Deadline: $25 and a contributor’s copy
Payment: May 31, 2016

Level Best Books

Submissions for 2016 are OPEN!

Who’s won the Derringer, Macavity,  Anthony,  Agatha, Blanchard and Robert L. Fish Awards?

Level Best Short Story Authors, that’s who!

Level Best Books is an independent publishing cooperative devoted to publishing literature we enjoy and want to share with other readers.  The cooperative has published thirteen anthologies in the Best New England Crime Stories series, including Stone Cold (2013) and Rogue Wave (2014) and Red Dawn (2015).  The collection is published each fall and launched at the New England mystery conference Crime Bake. Authors whose work is selected receive $25 and one free copy of the anthology.

Starting January 1, 2016 we will be accepting submissions for our fourteenth anthology. The submission requirements and procedures have changed from previous years, so please read our Guidelines carefully before submitting.

Guidelines

• Stories must be set in New England* or be written by a New England author in the following genres: mystery, thriller, suspense, caper, and horror. (No torture/killing of children or animals).
• Stories must not exceed 5,000 words.
• Stories must be previously unpublished in print or electronically, including self-published works (to include author websites).
• Stories from both published and unpublished authors will be considered.
• The Level Best editors will consider up to two stories from the same author in the same submission year.
• Stories submitted once previously, and not published in the interim, are welcome, especially those that have been revised.
• New England stories are set in the six New England* states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. If you have questions about whether your story qualifies, please query before submitting.

*Please note: this is a change from previous years. Authors do not need to reside in New England to be considered for the anthology.

How to submit

•  Submissions will be accepted from January 1 – May 31, 2016
• Please email your submission to [email protected]
• Type Short Story Submission in the subject line of your email (without it attachments will not be opened)
• Include your name, address, phone number, email, story title, word count, and New England state represented by you/your story, and a brief summary of your publishing experience (if any) in the body of the email.
• Send your story as a Word attachment, double-spaced.
• The attachment will be coded to insure anonymity and be sent on to the judges, therefore your name should not appear anywhere on the attachment.
• We will promptly acknowledge the receipt of your submission.
• There is no entry fee.

If eligible, you may submit your story for consideration for both the Level Best Books anthology and the Al Blanchard Award. For information about how to submit for the Al Blanchard Award seehttp://www.crimebake.org/Al.htm

Via: Level Best Books.