Deadline: July 31st, 2020
Payment: $8
Theme: Cutting edge Science Fiction, Slipstream, Classic and Modern Fantasy

Submissions

Welcome to the Silver Pen Writers Association group of publications. From this web page, you will have an opportunity to submit your work to Silver Blade Magazine.

General Guidelines

(Updated February 2020) Give us something unexpected and well written.  Technique, voice, characterization, and language will all play a part in our decision to publish.  Amaze us with your writing, use of language, sense of story, and memorable characters.  Give us a story readers will not be able to forget and will eagerly recommend to others.

The following are “hard sells” here:

• Stories possessing several of the cliché elements listed here.
• Fan Fiction or erotica
• Anthropomorphism (talking cats, foxes, toasters or whatever)
• Sloppy work–significant typographical, spelling, or grammatical errors (please proofread before you submit)
• Publicly available items (seriously, why would we pay to publish something being given away on a blog, forum, social media, etc?)

Our editorial policies respect the artistic license of our authors.  However, there are occasions when changes are needed that go beyond basic spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections. In any case, the author will be given the choice of final approval, prior to publication, over substantial edits made by our staff. We appreciate your willingness to work with us in this regard. Do not submit if you are not open to suggestions.

Formatting

All submissions should…

• Have 1 inch margins, 1 1/2 line spacing and double space between paragraphs.
• NO fancy headers or footers, text effects, background colors or images.
• Use a standard font (Arial, Calibri, Times Roman, Courier) in 12 point size.
• Exceptions will be made ONLY for poetry submissions (see below).

Silver Blade Poetry

Rights and Royalties

(revised January 27, 2014)

For previously unpublished works, Silver Pen pays a flat fee of $15 for novellas, $3 for flash fiction, $8 for short stories, $8 for single poems and $15 for Featured Poets (by invitation only). Silver Pen will pay half of these rates for previously published works. A $2 bonus will be added for authors who accept payment via PayPal (which shall be the assumed payment method unless you specifically state otherwise). Note: Only authors in the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom have the option of receiving a mailed, hand written check. Everyone else MUST use PayPal or forfeit payment.

For previously unpublished WORK, Silver Pen (PUBLISHER) requires you (AUTHOR) to:

• grant First Global Electronic Rights to the PUBLISHER.
• grant First Global Serial Rights to the PUBLISHER.
• grant Archival Rights to the PUBLISHER
• refer to Silver Blade as first place of publication if the WORK is subsequently reprinted

For previously published WORK, PUBLISHER requires the AUTHOR to:

• grant Second Global Electronic Rights to the PUBLISHER.
• grant Second Global Serial Rights to the PUBLISHER.
• grant Archival Rights to the PUBLISHER

Common requirements for all WORKS:

• AUTHOR assures PUBLISHER that submitted work is not currently published in electronic form elsewhere (including freely accessibly “public” Internet sites);
• AUTHOR warrants that the work is original, and no other entity has reserved the rights required by Silver Pen for publication;
• AUTHOR warrants that the work does not contain libelous material or material copyrighted by another party.
• If, after six months, the author manages a sale of the work that requires electronic exclusivity, we will take reasonable steps to accommodate them.

The exclusive period for First Rights is 12 months. Afterward, the rights granted by the AUTHOR to the PUBLISHER for previously unpublished WORK become non-exclusive. This means the AUTHOR is free to shop the WORK around after 12 months, and the PUBLISHER retains the right to use the WORK. In addition, the AUTHOR retains Print Anthology rights immediately after publication of the WORK.

Other Important Points

• Pieces posted for critique on a controlled-access website (user ID and password required to access) do not count as “published.”
• submissions –at— silverpen.org is used solely for author communication and inquiries. Writers are strongly encouraged to add it to their trusted sender email address list.
• All submissions must be submitted through our Submittable web links above. Works sent to submissions –at— silverpen.org will be deleted without reading them.
• We allow simultaneous submissions, but please let us know immediately if your work has been accepted elsewhere. We are an all-volunteer organization and our time is limited.
• Multiple submissions are welcome, but we will not publish more than one piece by an author in any single issue (exception: Poetry submissions to SB).
• If you use Duotrope, please remember to report your responses. It helps keep us honest.

Now, click one of the links highlighted above to submit your work!

Via: Silver Blade.