Deadline: October 1st, 2018
Payment: $15

BANJAXED BOOKS is proud to announce short story submissions for our second anthology, Deductions, Delinquents, and Detectives, a collection of mystery/detective stories set in whatever genre the authors choose. Whether it’s a murder mystery set in a world of High Fantasy, a science fiction who-done-it, or the tale of a hard-boiled detective in the near or distant future, Deductions, Delinquents, and Detectives will gather together the best mystery stories from any and all genres. Steampunk, monsters, robots, myths and legends, and–yes–even post-apocalypse…we’re looking for short stories that combine genres in interesting new ways. (We’ll even take a look at realistic mystery stories set in modern times…or during the heyday of detective stories. No monsters or flying cars? No problem! Mystery is a genre all its own.)

 

SUBMISSION SCHEDULE

Submissions open April 1, 2018 and close October 1, 2018.

Publication is planned for April 2019. An official date will be announced later in the year. This will launch initially as a paperback.

We will get word to you concerning acceptance or rejection as soon as we can, but please remember that we typically get many, many submissions a week, so it could be as long as a month, maybe a bit longer as we get closer to the end of submissions. But not to worry: If you submit and get concerned after a reasonable amount of time has passed, inquire through email. We would never hold that against any author. And we’ll work as fast as humanly possible to get word out to you.

If you are interested in sending a story, email it (and a brief cover letter in the body of the email) to:

[email protected]

Subject line: Submission, Detectives, “Title of Story,” Word Count

(Example: Submission, Detectives, “A Corpse in the Rain,” 3500 Words)

Please follow the guidelines below. Failure to do so could result in a rejection of your hard work!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at the above email. Include Detectives in the subject line of any query.

 

GUIDELINES

Formatting should be typical. Courier New or Times New Roman, pt. 12, should be used. If you are unfamiliar with formatting a raw manuscript, please check out this link and follow it to the letter.

If you write under a pseudonym, please use your real name in the left-hand corner of the first page (along with your address, telephone number, and email address).

Word count for each story should fall between 2000 and 7000 words. While we’re not interested in stories below that count, you might be able to persuade us to give your story a read if it goes over 7000. (The easiest way to do that is give us a heads-up concerning the word count…and writing a good piece. A really good piece.) But be sure to take into account how much you’ll be paid for said story. We’ll gladly take a magnificent piece at 10,000 words–IF you’re willing to accept the set payment for it. (See PAYMENT below.)

Submit stories as an attachment in .doc or .docx. We’ll take .rtf, but no pdf, please.

Please submit only one story. Simultaneous submissions are okay–grumble, grumble–and we will withdraw a story placed elsewhere before acceptance/rejection. We are currently not in the market for reprints. I’ll write it again: WE ARE CURRENTLY NOT IN THE MARKET FOR REPRINTS.

The mood of each piece is up to the discretion of the author–tragic, funny, or any combination. If your characters use strong language, feel free to write in their voice. Do not, however, add harsh language just to seem “cool” or “literate.” Same with sex and violence. No incest, underage sex. (The line must be drawn somewhere.) Other than that–give your imagination sway.

As long as it is in combination with a mystery/detective story, please feel free to set your tale against the backdrop of whatever genre you like. The only genre we will not accept is erotica. (But I’ll gladly read it and tell you what I think.)

The editors of BANJAXED BOOKS request characters be fictional. Characters out of antiquity will be considered, especially if your detective or villain uses time travel (or some other method) to plan their murder to change history/the future. Again, such characters should be out of antiquity–no living celebrities or politicians (or boyfriends/girlfriends) will be acceptable. To be honest, it’s best to populate your world with characters made up from whole cloth. We’ll bend that rule only with good reason.

 

PAYMENT

Writers whose work is selected will receive $15. We wish we could pay more for your quality writing, but we are a newish outfit–any understanding will be appreciated. We pay by PayPal or check.

We are located in America. Please note that the exchange rate in your country may be lower than fifteen USA dollars, and that exchange fees may be higher than the royalty altogether. Having a reliable PayPal in this instance is the safest bet.

Authors will be paid upon acceptance. Publishing our first anthology, Chaos of Hard Clay, presented a steep learning curve, and the most important lesson learned was that paying upon acceptance–not publication–is the decent thing to do for any author sharing their work with us. And believe me, we wish we could pay much more, but we are an indie-publisher, and this is our second venture. It is a few dollars more than we paid the authors of Chaos, so–with each new project–we hope to pay a greater amount.

We pay $15 for First Paperback Rights and Non-Exclusive Digital Rights. Once the initial paperback comes out in April 2019, authors may sell their stories elsewhere (with the understanding that we’ll eventually put out an eBook version). As long as your tale does not appear anywhere else before the paperback hits the stands, all will be good.

If your work is not accepted, please do not go into histrionics. BANJAXED BOOKS plans to put out more anthologies, and we may eventually be a good home for your work. In any case, we will endeavor to give as much feedback as possible as to why we rejected your story. (I think the authors of Chaos would confirm that I’m a nice fellow. I know how story rejection feels. I would not add insult to injury by saying, “It stinks,” and closing our correspondence. I wouldn’t say It stinks anyway.)

If your work is accepted–but needs minor retooling–please work with us to make your story the best it can be.

Thank you for your interest. We cannot wait to read your stories. Have fun, and formulate something truly original. We have faith in you.

 

PERSONNEL

G. Allen Cook, Executive Editor, began his publishing career writing for newspapers and magazines. He has written 20 plays, eight of them full-length musicals.

The aspect of writing Cook likes best is revision and polishing. Even when reading books written by other authors he sees ways to edit and revise. It is for this reason he decided to edit anthologies, as he enjoys working with writers to make a collection of stories the best it can be.

Kathy Cook, Editor, holds a Bachelor’s in English and a Master’s in Library Media. Despite these areas of study, her greatest talent is editing. (“She rarely needs to rely on books on grammar to solve a grammatical problem, of which I’ve presented her with many.” — G. Allen)

BANJAXED BOOKS is a mom-and-pop operation, but that should not imply a sophomoric concern. G. Allen has published anthologies of his own work and appeared in collections compiled by other editors. Kathy has edited (for the better) all of his output–and edited for various outside jobs–for the past fourteen years.

Via: G. Allen Cook.