Become a Contributor — NightTide Magazine

Our Mission
At NightTide, we explore horror as a vehicle for insight, resistance, and transformation. We prioritise voices from historically under-represented communities, and publish work that expands what horror can be.

What We Publish

• Monthly Macabre: Essays and deep dives on horror sub-genres (700-2,000 words)
• Sinister Screen: Film & TV criticism rooted in insight, not review (700-2,500 words)
• Morbid Minds: Academic reflections on horror culture, mythology, trauma (2,000-4,000 words) – Contributor Payment- Beginning 2026, NightTide Magazine is pleased to offer paid contributions for Morbid Minds, our long-form academic and cultural criticism section. We currently offer $50 USD per article for Morbid Minds essays (2,500–4,000 words), with up to four paid pieces per month. This payment represents a starting point, not an endpoint. As a small, independent publication without sponsors, we are committed to building toward sustainable contributor compensation across all four of NightTide’s core categories over the coming year. Our goal is to scale thoughtfully and ethically, ensuring that payment grows alongside infrastructure, care, and editorial support. We believe compensation matters, even when modest. Paying writers is part of how we honour their labour and begin building a more equitable future for horror criticism.
• Stranger Than Fiction: Spotlight on indie horror authors, comic artists & their work
• Indie Film Focus: Features on indie horror filmmakers, actors, curators

What We Don’t Accept

• Submissions that reinforce racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia or ageism in the genre
• Pieces that rely purely on gratuitous violence or sensationalism
• Surface-level or recycled content lacking original insight

How to Pitch
Please submit via our Contributor Form with:

1. A short introduction about yourself
2. A concise summary of your idea (300-400 words max)
3. A sentence explaining how your piece aligns with our mission
4. Relevant links to previous work or collaborators (if applicable)
5. The segment you’re targeting (see above)
6. FOR INDIE FILM FOCUS: NightTide accepts pitches and coverage requests for completed or near-completed works only. To maintain accuracy, transparency, and editorial integrity for our readership, we do not cover conceptual projects, early-stage ideas, or works without publicly verifiable production materials such as trailers, finished scenes, published excerpts, or equivalent assets. Submissions must include materials that demonstrate the project’s completed form and its public visibility. While we respect and champion independent creators, NightTide’s editorial coverage focuses on works that are fully realized and available for critical engagement. Projects still in development or without verifiable completion will not be considered for features, reviews, or spotlights.

BEFORE YOU PITCH

If you are new to us, we implore you to read a few articles and see about our motivations for beginning this magazine here.

Next Steps
After submission:

• We’ll review your pitch and respond within 1-2 weeks
• Successful pitches will receive an invitation to become a contributor and instructions on draft submission

We value dedication, clarity and creativity, if you’re ready to explore horror thoughtfully alongside our editorial team, we’d love your voice in NightTide’s archive.

— Mo Moshaty, Founder & Editor-in-Chief