Expressions 109

July 2009

Table of Contents

How to Participate in Expressions

Our Universe Expands - Poem by Shelly Bryant

The Fish Grew Fur - Illustrated Poem by William P. Robertson

Dead Book (For Those who don’t Read) - Poem by Arthur Charles Ford, Sr.

Nether-tower - Poem by R. M. Summerhill
News Flashes

Bram Stoker Award Winners

The Midnight Library

Sam’s Dot Publishing Update by Tyree Campbell

Paying Markets

 

How to Participate in Expressions

 

Expressions is published monthly, it’s open to submissions all year round, and participation is encouraged and appreciated.

 

Editors are invited to send their guidelines, readers are invited to share their news and views, writers and artists are invited to share their work, and their news about successes. If you’d like your book or magazine featured in The Midnight Library section of Expressions, please get in touch.

 

I welcome poems (under 20 lines preferred), flash fiction (under 500 words preferred), articles (less than 1,000 words preferred), interviews (less than 1,000 words preferred), book or magazine reviews (under 700 words preferred), and art (jpeg under 30k).

 

Include a fascinating bio of three or four sentences (written in the third person) at the end of your submission. Science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, crime, and seasonal work are most appreciated, but I will consider all genres.

 

Send each submission in the body of the email - no attachments please - with "Expressions" in the subject line. Send only one submission per email.

Submit to Editor Cathy Buburuz at cathyartist@hotmail.com

 

The payment offered for contributions to Expressions is sincere gratitude and free ad space for whatever it is you’re selling, especially if you’re selling your own work or want to promote your own website.

 

In most cases, your submissions will be responded to within 48 hours or less, longer if I’m extremely busy or on holidays. The deadline for each issue is the 15^th of the month. Everything received after the 15^th will be included in Expressions the following month.

 

 

Our Universe Expands

by Shelly Bryant

 

organic limitations

with lungs burst

oxygen requirements

minimized

humans into cyborgs grow

 

 

Shelly Bryant, as yet, has had no non-organic upgrades made to her body, but the potentials opened up to humankind through a cyborg lifestyle really fascinate her. Shelly sees pacemakers and hearing aids as amongst the attachments worn by the earliest generations of cyborgs, and believes that we as a race will not turn back from the path to fully hybrid bodies. The possibilities this generates is a constant preoccupation in her poetry.

 

The Fish Grew Fur
by William P. Robertson


Our lake was so cold
The fish grew fur
And the teeth & demeanour
Of ravenous cur

We learned of their hunger
Soon after two thaws
When ice left the water
To free up their jaws

It was then that our anglers
Got a surprise
When amphibious monsters
Lunged for their thighs

Then scales glowed red
Beneath the cold flood
Amongst the bubbling
Of anglers' blood

For fish sucked fishermen
Out of their waders
Until they got big
As alligators

Yes, that was the spring
The pike grew fur
And the rest of the story
Is still a blur. . . .

William P. Robertson is a freelance writer from Duke Center, Pennsylvania, whose poetry, articles, and short stories have appeared in over 480 magazines worldwide. The inspiration for The Fish Grew Fur came from viewing a bizarre fish head mounted in his uncle Dick's den. Dick created his own monster by covering the fish with red squirrel fur (see accompanying photos). For more information about William's writing, and more of his eerie photos, visit his website at http://bucktailsandbroomsticks.com

 

Dead Book

(For Those who don’t Read)

by Arthur Charles Ford, Sr.

 

Don’t let me sit

And rot away,

As you walk

Through ages

 

I once was pulp

Some spruce, some pine,

Now my blood

Is words on pages.

 

Closed covers

Are confining

Strangulating!

Each veinous sentence

 

Ignoring me

And all my kind

Would bring

Global repentance!

 

So grasp me, open me!

Digest life’s cultures,

Make sure!

I am read,

 

For if you don’t

Do this mankind!

For sure!

We both are dead.

 

Arthur C. Ford, Sr. was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana.  He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern University in New Orleans, where he studied creative writing and was also a member of the Drama Society.  He has visited 45 states in the United States and resided for two years in Brussels, Belgium.

 

His poetry and prose have been published in newsletters, journals and magazines throughout America and Canada. His next book, Reasons for Rhyming(Volume 1), will be released in the near future.

 

Mr. Ford currently resides in Pittsburgh where he continues to write, edit and publish poetry and prose.

 

Nether-tower

by R. M. Summerhill

 

Below the groaning earth
Beyond the Dirge Lands, moaning
That vulgar tearing of the soul
Malicious, grinding, and hateful

 

(Wretched)
Above the screaming and the burning
O, come, people of the worlds
Enemies of VELHARAS
The Cyrbrian River thirsts
(Again and always)
Rushing, deadly by the nether-shore

 

The blackened tower of the damned
Our Keep
(VELHARAS ever reign)
By might and power
The magnificence of demons
Burning with vengeance
The searing blade of the unholy

 

The Nether-tower
(VELHARAS fortress)
Madness to all that breathe
Ever a fearsome sight to behold
On the bleak tide of eternity

 

R. M. Summerhill lives in Ohio. She spends most of her spare time writing (whether it be dark poetry or varied speculative short stories and novels or even a Gothic old-world play).  She also enjoys reading, abstract drawing and painting, listening to music, and gaming.

 

News Flashes

Afterburn SF is temporarily closed to submissions.

 

Analog Science Fiction & Fact pays 5 to 8 cents a word, depending on length; pays $1,200.00 for colour cover art; pays $125.00 for black and white interior illustrations.

 

Arkham Tales is closed to submissions until further notice.

 

Black Ink Horror is closed to submissions.  Check the website for updates.

 

Cathy Buburuz (Editor of Champagne Shivers, the Potter’s Field anthologies, Side Show 2, and Expressions) will be on holidays for the first two weeks in July, but will respond to submissions from writers and artists upon her return.

 

Coscom Entertainment is now closed to submissions for Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhymes: Zany Zombie Poetry for the Undead Head (formerly known as Poems of the Dead).

 

Byzarium will close its doors permanently after publishing the June 2009 issue.

 

Garry Charles has offered his story Death Tide up as a free PDF file.  Click on this link to take advantage of the offer:
http://www.garrycharles.co.uk/

Chizine is now closed to submissions (except for the contest) until September 1, 2009.

 

David Eddings passed away aged 77 - see news at http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz14000.php

 

From the Asylum has officially closed its doors.

 

Genre Magazine is temporarily suspending publication.

 

Lee Gimenez had two short stories published in June 2009. "Another Beautiful Day" was published by the Australian magazine, Skive, and "September 12" was published by Aphelion Magazine. Lee is a science fiction writer and a member of SFWA. He is the author of two books and over fifty short stories. Visit his website at: www.leegimenez.com

 

Horror D’Oeuvres has officially closed its doors permanently.

 

H. P. Lovecraft’s Magazine of Horror is a dead market.

 

Kaleidotrope is temporarily closed to submissions.

Parallax, a thriller by Jon F. Mertz is available from the author for $1.99 or $1.59 for the Kindle on Amazon! Grab your copy now! Details here: http://bit.ly/128GXj

Residential Aliens: Speculative Fiction from the Seven Stars is closed
to submissions until Fall 2009.

 

Screaming Dreams is offering these free in the eBooks Section: Medea's Children by Lee Moan.  Download the PDF version here
http://www.screamingdreams.com/ebooks/MedeasChildren.pdf or view the 'Flip Book' version here
http://issuu.com/ScreamingDreams/docs/medeaschildren?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Fdark%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true  The latest issue of the Estronomicon eZine is now online. Fiction by Paul Kane, Jane Frank, Paul Edwards, Bob Lock, Ian Cordingley, Matt Finucane, John T. Carney and Glenn Stuart. Plus artwork showcase and cover tutorial by Michel Bohbot.

Spacesuits and Sixguns is a dead market.

 

Trunk Novels is a dead market.

Side Show 2: Tales of the Big Top and the Bizarre, a new trade paperback scheduled for publication in January or February 2010,  remains wide open to submissions.

Bram Stoker Award Winners

 

The Horror Writers Association announced the winners of the 2008 Bram Stoker Awards (awarded in 2009 for works released in 2008). Congratulations to all of winners of this year’s award.

• Superior Achievement in a Novel: Duma Key by Stephen King (Scribner)
• Superior Achievement in a First Novel: The gentling Box by Lisa Mannetti (Dark Hart Press)
• Superior Achievement in a Long Fiction: Miranda by John R. Little (Bad Moon Books)
• Superior Achievement in a Short Fiction: “The Lost” by Sarah Langan (Cemetery Dance Publications)
• Superior Achievement in an Anthology: Unspeakable Horror, edited by Vince A. Liaguno and Chad Helder (Dark Scribe Press)
• Superior Achievement in a Collection: Just After Sunset by Stephen King (Scribner)
• Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction: A Hallowe’en Anthology by Lisa Morton (McFarland)
• Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection: The Nightmare Collection by Bruce Boston (Dark Regions Press)

 

The Midnight Library

 

 

Ephemeris: A Science Fiction Role-Playing Game
Created by J Alan Erwine and Joshua Kviz
Published by Nomadic Delirium Press
http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm

Due to be released in late July, Ephemeris is a new role playing game set in the very near future...

The year is 2185. The human race has gone to the stars, and found that they’re not alone. Local space is teeming with civilizations, some hostile, some friendly, and some indifferent. This is the universe of Ephemeris.

Ephemeris is a game of galactic trade and galactic conquest; of inter-species conflict and cooperation. Ephemeris is a science fiction role playing game. Here you will be able to take on the role of your favourite alien species and your favourite class. You will be able to trade, fight, negotiate, conquer, whatever you’d like to do with your fellow players. You can play the role of an Althani Trader, or maybe an Arbonix Cyber Wizard, or maybe even a Human Nanist. You can create a party made up entirely of one species and set out to upset the trade routes of a rival species. Or maybe you want to create a party with a variety of races that preys upon the trading routes of the various civilizations. Or maybe you want to explore the ancient ruins on long dead planets, ruins that clearly show that there were other species roaming the spaceways in the past…but where are they now? You can fight in great wars, negotiate grand peace treaties, and explore
sections of the galaxy that no sentient has ever explored. Or maybe your party has joined with one of the interplanetary corporations; corporations whose motives are never entirely clear. These are just some of the possibilities open to you. The universe of Ephemeris is yours to do with as you please. What you now hold in your hands are the basic guidelines for the games. Here you’ll find the races, classes, abilities, skills, weapons, and ships that allow you to create your own Ephemeris universe.

Now, step inside for the greatest science fiction adventure you’ve ever been on…

 

Late Season

by Noah Copely

Published by NVH Publishing

http://nvhbooks.webs.com/apps/webstore

In the year's late season, Hell has come to Jalagee, West Virginia. The town's dead work alongside the living, filling tenuous business contracts for an energy starved planet. Black magic blankets the land and God has abandoned Jalagee's people. The pathway between dimensions is opened and the devil no longer waits to walk upon the world...

 

''Noah Copley's Late Season reads like a living nightmare that you will never wake up from. I was glued to it from the beginning. Noah Copley is going to be a force to be reckoned with within the horror fiction genre. ''

~Iron Dave / CEO NVF Magazine

 

''Late Season is a rural horror tale written in the grand tradition of Jack Finney’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Noah Copley’s writing style is so unsurpassed and individual that it is a pleasure to say that he is one of the finest writers I have ever come across. Late Season is the most imaginative and entertaining novel that I have read in years.''

~Horror Writer Glynn Barrass

 

Riders of the Mapinguari
by Gaddy Bergmann
Flying Pen Press
Available from http://www.flyingpenpress.com

Riders of the Mapinguari by Gaddy Bergmann is the final novel in The Feral World trilogy, a post-apocalyptic odyssey set 3,000 years in the future. Humanity has barely survived a near-extinction-level event – the collision of a major asteroid with Earth in the middle of the Twenty-First Century.

Riders of the Mapinguari takes The Feral World in a radically new direction. Blake and his friends have traveled through the Great Plains and are living peacefully in the Warmland, when they are attacked by an enemy quite unlike any they have ever faced before: the Terran army. Poised to conquer the Warmland, the Terrans not only greatly outnumber the natives, but they also have hundreds of mapinguari – giant beasts that can overpower anyone who would oppose them. Blake and his people must face them, though, if they hope to save not only themselves, but the entire Warmland.

The Feral World trilogy is unique in offering an optimistic view of post-apocalyptic society, which has come to consist of local tribes that depend on hunting and gathering. Gaddy Bergmann lives in Denver. He is an ecologist and zoologist, and he carefully crafted a world where the biosphere develops naturally in the absence of humanity’s misguided management of the planet.

Strange Vegetables
by G. O. Clark
Cover art by Wayne Miller
Interior collage art by G. O. Clark

Available from http://www.darkregions.com

Harpo Marx's pockets. The truth about crop circles. Bizarre job opportunities. A robot poet. A flashback to the Sixties. Within the cornucopia that is Strange Vegetables you will find these and other speculations on things scientific and fantastical, real and surreal, complete with a special garnish here and there to illuminate a poem.

 

Strange Vegetables is a new collection of thirty-one poems and six collage illustrations by G. O. Clark, author of Mortician's Tea, a new release by Sam’s Dot Publishing.

 

Praise for Strange Vegetables:

"With brevity, wit, and a dash of the surreal, the poems in G.O. Clark's Strange Vegetables serve up snapshots of diverse speculative scenarios -- at times profound in their insight, often strange in their imagination, always entertaining!"

 

~ Bruce Boston, Bram Stoker Award author of Pitchblende and Shades Fantastic

"I've enjoyed Clark's amazing poetry for over a decade, and this collection holds some of my top favourites and many new ones. These poems are all Strange Vegetables, diverse morsels, dark and light from Clark's personal garden of verse."

 

~Marge Simon, Bram Stoker Award winning poet, Vectors, A week in the Death of a Planet.

"Strange Vegetables is a wok full of steamed whimsy. Venerable poet G. O. Clark's playful verse induces a smile on every page, punctuated with the occasional shock of melancholy recognition or an urgent, earnest tug on the heartstrings."

 

~Mike Allen, award winning author of The Journey to Kailash.

 

Writers Workshop of Horror

Available from Woodland Press on August 1, 2009

"A good story connects to the reader on both an emotional and intellectual level. In the case of horror, the emotional and intellectual level is somewhere in the dark recesses of the heart and mind."

~Elizabeth Massie

 

Congratulations. You have discovered the ultimate book for writers who earnestly want to improve their own abilities. Writers Workshop of Horror includes an unparalleled list of teachers, all experts in their fields of endeavour. Woodland Press assembled a dream team of writers, editors and professionals for this special project. We then brought in local author Michael Knost as editor. The result is nothing short of spectacular.

It focuses solely on honing the craft of writing. You won’t find anything in the pages of this volume on marketing, promotions, or submission tips. That’s another book for another time. What you will find is solid advice—from professionals of every publishing level—on how to improve your writing.

Although this project is centered on writing horror and/or dark fiction, the principles and advice inside this book will transcend all genres and all forms of writing. It doesn’t matter if you write romance, science fiction, western, mysteries, fantasy, or memoirs, you will richly benefit from the information, ultimately improving your craft by bringing polished elements of horror, fear, anxiety, or dread to your work when needed.

Here's to creating better nightmares.

 

"I have to admit—in spite of my involvement—this is one of the best writing books I have ever read. It is 100% focused on the craft itself." ~Michael Knost, editor

 

Available from Woodland Press on August 1, 2009

Pre-order it here: http://writersworkshopofhorror.com/monteleone

 

Sam’s Dot Publishing Update

by Tyree Campbell

 

The Summer of Sam's Dot

 

Fun! Travel! Adventure!

 

No, this isn't a U.S. Army recruiting drive. Instead, we're inviting you to immerse yourself in the worlds of the improbable, the possible, the heroic, the curious: the worlds of science fiction and fantasy, which you can find in Sam's Dot Publishing's books and magazines. Here's what we have for July.

 

VEIL OF WHISPERS, BY DANA M. BAIRD

 

Last year we published Baird's novel The Spell Keeper. Veil of Whispers is the second novel in The Spell Keeper Legends. In the city of Burken there are those still loyal to the former regime that terrorized the country for years. Now, with the city's two largest celebrations approaching, citizens are disappearing from the streets. There are rumours of a growing cult, intent on the destruction of the city and the Crown itself.

 

It all starts with a boat ablaze on a flooding river . . . and two apprentices who find a mysterious survivor.

 

But the cult hasn't reckoned on Cassie, the keeper of the spells. She's back: older, wiser, and hotter! And she has a sword that says so!

 

Remember the old saying about the manure and the wind farm? In Veil of Whispers, they're about to collide.

 

Here's the ordering link. Click away!

 

 

DRABBLER #14: WHEN GENETIC EXPERIMENTS GO BAD

 

You know the drill about The Drabbler. This is the 14th instalment, the best of the 14th contest, the theme for which was "When Genetic Experiments Go Bad." As always, the interpretation of the theme was left to the writers. Come see what they did. And check out the cover by Scott Virtes. Was he spot-on or what?

 

Got yer clicker handy?

 

 

BEYOND CENTAURI -- JULY 2009 -- 7TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

 

There are some fine adventures in this issue of Beyond Centauri, including "A House Dying," by Lenora Rain-Lee Good; "A Bird Too Bizarre," by B. J. Blanks, and Sanctuary, by Simon Fill. This issue also features a Space Monkey adventure by John Bushore, a Rusty the Robot Holiday Adventure by Sherry Decker and Michael McCarty, and another page of a writer's travel notebook by Sylvan Bree Baker, who introduces some spooky places in Corfu. Artistically we welcome a cover by Garret DeChellis, "The Guardians."

 

 

MY ADVENTURES AS BROTHER RAT BY LIN YAO, DOWAGER QUEEN, LAND OF FIVE DRAGONS, BY LENORA RAIN-LEE GOOD

 

Yes, I know that's a long title. Just think of it as BROTHER RAT, which is what I do. Under any title, though, this is still a great novel. Think "Mulan," if you will. It takes place in ancient China, a tale about a girl who passes herself off as a boy. Sherry Decker, co-author of the Rusty the Robot stories, says, ". . . a mesmerizing tale of an orphaned Chinese girl who quickly learns she stands a better chance of survival disguised as a boy, and adopts the nickname Brother Rat. Over the years she excels in many incarnations, as soldier, horse trainer, healer, and as tactful ambassador. Dressed as a beautiful young woman she attracts and marries a prince. Her adventures as his queen are both noble and daring. Brother Rat risks all for the lives of the kingdom and becomes a living legend. This is an exciting, epic story . . . once begun, it cannot be put down."

 

To avoid putting it down, of course, you first have to pick it up. Here's how to do that.

 

 

WINTER, BY RICK NOVY

 

Humans return to Earth after 20,000 years of time dilation [See Einstein, Albert]. Cities are rubble. The Golden Gate Bridge is a pile of scrap metal. Hodges thinks he's going home. Yutiko, the winged alien, wishes he was going back home, for this is not the Earth he was promised. Earth has changed, yes, and the more things change . . .

 

Winter also includes the short story "The Adjoa Gambit," about the risks of gambling with the conquering aliens.

 

Cool tales, both of them. You know where to click.

 

 

WONDROUS WEB WORLDS 8

 

Yes, it's here at long last. The very best stories and poems from Sam's Dot in 2007, assembled together in an inexpensive trade paperback. Some of the finest names in genre fiction are in this one, including David Lee Summers, Edward Cox, John Bushore, Matthew Keville, Marva Dasef, David Kopaska-Merkel . . . come visit their worlds.

 

 

THE 15TH SAM'S DOT DRABBLE CONTEST

 

. . . is now open for submissions. Please read the guidelines--they'll tell you everything you need to know. Just click on http://www.samsdotpublishing.com/drabbler/main.htm for details.

 

OUR THIRD LIMERICKS COLLECTION IS OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS

 

Yes, you read that right. We're going to do another limericks collection, because we've sold out of the other two. As of this writing [21 June 2009], we have not decided on a suitable title, but hopefully we'll have one by the time you click on the link to the guidelines. Basically, we'd like to see limericks that are original, sf/f oriented, intricately-designed, and racy/risque/bawdy . . . otherwise, what's the point?

 

Editors this time around are Scott Virtes, Karen L. Newman, and Terrie Leigh Relf, aka Zippo, Harpo, and 3PO. Come have some fun. Here's the guidelines link: http://www.samsdotpublishing.com/guidelines.htm.

UPDATED PUBLISHING SCHEDULE

 

August 2009

 

The Book of Styx, a poetry collection by C. M. Mattison [this collection will actually be available in mid-July]

 

The Book of Tentacles, edited by Scott Virtes and Ed Cox.

 

September 2009

 

Infradead: Tales of Human Extinction, edited by Scott Virtes, J Alan Erwine, and Tyree Campbell [tentative date]

 

October 2009

 

Cyborg Chimera, a collection of poetry by Shelly Bryant

 

 

Alternative Coordinates

Pays 1.5 Cents/Word

 

Alternative Coordinates is always looking for original stories in the genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and Speculative Fiction.

 

Science Fiction can include, but is not limited to hard sci-fi, space opera and space adventure, alternative history, time travel, aliens, genetic experiments and… well, you get the idea.

 

Fantasy can include heroic fantasy, magic, witchcraft, mythological creatures, vampires, fairy tales or contemporary fantasy.

 

Horror should lean more to the supernatural or genetic mutation side. We aren’t really interested in axe murders or gory blood fests.

 

And Speculative Fiction can be any story that asks the question “what if.”

The philosophy fueling Alternative Coordinates is one of positive human development. This could mean many things, from a story far in the future in which humankind has learn to live in peace to a cautionary “what if” tale about a human-kind that can't learn to live in peace. A story could affect only an individual or an entire community. The possibilities are endless.

 

Please keep in mind that Alternative Coordinates is intended for readers of all ages and stories featuring gratuitous violence, sex or profanity will not be considered for publication. Generally speaking, anything that would earn a movie an R-rating should be excluded from your stories when submitting to Alternative Coordinates.

 

We pay 1.5 cents a word up to 5000 words and 1 cents a word thereafter.

With this payment we buy the exclusive rights for your story for one year. After one year from the stories publication date, we will retain non-exclusive rights for online publication. Simply put, for one year, you cannot sell your story to any other publication, online or other, or allow your story to be duplicated in any way. After one year, you may do as you please with your story, and AC retains non-exclusive rights to keep the story online, in it's original AC issue, forever.

 

We may be interested in publishing your story in another format or developing it into an audio story or audio drama. In this situation, we will contact you with a new contract and additional payment for the right to use your story.

 

Submissions are accepted by email only. Due to the large number of submissions, please wait at least three months from the time of your submission before expecting a response. Because of the time involved in reviewing submissions, we at AC encourage writers to submit to multiple publishers. Please let us know immediately if your story has been accepted. Please submit one story at a time.

 

If you are ready to submit a story, please do so using the following instructions:

 

ONE:
Email your submission to: submissions@ac-mag.com
Include in the subject line: AC story submission

 

TWO:
Include your name, street address, phone number and email address in both the manuscript and in the email. Manuscripts without this information will not be read.

THREE:
Format your story in the Proper Manuscript Format. Sample coming soon.

 

FOUR:
Attach your story in one of the following formats: MS Word (.doc), Rich Text Format (.rtf), or as a Text File (.txt)

 

Although it is not necessary, we recommend that you also submit your story for copyright. This step will help ensure the protection of your property and only costs $45.00 per story. You can find submission forms and all the information you need to register your work at the following links:

 

United States Copyright Office:
http://www.copyright.gov/

Register Literary Works at the United States
Copyright Office:
http://www.copyright.gov/register/literary.html

 

 

 

Beneath Ceaseless Skies

Pays 5 Cents/Word

 

Beneath Ceaseless Skies publishes "literary adventure fantasy": stories with a secondary-world setting and some traditional or classic fantasy feel, but written with a literary flair.

 

Secondary-World Setting: We want stories set in what Tolkien called a "secondary world": some other world that is different from our own primary world in some way. It could be different in terms of zoology (non-human creatures), ecology (climate), or physical laws (the presence of magic). It could be set on Earth but an Earth different from our primary world in terms of time (the historical past) or history (alternate history). It could have a "pre-tech" level of technology, or steampunk technology, or magic as technology, or anything else that's not advanced or modern technology. However, the setting should contain some element that is in some way fantastical.

 

The inhabitants of this secondary world should have developed their own culture in response to the uniqueness of their world. The characters should fit this culture, and the qualities of the secondary world should have some bearing on the plot.

 

We are not interested in urban fantasy or other types of stories set in the "real world," even if they contain fantasy elements.

 

Plot: We strongly prefer stories that have some plot. It can be external, in the character's surroundings, or it can be internal to the character, or it can be both. We are not interested in stories that meander between external events or internal emotions with no causality and therefore do not have any trace of a conventional-type plot.

 

Characters: We prefer stories that focus on the characters. We strongly prefer characters who yearn for something, external or internal, and feel driven to attain it. Our favourite characters are "round characters": ones who grow and change over the course of a story instead of remaining the same.

 

Literary Elements: We love modern literary devices like tight points-of-view, non-linear narratives, unreliable narrators, and ambiguous endings, so long as they fit that particular story. Our favourite literary device is round characters, who grow or change over the course of the story.

 

Narrative Style: We prefer styles that are literary but readable. We love gorgeous, poetic prose, but in genre fiction it's vital that the style be clear enough so the reader can understand what's happening. Our favourite prose styles are lush but still clear.

 

We have a preference for limited points-of-view, either first-person or third-person, because we find it harder for a story to get deep inside a character's head from an omniscient point-of-view. We find present tense often pretentious and second-person point-of-view always annoying.

 

We know grammar rules, such as which types of clauses should have commas between them and which types should not. We respect the author's freedom to bend the rules as suits their story. However, be forewarned that repeated ignorance of grammatical principles for no apparent artistic reason will make a manuscript look unprofessional to us.

 

Originality: We prefer stories that are as original as possible, particularly in the setting. We are unlikely to enjoy stories featuring elements we have seen repeatedly, such as elves or barbarian swordsmen or a quest to save the world from an evil overlord, unless they present that element in a unique new way.

 

Extreme Content: We prefer that graphic sex and violence not escalate beyond the level of an R-rated movie. We also insist that sex and sadistic violence not be acted upon children.

 

Fairy Tales / Myths: We usually find that fairy tale-style or myth-style narratives don't provide a gritty or immediate enough perspective to make us feel the texture of the secondary world or the direness of the protagonist's struggle. Any fairy tale-type or myth-type story probably isn't right for us.

 

Science Fiction: We aren't interested in science fiction; it's just not what we prefer to read. Any story with advanced technology or esoteric scientific concepts isn't right for us.

 

Science Fantasy: We do think there's common ground between fantasy and so-called "science fantasy," as some readers consider Dune because it focuses on secondary-world setting and culture rather than on advanced technology. For a detailed explanation of what science fantasy elements we are and aren't interested in, read this thread on the BCS Forums.

 

Steampunk / Smoke & Sorcery / Weird West / Six guns & Sorcery / Etc.: In addition to fantasy, we also enjoy stories set in other types of secondary world that likewise don't have modern technology, including steampunk, smoke & sorcery, weird West, six guns & sorcery, etc. Feel free to send us anything that you think might fit.

 

Humour and Satire: We don't mind humorous stories, but we have a very dry sense of humour. We love wry satire, but we rarely enjoy slapstick or puns. We aren't planning to publish much humour, but if you have a dry satire that hits us just right . . .

 

Length and Policies

 

We prefer stories under 10,000 words. We will consider stories over that length, but the longer a story is, the better it must be to hold our attention.

We are not interested in reprints (stories that have previously appeared anywhere in print or online, including on a personal website or blog).

We do not accept multiple submissions (more than one story submitted at a time). Please wait until you have received a reply to your submission before sending another.

 

We DO accept simultaneous submissions (stories that are currently under submission to another market), but ONLY if you state in your cover letter that your submission is simultaneous, and ONLY if you notify us IMMEDIATELY when another market accepts your story. We accept simultaneous submissions as a favor to writers because we know that response times can be long, but if people abuse this policy, we will rescind it.

 

Acceptances, Payment, and Rights

 

All accepted manuscripts will be line-edited for grammar, punctuation, and clarity. The author will have the opportunity to review and discuss all of these edits. However, we do insist on a high proficiency of grammar and clarity in our magazine. Payment will be made after receipt of the final, line-edited manuscript.

 

For standard acceptances, we pay 5 cents US per word, which is professional rate as defined by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). For this payment, we purchase the following rights:

 

First World Serial Rights
First World Electronic Rights
An Option to buy Non-Exclusive World Anthology Rights
An Exclusive Period to buy Limited-Time Exclusive Audio Rights

 

This means that our payment buys the rights to publish your story on the Beneath Ceaseless Skies website, as well as the option, at our choice, to pay you again at the reprint rate specified in the original contract (usually 2 cents per word) to reprint your story in any future anthology of stories from Beneath Ceaseless Skies and distribute that anthology anywhere in the world. It also gives us a time period during which we have the exclusive option, at our choice, to buy limited-time audio rights to your story, at the rate specified in the original contract (usually 1 cent per word), and podcast your story from the Beneath Ceaseless Skies website.

 

You can't publish that story as a first-run or "new" story anywhere else in the world, and you can't have it appear anywhere else, in print or online or as audio, before or for ninety days after we publish it. But after that you can have it reprinted online and/or in a reprint magazine and/or in any reprint anthology, like one of the many Year's Best collections.

 

You also can't sell the audio rights to anyone else for ninety days after we publish the story. And if during those ninety days we buy the audio rights from you, you can't have the story appear in audio form anywhere else before or for ninety days after we podcast it. But after that you can resell the audio rights, including to one of the many fiction podcast websites.

We also hope that you will let us keep the story in our online archives after ninety days.

 

How to Submit

 

Format: Format your manuscript in Standard Manuscript Format. If you don't know what that is, look it up. If you deviate from this in more than a few ways, your story will look unprofessional to us before we've read the first word.

 

Include your name, address, and email on the first page, and a running header with your last name, the title, and page number at the top of every subsequent page.

 

Cover Letters: We do prefer a short cover letter with every submission. Type it into the body of your email. Mention the title of your story in case the attachment gets lost. List the best one or two fiction sales you have and/or mention any writing workshops you have attended. TELL US if this is a simultaneous submission. DO NOT give a synopsis or summary of your story; we'll learn what it's about when we read it.

 

Attach your manuscript to an email as either a *.DOC MS Word document file or a *.RTF rich-text-format file. If you can't get either of these to work, you may paste the text of your manuscript into the body of your email. DO NOT send a *.DOCX file (the default format that Word 2007 uses); we can't open those files.

 

Send your email to submissions [AT] beneath-ceaseless-skies [DOT] com. Use the subject line Submission: (the title of your story).

 

IMPORTANT: your subject line MUST include the word "Submission" or our spam filter will delete your email.

 

Our Process and Response Times

 

You should receive our email auto-reply within 24 hours after sending your submission.

 

If you don't, check your spam filter to be sure it didn't get caught there. Then make sure your subject line starts with Submission so our filter won't delete your email and send your story again. If you still don't receive the auto-reply 24 hours after that, query using the email form on our Contact page. We will get back to you as soon as we can.

 

Response Times: Our response times are currently averaging 3-5 weeks, occasionally as long as 6-7 weeks. To keep writers informed on our reading progress, we will post periodic Slush Updates in the Submissions Status section of our online forums. If we announce that we've replied to all submissions emailed before a certain date, but you sent yours before that date (and received our auto-reply confirming that it arrived), feel free to query us using the email form on our Contact page.

 

Please do not query if we haven't announced that we've replied to all submissions up to the date you sent yours. Any time that we spend answering extra queries is time we can't spend reading submissions or posting Slush Updates.

 

All rejections and acceptances will be notified by email.

 

Artwork

 

We only buy a few pieces of artwork a year, so we don't take submissions of artwork. But we are interested in names of artists and links to their online portfolios, so that when we are ready to buy art, we can check out their work. If you're an artist and would like us to put your name and portfolio on our list to check out the next time we're looking for artwork, feel free to send us your information using our Contact page.

 

Questions?

 

If you have any questions or comments about these Submission guidelines, feel free to post in our online forums

beneath-ceaseless-skies.com

 

Birkensnake

Pays One Cent/Word

 

We're looking for narrative and quasi-narrative work that creates its own logic. We'd like to see narrative taken apart and then reassembled into something almost, but not quite, what it was before. If the story gets sort of broken in the process, that's okay with us. Werewolves and the like are also okay with us, but not required. We prefer stories that make us feel alive over stories that make us feel dead. Kafka says fiction should be an ice-axe to break the frozen sea within us. He is likely correct with regard to fiction published on the European continent; here in the Americas, we prefer to think of fiction as an ice-twibill for carving frozen-sea igloos under the surface of the frozen sea. There are pelicans down there, making delicious Erdbeer Käsekuchen Eis. They speak, but only in verse.

 

Please do not send us verse.

 

We encourage simultaneous submissions; just let us know if someone else is publishing you in a speedier fashion.

 

Only one story at a time please. No e-mail submissions. Please include a SASE, or else include an e-mail address and we will respond by e-mail, even though you cannot submit by e-mail. The total word count of the issue will probably be about 20,000, so if you send us something longer than that we will have difficulty publishing it; aside from that restriction, we're open to work of any length. We will pay for stories we publish, though it won't be much. We buy First North American Serial Rights. Response time should be less than two months.

 

Birkensnake

120 Messer Street

Providence, RI 02909-1934

United States of America

 

Questions etc. (but no submissions) to birkensnake@birkensnake.com

 

 

Broken Pencil

Pays a Minimum of $30/Story

 

So you want to submit fiction to Broken Pencil.

 

Great! We'd love to see it. As an Associate Fiction Editor -- the first line of defense, charged with the task of assuring that only the very best of the submissions get through to the next level -- I'm going to be reading what you write, therefore it's probably in your best interest, as a writer, to know what we're looking for and what we're not looking for, so that your story will have its best face on when it gets to us. So pay close attention!

 

Email Only:

 

We're no longer going to be accepting fiction submissions by snail mail; it just gets too overwhelming. So email your story to fiction@brokenpencil.com instead. You'll save on stamps and we'll save on Band-Aids from all the paper cuts. Everyone wins! And when you're sending your story, it's best to format the subject line of the email like so: "Fiction Submission -- 'Story Title'".

 

Format:

 

Your story has got to be between 50 and 3,000 words. Unless it's really, really good. But don't count on that. We've published longer stories, but rarely; if it's over that word limit, you're seriously harming your chances of getting it printed. If you're trying to decide between sending us a shorter story and a longer story, the shorter story is your best bet, unless the longer story is really fantastic. It's your call.

 

In the body of the email, all you need is your name, contact info, story title and word count, and a short bio. Please send the story itself as an attachment in Microsoft Word format, not in the body of the email. Your name, the title of the story, and approximate word-count should also be written at the top of at least the first page of the story, if not on every page. My favourite font size and style is 12-point Times New Roman. It's just easiest on my eyes. Courier is fine too. And for God's sake, double-space. Oh, and this is very important: be sure that you actually attach the file when you send the email. Seriously. It's happened more than once that I've got an email ostensibly submitting a story to us, but there's just no story there. That's disappointing for me, and detrimental to your literary dreams, so be scrupulous in reviewing your email before you click "Send."

 

Publishing History:

 

Weirdly, I've found that the submissions that come from people who mention that they've already been published a lot elsewhere tend to be, on the average, less good than the ones that come from writers who don't mention any previous publishing history. I'm really not sure what that's about. Maybe it's just that our tastes at Broken Pencil are more outside the mainstream -- well, there's no "maybe" about that, actually, our tastes are outside the mainstream. That's sort of our whole deal. But still, it's not easy to get published even in the non-alternative media. So it's kind of puzzling. That's not to say you shouldn't mention your publishing history in your bio, if you have one; if your story is good, then it's good, and knowing that you have or haven't been published elsewhere doesn't affect my decision one way or the other. Maybe all the best of you are just too modest to let us know your last story was printed in the New Yorker's "New and Brilliant Writers of the Twenty-First Century" issue. That's cool. I understand. But at the same time, we're looking for exciting new voices just as much as more established ones. If you haven't been published anywhere else before, don't worry. We can be your first.

 

The Waiting Game:

 

If it seems to take forever to hear back from us, it's usually because I go through every story in that crop of submissions before I make a decision about any of them. It's sometimes also because I feel like such an asshole for having to send you a rejection and I'm trying to summon the inner strength necessary to tell you that the little slice of your soul that you carved off and emailed to us isn't quite what we're looking for. I don't like crushing people's spirits. I write too. We're sensitive people. I know how upsetting a rejection can be. I've got a drawer full of them in my bedroom, right next to all the empty bottles of Bombay Sapphire. Anyway, you can expect to wait 6-8 months before hearing from us. Please don't email us asking for an update on the status of your story unless 8 months have passed and you haven't heard from us.

 

Dealing With Rejection:

 

If you get a rejection, please don't take it personally. It's probably not because your story sucks. I've read a lot of submissions, and only a small handful have been genuinely bad. I evaluate stories on a scale of one to ten. Anything that scores an 8.5 or above -- and, admittedly, this is an utterly subjective judgment so you can totally blame my lame, bourgeois taste if you don't get accepted -- gets the green light from me and moves up to the next editorial level, to Hal the Fiction Editor, who makes the final decision. Most of the stories I've read from you guys tend to be in the 7-8 range, which is surprisingly high for unsolicited submissions. Very few are lower than 7; most of you who are submitting to us are already pretty good and confident writers, which makes it that much harder to choose. We only publish a few stories per year in the mag, so we only have space for the very best of the best. That said, I also haven't yet had a Perfect 10 cross my path. A couple have come really close. If your story is that elusive Perfect 10, submit it right now. I can't wait to read it.

 

Dealing With Acceptance:

 

But some of you are going to impress us enough with your talent that we'll want to publish your story in the magazine. We have very limited space in the physical magazine for fiction, so even if we decide to run your story you might have to wait a long time to see it in print. However, in addition to the magazine we're also going to be putting original fiction up on the website as Online Exclusives. This means that we'll be increasing the number of stories we can accept per issue. When we contact you that your story has been accepted, we'll let you know whether it will be coming out in the print magazine or on the website in the Online Fiction Section, as well as asking for any additional info and permissions we'll need from you. We pay a minimum of $30 for a story that we publish in the magazine -- more, if we can afford it at the time -- but unfortunately we can't pay for any story that gets accepted as an Online Exclusive just now.

 

Make Your Story Shine:

 

What it comes down to is, your story needs to be not only awesome but also fit the style and theme of Broken Pencil. We like it weird. We want it to mean something -- if we can see that it meant something to you when you wrote it, then it's going to mean something to us when we read it. We want to taste your blood on the page. We want your story to hurt us when we read it, we want to see that it hurt you to write it; we're a bit sadomasochistic in our literary tastes here at BP, apparently. Maybe that's why we take such perverse pleasure in encouraging all you writers out there to take a chance and submit to us at this email address fiction@brokenpencil.com 

 

 

Dark Faith: The Mo*Con Anthology

Pays Five Cents/Word

Deadline is November 1, 2009

Below are the submission guidelines for the forthcoming Mo*Con anthology to be published by Apex books in conjunction with Mo*Con V (summer 2010).

First, all the stuff you really care about: Pays 5 cents per word up to 5,000 words. Deadline is November 1st. Reading period opens June 1st. Payment on acceptance.

If you’re unfamiliar with Mo*Con, you’ll be operating from an extreme disadvantage. It’s the annual horror convention, named after myself, that revolves around discussions of spirituality, writing, and social issues. Horror, too often, has been thought of as the non-thinking genre, home of the “monsters in the dark” with little to offer in terms of depth. Mo*Con defies that image of the genre. Its themes so far have covered spirituality, race, gender issues, art, and love.

So what am I looking for? Smart, literate stories that fit in with any of the themes of Mo*Con. Horror/dark fantasy stories with depth, that stretch the genre. Stories that make you think, that comment on the human condition and the social order. Stories that are rich in their language use. However, a s much as I love social commentary, don’t forget to entertain me. You should also note that about half of the anthology has already been filled with solicited pieces.

Obviously, this being a Mo*Con anthology, having attended, supported, or participated at a Mo*Con gives you a leg up in the submission process. (I will have special affection for you and your story … and it will especially hurt if I have to reject it). Of course it may not seem fair. So when you set yourself up as “King For A Day” and edit your own anthology, you can make the rules as fair or arbitrary as possible. Be glad I don’t have you submit your stories with an accompanying picture of you wearing a stork thong or your cover letters written as pirates.

Please include a cover letter with your submission - even if I know you, even if you're a regular at Mo*Con. Please send no more than one submission at a time. No reprints.

*My policy on simultaneous submissions: I'd send the same story to 5 markets and first come first serve if I could get away with it, so I won't begrudge anyone else. I snooze, I lose.*

*Due to the overwhelming response, Jerry Gordon has been recruited as the assistant editor on this project. This way we can continue to give speedy responses to your stories.*

All submissions must be emailed as a RTF file to Maurice Broaddus at MoConAntho@gmail.com 

 

Dog Oil Press

Pays $10 for Humorous Stories Under 981 Words

 

Dog Oil Press only publishes humour. Please do not send anything that's not funny.

Please do not send attachments.

All submissions must be 981 words or less.

 

Q: What's an FAQ?
A: Don't be a smart ass.

 

Q: What is Dog Oil Press?
A: A web-based publication that showcases a short work of dark humor each and every Saturday - except when it doesn't.

 

Q: Does the World Wild Interweb really need to be cluttered with yet another rinky-dink web-based publication?
A: Buzz off.

 

Q: What's with the name?
A: Nosey, aren't you? If you must know, it's taken from Oil of Dog, a short story by Ambrose Bierce.

Q: What is dark or black humor?
A: What's it to you? Wikipedia, ultimate arbiter of all things in the human experience, calls black comedy "a sub-genre of comedy and satire in which topics and events that are usually regarded as taboo are treated in a satirical or humorous manner while retaining its seriousness." Fair enough. More of that here. For a great example of the form, check out the story mentioned above, one of a quartet by Bierce known as The Parenticide Club. Or try The Anthology of Black Humor. Or don't, if you don't want to.

 

Q: What type of submissions are you looking for?
A: Funny - first and foremost. If it's not funny, don't send it. Really. It should also be in line with the somewhat nebulous criteria for dark humor, as discussed above. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry - or whatever. 981 words or less (yes, including the title).

Q: What about naughty words and/or racy and/or offensive content?
A: Given the nature of dark humor, it's likely that it will tend toward being at least a bit offensive. If the racy/naughty junk is absolutely integral to the piece, bring it on. But it's probably not.

 

Q: Is this a paying publication?
A: Barely. The fee for published pieces is $10 (payable only by PayPal) for first rights, as well as the right to archive the piece at the Web site. A paltry sum, but surely better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

Q: Where should I send submissions?
A: Anywhere you want. But if you'd like them to be considered for publication in Dog Oil Press, they must be sent as plain text in the body of an email (no attachments) to submit [at] dogoilpress.com.

Q: Is guava a doughnut?
A: Go away.

Etchings

Contributors are paid $75 Australian and One Contributor's Copy

Buys Literary Fiction, Poetry, Personal & Creative Essays, Photography, and Art, but is presently closed to Poetry Submissions

 

Issues of Etchings are themed. The themes are intended as starting points only, and they can be interpreted in many different ways.

 

We also accept works which do not fit a theme. However, most space is allocated to themed work, so we encourage writers and artists to submit at least one piece that fits a theme.

 

We are currently inviting submissions of fiction, personal & creative essays, poetry, art, and photography for the following issues:

 

Issue 9: Love and Something

 

Love is never simple, or so it goes. There has always been a proviso. Something resting in between Love. Something that sits distantly and observes Love. Something that makes Love. Something that destroys Love. Something that defines Love.

 

Love can exist in symmetry. Love may be intrinsic. Love can be used hypothetically. And Love can be totally exasperating. Some say, Love is a drug. While others are certain that Love defies ... something.

 

Love and something.
There's something about love.

 

Deadline: 15 August 2009

 

Before submitting, please read the submission guidelines below. This will ensure your submission will get to us the correct way. Please note that electronic submissions without a cover letter will be deleted without viewing.

 

Guidelines

 

We accept submissions of all styles of literary fiction, poetry, personal & creative essays, photography, and art.

 

All unsolicited submissions must be unpublished. Please send us only your best and polished work.

 

Submit written work in hard-copy, standard format: typed, double-spaced, and one-sided on A4 or letter size paper. Photographs and artwork should be posted as an A4 or letter size copy (greyscale or colour), preferably a laser print. Each piece should be accompanied by the following information: title, date, size of original work, and media used.

 

We also accept electronic submissions, particularly from overseas contributors. Format: RTF for writing, and 300 dpi for images (JPG preferred).

 

All accepted work will need to be submitted in electronic format: RTF or PDF for writing, and 300 dpi for images (JPG preferred).

 

Please limit submissions to three prose pieces (max 5000 words per piece), or three images. Poetry submissions should include at least three, but no more than six poems.

 

Include a covering letter with your name, email address, phone number, postal address, and a short biography. If sending electronic submissions, include your cover letter as the first page of your submission, and NOT just in the text of your email.

 

Please do not send your only or original copy; we cannot be responsible for the loss or non-arrival of submissions.

 

Submissions will not be returned. Notification will be by email. If you require notification by post, please include a SSAE with sufficient Australian postage or International Reply Coupons.

 

Individual copyright remains with the author.

 

Contributors are paid AU$75 and receive one copy of the issue they appear in. (For poetry, this fee covers three to five pages of poems; a fee of AU35 is paid for poems up to two pages.) Please note: Australian contributors are paid by cheque. International contributors are paid via PayPal secure payment services (for assurance and to save on high bank transaction fees often incurred at both ends). Ilura Press will cover the PayPal transaction fee to ensure that contributors receive their full AU$75 payment.

 

Email electronic submissions to: etchings@ilurapress.com

Due to excessive spam, this email address is no longer automatically linked.
Please copy and paste the address into your mail browser.

Send hard-copy submissions to:

ETCHINGS
ILURA PRESS
PO Box 680
Elsternwick VIC 3185
Australia

 

Flash Fiction

Pays $50/Story

(500 to 1,000 Words)

 

What We Look For

 

We publish stories from 500 to 1,000 words in length. We look for previously unpublished material, with the exception of our Classic Flash selections. (Classic Flash stories are old: the copyright must have expired on them. If you would like to recommend one, please email the editor.)

They’re very short, but they are still stories. That means the best ones have strong, interesting characters, plots, and (to some extent, at least) settings. You can read more about this aspect of what we’re interested in here.

We’re not that concerned about genre. Many of us, including the editor, have a fondness for science fiction and fantasy, but great flash stories aren’t always easily classified. If you wrote it, and you love it, then submit it.

We want our publication to be accessible to a variety of ages—my teenaged son reads it, for example—so please, no erotica, porn, or graphic sex or violence. Think Law and Order: Special Victims Unit or Criminal Minds on TV: they handle horrific situations, but always obliquely enough to be shown on TV—and for the most part, you never notice that the graphic elements aren’t shown. But sex is also a part of life: if your story addresses sexual issues or contains non-graphic sexual content for a purpose, nobody on the editorial staff will be offended if you send it in. The worst we can do is say “no”, right?

 

In the same way, we won’t publish profanity. However, you don’t need to remove profanity to submit to us; just be prepared to modify it if we accept the story.

 

What To Send

 

We only publish stories consisting of 500-1,000 words. We know that writing flash is hard; authors can submit stories of up to 1,100 words. If we like the story, we’ll work with the author to cut the extra words. (If you submit a story of over 1,000 words, you’re giving Jake permission to cut it on his cutting blog, as a good exercise in writing concise prose, if it’s selected for publication.) If we can’t cut it to 1,000 words, we won’t publish the story.

 

Submissions with fewer than 500 or more than 1,100 words will be deleted unread and without acknowledgment.

 

At the moment, we only accept submissions by email. We accept Microsoft Word, rich text, and plain text attachments, as well as plain text in the body of an email.

 

Fonts, margins, and other formatting don’t matter and won’t be noticed, for better or for worse; your submission will be automatically reformatted upon opening. Only boldface, italics, and underlining will remain.

 

Please include contact information, either in your attached story or in your email. At a bare minimum we need your name and a phone number — sometimes email addresses change or our email may get caught in a spam filter.

 

We read every email we get, regardless of whether it’s exactly what we ask for or not; however, if you want to be nice to us, please do the following:

 

·        Subject line: Include the title and your last name. I’m not picky, but if your name were “Freivald” and your story’s title were “Artichokes and Cavalcades”, then something like
Freivald Submission: Artichokes and Cavalcades
would be fine. I (Jake) often have to search through my email folders to find a particular submission, and having these in the subject line makes that easier. (No, I’ve never written a story with that title. Ten unredeemable points to the person who submits the first story based on that title. [UPDATE: Jeff Wenker sent me the first story based on the title on 6/5/2008. We're figuring out what to do with it. He can redeem his ten points for, of course, absolutely nothing. Congratulations!])

·        Email body: Include the genre of your work. This will change which readers get a first look at your story. You don’t want someone who dislikes Westerns to read your Western flash. It won’t get a fair shake. If you aren’t sure about your submission, please visit our genre classification page.

·        Email body: Include significant qualifications if you like. They won’t necessarily make a difference, but I have to admit that as a reader I notice when someone says they’ve been published in Asimov’s, Glimmer Train, Woman’s Day, or another reputable publication, and as an editor of a fairly young Web zine I have my eye out for professional authors. New authors don’t suffer, though; before stories go to our staff readers, all identifying attributes are removed. Stories from new authors often get higher votes than stories from professionals. Read more about our reading process here.

·        Attachment: Only put your name on the first page. This means no headers or footers, and no “running header” with your name on every page. Yes, this is a deviation from standard short-story manuscript formatting, and I apologize for any extra effort you put in; but since we read everything anonymously, and since my scripts don’t handle headers or footers well, it’s easiest for me if you only have your name on the first page. Standard headings on the first page is fine, and under the title on the first page is fine, too.

If you do all this, it’s really just gravy for me (Jake), the editor. That means that if these guidelines confuse you, or if you don’t have time, or if you don’t care, it’s nothing to get worried about. When in doubt, send it out. I’ll cope with what I get, and it really won’t affect the reading process at all.

We accept multiple submissions (more than one story from you to us). We do not want simultaneous submissions (a story sent to us and other publications at the same time). We do not accept previously published works, unless the copyright has expired (for our “Classic Flash” series).

Still reading? Send your stories to submissions@flashfictiononline.com. You will receive an auto-response that will assure you that we’ve received it. If you do not receive the auto-response within a few minutes, please send your submission to Jake’s alter ego’s email, oliverhouse@gmail.com.

 

Response Times and Queries

Our response times currently range from 6–10 weeks.

To query, send an email to query@flashfictiononline.com.

 

Payment and Rights

A sample contract can be found on the website (PDF format).

We pay fifty dollars ($50) per story. This payment provides us with first electronic rights, including HTML, PDF, plain text, and MP3 (audio) formats. Distribution will be through this Web site and a variety of other electronic means — as of this writing, we expect podcast, email, and RSS. This only means that we can publish in those formats; once we publish in one format, the author can do what she wants. For example, if we publish in HTML only, and later the author wants to publish a PDF, she maintains that right. We still have the right to create a PDF ourselves, but we have no right to stop the author from republishing.

 

This payment also provides us with a non-exclusive one-time right to publish the stories in a hard copy anthology. No timelines have been identified for this project.

 

All other rights for the work remain with the author.

 

flash quake

Artists Guidelines

Offers a $50 prize to the artist whose work is featured in the issue

 

flashquake is an independent, quarterly, web-based publication that focuses on works of flash fiction, flash non-fiction (memoirs, essays, creative non-fiction, humour), short poetry and artwork.

 

Submission Guidelines for Photographs and Artwork:

 

We welcome submissions from photographers and artists. For each issue we will select a single artist to feature. We ask for one time publication rights and permission to archive the images on the site. We will consider previously published art as long as the artist has retained the rights. The artist/photographer will receive a CD copy of the issue in which the work appears. Artwork will be removed from the archive upon request of the artist.

 

Artwork/photographs should not be sexually explicit or violent. A $50 prize will be paid to the artist whose work is selected to be featured in each issue. Review our complete artwork guidelines carefully before submitting.

Send artwork in JPEG or GIF file format as an attachment to an e-mail message. Put "Art/Photo Submission" in the subject line, and provide the title of the work. Include your name, address, and e-mail address in the message portion of the e-mail together with a very brief biography (no more than 100 words), a short artist's statement (no more than 100 words) and information about the medium and size of the original work.

Send the artwork (and only artwork) attached to an e-mail addressed to rparisorama@gmail.com. Those artists selected for publication will be notified two weeks prior to publication date.

 

Artwork Submission Guidelines

 

flashquake is dedicated to providing a venue for aspiring and established artists in the Gallery section of each issue. We accept contributions of work in any "fine art" medium — painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, mixed media, clay, fiber and glass to name a few. We have no prescribed style and will consider both representational and abstract work.

We offer a $50 prize to the artist whose work is featured in the issue. We ask that the artist submit six pieces for review but should have additional pieces available if selected to be featured. The published artist will receive a CD copy of the issue in which her/his work appears. Our contributors have found the exposure in flashquake worthwhile. Requests about purchasing the artwork are forwarded to the artists and one of our exhibitors was recently interviewed by a national art magazine as a result of her participation in flashquake.

 

Permissions Sought

flashquake seeks the following permissions from our artists:

·        Permission to include your work in the issue of flashquake for which it was submitted;

·        Permission to include your work in our online archives after publication;

·        Permission to include your work in the CD version of flashquake which is awarded to contributors; and

·        Permission to include your submission in any future flashquake CD and/or print anthology.

flashquake requires one-time publication rights from the artist. Artwork selected for publication will remain on-line for three months and then be moved to the archives where it will remain indefinitely unless the artist specifically requests that it be removed. Beginning with our Fall 2003 issue, we have implemented a script which prohibits visitors from saving images displayed on flashquake's pages to their own computer.

 

The artist should include a short (100-word maximum) biography and a short statement of artistic philosophy (100-word maximum) with all submissions. The artist should supply the full name of each work, size and medium. We can provide links to an artist's web page upon request.

If the work has been previously published, we request that all information about publication history be included at the time of submission.

If the work is subsequently published in another venue, we ask that the publication in flashquake be acknowledged.

 

The artist supplying the work used on the cover will be notified shortly before the issue goes public. Our criteria for the cover art is based on general aesthetic considerations for the issue and does not mean that we regard that submission more highly than other work featured in the gallery.

 

HOW TO SUBMIT

PUBLICATION SCHEDULE

Fall Issue - to be published September 1

·        Submissions accepted June 1 to July 31

·        Contributor Notification Deadline - Around August 15

Winter Issue - to be published December 1

·        Submissions accepted September 1 to October 31

·        Contributor Notification Deadline - Around November 15

Spring Issue - to be published March 1

·        Submissions accepted December 1, 2004 to January 31

·        Contributor Notification Deadline - Around February 15

Summer Issue - to be published June 1

·        Submissions accepted March 1 to April 30

·        Contributor Notification Deadline - Around May 15

Any submission received after a deadline has passed will be held for consideration for the next issue.

Submit 3-5 works at a time for consideration. Give the following information for each work: title, medium, size.

We will assume that the work is available for purchase unless it is specifically labeled NFS (Not for Sale). Note: flashquake does not charge commission for work sold as a result of exposure in the magazine.

 

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION

 

Our required method of submission is electronic. Artwork submissions

should be sent to:

 

rparisorama@gmail.com

 

NOTE: This is NOT the e-mail address to use for prose or poetry submissions.

 

Submissions should be in GIF, JPEG or BITMAP format and attached to an e-mail which contains the following:

·        Name

·        E-mail address

·        Street Address

·        Web Page Link if applicable

·        List of works by title, medium and size of work and publication history
(Be sure to tell us if the work is "Not For Sale" - NFS)

·        Artist statement of philosophy (100 words maximum)

·        Short biography of the artist (100 words maximum)

 

flashquake

Writers Guidelines

Pays $5 to $25 and a Contributor’s Copy on CD

 

flashquake is an independent, quarterly, web-based publication that focuses on works of flash fiction, flash non-fiction (memoirs, essays, creative non-fiction, humour) and short poetry.

 

flashquake is a quality paying venue for literary writers, and we award stipends to all chosen contributors in each category. We reserve the right to withhold some or all of the stipends to be awarded depending on the quality of the work submitted.

 

flashquake defines "flash" as prose (fiction or non-fiction) of less than 1000 words in length. However, we admire brevity and will receive shorter works favorably. For poetry, our maximum limit is 35 lines per poem; prose poetry must not exceed 300 words in length.

 

We accept submissions in each of four categories:

·        Flash fiction

·        Flash nonfiction — (memoirs, essays, creative nonfiction)

·        Poetry — (free verse, prose poetry)

·        Artwork

We're open to almost any type of writing within those categories. Specifically, we're looking for original work with fresh ideas and strong, clean, concise writing. We will consider reprints of previously published work, as long as the author has retained all rights. We want to see pieces that readers will think about after they've finished reading them.

NOTE: We would prefer not to see romance stories, work with excessive gore or violence, "goth" vampire tales, hard-core science fiction, rhyming poetry (unless you're skillful enough to effectively balance rhyming and meter and still convey something meaningful) or work of a religious nature.

flashquake seeks the following permissions from its authors and artists:

·        Permission to include your submission in the issue of flashquake for which it was submitted, including any future CD and/or audio versions produced;

·        Permission to include your submission in flashquake's online archives after publication;

·        Permission to include your submission in the CD version of flashquake awarded to contributors; and

·        Permission to include your submission in any future flashquake CD and/or print anthology.

River Road Studios is the parent company of flashquake.org and retains the copyright on the publication as a whole (name, design, configuration, etc.). Individual artists retain the rights to their own work.

PUBLICATION SCHEDULE/READING PERIODS

We accept electronic submissions ONLY during the reading periods specified below. If you send work during the months we do not read (February, May, August, or November), it will be returned unread.

Fall Issue - to be published September 1 — The beginning of our publishing year

·        Submissions accepted June 1 to July31

·        Contributor Notification Deadline - around August 15

Winter Issue — to be published December 1

·        Submissions accepted September 1 to October 31

·        Contributor Notification Deadline - around November 15

Spring Issue - to be published March 1

·        Submissions accepted December 1 to January 31

·        Contributor Notification Deadline - around February 15

Summer Issue - to be published June 1

·        Submissions accepted March 1 to April 30

·        Contributor Notification Deadline - around May 15

HOW TO SUBMIT

WE NEVER OPEN ATTACHMENTS

We only accept plain text enclosed in an e-mail message. We do not accept hard copy submissions.

 

PROOF YOUR WORK THOROUGHLY! Typographical and grammatical errors distract the reader. Such errors may disqualify your submission, and will certainly make a less than favourable impression on our editors. WE MAY INSTANTLY REJECT ANY SUBMISSION CONTAINING MULTIPLE SPELLING OR GRAMMAR ERRORS. Please make sure you provide all of the information required. Failure to do so wastes both our time and yours.

 

We do accept simultaneous submissions. Please be sure to tell us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.

 

WE DO NOT ACCEPT MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS

We do not accept multiple submissions. Submissions are restricted to one piece of work per author/artist in any single category per reading period. This means that one writer could send us one short story, one memoir and one poetry submission (of up to three poems) in the same reading period, and that we would consider all three submissions. However, if one writer sent us two short stories, we would only accept the first one received.

Further, if your submission is rejected or withdrawn, you may not resubmit it, or any other work in the same category until the next reading period.

If you are new to electronic submissions, please read our Notes on Preparing Your Work.

 

Make sure that you include the following information in your submission:

·        Name

·        E-mail address

·        Address

·        Title of your work

·        The category in which you are submitting

·        A short (100 words maximum) biography written in third person

·        Whether the piece has been previously published and if so, where

Paste your submission into a PLAIN TEXT e-mail message addressed to submit@flashquake.org.

 

We Will NOT Open Attachments to E-Mail!

 

Label your message with the category in which you're submitting and the title of your work (e.g., Fiction Submission: My Story Title).

Be sure to use a standard font, such as Courier, and omit "smart quotes" and other specialized punctuation. Do NOT cut-and-paste from your word processing program into your e-mail message. Doing so can garble your work and often produces strange symbols that detract from the editors' impressions of your work.

 

Separate your paragraphs with a blank line. Indicate italics by inserting underscores around the passage to be italicized.

 

Check and double-check your message before hitting the Send key.

 

SUBMISSION NOTIFICATION

 

We will send you acknowledgement of your submission when it is forwarded to our editors. If you do not receive an acknowledgement from us within two weeks of submitting, then it is likely we did not receive it. If you have one of those annoying e-mail filters that requires the sender to register before their mail will be delivered, you can rest assured that you will NOT hear from us.

 

Writers whose work is not selected for publication will be notified via e-mail about the status of their submissions within one week before the publication date, or sooner if possible.

 

flashquake uses a two-stage reviewing process. Our editors are working in three teams of two editors each. Each submission is assigned to one of these teams. If one editor votes "yes" or both editors vote "maybe," the submission will advance to be reviewed by the other four editors.

When we notify you about our decision on your submission, we provide feedback from our reviewers (comments from 2-6 editors) about work considered so that writers will know why we've accepted or rejected a particular piece. These are not in-depth critiques, but subjective comments from our editors and may not be positive in nature. The comments returned from our editors are unvarnished and have offended some who receive them.

Reviewers' comments about the work will automatically be forwarded along with your notification. The majority of feedback we've received about supplying our editors' comments has been overwhelmingly positive. However, if you are apprehensive about receiving honest comments about your work, please indicate in your submission that you would prefer not to see the comments.

 

PAYMENT OF STIPENDS

Submissions in each writing category will be judged by our editors, whose decisions are final. All published authors will receive payments ranging from $5 - $25, which will accompany the contributor's CD copy of the issue, within two weeks of publication (delivery to non-U.S. contributors may require longer than two weeks). The actual amount to be paid will be decided by our editors' ranking of the work. All authors and artists whose work is accepted for publication will receive a CD version of the issue in which their work was published.

 

Grave Tales

Pays Professional Rates for Stories and Art

 

Richard Chizmar, Editor
Brian Keene, Associate Editor

Cemetery Dance Publications
P.O. Box 623
Forest Hill, MD 21050 U.S.A.

Does not accept e-mail submissions

Submission Guidelines

Current Needs: Authors and Artists

 

 

Grave Tales is a horror anthology comic book presented by the World Fantasy Award-winning publisher Cemetery Dance. Each issue is comic-sized (48 pages, color cover, B&W interior) and features three tales of terror from today's most popular authors. Previous contributors include Edward Lee, Richard Laymon, Al Sarrantonio, Nancy Collins, Tom Monteleone, and others. As always, it is strongly suggested you read a copy of Grave Tales first to get a feel for the publication.

 

Author Submissions: We're looking for stories that can be adapted to comic format, in the tradition of Warren's Creepy and Eerie, Marvel and DC anthologies like The Witching Hour and Ghosts, and the EC's legendary Tales From the Crypt and The Vault of Horror. We are also in need of short prose stories, up to 1,000 words. Again, prose stories should have the pulp horror feel. What we don't want: anything modern or that doesn't fit the concepts described above. Query at address below with description of story and a short sample, or, if you prefer, the script. The ideal script will run no longer than 8 pages. Also include a bibliography. Samples cannot be returned without SASE.

 

Artist Submissions: We are looking for artwork in the tradition of Warren's Creepy and Eerie, Marvel and DC anthologies like The Witching Hour and Ghosts, and the EC's legendary Tales From the Crypt and The Vault of Horror. Think the retro look of Bernie Wrightson or Mike Ploog. No manga or other modern styles. We are in need of both interior and cover art. Send samples to the mailing address below. Samples cannot be returned without SASE. DO NOT send originals or your only copy!

 

Payment: Professional rates

Response Time: up to four months

Submissions should be sent to the above mailing address.

No e-mail submission or pitches, please.

 

 

Heroic Fantasy Fiction

Pays $25/Poetry & $100/Story

 

As its name suggests, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is a quarterly ezine dedicated to publishing heroic fantasy — in both prose and poetry. We are unrepentant in our goal of restoring unapologetic sword and sorcery to a rightful high place. We pay $100 for stories and $25 for poems, upon publication. We purchase first world English language electronic rights, electronic rights for 90 days, archival rights for twelve months, and excerpt rights.

 

We publish in July, October, January, and April. Each issue will include up to three stories and two poems. We accept submissions year-round. Our fiction word limit is 10,000 words, although we are willing to serialize at a maximum of 50,000 words over four issues. You may submit up to three poems, with a cumulative maximum of 30 pages. Tolkienesque (as in really long) poetry epics/sagas/vedas will most likely be treated — and paid — like fiction. Similarly, prose pieces of fewer than 1,000 words will be paid at poetry’s standard rate of $25.

 

Submission Method:

 

We accept submissions by email only.

 

Make sure the subject line of your email follows this formula:
Submission - [fiction or poetry] - [title] - [your last name].
For example: Submission – Fiction – Red Nails – Howard

 

Cut and paste the first 10 pages of your story or poems into the body of your email — but don’t kill yourself trying to perfect the formatting. For queries, we can live without paragraph indentations and double-spaced lines. We do need to have a line between paragraphs, though. If your sample pages look like a huge block of text in your email program follow these steps:

·        Open a new blank document in your word processing program.

·        Copy and paste the first 10 pages of your story into the new document.

·        Open the “Find and Replace” function [ctl+h].

·        In the “Find What” box put ^p

·        In the “Replace With” box put ^p^p

·        Click on the “Replace All” button.

·        The program will tell you how many replacements it made. Click “OK”

·        Close the “Find and Replace” function box.

·        Copy and paste the new document’s text into your email program.

Feel free to include a paragraph introducing yourself and detailing your publishing history, and anything you think we need to know about your story. Or not. All we really care about is the quality of your yarn.

You have about five paragraphs to hook us and 10 pages to impress us — use them wisely.

 

Our email address is: editors [at] heroicfantasyquarterly.com

 

More Detail About Our Editorial Process

 

We gather material for three months (for the July 2009 issue, we’ll accept submissions from February through May). We start collecting material for the October issue beginning in June and extending through August.

If we like the cut of your story’s jib, we’ll contact you via email to ask for the rest of your work, which we’ll want as an RTF attachment. At this point your odds of being published with us go way up (+3 modifier!). From that stack we buy and/or make rewrite requests. We try to offer constructive criticism on everything that is rejected from this second tier.

 

Other Submission-Related Stuff

 

Our response time is about 60 days, but likely sooner.

If you’re curious as to what level of violence, sex and/or nudity is too much, just follow what you’d expect to see in movie ratings. We think an “R” rating is a suitable upper limit.

 

We consider reprints by invitation only. Our invitation — not yours! Unless of course your name is Gene Wolfe or Michael Moorcock.

 

Things we shouldn’t even have to say, but just to cover the bases:

 

No fan fiction. No thinly-veiled fan fiction. No thinly-veiled real-life revenge fantasies (especially against your esteemed editors).

Bonus Modifiers
Three Words: Heroic Fantasy Fiction
We are a Half-Orc positive venue
Action is an art, not a diversion
One word: Visceral
Know your horses
Dwarves who don’t always win
Barbarians with feelings

Negative Modifiers
Barbarians with feeeeeeeeelings
Three words: Heroic Fantasy Parodies

Really exacting blow-by-blow combat scenes
Frequent or lengthy inner dialogue
Two words: Overly Descriptive
Stuff you obviously lifted from your D&D/White Wolf/Legend of Five Rings/Tunnels and Trolls (OMG! Did anybody actually play T&T?) games
Any mention at all about playing Tunnels and Trolls
Your second tier submission is not in proper manuscript format
You let the “R” rating go to your head — violence and sex should augment the story, not be the story

 

Side Show 2: Tales of the Big Top and the Bizarre

Pays $12 for Original Stories & $7 for Reprints

 

Description:

Side Show 2 is a trade paperback anthology of entertaining stories designed to awaken the thrills, chills, and spills, and memories of time spent on the midway and beyond. We want unique stories about side shows, freak shows, travelling shows, carnivals, circuses, and fairs. Stories may fall into one or more of three genres: horror, fantasy, and science fiction (although typically we do not expect many science fiction stories). Although we are looking for original stories, we will consider reprints, but probably will accept no more than two--we really want original work.

 

Please note that the editor prefers stories written in the third person, so those are the stories that stand the best chance for acceptance.

 

Guidelines:

 

Story length should be somewhere between 1,500 and 5,000 words. Your contact information must appear in your submission: your full name, mailing address, and e-mail address. Also include a word count, and let us know which rights are being offered. We prefer unpublished stories and are therefore most interested in First North American Serial Rights. Use a common font--we prefer Times New Roman, 12 point, but will also accept Courier New, 12 point.

 

Normally we include a notice here regarding writing. We'll keep it simple. It is not the editor's job to spell the words in your story correctly, or to punctuate your sentences correctly. We do understand that sometimes something gets missed. When the mistake is repeated over and over again, that's not an oversight . . . that's a problem. Please solve your problems before you submit your work.

 

Please do not send us your first drafts. We can recognize a "first draft" by the opening paragraph, and usually by the opening sentence. We want to see your best work, work that is high in entertainment.

 

Bios:

 

All submissions must include a bio of five or six sentences written in the third person. The bio must tie in with the theme of the Side Show 2 anthology. Include information on what inspired your story, or include a few sentences about your own experiences with carnivals or side shows.

The bios will be published with the stories, so please make them interesting.

 

 

Where to Submit:

 

Submit your work, bio, and all relevant information in the body of an email to sideshowsubmissions@hotmail.com

 

Include this in the subject line of your email:

Side Show - Title of Submission - Your Name

And be sure to include a special bio (read the above information on bios)

 

Payment:

 

We pay $12.00 for original stories, and $7.00 for reprints. We also pay one contributor's copy of the trade paperback. Contributors receive a 25% discount on purchases of extra copies.

 

Publication Date:

 

We will close to submissions when full. We hope to publish in January or February 2010. Please watch for further announcements in Expressions.

 

 

Strange Horizons

Pays $75/Illustration

 

Art Gallery Submission Guidelines

Jenna Medaris, Senior Editor

 

What We Want and What We Don't Want

 

We love art that is stylistically distinct while maintaining the essence of speculative fiction. Abstract expressionism, impressionistic, photorealistic, just about any approach, are all considered, provided that the speculative fiction theme is at the core. One theme we are looking for is material that captures the dramatic nature of speculative literature—think about it: alternate realities where magic can yield power similar to potential technological achievements a million years in the future, where a single person can change the outcome of an entire world, or where nature in all her majesty outwits human ingenuity yet again.

 

All these ideas bespeak drama, and we'd love to see art that reflects it in some fashion. This does not preclude other themes, such as humour or whimsy or eye-catching beauty and charm. Also, art pieces that tell a story are a good bet. What we're NOT looking for is media tie-in art, such as Star Wars, or the X-files, etc. Just about anything else that is speculative fiction related will be seriously considered.

 

Naturally all artwork must be in electronic format to be displayed on the site. The original work represented may be in any medium. The editors will have final approval on each piece to be exhibited. Art may be exhibited under a pseudonym.

 

Illustrations

 

Each month, an artist will be selected to illustrate one story on-site. This may be the same artist that has been chosen for a gallery display, or it may be a completely different person. Pay is $75/illustration, and we purchase ongoing non-exclusive electronic rights for the current issue and our archive. We request that you wait three months before reprinting the work elsewhere, but leave that decision to your discretion. This illustration will be linked to the main gallery if the artist was also selected for the gallery.

 

How to Submit

 

Send three pieces representing the body of work you would like to exhibit to art@strangehorizons.com. They must be sent as an attachment via email, and each one should be sent separately. Do NOT send all three attachments with a single email message. The subject line should be:

ART SUB: Your name #1

Submissions should be in either *.gif or *.jpg format, whichever is more appropriate for your work. If you do not know how to save your work in these formats or don't know which one to use, please emails us art(at)strangehorizons.com for instructions.

 

NOTE: Along with your submission, please indicate if you're interested in doing on-demand illustration, the gallery, or both. Submissions are archived for possible future commissions, so it is important that we know who's interested in creating images for stories. If no notice is given, it will be assumed that the artist is just interested in having work displayed in the gallery.

 

Don't send samples by snail mail. We strongly prefer e-mail submissions, as detailed above. If you cannot submit that way, then e-mail us and we may be able to work around the problem.

 

Response Time

 

Response time will vary. We will try to get a response to you within a month of receiving your submission. We would recommend that if you haven't heard from us after two months, send us an e-mail inquiry, in case the art has gone missing and has not been received by us.

 

Material other than art should be submitted to the appropriate editor.

 

 

Strange Horizons

Pays $20/Poem

Editors:

Harold Bowes and M. R. James, Senior Editors
Roger Dutcher
Mark Rudolph

 

What We Want and What We Don't Want

 

We're looking for high-quality, extraordinary SF, fantasy, horror, and "slipstream" poetry.

 

We're looking for modern, exciting poems that explore both the possible and the impossible: stories about human and nonhuman experiences, about dreams and reality, about the past and the future, about the here-and-now and otherwhere-and-elsewhen. We want poems from imaginative and unconventional writers; we want voices from diverse perspectives and backgrounds.

 

We will consider all forms, although poems that follow a standard rhyme scheme will be a hard sell. Many wonderful rhyming poems have been written, but the editors have seen too much doggerel verse, and this has admittedly soured us toward rhymes.

 

We want poems that have some literary depth but aren't boring; poems that are unusual yet readable; poems that balance inventiveness with traditional structures. We like serious works, as well as poems with wit and humour that don't collapse into pure silliness.

 

We like fantasy (especially urban fantasy and unusual settings), but please don't send us poems full of thees and thous unless you speak Middle English. Dark fantasy is fine, but we're not looking for outright horror. We like science fiction themes (especially those based in biology, linguistics, or social extrapolation), magic realism, and even a dash of the surreal now and then, as long as it's readable.

 

Any sex and violence in a poem should be artistically justified; no excessive gore.

 

Here are some of our favorite poets, in no particular order:

 

Naomi Shihab Nye, Miroslav Holub, Walt Whitman, J.R.R. Tolkien, Allan Ginsberg, T.S. Eliot, e.e. cummings, Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare, Ovid, W. B. Yeats, Bhartrihari, C.S. Lewis, Tennyson, etc.

This is by no means a complete list, and of course your work should be in your own style, not the styles of any of these writers.

 

Pay Rates and Lengths

 

We prefer poems under 100 lines. We will consider longer submissions; however, they will be a hard sell. No simultaneous submissions, please. Also, we do not accept unsolicited reprints.

 

Pay rates for new poetry will be $20 per poem.

 

We buy first-printing world exclusive rights for two months. After that period, you are free to republish the poem elsewhere. We hope (but do not require) that you'll allow us to post the poem in our archives indefinitely after it's rotated off the front page. You have the right to remove your poem from the archives at any point.

 

How to submit

 

Email poetry to poetry@strangehorizons.com. Please submit no more than six poems per month, one poem per email. For each poem, type "POETRY SUB: Your poem title" in the subject line. It is very important that you follow this format. If you do not, your submission may be tagged as spam by our email systems, and we will not see it.

 

Poems should be in plain text (ASCII) format in the body of your email message, not an attachment. (One way to do this: use your word processor's Save As Text command to save the poem, then copy the resulting text and paste it into an email message.) Use two line breaks (double spacing) to indicate paragraph breaks. Place an _underscore_ at the beginning and end of a word or phrase to indicate italics; use *asterisks* to indicate boldface. Please do not put submissions or poetry titles in ALL CAPS. For any other special formatting, please include an explanatory note. Submissions which are not properly formatted may not be read.

 

Don't send us your poem until you have thoroughly proofread it. Accepted submissions may be edited for clarity or to correct minor errors, but submissions which do not meet minimum standards for correct spelling and grammar will be rejected, except in cases of obvious artistic license.

The Strange Horizons Poetry department does not use an auto-responder to acknowledge submissions. If you have not heard from us in eight weeks from the date of your submission, please contact us.

 

Material other than poetry should be submitted to the appropriate editor.

 

The Dream People

Pays the Price of a Martini in Your Hometown

 

The Dream People is a biannual electric journal of Bizarro texts, an avant-garde genre of writing & artistry distinguished by absurdity, irrealism, the grotesque, narrative experimentation, dark humour, & ultimately a cult sensibility. We are looking for high-quality, stylized fiction that escapes the boundaries of reality & attempts to represent the unrepresentable. In addition to short stories & flash fiction, TDP publishes book reviews, interviews, creative non-fiction, artwork, animation, short films, & literary micro-criticism.

 

TDP is published in April & October. The deadline for Issue #32 is September 1, 2009. Manuscripts are read all year long. Allow 1-2 months for a reply. TDP retains electronic rights for six months after the initial publication of accepted work. Payment for publication is the price of a martini; authors & artists whose work is accepted will be asked how much a martini costs at a local bar or restaurant of their choice & a check in that amount will be made out to them. (NOTE: Authors are paid exclusively via PayPal.)

 

The editorial staff of TDP is highly selective. You are encouraged to read the magazine & get a sense of our aesthetic taste; such behavior, however, is not mandatory. Above all, make sure your submissions have teeth, & make sure every sentence counts.

 

SOME TIPS FOR GETTING PUBLISHED IN TDP: [1] Include a professional cover email & biography with each submission. [2] Foreground active over passive verbs. [3] Whenever possible, avoid adverbs ending in -ly in favor of active verbs. [4] Don't explicitly moralize but rather critique via representation and/or context, i.e., let the 3 Ds (Description, Detail and Dialogue) subtly assert whatever message you may be trying to convey. [5] Capture our attention with YOUR FIRST SENTENCE, which should be dynamic (in terms of prose) & unique (in terms of theme). [6] Don't write prose that is too colloquial; we hardly ever publish it. [7] Don't be weird simply for the sake fo being weird. [8] Be serious about your writing—but don't take your writing too seriously. (NOTE: These tips are subjective. We do not mean to suggest that they are rules for all good prose. Far from it. They simply reflect our personal tastes.)

 

General Guidelines

 

Send all queries & submissions as .doc, .docx or .gif email attachments to this address:  stanleyashenbach@yahoo.com

 

Do not paste submissions onto emails. Do not send submissions as .rtf or .wps files. Please include a 100-150 word biography. TDP does not publish poetry.

 

Fiction & Creative Non-fiction:  TDP accepts solicited & unsolicited manuscripts of up to 1,000 words. Manuscripts of 5-500 words are preferred. Translations welcome. No simultaneous submissions or reprints. Submit only 1 work at a time. No unsolicited novel excerpts. Writing that has formerly appeared in self-published formats will not be considered for publication.

 

Literary Microcriticism:  The maximum length for manuscripts is 500 words. While authors are encouraged to practice new & imaginative styles of texual inquiry on a range of topics, microcriticisms should focus on or concern Bizarro-related literature & film in some capacity, or they should themselves capture a Bizarro methodology. MLA documentation preferred.

 

Artwork & Animation:  Submissions of photographs, paintings, sketches, sculptures, comix, & stand alone cartoons are all welcome. We are especially interested in animated texts & short films.

 

Reviews & Interviews: Reviews of speculative fiction & non-fiction books published within the last two years are considered for publication. Particularly appealing are reviews of alternative & independent press novels, story collections & anthologies. Likewise is TDP keen on interviews with speculative authors, artists & filmmakers. Self-published works and authors will not be considered for reviews or interviews.

 

The Strand Magazine

Pays $25 to $150/Story

 

The Strand Magazine was founded in 1891 and, for the next sixty years, published the works of some the greatest authors of the 20th century.

In the Summer of 1891, The Strand published two stories by a then-unknown Scottish physician, Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring his ingenious detective, Sherlock Holmes. As Holmes' popularity grew, so did that of The Strand. In the years that followed The Strand would feature the works of other mystery greats, such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham, W. Somerset Maugham, Graham Greene, P.G. Wodehouse, H.G. Wells, Aldous Huxley and many others. Unfortunately, in 1950, economic difficulties in England caused a drop in circulation, which forced The Strand to stop publishing.

It would take nearly half a century for The Strand Magazine to once again appear on the scene, with a new editor and publisher, whose main goal it is to uphold the tradition of exceptional mystery fiction for which The Strand was known.

Our guidelines are simple:

We are interested in mysteries, detective stories, tales of terror and the supernatural as well as short stories. Stories can be set in any time or place, provided they are well written, the plots interesting and well thought.

We are interested in stories of almost any length, but preferably the 2000-6000 word range. However, we may occasionally publish short shorts of 1000 words, and sometimes we may consider even a short novella. At the moment, our payment rate for stories is $25-150. No submissions accepted by e-mail.

We purchase first North American serial rights. All manuscripts should be typed, double-spaced, on one side of each page. For return of your manuscripts, please enclose a SASE of suitable size. Average response time is 4-10 months. We suggest before submitting that you purchase a copy of The Strand. You may do so by sending $10 or by visiting our web site www.strandmag.com

We urge you to follow in the footsteps of the greatest writers of the 20th century by having your work published in The Strand Magazine.

The Strand Magazine

P.O. Box 1418
Birmingham, MI 48012-1418

United States of America

 

 

Have a great summer,

 and visit Expressions again in August for the latest news about the publishing industry, and the scoop on paying markets for writers and artists.