In 1926 a pulp magazine named Ghost Stories made its debut and printed a total of 64 issues before the publication shut down in 1932.
During its run, Ghost Stories published stories old and new, including reprints by well known authors (Dickens, Howard, Christie) and many more written by writers of that time, including more than a few written under pseudonym, and some that went so far as to include staged photographs of ghosts to provide a visual element.
One of the most notable features of the magazine was the striking cover art created to catch the reader's eye.
Among those covers is one now referred to as "Arms in the Dark", a beautiful and haunting image whose artist went uncredited. Today, this beautiful artwork exists in public domain and has been a major inspiration to publish our own volume of spirit-riddled stories.
We are pleased to offer The Ghost Papers - Arms in the Dark as a tribute to this uncredited artist and hope that somewhere, their ghost is smiling.
During its run, Ghost Stories published stories old and new, including reprints by well known authors (Dickens, Howard, Christie) and many more written by writers of that time, including more than a few written under pseudonym, and some that went so far as to include staged photographs of ghosts to provide a visual element.
One of the most notable features of the magazine was the striking cover art created to catch the reader's eye.
Among those covers is one now referred to as "Arms in the Dark", a beautiful and haunting image whose artist went uncredited. Today, this beautiful artwork exists in public domain and has been a major inspiration to publish our own volume of spirit-riddled stories.
We are pleased to offer The Ghost Papers - Arms in the Dark as a tribute to this uncredited artist and hope that somewhere, their ghost is smiling.
:
THE GHOST PAPERS - ARMS IN THE DARK
Submissions have been extended through 2/28/2025:
Story Specs:
1. Stories should feature ghosts and spirits. Anything that is not physical may count as a ghost (spirit, demon, vapor, shade, etc). Physical monsters may be used as support characters or exist in the periphery, but the story should feature and revolve around a ghost(s).
2. Stories may be 1,000 to 6,000 words in length.
3. Stories should be written with the purpose to scare. No friendly ghosts please.
4. The level of terror is up to you. Brooding, atmospheric and subtle tales will be well regarded as will a story drenched in blood.
5. Gore with a purpose is fine but be mindful to keep descriptions story driven. This same rule applies to sex and politics. Needless elements of cruelty, violence to animals or children, and generally tasteless scenarios that serve no purpose in the story are not what we’re looking for.
6. Every story should include the following details in the upper left corner of the title page:
- The date (when the story takes place).
- The location (where the story takes place).
- The climate (predominant weather and temperature(s) while the story takes place).
7. If your story was previously accepted for this collection, our invitation still stands.
8. Emby is asking for the non-exclusive right to publish your work in print and audio formats for as long as Emby Press exists. The term print may include printed physical books, digital books, digital presentation on our social media pages and website and in scroll-format form on narrated YouTube videos. The term audio may include Amazon Audible presentation as well as narrated versions of the story on social media and in YouTube videos. The term non-exclusive defines the author's right to continue to promote and sell their work however they see fit, at any time with no restrictions.
9. Payment for each story will be $20, made upon the feature date of the story. Payments will be made through PayPal (or other payment app).
Emby Press General Submission Specs:
1. Please submit your story by messaging us through this website or through our social media accounts. You may currently find us on facebook, Instagram and X. We will reply that we have received the story. In the event that you wish to email us, contact us through any of the above methods and we will send you an address.
2. Please send as a .DOC (.DOCX), RTF or Pages document.
3. Include your name, contact info, the title of the story and a word count in the body of the message as well as the doc. You may include a short synopsis if you like.
4. Please pre-format your document to Standard Format settings that include .5 space for the first line of a new paragraph, Times New Roman (or its like) font in 12 point, and double-spaced lines.
- Please do not use the tab key to create the .5 indent for the new line of each paragraph.
- Please do not add headers, footers or page numbers to the document.
- Please do not send in Block Format (Business Style).
5. Please use three asterisks with no spaces, centered, for scene breaks. They should appear as: ***
6. Please use one space after periods.
7. Reprints are welcome. Please provide the history of the piece, including where and when it has been printed so that we are able to promote the other publication(s) when asked to do so.
8. Please only submit one story at a time. If a story is rejected, you are welcome to submit another.
9. Please do not send as a simultaneous submission (sim-sub). Far too much work goes into these things for either publisher to have to undo it.
10. We are only accepting works of fiction at this time. Please do not submit poetry or art.
11. All stories must be written by, under ownership and copyright of the author submitting them. Please do not submit a friend or loved one’s story. Do not submit work that belongs to another author. Stories completed by an author utilizing software that enhances, augments, organizes or otherwise effects the work are not prohibited (honestly and realistically, in the hands of a skilled artist, these elements are undetectable), but be warned that any work that appears “machine built” will be rejected.
To be more specific, there are many types of software that generate names for characters, suggest plot points or structural details, edit needless prose or suggest elements to provide context. It is not our place, purpose or desire to tell authors how they can and cannot create. We realize and accept the advancement of technology. Having said that, submitting a story generated by AI from the prompt “write a 3,000 word scary ghost story” will be obvious and is not acceptable.
Pay
THE GHOST PAPERS - ARMS IN THE DARK
Submissions have been extended through 2/28/2025:
Story Specs:
1. Stories should feature ghosts and spirits. Anything that is not physical may count as a ghost (spirit, demon, vapor, shade, etc). Physical monsters may be used as support characters or exist in the periphery, but the story should feature and revolve around a ghost(s).
2. Stories may be 1,000 to 6,000 words in length.
3. Stories should be written with the purpose to scare. No friendly ghosts please.
4. The level of terror is up to you. Brooding, atmospheric and subtle tales will be well regarded as will a story drenched in blood.
5. Gore with a purpose is fine but be mindful to keep descriptions story driven. This same rule applies to sex and politics. Needless elements of cruelty, violence to animals or children, and generally tasteless scenarios that serve no purpose in the story are not what we’re looking for.
6. Every story should include the following details in the upper left corner of the title page:
- The date (when the story takes place).
- The location (where the story takes place).
- The climate (predominant weather and temperature(s) while the story takes place).
7. If your story was previously accepted for this collection, our invitation still stands.
8. Emby is asking for the non-exclusive right to publish your work in print and audio formats for as long as Emby Press exists. The term print may include printed physical books, digital books, digital presentation on our social media pages and website and in scroll-format form on narrated YouTube videos. The term audio may include Amazon Audible presentation as well as narrated versions of the story on social media and in YouTube videos. The term non-exclusive defines the author's right to continue to promote and sell their work however they see fit, at any time with no restrictions.
9. Payment for each story will be $20, made upon the feature date of the story. Payments will be made through PayPal (or other payment app).
Emby Press General Submission Specs:
1. Please submit your story by messaging us through this website or through our social media accounts. You may currently find us on facebook, Instagram and X. We will reply that we have received the story. In the event that you wish to email us, contact us through any of the above methods and we will send you an address.
2. Please send as a .DOC (.DOCX), RTF or Pages document.
3. Include your name, contact info, the title of the story and a word count in the body of the message as well as the doc. You may include a short synopsis if you like.
4. Please pre-format your document to Standard Format settings that include .5 space for the first line of a new paragraph, Times New Roman (or its like) font in 12 point, and double-spaced lines.
- Please do not use the tab key to create the .5 indent for the new line of each paragraph.
- Please do not add headers, footers or page numbers to the document.
- Please do not send in Block Format (Business Style).
5. Please use three asterisks with no spaces, centered, for scene breaks. They should appear as: ***
6. Please use one space after periods.
7. Reprints are welcome. Please provide the history of the piece, including where and when it has been printed so that we are able to promote the other publication(s) when asked to do so.
8. Please only submit one story at a time. If a story is rejected, you are welcome to submit another.
9. Please do not send as a simultaneous submission (sim-sub). Far too much work goes into these things for either publisher to have to undo it.
10. We are only accepting works of fiction at this time. Please do not submit poetry or art.
11. All stories must be written by, under ownership and copyright of the author submitting them. Please do not submit a friend or loved one’s story. Do not submit work that belongs to another author. Stories completed by an author utilizing software that enhances, augments, organizes or otherwise effects the work are not prohibited (honestly and realistically, in the hands of a skilled artist, these elements are undetectable), but be warned that any work that appears “machine built” will be rejected.
To be more specific, there are many types of software that generate names for characters, suggest plot points or structural details, edit needless prose or suggest elements to provide context. It is not our place, purpose or desire to tell authors how they can and cannot create. We realize and accept the advancement of technology. Having said that, submitting a story generated by AI from the prompt “write a 3,000 word scary ghost story” will be obvious and is not acceptable.
Pay