Submission deadline for CLIFFHANGER Issue 1: Saturday, December 5th, 2020, 11:59pm
Editorial decisions: Saturday, April  3rd, 2021
Publication of issue: Saturday, June 5th, 2021

Length: We prefer short, fast paced fiction that tells complete and cohesive narratives. Word Count should fall between 5,000 and 7,000 words with the sweet spot being around 6,000. We do not accept Flash Fiction.

Style: We prefer stories that feature interesting characters finding ways into and out of dangerous situations at a rollicking pace. Gratuitous sex and gore is frowned upon, though we recognize that horror and romance have their place in Adventure Fiction.

Publication, payment, and rights: Issues will be published as .pdf files. If work is selected for publication in CLIFFHANGER, authors will (1) be paid an honorarium of $10 and (2) will be asked to provide, by contract, “First North American Serial Rights.” In our opinion, this means that copyright is NOT transferred. All copyright stays with you, the writer; however, you will have sold/transferred a form of “exclusive use rights” called “First North American Serial Rights” (FNASR). This is the right to publish your unpublished work for the first time, and ONLY the first time, no more. The important thing to remember is that some professional publications may ask for FNASR upon acceptance of a specific work; you are not legally permitted to provide those for that specific work after publication in CLIFFHANGER, for you have already rendered their use to us. In other words, once you publish a work in CLIFFHANGER, that works’ associated FNASR have been sold/transferred. You CAN publish your previously published work elsewhere as a reprint but only as long as that publication does not require FNASR. This is a long way of saying that CLIFFHANGER is an amateur publication, meant for showcasing emerging talent for the consideration of professional markets. In essence: save your best work for higher paying markets!

Submit: Proofread standard manuscripts should be sent to the editor/publisher, L. D. Whitney and Z. S. Reynolds, at cliffhangermagazine [at] gmail [dot] com as .doc or .docx attachments. Include the following subject line: “CLIFFHANGER: [Last Name].” Please keep cover letters brief. A story title and a one- or two-sentence bio is sufficient.