Bedlam has an open-submissions policy. We welcome queries and unsolicited submissions on any and every aspect of horror and the macbre, including but not limited to film, theatre, television, literature, art, photography, history, culture. We also publish short fiction, video video and audio essays, and original artwork. For further guidance on these, please contact the editors.
Submissions should be fresh in feel and original in content. No topic is off-limits as long as you have a unique or interesting take on it. We relish material that engages, educates, informs and challenges our perspectives.
Please send all submissions and queries to Robert J.E. Simpson, at robert@bedlamjournal.com, and/or David L Rattigan, at david@bedlamjournal.com. Include “Bedlam submission” in the subject line.
Bedlam has grown out of experiences in both academic and popular publishing. While we are not an academic publication we follow sound, scholarly values. Do your research, qualify your opinions, and acknowledge your source material. Readers should be able to join you on your journey of research. We take plagiarism very seriously; failure to reference your sources is often the reason accusations of plagiarism are made.
Bedlam does not have a house style, so please write as yourself, in your own voice. Try to avoid dry or pretentious prose.
Main features are 3-5000 words, but we will consider longer submissions. Shorter essays are also welcome.
Reviews should be between 500 and 1000 words.
Video and audio submissions should be discussed with the editors, as we have no set criteria.
Submit essays and articles in Word format (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf).
Use italics for titles (of books, films, etc).
Do not use block capitals, bold or underlining for emphasis or titles.
Please remember to include your contact details – including name, email address, postal address and contact number if available. A short bio (50-100 words is fine) is helpful. Don’t be put off submitting if you haven’t been published before, but please don’t embellish your credentials either!
Illustrations for articles in Bedlam should be relevant to the accompanying text, ie, they should illustrate a point rather than serve as decoration. Send illustrations along with your article, or suggest where images may be sourced. Pictures should be emailed in .jpg or .tiff format with a resolution of 300 dpi.
By submitting an article to Bedlam, you confirm it is your own original and previously unpublished work.
Copyright with submissions is retained by the author.
You give Bedlam an exclusive 12-month licence to publish your work, beginning on the date it is first published.
You alone accept responsibility for the consequences, including loss and expense, of any legal action that arises from an offence such as copyright infringement, plagiarism or libel.
Bedlam may already be working on similar topics, ideas and essays to your submission. This neither guarantees or prohibits your piece from publication.
Bedlam reserves the right to edit your submission for publication. We will always strive to work with you on this. In the event of a dispute, however, the editors’ decisions are final.
Contributors will receive a complimentary copy of any edition in which their work appears.
All of these terms may change by agreement with individual contributors.
Contributors will receive perpetual royalties from print and digital sales of the issue of Bedlam in which their work appears.