Submission Window: May 1st – 30th, 2022
Payment: 8 cents per word
Theme: Is There Anybody Out There? Stories about unexpected encounters in isolated places.

What we’re looking for

We want stories that challenge our relationship with space—past, present, and future. Get wild. Show us new mythologies and undiscovered gods. Show us what emerges from a black hole when its egg finally cracks. Show us the place where science becomes magic.

Your characters don’t need to be human, but there should be something undeniably human in their story. We want social outcasts and lovable bastards. We want courageous optimism in the face of despair. We love dark fiction and elements of horror, but there should be a glimmer of hope in it all.

For a sense of our taste, our favorite authors working in this genre include Kameron Hurley, Nnedi Okorafor, and Tamsyn Muir.

What we’re not looking for

• Humans conquering/dominating as a monolithic group. We love unapologetically kickass characters, but we want more nuanced interactions with power.
• Moralizing from the author. We eagerly welcome stories that reveal a reader’s blindspots and/or biases. We believe the most impactful stories accomplish that through character and narrative, not by telling us how to feel.
• Gore
• Erotica
• Poetry or nonfiction
• Hateful content directed/analogized toward any group

 

Issue #1: Is There Anybody Out There?

The call for our inaugural issue will be May 1 – 30, 2022, with the theme, Is There Anybody Out There? We’re seeking stories about unexpected encounters in isolated places.

We will publish one story a month from June through November 2022. All six stories will be compiled in a PDF and made available for download as Issue #1 in December 2022.

Here is a sample of our contract: PDF link

Before You Submit

• Our submission window will run from May 1 – May 30, 2022. You may submit any time before midnight in your timezone on May 30.
• Original, unpublished fiction only. We are not open to reprints at this time.
• Pay is 8 cents USD/word, paid via PayPal.
• Use any standard submission formatting that is double-spaced, 12-ish point font, and please god our eyes not Courier New.
• 1250 words maximum. We strongly prefer flash stories from 1000-1250 words, but you can send multiple micros, as long as their total is 1250 words or fewer. This will still count as one submission. If submitting more than one story, please put them all in the same file.
• No multiple submissions. Each author gets up to 1250 words per submission period. Please do not resubmit a rejected story unless explicitly invited.
• Simultaneous submissions are always okay. We’re in the slushpile, too. We know the pain.

How to Submit

• Send your submission to spacefantasymag(@)gmail.com.
• Include in the subject: SUBMISSION – [Story Title(s)] by [Pen Name]
• Include in the body of your email: title(s), word count(s), and a brief third-person bio. If there’s anything about your life experiences that inform your work, feel free to let us know.
• Submit your work as a .doc or .docx file.

Via: Space Fantasy Magazine.