Deadline: July 11th, 2021
Payment: 12.5 cents per word for accepted stories.
Theme: Work loosely themed around science and technology: the joy of discovery, the systemic barriers in place that prevent equal access to advanced knowledge, and how new tools and machines can both empower and disenfranchise marginalized voices.

At that time, we will be open to short stories and poems for consideration by guest editor Hal Y. Zhang.

Hal would especially love to see work loosely themed around science and technology: the joy of discovery, the systemic barriers in place that prevent equal access to advanced knowledge, and how new tools and machines can both empower and disenfranchise marginalized voices. Don’t limit yourself to strictly future settings or science fiction — think broadly in terms of any method or system that explores the world through experimentation, such as an ancient sorcerer investigating rules of magic.

We have no other submissions dates to announce at this time. Please subscribe to our newsletter if you’d like to be the first to find out about our future submissions dates.

During open submissions periods, there will be a form on this page for uploading your submission. (Click the link at the bottom of this post to get to the page with the form.)

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General Guidelines

We welcome previously unpublished work (where “published” includes work posted on Patreon or on a blog) in English from all writers anywhere in the world, and we are interested in seeing work from people of color, LGBTQIA people, disabled people, members of religious minorities, and people outside the United States. We strongly encourage submissions from people of those backgrounds, and all others whom traditional publishing has historically excluded.

If you have any questions about how to submit, please email us at: [email protected]. (Any submissions sent via email will be deleted unread.)

Accessibility

We use an online form to gather submissions, but we understand that this may not be universally accessible to disabled people. If you have questions related to accessibility, please email us at [email protected] with the subject line: “Accessibility Query.” Accessibility Queries should only contain a request to submit by alternate means, and should not include a submission.

Any submissions sent via email will be deleted unread.

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Short Stories

When we are open for short story submissions, we accept stories up to 3,000 words. Our budget allows us to pay for up to 7,000 words per monthly issue of Fireside Magazine, which means we are always going to buy more shorter fiction than longer stories.

Please submit:

• Stories in English.
• Stories that have never been published before.
• Short stories up to 3,000 words.
• Stories of any genre.
• Submissions from anywhere in the world, from all kinds of voices.
• One Docx file set in a comfortably sized, legible font.
• Cover letters are optional, but they are great places to tell us about your connection to the material, personal background, or identity, and to include content notes if your story deals with difficult subject matter.
• Only one story per author — no multiple submissions. (But it is fine to resubmit a story you’ve submitted to us previously; just because it wasn’t right for a previous guest editor doesn’t mean it won’t be right for another one. If a particular submissions period includes poetry, which isn’t always the case, then it’s also fine to submit both a short story and a poem, as long as it’s still only one of each.)
• Sending your story to other venues (simultaneous submissions) is okay, but we ask that you please withdraw immediately if you take another offer by emailing [email protected].

Please don’t send us:

• Stories that promote fascism, racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, etc.
• Stories longer than 3,000 words. (Please don’t email to ask if you’re the special exception — you’re not.)
• PDF files.
• Submissions via email. Emailed submissions will be deleted unread. Please use the submissions form that will be available on this page when submissions are open.
• Stories that use intellectual property that is under copyright. (We enjoy fanfic, but we don’t publish it.)

What to expect from us:

• Fireside acquires English language rights in print, digital, and audio formats. Please see our Story Contract Boilerplate for the full text of our contract.
• First responses (either a rejection or a second round notice) within approximately 30 days from the end of the submissions period, and a final decision on second-round holds approximately 60 days after that. If there’s any major delay to this timing, we’ll let you know.
• Payment of 12.5 cents per word for accepted stories.

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Poetry

When we are open for poetry submissions, we do not cap poem word counts, but other guidelines still apply.

Please submit:

• Poems in English.
• Poems that have never been published before.
• Poems of any genre.
• Submissions from anywhere in the world, from all kinds of voices.
• One Docx file set in a comfortably sized, legible font.
• Cover letters are optional, but they are great places to tell us about your connection to the material, personal background, or identity, and to include content warnings if your story deals with difficult subject matter.
• Only one poem per author — no multiple submissions. (But it is fine to resubmit a poem you’ve submitted to us previously; just because it wasn’t right for a previous guest editor doesn’t mean it won’t be right for another one. It’s also fine to submit both a short story and a poem, as long as it’s still only one of each.)
• Sending your poem to other venues (simultaneous submissions) is okay, but we ask that you please withdraw immediately if you take another offer by emailing [email protected].

Please don’t send us:

• Poems that promote fascism, racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, etc.
• PDF files.
• Submissions via email. Emailed submissions will be deleted unread. Please use the submissions form that will be available on this page when submissions are open.
• Stories that use intellectual property that is under copyright. (We enjoy fanfic, but we don’t publish it.)

What to expect from us:

• Fireside acquires English language rights in print, digital, and audio formats. Please see our Poem Contract Boilerplate for the full text of our contract.
• First responses (either a rejection or a second round notice) within approximately 30 days from the end of the submissions period, and a final decision on second-round holds approximately 60 days after that. If there’s any major delay to this timing, we’ll let you know.
• Flat payment of $100 for accepted poems.

Via: Fireside Magazine.