{"id":54187,"title":"Call for Submissions","description":"Happy New Year from General Witchfinders! As we look ahead to another year of the podcast and more zines, we are officially opening submissions for Issue 4.  This issue is scheduled for launch on May 1st, 2026, to coincide with Beltane. Our zine is a 46-page, A5, full-colour project","content":"<p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/h0fyu2w07ga60ox4dj5qgwtde1bnjy9jsnbtspsyunrqmyea.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"h0fyu2w07ga60ox4dj5qgwtde1bnjy9jsnbtspsyunrqmyea.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/><\/p><p>We are currently hard at work on <strong>Issue 4<\/strong>, which is scheduled for launch on <strong>May 1st, 2026<\/strong>, to coincide with Beltane. Submissions for this issue are now closed, but keep an eye out \u2013 it will be available to order at the start of May.<\/p><p>Our zine is a 76-page, A5, full-colour project. You can find copies in our online shop and at a growing number of independent bookshops.<\/p><p><strong>Note to Shops:<\/strong> We are always looking for new stockists! If you\u2019d like to carry the General Witchfinder zine in your store, please get in touch at <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"mailto:generalwitchfinders@gmail.com\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>generalwitchfinders@gmail.com<\/strong><\/a><br \/><\/p><hr \/><h3><br \/>Opening Submissions for Issue 5<\/h3><p>As we look toward the autumn, we are officially opening submissions for <strong>Issue 5<\/strong>. This issue is scheduled for release at the end of October 2026, perfectly timed for Samhain.<\/p><p>To better support our visual contributors. We want to <strong>pair illustrators directly with stories and articles<\/strong>. To make this work, we need to select our written pieces earlier than usual, so our artists have plenty of time to create.<br \/><\/p><hr \/><h3><br \/>Short Fiction Submissions<\/h3><ul><li><p><strong>Deadline:<\/strong> 31 July 2026 (Response by 10 August)<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Word Count:<\/strong> Up to 2,500 words. (ideally arround 2,000)<br \/>We are seeking approximately eight pieces of short fiction.<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p><br \/><strong>The Theme: Samhain and the Darkening Year<\/strong> This issue is tied to the ancient festival marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of the dark half of the year. We want stories of ancestral shadows and the blurring of lines between worlds. Think of the chill in the air, the smell of damp earth, the on-coming winter and the secrets hidden in the long nights.<\/p><p>For Issue 5, we are embracing the shadows. We are more than happy to see traditional Gothic tropes \u2013  dark nights, crumbling castles, and thunderstorms \u2013 but we are equally excited by Urban Gothic and modern nightmares. Whether it is a classic ghost story, a fresh take on vampires and werewolves, or something truly demonic, we want to hear it.<\/p><p>General Witchfinders is predominantly a British horror podcast and zine, but we are keen to explore horror from a variety of perspectives. We welcome submissions from people of all backgrounds and are eager to see how different points of view interpret the season of Samhain. While our roots are in the British tradition, we are more than happy to see how other cultures and experiences engage with the dark.<\/p><ul><li><p><strong>Touchstones:<\/strong> <em>The Stone Tape<\/em>, <em>Ghostwatch<\/em>, <em>Dracula,<\/em> or the works of Nigel Kneale and M.R. James.<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>What to Avoid:<\/strong> \u2018Daylight Horror\u2019 or summer folk horror such as <em>Midsommar<\/em>, <em>The Wicker Man<\/em>, or <em>The Blood on Satan\u2019s Claw<\/em>. We want that specific, atmospheric autumn\/winter dread.<\/p><\/li><\/ul><h3><br \/>Non-Fiction and Articles<\/h3><ul><li><p><strong>Deadline:<\/strong> 31 July 2026<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Word Count:<\/strong> Up to 2,500 words. (ideally arround 2,000)<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p>We are looking for four articles covering British horror films, TV, novels, or anything else you think might be a good match for us. We love \u2018wide-ranging and unexpected\u2019 tangents. As long as the piece connects back to the British tradition, feel free to explore unique angles. If it links back to the autumn or winter season, even better.<\/p><h3>Artists and Illustrators<\/h3><p>We have two ways for artists to get involved in Issue 5:<\/p><ul><li><p><strong>Story Illustrators:<\/strong> We need artists to create 1-3 high-res pieces based on our chosen stories. If you\u2019re interested, please send a link to your portfolio for us to review by <strong>31 July 2026<\/strong>.<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Timeline:<\/strong> You will receive the stories on <strong>16 August<\/strong>; final artwork is due <strong>6 September<\/strong>.<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Featured Artist Showcases:<\/strong> We want to celebrate 3 or 4 artists by showing your work over 2 or 3 spreads, along with a short biography. We love all disciplines! From physical crafts to digital landscapes, we want to see your interpretation of the macabre and the mysterious.<br \/><\/p><\/li><\/ul><hr \/><h3><br \/>House Style<\/h3><p><strong>Dashes<\/strong> Use the spaced en dash ( \u2013 ) for interruptions, parenthetical asides, and clause breaks.<\/p><ul><li><p><strong>Example:<\/strong> He looked around \u2013 confused for a moment \u2013 and then continued walking.<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Do not use the long em dash ( \u2014 ) without spaces. Please use hyphens for compound words (e.g. high-pitched, shoulder-to-shoulder).<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p><br \/><strong>Dialogue Punctuation<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><p><strong>Comma:<\/strong> Use a comma before a dialogue tag when the spoken line continues into it.<\/p><ul><li><p><strong>Example:<\/strong> \u2018I\u2019m not sure,\u2019 she said.<\/p><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><p><strong>Full Stop:<\/strong> Use a full stop if the speech ends before the tag.<\/p><ul><li><p><strong>Example:<\/strong> \u2018I\u2019m not sure.\u2019 She sighed.<\/p><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><p><strong>Placement:<\/strong> Always keep punctuation inside the closing quotation mark.<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p><br \/><strong>Nested Quotes<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><p><strong>Primary Speech:<\/strong> Use single curly quotes ( \u2018 \u2019 ).<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Quotes within Speech:<\/strong> Use double curly quotes ( \u201c \u201d ).<\/p><ul><li><p><strong>Example:<\/strong> \u2018He said, \u201cStop,\u201d and I did,\u2019 she noted.<br \/><\/p><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><hr \/><h3><br \/>The Practical Bits<\/h3><ul><li><p><strong>Payment:<\/strong> None, sorry. This is a non-profit project and any proceeds go straight back into production and distribution.<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Rights:<\/strong> Contributors retain full copyright. By submitting, you grant us non-exclusive rights to publish your work in the zine and related promo materials.<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Reprints and Simultaneous Subs:<\/strong> Both are fine. Just let us know where the piece appeared previously or if it is accepted elsewhere.<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>AI Policy:<\/strong> We value human-to-human connection. While we welcome the use of technology for accessibility \u2013 such as spellcheck, grammar, and dyslexia support \u2013 we will not accept work conceived or written by AI. The ideas and soul of the work need to come from your head. Our magazine is all about connecting people and ideas in a physical, human way.<\/p><\/li><\/ul><h3><br \/>How to Submit<\/h3><p>Please send all stories, pitches, and portfolio links to: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"mailto:generalwitchfinders@gmail.com\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>generalwitchfinders@gmail.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p><p>Not sure if your piece fits? Listen to an episode or two of the podcast to get a feel for our balance of macabre topics, irreverent humour, and random tangents. You can also grab a physical copy of a previous zine in our shop. Once we sell out of physical copies, digital PDF versions are made available.<\/p><p>We can\u2019t wait to see what you\u2019ve been working on!<\/p>","urlTitle":"call-for-submissions","url":"\/blog\/call-for-submissions\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/call-for-submissions\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/general-witchfinders.teemill.com\/blog\/call-for-submissions\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1767103149,"updatedAt":1774266375,"publishedAt":1774266375,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":251626,"name":"General Witchfinders"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/llslnpxe7v3jhogkbnttljbbrsgogklcjahjoeocrrem55ow.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/llslnpxe7v3jhogkbnttljbbrsgogklcjahjoeocrrem55ow.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/llslnpxe7v3jhogkbnttljbbrsgogklcjahjoeocrrem55ow.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":35035,"title":"BBC Ghost Stories for Christmas","url":"\/blog\/bbc-ghost\/","urlTitle":"bbc-ghost","division":251626,"description":"From 1971 to 1978, British audiences huddled by the fire, not just to escape the winter chill, but to be deliciously terrified by the BBC's \"A Ghost Story for Christmas. \" These weren't your typical holiday cheerfests.  These were chilling, masterfully crafted tales of the supernatural, steeped in Victorian and Edwardian settings","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/i7y6budd4jocwtxe3ai08feougahk9bctyq6iuvtzicej1kg.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/i7y6budd4jocwtxe3ai08feougahk9bctyq6iuvtzicej1kg.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":23052,"title":"The Stone Tape","url":"\/blog\/the-stone-tape\/","urlTitle":"the-stone-tape","division":251626,"description":"We are the General Witchfinders, we review horrific British horror, mainly from the 1970\u2019s, in this episode we watched\u2026 \n\nThe Stone Tape was broadcast on BBC Two as a Christmas ghost story in 1972. It was written by Nigel Kneale, best known as the writer of Quatermass, for whose juxtaposition of science and superstition is a frequent theme.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/fwnmcp1juazaemvjv29oul0c05jtvynw4gskfm3fsivb8qah.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/fwnmcp1juazaemvjv29oul0c05jtvynw4gskfm3fsivb8qah.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":23401,"title":"Jeremy Dyson's: Never Trust a Rabbit","url":"\/blog\/jeremy-dysons-never-trust-a-rabbit\/","urlTitle":"jeremy-dysons-never-trust-a-rabbit","division":251626,"description":"Jeremy Dyson is the co-creator of the West End play Ghost Stories, and a member of the sketch comedy team The League of Gentlemen. He has written several books, including three collections of short stories, the first being, Never Trust a Rabbit published in 2000","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/2dmohsnvwvhumywcgrtlaglu0fvcvkdxwln23arr2okjujxu.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/2dmohsnvwvhumywcgrtlaglu0fvcvkdxwln23arr2okjujxu.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}