportunities Board
ANOMALY
Submissions open on the 1st through the 7th of every month
Dark Sci-fi wanted.
Anomaly is interested in science fiction stories under 300 words in length, for publication on their Patreon, with the right to collect stories into a future anthology. We’re looking for dark and disruptive stories that have strong emotional resonance. We like stories that stick with us after reading, that get us thinking about the twisted use of technologies, the way the world may be, or how characters might react to an evolving technological future.
• Length: up to 300 words
• Payment: .08 USD per word
• Submission Guidelines: https://www.patreon.com/posts/124086163?collection=1379866
Apex Magazine
Currently open for submissions
Exceptionally well-written science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all its sub-genres.
• Length: up to 9,000 words
• Payment: .08 USD per word
• Submission Guidelines: http://www.apex-magazine.com/submission-guidelines
AUREALIS
Submissions open March 1st - 31st, 2026
Aurealis is an Australian publication looking for science fiction, fantasy or horror short stories between 2000 and 8000 words. All types of science fiction, fantasy and horror that are of a “speculative” nature will be considered, but we do not want stories that are derivative in nature. We do not publish horror without a supernatural element.
• Length: between 2,000 – 8,000 words
• Payment: A$20 and A$60 per 1000 words, but assume the lower rate for unsolicited submissions
• Submission Guidelines: https://aurealis.com.au/submissions/
Crepuscular Magazine (drabble/flash fiction)
Submissions open (ongoing)
Microfiction stories exploring places, characters, and questions buried in the gray areas between this and that, here and there, night and day, alive and dead, evil and good, feminine and masculine, up and down, real and unreal. If you’re not quite sure what that means, lean into that feeling... While we lean toward speculative pieces, we have a love for those in-betweeny pieces that blur genre. We accept horror (both spec and non), fantasy, science fiction, general/literary fiction, and everything in between.
• Length: up to 250 words (micro fiction)
• Payment: .10 cents a word
• Submission Guidelines: https://www.patreon.com/posts/submission-85137677
THE DARK
Submissions open (ongoing)
The monthly e-zine publishes horror and dark fantasy. Sean Wallace is the founder, publisher, and editor of The Dark, and has also edited for Clarkesworld and Fantasy Magazine.
• Length: 2000 - 6000 words
• Payment: .05 USD per word
• Submission Guidelines: https://www.thedarkmagazine.com/submission-guidelines/
MERGNASER MAGAZINE
Merganser Magazine is a free online literary magazine, featuring an array of fiction, poetry, and visual art. We aim to publish many writers and artists whose work transcends disciplines and genres. We are now accepting submissions - we encourage you to submit!
Length: up to 2,000 words
Payment: .08 USD per word
Submission Guidelines: https://mergansermagazine.com/submit/
THE NO SLEEP PODCAST
Submissions currently open
All things horror. We are a horror anthology podcast, so we exclusively want horror. Any type. All types. If it’s within the realm of the macabre, scary, or unnerving, we want it.
Stories with great audio cues. Our production relies heavily on good suspense complimented with audio cues.
We have a strong preference for stories written in first person perspective. If third person perspective is necessary to tell the story in the most effective way possible, that’s fine, so long as the piece lends itself well to audio. If a story can be adapted into first person, we recommend it.
• Length: up to 8,000 words (sweet spot is 2,000 – 2,500 words)
• Payment: Flash fiction (up to 1199 words): $60, Regular stories (1200+ words): $250
Submission Guidelines: https://www.thenosleeppodcast.com/submissions