Hey, all! This one can't wait for next month's anthology post because the submission window is tight.
Cat Rambo is guest editing a special Women Destroy Fantasy issue of Lightspeed Magazine.
WOMEN DESTROY FANTASY! will be a special one-off, guest-edited by former Fantasy Magazine editor Cat Rambo. The issue will contain 8 pieces of fiction (twice the size of a regular issue of an issue of Fantasy back before it was merged into Lightspeed), consisting of 4 original stories and 4 reprints. Cat Rambo will select all 4 of the original stories, and long-time editor of the fantasy half of The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror, Terri Windling, will select the 4 fantasy reprints. Everything submitted to the Women Destroy Fantasy! issue will also be considered for publication in Lightspeed.
== Who can submit stories for consideration for the special issue? Women.
== How do you define “woman”? A woman is any human being who identifies as one, to whatever degree that they do so.
== What can women submit? Fantasy short stories, 1500-7500 words. Dark fantasy (which normally would be OK to submit to Nightmare, should go here instead for this issue).
== When is the submissions period? Submissions open March 15, 2014, and will close at 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern on March 31, 2014.
== What rights will you be buying? Please see the Lightspeed standard contract templates (Originals | Reprints) for details; this issue will use that same contract template.
== Pay rate? 8 cents/word.
== Response time? Up to 45 days
== Note: Stories submitted to the Women Destroy Fantasy! special issue will also be considered regular issues of Lightspeed as well, if they are not selected for the special issue.
== When will the issue be published? October 2014.
== How do I submit? Submit via the following submissions portal: Women Destroy Fantasy submissions
== What the heck is this about? What do you mean by “destroy”? Read this and just substitute “fantasy” any time it says “science fiction” (more or less).
Sounds like a fun issue.
Angie
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Follow-Up on the Libel of Quoting
I'm ridiculously busy right now so this is going to be short, but Mr. Sean Fodera, referenced in my previous post, has hired a lawyer to tell him that linking to an article that quotes him saying something stupid is not, in fact, a libelous action for which one can be sued. He's posted a very thorough apology to Mary Robinette Kowal in which he also points out that he does not represent his employer (MacMillan) in any way when he says stupid things in public.
There are a few interesting roundaboutations and caveats in said apology, but whatever. I only hope he's learned something, and is planning to duck out of sight for a while.
Angie, who still has about 90 stories to get through by Saturday
There are a few interesting roundaboutations and caveats in said apology, but whatever. I only hope he's learned something, and is planning to duck out of sight for a while.
Angie, who still has about 90 stories to get through by Saturday
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Quoting Now Equals Libel?
So apparently linking to an article where someone is quoted -- with links to the original sources -- as saying something that makes him look like a sexist asshat is now libel. That sounds like fun, so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon.
Mr. Sean Fodera apparently thinks that any woman who wears attractive clothing can't possibly be a feminist, because (I guess?) in order to qualify for the feminist club, you're required to have nothing but army fatigues three sizes too big, or similar, in your closet. Okay then.
The Daily Dot has a screen grab of this bit from SFF.net, in case it gets deleted.
The whole Dot article is about the latest wave of sexist, racist crap coming out of the old guard SFWA types. It's depressing, but at this point it's really not surprising. What's particularly eyerolly here is Mr. Fodera's belief that this is actionable libel. John Scalzi commented on this, and I see it as a public service to spread it around. Not only to point out the sexist gluteal haberdashery, but to spread the word that no, this is not libel, and threatening to treat it as such just makes one look even more ignorant than the original commentary.
Also, note the Streisand effect in action here. I've never heard of Mr. Fodera before, and I'd wager most folks who read my blog haven't either. Now we've heard of him, and the impression left isn't exactly positive. Good job, Mr. Fodera!
Angie
Mr. Sean Fodera apparently thinks that any woman who wears attractive clothing can't possibly be a feminist, because (I guess?) in order to qualify for the feminist club, you're required to have nothing but army fatigues three sizes too big, or similar, in your closet. Okay then.
It just occurred to me that MRK seems to be deeply involved in this whole anti-sexism matter. I remember seeing her posing with Hines and Scalzi on one of their very scary cover parodies, and I know she chimed in with a snipe at the petition signers on the Radish thread.
I find it very funny and ironic that she would jump on this bandwagon. For a long time, her website featured an array of photos of her in a diaphanous white outfit, posing on a beach. No metal bikinis or such, but they were not innocuous writer headshots either. One of them, with her recumbent on the sand with legs exposed, made her somewhat attractive. I also recall she's fond of wearing tight-fitting gowns and plunging necklines when she attends cons and award ceremonies.
I'll have to add "phony" to "incompetent" and "arrogant" in the mental tags I've assigned her.
The Daily Dot has a screen grab of this bit from SFF.net, in case it gets deleted.
The whole Dot article is about the latest wave of sexist, racist crap coming out of the old guard SFWA types. It's depressing, but at this point it's really not surprising. What's particularly eyerolly here is Mr. Fodera's belief that this is actionable libel. John Scalzi commented on this, and I see it as a public service to spread it around. Not only to point out the sexist gluteal haberdashery, but to spread the word that no, this is not libel, and threatening to treat it as such just makes one look even more ignorant than the original commentary.
Also, note the Streisand effect in action here. I've never heard of Mr. Fodera before, and I'd wager most folks who read my blog haven't either. Now we've heard of him, and the impression left isn't exactly positive. Good job, Mr. Fodera!
Angie
Saturday, February 15, 2014
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.
Note that the deadline for XIII has been extended.
***
31 March 2014 -- XIII -- Resurrection House
RESURRECTION HOUSE is seeking science fiction, fantasy, horror, and creative non-fiction for a loosely themed anthology to be released in the winter of 2015. Stories should be between 1,000 and 7,000 words, and pay will be 5 cents/word. Reprints are not out of the question, but will be handled on an individual basis. Deadline for submissions is March 13th, 2014.
Stories should be sent as email attachments in either .RTF or .DOC format to xiiisub@resurrectionhouse.com with the word “XIII” somewhere in the subject line.
When Mark Teppo, the founder of Resurrection House, acquired Underland Press, he wanted to start numbering the titles that would be released under the new imprint. Before doing so, he wishes to acknowledge and celebrate What Was and What Will Be. “Thirteen” is the first month of a new yearly cycle, wherein the old skins have been shed and the newborns are still learning to walk. “One” and “Three” make “Four,” which is the number of completion, of coming home, and of realizing the form that has been in process for some time. Nothing is true; everything is possible. And the more things change, the more they stay the same. The thirteenth Tarot card is Death, and he is the symbol of transformation and rebirth.
This is the genesis and root of XIII.
Some broad examples of transformative stories are Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun, Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain, Matt Wagner’s Grendel comic series, and David Lynch’s Lost Highway as well as his Fire, Walk With Me. Also consider the plight of Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Innana’s descent into the Underworld, and the stories of Osiris, Tammuz, Adonis, and Attis.
***
31 March 2014 -- Start a Revolution -- ed. Michael Matheson; Exile Editions
The Central Idea:
From green revolutions to anarchist uprisings. From social compacts to social justice movements. Stories that push boundaries and identities. That invoke a rebellious voice. That cry out for tolerance, community, and change.
QUILTBAG stories are about diversity in identity. Sometimes that means focusing on finding oneself. But the movement is so much wider. Identity is communal. Identity is global. And this anthology looks to tell those larger stories. Stories about revolution, rebellion, and reshaping the world, all told from QUILTBAG perspectives.
Stories about quiet revolutions and very public ones. Personal revolutions and global movements.
Some revolutions succeed. Others fail. But in the end it’s the striving for change that matters.
Show us that striving.
Fight the power. Start a revolution.
Summary:
== Length: 2k-10k (under 7.5k preferred)
== Payment: .05/word (and contributor’s copy)
== Rights: First English-Language Rights & Non-exclusive Anthology Rights (Print and eBook)
== Genre: All speculative
== Original fiction only. No reprints.
== Submit To: adarkandterriblebeauty [at] gmail [dot] com
== Subject Line: Start a Revolution: [Story Title], [Last Name]
== Format: Standard Manuscript Format
== File Format: .doc, .docx, or .rtf only
== Cover Letter: Yes. See below.
== Reading Period: Jan. 1, 2014 – Mar. 31, 2014
== All Responses By: Apr. 30, 2014
== Scheduled Release: Spring 2015
Please, no simultaneous submissions. The only exception to this is that you are allowed to submit a story to both Start a Revolution and the $15,000 Vanderbilt/Exile Short Fiction Competition (open until March 10, 2014) sponsored by Exile Quarterly/Exile Editions (see http://www.theexilewriters.com/poetry-and-fiction-competitions/).
You may send multiple submissions over the course of the reading period, but submit only one story at a time. I’ll be rejecting stories over the course of the reading period, so if you receive a rejection before the deadline you may submit another piece.
Also, despite the fact that I’m comfortable with alternate and integrated narrative formats for short fiction, I’m not taking poetry or plays. Short fiction only, please.
Re Cover Letters: Include your name, story title, word count, contact info, a brief bio, and state your nationality (so I can keep track of the 90% Canadian authored content requirement).
Also Re Cover Letters (Optional): One of the things the Ontario Arts Council asks on their grant forms is a set of volunteered information, specifically about self-definition and identity. It helps them figure out what communities and groups they’re already reaching and aiding, and who they need to do more outreach to better aid. And if people are willing, I would like to do something similar here. Specifically, I’d like to compile and share a map of the submissions, if you will. (Both a map for all submissions, and a comparative map for selected stories.) So, please feel free to also note in your cover letter if you consider, or define, yourself as any of the following: an Aboriginal writer, culturally diverse writer, Francophone writer, and/or new generation writer. (Definitions for same below.) Anyone submitting is also welcome to note their gender (be it binary, multiple, undefined, or a lack thereof) and you can also include if you self-define along the lines of QUILTBAG, fluid, pansexual, or otherwise.
And let me reiterate: all of that volunteered information is entirely optional. And if given, it is going to be shared in a strictly anonymous fashion, and only for the purposes of the submissions mapping.
Lastly, if I’ve already read a story of yours elsewhere (say, at Apex), please don’t send it for this call unless I specifically ask to see it. And if you have questions relating to the anthology, please ask them in the Comments.
[NOTE: There's more info on the guidelines page; definitely click through and read.]
***
31 March 2014 -- Unidentified Funny Objects 3 -- ed. Alex Shvartsman
SUBMISSIONS FOR UFO3 OPEN ON MARCH 1. ANY SUBMISSIONS RECEIVED BEFORE THIS DATE WILL BE DELETED UNREAD.
WHAT WE WANT:
We’re looking for speculative stories with a strong humor element. Think Resnick and Sheckley, Fredric Brown and Douglas Adams. We welcome quality flash fiction and non-traditional narratives. Take chances, try something new, just make sure that your story is funny.
Puns and stories that are little more than vehicles for delivering a punch line at the end aren’t likely to win us over.
Most submissions we’ve received in the past are rejected because they aren’t particularly funny. For this anthology we’re looking for humor, not just lighthearted, optimistic stories. Ask yourself if your story might make the reader laugh out loud, and submit if the answer is yes.
The best way to learn what we like is to read a previous volume volume. You can buy it here and also read the online stories for free.
LENGTH: 500-6000 words.
PAYMENT: $0.05 per word + contributor copy. Payment will be made upon acceptance. Our preferred method of payment is via PayPal, but you may request a check.
FORMAT: RTF or DOC. Standard Manuscript Format or something close to it (We won’t take points off if you prefer Courier to Times New Roman or some such), except please remove your name and any other identifying information from the manuscript as all submissions are read “blind”.
SEND TO: E-mail submissions as an attachment to: ufoeditors @ gmail dot com
Format the subject line as follows: Submission: by (Approx. Length)
Example: Submission: You Bet by Alex Shvartsman (2000 words)
POLICIES & RESPONSE TIME: No reprints, multiple or simultaneous submissions please. Do not send us any story we already considered for a previous UFO volume. We will respond to all subs within 30 days. If you don’t hear by then please check your spam folder, then query at the same e-mail address with the word QUERY in the subject of the e-mail.
If your story is rejected before April 1 you may send another, but we will only consider up to two submissions per author. (To clarify, send the second ONLY after the first one is rejected). If your second submission is rejected, we will ask you to wait until next year, when we’re reading for UFO4.
SUBMISSION WINDOW: March 1, 2014 through March 31, 2014.
RIGHTS SOUGHT: First Worldwide print and electronic English Language rights. Exclusivity for 90 days from date of release. Non-exclusive rights to keep the anthology in print across different publishing platforms afterward. Preview sample contract.
[NOTE: Click through for info on their selection process, and a FAQ.]
***
15 April 2014 -- Intelligence -- Third Flatiron Anthologies
Stories could include AIs, the Singularity, military/industrial/political intelligence, nonhuman/uplifted or hybrid/human species, extreme thinking (ESP/telekinesis), ethical hacking.
Third Flatiron Publishing is an e-publishing venture based in Boulder, Colorado. We are looking for submissions to our quarterly themed online anthologies. Our focus is on science fiction and fantasy and anthropological fiction. We’re looking for tightly plotted tales in out-of-the-ordinary scenarios.
Please send us short stories that revolve around age-old questions and have something illuminating to tell us as human beings. Fantastical situations and creatures, exciting dialog, irony, mild horror, and wry humor are all welcome. Stories should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words. Inquire if longer.
Role models for the type of fiction we want include Kurt Vonnegut, Arthur C. Clarke, Dan Simmons, Connie Willis, Vernor Vinge, and Ken Kesey. We want to showcase some of the best new shorts available today.
Click through to the "Submissions" tab for preferred formats, etc.
For each anthology, we will also accept a few very short humor pieces on the order of the "Shouts and Murmurs" feature in The New Yorker Magazine (600 words or so). These can be written from a first-person perspective or can be mini-essays that tell people what they ought to do, how to do something better, or explain why something is like it is, humorously. An SF/Fantasy bent is preferred.
Your story must be original work, with the digital rights unencumbered. Accepted stories will be paid at the flat rate of 3 cents per word (U.S.), in return for the digital rights to the story. All other rights will remain with the author. We no longer offer royalties. If your story is selected as the lead story, we will pay a flat rate of 5 cents per word, in return for the permission to podcast or give the story away as a free sample portion of the anthology.
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.
Authors selected for publication will also be entitled to one free online copy of the anthology.
***
30 April 2014 -- Spindles -- ed. Raechel Henderson; Eggplant Literary Productions
Spindles word limit = 5,000
Payment = 5 cents per word; 2.5 cents per word for reprints
Rights bought: First World English-language Rights
Multiple submissions welcome
No simultaneous submissions
Stories should follow the standard fairy tale structure, but can be placed in any time period. We’ll only be publishing one version of each story (so one Cinderella, on Snow White, etc.) so authors are encouraged to submit as many different stories as they want. We are looking for fairy tales from all over the world; not just Grimm and Anderson.
Please send fiction submissions to submissions@eggplantproductions.com.
Send submissions in the body of the e-mail. No attachments!
[NOTE: there are lots of great questions and answers on the comments under the guidelines post, so click through and read if you're thinking of subbing here.]
***
UNTIL FILLED -- Thresholds -- Dreadful Cafe ** First Posted December 2013
We cross boundaries every day - the door to a room, a crack in a sidewalk, the border of a city.
The stories in Thresholds will take the reader to another time, into the dark, into the arms of a lover, to another world, or to the dark recesses of the mind.
Are you ready?
Sometimes strange, always original, the stories we publish are of the highest production standards, from thrilling premise all the way to professional editing.
We are now soliciting query letters (fiction) and samples (art) for Thresholds, our second anthology of art and fiction. All genres are eligible, but preference is given to works that cross more than one and which reflect the flavor and theme described above.
For FICTION:
Manuscripts must be between 1,000 and 25,000 words and not previously published by anyone but the author. Self-published works are accepted and encouraged!
Please refer to our Submission Guidelines.
Upon acceptance of your completed manuscript, Dreadful Cafe pays for non-exclusive, unlimited, 5-year publishing rights on the following schedule:
== Short Stories (1,000-7,000 words) — $125
== Novelettes (7,001-13,000 words) — $250
== Novellas (13,001-25,000 words) — Negotiable
Estimated Publication: Late Spring/Early Summer 2014
[Click through for more info.]
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.
Note that the deadline for XIII has been extended.
***
31 March 2014 -- XIII -- Resurrection House
RESURRECTION HOUSE is seeking science fiction, fantasy, horror, and creative non-fiction for a loosely themed anthology to be released in the winter of 2015. Stories should be between 1,000 and 7,000 words, and pay will be 5 cents/word. Reprints are not out of the question, but will be handled on an individual basis. Deadline for submissions is March 13th, 2014.
Stories should be sent as email attachments in either .RTF or .DOC format to xiiisub@resurrectionhouse.com with the word “XIII” somewhere in the subject line.
When Mark Teppo, the founder of Resurrection House, acquired Underland Press, he wanted to start numbering the titles that would be released under the new imprint. Before doing so, he wishes to acknowledge and celebrate What Was and What Will Be. “Thirteen” is the first month of a new yearly cycle, wherein the old skins have been shed and the newborns are still learning to walk. “One” and “Three” make “Four,” which is the number of completion, of coming home, and of realizing the form that has been in process for some time. Nothing is true; everything is possible. And the more things change, the more they stay the same. The thirteenth Tarot card is Death, and he is the symbol of transformation and rebirth.
This is the genesis and root of XIII.
Some broad examples of transformative stories are Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun, Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain, Matt Wagner’s Grendel comic series, and David Lynch’s Lost Highway as well as his Fire, Walk With Me. Also consider the plight of Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Innana’s descent into the Underworld, and the stories of Osiris, Tammuz, Adonis, and Attis.
***
31 March 2014 -- Start a Revolution -- ed. Michael Matheson; Exile Editions
The Central Idea:
From green revolutions to anarchist uprisings. From social compacts to social justice movements. Stories that push boundaries and identities. That invoke a rebellious voice. That cry out for tolerance, community, and change.
QUILTBAG stories are about diversity in identity. Sometimes that means focusing on finding oneself. But the movement is so much wider. Identity is communal. Identity is global. And this anthology looks to tell those larger stories. Stories about revolution, rebellion, and reshaping the world, all told from QUILTBAG perspectives.
Stories about quiet revolutions and very public ones. Personal revolutions and global movements.
Some revolutions succeed. Others fail. But in the end it’s the striving for change that matters.
Show us that striving.
Fight the power. Start a revolution.
Summary:
== Length: 2k-10k (under 7.5k preferred)
== Payment: .05/word (and contributor’s copy)
== Rights: First English-Language Rights & Non-exclusive Anthology Rights (Print and eBook)
== Genre: All speculative
== Original fiction only. No reprints.
== Submit To: adarkandterriblebeauty [at] gmail [dot] com
== Subject Line: Start a Revolution: [Story Title], [Last Name]
== Format: Standard Manuscript Format
== File Format: .doc, .docx, or .rtf only
== Cover Letter: Yes. See below.
== Reading Period: Jan. 1, 2014 – Mar. 31, 2014
== All Responses By: Apr. 30, 2014
== Scheduled Release: Spring 2015
Please, no simultaneous submissions. The only exception to this is that you are allowed to submit a story to both Start a Revolution and the $15,000 Vanderbilt/Exile Short Fiction Competition (open until March 10, 2014) sponsored by Exile Quarterly/Exile Editions (see http://www.theexilewriters.com/poetry-and-fiction-competitions/).
You may send multiple submissions over the course of the reading period, but submit only one story at a time. I’ll be rejecting stories over the course of the reading period, so if you receive a rejection before the deadline you may submit another piece.
Also, despite the fact that I’m comfortable with alternate and integrated narrative formats for short fiction, I’m not taking poetry or plays. Short fiction only, please.
Re Cover Letters: Include your name, story title, word count, contact info, a brief bio, and state your nationality (so I can keep track of the 90% Canadian authored content requirement).
Also Re Cover Letters (Optional): One of the things the Ontario Arts Council asks on their grant forms is a set of volunteered information, specifically about self-definition and identity. It helps them figure out what communities and groups they’re already reaching and aiding, and who they need to do more outreach to better aid. And if people are willing, I would like to do something similar here. Specifically, I’d like to compile and share a map of the submissions, if you will. (Both a map for all submissions, and a comparative map for selected stories.) So, please feel free to also note in your cover letter if you consider, or define, yourself as any of the following: an Aboriginal writer, culturally diverse writer, Francophone writer, and/or new generation writer. (Definitions for same below.) Anyone submitting is also welcome to note their gender (be it binary, multiple, undefined, or a lack thereof) and you can also include if you self-define along the lines of QUILTBAG, fluid, pansexual, or otherwise.
And let me reiterate: all of that volunteered information is entirely optional. And if given, it is going to be shared in a strictly anonymous fashion, and only for the purposes of the submissions mapping.
Lastly, if I’ve already read a story of yours elsewhere (say, at Apex), please don’t send it for this call unless I specifically ask to see it. And if you have questions relating to the anthology, please ask them in the Comments.
[NOTE: There's more info on the guidelines page; definitely click through and read.]
***
31 March 2014 -- Unidentified Funny Objects 3 -- ed. Alex Shvartsman
SUBMISSIONS FOR UFO3 OPEN ON MARCH 1. ANY SUBMISSIONS RECEIVED BEFORE THIS DATE WILL BE DELETED UNREAD.
WHAT WE WANT:
We’re looking for speculative stories with a strong humor element. Think Resnick and Sheckley, Fredric Brown and Douglas Adams. We welcome quality flash fiction and non-traditional narratives. Take chances, try something new, just make sure that your story is funny.
Puns and stories that are little more than vehicles for delivering a punch line at the end aren’t likely to win us over.
Most submissions we’ve received in the past are rejected because they aren’t particularly funny. For this anthology we’re looking for humor, not just lighthearted, optimistic stories. Ask yourself if your story might make the reader laugh out loud, and submit if the answer is yes.
The best way to learn what we like is to read a previous volume volume. You can buy it here and also read the online stories for free.
LENGTH: 500-6000 words.
PAYMENT: $0.05 per word + contributor copy. Payment will be made upon acceptance. Our preferred method of payment is via PayPal, but you may request a check.
FORMAT: RTF or DOC. Standard Manuscript Format or something close to it (We won’t take points off if you prefer Courier to Times New Roman or some such), except please remove your name and any other identifying information from the manuscript as all submissions are read “blind”.
SEND TO: E-mail submissions as an attachment to: ufoeditors @ gmail dot com
Format the subject line as follows: Submission:
Example: Submission: You Bet by Alex Shvartsman (2000 words)
POLICIES & RESPONSE TIME: No reprints, multiple or simultaneous submissions please. Do not send us any story we already considered for a previous UFO volume. We will respond to all subs within 30 days. If you don’t hear by then please check your spam folder, then query at the same e-mail address with the word QUERY in the subject of the e-mail.
If your story is rejected before April 1 you may send another, but we will only consider up to two submissions per author. (To clarify, send the second ONLY after the first one is rejected). If your second submission is rejected, we will ask you to wait until next year, when we’re reading for UFO4.
SUBMISSION WINDOW: March 1, 2014 through March 31, 2014.
RIGHTS SOUGHT: First Worldwide print and electronic English Language rights. Exclusivity for 90 days from date of release. Non-exclusive rights to keep the anthology in print across different publishing platforms afterward. Preview sample contract.
[NOTE: Click through for info on their selection process, and a FAQ.]
***
15 April 2014 -- Intelligence -- Third Flatiron Anthologies
Stories could include AIs, the Singularity, military/industrial/political intelligence, nonhuman/uplifted or hybrid/human species, extreme thinking (ESP/telekinesis), ethical hacking.
Third Flatiron Publishing is an e-publishing venture based in Boulder, Colorado. We are looking for submissions to our quarterly themed online anthologies. Our focus is on science fiction and fantasy and anthropological fiction. We’re looking for tightly plotted tales in out-of-the-ordinary scenarios.
Please send us short stories that revolve around age-old questions and have something illuminating to tell us as human beings. Fantastical situations and creatures, exciting dialog, irony, mild horror, and wry humor are all welcome. Stories should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words. Inquire if longer.
Role models for the type of fiction we want include Kurt Vonnegut, Arthur C. Clarke, Dan Simmons, Connie Willis, Vernor Vinge, and Ken Kesey. We want to showcase some of the best new shorts available today.
Click through to the "Submissions" tab for preferred formats, etc.
For each anthology, we will also accept a few very short humor pieces on the order of the "Shouts and Murmurs" feature in The New Yorker Magazine (600 words or so). These can be written from a first-person perspective or can be mini-essays that tell people what they ought to do, how to do something better, or explain why something is like it is, humorously. An SF/Fantasy bent is preferred.
Your story must be original work, with the digital rights unencumbered. Accepted stories will be paid at the flat rate of 3 cents per word (U.S.), in return for the digital rights to the story. All other rights will remain with the author. We no longer offer royalties. If your story is selected as the lead story, we will pay a flat rate of 5 cents per word, in return for the permission to podcast or give the story away as a free sample portion of the anthology.
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.
Authors selected for publication will also be entitled to one free online copy of the anthology.
***
30 April 2014 -- Spindles -- ed. Raechel Henderson; Eggplant Literary Productions
Spindles word limit = 5,000
Payment = 5 cents per word; 2.5 cents per word for reprints
Rights bought: First World English-language Rights
Multiple submissions welcome
No simultaneous submissions
Stories should follow the standard fairy tale structure, but can be placed in any time period. We’ll only be publishing one version of each story (so one Cinderella, on Snow White, etc.) so authors are encouraged to submit as many different stories as they want. We are looking for fairy tales from all over the world; not just Grimm and Anderson.
Please send fiction submissions to submissions@eggplantproductions.com.
Send submissions in the body of the e-mail. No attachments!
[NOTE: there are lots of great questions and answers on the comments under the guidelines post, so click through and read if you're thinking of subbing here.]
***
UNTIL FILLED -- Thresholds -- Dreadful Cafe ** First Posted December 2013
We cross boundaries every day - the door to a room, a crack in a sidewalk, the border of a city.
The stories in Thresholds will take the reader to another time, into the dark, into the arms of a lover, to another world, or to the dark recesses of the mind.
Are you ready?
Sometimes strange, always original, the stories we publish are of the highest production standards, from thrilling premise all the way to professional editing.
We are now soliciting query letters (fiction) and samples (art) for Thresholds, our second anthology of art and fiction. All genres are eligible, but preference is given to works that cross more than one and which reflect the flavor and theme described above.
For FICTION:
Manuscripts must be between 1,000 and 25,000 words and not previously published by anyone but the author. Self-published works are accepted and encouraged!
Please refer to our Submission Guidelines.
Upon acceptance of your completed manuscript, Dreadful Cafe pays for non-exclusive, unlimited, 5-year publishing rights on the following schedule:
== Short Stories (1,000-7,000 words) — $125
== Novelettes (7,001-13,000 words) — $250
== Novellas (13,001-25,000 words) — Negotiable
Estimated Publication: Late Spring/Early Summer 2014
[Click through for more info.]
Sunday, February 2, 2014
But It's Groundhog Day...?
So I'm sitting here working on a story (which is due in by midnight) and I hear this hollow, distant boom from outside. Weird. Sounds like a fireworks type rocket going off, but there's only one, so I figure it must be a car backfiring or something. About ten minutes later there's another one. Then a few minutes after that, another one.
Then a few minutes ago it sounded like Fourth of July outside and I'm all o_O because it's NOT Fourth of July. :/ I go call downstairs to Jim, "Did Groundhog Day become a fireworks holiday when I wasn't listening?" Because this is seriously weird, like, Twilight Zone type weird.
Jim calls back, "It's the Superbowl. Seattle probably won."
Ahh.
Can you tell I'm not any kind of a football fan? I vaguely remember hearing that Seattle was playing, but giving no damns, I let it slip out of my head. I guess the city fathers care more than I do, if they spent the money on a fireworks show. [wry smile]
I suppose my city winning the Superbowl is somewhat more likely than my city deciding to set off fireworks for Groundhog Day.
Yay Seattle?
Angie, going back to writing
Then a few minutes ago it sounded like Fourth of July outside and I'm all o_O because it's NOT Fourth of July. :/ I go call downstairs to Jim, "Did Groundhog Day become a fireworks holiday when I wasn't listening?" Because this is seriously weird, like, Twilight Zone type weird.
Jim calls back, "It's the Superbowl. Seattle probably won."
Ahh.
Can you tell I'm not any kind of a football fan? I vaguely remember hearing that Seattle was playing, but giving no damns, I let it slip out of my head. I guess the city fathers care more than I do, if they spent the money on a fireworks show. [wry smile]
I suppose my city winning the Superbowl is somewhat more likely than my city deciding to set off fireworks for Groundhog Day.
Yay Seattle?
Angie, going back to writing
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
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.
***
31 January 2014 -- Death's Realm -- Grey Matter Press
What happens after death?
That’s the question Grey Matter Press would like you to answer.
For our next anthology–working title Death’s Realm -– we’re looking for dark, horrifying tales exploring themes from "the great beyond."
We do not want to limit your creativity with a narrowly themed collection, so Death’s Realm will include works of truly terrifying dark fiction that investigate the concepts of hauntings, spirits, life after death, ghostly encounters and just about any other subject that pertains to the afterlife and the horrifying things that might reside just beyond the veil. Be prepared to scare the hell out of us.
Please review our Submissions Guidelines below, and feel free to contact us here on the site with any questions. or send a message to submissions@greymatterpress.com.
We thank you for your interest in considering Grey Matter Press as a potential home for your work.
*"Death’s Realm" is a working title. Grey Matter Press reserves the right to change the title as necessary.
GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS
Word Count: 3,000 – 10,000 words
Deadline: January 31, 2014
Payment: $100 flat rate per each manuscript accepted into the anthology
Formats: *.doc, *.docx, *.txt, *.rtf
Contact Address: submissions@greymatterpress.com
Acceptable File Formats: Grey Matter Press wants to make your submission process easy and painless. We accept manuscripts that are *.doc, *.docx, .txt or .rtf file formats. If you have any questions about the formatting of your manuscript, feel free to contact us directly at submissions@greymatterpress.com
Digital Submissions: Unfortunately, we cannot accept manuscripts of previously published pieces. (Published work includes work that have appeared online in magazines, journals and/or personal websites.) Only previously unpublished work will be accepted. We will accept your submission via email at submissions@greymatterpress.com. Subject lines should contain name of Anthology and the title of the story being submitted. (ex: DEATH’S REALM – ‘Title of Story.’
Font Usage and General Formatting: We request that all files be submitted double-spaced, using either Arial or Times New Roman 11 point font. Page margins should be no less than .5 inch on all borders. If using headers/footers, please employ standard Word header/footer tools rather than manually inserting such into the body of your Word document.
Distribution: Upon acceptance into our anthologies, Grey Matter Press will hold all exclusive publishing rights for the period defined within author contract (generally 12-24 months). Copyright remains that of the author. At the end of that term, intellectual property rights will revert to the original author, with Grey Matter Press retaining distribution rights for the format(s) originally contracted.
Contributor Copies: All contributors whose work is accepted and published in the anthology will, in the case of digital publishing, receive a digital copy of the complete anthology, and in the case of paperback publishing, will receive up to two copies of the anthology.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at submissions@greymatterpress.com.
***
13 March 2014 -- XIII -- Resurrection House
RESURRECTION HOUSE is seeking science fiction, fantasy, horror, and creative non-fiction for a loosely themed anthology to be released in the winter of 2015. Stories should be between 1,000 and 7,000 words, and pay will be 5 cents/word. Reprints are not out of the question, but will be handled on an individual basis. Deadline for submissions is March 13th, 2014.
Stories should be sent as email attachments in either .RTF or .DOC format to xiiisub@resurrectionhouse.com with the word “XIII” somewhere in the subject line.
When Mark Teppo, the founder of Resurrection House, acquired Underland Press, he wanted to start numbering the titles that would be released under the new imprint. Before doing so, he wishes to acknowledge and celebrate What Was and What Will Be. “Thirteen” is the first month of a new yearly cycle, wherein the old skins have been shed and the newborns are still learning to walk. “One” and “Three” make “Four,” which is the number of completion, of coming home, and of realizing the form that has been in process for some time. Nothing is true; everything is possible. And the more things change, the more they stay the same. The thirteenth Tarot card is Death, and he is the symbol of transformation and rebirth.
This is the genesis and root of XIII.
Some broad examples of transformative stories are Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun, Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain, Matt Wagner’s Grendel comic series, and David Lynch’s Lost Highway as well as his Fire, Walk With Me. Also consider the plight of Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Innana’s descent into the Underworld, and the stories of Osiris, Tammuz, Adonis, and Attis.
***
31 March 2014 -- Start a Revolution -- ed. Michael Matheson; Exile Editions
The Central Idea:
From green revolutions to anarchist uprisings. From social compacts to social justice movements. Stories that push boundaries and identities. That invoke a rebellious voice. That cry out for tolerance, community, and change.
QUILTBAG stories are about diversity in identity. Sometimes that means focusing on finding oneself. But the movement is so much wider. Identity is communal. Identity is global. And this anthology looks to tell those larger stories. Stories about revolution, rebellion, and reshaping the world, all told from QUILTBAG perspectives.
Stories about quiet revolutions and very public ones. Personal revolutions and global movements.
Some revolutions succeed. Others fail. But in the end it’s the striving for change that matters.
Show us that striving.
Fight the power. Start a revolution.
Summary:
== Length: 2k-10k (under 7.5k preferred)
== Payment: .05/word (and contributor’s copy)
== Rights: First English-Language Rights & Non-exclusive Anthology Rights (Print and eBook)
== Genre: All speculative
== Original fiction only. No reprints.
== Submit To: adarkandterriblebeauty [at] gmail [dot] com
== Subject Line: Start a Revolution: [Story Title], [Last Name]
== Format: Standard Manuscript Format
== File Format: .doc, .docx, or .rtf only
== Cover Letter: Yes. See below.
== Reading Period: Jan. 1, 2014 – Mar. 31, 2014
== All Responses By: Apr. 30, 2014
== Scheduled Release: Spring 2015
Please, no simultaneous submissions. The only exception to this is that you are allowed to submit a story to both Start a Revolution and the $15,000 Vanderbilt/Exile Short Fiction Competition (open until March 10, 2014) sponsored by Exile Quarterly/Exile Editions (see http://www.theexilewriters.com/poetry-and-fiction-competitions/).
You may send multiple submissions over the course of the reading period, but submit only one story at a time. I’ll be rejecting stories over the course of the reading period, so if you receive a rejection before the deadline you may submit another piece.
Also, despite the fact that I’m comfortable with alternate and integrated narrative formats for short fiction, I’m not taking poetry or plays. Short fiction only, please.
Re Cover Letters: Include your name, story title, word count, contact info, a brief bio, and state your nationality (so I can keep track of the 90% Canadian authored content requirement).
Also Re Cover Letters (Optional): One of the things the Ontario Arts Council asks on their grant forms is a set of volunteered information, specifically about self-definition and identity. It helps them figure out what communities and groups they’re already reaching and aiding, and who they need to do more outreach to better aid. And if people are willing, I would like to do something similar here. Specifically, I’d like to compile and share a map of the submissions, if you will. (Both a map for all submissions, and a comparative map for selected stories.) So, please feel free to also note in your cover letter if you consider, or define, yourself as any of the following: an Aboriginal writer, culturally diverse writer, Francophone writer, and/or new generation writer. (Definitions for same below.) Anyone submitting is also welcome to note their gender (be it binary, multiple, undefined, or a lack thereof) and you can also include if you self-define along the lines of QUILTBAG, fluid, pansexual, or otherwise.
And let me reiterate: all of that volunteered information is entirely optional. And if given, it is going to be shared in a strictly anonymous fashion, and only for the purposes of the submissions mapping.
Lastly, if I’ve already read a story of yours elsewhere (say, at Apex), please don’t send it for this call unless I specifically ask to see it. And if you have questions relating to the anthology, please ask them in the Comments.
[NOTE: There's more info on the guidelines page; definitely click through and read.]
***
UNTIL FILLED -- Thresholds -- Dreadful Cafe ** First Posted December 2013
We cross boundaries every day - the door to a room, a crack in a sidewalk, the border of a city.
The stories in Thresholds will take the reader to another time, into the dark, into the arms of a lover, to another world, or to the dark recesses of the mind.
Are you ready?
Sometimes strange, always original, the stories we publish are of the highest production standards, from thrilling premise all the way to professional editing.
We are now soliciting query letters (fiction) and samples (art) for Thresholds, our second anthology of art and fiction. All genres are eligible, but preference is given to works that cross more than one and which reflect the flavor and theme described above.
For FICTION:
Manuscripts must be between 1,000 and 25,000 words and not previously published by anyone but the author. Self-published works are accepted and encouraged!
Please refer to our Submission Guidelines.
Upon acceptance of your completed manuscript, Dreadful Cafe pays for non-exclusive, unlimited, 5-year publishing rights on the following schedule:
== Short Stories (1,000-7,000 words) — $125
== Novelettes (7,001-13,000 words) — $250
== Novellas (13,001-25,000 words) — Negotiable
Estimated Publication: Late Spring/Early Summer 2014
[Click through for more info.]
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.
***
31 January 2014 -- Death's Realm -- Grey Matter Press
What happens after death?
That’s the question Grey Matter Press would like you to answer.
For our next anthology–working title Death’s Realm -– we’re looking for dark, horrifying tales exploring themes from "the great beyond."
We do not want to limit your creativity with a narrowly themed collection, so Death’s Realm will include works of truly terrifying dark fiction that investigate the concepts of hauntings, spirits, life after death, ghostly encounters and just about any other subject that pertains to the afterlife and the horrifying things that might reside just beyond the veil. Be prepared to scare the hell out of us.
Please review our Submissions Guidelines below, and feel free to contact us here on the site with any questions. or send a message to submissions@greymatterpress.com.
We thank you for your interest in considering Grey Matter Press as a potential home for your work.
*"Death’s Realm" is a working title. Grey Matter Press reserves the right to change the title as necessary.
GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS
Word Count: 3,000 – 10,000 words
Deadline: January 31, 2014
Payment: $100 flat rate per each manuscript accepted into the anthology
Formats: *.doc, *.docx, *.txt, *.rtf
Contact Address: submissions@greymatterpress.com
Acceptable File Formats: Grey Matter Press wants to make your submission process easy and painless. We accept manuscripts that are *.doc, *.docx, .txt or .rtf file formats. If you have any questions about the formatting of your manuscript, feel free to contact us directly at submissions@greymatterpress.com
Digital Submissions: Unfortunately, we cannot accept manuscripts of previously published pieces. (Published work includes work that have appeared online in magazines, journals and/or personal websites.) Only previously unpublished work will be accepted. We will accept your submission via email at submissions@greymatterpress.com. Subject lines should contain name of Anthology and the title of the story being submitted. (ex: DEATH’S REALM – ‘Title of Story.’
Font Usage and General Formatting: We request that all files be submitted double-spaced, using either Arial or Times New Roman 11 point font. Page margins should be no less than .5 inch on all borders. If using headers/footers, please employ standard Word header/footer tools rather than manually inserting such into the body of your Word document.
Distribution: Upon acceptance into our anthologies, Grey Matter Press will hold all exclusive publishing rights for the period defined within author contract (generally 12-24 months). Copyright remains that of the author. At the end of that term, intellectual property rights will revert to the original author, with Grey Matter Press retaining distribution rights for the format(s) originally contracted.
Contributor Copies: All contributors whose work is accepted and published in the anthology will, in the case of digital publishing, receive a digital copy of the complete anthology, and in the case of paperback publishing, will receive up to two copies of the anthology.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at submissions@greymatterpress.com.
***
13 March 2014 -- XIII -- Resurrection House
RESURRECTION HOUSE is seeking science fiction, fantasy, horror, and creative non-fiction for a loosely themed anthology to be released in the winter of 2015. Stories should be between 1,000 and 7,000 words, and pay will be 5 cents/word. Reprints are not out of the question, but will be handled on an individual basis. Deadline for submissions is March 13th, 2014.
Stories should be sent as email attachments in either .RTF or .DOC format to xiiisub@resurrectionhouse.com with the word “XIII” somewhere in the subject line.
When Mark Teppo, the founder of Resurrection House, acquired Underland Press, he wanted to start numbering the titles that would be released under the new imprint. Before doing so, he wishes to acknowledge and celebrate What Was and What Will Be. “Thirteen” is the first month of a new yearly cycle, wherein the old skins have been shed and the newborns are still learning to walk. “One” and “Three” make “Four,” which is the number of completion, of coming home, and of realizing the form that has been in process for some time. Nothing is true; everything is possible. And the more things change, the more they stay the same. The thirteenth Tarot card is Death, and he is the symbol of transformation and rebirth.
This is the genesis and root of XIII.
Some broad examples of transformative stories are Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun, Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain, Matt Wagner’s Grendel comic series, and David Lynch’s Lost Highway as well as his Fire, Walk With Me. Also consider the plight of Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Innana’s descent into the Underworld, and the stories of Osiris, Tammuz, Adonis, and Attis.
***
31 March 2014 -- Start a Revolution -- ed. Michael Matheson; Exile Editions
The Central Idea:
From green revolutions to anarchist uprisings. From social compacts to social justice movements. Stories that push boundaries and identities. That invoke a rebellious voice. That cry out for tolerance, community, and change.
QUILTBAG stories are about diversity in identity. Sometimes that means focusing on finding oneself. But the movement is so much wider. Identity is communal. Identity is global. And this anthology looks to tell those larger stories. Stories about revolution, rebellion, and reshaping the world, all told from QUILTBAG perspectives.
Stories about quiet revolutions and very public ones. Personal revolutions and global movements.
Some revolutions succeed. Others fail. But in the end it’s the striving for change that matters.
Show us that striving.
Fight the power. Start a revolution.
Summary:
== Length: 2k-10k (under 7.5k preferred)
== Payment: .05/word (and contributor’s copy)
== Rights: First English-Language Rights & Non-exclusive Anthology Rights (Print and eBook)
== Genre: All speculative
== Original fiction only. No reprints.
== Submit To: adarkandterriblebeauty [at] gmail [dot] com
== Subject Line: Start a Revolution: [Story Title], [Last Name]
== Format: Standard Manuscript Format
== File Format: .doc, .docx, or .rtf only
== Cover Letter: Yes. See below.
== Reading Period: Jan. 1, 2014 – Mar. 31, 2014
== All Responses By: Apr. 30, 2014
== Scheduled Release: Spring 2015
Please, no simultaneous submissions. The only exception to this is that you are allowed to submit a story to both Start a Revolution and the $15,000 Vanderbilt/Exile Short Fiction Competition (open until March 10, 2014) sponsored by Exile Quarterly/Exile Editions (see http://www.theexilewriters.com/poetry-and-fiction-competitions/).
You may send multiple submissions over the course of the reading period, but submit only one story at a time. I’ll be rejecting stories over the course of the reading period, so if you receive a rejection before the deadline you may submit another piece.
Also, despite the fact that I’m comfortable with alternate and integrated narrative formats for short fiction, I’m not taking poetry or plays. Short fiction only, please.
Re Cover Letters: Include your name, story title, word count, contact info, a brief bio, and state your nationality (so I can keep track of the 90% Canadian authored content requirement).
Also Re Cover Letters (Optional): One of the things the Ontario Arts Council asks on their grant forms is a set of volunteered information, specifically about self-definition and identity. It helps them figure out what communities and groups they’re already reaching and aiding, and who they need to do more outreach to better aid. And if people are willing, I would like to do something similar here. Specifically, I’d like to compile and share a map of the submissions, if you will. (Both a map for all submissions, and a comparative map for selected stories.) So, please feel free to also note in your cover letter if you consider, or define, yourself as any of the following: an Aboriginal writer, culturally diverse writer, Francophone writer, and/or new generation writer. (Definitions for same below.) Anyone submitting is also welcome to note their gender (be it binary, multiple, undefined, or a lack thereof) and you can also include if you self-define along the lines of QUILTBAG, fluid, pansexual, or otherwise.
And let me reiterate: all of that volunteered information is entirely optional. And if given, it is going to be shared in a strictly anonymous fashion, and only for the purposes of the submissions mapping.
Lastly, if I’ve already read a story of yours elsewhere (say, at Apex), please don’t send it for this call unless I specifically ask to see it. And if you have questions relating to the anthology, please ask them in the Comments.
[NOTE: There's more info on the guidelines page; definitely click through and read.]
***
UNTIL FILLED -- Thresholds -- Dreadful Cafe ** First Posted December 2013
We cross boundaries every day - the door to a room, a crack in a sidewalk, the border of a city.
The stories in Thresholds will take the reader to another time, into the dark, into the arms of a lover, to another world, or to the dark recesses of the mind.
Are you ready?
Sometimes strange, always original, the stories we publish are of the highest production standards, from thrilling premise all the way to professional editing.
We are now soliciting query letters (fiction) and samples (art) for Thresholds, our second anthology of art and fiction. All genres are eligible, but preference is given to works that cross more than one and which reflect the flavor and theme described above.
For FICTION:
Manuscripts must be between 1,000 and 25,000 words and not previously published by anyone but the author. Self-published works are accepted and encouraged!
Please refer to our Submission Guidelines.
Upon acceptance of your completed manuscript, Dreadful Cafe pays for non-exclusive, unlimited, 5-year publishing rights on the following schedule:
== Short Stories (1,000-7,000 words) — $125
== Novelettes (7,001-13,000 words) — $250
== Novellas (13,001-25,000 words) — Negotiable
Estimated Publication: Late Spring/Early Summer 2014
[Click through for more info.]
Thursday, January 2, 2014
New Year
I've been pretty quiet for the last few weeks, so I thought I'd crawl out of my cave and say hi. I've been sick a few times, got to know more of the folks working the local ER. I missed holidays with my family because I've been afraid to travel; having to start from scratch to break in a new ER staff, convince a bunch of strange doctors that I know what's going on and how to treat it, when at times I have to argue with the local ER staff who have my history in their records, just feels like too high a hurdle when I'm already feeling lousy. All together, my give-a-damn broke down about halfway through November, and I didn't feel like getting it fixed. I've read a few million words, played a lot of solitaire, and generally vegged for a while. I'm actually feeling eager to get back to the writing, so I guess the downtime did me some good.
My 2013 writing goal was 250,000 words. Even taking the last seven weeks or so of the year off, I managed 304,169, which feels pretty awesome. It's the most I've ever done since I started keeping track, and I'm pretty sure it's the most words of fiction I've ever written in a year. I had two novels come out this year -- Captive Magic and The Executive Lounge -- and one short story in an anthology that paid pro rates, another first for me that I felt pretty good about. I finished eight other short stories, which are making the rounds on the pro-pay side. All together, I'm pretty happy with 2013.
My 2014 writing goal is 300,000 words. It's obviously not a stretch goal, but I know myself; if I push too far and fall behind at some point, I'll get depressed and it'll be twice as hard to catch up. Almost a third of a million words is still pretty decent, and if I pass it, that's a bonus.
I'm looking forward to the coming year, and I hope everyone else is too.
Angie
My 2013 writing goal was 250,000 words. Even taking the last seven weeks or so of the year off, I managed 304,169, which feels pretty awesome. It's the most I've ever done since I started keeping track, and I'm pretty sure it's the most words of fiction I've ever written in a year. I had two novels come out this year -- Captive Magic and The Executive Lounge -- and one short story in an anthology that paid pro rates, another first for me that I felt pretty good about. I finished eight other short stories, which are making the rounds on the pro-pay side. All together, I'm pretty happy with 2013.
My 2014 writing goal is 300,000 words. It's obviously not a stretch goal, but I know myself; if I push too far and fall behind at some point, I'll get depressed and it'll be twice as hard to catch up. Almost a third of a million words is still pretty decent, and if I pass it, that's a bonus.
I'm looking forward to the coming year, and I hope everyone else is too.
Angie
Friday, December 20, 2013
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.
***
31 December 2013 -- Take the Heat -- ed. Skye Warren
Theme: Criminals, illegal activity
Word Count: 4,000 – 6,000
Payment: $100
The ultimate bad boys, criminals have the power to capture our attention and waken our darkest desires. Celebrate the illicit in short story format for this taboo contemporary anthology. Put your own spin on the following scenarios or surprise readers with a new one:
- A jaded cop arrests a street walker only to find himself seduced
- A CEO catches a thief in the act—and exacts his own punishment
- A cold assassin finds one target he can’t bring himself to terminate
- An escaped fugitive takes a hostage who just might save him
- A new arrival at the prison stirs up lust in a long-term inmate
Make it sexy and shocking, erotic and thoughtful. A strong plot and well-crafted writing are musts. Twists and mindfucks appreciated. Angst welcome. Romantic elements nice to have. Any variation of genders, pairings, and sex practices accepted, but please refrain from submitting incest, bestiality, or rape as titillation, and all characters should be over eighteen.
The anthology will receive marketing support, including print advertising, review exposure, and event placement. A one-time payment of $100 will be made for each accepted story. Preferred word count 4,000 to 6,000 words. Contract is for 3 years exclusive rights and non-exclusive rights thereafter.
Accepted stories will be professionally edited, but please ensure that your submission is complete and polished. Include the title, your name, pen name, mailing address, email address, and bio on the first page of your manuscript. Format the document in Times New Roman font, 12 point, double spaced, black font, in doc or rtf format.
Submissions are due December 31, 2013. Send your story to skye@skyewarren.com with subject line TAKE THE HEAT.
***
31 December 2013 -- Kaleidoscope -- ed. Alisa Krasnostein and Julia Rios; Twelfth Planet Press
Kaleidoscope is an anthology of contemporary YA science fiction and fantasy with a focus on diverse perspectives. Alisa Krasnostein (founder of Twelfth Planet Press, and winner of the World Fantasy Award in 2011) and Julia Rios (fiction editor at Strange Horizons, and host of the Outer Alliance Podcast) are co-editing this project, which we hope to fill with a variety of exciting tales, happy and sad, adventurous and meditative. We’re not simply looking for cookie-cutter vampire or urban fantasy stories, but for things that transport us and subvert our expectations.
Stories submitted for this anthology should be between 2,500 and 10,000 words and should feature:
*Protagonists who are characters of color, disabled, neurodiverse, mentally ill, QUILTBAG, people with non-western cultural backgrounds, or otherwise diverse (not the typical straight, white, cisgender, able-bodied, western characters).
*Contemporary settings: modern day Earth life should be part of the story. It’s okay if there is a portal to a fantasy world, but we want characters to have some grounding in this world, too.
*Science fiction or fantasy elements: While we want the setting to be contemporary, we do want each story to have a speculative element (magic, the supernatural, genetic mutations, tech that doesn’t exist yet, etc.).
*Teen protagonists, because this is a YA anthology, after all! Mature themes and content are okay, but we’re not looking for erotica or extreme violence.
Payment will be 5 cents per word (USD) to be paid on publication in late 2014. We’re asking for First World Publication Rights, with an exclusivity period of 12 months (with the exception of Year’s Best reprints).
All submissions must reach us by the 31st of December in order to be considered for the anthology.
Send your submission as an RTF or Doc file to kaleidoscope@twelfthplanetpress.com with “Kaleidoscope Submission: [your story title]” in the subject line. Please no simultaneous or multiple submissions (that is to say, please send us only one story at a time, and please don’t send that story to any other markets until you have heard back from us). We expect to make our decisions in early 2014.
***
1 January 2014 -- Daughters of Frankenstein -- ed. Steve Berman; Lethe Press
Lethe Press is seeking short stories and novellettes for its forthcoming anthology, Daughters of Frankenstein: Lesbian Mad Scientists! We're looking for more cinematic-style "mad science"--over-the-top vs. textbook--so everything from alchemy to steampunk to cloning in tanks is fine. The protagonist must be lesbian and her sexuality cannot be a stigma. While the mad scientist need not be the protagonist, she must be a three-dimensional character and her interest in (mad) science should have a natural rationale as in real life (though her desired ends to whatever experiment takes place as one of the story arcs need not be natural at all!). Our preference is stories that take place in 19th and 20th centuries, but we are open to other time periods and contemporary tales.
This book would be shelved in SF/Fantasy. So this is not an erotica anthology. Elements of romance are fine and welcome as long as they are natural to the story.
Original stories should be 2,500 to 12,500 words. Payment is 5 cents a word upon publication, which will be in the fall of 2014. Deadline for all submissions is January 31st, 2014. Submissions must be sent as rtf files to lethepress@aol.com with the subject line DAUGHTERS OF FRANKENSTEIN. Feel free to query us.
***
31 January 2014 -- Death's Realm -- Grey Matter Press
What happens after death?
That’s the question Grey Matter Press would like you to answer.
For our next anthology–working title Death’s Realm -– we’re looking for dark, horrifying tales exploring themes from "the great beyond."
We do not want to limit your creativity with a narrowly themed collection, so Death’s Realm will include works of truly terrifying dark fiction that investigate the concepts of hauntings, spirits, life after death, ghostly encounters and just about any other subject that pertains to the afterlife and the horrifying things that might reside just beyond the veil. Be prepared to scare the hell out of us.
Please review our Submissions Guidelines below, and feel free to contact us here on the site with any questions. or send a message to submissions@greymatterpress.com.
We thank you for your interest in considering Grey Matter Press as a potential home for your work.
*"Death’s Realm" is a working title. Grey Matter Press reserves the right to change the title as necessary.
GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS
Word Count: 3,000 – 10,000 words
Deadline: January 31, 2014
Payment: $100 flat rate per each manuscript accepted into the anthology
Formats: *.doc, *.docx, *.txt, *.rtf
Contact Address: submissions@greymatterpress.com
Acceptable File Formats: Grey Matter Press wants to make your submission process easy and painless. We accept manuscripts that are *.doc, *.docx, .txt or .rtf file formats. If you have any questions about the formatting of your manuscript, feel free to contact us directly at submissions@greymatterpress.com
Digital Submissions: Unfortunately, we cannot accept manuscripts of previously published pieces. (Published work includes work that have appeared online in magazines, journals and/or personal websites.) Only previously unpublished work will be accepted. We will accept your submission via email at submissions@greymatterpress.com. Subject lines should contain name of Anthology and the title of the story being submitted. (ex: DEATH’S REALM – ‘Title of Story.’
Font Usage and General Formatting: We request that all files be submitted double-spaced, using either Arial or Times New Roman 11 point font. Page margins should be no less than .5 inch on all borders. If using headers/footers, please employ standard Word header/footer tools rather than manually inserting such into the body of your Word document.
Distribution: Upon acceptance into our anthologies, Grey Matter Press will hold all exclusive publishing rights for the period defined within author contract (generally 12-24 months). Copyright remains that of the author. At the end of that term, intellectual property rights will revert to the original author, with Grey Matter Press retaining distribution rights for the format(s) originally contracted.
Contributor Copies: All contributors whose work is accepted and published in the anthology will, in the case of digital publishing, receive a digital copy of the complete anthology, and in the case of paperback publishing, will receive up to two copies of the anthology.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at submissions@greymatterpress.com.
***
UNTIL FILLED -- Thresholds -- Dreadful Cafe ** First Posted December 2013
We cross boundaries every day - the door to a room, a crack in a sidewalk, the border of a city.
The stories in Thresholds will take the reader to another time, into the dark, into the arms of a lover, to another world, or to the dark recesses of the mind.
Are you ready?
Sometimes strange, always original, the stories we publish are of the highest production standards, from thrilling premise all the way to professional editing.
We are now soliciting query letters (fiction) and samples (art) for Thresholds, our second anthology of art and fiction. All genres are eligible, but preference is given to works that cross more than one and which reflect the flavor and theme described above.
For FICTION:
Manuscripts must be between 1,000 and 25,000 words and not previously published by anyone but the author. Self-published works are accepted and encouraged!
Please refer to our Submission Guidelines.
Upon acceptance of your completed manuscript, Dreadful Cafe pays for non-exclusive, unlimited, 5-year publishing rights on the following schedule:
== Short Stories (1,000-7,000 words) — $125
== Novelettes (7,001-13,000 words) — $250
== Novellas (13,001-25,000 words) — Negotiable
Estimated Publication: Late Spring/Early Summer 2014
[Click through for more info.]
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.
***
31 December 2013 -- Take the Heat -- ed. Skye Warren
Theme: Criminals, illegal activity
Word Count: 4,000 – 6,000
Payment: $100
The ultimate bad boys, criminals have the power to capture our attention and waken our darkest desires. Celebrate the illicit in short story format for this taboo contemporary anthology. Put your own spin on the following scenarios or surprise readers with a new one:
- A jaded cop arrests a street walker only to find himself seduced
- A CEO catches a thief in the act—and exacts his own punishment
- A cold assassin finds one target he can’t bring himself to terminate
- An escaped fugitive takes a hostage who just might save him
- A new arrival at the prison stirs up lust in a long-term inmate
Make it sexy and shocking, erotic and thoughtful. A strong plot and well-crafted writing are musts. Twists and mindfucks appreciated. Angst welcome. Romantic elements nice to have. Any variation of genders, pairings, and sex practices accepted, but please refrain from submitting incest, bestiality, or rape as titillation, and all characters should be over eighteen.
The anthology will receive marketing support, including print advertising, review exposure, and event placement. A one-time payment of $100 will be made for each accepted story. Preferred word count 4,000 to 6,000 words. Contract is for 3 years exclusive rights and non-exclusive rights thereafter.
Accepted stories will be professionally edited, but please ensure that your submission is complete and polished. Include the title, your name, pen name, mailing address, email address, and bio on the first page of your manuscript. Format the document in Times New Roman font, 12 point, double spaced, black font, in doc or rtf format.
Submissions are due December 31, 2013. Send your story to skye@skyewarren.com with subject line TAKE THE HEAT.
***
31 December 2013 -- Kaleidoscope -- ed. Alisa Krasnostein and Julia Rios; Twelfth Planet Press
Kaleidoscope is an anthology of contemporary YA science fiction and fantasy with a focus on diverse perspectives. Alisa Krasnostein (founder of Twelfth Planet Press, and winner of the World Fantasy Award in 2011) and Julia Rios (fiction editor at Strange Horizons, and host of the Outer Alliance Podcast) are co-editing this project, which we hope to fill with a variety of exciting tales, happy and sad, adventurous and meditative. We’re not simply looking for cookie-cutter vampire or urban fantasy stories, but for things that transport us and subvert our expectations.
Stories submitted for this anthology should be between 2,500 and 10,000 words and should feature:
*Protagonists who are characters of color, disabled, neurodiverse, mentally ill, QUILTBAG, people with non-western cultural backgrounds, or otherwise diverse (not the typical straight, white, cisgender, able-bodied, western characters).
*Contemporary settings: modern day Earth life should be part of the story. It’s okay if there is a portal to a fantasy world, but we want characters to have some grounding in this world, too.
*Science fiction or fantasy elements: While we want the setting to be contemporary, we do want each story to have a speculative element (magic, the supernatural, genetic mutations, tech that doesn’t exist yet, etc.).
*Teen protagonists, because this is a YA anthology, after all! Mature themes and content are okay, but we’re not looking for erotica or extreme violence.
Payment will be 5 cents per word (USD) to be paid on publication in late 2014. We’re asking for First World Publication Rights, with an exclusivity period of 12 months (with the exception of Year’s Best reprints).
All submissions must reach us by the 31st of December in order to be considered for the anthology.
Send your submission as an RTF or Doc file to kaleidoscope@twelfthplanetpress.com with “Kaleidoscope Submission: [your story title]” in the subject line. Please no simultaneous or multiple submissions (that is to say, please send us only one story at a time, and please don’t send that story to any other markets until you have heard back from us). We expect to make our decisions in early 2014.
***
1 January 2014 -- Daughters of Frankenstein -- ed. Steve Berman; Lethe Press
Lethe Press is seeking short stories and novellettes for its forthcoming anthology, Daughters of Frankenstein: Lesbian Mad Scientists! We're looking for more cinematic-style "mad science"--over-the-top vs. textbook--so everything from alchemy to steampunk to cloning in tanks is fine. The protagonist must be lesbian and her sexuality cannot be a stigma. While the mad scientist need not be the protagonist, she must be a three-dimensional character and her interest in (mad) science should have a natural rationale as in real life (though her desired ends to whatever experiment takes place as one of the story arcs need not be natural at all!). Our preference is stories that take place in 19th and 20th centuries, but we are open to other time periods and contemporary tales.
This book would be shelved in SF/Fantasy. So this is not an erotica anthology. Elements of romance are fine and welcome as long as they are natural to the story.
Original stories should be 2,500 to 12,500 words. Payment is 5 cents a word upon publication, which will be in the fall of 2014. Deadline for all submissions is January 31st, 2014. Submissions must be sent as rtf files to lethepress@aol.com with the subject line DAUGHTERS OF FRANKENSTEIN. Feel free to query us.
***
31 January 2014 -- Death's Realm -- Grey Matter Press
What happens after death?
That’s the question Grey Matter Press would like you to answer.
For our next anthology–working title Death’s Realm -– we’re looking for dark, horrifying tales exploring themes from "the great beyond."
We do not want to limit your creativity with a narrowly themed collection, so Death’s Realm will include works of truly terrifying dark fiction that investigate the concepts of hauntings, spirits, life after death, ghostly encounters and just about any other subject that pertains to the afterlife and the horrifying things that might reside just beyond the veil. Be prepared to scare the hell out of us.
Please review our Submissions Guidelines below, and feel free to contact us here on the site with any questions. or send a message to submissions@greymatterpress.com.
We thank you for your interest in considering Grey Matter Press as a potential home for your work.
*"Death’s Realm" is a working title. Grey Matter Press reserves the right to change the title as necessary.
GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS
Word Count: 3,000 – 10,000 words
Deadline: January 31, 2014
Payment: $100 flat rate per each manuscript accepted into the anthology
Formats: *.doc, *.docx, *.txt, *.rtf
Contact Address: submissions@greymatterpress.com
Acceptable File Formats: Grey Matter Press wants to make your submission process easy and painless. We accept manuscripts that are *.doc, *.docx, .txt or .rtf file formats. If you have any questions about the formatting of your manuscript, feel free to contact us directly at submissions@greymatterpress.com
Digital Submissions: Unfortunately, we cannot accept manuscripts of previously published pieces. (Published work includes work that have appeared online in magazines, journals and/or personal websites.) Only previously unpublished work will be accepted. We will accept your submission via email at submissions@greymatterpress.com. Subject lines should contain name of Anthology and the title of the story being submitted. (ex: DEATH’S REALM – ‘Title of Story.’
Font Usage and General Formatting: We request that all files be submitted double-spaced, using either Arial or Times New Roman 11 point font. Page margins should be no less than .5 inch on all borders. If using headers/footers, please employ standard Word header/footer tools rather than manually inserting such into the body of your Word document.
Distribution: Upon acceptance into our anthologies, Grey Matter Press will hold all exclusive publishing rights for the period defined within author contract (generally 12-24 months). Copyright remains that of the author. At the end of that term, intellectual property rights will revert to the original author, with Grey Matter Press retaining distribution rights for the format(s) originally contracted.
Contributor Copies: All contributors whose work is accepted and published in the anthology will, in the case of digital publishing, receive a digital copy of the complete anthology, and in the case of paperback publishing, will receive up to two copies of the anthology.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at submissions@greymatterpress.com.
***
UNTIL FILLED -- Thresholds -- Dreadful Cafe ** First Posted December 2013
We cross boundaries every day - the door to a room, a crack in a sidewalk, the border of a city.
The stories in Thresholds will take the reader to another time, into the dark, into the arms of a lover, to another world, or to the dark recesses of the mind.
Are you ready?
Sometimes strange, always original, the stories we publish are of the highest production standards, from thrilling premise all the way to professional editing.
We are now soliciting query letters (fiction) and samples (art) for Thresholds, our second anthology of art and fiction. All genres are eligible, but preference is given to works that cross more than one and which reflect the flavor and theme described above.
For FICTION:
Manuscripts must be between 1,000 and 25,000 words and not previously published by anyone but the author. Self-published works are accepted and encouraged!
Please refer to our Submission Guidelines.
Upon acceptance of your completed manuscript, Dreadful Cafe pays for non-exclusive, unlimited, 5-year publishing rights on the following schedule:
== Short Stories (1,000-7,000 words) — $125
== Novelettes (7,001-13,000 words) — $250
== Novellas (13,001-25,000 words) — Negotiable
Estimated Publication: Late Spring/Early Summer 2014
[Click through for more info.]
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Trying This Google+ Thing
Okay, so what happened is a couple/few months ago (don't remember exactly how long) I came across this add-on for Chrome that'd let you use the old Compose box with Gmail. I really hate the new one, and a lot of people seemed to like this add-on, so I added it on. It had a quirk or two (like adding space between the lines in your in-box right after you'd used Compose) but I could live with that to have the old Compose box back. And all was well for a while.
Then like a month ago, I suddenly couldn't get into Gmail on Chrome. First it was just my desktop system, but a few days later it broke on my laptop too. I had no idea what the problem was. I could get into that Gmail account just fine on Firefox, or even [shudder] Internet Explorer, but when I tried to bring it up in Chrome, it just kept cycling and cycling forever, as though it were processing the page but couldn't get anything to resolve. I logged out and logged back in -- nothing. I logged out, restarted the computer, then logged back in -- nothing. I tried approaching Gmail from different angles -- nothing.
Now all this time, Chrome had been bugging me to "complete" my Google+ profile for my AngieBenedetti mail address and, like, get with their system. I wasn't interested in another social network thing, so I ignored it. But eventually, after trying everything I could think of, I though, Maybe Google's messing with me because it wants me to do this Google+ thing? It wouldn't be the first squirrely thing some huge company had done to try to get folks to use one of their products, and Google's been closing its eyes on its "Don't be evil" thing now and again over the last few years, so I figured I might as well try. So I set up my profile on the angiebenedetti mail account.
Nothing.
[sigh]
I moved on, and eventually figured out that it was the add-on that let me have the old Compose box. :( I turned that off and poof! I could see my in-box in Chrome again. I figured the most recent Chrome upgrade had hosed the add-on. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Google did it deliberately, either, because they have major issues about forcing everyone to do things exactly their way. But anyhow.
So I had this Google+ profile floating around out there, with basically nothing but my name on it. Then someone added me to a circle. And someone else added me. So I guess I'm sort of there whether I planned to be or not?
I decided to give in and at least try it. I filled out my profile a bit more, and added a couple of people to circles, but most of the folks it suggested to me to add weren't people I know terribly well. If you're active on Google+, even if only a little, and would like to add me or have me add you or whatever, let me know. I'm still woefully ignorant about how this system works -- I'm not even sure if you'd look for me there as "Angie Benedetti" or "AngieBenedetti" or "Angela Benedetti" -- so however you want to ping me about it, do that. :)
We'll see how this goes. If it turns into a huge timesink, I'll probably walk away. But for now, it might be fun. Anyone else playing?
Angie
[ETA: Closing comments because of a ridiculous amount of comment spam. :/ ]
Then like a month ago, I suddenly couldn't get into Gmail on Chrome. First it was just my desktop system, but a few days later it broke on my laptop too. I had no idea what the problem was. I could get into that Gmail account just fine on Firefox, or even [shudder] Internet Explorer, but when I tried to bring it up in Chrome, it just kept cycling and cycling forever, as though it were processing the page but couldn't get anything to resolve. I logged out and logged back in -- nothing. I logged out, restarted the computer, then logged back in -- nothing. I tried approaching Gmail from different angles -- nothing.
Now all this time, Chrome had been bugging me to "complete" my Google+ profile for my AngieBenedetti mail address and, like, get with their system. I wasn't interested in another social network thing, so I ignored it. But eventually, after trying everything I could think of, I though, Maybe Google's messing with me because it wants me to do this Google+ thing? It wouldn't be the first squirrely thing some huge company had done to try to get folks to use one of their products, and Google's been closing its eyes on its "Don't be evil" thing now and again over the last few years, so I figured I might as well try. So I set up my profile on the angiebenedetti mail account.
Nothing.
[sigh]
I moved on, and eventually figured out that it was the add-on that let me have the old Compose box. :( I turned that off and poof! I could see my in-box in Chrome again. I figured the most recent Chrome upgrade had hosed the add-on. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Google did it deliberately, either, because they have major issues about forcing everyone to do things exactly their way. But anyhow.
So I had this Google+ profile floating around out there, with basically nothing but my name on it. Then someone added me to a circle. And someone else added me. So I guess I'm sort of there whether I planned to be or not?
I decided to give in and at least try it. I filled out my profile a bit more, and added a couple of people to circles, but most of the folks it suggested to me to add weren't people I know terribly well. If you're active on Google+, even if only a little, and would like to add me or have me add you or whatever, let me know. I'm still woefully ignorant about how this system works -- I'm not even sure if you'd look for me there as "Angie Benedetti" or "AngieBenedetti" or "Angela Benedetti" -- so however you want to ping me about it, do that. :)
We'll see how this goes. If it turns into a huge timesink, I'll probably walk away. But for now, it might be fun. Anyone else playing?
Angie
[ETA: Closing comments because of a ridiculous amount of comment spam. :/ ]
Friday, November 22, 2013
Ten Reasons to Try NaNoWriMo
I have a post up at the ARe Cafe today about Why Trying NaNoWriMo Is a Great Idea. Check it out. :)
Angie
Angie
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
But What About Readers and Reviewers?
There's a discussion over at Jessewave's that evolved into a thread with wider interest to fiction writers in general, so I brought one of my comments (and a bit of what I responded to) back here. Rick Reed wrote the original post, talking about women in m/m romances, and of course the conversation strayed over to the question of m/f sex in m/m books. For those of you who aren't into romance, or aren't into m/m, there's a fairly sturdy divide between readers who are willing to follow a character's story wherever it leads, and readers who, in their own words, don't want anyone getting "girl cooties" in their m/m romance. You can probably tell what side of the debate I'm on. [cough]
Anyway, Carolyne wondered in comments whether it wouldn't be practical to just avoid story elements that readers have said they dislike, in the name of maximizing sales and reviews, then said:
My response got kind of long, as is often the case. I posted it there, but thought I'd put it here too, because it has a larger application than just romance:
This is a question each writer has to answer for her/himself. My answer is no. I won't compromise my work because a few people are loud about what they dislike. They're entitled to their opinions, but my writing is mine.
Another way to think about it is that every subgenre, and quite a few full-blown genres, started out as a writer here or there writing something completely different, something that nobody had ever written before, despite the fact that there was no sign or clue that the readers of whatever the closest genre was "wanted" that kind of work. Paranormal romance started back in the 70s, and IIRC wasn't even considered romance half the time -- you don't find Yarbro's Saint Germain books in the Romance shelves even now, and that's the first I recall. "Weird" romances snuck into the mainstream through the occasional one-off -- anyone remember The Elsingham Portrait? -- and then in the 80s, time travel romance were huge for a few years. There were a bunch of books on the shelf with pocket watches on their spines, so TT fans could find them, while people who preferred "normal" romances just thought they were weird and dumb. Fantasy romances and SF romances (oh, excuse me -- "futuristic" romances) appeared in the late 80s as subgenres, when there had been little or nothing like them before in romance. Enough people glommed on to keep them going, which people who preferred "real" romances about doctors and secretaries and cake bakers and decorators made snarky comments. As late as 2008 a columnist at a major romance blog (now defunct) was griping about how there were "too many" of those weird romances around, about how they were pushing out the "normal" contemporary romances. She was kind enough to allow that there should be "a few" of the weird romances published, but only the very best. (Nice of her to allow people like me a few of The Very Best of the subgenres I like most -- maybe she'd be the one to vet them for me?)
What would romance -- het or GLBT -- look like now if writers who love writing about vampires and aliens and mages and interstellar ambassadors and shifters had read the gripes and snarks of people who only want contemporary romances, and thought, "Gee, if I write this stuff I really love, nobody will read or review it! I'd better toe the line and write about doctors and secretaries and dog walkers, because I want my books to sell and be reviewed!"
Will writing what you love yourself limit your market? Sure. That's always true. If you write mystery romances, there are people who don't like those. If you write about shifters, there are people who'll eyeroll and move on. If you write about cross-dressing main characters, there are people who aren't into that. If you write BDSM romances, plenty of people will avoid them. That's their choice to make, and always has been. I know that no matter what I write, I'll never capture 100% of the market. Not even the biggest, most popular NYT bestsellers capture 100% of their target market, no matter how many marketing weasels call something "the must-read book of the year."
Will writing certain things limit your reviews? Sure. Again, that's always true. If I put a m/f sex scene in a book, Wave won't review it. She pays the hosting fees, so the site runs by her rules. That's not a limitation on what I can or should write, though, and I doubt very much that even Wave thinks it should be.
I'll write what I want to write, and let each book find its audience. Some audiences are going to be bigger than others -- that's how the business works. Trying to guess ahead of time what's going to be huge or what's going to be smaller, and then writing only what you think will be huge, is a fool's game, though. Coincidentally, Dean Wesley Smith posted about something like this just a day or two ago -- The Myth: To sell either to editors or readers, you must write what is hot. Dean's answer to this question is, "Kick all the editor and agent and online board voices out of your writing office and write what makes you passionate or angry or excited." That, right there -- do that, or IMO there's no point in being a writer. We're certainly not here to get rich, right? If your number one goal is making money, there are a lot of easier, less chancy ways of going about it. [wry smile] If I'm not having fun, if I'm not writing what I want and what I love, then I have no reason to be here.
Angie
Anyway, Carolyne wondered in comments whether it wouldn't be practical to just avoid story elements that readers have said they dislike, in the name of maximizing sales and reviews, then said:
I don’t say all the above in a cranky way, but in asking myself whether it simply makes much more sense to make a reasonable compromise in one’s writing, to be practical and give a story its best chances in the world.
My response got kind of long, as is often the case. I posted it there, but thought I'd put it here too, because it has a larger application than just romance:
This is a question each writer has to answer for her/himself. My answer is no. I won't compromise my work because a few people are loud about what they dislike. They're entitled to their opinions, but my writing is mine.
Another way to think about it is that every subgenre, and quite a few full-blown genres, started out as a writer here or there writing something completely different, something that nobody had ever written before, despite the fact that there was no sign or clue that the readers of whatever the closest genre was "wanted" that kind of work. Paranormal romance started back in the 70s, and IIRC wasn't even considered romance half the time -- you don't find Yarbro's Saint Germain books in the Romance shelves even now, and that's the first I recall. "Weird" romances snuck into the mainstream through the occasional one-off -- anyone remember The Elsingham Portrait? -- and then in the 80s, time travel romance were huge for a few years. There were a bunch of books on the shelf with pocket watches on their spines, so TT fans could find them, while people who preferred "normal" romances just thought they were weird and dumb. Fantasy romances and SF romances (oh, excuse me -- "futuristic" romances) appeared in the late 80s as subgenres, when there had been little or nothing like them before in romance. Enough people glommed on to keep them going, which people who preferred "real" romances about doctors and secretaries and cake bakers and decorators made snarky comments. As late as 2008 a columnist at a major romance blog (now defunct) was griping about how there were "too many" of those weird romances around, about how they were pushing out the "normal" contemporary romances. She was kind enough to allow that there should be "a few" of the weird romances published, but only the very best. (Nice of her to allow people like me a few of The Very Best of the subgenres I like most -- maybe she'd be the one to vet them for me?)
What would romance -- het or GLBT -- look like now if writers who love writing about vampires and aliens and mages and interstellar ambassadors and shifters had read the gripes and snarks of people who only want contemporary romances, and thought, "Gee, if I write this stuff I really love, nobody will read or review it! I'd better toe the line and write about doctors and secretaries and dog walkers, because I want my books to sell and be reviewed!"
Will writing what you love yourself limit your market? Sure. That's always true. If you write mystery romances, there are people who don't like those. If you write about shifters, there are people who'll eyeroll and move on. If you write about cross-dressing main characters, there are people who aren't into that. If you write BDSM romances, plenty of people will avoid them. That's their choice to make, and always has been. I know that no matter what I write, I'll never capture 100% of the market. Not even the biggest, most popular NYT bestsellers capture 100% of their target market, no matter how many marketing weasels call something "the must-read book of the year."
Will writing certain things limit your reviews? Sure. Again, that's always true. If I put a m/f sex scene in a book, Wave won't review it. She pays the hosting fees, so the site runs by her rules. That's not a limitation on what I can or should write, though, and I doubt very much that even Wave thinks it should be.
I'll write what I want to write, and let each book find its audience. Some audiences are going to be bigger than others -- that's how the business works. Trying to guess ahead of time what's going to be huge or what's going to be smaller, and then writing only what you think will be huge, is a fool's game, though. Coincidentally, Dean Wesley Smith posted about something like this just a day or two ago -- The Myth: To sell either to editors or readers, you must write what is hot. Dean's answer to this question is, "Kick all the editor and agent and online board voices out of your writing office and write what makes you passionate or angry or excited." That, right there -- do that, or IMO there's no point in being a writer. We're certainly not here to get rich, right? If your number one goal is making money, there are a lot of easier, less chancy ways of going about it. [wry smile] If I'm not having fun, if I'm not writing what I want and what I love, then I have no reason to be here.
Angie
Thursday, November 14, 2013
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.
***
30 November 2013 -- War Stories -- ed. Andrew Liptak & Jaym Gates; Apex Publications
War Stories is seeking original military science fiction of 1000-7500 words. Stories of 5000 words or less are preferred. We’re starting with a pay rate of 5¢/word for original fiction. This rate is will change provided we reach a certain funding level with the Kickstarter. [NOTE: they did get their funding for this pay rate.] Please format your document as a .doc, .docx or .rtf file.
What we’re looking for in a story:
We want top-notch original military science fiction stories that are contemporary, innovative, relevant and exciting. We want to speak to the civilians and soldiers of the last decade, keeping in mind the collective experiences of the wars in the Middle East and Africa, from all sides of conflicts. We’re not looking for stories that are necessarily set in the present or near future, but stories that take to heart the major themes and lessons that we’ve seen. Stories on different planets, timelines, with power armor, spaceships, robots and more are welcome.
We believe that the science fiction/fantasy genre’s diversity is its greatest strength, and we wish that viewpoint to be reflected in our story content and our submission queues; we welcome submissions from writers of every race, religion, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation. We are particularly interested in receiving stories from POC and female authors.
We are not accepting reprints at this time.
Cover Letter: Christie Yant’s post is a good model to follow.
Format: William Shunn’s Manuscript Format is a good model to follow.
We are now accepting submissions. Please examine our submission guidelines and e-mail submissions to warstoriesanthology [at] gmail [dot] com.
***
1 December 2013 -- SNAFU -- Cohesion Press
SNAFU will be an anthology of original military sci-fi horror novellas and short stories.
Bioweapons unleashed, mutations, ancient species unearthed in lost caverns deep within the earth… and the soldiers who fight them. You get the drift?
We have solicited novellas from some of the biggest names in the business, and this is your chance to appear alongside them.
There will be approximately 60,000 words taken up with novellas by the solicited authors, so we are looking for three or four original short stories via the submission process to fill the rest of the wordcount up to about 80,000.
GUIDELINES:
We are looking for original stories that take the standard military thriller and inject some horror, whether it be bioweapons, creatures from another planet or dimension, or anything that you can imagine.
We want action-filled, plot-driven tales that carry the reader along for the ride. Think Jonathan Maberry, Greig Beck, Warren Fahy, and Weston Ochse (SEAL Team 666 series). Think Dog Soldiers, Predator, or Alien. If you haven’t read Jonathan Maberry or Greig Beck, or SEAL Team 666 or Fragment, then what are you waiting for? Get reading.
Submission period – September 1, 2013 until December 1, 2013
Payment – 3 cents/word (semi-pro) and a contributor copy of every format that is released
Length – 3,000 to 7,000 words (if your story is longer or shorter, contact us first. We’re willing to look, on a case-by-case basis)
PLEASE NOTE: if your story sits outside our word limits and you haven’t contacted us first to check that this is okay, we will delete it without reading it.
Follow these guidelines when submitting to us:
== Please put your full contact details on the first page of the manuscript
== Standard submission format, with minimal document formatting
== Courier or Times New Roman; 12pt; italics as they will appear. No underlining
== Double spaced
== DO NOT use tab or spacing to indent lines. Use ‘styles’ only. If unsure, do not indent at all
== ONE SPACE after periods
== NO LINE between paragraphs unless a line-break is required
== Please put full contact details on the first page of the manuscript (yes, I said this twice… it’s important)
For a guide to standard submission format, see Shunn's short story format.
The only variation to this format is that italics MUST appear as they will be used; no underlining.
== We are looking for original stories only. NO REPRINTS, please.
== Simultaneous submissions are okay, but please let us know when you send us the story.
== If you do not notify us, and then you have to pull the story because it’s been accepted elsewhere, you will make us very unhappy.
== Authors can send us up to two stories at the same time, but please use separate emails. DO NOT attach both submissions to the same email.
Stories that fail to follow these requirements will be deleted without being read, so please don’t ruin your chances.
Email submissions should be sent as an attachment via email as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file.
== Name your file thus: SNAFU_”name”_”submission title”, using an underscore to separate all words.
== Create your email subject line thus: SNAFU_“Submission Title” .
Please include your full contact details (postal address, e-mail, phone number) as well as word count in the body of your email AND on the top of the first page of your manuscript (as per Shunn’s guide, linked above), and send your submission to: submissions@cohesionpress.com
Authors will be notified of their standing no later than two weeks after the submission period ends (no later than December 15). If you have heard nothing back three weeks after the end (by December 22), please contact via submissions@cohesionpress.com with subject line: query_SNAFU.
***
1 December 2013 -- Take This Man -- ed. Neil Plakcy; Cleis Press
Payment: $60.00 per story, payable on publication, plus 1 copy of the book
The editor of Active Duty, Beach Bums and other anthologies seeks romantic erotica focused on male couples in committed relationships.
Many erotic stories focus on the thrill of first contact—but Take This Man will be different, looking at how much sexier an encounter can be when the two men involved have been together for long enough to make a commitment to each other. Formalized or not, the fact remains that when you know what turns your partner on, and vice versa, your encounters can be even hotter, especially when you factor in the emotional component.
The anthology will be published by Cleis Press in time to celebrate the first-year anniversary of the decision knocking down the DOMA.
Story length: 3,000 - 5,000 words
Deadline: December 1, 2013
Publication Date: Fall, 2014
Payment: $60.00 per story, payable on publication, plus 1 copy of the book
Submit your story to Neil Plakcy plax@bellsouth.net as a MS word attachment.
***
1 December 2013 -- Me and My Boi -- ed. Sacchi Green; Cleis Press
Preferred Length: 2000-5000 words
Deadline: December 1, 2013
Payment: $50 per story and two copies of the anthology
This book is a celebration of all things boi, butch, masculine-of-center; the people we love who put their own personal spins on the gender spectrum. Bois who like girls, bois who like bois, bois who like both; those who don't label themselves bois at all but can't stand to wear a skirt. Tell me stories about female-born, screw-the-binary free spirits of all flavors. Cool bois, hot bois, swaggering bois, shy bois, geek boys, drag kings, leather bois, flannel bois. Young is fine, but so are butch daddies, mentors, and role models.
As always, give me fully-developed characters, vivid settings, original voices, intriguing themes, and steamy sex that develops naturally out of all the rest.
E-mail submissions (.doc or .rtf files only) and queries to:sacchigreen@gmail.com.
This book will probably be published in 2015.
***
31 December 2013 -- Take the Heat -- ed. Skye Warren
Theme: Criminals, illegal activity
Word Count: 4,000 – 6,000
Payment: $100
The ultimate bad boys, criminals have the power to capture our attention and waken our darkest desires. Celebrate the illicit in short story format for this taboo contemporary anthology. Put your own spin on the following scenarios or surprise readers with a new one:
- A jaded cop arrests a street walker only to find himself seduced
- A CEO catches a thief in the act—and exacts his own punishment
- A cold assassin finds one target he can’t bring himself to terminate
- An escaped fugitive takes a hostage who just might save him
- A new arrival at the prison stirs up lust in a long-term inmate
Make it sexy and shocking, erotic and thoughtful. A strong plot and well-crafted writing are musts. Twists and mindfucks appreciated. Angst welcome. Romantic elements nice to have. Any variation of genders, pairings, and sex practices accepted, but please refrain from submitting incest, bestiality, or rape as titillation, and all characters should be over eighteen.
The anthology will receive marketing support, including print advertising, review exposure, and event placement. A one-time payment of $100 will be made for each accepted story. Preferred word count 4,000 to 6,000 words. Contract is for 3 years exclusive rights and non-exclusive rights thereafter.
Accepted stories will be professionally edited, but please ensure that your submission is complete and polished. Include the title, your name, pen name, mailing address, email address, and bio on the first page of your manuscript. Format the document in Times New Roman font, 12 point, double spaced, black font, in doc or rtf format.
Submissions are due December 31, 2013. Send your story to skye@skyewarren.com with subject line TAKE THE HEAT.
***
31 December 2013 -- Kaleidoscope -- ed. Alisa Krasnostein and Julia Rios; Twelfth Planet Press
Kaleidoscope is an anthology of contemporary YA science fiction and fantasy with a focus on diverse perspectives. Alisa Krasnostein (founder of Twelfth Planet Press, and winner of the World Fantasy Award in 2011) and Julia Rios (fiction editor at Strange Horizons, and host of the Outer Alliance Podcast) are co-editing this project, which we hope to fill with a variety of exciting tales, happy and sad, adventurous and meditative. We’re not simply looking for cookie-cutter vampire or urban fantasy stories, but for things that transport us and subvert our expectations.
Stories submitted for this anthology should be between 2,500 and 10,000 words and should feature:
*Protagonists who are characters of color, disabled, neurodiverse, mentally ill, QUILTBAG, people with non-western cultural backgrounds, or otherwise diverse (not the typical straight, white, cisgender, able-bodied, western characters).
*Contemporary settings: modern day Earth life should be part of the story. It’s okay if there is a portal to a fantasy world, but we want characters to have some grounding in this world, too.
*Science fiction or fantasy elements: While we want the setting to be contemporary, we do want each story to have a speculative element (magic, the supernatural, genetic mutations, tech that doesn’t exist yet, etc.).
*Teen protagonists, because this is a YA anthology, after all! Mature themes and content are okay, but we’re not looking for erotica or extreme violence.
Payment will be 5 cents per word (USD) to be paid on publication in late 2014. We’re asking for First World Publication Rights, with an exclusivity period of 12 months (with the exception of Year’s Best reprints).
All submissions must reach us by the 31st of December in order to be considered for the anthology.
Send your submission as an RTF or Doc file to kaleidoscope@twelfthplanetpress.com with “Kaleidoscope Submission: [your story title]” in the subject line. Please no simultaneous or multiple submissions (that is to say, please send us only one story at a time, and please don’t send that story to any other markets until you have heard back from us). We expect to make our decisions in early 2014.
***
1 January 2014 -- Daughters of Frankenstein -- ed. Steve Berman; Lethe Press
Lethe Press is seeking short stories and novellettes for its forthcoming anthology, Daughters of Frankenstein: Lesbian Mad Scientists! We're looking for more cinematic-style "mad science"--over-the-top vs. textbook--so everything from alchemy to steampunk to cloning in tanks is fine. The protagonist must be lesbian and her sexuality cannot be a stigma. While the mad scientist need not be the protagonist, she must be a three-dimensional character and her interest in (mad) science should have a natural rationale as in real life (though her desired ends to whatever experiment takes place as one of the story arcs need not be natural at all!). Our preference is stories that take place in 19th and 20th centuries, but we are open to other time periods and contemporary tales.
This book would be shelved in SF/Fantasy. So this is not an erotica anthology. Elements of romance are fine and welcome as long as they are natural to the story.
Original stories should be 2,500 to 12,500 words. Payment is 5 cents a word upon publication, which will be in the fall of 2014. Deadline for all submissions is January 31st, 2014. Submissions must be sent as rtf files to lethepress@aol.com with the subject line DAUGHTERS OF FRANKENSTEIN. Feel free to query us.
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.
***
30 November 2013 -- War Stories -- ed. Andrew Liptak & Jaym Gates; Apex Publications
War Stories is seeking original military science fiction of 1000-7500 words. Stories of 5000 words or less are preferred. We’re starting with a pay rate of 5¢/word for original fiction. This rate is will change provided we reach a certain funding level with the Kickstarter. [NOTE: they did get their funding for this pay rate.] Please format your document as a .doc, .docx or .rtf file.
What we’re looking for in a story:
We want top-notch original military science fiction stories that are contemporary, innovative, relevant and exciting. We want to speak to the civilians and soldiers of the last decade, keeping in mind the collective experiences of the wars in the Middle East and Africa, from all sides of conflicts. We’re not looking for stories that are necessarily set in the present or near future, but stories that take to heart the major themes and lessons that we’ve seen. Stories on different planets, timelines, with power armor, spaceships, robots and more are welcome.
We believe that the science fiction/fantasy genre’s diversity is its greatest strength, and we wish that viewpoint to be reflected in our story content and our submission queues; we welcome submissions from writers of every race, religion, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation. We are particularly interested in receiving stories from POC and female authors.
We are not accepting reprints at this time.
Cover Letter: Christie Yant’s post is a good model to follow.
Format: William Shunn’s Manuscript Format is a good model to follow.
We are now accepting submissions. Please examine our submission guidelines and e-mail submissions to warstoriesanthology [at] gmail [dot] com.
***
1 December 2013 -- SNAFU -- Cohesion Press
SNAFU will be an anthology of original military sci-fi horror novellas and short stories.
Bioweapons unleashed, mutations, ancient species unearthed in lost caverns deep within the earth… and the soldiers who fight them. You get the drift?
We have solicited novellas from some of the biggest names in the business, and this is your chance to appear alongside them.
There will be approximately 60,000 words taken up with novellas by the solicited authors, so we are looking for three or four original short stories via the submission process to fill the rest of the wordcount up to about 80,000.
GUIDELINES:
We are looking for original stories that take the standard military thriller and inject some horror, whether it be bioweapons, creatures from another planet or dimension, or anything that you can imagine.
We want action-filled, plot-driven tales that carry the reader along for the ride. Think Jonathan Maberry, Greig Beck, Warren Fahy, and Weston Ochse (SEAL Team 666 series). Think Dog Soldiers, Predator, or Alien. If you haven’t read Jonathan Maberry or Greig Beck, or SEAL Team 666 or Fragment, then what are you waiting for? Get reading.
Submission period – September 1, 2013 until December 1, 2013
Payment – 3 cents/word (semi-pro) and a contributor copy of every format that is released
Length – 3,000 to 7,000 words (if your story is longer or shorter, contact us first. We’re willing to look, on a case-by-case basis)
PLEASE NOTE: if your story sits outside our word limits and you haven’t contacted us first to check that this is okay, we will delete it without reading it.
Follow these guidelines when submitting to us:
== Please put your full contact details on the first page of the manuscript
== Standard submission format, with minimal document formatting
== Courier or Times New Roman; 12pt; italics as they will appear. No underlining
== Double spaced
== DO NOT use tab or spacing to indent lines. Use ‘styles’ only. If unsure, do not indent at all
== ONE SPACE after periods
== NO LINE between paragraphs unless a line-break is required
== Please put full contact details on the first page of the manuscript (yes, I said this twice… it’s important)
For a guide to standard submission format, see Shunn's short story format.
The only variation to this format is that italics MUST appear as they will be used; no underlining.
== We are looking for original stories only. NO REPRINTS, please.
== Simultaneous submissions are okay, but please let us know when you send us the story.
== If you do not notify us, and then you have to pull the story because it’s been accepted elsewhere, you will make us very unhappy.
== Authors can send us up to two stories at the same time, but please use separate emails. DO NOT attach both submissions to the same email.
Stories that fail to follow these requirements will be deleted without being read, so please don’t ruin your chances.
Email submissions should be sent as an attachment via email as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file.
== Name your file thus: SNAFU_”name”_”submission title”, using an underscore to separate all words.
== Create your email subject line thus: SNAFU_“Submission Title” .
Please include your full contact details (postal address, e-mail, phone number) as well as word count in the body of your email AND on the top of the first page of your manuscript (as per Shunn’s guide, linked above), and send your submission to: submissions@cohesionpress.com
Authors will be notified of their standing no later than two weeks after the submission period ends (no later than December 15). If you have heard nothing back three weeks after the end (by December 22), please contact via submissions@cohesionpress.com with subject line: query_SNAFU.
***
1 December 2013 -- Take This Man -- ed. Neil Plakcy; Cleis Press
Payment: $60.00 per story, payable on publication, plus 1 copy of the book
The editor of Active Duty, Beach Bums and other anthologies seeks romantic erotica focused on male couples in committed relationships.
Many erotic stories focus on the thrill of first contact—but Take This Man will be different, looking at how much sexier an encounter can be when the two men involved have been together for long enough to make a commitment to each other. Formalized or not, the fact remains that when you know what turns your partner on, and vice versa, your encounters can be even hotter, especially when you factor in the emotional component.
The anthology will be published by Cleis Press in time to celebrate the first-year anniversary of the decision knocking down the DOMA.
Story length: 3,000 - 5,000 words
Deadline: December 1, 2013
Publication Date: Fall, 2014
Payment: $60.00 per story, payable on publication, plus 1 copy of the book
Submit your story to Neil Plakcy plax@bellsouth.net as a MS word attachment.
***
1 December 2013 -- Me and My Boi -- ed. Sacchi Green; Cleis Press
Preferred Length: 2000-5000 words
Deadline: December 1, 2013
Payment: $50 per story and two copies of the anthology
This book is a celebration of all things boi, butch, masculine-of-center; the people we love who put their own personal spins on the gender spectrum. Bois who like girls, bois who like bois, bois who like both; those who don't label themselves bois at all but can't stand to wear a skirt. Tell me stories about female-born, screw-the-binary free spirits of all flavors. Cool bois, hot bois, swaggering bois, shy bois, geek boys, drag kings, leather bois, flannel bois. Young is fine, but so are butch daddies, mentors, and role models.
As always, give me fully-developed characters, vivid settings, original voices, intriguing themes, and steamy sex that develops naturally out of all the rest.
E-mail submissions (.doc or .rtf files only) and queries to:sacchigreen@gmail.com.
This book will probably be published in 2015.
***
31 December 2013 -- Take the Heat -- ed. Skye Warren
Theme: Criminals, illegal activity
Word Count: 4,000 – 6,000
Payment: $100
The ultimate bad boys, criminals have the power to capture our attention and waken our darkest desires. Celebrate the illicit in short story format for this taboo contemporary anthology. Put your own spin on the following scenarios or surprise readers with a new one:
- A jaded cop arrests a street walker only to find himself seduced
- A CEO catches a thief in the act—and exacts his own punishment
- A cold assassin finds one target he can’t bring himself to terminate
- An escaped fugitive takes a hostage who just might save him
- A new arrival at the prison stirs up lust in a long-term inmate
Make it sexy and shocking, erotic and thoughtful. A strong plot and well-crafted writing are musts. Twists and mindfucks appreciated. Angst welcome. Romantic elements nice to have. Any variation of genders, pairings, and sex practices accepted, but please refrain from submitting incest, bestiality, or rape as titillation, and all characters should be over eighteen.
The anthology will receive marketing support, including print advertising, review exposure, and event placement. A one-time payment of $100 will be made for each accepted story. Preferred word count 4,000 to 6,000 words. Contract is for 3 years exclusive rights and non-exclusive rights thereafter.
Accepted stories will be professionally edited, but please ensure that your submission is complete and polished. Include the title, your name, pen name, mailing address, email address, and bio on the first page of your manuscript. Format the document in Times New Roman font, 12 point, double spaced, black font, in doc or rtf format.
Submissions are due December 31, 2013. Send your story to skye@skyewarren.com with subject line TAKE THE HEAT.
***
31 December 2013 -- Kaleidoscope -- ed. Alisa Krasnostein and Julia Rios; Twelfth Planet Press
Kaleidoscope is an anthology of contemporary YA science fiction and fantasy with a focus on diverse perspectives. Alisa Krasnostein (founder of Twelfth Planet Press, and winner of the World Fantasy Award in 2011) and Julia Rios (fiction editor at Strange Horizons, and host of the Outer Alliance Podcast) are co-editing this project, which we hope to fill with a variety of exciting tales, happy and sad, adventurous and meditative. We’re not simply looking for cookie-cutter vampire or urban fantasy stories, but for things that transport us and subvert our expectations.
Stories submitted for this anthology should be between 2,500 and 10,000 words and should feature:
*Protagonists who are characters of color, disabled, neurodiverse, mentally ill, QUILTBAG, people with non-western cultural backgrounds, or otherwise diverse (not the typical straight, white, cisgender, able-bodied, western characters).
*Contemporary settings: modern day Earth life should be part of the story. It’s okay if there is a portal to a fantasy world, but we want characters to have some grounding in this world, too.
*Science fiction or fantasy elements: While we want the setting to be contemporary, we do want each story to have a speculative element (magic, the supernatural, genetic mutations, tech that doesn’t exist yet, etc.).
*Teen protagonists, because this is a YA anthology, after all! Mature themes and content are okay, but we’re not looking for erotica or extreme violence.
Payment will be 5 cents per word (USD) to be paid on publication in late 2014. We’re asking for First World Publication Rights, with an exclusivity period of 12 months (with the exception of Year’s Best reprints).
All submissions must reach us by the 31st of December in order to be considered for the anthology.
Send your submission as an RTF or Doc file to kaleidoscope@twelfthplanetpress.com with “Kaleidoscope Submission: [your story title]” in the subject line. Please no simultaneous or multiple submissions (that is to say, please send us only one story at a time, and please don’t send that story to any other markets until you have heard back from us). We expect to make our decisions in early 2014.
***
1 January 2014 -- Daughters of Frankenstein -- ed. Steve Berman; Lethe Press
Lethe Press is seeking short stories and novellettes for its forthcoming anthology, Daughters of Frankenstein: Lesbian Mad Scientists! We're looking for more cinematic-style "mad science"--over-the-top vs. textbook--so everything from alchemy to steampunk to cloning in tanks is fine. The protagonist must be lesbian and her sexuality cannot be a stigma. While the mad scientist need not be the protagonist, she must be a three-dimensional character and her interest in (mad) science should have a natural rationale as in real life (though her desired ends to whatever experiment takes place as one of the story arcs need not be natural at all!). Our preference is stories that take place in 19th and 20th centuries, but we are open to other time periods and contemporary tales.
This book would be shelved in SF/Fantasy. So this is not an erotica anthology. Elements of romance are fine and welcome as long as they are natural to the story.
Original stories should be 2,500 to 12,500 words. Payment is 5 cents a word upon publication, which will be in the fall of 2014. Deadline for all submissions is January 31st, 2014. Submissions must be sent as rtf files to lethepress@aol.com with the subject line DAUGHTERS OF FRANKENSTEIN. Feel free to query us.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Political Phone Spam
Dear American Political Candidates:
Okay, I know you're all exempt from the requirement to refrain from cold-calling the people on the National Do Not Call List. Of course you are -- Congress is made up of politicians, and they made sure that they and their campaign workers would be exempt. You don't want to be hassled at home during dinner by people calling trying to sell you things or make you take a poll. You get how annoying that is. But when it comes to annoying others for your own purposes, well, I guess that looked like a completely different thing.
So when people working for your campaign call our number, which has been on the Do Not Call List since its inception, I understand that I have no legal recourse. No one's going to fine you, or even slap you on the wrist.
But you know, when your campaign workers call people whose numbers are on the Do Not Call List, they're communicating more in your name than just your campaign message. They're also communicating that you don't give a damn what I want, how I feel, or what my preferences are when it comes to communications from people I don't know and have never done business with. You're calling me because you want me to hear your message and you give no damns about whether I want to hear it or not.
That being the case, why should I assume that you'll give any damns about what I think or what I want once you're in office? If you're trying to persuade me that you're the best person to represent my wishes and views in our government, I have to say you're doing a piss poor job of it.
Neither I nor my husband will be voting for any of the people whose campaign workers (or their robo-call minions) have called us with political messages. You've made it clear you don't care what I think, and that you believe you should be above any repercussions for your acts of voter annoyance, and by doing that you've convinced at least the two of us that you'd suck as our elected leaders or representatives. I'll bet we're not the only ones, either.
Have fun on election night.
Angie
Okay, I know you're all exempt from the requirement to refrain from cold-calling the people on the National Do Not Call List. Of course you are -- Congress is made up of politicians, and they made sure that they and their campaign workers would be exempt. You don't want to be hassled at home during dinner by people calling trying to sell you things or make you take a poll. You get how annoying that is. But when it comes to annoying others for your own purposes, well, I guess that looked like a completely different thing.
So when people working for your campaign call our number, which has been on the Do Not Call List since its inception, I understand that I have no legal recourse. No one's going to fine you, or even slap you on the wrist.
But you know, when your campaign workers call people whose numbers are on the Do Not Call List, they're communicating more in your name than just your campaign message. They're also communicating that you don't give a damn what I want, how I feel, or what my preferences are when it comes to communications from people I don't know and have never done business with. You're calling me because you want me to hear your message and you give no damns about whether I want to hear it or not.
That being the case, why should I assume that you'll give any damns about what I think or what I want once you're in office? If you're trying to persuade me that you're the best person to represent my wishes and views in our government, I have to say you're doing a piss poor job of it.
Neither I nor my husband will be voting for any of the people whose campaign workers (or their robo-call minions) have called us with political messages. You've made it clear you don't care what I think, and that you believe you should be above any repercussions for your acts of voter annoyance, and by doing that you've convinced at least the two of us that you'd suck as our elected leaders or representatives. I'll bet we're not the only ones, either.
Have fun on election night.
Angie
Friday, November 1, 2013
HELL NO: The Sensible Horror Film
This is awesome. Why aren't all horror movies like this? I mean, okay, there'd have to be some more actual danger to make a good movie, but that just means the writers have to work harder to put characters with functional brains into dangerous and scary situations. Is it really that hard? I do think this is a writing issue, although I get that in Hollywood, the writer is generally the omega dog in the pack and isn't allowed to do a good job even if he/she wants to and is capable. I wish Hollywood would let its writers create characters who don't have great, gaping chasms between their ears. I might watch more horror movies if they did.
Until that happens, check this one out. :)
Thanks to Pam Singer for sending me the link to this!
Angie
Until that happens, check this one out. :)
Thanks to Pam Singer for sending me the link to this!
Angie
Thursday, October 31, 2013
NaNo?
Is anyone else around here doing NaNoWriMo this year? I'm all signed up -- if you want to be NaNo buddies, I'm here on the NaNo site.
I've done NaNo a few times, only won once so far. The years I didn't participate, I was already working on a novel when November rolled around, and I was pretty sure I didn't have 50K words left. I didn't want to stop to start a new one for fear I'd lose my momentum on the old one. If I'm basically free, though, I'll jump into the NaNo pool, mainly because it's fun, but also because I've found that even in the years I don't win -- and I've had some pretty spectacular crash-and-burn experiences -- I learn something about myself and my writing. That's always valuable.
Anyone else in?
Angie
I've done NaNo a few times, only won once so far. The years I didn't participate, I was already working on a novel when November rolled around, and I was pretty sure I didn't have 50K words left. I didn't want to stop to start a new one for fear I'd lose my momentum on the old one. If I'm basically free, though, I'll jump into the NaNo pool, mainly because it's fun, but also because I've found that even in the years I don't win -- and I've had some pretty spectacular crash-and-burn experiences -- I learn something about myself and my writing. That's always valuable.
Anyone else in?
Angie
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