Category: Pay

Non-Anthology Announcements / Novel / Novella / Royalties

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JournalStone Is Currently Open To Novels, Novellas, And Fiction Collections

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We are currently OPEN to fiction collection, novella and novel submissions. (9-14-2016)

Guidelines for all submissions:

  • JournalStone is currently accepting manuscripts with the following genres: Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Paranormal in the Young Adult and Adult markets. We reserve the right to consider the subject matter and how best to utilize it. JournalStone does not practice censorship of any author’s work.
  • In your cover letter, tell us the word count, genre, and a brief synopsis of the plot. Submissions without this information cannot be reviewed.
  • Please attach your manuscript in your email as a .doc,. docx or .rtf file. Do not paste your text in the body of the email.
  • The title of your email subject line and file name should read: “Submission [type] – [title] – [genre] – [last name]”. For example: Submission Novel – Carrie – Horror – King.
  • For proper formatting of your manuscript, please follow the Shunn way.
  • We consider the quality of the editing in our review process. Please fully proof read and edit manuscripts prior to submission.
  • Do not submit a work-in-progress. We only accept completed works.
  • Allow two to three months for a response to your submission. We may respond more quickly, but we cannot guarantee timing.
  • Please do not send follow up e-mails. We will notify you when we place your work in the queue, and will contact you when we have completed our review.
  • Inform us if this is a previously published work. If you have self-published the same work, we would like to know the details about your effort. You may include website links in your email, to direct us.
  • Email your cover letter and completed manuscript to jess [at] journalstone.com

 

What happens when you submit to JournalStone?

JournalStone will review your submission and decide whether we can publish it. Often, authors receive comments about their text, prior to any approval, with suggestions for improvements, or clarifications in the story. While this does not guarantee a firm acceptance, it can certainly help, and can ease the next few steps.

If your work is approved for publication, our president, Christopher C. Payne, will contact you with a contract for your review. Upon acceptance of that agreement, we will begin to move your manuscript through the editing and development channels. This part of the process can take a few, to several months. You will be involved the entire way.

Once editing and development is complete, your new book will be printed in proof form, and it will be reviewed again for any additional work. You will get a chance to see it, too! When approved in that first printed form – your book is ready for the release! JournalStone will begin to distribute and promote your book, to make the world aware of it.

*These are general guidelines to the publishing benefits provided; the contract serves as the final agreement, between JournalStone (publisher) and all authors, for work undertaken.

Ongoing Submissions / Online / Pro

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Ongoing Submissions: Daily Science Fiction

dsf-daily-science-fiction

Payment: 8 cents per word
Note: Will print dark fiction but not pure horror

ALERT: Please don’t submit stories longer than 1,500 words. Daily Science Fiction (DSF) is a market accepting speculative fiction stories from 100 to 1,500 words in length. By this we mean science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, etc. We will consider flash series–three or more flash tales built around a common theme. If you are submitting a flash series, please note that it is a series in your cover letter and at the top of the submitted text in the submission box. Each story does need to stand on its own.

We do not accept reprints. Unfortunately, if you have placed a story on your website, where it is open and available to the multiple billion people who have access to the internet, that constitutes publication. We’re sorry. No, we don’t accept self-published works.

Please don’t submit the same story to us and any other venue at the same time. Please don’t send us more than one story. Don’t send us another until we send you a response.

We pay 8 cents per word for first worldwide rights and for nonexclusive reprint rights. Additionally, we reserve the right to pay you more money for additional reprinting in themed Daily Science Fiction anthologies.

First publication sounds simple, but in today’s fractured fiction market it is anything but. Here’s what we mean by first worldwide rights: Your story will be distributed by email to our (free) subscription list, it will then be available on the website, via RSS, eventually through kindle and iphone/ipad (the “issue” consisting of all stories published during its calendar month), and as archived on the DailyScienceFiction.com website. The nonexclusive reprint rights are anticipated to apply to the omnibus volume of DSF’s stories for one year. Themed anthologies are anticipated to consist of 50-100% material originally published on DailyScienceFiction.com, plus additional materials as contracted. For these anthologies, payment will be determined if and when they occur.

Not So Helpful Hints

  • We need short short fiction, especially flash fiction. Among our featured stories, a shorter tale will get an extra nudge on the scale when weighed against a longer one. This is both for financial reasons and because it matches the preferences of a plurality of our readership. Not fair? Perhaps. Consider yourself forewarned.
  • Of course, we want your stories to ooze originality, but a well-written story is a must. We are fond of character-driven fiction, though readers point out that not every story we publish fits that rubric. Our goal is to publish the best stories we can that will be interesting, worthwhile reads. Some stories, especially in the short short fiction, will succeed despite lack of plot, character, punctuation, what-have-you.
  • We may purchase dark fantasy, but try not to publish pure horror. We don’t mind feeling the flush of arousal, but will not publish erotica. Guns a-blazing might make our day, but we don’t suspect most military SF will win us over. Humor? We take it, It often works especially for short short fiction, but do keep in mind that one alien’s funny bone is located near another species’ sac of indifference. We’re likely not your best market for longer funny tales.
  • We don’t accept multiple or simultaneous submissions, but we promise to be as prompt as possible with our responses. Query if you haven’t heard back in four weeks. Or better yet, check your story’s status on this website. There is now a “check status” option on the sidebar.
  • PS We’d like to emphasize that guidelines aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on (which in this case is no paper at all). Splurge for a free email subscription, or if you can’t afford free, browse the archives here on the website. Read, and get a feel for what Daily Science Fiction publishes. We always want new and different work, of course, but you can get a real tactile sense of this or any other publication only by reading it.

Via: Daily Science Fiction.

Non-Anthology Announcements / Novel / Novella / Royalties

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Novel And Novella Submissions Are Open At Dark Park Publishing

dark-park-publishing

$150 advance, plus royalties to be paid every 6 months, plus 10 free copies of the print edition

Dark Park Publishing is currently accepting well-written novels and novellas in all areas of Dark Fiction.

Works can be Horror, Dark Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Western, or Dark Comedy in any genre. What we are looking for, besides an entertaining read, is unique storytelling. Whether it’s a strikingly original premise, a mash-up of genres never done before, or a tale told in an unconventional (but effective) style, if your work presents fresh ideas and a distinctive voice, we’re interested!

Submission Guidelines (please read fully before submitting):
• Complete works should be 25,000+ words for Novellas and 50,000+ words for Novels.
• Work must be written in English.
• Work should be submitted as a Microsoft Word doc/docx. (See details below.*)
• Work must be received in proper manuscript format. See example HERE. (Except, please put only one space after a period, not two.)
• Work must be original to author. Persons submitting must hold copyright to the material, or have legal authority to submit work on behalf of author.
• Work cannot have been previously published in any form or market.
• No simultaneous or multiple submissions.

*Authors wanting to submit their work for consideration should initially send only the FIRST 50 PAGES OF THE WORK (double spaced) as an attachment. In the body of the email, author should provide a brief (1-3 sentences) description of the storyline, and word count of complete work.

Submissions should be emailed to [email protected]
Use “Submission – Title of Your Work – Your Last Name” as your subject line (and don’t forget to attach your work).

Authors of works accepted for publication by Dark Park will receive a $150 advance, plus royalties to be paid every 6 months, plus 10 free copies of the print edition of the book when available.

**Follow @DarkParkPub on Twitter for the latest book updates.

Via: Dark Park Publishing.

Flat Amount / Magazine / Ongoing Submissions / Royalties

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Ongoing Submissions: The New Accelerator

the-new-accelerator

Payment: $10 and royalties

The New Accelerator is seeking short Science Fiction stories that are between 2,500 and 5,000 words long, but in exceptional cases we will accept stories up to 10,000 words. However, each writer and story will be considered equal, regardless of the accepted story length.

The New Accelerator will accept stories/submissions from any location worldwide, and submissions will be submitted through and managed by the HeyPublisher! system. When you submit your story, you will be asked to create a HeyPublisher! account (if you don’t have one already), which will be used by The New Accelerator to contact you and to manage your story.

If your story is good and we want to publish your story in The New Accelerator and share it with our readers; you, as author, will retain copyright of your story and we will not claim ownership of your story/submission.

Here are some points to remember when submitting your story to The New Accelerator:

1.       Any payments will be made to you via Paypal, so you must have an active Paypal account.

2.       Submissions can be made in the following file formats: Doc, Txt, and RTF.

3.       The story must be in either UK or US English, and at this time The New Accelerator does not accept submissions in other languages. Whichever of these two version of English you use, please ensure that the use of the language/spellings are consistent throughout your story.

4.       The New Accelerator prefers, and preference will be given to, first time submissions that have not been published elsewhere previously; but, we do not discriminate against previously published works and if you retain copyright and you are free to have the story republished, then we will be happy to read your submission.

5.       You may submit more than one story at a time, but please ensure they are submitted individually so that we can track them correctly.

On the matter of payment, we believe in fairness and The New Accelerator operates a percentage profit payment plan. The New Accelerator will pay a token fee of $10 (US Dollars) on acceptance of a story, and your story with then be included in one issue of The New Accelerator. Later, once the issue of The New Accelerator that features your story has been published, you will be sent a final sum of money which will be your personal percentage of the revenue generated by that issue. Your fee for your story will be 5% of the total net profit of the issue of The New Accelerator that your story appears in, during the month that it is on sale.

GENRE AND STYLE

The New Accelerator is a publication that welcomes many styles and approaches to Science Fiction short story writing; the editors of The New Accelerator know what they want to read and also what they do not want to read. Naturally, we want to give you some guidance on what is and what is not acceptable, what is likely to grab our attention and what is likely to encourage rejection.

The general nature of the submissions we are looking for would feature one or more of the following things, but this is not an exclusive list; if your story is of a Science Fiction nature but does not fit these very loose criteria, then please do still send it to The New Accelerator as we are seeking new writing of a very high standard and quality, and we do not know how good your work is until we see it!

The New Accelerator would like to see stories that include the following motifs/genres and styles: amazing thoughts, brilliantly realised characters and places, thrilling situations and daring ideas, noir and future noir, exploration and explorative ideas and people/places and concepts that dazzle, planets and ships and science and stars and adventure, golden dawns and flaming red sunsets, time-bending and avant-garde creations and theories, and all-round great, exciting, thrilling and wonderful stories that The New Accelerator would be happy and proud to publish.

The New Accelerator is unlikely to publish stories that feature any of the following: Explicit sex, overtly pretentious eroticism, explicit violence, sexism, racism, hatred, cliché, plagiarism, old ideas, stolen ideas, thinly veiled knock-offs of other people’s ideas, fan fiction of any type, works that take place in or feature existing universes/characters/stories, and unoriginal and lazy work.

The editors of The New Accelerator reserve the right to edit any content of any story for style, readability, spelling corrections, grammar, and coherence. We will not edit your plot, characters or elements of your story, but we may need to change some minor things to make your story fit in better with the content of The New Accelerator, as well as the publication’s style and editorial requirements.

The New Accelerator editors look forward to reading your story submissions soon!

Via: The New Accelerator.

Magazine / Ongoing Submissions / Pro

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Ongoing Submissions: Beneath Ceaseless Skies

beneath-ceaseless-skies

8 cents US per word
Theme: literary adventure fantasy

Update, Sept. 1, 2019: The BCS Patreon met its main goal–the monthly support that we need to pay the new higher SFWA ‘pro’ rate, 8c/wd–and on Sept. 1, 2019, our pay rate increased to 8c/wd. Thank you to our patrons on the BCS Patreon for making this possible!

What We Want

Beneath Ceaseless Skies publishes “literary adventure fantasy”: stories with a secondary-world setting and some fantasy feel, but written with a literary approach.

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 modern-day primary world in terms of time (the pre-modern historical past of our real-world Earth) or history (alternate history from our Earth’s 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, and the qualities of the setting should have some bearing on the rest of the story.

We are NOT interested in urban fantasy or other types of stories set in our modern, contemporary “real world,” even if they contain fantasy elements, or in stories that move between the real world and a fantasy world.

Characters: We prefer stories that focus on the characters. We strongly prefer characters who yearn for something, external or internal. Our favorite characters are “round characters”: ones who grow and change over the course of a story instead of remaining the same.

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 that the reader can understand what’s happening. Our favorite styles are lush yet clear.

We tend to prefer limited or ‘close’ executions of point-of-view, as opposed to external or ‘distant’ executions of point-of-view. We find it harder to empathize with a character if the story’s execution of point-of-view feels more from outside the character or distant from them. We rarely like second-person point-of-view; it often feels annoying to us.

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, but 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 an opening scene in a fantasy tavern, unless the story presents 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 tactile or immediate enough perspective to make us feel the texture of the secondary world or the direness of the protagonist’s struggle. A fairy tale-type or myth-type story probably isn’t right for us.

Urban / Contemporary Fantasy: We aren’t interested in urban fantasy or other types of stories set in the “real world,” even if they contain fantasy elements. It’s just not what we prefer to read. Any story with a modern or contemporary setting, more recent than approximately 1930s Earth, isn’t right for us.

Science Fiction: We aren’t interested in science fiction; it’s not what we prefer to read. A story with advanced realistic technology isn’t right for us.

Steampunk / Weird West / Sixguns & Sorcery / Etc.: In addition to classic settings of pre-tech fantasy, we also enjoy stories set in other types of secondary world that likewise don’t have modern technology, including steampunk, Weird West, etc. Feel free to send us anything that you think might fit.

Poetry: We don’t publish poetry; only prose fiction.

Humor and Satire: We don’t mind humorous stories, but we have a very dry sense of humor. We love wry satire, but we rarely enjoy slapstick or puns. We haven’t published much humor, but if you have a dry satire that hits us just right….

♦ ♦ ♦

Length and Policies

Length: We strongly prefer under 10,000 11,000 12,000 14,000 15,000 words. We will consider stories over that length, but the longer a story is, the better it must be.

(This new, higher length was unlocked as a stretch goal from the BCS 250th Issue Subscription Drive. Thank you!)

Novel Excerpts or Serials: We are NOT interested in novel excerpts or serials–we only want self-standing stories.

Reprints: We publish only originals (stories that have never previously appeared anywhere in print or online). We do NOT consider reprints (stories that have previously appeared anywhere in print or online, including on a personal website or blog, or self-published on Kindle, or as Patreon or Kickstarter rewards).

(We buy First Serial rights–the right to be the first place to ever publish that story. If the story has already appeared in print or online, or been given to readers in exchange for a donation or patronage, the story has already been published and BCS can’t be the first place to ever publish it.)

Multiple Submissions (more than one story submitted at a time): We do NOT accept these. Please wait until you have received a reply to your submission before sending another.

Simultaneous Submissions (a story that is currently under submission to another market): We DO accept these, 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 from short fiction magazines in the field can be long, but if people abuse this policy, we will rescind it.)

New Writers: BCS welcomes submissions from new and unpublished writers. Many of our authors are new or neo-pro writers; often their sale to BCS was their first pro-rate short fiction sale or their third pro sale and qualified them to join SFWA. All our rejection letters are personalized, which many new and neo-pro writers tell us they find helpful in revising their stories to submit elsewhere and in developing their writing in general.

All Writers: BCS welcomes submissions from all writers, of all nations, nationalities, ethnicities, backgrounds, faiths, genders, orientations, identities, experiences. We’re looking for great stories, by anyone and everyone. Please submit!

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Acceptances, Payment, and Rights

Editing: 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. Payment will be made after receipt of the final, line-edited manuscript.

Payment: For standard acceptances, BCS pays 6 cents US per word 8 cents US per word, effective Sept. 1, 2019, which was funded by supporters on the BCS Patreon.

Rights: For this payment, we purchase the following rights:

First World Serial Rights
First World Electronic Rights
Non-Exclusive World Audio Rights
Non-Exclusive World Anthology Reprint Rights

(This means that our payment buys the rights to publish your story on the Beneath Ceaseless Skies website and in our ebooks, and to publish an audio podcast of it if we choose your story for our podcast, and the right to reprint it in any anthology of stories from Beneath Ceaseless Skies if we choose your story for one of our anthologies, and distribute that anthology anywhere in the world.)

(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 180 days after we publish or podcast it. But after that you can have it reprinted online and/or in a reprint magazine and/or in a reprint anthology, like one of the many Year’s Best collections, and you can resell non-exclusive audio rights, like to one of the many fiction podcast zines.)

We also hope that you will let us keep the story in our online archives after 180 days.

We are and always have been a SFWA-qualifying professional market, so any sale to us since BCS #1 in 2008 can be used to qualify the author for membership in the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).

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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 Letter: 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. If you have prior fiction sales, you can list the best one or two. If you’ve been to any writing workshops, you can mention them. 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.

Manuscript File: Attach your manuscript to an email as either a *.DOC MS Word document file or a *.RTF rich-text-format file (NOT *.DOCX). If you can’t get either of these formats 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 and later use); we can’t open those files. DO NOT post your file to a third-party storage site such as Google Drive and email us the link; we do not download attachments from third-party sites.

Send your email to submissions at beneath dash ceaseless dash 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

Auto-Reply Email: 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 you spelled “ceaseless” correctly 🙂 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 Time: Our response times average 1-3 weeks, occasionally as long as 5-7 weeks.

Slush Updates: To keep writers informed on our reading progress, we post periodic Slush Updates on our News page, under the category Slush Updates, saying what date up to which we have currently read all submissions.

Querying: If we post a Slush Update saying that we’ve replied to all submissions sent before a certain date, and you sent yours before that date, please query us using the email form on our Contact page. We really mean this; it’s not necessary to wait.

Please do not query if we haven’t announced that we’ve replied to all submissions up to the date you sent yours.

All rejections and acceptances will be notified by email.

Unsolicited Rewrites: We DO NOT accept unsolicited rewrites of stories that we’ve already rejected. (That is a nearly universal policy among short fiction markets of all genres.)

As discussed in this comment thread, we intend the personalized comments in our rejections as explanation of why that story didn’t work for us, and we hope that insight into what we’re looking for will be of help to the author with their next submission. They are not an invitation to resubmit the same story, even if it has been revised.

♦ ♦ ♦

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 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 on our list to check out the next time we’re looking for artwork, please take a look at our past Cover Art, to see what sort of artwork we like (usually landscapes or vistas of fantastical-looking places). Then feel free to send us your information using our Contact page, and include links to a couple of your pieces that you feel might show the sort of vibe we’re looking for.

♦ ♦ ♦

Questions?

If you have any questions or comments about these Submission guidelines, feel free to contact us via our Contact page or to post a comment on our News page.

These Guidelines last updated 09/01/19: increase in pay rate and edited for clarity.

Via: Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

Magazine / Ongoing Submissions / Pro

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Ongoing Submissions: Clarkesworld

clarkesworld

Payment: 10¢ per word for the first 5000 words, 8¢ for each word over 5000

Clarkesworld Magazine is a Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine that publishes short stories, interviews, articles and audio fiction. Issues are published monthly and available on our website, for purchase in ebook format, and via electronic subscription. All original fiction is also published in our trade paperback series from Wyrm Publishing. We are currently open for art, non-fiction and short story submissions.

Fiction Guidelines

Word Limit: 1000-16000 words, no more, no less NEW 6/3/15
Pay Rate: 10¢ per word for the first 5000 words, 8¢ for each word over 5000 NEW 6/3/15
Genres: Science fiction and fantasy
Language: English (We accept stories from all over the world. Translations are welcome.)
Rights: We claim first world electronic rights (text and audio), first print rights (author must be willing to sign copies), and non-exclusive anthology rights for our annual Clarkesworldanthology. If you are unfamiliar with the term “First Rights,” an explanation can be found here.

Stories must be:

  1. Well-written. Language is important. There is no distinction between “style” and “substance” or “story” and “writing.”
  2. Convenient for on-screen reading. Very long paragraphs or typographical trickery may work against you.
  3. Suitable for audio. Stories should be equally effective, but not necessarily the same, in text and audio formats.

Science fiction need not be “hard” SF, but rigor is appreciated. Fantasy can be folkloric, contemporary, surreal, etc. Horror can be supernatural or psychological, so long as it is frightening. There are no barriers as to levels of profanity, gore, or sexuality allowed, but high amounts of profanity, gore, and sexuality are generally used poorly. Be sure to use them well if you do use them.

Though no particular setting, theme, or plot is anathema to us, the following are likely hard sells:

  • zombies or zombie-wannabes (seriously, I’m not kidding)
  • sexy vampires, wanton werewolves, wicked witches, or demonic children
  • stories about rapists, murderers, child abusers, or cannibals
  • stories where the climax is dependent on the spilling of intestines
  • stories in which a milquetoast civilian government is depicted as the sole obstacle to either catching some depraved criminal or to an uncomplicated military victory
  • stories where the Republicans, or Democrats, or Libertarians, or the Spartacist League, etc. take over the world and either save or ruin it
  • stories in which the words “thou” or “thine” appear
  • talking cats or swords
  • stories where FTL travel or time travel is as easy as is it on television shows or movies
  • stories that depend on some vestigial belief in Judeo-Christian mythology in order to be frightening (i.e., Cain and Abel are vampires, the End Times are a’ comin’, Communion wine turns to Christ’s literal blood and it’s HIV positive, Satan’s gonna getcha, etc.)
  • stories about young kids playing in some field and discovering ANYTHING. (a body, an alien craft, Excalibur, ANYTHING).
  • stories about the stuff we all read in Scientific American three months ago
  • stories about your RPG character’s adventures
  • “funny” stories that depend on, or even include, puns
  • stories where the protagonist is either widely despised or widely admired simply because he or she is just so smart and/or strange
  • stories that take place within an artsy-fartsy bohemia as written by an author who has clearly never experienced one
  • stories originally intended for someone’s upcoming theme anthology or issue (everyone is sending those out, wait a while)
  • your trunk stories

Fiction Submissions Process

Clarkesworld uses an online submissions system that has been designed to streamline our process and improve communication with authors. We do not accept email or paper submissions. Go here to submit your stories.

Our submissions form asks for your name, email address, cover letter, story title, word count, genre and story. Your cover letter should contain your publishing history (if any) and any other relevant information (e.g, if you send us a first contact and happen to BE an alien, mention that). All stories should be in standard manuscript format and can be submitted in either .RTF or .DOC format. No simultaneous submissions. If you have questions, concerns or technical issues, please contact Neil via email.

After you have submitted your story, a tracking number will be displayed and an automated email confirmation containing this information will be sent to you. If you have not received this email within 24 hours, pleaseemail us. Your tracking number will allow you to monitor the status of your submission via our website, so please don’t lose it. NOTE: Yahoo.com occasionally treats our email as spam, please keep an eye on your spam folder.

Our average response time is usually under two days, but we occasionally hold submissions for longer periods. We ask that you:

  • don’t send queries until after two weeks have passed. Use your tracking number to check on the status prior to that.
  • don’t send revisions to a submission unless they have been requested.
  • don’t submit another story for a period of seven days after receiving a rejection.
  • don’t re-submit stories that have been rejected. Do not query for permission.
  • don’t argue with rejection letters. You’re only wasting time.

If you are uncertain about anything above, we recommend following the most conservative interpretation.

Confidentiality

Author’s personal information (name, address, email, phone, or secret identity) will not be shared with anyone outside our editorial staff, except in the following situations:

  • if we are compelled by law
  • if threats are made against our staff
  • if our narrators require your assistance with pronunciation (email only)
  • if established year’s best editors would like to include your story in their anthology (email only)
  • if the author has instructed us to do so

Via: Clarkesworld.

Ongoing Submissions / Online / Pro

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Ongoing Submissions: SFWA – The Bulletin

sfwa

Payment: 10 cents per word

General Overview

The Bulletin is open to non-fiction article and column submissions that would be of interest to new and/or established writers of science fiction and fantasy. We are looking for a wide range of articles including, but not limited to: discussions of the genre publishing business (traditional and self-publishing); essays on the writing process and the reading experience; historical perspectives of our field; and scientific or historical material that might be of use in stories. In short, if you believe it would be beneficial to other writers, we’re interested in hearing about it.

Length:
500-3000 words (Serialization permitted.)

Pay:
10 cents per word

Formatting:
Any attached documents must be submitted in .doc, .docx, or .rtf file formats.

Rights:
First English language rights in print and digital formats for a single issue.                                Exclusive rights for nine months from publication.

At this time, we are not considering:

  • interviews
  • reviews or literary criticism
  • reprints (unless the work is previously unpublished in English)

In addition to general submissions, the following columns are currently open for submissions:

  • State of the Art: Science and Technology.
  • Anthropology 101: History and Anthropology.
  • Writers’ Bloc: General writer news/do’s and don’ts/etiquette.

Submission Instructions

Requirements

Stand-alone pieces or articles for existing columns may be submitted as:

  • Pitches – a few paragraphs outlining the theme of the piece and direction you would take.
  • Drafts – a near complete article.
  • Finished works.

Proposals for new recurring columns should include:

  • A pitch that outlines the overall theme and at least four possible topics.
  • A list of potential contributors. Columns that feature multiple contributors, even if only one at a time, will be favored.

All submissions must include the author’s full name, address, and a short bio outlining their experience with the topic.

Process

Submissions should be sent via email to [email protected]. Please title your message“SUBMISSION: Name of Submission/Column – Author Name.”

Allow up to two weeks for a response. In most cases, we will use form letters. After two weeks, you may query at the above address.

Contracts will be issued for completed articles. Payment will be issued on receipt of a completed and signed contract.

Deadlines

The Bulletin is published four times per year. Unsolicited time-sensitive articles must be delivered three months in advance of that issue. For example, the deadline for the Nebula issue (May) is February 1st. Pitches for these articles should be made as far in advance as possible, but no later than four months in advance. Exceptions will be granted on a case-by-case basis for articles that require information that may not be readily available by our deadline (like award nominees). Permission for these exceptions must be granted in advance.

FAQ

  1. Do I have to be a SFWA member to submit?
    No.
  2. I have an idea for a column, but I don’t know anyone else who could write about it. Would you help me find other contributors?
    Yes. Even if you don’t ask, we might suggest other contributors further down the line.
  3. I have an idea, but it overlaps with an existing column that isn’t listed as open to submissions. Should I submit it?
    Yes, but please keep in mind that the columnists may have this proposal already in mind. If it is particularly interesting, we might suggest a different direction that would allow you to write about it for us.
  4. Are serials or multi-part articles allowed?
    If you have something that can’t be explained in the 3000 words or less, then let’s talk about it. If the concept is something that we find exciting, we can certainly consider serializing your article in multiple parts.

Via: Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.

Flash / Magazine / Ongoing Submissions / Online / Poetry / Semipro

 by 

Ongoing Submissions: Bracken

Payment: $.02/word

Submit fiction, poetry, and artwork.

The Fine Print

Bracken supports diversity in speculative fiction and welcomes stories by and about individuals of all ages, classes, disabilities, ethnicities, genders, nationalities, races, religions, and sexual orientations.

Bracken purchases first worldwide English-language serial and electronic rights. Each story or poem we acquire will be published on brackenmagazine.com in an electronic quarterly issue. We may also excerpt stories and poems for promotional purposes. The author retains all other rights.

Send all submissions in the body of an email to subs AT brackenmagazine.com. Read on to find out more about what we’re looking for. We aim to respond within 30 days.

Fiction

We’re seeking lyrical, character-driven myths, born out of the wood. We accept most genres, although we’re biased toward magic realism. Send us your in-between-genre pieces, your heart’s tears, your midnight reveries. We’ll take good care of them.

Requirements:

  • 2,500 words or less
  • original and unpublished
  • no simultaneous or multiple submissions

Include:

  • subject line: Fiction Sub “<Your Story Title>”
  • your name and contact information
  • the title of your piece and word count
  • a bit about yourself, including brief publication history
  • your story in the body of the email; no attachments

Payment: $.02/word

VIa: Bracken Magazine.