Deadline: January 31st, 2019
Payment: 6 cents per word

Submissions to this anthology must follow our No-Harm Guidelines. Please read these guidelines prior to writing or submitting a story. One purpose of these guidelines is to ensure the collection is friendly to a diverse set of potential readers.

Submission Guidelines

Originally Posted 15 September 2018

Last Updated 01 December 2018

Thank you for your interest in the Five Minutes at Hotel Stormcove anthology.

Bottom line:

• Send your unpublished story of 1-4000 words to [email protected] by the end of January 2019, with the subject “Stormcove Submission.”

Format:

• Please submit your story as a Word document.
• Include your: name, writing as, country, and primary pronoun (e.g. she/he/they/e).
• Include the story’s: title, number of words, and primary genre (e.g. romance, fantasy, contemporary, mystery).
• Include for the subtitle, the: year (e.g. 2018, c1100), location (e.g. Room 102, Room 845, Ballroom, Lobby), and start time of the five minutes (e.g. 9:32 PM, 2315, sunrise). If the day or time of year is relevant (e.g. New Year’s Day or November), please include that information.
• For this collection, we are not interested in reprints or works submitted simultaneously for other publication. Please only submit unpublished content.

Theme goals:

• Feature unique, original, diverse, artistic content from authors across fiction genres.
• Provide an anthology theme that is workable within many genres.
• Provide guidelines that will generate original content but are flexible enough, that if a story is not included, can still be used elsewhere with small tweaks.
• Allow authors, editors, and readers all to have a little fun with the collection.

Payment and legal:

• The anthology will be published by Atthis Arts, LLC.
• All accepted submissions will require a signed contract with Atthis Arts, LLC — we believe in pay, respect, and autonomy for authors, so we’ve done our best to make that contract friendly and fair for both parties.
• We will pay $0.06 USD / word (minimum $25), based on the word count at time of contract signature, in alignment with qualifying short fiction rates as defined by Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SWFA).
• Authors will be able to buy copies of the anthology at a reduced price for personal event sales, as specified in the contract.
• Accepted works will remain exclusive to publication by Atthis Arts, LLC for a limited time as set in the contract. We require a longer time than some collections because of our passion for unique, original art. We are not looking to engage in the reprint market.
• Stories must be original work and completely clear of any external publication rights or copyright claims. We require stories that have not been previously published or posted online. If you have a previously posted or published story you’d like to submit, please contact us to discuss.
• Authors will be required to respond to requests for any necessary tax paperwork.
• Further details will be in the contract; please contact us at [email protected] with any questions.

Representation:

• All authors are welcome. If you are under the age of 18, please note that in your submission.
• Authors from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. You are welcome to, but not asked to, let us know what group(s) and/or intersections of groups you represent.

Editorial process:

• Authors will be requested to address two sets of edits: one developmental and one line/copy. All edits will be at the author’s discretion, but failure to reach an agreement will result in the story not being included in the collection.

General guidelines:

• All stories must be no longer than 4000 words. There is no minimum length. Ideally we are looking for a mix of short stories (in the general range of 1500 to 3000 words) mixed in with some flash fiction (stories between 500 and 1000 words) but please write the story the way it is best written.
• Each author may submit a maximum of three stories.
• All stories must follow our anthology No-Harm Guidelines. Please ensure you have read these guidelines before writing or submitting a story.
• Poetry or non-traditional format is welcome, but the focus of the anthology is short stories and flash fiction.
• The anthology will be multi-genre. Submissions should be from fiction genres (e.g. contemporary, romance, fantasy, science-fiction, inspirational, historical fiction, literary, mystery, adventure, and genre-bending). Please do not submit erotica or horror.
• Stories should be primarily in English. Please write in your preferred form of English (international, ethnic, or regional); conversion to US or standard US English is not requested. Some foreign language content is welcome if the story is generally understandable in English.
• Stories can be written in any person, plurality, tense, or mix of. If you’re not sure which way to go, the editor does have a fondness for third-person. But, she also enjoys unique voices, so write what you feel.

Theme specific guidelines:

• Stories must meet two basic criteria. First, they must take place over the span of five minutes. Second, they must take place at a specific era, location, and time of day within the rooms or grounds of the Hotel Stormcove.
• In order to maximize ease of writing across genres, we are not adhering to a strict Earth location and timeline. Contemporary writers will find the current hotel equipped with modern amenities. Historical fiction writers would be best writing generic stories in an era, but not based on specific local events. Fantasy writers may find low or urban fantasy easier with this theme, but I don’t doubt your ability to work in high fantasy elements and hope you will enjoy the challenge. And steampunk writers, well you can stage a whole mechanical speakeasy in the cocktail lounge. Mystery has the gift of finding a dead body in the hotel room, but you know, have fun with it. And so on.
• Earth locations and events can be generally referenced, e.g. a family who just arrived from France or a man who survived World War II, but the focus should be on the events in the hotel.
• Historical accuracy is not a requirement, especially if it avoids unintended colonial or indigenous issues or allows the author to work in their own culture to the historical setting.
• All characters should be fictional, so no stories about the time Abraham Lincoln visited, for example. (Though a fictional president could.)
• The stories can be a little darker or more edgy than our previous collection, As Told by Things, but we are still looking for a collection that is appealing to a broad range of readers and is generally intriguing or uplifting.
• We know the theme is a little campy, and that five-minutes could easily lend itself to tropes, so we encourage you to be creative. Campy theme, not tropey stories. Swing big!
• While the anthology will be marketed as adult (not YA), please keep all material suitable for reasonable teenage audiences. (A little edge is fine.)
• Feel free to push us a bit on the creative rules, just know that’s a risk.

A brief history of Stormcove

• Hotel Stormcove is generically located on the East Coast of North America, in a region with warm summers and cold winters.
• There is no set founding date of Stormcove, which was originally a natural cove with low stone walls. As far as recorded history provides, people have sought shelter here, mingling with other locals and travelers alike.
• Sometime in the sixteenth century, a building was erected atop the stone walls, providing a long view out to the ocean. The building was originally three stories high. Later, as the building expanded and more formally housed travelers, it began to operate in a more formal manner and was called Stormcove Inn.
• In the 1920s, after several expansions, the new proprietors changed the name to Hotel Stormcove in an effort to enhance its prestige. At this point, the hotel had twenty-two stories, with none labeled as floor thirteen. It attracted all kinds of wealthy visitors, or those who could find a way to stay there.
• In 1994, the Hotel was remodeled and renamed The Suites at Stormcove, but most visitors continued to call it by its historic name, due to the large Art Deco sign atop its roof. By this point, the hotel had a modern hotel building behind the earlier structure, reaching to forty stories, but had been eclipsed in many ways by more modern hotels in the area.
• In 2025, the hotel was offered a government-funded preservation grant, and was renamed after the sponsoring government official. Everyone ignored this change and began calling it Hotel Stormcove again. There were still forty stories.
• In 2084, the hotel was registered under global naming convention, with English-speaking visitors reverting informally to the original name, Stormcove. By this point, the hotel had added three ninety-nine-story luxury towers, which did include a thirteenth floor.
• In the age of space travel, the hotel is a known Solar destination, featuring historical artifacts across the extent of human history. Not expensive because of its antiquated design and lack of direct pod access, it attracts an eclectic clientele.
• The Hotel building has always been known for its original lobby, set with two sweeping three-story curved staircases. The Hotel grounds are known for their unobstructed views of the water, and the nearby seaport, which has remained in some state of use over the years.
• The managers of the Hotel have always quietly provided free rooms for those in need, as much as they were able. This was not communicated to the wealthy visitors.

We think this is a fun project and we hope you think so too. I am very much looking forward to reading your stories and I thank you for your time!

Emily.

No Harm Guidelines

Our anthologies follow what we refer to as our No-Harm Guidelines. Stories submitted to Atthis Arts, LLC anthologies must follow these guidelines for acceptance. Please read through the details, as some aspects may be more familiar to writers (e.g. racism) than others (e.g. ableism). The purposes of these guidelines are primarily: 1) to do our best to produce content that provides positive, responsible social messages 2) to assure our readers that the stories will be friendly to each of them, regardless of their beliefs or background.

No one is perfect, certainly including our team. But we are trying to do our best and really appreciate your participation and understanding.

Race / Ethnicity

• No story may degrade any racial or ethnic group or use related slurs.
• Stories should not promote stereotypes of racial or ethnic groups.
• Please use caution in describing race or skin. For example, it’s best not to refer to dark skin in terms of food (chocolate, spices, coffee). Also, avoid messages equating specific racial characteristics (e.g. light skin and straight hair) with beauty.

Religion / Culture

• Stories must be friendly to all religious and non-religious people.
• Stories may not include any negative mention of any religion, ethic, or belief system.
• While stories are always colored by and should align with the beliefs of the author, our anthologies should contain no overt religious messages. (A story containing religious references or themes is welcome as long as it is friendly to general audiences and doesn’t appear to pass judgment on others.)
• Stories should not be centered on a religion or culture unless the author has a personal connection to that culture, for example do not write stories based on indigenous lore unless you have a direct connection to or coordination with an originating group.

Gender / Orientation

• No story may degrade any gender group or use related slurs, including the b-word, including when intended as humor.
• Stories should not promote stereotypes of gender groups.
• No story may make any negative or harmful mention of LGBTQIA+ characters, rights, or community.

Families / Parenting

• No story may make any negative or dismissive mention of family composition.
• Stories should not read as dismissive of adoptive or non-biological families. This includes making references to birth or biological parents as “real” e.g. “finding her real mom.”

Ability

• Stories should not contain any disrespectful or stigmatic treatment of physical or mental disabilities.
• Stories should not casually use terms referring to physical or mental ability such as crazy, lame, stupid, or idiot, even if the intended use of the term is lighthearted.
• Stories should not contain jokes about size. (Note: This has been the most commonly seen issue: well-intentioned authors writing stories making fun of a character for their size. In other words: “Please, no fat jokes.”)
• Take great care in writing stories based on a character being an outcast based on their physical or mental ability so as not to further encourage stigmas.

Animals

• The executive editor of Atthis Arts is a vegan, but she recognizes there are divergent views on animal use in our society.
• Casual references to societally-acceptable animal use (e.g. characters wearing leather or lauding bacon) are permitted. (Though, for our anthologies, please consider whether these references are important to the story.)
• Stories centered on animal use, such as hunting, zoos, animal circuses, pet shops, or horse racing are best avoided.
• Stories may not casually portray animal harm or abuse outside of societal norms.

* Context

• If your story includes terms or themes that would otherwise violate these terms, but it is done with responsible intention in a way that enhances the anthology theme or adds artistic or social value, please note that in your submission.
• We welcome your continued feedback on these guidelines.

Via: Atthis Arts.