Markets with specific deadlines are listed first, "Until Filled" markets (if any) 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 guidelines on one page, so after you click through you might have to scroll a bit.
***
31 December 2017 -- 2019 Young Explorer's Adventure Guide -- ed. Corie and Sean Weaver; Dreaming Robot Press
We’re looking for stories that:
== Have a main character that a middle grade reader (ages 8-12) can identify with;
== Show a diverse set of real characters;
== Are well written, fun to read, and encourage a love of reading science fiction;
== Tell of adventure, space, science. Give us rockets, robots and alien encounters, and we’re pretty happy; Steampunk, time travel, weird west and alternate history are all fine;
== Are between 3,000 and 6,000 words.
To be super clear – we’re looking science fiction, in all its variants. While we love fantasy as well, please don’t submit fantasy stories for this anthology.
We’re especially looking for stories:
== Of adventure! We love a good dystopia as much as the next robot, but remember – this is the Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide;
== Where the main character is of a population that has traditionally been under-represented in science fiction, e.g. girls, people of color, differently abled people;
== Where the main character has agency, exercises it, and isn’t just along for the ride.
We are strong supporters of both the #weneeddiversebooks and #ownvoices movements.
We’re not interested in:
== Stories where the female characters primarily exist to be rescued or as a prize for the males;
== Stories where the primary plot or subplot is romantic in nature;
== Stories with graphic violence or any form of sexual activity;
== Stories with any violence towards animals;
== Stories about the first girl to do X, surprising everyone;
== Stories that depict any ethnicity or gender as universally bad or stupid.
Please note: although we’re aware kids have a wide and varied vocabulary, we’d prefer not to have swearing in the stories. If your story has swearing, please rephrase before submitting.
Submission deadline, mechanics and planned schedule:
== Anthology will be open for submissions from July 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017, with a reading period of January and February 2018.
== While we prefer original stories, if you have something perfect that had a limited run elsewhere, query us and we’ll talk;
== Acceptance notices will be sent by March 30, 2018;
== In the summer we will launch a crowd-funding campaign to help with pre-publication costs. Regardless of results of crowd-funding campaign, we are committed to publishing the anthology. We’ve successfully funded the previous three anthologies this way, chances are favorable.
Rights and Payments:
== Authors will be provided with a complete Anthology Contract for review and consideration with the notice of accepted submissions.
== In keeping with SWFA’s guidelines, we pay $0.06/word on final edited word count for one-year exclusive worldwide English rights and nonexclusive right to republish, print, or reprint the complete anthology in any language or format after the first year, print and electronic, and two contributor copies. Payment upon final edit.
== If the crowd-funding fails, please note that we are still committed to this anthology, and will find other ways to fund the project. However, there may be delays. If authors feel the need to withdraw their submission due to delays, we understand.
== We will provide professional editing, primarily for issues of grammar and spelling.
== If authors have other questions about rights or payments, please contact us before submission. We want to make sure all concerns are addressed.
***
31 December 2017 -- The Razor's Edge; Guilds & Glaives; Second Round: A Return to the Urbar -- Zombies Need Brains LLC
Zombies Need Brains LLC is accepting submissions to its three science fiction and fantasy anthologies THE RAZOR’S EDGE, GUILDS & GLAIVES, and SECOND ROUND: A RETURN TO THE URBAR. Stories must be submitted in electronic form as an attachment with the title of the story as the file name in .doc or .docx format. The header of the email should include the name of the anthology the submission is for along with the title of the submission (for example: WERE-: WereJellyfish Gone Wild!). The content of the email should also include which anthology the manuscript is intended for. Please send multiple manuscripts in separate emails. Manuscripts should be in manuscript format, meaning double-spaced, 12pt font, standard margins on top, bottom and sides, and pages numbered. Please use New Times Roman font. The first page should include the Title of the story, Author’s name, address, and email, and Pseudonym if different from the author’s real name. Italics and bold should be in italics and bold.
Stories for this anthology must be original (no reprints or previously published material), no more than 7,500 words in length, and must satisfy the theme of the anthology.
THE RAZOR’S EDGE is to feature science fiction or fantasy stories that explore the fine line between a rebel and an insurgent. It is a military science fiction and fantasy anthology. We are attempting to fill half of the anthology with science fiction stories, and half with fantasy stories. Stories featuring more interesting settings and twists on the typical themes will receive more attention than those that use standard tropes. In other words, we don’t want to see 100 stories dealing with the general fighting insurgents who joins their cause at the end. If we do, it’s likely that only one, at most, would be selected for the anthology. So be creative, choose something different, and use it in an unusual and unexpected way. We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.
GUILDS & GLAIVES is to feature sword & sorcery stories where a guild is featured somewhere in the story. So thieves, assassins, and dark magic, but with a guild or guilds incorporated into the story somehow. Obviously most such stories will be fantasy, but we are interested in science fiction takes on this theme. Stories featuring more interesting takes on the guilds, and twists on how they are integrated into the story, will receive more attention than those with the standard thieves guild or assassins guild. So be creative and use your guild in an unusual and unexpected way. We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.
SECOND ROUND: A RETURN TO THE URBAR is to feature stories where the time-traveling Urbar, first used in the anthology AFTER HOURS: TALES FROM THE URBAR, is a central part of the plot. The story may start in the bar, end in the bar, or be in the bar somewhere in the middle, but at some point a significant plot point must involve the Urbar. Stories featuring more interesting historical settings for the bar, and twists on how the bar is integrated into the story, will receive more attention than those with more standard uses of the bar, or where the bar is only incidental to the rest of the story. So be creative and use bar in an unusual and unexpected way, preferably in an unusual or unexpected era of history. In particular, you cannot use the same time period used in the anthology AFTER HOURS or that will be used by an anchor author of the current anthology (see the end of the post for time periods that are off limits). We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.
The deadline for submissions is December 31st, 2017. Decisions on stories should be completed by the end of February 2018. Please send submissions to contact@zombiesneedbrains.com. You will receive a receipt email within a few days of receiving the submission and having it filed for consideration. Notices about decisions on the stories will be sent out no later than the end of March 2018.
If your story is selected for use in the anthology, you should expect a revision letter by the end of April 2018. Revisions and the final draft of the story will be expected no later than the end of May 2018. These dates may change due to the editors’ work schedules. Zombies Need Brains LLC is seeking non-exclusive world anthology rights (including electronic rights) in all languages for the duration of one year after publication/release of the anthology. Your story cannot appear elsewhere during that year. Pay rate will be an advance of a minimum of 6 cents per word for the short stories. For each additional $10,000 raised above the Kickstarter minimum of $20,000, we will increase this advance pay rate by 1 cent per word. The anthology will be published as an ebook and an exclusive mass market paperback edition, distributed to the Kickstarter backers. The book would be available after that to the general public in ebook and trade paperback formats. Advances would be immediately earned out by the success of the Kickstarter. Royalties on additional sales beyond the Kickstarter will be 25% of ebook cover price and 10% of trade paperback cover price, both split evenly (not by word count) between the authors in the anthology and the editors of the anthology.
Questions regarding these submission guidelines should be sent to contact@zombiesneedbrains.com. Thank you.
***************************
The following time periods were used in the AFTER HOURS anthology and are off limits for SECOND ROUND's open call:
“An Alewife In Kish” by Benjamin Tate - Ancient Sumeria, circa 2000 BC
“Why the Vikings Had No Bars” by SC Butler - Viking Daneland, circa 9th century AD (reign of King Harald Fairhair)
“The Emperor’s New God” by Jennifer Dunne - Bar is in Venice, Italy, 1001 AD, story covers 1001-1002 AD
“The Tale That Wagged the Dog” by Barbara Ashford - Scotland, 14th century
“Sake and Other Spirits” by Maria V. Snyder - Feudal Japan, a fishing village near Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture. 15th-16th century.
“The Fortune-Teller Makes Her Will” by Kari Sperring - Paris, 1675-1680 (affaire des poisons time period)
“The Tavern Fire” by DB Jackson - Boston, Mass 1760
“Last Call” by Patricia Bray - Time period spans Georgian/Regency England and Europe, the Ur-Bar is in Switzerland, in 1816
“The Alchemy of Alcohol” by Seanan McGuire -- San Francisco, CA, 1899
“The Grand Tour” by Juliet E McKenna - Austria, 1910
“Paris 24” by Laura Anne Gilman - Paris, France 1924 (Olympics)
“Steady Hands and a Heart of Oak” by Ian Tregillis - London, England, 1940 (Blitz)
“Forbidden” by Avery Shade - New York City, late 1980s
“Where We Are Is Hell” by Jackie Kessler - Present day(ish), location not specified but somewhere U.S., possibly near NYC
“Izdu-Bar” by Anton Strout- Near future, post-zombie apocalypse, somewhere near Albany, NY
The following time periods have been claimed by the anchor authors of SECOND ROUND and are off limits for the open call:
Jacey Bedford (June 30th, 1916, France, Battle of Somme, WWI)
Gini Koch (Old West)
Juliet E. McKenna (Mars, near future)
C.E. Murphy (undetermined)
Kristine Smith (Present day-ish, New York City)
Kari Sperring (Wales, 1400-1415)
Jean Marie Ward (1420s Nanjing, China)
***
31 December 2017 -- A Midas Clutch: Tales of Opulent Horror -- ed. Steve Berman; Lethe Press
Avarice and a fealty to Mammon are elements of this forthcoming anthology slated for January of 2018. Lethe is seeking weird and eerie stories of people consumed by wealth. Each tale must be suffused with the trappings of the well-to-do. Decadence should be paramount. However, we do not want these tales to be moralistic; we're celebrating those who can buy the finest things in life...they just happen to be the leads in a horror story. The better stories will incorporate status and wealth as both character traits and elements of the plot. For an excellent example, we recommend "Dirty American"by Lara Elena Donnelly or "His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood" by Poppy Z. Brite. Our preference is for stories that are contemporary but we are willing to read and purchase a few historical tales. No vampire or zombie tales.
Stories should be from 4,000 to 14,000 in length. Original fiction is more important to us, but we will make an offer on exceptional reprints. Payment for reprints is 2 cents per word. Payment for original fiction is 5 cents a word. All payment is upon publication in Summer of 2018. We'll be doing a lovely, off-set, hardback edition of this book, perhaps a trade paperback, digital and audiobook versions.
Deadline is January of 2018. Please submit to Steve Berman at lethepress@aol.com with the Subject line of Midas Clutch Submission. Include an embedded copy letter with biographical details, if the story is original, and some sense of prior publications (if any).
***
31 December 2017 -- Monstrosities -- Third Flatiron
Monstrosities -- Humor (SF/Fantasy/Horror). Things that are just too big or that don't scale. Whether it's the new shopping mall down the street, kaiju attacking Tokyo, flawed utopian ideas, the supposed ultimate weapon, or somebody who's way too big for his britches, we all have had to deal with humongous blunders. Get it off your chest--share with us your favorite monstrosities.
Reading period: December 1 - December 31, 2017. DO NOT SUBMIT before 1 December.
Publication Date: March 1, 2018
Stories should be submitted in either Microsoft Word (using double spacing), RTF, or plain text. They should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words. Flash humor pieces (Grins and Gurgles) should be short, around 600 words.
Please don't send simultaneous or multiple submissions. If a story has been rejected, you can then send another (limit 2 per reading period).
Submit by email to:
flatsubmit@thirdflatiron.com
either as an attachment (Word, RTF) or in the body of the mail (text).
In the Subject: line of the email, please put:
flatsubmit:Title_of_Your_Work
to avoid being deemed a canned meat product based on ham.
If the work is for the humor section, please note that in the body of your email. A brief bio and a one- or two-sentence synopsis in the body of your email would also be helpful to us.
Use the following template (basically, follow William Shunn's Standard Manuscript Format):
Your Name
Address (mailing)
Email address
Word count
[10 blank lines]
Title
Byline
Body of story
--------
Our response time is expected to be about 8 weeks (or less if the writer deadline is coming up soon).
REMUNERATION
As of: November 1, 2016
Your story must be original work, with the digital rights unencumbered. Accepted stories will be paid at the flat rate of 6 cents per word (U.S./SFWA professional rate), in return for the first publication rights to the story for six months after publication. All other rights will remain with the author. We no longer offer royalties. If your story is selected as the lead story, we request permission to podcast the story as a free sample portion of the anthology. We welcome new writers.
Third Flatiron will price and market your story to various e-publishing venues. We will format the story for the most popular electronic readers and platforms. You agree that we may distribute a sample (portion of the story) to potential customers.
For non-U.S. submissions, we prefer to pay via PayPal, if you have such an account.
Most books (except "year's best" collections) will be available for sale in trade paperback.
Authors selected for publication will also be entitled to one free online copy of the anthology.
***
31 January 2018 -- Mind Candy -- Myriad Paradigm
Payment for acceptance is 6 cents a word.
I am looking for original short speculative fiction, up to 5000 words, that in some way address the intricacies of the mind. Mind control, mind augmentation, multiple memories, mental powers, or any other idea where mental oddities are key to the story line. I prefer science fiction, but will consider any speculative fiction that is not too depressing, violent or graphic. Email submissions to hig4s09@gmail.com.
I prefer .doc or .rtf, but will accept .docx Standard double space formatting. Please include contact information (name, address, email, and phone) on both the email and in the header of the work. No simultaneous submissions.
I Keep getting submissions saved at 150% and 200%, please stop. Save them at 100% before submitting.
I will not be accepting reprints for this anthology.
[NOTE: I debated including this listing, and finally decided to do so with a note. There are definite signs of newbie-itis in the original post, particularly the formatting, which my middle-aged eyes find particularly hard to read. But it's an interesting theme, and they're paying six cents per word, so maybe it's worth considering. Click through and make your own decision about submitting.]
***
31 January 2018 -- Strange Economics -- ed. David F. Shultz
Strange Economics is an anthology of original, high-quality stories that explore economic ideas through speculative fiction: money in worlds of magic, trade in worlds of advanced technology.
The stories contain world-building that probes alternative economies; fantastic scenarios with economic implications; engaging plots that show the effect of alien economic systems on the lives and relationships of individuals within. In short, these are gripping stories set in fantastic worlds with intriguing and imaginative economic arrangements.
Editorial Vision
We are compiling high-quality science fiction and fantasy stories to contribute to the literature of ideas. We want stories that stick with you long after you’re done reading—stories you want to talk about and share with your friends. We want stories with depth that demonstrate a different way of looking at the world, stories that envision an alternative reality or explore philosophical concepts, presented in the form of a compelling narrative.
All of our stories explore ideas through personal drama. They feature characters we care about caught in difficult struggles. They are page-turners with a strong hook, gripping narrative momentum, and a satisfying resolution.
We believe diversity is a strength, especially in storytelling. We encourage submissions from individuals from marginalized communities or historically disenfranchised groups. We want a diverse range of voices. We want to hear stories from people who can speak on behalf of perspectives that have been underrepresented in the genre, and in society at large. Diversity enriches our stories, and it enriches our lives.
General Submission Information:
== Payment: we pay a semi-professional rate of CDN 1.5 c/w. Payments will be made via Paypal within a month of publication.
== Revised Submission window: submissions open until January 31, 2018, 11:59PM.
== Reprints: we are accepting original, unpublished stories only.
== Length: we are looking for stories up to 10,000 words. We are more interested in stories in the 2k to 5k range.
== Poetry: we are not accepting poetry for this anthology, sorry. Keep your eyes open for our future anthologies, though. We have a few editors interested in poetry.
== Simultaneous submissions: simsubs are okay, but please let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.
== Multiple submissions: please send us only your best work, and wait for a response before submitting something else.
== Rights purchased: we are seeking 6 month exclusive world rights in print and electronic formats; non-exclusive rights thereafter.
== Formatting: we ask for standard manuscript format.
== Anonymity: please include your name and contact information in your manuscript, as per standard manuscript format.
== Cover letter: a short cover letter is fine.
== E-mail header for submissions: ‘Submission: “
== Include your story as an attachment in rtf format (if converting your story to rtf creates formatting problems for you, it will for us, too).
== Send submissions to strangeeconomics at gmail dot com.
== Projected date of anthology completion: August 2018
***
1 February 2018 -- Sunny Places, Shady People: Bouchercon 2018 Anthology -- Diversion Books
Florida. Just the state’s name inspires a reaction when heard. It is a state of pristine white sand beaches, green water, abundant wildlife, strip clubs, bait shops, theme parks and transients. From the Spanish moss-festooned live oaks of the panhandle to the Everglades, from the Keys to the oldest European-established settlement in the United States, Florida has been inspiring crime writers for decades, from the noir of John D. MacDonald to the hijinks of Carl Hiaasen’s bestsellers.
We are looking for stories set in, or inspired by, Florida and its eccentricity and complexity. We want diverse voices and characters, tales of darkness and violence, whether they are noir, cozy, hard-boiled or suspense. Push the boundaries of your creativity and the theme! NOTE: The stories don’t have to actually be set in Florida, but can be “inspired” by it—so a character can be from here, it can be built around a piece of music about Florida; etc. If you have any questions as to whether your idea fits the theme, do not be afraid to ask!
Specifics
== The maximum word count is 5,000 words; the minimum is 1,500.
== The stories should be crime-oriented; whether it’s the commission, planning or solving of one. It can also be about the after-effects of one. Murder, mayhem, blackmail, embezzlement, robbery—get as creative as you can!
== Sunny Places, Shady People will be published by Diversion Books.
Submissions
== All submissions will go through a blind-reading process for inclusion. So, do not include your name anywhere on the file; there should simply be a title on the first page.
== Pages should also be numbered, and the header should include the title of the story as well.
== Please use Microsoft Word; double spaced, using Times New Roman 12-point font.
== The name of your file should also be the title of the story, i.e. The Lottery.docx.
== Please include your name, address, and contact information in the body of your email.
== All submissions should be emailed to anthology@bouchercon2018.com no later than February 1, 2018.
Payment
Each contributor will be paid $75 for one-time use rights.
Any questions and all submissions can be sent to Greg Herren at anthology@bouchercon2018.com.
***
4 February 2018 -- Other Covenants: Alternate Histories of the Jewish People -- ed. Andrea D. Lobel and Mark Shainblum; ChiZine Publications
Historian Thomas Cahill, author of The Gifts of the Jews (Knopf, 1999) claimed that the Jews invented the very concept of history. They were the first, he said, to perceive time not as an endless circle of life, death and rebirth, but as the flight of an arrow, on a linear path to somewhere from somewhere.
However, what if time is not one arrow, but a volley of arrows? What if there are other timelines, other histories, other Jews? Would they still have a covenant with the one God? What would have become of their triumphs? Their defeats? Their suffering and their successes?
Award-winning author/editors Andrea D. Lobel and Mark Shainblum propose to answer this question in Other Covenants, the first-ever anthology of Jewish alternate history, to be published by ChiZine Publications in Fall 2019!
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
== Submison window: August 28, 2017 at 12:01 AM Eastern Time to Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
== Open to submissions by authors of all backgrounds, from anywhere in the world.
== Please do not submit by email. We will accept digital submissions only via the Moksha submissions system at https://chizinepub.moksha.io/publication/other-covenants.
== Stories must be in the alternate history genre and must be clearly relevant to the theme of the anthology.
== Length: 500–15,000 words. There are relatively few spots for stories at the high end, so please query first if you think your story will go long.
== Preference will be given to stories previously unpublished in English, however, we will consider previously published stories on a case-by-case basis.
== NEW: Also open to poetry submissions. Original poems on theme. No more than 2 pages (8.5 x 11) in length. (Maximum word count set arbitrarily to 2,000 words as system won’t allow max lines or pages.) No need to double-space.
== Submissions may be made in English or French. Author is responsible for translations into English after acceptance.
== English-language translations of stories from other languages (published or unpublished) are welcome, but we can only accept submissions in English or French.
== Multiple submissions welcome; up to two stories maximum per author, sent under separate cover.
== We prefer no simultaneous submissions, please (we promise to respond promptly).
== Initial responses (rejections, holds, and rewrite requests) within 30 days of submission; final responses no later than 30 days after the deadline.
== Payment is 8 cents per word in Canadian funds. (SFWA qualifying after exchange to US funds).
== File formats accepted: .docx, .doc, or .rtf.
== Formatting: indented paragraphs; italics in italics (not underlined); Canadian spelling; use # (or other unambiguous symbol) to indicate scene breaks; no headers, footers, or pagination; no outlandish formatting, please; full contact info (name, street address, email, phone number) and word count on the first page. That said, don’t fret too much about formatting; good fiction is what’s most important. (Correct spelling also counts.)
== Please include a cover letter with a brief author bio, title of story, and full contact info, including street address.
== Please do not summarize or describe the story in the cover letter.
== To be published by ChiZine Publications in Fall 2019.
== Rights: First World Rights, including audio and translation rights. (NOTE: CZP has a foreign rights agent who will be presenting the anthology in foreign markets.)
== NOTE ON PSEUDONYMS: we will only publish one story per author, even if you write under several names; please use your real name on all correspondence and indicate your pseudonym in the cover letter and on the byline of the story itself.
== NOTE ON SUBJECT MATTER: Any book dealing with the Jewish people, Jewish history and Israel will, by definition, be controversial. We welcome controversy and politics, but don’t forget that this is a fiction anthology. Telling good stories takes first, second and third place. Submissions that grind axes loud enough to drown out the story are unlikely to be accepted.
== Questions or queries: othercovenants@gmail.com. Please don’t submit stories via email, as noted above.
[Click through for a discussion of what alternate history is.]
THE KIND OF THEMES WE MIGHT EXPLORE:
Please don’t take these as prescriptive or proscriptive either, the whole canvas of Jewish history is open to you—Biblical, historical and mythological:
What if the Holocaust had never happened?
What if Joseph’s brothers had not sold him into slavery in Egypt?
What if the State of Israel had been established in Uganda? Or Germany?
What if Jesus’ followers had not broken with Judaism?
What if the Jews had proselytized their faith door-to-door for a thousand years?
What if the Romans had not destroyed Jerusalem and the Second Temple?
What if Judaism became the dominant Western religion, but was riven by conflicts between the Temple priesthood and reformist rabbis who put the Torah and prayer before Temple ritual and sacrifice?
What if the Spanish Inquisition had never occurred?
What if Napoleon had not smashed down Europe’s ghetto walls?
What if the Protocols of the Elders of Zion were reality . . . in some other universe?
***
15 February 2018 -- Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction -- ed. Dominik Parisien and Elsa Sjunneson-Henry; Uncanny
Reading period: January 15th, 2018 to February 15th 2018. Please do not submit anything until January 15th. Emails containing submissions will be deleted. (Uncanny Magazine uses the Moksha submission system.)
Who can submit:
We welcome submission from writers who identify themselves as disabled. Identity is what matters for this issue. What kinds of disabilities? All of them. Invisible and visible. Physical disabilities, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, mental health disabilities, and neurodiversity.
Yes, even if your disability is a recently acquired one.
Yes, even if your disability is static, or if it isn’t.
Yes, even if you’ve had your disability since birth.
Yes, even if you use adaptive devices only SOME of the time.
Yes, you.
Reading Elsa’s essay Disabled Enough from our Kickstarter may help if you have any doubts.
So, if you identify as disabled across any of these definitions or others, we want to hear from you!
A Note on Manuscript Guidelines For Fiction and Nonfiction:
14pt font, please. Serifed (ex: Time New Roman, Courier, Garamond). Double spaced. This is an accommodation for Elsa so she does not have to reformat every submission.
Please let the editors know if you need accommodations as well.
Fiction
Fiction Editor: Dominik Parisien
We do not require stories to explore issues relating to disability, but we do encourage them. We would certainly love to see a wide range of disabilities explored across a variety of SF settings and scenarios. We’re looking for the stories you’ve been trying to tell your whole life, for the stories that don’t fit elsewhere. We are also looking for a range of stories, for intricate, challenging tales with gorgeous prose, verve, and imagination that elicit strong emotions and challenge beliefs.
We want the stories you’ve been yearning to encounter in the world. We want to engage with the characters you want to meet in fiction.
Length: Between 750-6000 words
Payment: $.08 per word
Fiction Submission Procedures:
1- Please submit your story via Uncanny‘s Moksha submission system.
2- All stories should be in 14pt font, serifed (ex: Time New Roman, Courier, Garamond). double spaced, and attached in .RTF, .DOC, or .DOCX formats.
3- Your cover letter should contain the length of your story, your significant publishing history and awards, and information that might be relevant to that specific submission.
4- Please do not send multiple submissions at once, or submissions simultaneously submitted at another market or anthology.
5- We will try to respond to all submissions in 60 days. Please feel free to query uncannymagazine [at] gmail [dot] com if we’ve had your submission for over 75 days.
Nonfiction
Nonfiction Editor: Elsa Sjunneson-Henry
We are looking for essays which explore the relationship between disability and SFF. These essays should interrogate or explain some part of the relationship, whether it is about the genre itself, a character, a specific trope or narrative, or even the experience of being a disabled member of the SFF community. Creative nonfiction, academic essay, personal essay, or other non-fiction styles are all welcome. Please complicate the narrative for our readers, we don’t just want easy answers in this issue.
We want to know what frustrates you about the genre, or the industry, but also what brings you joy. If there’s a character you love with a disability, or a story you want to praise – we want to read those as well.
For Nonfiction we will accept either a pitch, or a fully written essay for submissions. If you are submitting a pitch, please make sure that it outlines exactly what you hope to accomplish.
Length: Between 1k-2.5k
Payment: $50 an essay.
Nonfiction Submission Procedures:
1- Please submit your essay or pitch via Uncanny‘s Moksha submission system.
2- All essays should be in 14pt font, serifed (ex: Time New Roman, Courier, Garamond). double spaced, and attached in .RTF, .DOC, or .DOCX formats.
3- Your cover letter should contain the length of your essay (if applicable), your significant publishing history and awards, and information that might be relevant to that specific submission.
4- Please do not send multiple submissions at once, or submissions simultaneously submitted at another market or anthology.
5- We will try to respond to all submissions in 60 days. Please feel free to query uncannymagazine [at] gmail [dot] com if we’ve had your submission for over 75 days.
Poetry
Poetry Editor: S. Qiouyi Lu
We do not require poetry to explore issues relating to disability, but we do encourage them. We are looking for strong, emotional poetry with multiple layers of meaning. Clear language can be just as vibrant and powerful as more intricate language. Most of all, we are looking for poetry that has a unique voice and doesn’t shy away from engaging with its core issues and themes.
Length: No line limits
Payment: $30 per poem
Poetry Submission Procedures:
1- Please submit your poem(s) via Uncanny‘s Moksha submission system.
2- Your cover letter should contain the length of your poem(s), your significant publishing history and awards, and information that might be relevant to that specific submission.
3- You may send up to five poems at a time, but please send them in separate files through the Moksha system in .RTF, .DOC, or .DOCX formats. Please do not send poems simultaneously submitted at another market or anthology.
4- We try to respond to all submissions in 60 days. Please feel free to query uncannymagazine [at] gmail [dot] com if we’ve had your submission for over 75 days.
Fiction Reprints
Reprint Editor: Judith Tarr
As with original fiction submissions, we do not require stories to explore issues relating to disability, but we do encourage them. We are looking for diverse, thoughtful, well-written stories that challenge readers to think outside their usual boxes.
Fiction Reprints Submission Procedures:
1- Please submit your story via Uncanny’s Moksha submission system.
2- All stories should be in Standard Manuscript Format and attached in .RTF, .DOC, or .DOCX formats. HOWEVER, as noted above, please use 14pt serifed font and not the standard 12pt.
3- Your cover letter should contain the length of your story, the date and venue of its original publication, your significant publishing history and awards, and information that might be relevant to that specific submission.
4- Please do not send multiple submissions at once, and please make sure that you have reprint rights for your story.
5- We will try to respond to all submissions in 60 days. Please feel free to query uncannymagazine [at] gmail [dot] com if we’ve had your submission for over 75 days.
Length: 750-6000 words
Payment: $.01 per word
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Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction is a continuation of the Destroy series in which we, disabled members of the science fiction community, will put ourselves where we belong: at the center of the story. Often, disabled people are an afterthought, a punchline, or simply forgotten in the face of new horizons, scientific discovery, or magical invention. We intend to destroy ableism and bring forth voices, narratives, and truths most important to disabled writers, editors, and creators with this special issue.
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28 February 2018 -- Making Monsters -- ed. Emma Bridges and Djibril al-Ayad; Futurefire.net Publishing and the Institute of Classical Studies
Futurefire.net Publishing and the Institute of Classical Studies are looking for retellings or reimaginings of classical monsters in fantasy, horror or science fiction short stories, for a mixed fiction and nonfiction volume titled Making Monsters to be published in mid-2018, edited by Emma Bridges and Djibril al-Ayad. Classical monsters may include those from Greco-Roman mythology, ancient Egypt, the Near East, or any other ancient world cultures far beyond the Mediterranean.
We are particularly interested in stories and poems that explore the marginality and transgressiveness of female monsters and monstrous women such as Medusa, Scylla, Lilith, Kiyohime or Krasue, in the context of disadvantaged and marginalized women, including intersections with other axes of oppression and violence such as race, gender identity, sexuality, disability, language and religion. We especially welcome “own voices” fiction and stories by authors from marginalized groups, but we do not require authors to self-identify in any way.
Making Monsters will pay:
== £50 for short stories (between 2,000-5,000 words)
== £25 for flash stories (up to 1,999 words) or poetry
Rules:
== Maximum of 5,000 words fiction (with a preference for 3,000-5,000 words).
== Maximum of 50 lines poetry.
== No reprints or simultaneous submissions. Please only send one story and up to three poems (in separate documents, but a single email) at one time.
== We are not seeking nonfiction or scholarship—essays have already been commissioned for this volume.
== Please send fiction or poetry submissions as an attachment in .doc, .docx or .rtf format to makingmonsters.cfp@gmail.com, with your name, the story title, and the wordcount in the covering email.
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28 February 2018 -- Triangulation: The Music Edition -- ed. Frank Oreto & Douglas Gwylim; Parsec Ink
Triangulation, Parsec Ink’s themed speculative fiction annual, is now in its 14th year, and open for submissions. Whether you’re a new or established author, we hope you’ll send us your outstanding fantasy, science fiction, weird fiction, or speculative horror. Just tell us a story we won’t forget.
Theme: This year’s theme is “music”. Tentative title, Triangulation: The Music Edition. We’re looking for stories where music, a musical instrument, the parts of music, or musical culture make an appearance in a meaningful way. As a thematic element, you can apply a light touch or go “full tuba”. Be aware that we may retool the title of the collection, depending on the exact quality and character of the submissions we receive. If you’ve got a better title than “Triangulation: The Musical”, don’t forget to let us know in your cover letter.
Word Count: We consider fiction up to 5,000 words, but the sweet spot is 3,000. There is no minimum word count.
Genre: We accept science fiction, fantasy, and horror–and enjoy intelligent blends of the three. Stories without a speculative element will not be considered.
Compensation: Pay is semi-pro: 2 cents a word. Authors will receive an e-book and one print copy of the anthology, plus wholesale pricing for additional print copies (typically 50% off the cover price).
Rights: We purchase North American serial rights, and electronic rights for the downloadable version(s). All subsidiary rights released upon publication.
Submissions: We are a meritocracy. New authors are as welcome as those with a laundry list of accomplishments. But it’s going to be the story that wins us over. Grab us by the lapels, drag us onto that plane, take us for the ride of our lives… but get us back on the ground safely and home in time for dinner.
We do not accept reprints, multiple submissions, or simultaneous submissions. If we reject a story before the end of the reading period, feel free to send another.
We love creative interpretations of our themes, but we do require the stories to be a solid fit.
We run mature content only if we like the story and find the mature content to be integral to it.
We do not accept fanfic, even if it’s based in a fictional universe that has passed into the public domain.
How To Submit: Electronic submissions make our lives easier. Please upload your story via Submittable. If this is your first time using Submittable, you will need to create an account with them. Don’t worry: it’s free.
Manuscript Format: Please use industry standard manuscript format. We’re not testing you or trying to make you jump through hoops, but we do want a manuscript that is easy for us to read.
We accept manuscripts in the following formats:
== .doc or .docx (MS Word)
== .rtf (Rich Text Format — generic document format that most word processors can create)
Editorial Process: We aim to read submissions as they are received. If a story doesn’t work for us, we reject it. If we think the story has great potential but isn’t quite there yet, we request a rewrite. The ones we love the most, we hold on to for further consideration, but we won’t keep you guessing: you’ll get an email. Next, the stories fight it out amongst themselves until we have our final lineup. At which time, final acceptances are sent out. It’s sort of like Enter the Dragon, but without the nunchucks. When a story is accepted, the changes we suggest will typically be minor and/or cosmetic.
Response: Final decisions are made by March 31st.
Eligibility: All writers, including those who are known or related to the editorial staff, can submit to Triangulation. That doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily get in, but we are happy to consider their work.
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1 March 2018 -- If This Goes On -- ed. Cat Rambo; Parvus Press
A Visionary Look at America's Future
If This Goes On is dedicated to inclusiveness and is open to all writers. If you have a story that needs to be told, we want to read it. Please do not self-reject.
Who:
== Genre writers
== Literary writers
== Writers from under-represented communities and groups
== Established writers, new writers, pro and amateur.
== All are welcome to contribute to If This Goes On.
We are looking for unique stories that offer insights into the shared future of our planet. Tell us how our climate will change if we don’t better protect our planet. Show us how the racial divide in this country is only growing wider. Warn us of a coming era of neo-colonialism if we don’t develop conscientious trade practices. Scare us into taking digital security more seriously as we hand over the keys to our digital lives to governments and non-state powers.
Open our eyes to our future.
What:
== Stories must be 5,000 words or less (Flash fiction is accepted)
== Must be set at least one generation in the future (You are welcome to write an epic fantasy in the Friedman tradition, so long as it is in the far future!)
== Must include the impact of current political policy (social, scientific, legal, criminal, etc.) as a meaningful aspect of the story.
== Stories are strongly encouraged to avoid focusing on current political personalities and, instead, to focus on the policy impacts and long-term changes to our world.
== Stories must be original
== Publisher requires worldwide first electronic and first print English-language rights
== Pay is $0.08 per word (half on delivery, half on publication) and a royalty share for contributors
How:
Submissions and queries should be emailed to submissions@parvuspress.com and addressed to Cat Rambo. Attach your manuscript as Word (.doc or .docx), PDF, or RTF files only. Your submission should include your name and relevant contact information in the attached file as well as the body of the email. Attach only your submission document. Submissions containing any other files will not be opened.
In your email, we ask that you identify the particular policy, trend, or shift which your story involves. You are encouraged, but not required, to tell us if there is any personal connection between yourself and the anthology topic.
Please feel free to email for an update if you have not heard a submission response within 90 days.
A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
This project is born of rage and sorrow and hope. Rage at the way America has been stolen and how those thieves have been eating away at its infrastructure. Sorrow at the lives being destroyed in the sorrow as well as for the earth as its protections are stripped away by a kleptocratic and corrupt regime. Sorrow for the way words themselves have been distorted and twisted away from truth.
And hope. Because humans continue to progress and evolve, even though that climb is a rocky one and we slide back sometimes. We seem to have done so recently. And so this anthology, an attempt to rally, to inspire, and to awaken. Some stories will despair, but others will have the light we seek, lamps to light the path and show the pitfalls as we continue upwards.
This anthology is part of my resistance. I hope it will be part of yours as well.
– Cat Rambo
20 September 2017
FROM THE PUBLISHER
The idea for IF THIS GOES ON came as a reaction to the isolationism, divisiveness, anti-science rhetoric, and fear-mongering that we saw all-too-frequently from our national leaders after the 2016 election. I was finally called to action by the hateful rally in Charlottesville, VA this summer.
This project is very personal to me. A mezuzah is nailed to the doorframe of my house, here in Virginia, and I proudly top my Christmas tree with a Star of David every year. When I watched Vice's powerful documentary on the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, as I watched a mob in broad daylight chanting anti-Semitic messages in my relative back yard, I could no longer ignore the fear I felt for the future of my country and the safety of my family.
This anthology is my contribution to the effort to preserve the America I know, love, and believe in. An America where all children can grow up without fear and where love is more powerful than hate. To paraphrase (poorly) President Obama, I believe in an America where we all recognize that there is more that binds us together than sets us apart. I know this America doesn’t exist beyond an ideal, but I see this anthology as one small brick in the long road to that ideal.
– Colin Coyle
October 27, 2017
