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Taking Submissions: The Black Beacon Book of Mystery

November 30, 2019

Deadline: November 30th, 2019
Payment: 1 penny (GBP) per word for original short stories, 100 pounds for original novellas / flat rate, 10 pounds for reprints / flat rate, and a contributor’s copy

Submissions close: 30/11/2019

Response time: We’ll aim for the end of January 2020 at the latest

Publication: Planned for late 2020

What we want: This anthology will combine the best new mysteries with classic reprints from yesteryear, so give us a masterful tale. You’ll need an engaging and memorable protagonist who can hold his or her own against Sherlock Holmes and Auguste Dupin. Above all, we want a clever puzzle the reader can try to solve. Throw in clues and red herrings, make our readers work their “little grey cells”, as Hercule Poirot puts it. The mystery could be a crime, but it could also be a historical or archaeological investigation, a treasure hunt, getting to the bottom of a local legend… it’s up to you, but it must be a mystery the reader can delve into and try to solve before your protagonist. Think Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, Inspector Morse, Jonathan Creek, even Nancy Drew or Scooby Doo, but be damned clever about it! Get moving! The game’s afoot!

Length: 
Short stories between 2,500 and 7,000 words
Novellas up to 25,000 words

Rates:
1 penny (GBP) per word for original short stories
100 pounds for original novellas / flat rate
10 pounds for reprints / flat rate
All contributors will receive one print copy

Please read the full guidelines below before submitting.

GENERAL GUIDELINES AND DETAILS

Please only submit one story per publication. No simultaneous submissions for original fiction.

Languages accepted: 
English and French / anglais et français
Black Beacon Books is based in France but publishes in English. As such, we accept submissions in both English and French. Any French submissions accepted will be translated into English for publication. / Black Beacon Books est une maison d’édition de langue anglaise basée en France. Nous acceptons des nouvelles écrites en français mais elles seront traduites et publiées en anglais.

What we expect from authors:
1) We strongly recommend you purchase a copy of a previous anthology to be sure you want to be part of our team. We’re choosing stories for our anthology, but you’re also choosing a home for your work. We want you to feel you’ve made the right choice.
2) Please submit quality writing and be prepared to work with the team to make your story the very best it can be.
3) If your submission is successful, we need you to help promote the anthology through word-of-mouth and online networking.

Legal disclaimer:
1) Original Fiction: Inclusion in the anthology means that you give BBB First World English rights (this means your story will appear in this anthology for the first time in English, covering both electronic and print publications). After the official release of the anthology, all rights revert to the Author, and BBB will not publish it in any other publication without your permission.
2) Reprints: We purchase Non-Exclusive Reprint rights, which means your previously published story can be sold to other publications at the same time and at any time after our anthology. Of course, it is your duty as the Author to ensure you retain the relevant rights to reprints submitted to us. You should tell us where your story was first published so we can provide appropriate credit to the original publisher within our anthology.
Details on rights can be found at Writing-World.

How to submit:
Please note that we use British English conventions. Submissions are encouraged from all over the world but be aware that the editor may wish to make changes to those containing North American usages.

For submissions in English, the editor requires:

– All grammar and punctuation to be used appropriately. This is your best friend: https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/grammar-and-usage, and if you don’t know how to use commas, visit these sites: https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/comma and https://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/commas.asp
In terms of comma usage, here are three simple examples of what we require:
Yesterday, I followed him home.
As soon as I hear from him, I’ll let you know.
I bought an axe, rope, and a box of matches.

– Quotation marks to be single for general dialogue.

– Only one space at the end of sentences.

– Formatted indentation for paragraphs. Do not use the space bar or tab bar.

– The use of italics. Do not replace them with an underline. 

Once you’ve finished your tale and edited it… and edited again, and asked your mum and dog to proof-read it, send it as a .doc (NO .docx) or .rtf file to blackbeaconbooks (at) gmail.com
Be sure to include your contact details in your email AND in the file. In the subject of your email, write: “BBB Submission”.

Via: Black Beacon Books.

Details

Date:
November 30, 2019