WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Stories may include:

• Mystery and detective fiction

• Noir and neo-noir

• Psychological and literary crime

• Thrillers and suspense

• Historical crime

• Domestic suspense

• Revenge and missing-person stories

• Organized crime and corruption

• Stories of chosen family, identity, secrecy, survival, or reinvention

Trans characters can be detectives, criminals, victims, witnesses, suspects, cops, private investigators, fugitives, lovers, villains, heroes—or complicated people who resist easy categories.

Trans identity may be central to the crime or incidental to it. What matters is that the characters are fully realized people with agency rather than devices used to motivate someone else's story.

WHO MAY SUBMIT

Writers of all gender identities are welcome to submit.

We particularly encourage submissions from transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse writers.

We also welcome work from cisgender writers when trans characters and experiences are portrayed with knowledge, care, specificity, and humanity.

Authors are never required to disclose or explain their gender identity.

THE STORY COMES FIRST

CITY OF DEAD NAMES is a crime fiction anthology.

We want memorable characters, distinctive voices, atmosphere, emotional complexity, and narrative drive.

A story does not need to explain transgender identity. It does not need to educate or deliver a message.

It needs to tell a compelling story.

CONTENT AND APPROACH

Dark Hours Books publishes fiction willing to enter difficult territory. Crime fiction can contain violence, sexuality, prejudice, exploitation, addiction, trauma, and other disturbing subjects. We are not looking for sanitized stories.

We are also not looking for stories that rely on stereotypes, dehumanization, or trans suffering simply for shock value. Stories involving anti-trans violence are welcome when that violence is integral to the story rather than merely sensational.

We welcome difficult, provocative, morally complicated work when the story earns its darkness.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Genre: Crime fiction, mystery, noir, suspense, or thriller

Length: Approximately 2,500–7,500 words. Exceptional stories slightly outside that range may be considered.

Language: English

Publication status: Previously unpublished stories preferred. Reprints may be considered if the author controls the necessary rights and provides original publication information.

Simultaneous submissions: Permitted. Please notify us immediately if your story is accepted elsewhere.

Multiple submissions: Up to two stories per author. Submit each separately.

Submission fee: None.

MANUSCRIPT FORMAT

Submit manuscripts in standard manuscript format:

• Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)

• 12-point readable font, double-spaced

• One-inch margins

• Author name and contact information

• Story title and approximate word count

• Page numbers

Please do not submit PDFs.

HOW TO SUBMIT

Email submissions to:

submissions@darkhoursbooks.com

Use the subject line:

CITY OF DEAD NAMES — Story Title — Author Name

Attach the manuscript rather than pasting it into the email.

In the body of the email, include:

Author name
Pen name, if applicable
Story title
Word count
Email address
Brief author bio (50–100 words)
Previous publication information, if applicable

Authors may include personal information they believe provides useful context for their work, but are never required to do so.

Please do not send photographs, promotional materials, reviews, or extensive publication histories.

SUBMISSION SCHEDULE

Submissions open: November 1, 2026
Submission deadline: April 30, 2027
Expected notification: By July 31, 2027

Please wait until after the notification date before querying about submission status.

COMPENSATION

Dark Hours Books is a paying market.

Compensation will be determined individually based on story length, publication rights, and other editorial and contractual considerations. Payment terms will be agreed upon before execution of the contributor agreement.

Contributors will also receive complimentary copies of CITY OF DEAD NAMES.

Authors retain copyright to their work. Rights licensed to Dark Hours Books will be clearly defined in the contributor agreement.

EDITORIAL PROCESS

Selected stories may receive developmental, line, and copy editing. Editors will work with contributors while respecting each author's voice and intent. Material changes will be discussed with the author, and acceptance may occasionally be contingent upon revision.

WHAT WILL MAKE A STORY STAND OUT

Give us a crime we need solved.

A secret we need uncovered.

A character we can't stop thinking about.

A voice we haven't heard before.

Take us somewhere we haven't been. Surprise us. Disturb us. Move us. Make us laugh when we shouldn't.

Above all, tell us a hell of a crime story.