Sub Ops

Ten Things About Submission Opportunities for Writers

Poor Mojo's Almanack is holding a contest for rants; The 33-and-a-⅓ Contest. Evidently they want ". . . RANTS featuring "The Best Recipe You'd Never Guess." In the spirt of Mr. Morgan Johnson's "Industrial Espionage and the World's Greatest Sangria Recipe," craft a rant of fewer than 3,000 words featuring a fine recipe of your delight." They define a rant as ". . . a personal essay, and might take the form of a rave, a complaint, a memoir, a travelogue, a stump speech, an outlandish claim, a quiet prayer before dying, et cetera. It can also be about a favored pet." Winner receives $33.33 (I assume) U.S. Reprints okay, electronic submission via online form only, see contest page for more details, deadline December 31, 2009.

Every Day Poets is looking for "short poems, of up to 60 lines/500 words or fewer. There’s no such thing as too short. All genres are acceptable, and poems that don’t fit neatly into any genre are welcome too. We hope to reflect a wide diversity of cultures and cross cultures; although all poems must be in English, this need not be restrictive (as in, for example, “Search for my Tongue” by Sujata Bhatt, or John Agard’s “Half Caste”). We encourage contributors to ensure that all capitalization is a matter of your artistic choice and not a default function of your word processing software, and that punctuation is similarly deliberate. Our readership is adult, so poems intended for children are unlikely to be accepted unless they are relevant to adults as well. On the other hand, we are not impressed by gratuitous sex and violence, or pointlessly foul language; edgy content should be necessary to the purpose of the poem and appropriate to this venue. It ought to go without saying that any poem submitted to Every Day Poets must be your own unpublished original creation. If you publish a poem on a blog, even your own personal blog, it is considered published and therefore inappropriate for our market." Pays $1 per poem, so it's mainly for exposure, but if your poem is the one that is most read that month you'll be featured in a site interview. No reprints, electronic submissions via online form only, see guidelines page for more details.

Fantasy Magazine is looking for "stories that delight, entertain, and enrapture readers, stories ranging from delicious treats that melt on the tongue, leaving only a trace of sweetness, to the dark and poignant tale whose memory lingers with you for days, perhaps years." Length 1-6K, pays 5¢/word, no reprints, electronic submission only using their online form, see guidelines for more details.

Leisure Books is teaming up with Chizine for their Fresh Blood contest for as-yet-unpublished horror novel writers (defined as any writer who has not yet published a horror novel; e-pubbed and/or short story published writers are eligible. Which, hey, makes me eligible.) Leisure wants to see "finished horror novel manuscripts, either supernatural or non-supernatural, of 80,000–90,000 words." The winner will be published in Leisure's 2011 lineup and will also have a limited edition hardcover published by Chizine. Deadline on this on is September 30, 2009 and please read the link page for more, important details on entering.

Drollerie Press has an open call for an as-yet-untitled Greek Mythology/Urban Fantasy anthology (scroll down on link page), and wants to see short stories "retelling Greek myth re-set as urban/contemporary fantasy. They may be set in any location in the world, and do not have to specifically reference Greece. The stories should be between 5 and 20k in length, and should be YA friendly, that is, appropriate to a sophisticated YA reader and to adults as well. The protagonist(s), therefore, should be wrestling with issues of young adulthood, and should be between the ages of 17 and 25. Some profanity is acceptable. Sexual activity and violence may be referenced, but should not be described in loving detail." Pays: "an equitable distribution of royalties based on word count. Publication will be in ebook, with trade paperback to follow if warranted by sales." No specs on reprints, electronic subs okay, see guidelines page for more details, deadline January 5, 2010.

Midnight Echo, the magazine of the Australian Horror Writers Association, "aims to showcase the quality and diversity of the modern horror and dark fantasy genres. Particular emphasis will be placed upon Australian authors, but international voices will also be included." Length 5K or less, pays AU1¢/word, no reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines page for more details. Submissions reading period for the next issue ends January 31, 2010.

Mindflights "publishes science fiction and fantasy (including all its sub-genres). All submissions to MindFlights must have a SF&F element. MindFlights is a family-friendly, Christian-friendly market. Thus we prefer stories without excessive or explicit profanity, sexual content, etc." Will be open for submissions again on October 12, 2009. Length 5K or less (not firm), pays ½¢/word ($5-$25) via PayPal only, reprints okay, electronic submissions through online form only, see guidelines page for more details.

Samhain Publishing has an open call for their as-yet-untitled Red Hot Fairy Tales anthology, and is "open to any genre, M/F, M/M, or multiples thereof. I’m looking for your super-hot take on the fairy tales we grew up with and . . . there must be a Happily Ever After." Length: 20-25K, no info on payment but Samhain offers 40% of cover price for single-author books, no reprints, see guidelines page for more details, deadline February 1, 2010.

Drollerie Press also has an open call for their Trafficking in Magic/Magic in Trafficking anthologies: "Trafficking in Magic deals with the sale and transport of magical goods and services, including magical beings, artifacts, fortune telling, communing with the dead, and other spells for hire, or the sale of magical energy itself; Magicking in Traffic deals with magic in the flow of traffic–which could be street traffic, commerce, the flow of energies, or something else entirely–whether to aid, block, or manipulate the flow of traffic, or simply to play in it. Creative interpretations of the title(s) are also encouraged." Focus is on f/magreal/slipstrm/mythicfic/fairy tales (fic/poem, query for b-w art/comics); pays equitable 60% royalty. Words: <12k; poem<100 lines (query if longer). Reprints okay, electronic submissions only, see guidelines page for more details, deadline January 5, 2010.

Pill Hill Press has an open call for their Twisted Legends: Urbanized & Unauthorized, edited by Jessy Marie Roberts, and are looking for "short stories that present clever twists on urban legends. Though most genres are accepted, all stories must contain strong horror/suspense themes. I will only accept one revised version of any urban legend/myth - I will post the stories I've accepted on my blog and forum so everyone knows what urban legends I have already taken. As this anthology is open until filled, I will read the submissions in order of when I receive them (first come, first serve). Make the stories fun, frightening and most importantly, TWISTED." Does NOT want to see: " . . . stories with a strong religious theme. Also, please do not send rape/torture stories, anything 'x' rated or pornographic, pet mutilation tales, fiction about child abuse and/or pedophilia, or submissions that denigrate any race, gender or sexual orientation." Length: 500 words to 5K, pays 1 cent per word plus 1 contributor's copy upon publication. No reprints, prefers electronic submissions, deadline: October 2, 2009.

Nearly all of the above sub ops were found over in the market listings at Ralan's place.