Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Pitching Guest Posts

I just got an e-mail from a stranger offering to write a guest post for me. Okay, I'm open to the idea. Except in this case, the pitch letter was very badly written. (A couple of sentences had no period, and one sentence had two periods; maybe he thought they averaged out? plus the plural intro to a singular example, and the fragment that just wandered off into the ether.) Also, the one topic suggested had nothing whatsoever to do with writing or publishing or e-books, my usual topics, nor even about social justice issues, which I also blog about sometimes. It sounded like this person had already written a post on tips for "medical health insurance" (redundant, anyone?) and was sending a generic (badly written) letter to as many blog owners as he could find and hoping someone bit. He said he'd read "http://angiesdesk.blogspot.com" -- yes, the full URL rather than the blog's name -- but looking at the topic he suggested, I frankly don't believe him.

I have to say, I wasn't at all impressed. I wrote up a critique of the pitch letter and sent it back, because I'm a writer and this guy presenting himself as a writer sort of ticked me off.

A couple of years ago, I got another offer from a stranger for a guest post. This one actually sent me a custom letter, or possibly a generic letter that was well enough written to look custom, which is close enough. We went back and forth in e-mail a couple of times, and I told him that I usually post about writing, publishing, e-books, that sort of thing, and that I'd look at anything he came up with on those topics. I should've been more specific.

Again, I got the impression the guy -- despite his apparently personal approach and his discussions with me -- had never actually read my blog. What I got back a few days later was a post on "E-Books 101," a sort of, "Electronic books, or e-books, are a rapidly growing phenomenon in the publishing world. An e-book is an electronic media file..." blah-blah-blah, basically explaining what an e-book was and how it worked and cetera, as though writing for an audience who'd never heard of them before.

Umm, no. Anyone who reads my blog knows what an e-book is [cough] and probably knows more about them than this guy did, even after he did his research and wrote the piece. It sounded like he hit Wikipedia or something, then summarized the basics.

After these experiences, the primary advice I'd give anyone who wants to go around pitching random guest posts is to READ THE BLOG YOU'RE PITCHING TO. That should be pretty basic, right? Apparently not.

Know your audience, which is the audience of the blog you're pitching. Just because a topic is new to you doesn't mean it's new to the readers of that blog. Read the blog, see what's been discussed in the last dozen posts at least, and note the level of discussion. A blog by an electronically published writer, addressing other writers, isn't going to need an "E-Books 101" type post; that's ridiculously elementary for a professional audience. That's like going to a blog for foodies and pitching an article on the difference between stirring and folding, or a post explaining what truffles are. :/

Write to the level of your target audience. If that's going to require significant research on your part, then it will; consider that before sending off your pitch.

And if you plan to pitch your writing skills, learn to write first -- bad grammar and punctuation in your pitch letter aren't going to win you any gigs. [eyeroll]

I'm open to guest posts, but I'm not going to loan my soapbox for just anything. As anyone who looks at my calendar list can tell, I'm not exactly desperate to keep up a steady stream of material here. I post when I have something to talk about, and if I don't then I don't. I'm okay with that, and I'm not going to post something I don't think folks who read here will be interested in just to get something up that day or that week. Particularly if I've never heard of the writer, I'm going to be pretty choosy about guest material; random pitches, even if well written (which the first one from a couple of years ago was) aren't going to make the cut.

Angie

[ETA: comments closed because idiot spammers Will Not Give Up despite the fact that blogger doesn't let any of them through. :/ ]

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Anthology Markets

If you've just wandered in off the internet, hi and welcome. :) I do these posts every month, so if this post isn't dated in the same month you're in, click here to make sure you're seeing the most recent one.

Markets with specific deadlines are listed first, "Until Filled" markets are at the bottom. There are usually more details on the original site; always click through and read the full guidelines before submitting. Note that some publishers list multiple antho guidelines on one page, so after you click through you might have to scroll a bit.

Non-erotica/romance writers: check out Bibliotheca Fantastica, King David and the Spiders from Mars, Campfire Tales, Mark of the Beast, Mirror Shards, Sword and Sorceress, Bloodstones, Classical Horror, the Professor Challenger Anthology, Dark Trails, and Mortis Operandi.

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31 March 2012 -- Picking Up the Pieces -- Storm Moon Press

Expected Release: August 3, 2012
Genres: Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Urban Fantasy
Pairings: Bisexual
HEA or HFN Ending Required? No

The world has ended. No, it wasn’t the zombies. It wasn’t even by supernatural forces (aliens, vampires, religious/The Rapture, etc). What happened is up to you, but for this anthology, we’re looking for natural causes such as meteors, viruses, technology going haywire, or even nuclear winter. Whether you send the survivors into the wild or up into space, Picking Up the Pieces is the perfect opportunity to explore the major shifts of society and sexuality while putting a focus on bisexuality in particular.

We’re looking for short stories that show characters dealing with the fall-out after the apocalypse. This can include a restructuring of gender roles, bisexuality becoming a necessity due to one sex being nearly wiped out, etc. Be creative and show us your best bisexual characters struggling to survive and find a bit of romance at the same time.

Authors will receive royalties as well as an initial payment of $50 for their story. This payment is not an advance and does not have to be earned out before royalties are paid. Royalties on individual e-book releases will be 50% of cover price on direct sales through Storm Moon Press' e-store, and 40% of cover price minus distribution costs for sales through third party vendors. In addition, authors will receive the same percentage royalty on sales of the anthology e-book divided equally among the authors, as well as 25% of cover price on direct sales of the print anthology through Storm Moon Press' e-store, and 20% of cover price minus distribution costs for sales through third party vendors, also divided equally among all authors. All royalties will be paid quarterly.

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31 March 2012 -- Bibliotheca Fantastica -- ed. Claude Lalumière and Don Pizarro, Dagan Books

What we want: Stories having to do with lost, rare, weird, or imaginary books, or any aspect of book history or book culture, past, present, future, or uchronic. Any genre. Although the fantastical is not essential per se, stories should evoke a sense of the fantastic, the unknown, the weird, wonder, terror, mystery, pulp, and/or adventure, etc.

Originals only, no reprints. No simultaneous submissions. Accepting stories of up to 10,000 words in length. We will accept two submissions per author.

We will accept submissions from December 15, 2011, at noon EST, to midnight EST on March 31, 2012. We are taking submissions through an automated system that will not allow you to submit before December 15, but the link to do so will appear here: http://daganbooks.submishmash.com/submit

Dagan Books is paying 2 cents per word for each accepted story, plus contributor copies. Bibliotheca Fantastica will be available in both print and ebook, and is scheduled to be published Fall 2012.

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31 March 2012 -- King David and the Spiders from Mars -- ed. Tim Lieder, Dybbuk Press

Due to the positive response to She Nailed a Stake Through His Head: Tales of Biblical Terror, I will be editing another Bible-themed anthology. Tentatively titled King David & The Spiders from Mars: More Tales of Biblical Terror, this will be a Bible-themed horror anthology specifically based on The Book of Samuel. Some of my favorite stories from the first anthology were David centered including Elissa Malcohn's "Judgement at Naioth" and Christi Krug's "As If Favorites of Their God."

What I'm Looking For: Short stories, ideally between 1000-12000 words. All stories must be based in some way on the book of Samuel (usually edited to be 1 & 2) which is the story about how Israel transitioned from a Judge based society to a kingdom under King David. Even though this is primarily a horror anthology, I'm willing to look at stories that fall into different categories including bizarro, science fiction, fantasy, literary and romance (although if you write a romance between Tamar and Amnon, I'm going to be worried about you and not in a good way). There are several stories within Samuel including the madness of Saul, the end of Eli's family as the major priesthood, David & Goliath and the death of Absalom so feel free to use whatever inspires you. Also, even though the Book of Ruth is a completely different book, it serves as a prequel to the David saga so if you got a great Ruth story, I will read it.

Update: Since I am not getting many stories thus far, I will accept stories from the rest of the Bible so if you have this awesome Elijah or Jonah story, feel free to send it. I will still appreciate the stories from the Book of Samuel more and may give them greater consideration but I won't reject a story because it's from a different part of the Bible.

Check out this Amazon List for reading suggestions. Please at least read the book of Samuel once to get the flavor of the stories. If you only know the story of David & Goliath, you will be at a disadvantage since that's the most popular story in the bunch and you will have a lot of competition.

Also, if you are going to do a David & Goliath story read the original. This is a much more interesting story than the children's books would have you believe and all that "come from behind victory" blather is inaccurate (not to mention boring as hell).

Other Suggestions:
Retellings of Biblical Stories from the perspective of another character.
Kiastic Storytelling
Deconstructionist Commentary akin to Rashi
Biblical stories retold in different literary styles (high adventure, Victorian, Romance, Mystery, etc.)
Modern stories told in the Biblical style (Best use Robert Alter's Art of Biblical Poetry and Art of Biblical Narrative if you want a crash course)
Parodies of Prophets
"Queen Esther vs. The Brain Eating Penis Monster from Outer Space" (note that just sticking this title on a lame story is not going to endear you to me. Write a story that would justify this kind of title and I'm interested)
Biblical Movie Parodies

I am also impressed by the following: original takes on classic stories, strong female characters, stories that actually understand the original tales, style.

Formatting Guidelines: Please use Standard Manuscript format. I am going to be a little more hard on people not using this format since the last time I had stories where I couldn't get back to the writers because they neglected to put their emails on the stories so I had no way of knowing how to tell them that they were rejected. One even made it to the Maybe pile. Please submit in .rtf or .doc.

What I am not Looking For: I have a blog post for the first Bible anthology where I go off on the "do not want" list. It basically comes down to "no preachiness" which is the major pitfall for people tackling these kind of stories. I don't want a story with an agenda - whether it's atheist, Christian or Jewish. I am not interested in other stories in the Bible. Do not set a Sodom & Gomorrah story in San Francisco. Do not send poetry. Do not retell a Bible story from a character's perspective that adds absolutely nothing to the narrative. In the last anthology, I got a bunch of stories that had to stop to tell me that "Jesus is love" but since this one is about King David, I figure there will be less of those in this slush pile. Still, don't do that.

Also note that all snotty replies to rejections will be aired publicly on this blog and mocked mercilessly.

Pay: $100 advance against equal share of royalties - to be paid out no later than publication.

Reading Period: November 1, 2011 - January 31, 2012. All stories submitted before November 1 will be deleted unread. Although that's the best case scenario. If I do read them I will mock them on this blog. I am using a three month window as well as waiting until November 1 because I don't want trunk stories and I doubt anyone has been submitting their awesome King David Rips Off Foreskins story to markets until now. This gives you time to write an original story and send it by November 1 or to spend about 4 months perfecting it until it's ready at the end of January.

Reprints. Yes. Same price. Make sure you tell me where it was originally published and that it is available for reprint right sales.

Send to: timlieder1 - at - gmail.com

***

1 April 2012 -- Masks Off! -- Torquere Press

Everyone loves a masquerade, right? The masks, the mystery, the seduction of the reveal! Now imagine a masquerade with an extra layer: some of the men wear a mask beneath their mask. They're shapeshifters. Be they cats or canines, dragons or foxes, all shifters are welcome, as long they don't forget to wear a mask.

We’re looking for sexy, romantic male/male tales for Masks Off! In which at least one partner is a shifter. Light BDSM is welcome, but is not mandatory. Stories should be between 5000 and 12000 words long, and should be submitted in full and include a synopsis and author biography in the cover letter. Please put your name or pseudonym in the manuscript as well as in your submission email.

Send submissions to submissions@torquerepress.com with Masks Off! in the subject line. Payment is a $50.00 flat fee for first time electronic and print rights for three years, and a print copy of the book. No reprints, please. Deadline for submissions is April 1, 2012 for an August 2012 publication.


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17 April 2012 -- Campfire Tales -- Cool Well Press

Think back to when you were a kid and your family went camping. Late in the evening, you would sit next to the crackling campfire, burning popcorn, and getting sticky from making Smores. The night sounds were all around you—the haunting call of loons on the nearby lake, the gentle lap of water against the dock, the chirping crickets, the scuffling and thumping of animals moving around in the forest. Dad would lean back in his camp chair and start to tell stories. Dad was a pretty animated piece of work, especially when he was trying to scare you. He would often tell tales from legends he'd heard about when he was a kid. Stories about Big Foot, the evil Puckwudgies, giant thunderbirds, huge lake monsters, fiendish witches and nasty shape shifters. Dad always had a story, and after he told it, you laid awake in your sleeping bag all night, listening...

COOL WELL PRESS is opening a call for submissions for their new young adult anthology, CAMPFIRE TALES, to be published in July 2012. We want your best campfire tales based on legends and lore from all over the world. Stories may be set in any era or locale, and is targeted for 11 to 15 year old readers. No sexually explicit stories. These should have a paranormal flare and be 2,500 to 5,000 words. Deadline is April 17, 2012. Please follow the submission guidelines when preparing your manuscript. Send completed submission to denise@coolwellpress.com and mark the subject of the email as CAMPFIRE TALES.

Authors whose stories are accepted will be sent a contract. Compensation will be a one-time payment at .10 per word and a copy of each format of the final anthology.

***

1 May 2012 -- Mark of the Beast -- ed. Scott David Aniolowski, Chaosium, Inc.

Author and Editor Scott David Aniolowski is now accepting submissions for MARK OF THE BEAST; New Legends of the Werewolf, an anthology of werewolf tales to be published in late 2012 by Chaosium, Inc.

Werewolves have recently become very big in pop culture, thanks to the popularity of certain young adult novels and their movie adaptations. Unfortunately, our lycanthropic friends are now being portrayed as pouty, angsty, shirtless hunky teens, instead of savage, bestial figures from folklore and nightmares. It is my goal to assemble stories that put the horror back into the werewolf.

There are countless variations on the werewolf legend from around the world and throughout history. The more common causes for lycanthropy include being bitten by a wolf or werewolf, cursed by a Gypsy or witch, a family curse, donning an enchanted pelt, imbibing potions or poisons, selling your soul to the devil, falling from religious grace, etc. Some werewolves change from human to giant wolf – some to hybrid wolf-men. And the infliction strikes at various times, depending upon the legend: during a full moon, while under great emotional stress, when the pelt is worn or potion drank – or even at will – etc. Some werewolves are aware of their condition and remember everything when they change – others have no knowledge whatsoever, or experience memories as “nightmares”. Some are solitary – others live in packs. Silver kills some werewolves but not all. Clinical Lycanthropy is a real mental disorder wherein the sufferer believes he or she is a werewolf. And so on….

I want authors to explore different legends and aspects of the werewolf stories, and just about any genre is acceptable (Gothic horror, quiet horror, sci-fi, cyberpunk, splatter, psychological, Victorian London, the old west, folklore/urban legend, etc. -- NO HUMOR -- SERIOUS HORROR STORIES ONLY!) as long as the underlying theme is HORROR! Pop culture has turned the werewolf into dreamy poster boys and romance novel figures (don’t believe me? Browse Amazon.com and see for yourself how many werewolf romance novels there are!). I want to give the werewolf his balls back! I want to make him a figure of terror and nightmares again.

HERE'S THE IMPORTANT PART: Send submissions in MS Word doc. or rtf. files. Basic formatting: single spaced, aligned left, no tabs (double space between paragraphs ONLY), no page numbering, no headers or footers, etc. Considering short-shorts/flash fiction up to 8,000ish words. Poetry is okay, as well. Reprints will be considered only if they have previously appeared in very limited run publications (indicate previous publication along with date and approximate circulation). Payment is 3 cents a word for new works (possibly less for reprints), and 5 contributor copies of the published book. Publication will be in trade paperback format with an estimated release of late 2012. Deadline for submissions is May 1, 2012. DO NOT SEND ME RUN-OF-THE-MILL, STANDARD OR TYPICAL WEREWOLF STORIES. I WANT TO SEE SOMETHING NEW AND FRESH AND EXCITING!

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5 May 2012 -- Mirror Shards, Vol. 2 -- Black Moon Books

Augmented reality holds the promise of great social change in both the near and far-flung futures. It’s also a wonderful medium for storytelling as information and graphics overlain eye-screens challenges the doors of perception and creates mixed-reality worlds to work and play. Black Moon Books is seeking stories between 3000 and 9000 words (soft edges) that utilize augmented reality as a way to explore the human condition. The stories can be set in any place, time, or genre, as long as the story cannot exist bereft of augmented reality. Feel free to explore the edges of the technology.

The anthology will pay from $0.02/word to $0.05/word. Minimum payment per word will be $0.02 for all accepted slush stories, but one pro paying slot ($0.05/word) will be given for the best story (Gold Prize.) Rights I’ll ask for include exclusivity for 3 months, First Electronic & First English-Language Book Rights. One copy will be provided for each author in the anthology.

Stories should be emailed to mirrorshards2012 (at) blackmoonbooks (dot) com and should follow standard manuscript formatting (courier new, 12 point, double spaced, etc.) The file should be attached as an .doc or .rtf (not .docx). Multiple submissions are welcome, though your best bet is to pick your best story and send only that one.

A brief cover letter listing current publication credits would be helpful in the body of the email. If you have received an honorable mention or above in the Writers of the Future contest, please note that.

The submission period for the anthology will be from February 11, 2012 to May 5, 2012. All story selections will be complete by May 10, 2012. Payment will be on acceptance and will be either mailed as a check or sent through PayPal. Publication date will be in early August. Accepted authors will also be required to provide a brief bio for the anthology. Authors are also encouraged to put their stories up online once the rights have reverted and will be requested (optional) to put a note in their stories linking back to the anthology to help each other (ie – if you liked this story, please check out other authors writing AR stories in...)

I will try to notify quickly for rejections. I will also notify authors of those stories I’m holding as a “maybe”. The latest possible date for all notifications, acceptance or rejection, will be May 10, 2012.

***

12 May 2012 -- Sword and Sorceress 27 -- ed. Elizabeth Waters

Stories should be the type generally referred to as "sword and sorcery" and must have a strong female protagonist whom the reader will care about. See Sword & Sorceress 22, Sword & Sorceress 23, Sword & Sorceress 24, and Sword & Sorceress 25, and Sword & Sorceress 26 (or S&S 1-20) for examples. We do not want stories with explicit sex, gratuitous violence, or profanity. We are NOT a market for poetry. We are willing to consider stories set in modern times (urban fantasy), but we won't buy more than one or two of those for the anthology. We always want something short and funny for the last story.

No reprints. No simultaneous submissions.

With regard to multiple submissions, do not submit more than one story at a time. If we've rejected your first one, you may send one more as long as it's before the deadline. We have occasionally bought someone's second sumbmission. We have never bought a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth submission. If you send us two stories, and we don't hold either of them, wait until next year to try again. Please do not re-submit stories we have already rejected (including stories rejected in previous years).

If you have not previously sold to Sword & Sorceress, please read What is a Short Story? and Why Did my Story Get Rejected? before submitting to us.

Please do not explain or describe your story in the e-mail (cover letter). If your story can't stand on its own, fix the story.

Reading period: Saturday, April 14 to Friday, May 12, 2012. Stories received before or after this period will be deleted unread.

Response time is expected to follow MZB's traditional standards: you should hear within a week if we're holding your story for the final line-up or rejecting it.

Deadline: May 12, 2012.

Length: up to 9,000 words, with preference given to shorter stories. The longer a story is, the better it has to be. Long stories should be submitted early in the reading period.

Formatting and Submission:

Format with one-inch margins on all four sides of page.

Please do not use a header or footer.

Your name, full mailing address, and email address must be in the upper left corner, single spaced.

Skip two lines, center the text, then put the title, with your name (or byline) on the next line. We're not going to be as rigid as MZB was about pen names, but we expect them to be reasonable, rather than cute.

The rest of the manuscript should be single-spaced, with the first line of each paragraph indented 1/2 inch.

If you need to indicate a break, put "#" on a line by itself, centered.

Do not underline; use italics instead. Do not use bold face. We prefer Courier New font, size 12.

Word count will be determined by our word processor; that way it will be the same for everyone.

Save your document as an .rtf file (rich text format or interchange format, depending on what your computer calls it). E-mail as it as an attachment to mzbworks at yahoo dot com. The subject line should be "SS27, your last name, story title" (e.g.: SS27, Bradley, Dark Intruder) -- we don't want submissions caught in the spam filter.

Rights purchased: first rights, non-exclusive eBook and audio book rights.

Payment: 5 cents per word as an advance against a pro rata share of royalties and foreign or other sales.

***

15 May 2012 -- Bloodstones -- ed. Amanda Pillar, Ticonderoga Publications

This is the first in a series of anthologies from Ticonderoga Publications that will focus on non-traditional horror. I want stories that are horrific, but that also fit within other genres—let’s look beyond the borders. This year’s anthology will focus on non-traditional urban fantasy. This means that I don’t want stories that feature vampires, witches or werewolves; if you send one, it probably won’t make it through to the final cut.

Give me tales of Sirens, Harpies, Bunyips, goblins, djinns, Mesopotamian demons, deposed gods…characters that spill from mythology and into modern suburbia.

Any stories involving cultural borrowing from indigenous cultures should be respectful of the beliefs of the traditional owners.

Romantic elements are acceptable, as long as the story is dark and has horrific themes/elements.

The story must be set on contemporary Earth, but it can take place in a fictional city.

The anthology will be published by Ticonderoga Publications in late 2012.

Submission Guidelines:

Send me your best dark urban fantasy story.

== Story length 1,000 to 7,500 words. (Longer stories may be accepted, although payment is capped at 7,500).
== Original stories only: no reprints, multiple, or simultaneous submissions.
== Stories may be submitted via email at bloodstones@ticonderogapublications.com
== Manuscript format: double spaced, large margins, Times New Roman font, Australian English spelling.
== The editor reserve the right to use their discretion in selecting stories.
== Submission period: 1 February to 15 May, 2012
== Payment: 2 copies of anthology and Aus 2 cents/word (GST inc., maximum payment $150) on publication.

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30 May 2012 -- Classical Horror -- ed. DF Lewis, Megazanthus Press

DF Lewis is intending to publish a Horror anthology book with the above title in 2012. (Horror stories, Weird Literature or Ghost Fiction.)

Each story must feature in some way Classical Music, i.e. from Bach to Britten.

Stories between 2000 and 10,000 words.

One-off payment upon publication: 1p (£0.01) per word

Submissions (not simultaneous or multiple) as a Word attachment to dflewis48@hotmail.com. (Please expect a simple acknowledgement within a few days of your submission. Otherwise please send it again.)

Stories must be previously unpublished.

As with the HA of HA, DF Lewis will edit, publish, design, typeset and print (via Lulu) this book. It will be distributed under an ISBN system.

NOTES:

I may need to keep your story for the whole reading-period but may not be able eventually to accept it depending on the timing of other acceptable stories being submitted to me over the period.

Some of my favourite composers: Brahms, Mahler, Beethoven, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Schubert…. And particularly interested in Chamber Music. Having said that, whatever the particular Classical Music chosen to feature in the story will not weigh in the balance as much as HOW it features.

Please see the HA of HA, for the type of story I favour.

As a paying market for writers, MEGAZANTHUS PRESS / NEMONYMOUS (2001 – 2011) has previously published 184 original stories by various authors. 'Classical Horror' follows in this tradition.

…Wagner (Parsifal), Glass (Akhnaten), Mozart (Requiem), Faure, Franck, Debussy, Ravel, Szymanowski, Penderecki, Anton Webern, Alban Berg, Schmidt, Ades, Null Immortalis etc etc

PS: I am keen to get horror stories about characters interacting in some way with classical music. Not necessarily horror stories about the plots of operas or the lives of composers.

PPS: IF THERE IS SOME OBSCURE PIECE OF CLASSICAL MUSIC YOU WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST AS INSPIRATION FOR A STORY, I MAY BE ABLE TO SEND IT TO YOU AS AN ADDRESS TO AN ON-LINE FILE.

***

31 May 2012 -- Professor Challenger Anthology -- ed. J.R. Campbell and Charles Prepolec, Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing

WHAT WE'RE AFTER:

A broad range of new and original stories built around Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's LOST WORLD character Professor George Edward Challenger. Stories derived from the aftermath of events in the Lost World are welcome however simply revisiting or rehashing the Lost World without good cause is not. Challenger is a man of science first and foremost, not an explorer. Mash-ups or crossovers with public domain literary characters are welcome.

For inspiration think X-files, Quartermass, DR. Who, cryptozoology, aliens among us, supernatural occurrences, science gone awry in a Dr. Moreau, Invisible Man, Dr Jekyll vein, nature run amuck, monsters large and small, world threatening cataclysm, Lovecraft mythos, think H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, E.R. Burroghs, John Wyndham, Nigel Kneale, alternate history, new lost places, steampunk, whatever -- Be creative.

Mine the potential for all it's worth! Push it out there, get weird, play, have fun!

SUBMISSION DETAILS:

== The anthology is part invitation and part open submission. Priority will be given to invited authors but an invitation to submit is not a guarantee of acceptance. A minimum of two slots will be held for open submissions. Acceptance is based entirely on suitability of story and quality of writing.
== The maximum length for stories is 10,000 words, with shorter works preferred.
== Do not query before submitting.
== Email submissions to: Charles@bakerstreetdozen.com
== Emails MUST contain the word "submission" in the subject line, or they will be deleted automatically by the server. Please also include the story title in the subject line.
== Submissions MUST come in an attachment: Rich Text Format (.rtf) or Microsoft Word (.doc) are the only acceptable formats.
== Emails MUST contain a cover letter in the body of the email; for security reasons, email attachments with no cover letter will be deleted unread and unanswered.
== Cover letter: include your name, the title of your story, your full contact information (address, phone, email), and a brief bio. Do not describe or summarize the story.
== Reprints (stories having previously appeared in English in any format, print or electronic, including but not limited to any form of web publication) will NOT be considered.
== Submission format: no strange formatting, colour fonts, changing fonts, borders, backgrounds, etc. Leave italics in italics, NOT underlined. Put your full contact information on the first page (name, address, email address, phone). No headers, no footers, no page numbering. DO NOT leave a blank line between paragraphs. Indent paragraphs. ALWAYS put a # to indicate scene breaks (a blank line is NOT enough).
== ALWAYS include your full contact information (name/address/email/phone number) on the first page of the attached submission.
== This is a professional market paying up to 5 cents per word plus a single copy of the book. Full rate to 7,500 words, half rate for balance to 10,000 words.
== Rights: for original fiction, first World English publication, with a two-month exclusive from publication date; for all, non-exclusive anthology rights; all other rights remain with the author.
== Spelling: the editors will consider stories using British, Canadian and American spellings.
== Response time: initial responses (no / rewrite request / hold for further consideration) will be prompt, usually within fifteen days. Please query if you've not heard back within 30 days.
== We do not advise that you submit more than one story.
== Simultaneous submissions are not encouraged but are acceptable. Should you receive a "rewrite request" or "hold for further consideration" response, please indicate immediately whether your story is under consideration anywhere else.

Email submissions to: Charles@bakerstreetdozen.com

***

1 June 2012 -- Weird Science -- Torquere Press

Who doesn’t love the idea of the mad scientist, working away in his lab, his sexy creature or lab assistant just waiting for him to notice them? Or what about the grad student who discovers just the potion that will make him the stud his oblivious roommate has always wanted...

That’s the idea behind the Weird Science anthology. We’re looking for sexy, romantic male/male stories about what happens when science gets wild and wonderful in the name of love. Make us laugh, make us fall in love, and make us happy at the end! We’re not looking for hard science fiction or horror for this anthology, but we do want fully realized stories with strong characters.

Stories should be between 5000 and 12000 words long, and should be submitted in full and include a synopsis and author biography in the cover letter. Please put your name or pseudonym in the manuscript as well as in your submission email.

Send submissions to submissions@torquerepress.com with Weird Science in the subject line. Payment is a $50.00 flat fee for first time electronic and print rights for three years, and a print copy of the book. No reprints, please. Deadline for submissions is June 1 2012 for an October 2012 publication.

***

1 June 2012 -- Dark Trails -- ed. Michael Knost

Payment: Pro rate, plus percentage of shared royalties.

No reprints and no trunk stories

Story length: Up to 7,500 words.

No multiple or simultaneous subs

Deadline: Friday, June 1, 2012 (Do not inquire on story status until after September 1, 2012)

Mail submissions, queries, or questions to:

Michael Knost
Dark Trails Anthology
PO Box 12
Logan, WV 25601

NO EMAIL SUBMISSIONS ACCEPTED.

Stories should be set as a weird western or dark western. Regardless of your use of “weird” or “dark" in the story, the main focus must be with the fact that is it a western FIRST.

I AM NOT INTERESTED IN MODERN WESTERNS.

Format your manuscript according to: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html

Be sure to include your name, address, and email on the manuscript. If this information is not on the manuscript, I will reject it without reading.

***

UNTIL FILLED -- Mortis Operandi -- ed. Kfir Luzzatto and Dru Pagliassotti, The Harrow Press ** Over a year old -- updated by the editor Jan 2012

MORTIS OPERANDI is looking for stories that revolve around the investigation of a crime and in which the supernatural plays a central role. While we’re expecting a fair share of murders, we strongly encourage stories that revolve around OTHER kinds of crime — for example, arson, assault, blackmail, bullying, burglary, dowry death, embezzlement, fraud, kidnapping, larceny, libel, piracy, product liability, slavery, smuggling, terrorism, treason, and toxic pollution are all fair game.

By "supernatural" we mean magic, monsters, and/or miracles, but we don’t consider psychic abilities (although the inclusion of a minor character possessing them will not in itself disqualify a story), extraterrestrial life, or UFOs to be supernatural.

Types of stories may include whodunits, police procedurals, hardboiled fiction, and courtroom dramas. All genres and treatments are welcome, including ecclesiastic, fantasy, humor, horror, historical, military, romance, and parody. Settings outside the U.S. and U.K. are welcome. Settings on other worlds aren’t.

We want well-written stories that demonstrate originality of concept and plot. Zombies, vampires, and werewolves will be a hard sell, and romantically inclined vampires will be staked on sight. Think outside of the coffin.

Stories will be judged exclusively on the basis of their literary merit; a history of prior publication is not necessary.

Get more information about our thoughts on this antho at Market Scoop.
Submissions & Queries: anthology [[ at ]] theharrowpress.com
==No simultaneous submissions. One submission at a time.
==Please attach your stories to your email in Microsoft Word, RTF, or text-only format. Stories pasted in the body of an email will not be read.
==Please include the words “Submission: Mortis Operandi” in the Subject line of your e-mail.
Length: 3,000-6,000 words. Please include an approximate word count in your e-mail submission.
Reprints: No
Language: English
Payment: US $50/story, upon publication, and a free copy of the book
Rights: Exclusive English anthology print and electronic (e-book) rights. Please read our Sample Contract (pdf) for full details.
Submission period: Opens 1.1.11 -- Closes when filled.
Publication Date: 2012

***

UNTIL FILLED -- All Access Pass -- ed. Amelia G, Blue Blood Books ** First Posted July 2011

Short version of what I’m looking for is: well-crafted fiction or memoir, cool erotica with music and/or music culture as a central theme, $50 first run + reprint rights, $25 reprints. More formal version below.

Call for Submissions: All Access Pass

Backstage Passes editor Amelia G is reading for a sequel to her anthology of rock and roll erotica, called All Access Pass. Below are general fiction guidelines for Blue Blood fiction projects. For this book in specific, music must play a central role in the story. Events could take place at a punk club or an outdoor festival, characters may be musicians, music may just really speak to a particular character, but it needs to be important. Stories ranging from balls-out memoir or entirely fantastical vampire sex are all fine, within the appropriate theme and quality standards.

When submitting electronically, please make the subject of your email ALL ACCESS PASS SUBMISSION.

Before sending anything over, please ask yourself if your work passes the Blue Blood litmus test: Is it intelligent? Is it sexy? Is it edgy/counterculture? Is it cool? Email electronic submissions to submit@blueblood.net For submissions of fiction or nonfiction text, please have your writing in a Word document with a .doc suffix (not .docx), RTF, TXT, InDesign, or Open Office format. It is preferred if you include an author bio or link to your website or online profiles.

The All Access Pass anthology is seeking erotic stories with a counterculture feel — Gothic, industrial, techno, rave, punk, metal, dyke, mystery, gangster, hard-boiled, science fiction, cyberpunk, steampunk, vampire, werewolf, medieval etc. At the moment, our needs are for stories primarily from a male or female heterosexual viewpoint, lesbian viewpoint, or female bisexual viewpoint. Often, we can also place male homosexual and gender bender stories in anthologies. We look for work between 2,000 and 7,500 words. Most accepted fiction is shorter than 4,000 words. Death and horror elements are acceptable so long as they do not prevent the piece from being sex-positive. Characters may die but not as part of the sexuality. Kinky is great — leathersex, bondage, vampirism etc. are all fine. Negative attitudes about sexuality are not fine. All sex must be consensual and arousing. PLEASE DO NOT SEND US STORIES PROMOTING NAZIS, RAPE, INCEST, OR THE SEXUALIZATION OF MURDER. NO SNUFF, RACISM, OR HOMOPHOBIA. If you can write genuinely arousing fiction which still works as a story, do contact us. Payment is net 60 on on-sale date and we generally purchase first worldwide rights (exclusive from acceptance to one year after publication) along with nonexclusive reprint rights.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

February Stuff

Writing: 13,508 = 5 pts.
Editing: 26,488 = 5 pts.
Beta: 1 novel = 1 pt.
TOTAL: 11 pts.

Koala Challenge 9

I spent most of a week out on the Oregon coast at a writing workshop. Came home physically exhausted and mentally buzzing, because as dead as I was at the end, this was an awesome experience. If you ever have a chance to take one of Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch's workshops, do it -- they rock.

Angie