Deadline: April 15th, 2020
Payment: $0.03 per word
Theme: “fun” stories with speculative elements

SUBMISSIONS WILL BE OPEN MARCH 15 – APRIL 15, 2020.

We are open annually for submissions from March 15th through April 15th for our August issue, and from September 15th through October 15th for our February issue.

WHAT TO SUBMIT

The short version:

• We pay $0.03 per word with a minimum of $20 in exchange for first world electronic rights in English. We ask for an exclusivity period of 3 months from date of publication.
• Maximum 5,000 words.
• Your story should contain speculative elements.
• We do not accept nonfiction.
• No simultaneous submissions.
• Only one submission per open period.
• Save your manuscript in Standard Manuscript Format as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf and email it as an attachment to translunartravelerslounge AT gmail DOT com.
• You’re welcome to include a cover letter, but try to avoid summarizing your story. We don’t generally look at cover letters until after we’ve read the story. Also, please limit your writing credits to your top two or three. (No worries if you don’t have any! We love new writers.)
• Translunar Travelers Lounge is co-edited by Ms. Aimee Ogden and Mx. Bennett North. Feel free to just address your email to “Dear Editors,” but if you decide to use our names, we would appreciate if you mention both of us, since this magazine is a joint effort.
• You will receive a response no later than two months after the submission period closes, and often much sooner. If you haven’t heard from us, please query ASAP at the above address, using the email header QUERY: Story Title by Author Name.

The long version:

Broadly defined, the type of fiction we are looking for is “fun”. Yes, that descriptor is highly subjective, and ultimately it comes down to the personal preferences of the editors. However, here are a few road signs to get you started on the path into our hearts.

A fun story, at its core, is one that works on the premise that things aren’t all bad; that ultimately, good wins out. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your story has to be silly or lighthearted (though it certainly can be). Joy can be made all the more powerful when juxtaposed against tragedy. In the end, though, there should be hope, and we want stories that are truly fun for as many different kinds of people as possible.

Swashbuckling adventure, deadly intrigue, and gleeful romance are some of the most obvious examples of what we’re looking for, but we won’t say no to more subtle or complicated topics, as long as they fit under the wider “fun” umbrella.

We HIGHLY ENCOURAGE submissions from authors of marginalized ethnicities, sexualities, genders, abilities and perspectives. If you are an author whose experience is not often represented, we absolutely want to hear from you. YES, YOU. If you’re comfortable sharing this information with us in your cover letter, please do.

What we’re enthusiastic about:

• Characters of all genders and sexualities or lack thereof
• Settings in non-Western cultures
• Friendship
• Happy marriages
• Stories that pass the Bechdel test and/or the Mako Mori test
• Afrofuturism
• Neurodivergent characters
• Characters with disabilities

What we’re NOT looking for:

• Pedophilia and rape, especially stories that glorify those things or use them as cheap ways of sidelining female characters.
• Violence is okay, but torture is not. In other words, the violence should serve the story, not BE the story.
• Similarly, sex is okay, but erotica is not.
• No fanfiction.
• No revenge fantasies against shrewish, nagging wives and girlfriends.
• No stories about how humanity is basically terrible.
• No works previously published in English. This includes anything that has been published on your own website. In other words, we don’t accept reprints.
• No stories that we’ve already rejected unless we specifically request a rewrite.

If you’re not sure if your story is what we’re looking for, please send it to us and let us decide! DON’T SELF REJECT.

Via: Translunar Travelers Lounge.