Deadline: February 28th, 2021
Payment: $0.01/word (1 cent a word) USD for fiction and $5 per poem
Theme: Speculative fiction and poetry—science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but also compelling work that blurs the lines between these and falls outside of neat genre categories.

Kaleidotrope publishes predominantly speculative fiction and poetry—science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but also compelling work that blurs the lines between these and falls outside of neat genre categories. Man does not live on space ships, elves, and ghostly ax murderers alone, after all. We’d suggest looking through the archives to familiarize yourself with the zine, and/or checking out other work by our past contributors, to get a sense of what we’re looking for and what we like.

We are also interested in publishing diverse writers. Kaleidotrope welcome writers of color and other groups, as well as work that represents the diversity of characters we want to see more of.

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Fiction

We have no minimum or maximum word count but strongly prefer stories over 250 words and under 10,000.

Poetry

We consider all forms. However, individual haiku, or other very short poems, may be a tougher sell.

Artwork

We are looking for primarily full-color illustrations to serve as cover art. We currently do not commission new cover artwork or pieces to appear with individual stories and poems. The best way to submit artwork is to email a link to your online portfolio or gallery, though you may also send individual pieces for consideration.

Reprints

Kaleidotrope does not consider fiction or poetry reprints. This includes work that has appeared on your personal website or in public online forums. We do, however, consider artwork that has appeared in online galleries or elsewhere, provided you own the copyright to the piece and any characters depicted therein. (Sorry, no fan-art.)

Rights

For fiction and poetry, we buy First Serial Rights. This means that the work will not have appeared anywhere else, in print or online, prior to publication. For artwork, we buy Digital Reprint Rights.

Work published with Kaleidotrope will remain in our archives as part of the issue in which it first appeared, but all rights will revert to the author upon publication. With the exception of artwork, we ask only that you wait three months from publication to reprint the work elsewhere.

Payment

For fiction, we pay $0.01/word (1 cent a word) USD. For poetry, we offer a flat rate of $5 USD per accepted piece. For artwork, we offer a flat rat of $60 for cover art.

Reading Periods

In 2021, Kaleidotrope will be open to fiction and poetry submissions during the following periods:

• February 1-28
• May 1-31
• August 1-31
• November 1-30

Fiction and poetry sent outside these windows will not be considered. Artwork, however, may be submitted year-round beginning in February.

Response Time

Typically 1-3 months. Feel free to query if you have not heard from us after that.

How to Submit

Kaleidotrope only accepts electronic submissions, sent by e-mail attachment to [email protected]. You may, if you prefer, paste the text of your submission into the body of the e-mail itself — although this is less advisable for longer pieces. In your e-mail subject heading, please indicate if the work you’re sending is Fiction, Poetry, or Artwork.

It is strongly advised that you generally follow standard format for all manuscripts, including name (and byline if different), email contact, story title, and word count. A brief cover letter is also welcomed.

Multiple Submissions

Please keep multiple submissions to a reasonable minimum (i.e., no more than 3 at any one time). Poetry and artwork submissions may be submitted in a single e-mail, but please send all fiction individually.

Simultaneous Submissions

We do not accept simultaneous submissions. We understand why authors wish to submit stories to more than one venue at a time, but please don’t do it to us. And unless we specifically ask you to send us revisions, please do not resubmit stories we’ve passed on. Thanks!

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Please always feel free [email protected]to query if anything in these guidelines is unclear.

Via: Kaleidotrope.