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Taking Submissions: Helios Quarterly Magazine September Issue

July 15, 2016

helios

Deadline: July 15th, 2016
Payment: $0.01USD per word

Helios Quarterly Magazine aims to publish quality fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and art that illuminates the darkness. HQM wants stories and poems that grab a hold of reader from the opening lines all the way to the finish line. Works that push boundaries, are succinct, and well developed are smiled upon.

READING PERIODS*

January 1-15 11:59PM EST (March Issue)

April 1-15 11:59PM EST (June Issue)

July 1-15 11:59PM EST (September Issue)

October 1-15 11:59PM EST (December Issue)

Anything submitted outside of these windows will be deleted unread. Artists and photographers can submit year round.

*Effective October 2016

CURRENT ISSUE

Miscommunication is key to conflict. In the realm of science fiction there’s been the urge to gloss over language with universal translators, or the dominance of the English language far into the future. In horror, communication is largely an issue with supernatural entities and cellphones without service. In fantasy literature, where whole new languages take form, the topic of not being able to read and write let alone speak more than one is rare. In the midst of terror, war, and in critical situations, not being able to communicate can mean the difference between life and death. Center your work around how language (or the lack therefore) is central to an issue within the plot, etc. Open to submit between June 1-June 30th 11:59PM EST

FICTION, POETRY & NON-FICTION IDEAS

  • A mute bounty hunter discovers a parasitic monster that has shut down communication between the crew and outside world
  • Ghost hunters must find a way to communicate with a spirit through signs and symbols in an abandoned house
  • How does it feel to be the last being to speak your language in the whole universe?
  • Two alien children discover an injured human being but, have not been fitted with translators containing their language
  • Sailors wash ashore on a mystical island and can not communicate with any of the inhabitants to get home
  • Can literature, science, etc. give us clues as to how language will shape the future?

TWO GENRE EXAMPLES


TENTATIVE SCHEDULE 

YEAR 1: New Horizons [2016]

Vol. 1, Issue 001, “Miscommunication” Sept. 2016

Vol. 1, Issue 002, “RE_ACTED” Dec. 2016

YEAR 2: United We Fall [2017]

Vol. 2, Issue 001, “Commercial Cosmonauts & Hired Guns” March 2017

Vol. 2, Issue 002, “Societal Redux” June 2017

Vol. 2, Issue 003, “First Contact” Sept. 2017

Vol. 2, Issue 004, “Heroes, Heroines & Thrill Seekers” Dec. 2017

YEAR 3: Body & Mind [2018]

Vol. 3, Issue 001, “Exquisite Corpse” March 2018

Vol. 3, Issue 002, “20/20” June 2018

Vol. 3, Issue 003, “Infinite Regression” Sept. 2018

Vol. 3, Issue 004, “Songs of Yesteryear” Dec. 2018

RIGHTS SOUGHT FOR ART & PHOTOGRAPHY

  • Non-exclusive electronic and print reprint rights
  • Ability to use the art for promotional purposes
  • The option to archive the work online with links to the photographer’s and artist’s galleries

RIGHTS SOUGHT FOR FICTION, POETRY & NON-FICTION

  • First world electronic and print rights in English with exclusivity for 6 months from the date of publication
  • Non-exclusive archival rights as long as the website(s) hosting the work are online
  • If your story is selected to be podcast and approved in the future, payment is $0.01USD per word for non-exclusive electronic audio rights
  • If selected and approved to be republished in an anthology in the future, the piece submitted will be paid in royalties up to the amount it received when initially published
  • Copyright remains with the author at all times

CONTRACT SAMPLES 

Coming Soon

Please query if anything listed is of concern. Here is a good explanation of what this entails.

LENGTH & GUIDELINES

COVER ART: To be used in the electronic and print editions, can be art or photography, and is usually solicited.

ARTWORK: Usually solicited. Payment dependent on the artist.

COMICS: Range from 5-15 pages. Paid up to $15USD per page maximum.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Usually solicited. Payment dependent on the photographer.

POETRY: Up to 100 lines. Paid $0.25USD a line.

MICRO FICTION: Drabbles are strictly 100 words. Titles should be no longer than 3 words. Paid $0.06USD per word.

FLASH FICTION: 500 to 1000 words. Paid $0.02USD per word.

SHORT STORIES: 1001 to 1500 words. Paid $0.03USD per word.

SERIAL STORIES: 1001 to 2500 words per chapter. Total word count 4000 to 10000. Needs to be engaging, completed, and last two or four issues. Paid $0.03USD per word in segments.

SPOTLIGHT SHORT STORY: 1001 to 1500 words. One story involving the Sun, or a Sun, as a central element alongside the main theme of an issue. Paid $0.03USD or $0.04USD per word.

NON-FICTION ESSAYS, NARRATIVES & ARTICLES: Aimed at a general audience that a). addresses the theme b). deals with SF / F or H c). shows a level of competency about the subject matter at hand. Up to 5000 words. Paid a flat rate of $35USD.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Unpaid. Have at it!

All payments made through PayPal. Please note that these are not professional rates (aside for the micro-fiction). Fiction can only be resold as a reprint after publication. Decide if you want to take this payment scheme or submit to another market. 

HARD SALES

  • Poorly formatted and edited work
  • Overtly racist, sexist, violent, etc. works without adding value overall
  • Works above the word counts and/or untitled

ABSOLUTE NO

  • Fanfiction of any kind
  • Excerpts out of a novel
  • Taboo elements (rape in all forms, incest, pedophilia, etc.) in almost all cases

OF INTEREST 

  • Dieselpunk, Solarpunk, Weird Westerns, Cyberpunk, Magic Realism, Gothic Horror, Retrofuturism, and other counter cultural/lesser known sub-genres
  • People of Color, disabled people, women, LGBTQIA, and other marginalized groups at the forefront
  • Pushing the boundaries of genre and form

SUBMISSIONS

  • Email: subs [at] heliosquarterly.com
  • The subject line should read HQSUBMISSION(ISSUE #): CATEGORY : TITLE (WORD or LINE COUNT) ex). HQSUBMISSION1: SHORT STORIES: Super Story (1000)
  • A short cover letter is required. Please include your legal name, pen name (if relevant), contact information, recent publications/awards (if any), and a bio of 50-150 words. A photo of you is optional
  • Submissions should be attached in the email as a .rtf, .doc or .docx
  • Artists and photographers should send a link to their online gallery as well and/or the piece as a .PNG or .JPEG
  • Hold firm to the word and line counts
  • Simultaneous submissions to other markets are accepted! Alert HQM immediately should your work be accepted somewhere else (congrats in advance!)
  • Translations into English are welcome
  • No reprints! Possibly in the future
  • Don’t submit multiple submissions in the same category (fiction, non-fiction, or poetry) for the same issue. I will be more lenient with shorter poetry
  • You can submit one piece in each category however (so three separate emails for a short story, poem, and article)
  • If accepted here and then republished, please add the website and issue you were published in

RESPONSE TIME

Currently unknown but should be around mid-July for the current issue. Responses should otherwise be no later than August. I will try to answer all submissions with an acceptance or rejection letter.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Any personal information collected (including but not limited to your name, address, email, social medial links, and pen name) is held in strict confidence and not shared with anyone else unless compelled by law or in the event threats are leveled against the staff.

If a third party contacts HQM interested in an author’s or artist’s work, the author /artist will be contacted first to ask permission to share details.

LEGALESE

By sending us your work you understand and agree that:

  1. You are the original creator and copyright holder of the work submitted;
  2. You are not prohibited by any prior agreement from the transfer of exclusive electronic & print rights in English, first world translation rights into English, reprint rights, and/or non-exclusive audio rights to the work;
  3. All information submitted is accurate and truthful; and
  4. You accept sole responsibility for any false statements upon rights not disclosed.

If you are under the age of 18, your parent or guardian will sign your contract and accept your payment on your behalf.

Via: Helios Quarterly Magazine.

Details

Date:
July 15, 2016