No Laughing Matter
Description
We are looking for fiction which embraces the horror/thriller genres with elements of bleak, black humour, wry observation, a touch of irony and satire, and hints of the absurd. Stories that might not be out of place in Psychoville or Inside No. 9. We are not after laugh-out loud humour, gags, shaggy-dog tales, obvious gallows humour – and no puns. We are not aiming to publish a horror version of Terry Pratchett – because, as the title says, it’s no laughing matter.
This listing is permanently closed for submissions. This may mean one of several things:
- It was always planned to be a limited-time project, such as a one-time anthology, and the limited-time submission window has ended.
- The publisher has stated that they are permanently closed, or on hiatus with wording that makes it sound permanent.
- The publication website is down in a way that appears to be permanent, and we haven't been able to find a new website for them.
- The publication website is not down, but it appears to have been inactive for more than a year.
Market Genres
Genres
HorrorHumor
Suspense/Thriller
Market Types, Lengths & Pay Scale
Originals
Short Story
3000 to 4000 words
8 cents/word
Market Submission Types
AI Submissions?: Not Allowed
Electronic Submissions?: Yes
Postal Submissions?: No
Multiple Submissions?: Yes
Simultaneous Submissions?: Yes
Translations: Original Language Only
Electronic Submissions?: Yes
Postal Submissions?: No
Multiple Submissions?: Yes
Simultaneous Submissions?: Yes
Translations: Original Language Only
Market-Provided Data
This section can be updated by a representative of the publication. To add a representative, the publication should contact us to request it (no cost).
Market Response Data (User-Reported)
View recent responses from this market
This statistical information is an aggregation of submission data provided by our members. The more data we have the more accurate our
numbers will be so please be sure to log all of your submissions here and not just your rejections or acceptances.
numbers will be so please be sure to log all of your submissions here and not just your rejections or acceptances.
Count:
There are 71 completed reports in the past 12 months.
Averages and Boundaries:
Min: 23 | Average: 163.02 | Median: 166 | Max: 180
Responded:
95.77%
Accepted:
-
Rejected:
95.77% - avg 163 days
(2.94% of rejections are personal)
Rewrites:
-
Dead Letters:
1.40%
Lost/Returned:
-
Never Responded:
1.40%
Withdrawn:
2.81%
Pending:
There are 2 pending responses.
(183 min | 194.00 average | 194 median | 205 max days waiting)
Note: pending statistics may skew high if some users neglect their data.
We recommend querying after the time the market suggests to query.
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Listing added: 23 September 2025
Last officially checked: 23 September 2025