Sub Ops Ten

Ten Things About Submission Opportunities

Blue Leaf Publications is "looking for completed novels--35,000 to 65,000 words in length--in the genres of: science fiction: hard/soft/space opera; fantasy: urban/shapeshifter romance; science fiction/futuristic romance; shapeshifter/werewolf only; other 'spec fic' works with similar themes. We prefer third person POV. Please have your manuscript critiqued, beta'd, proofread and/or edited before querying!! [Good suggestion.] Stories without a "happy ever after" are acceptable. For romance titles, intimate
scenes should be mild (PG-13). We will consider YA titles only if they fit in the above genres. Reprints by professional authors are considered if the title was previously published through a reputable publisher (print or electronic). Please do not submit any previously self-published works. A common inquiry about word count: Will BLP consider manuscripts over 65K? Yes, we probably will, but be warned: If you decide to send us something longer than 65K, the writing and story had better be dead-on." Payment: no mention of advance that I can find; pays annual royalties of 30% of net on e-books and 15% of net on print books. No reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details.

AE ~ The Canadian Science Fiction Review webzine "welcomes submissions from both established and emerging authors. We publish exclusively science fiction, though our interpretation of the genre can be quite inclusive. We are interested in stories from 500 to 3000 words in length. We are not soliciting poetry or screenplays at this time." Mentions they will accept subs from non-Canadian authors but are limiting how many of those they publish. Payment: "CA6¢/word (art=$20-$100)" No reprints, electronic submissions preferred, see guidelines for more details.

Corpulent Insanity Press has an open call for their Clones and Crucifixes anthology, and is seeking "tales of futuristic horror. Only, there’s a catch. Each story must involve a demonic possession. Think The Exorcist mixed with Blade Runner. We’re not interested in run-of-the-mill exorcism tales, either. We want something new. Something fresh. Something that will make our eyes widen and our sphincters clench. Well, maybe not the latter, but you get the idea." Length: 1-3.5K, Payment: 1 cent per word, no reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: December 20, 2011.

Dark Metre is "an email newsletter published on the 1st Sunday of every month with the current issue being posted on the website for one month." From the editor: "I'm looking for poetry reprints in the horror genre and will publish two per issue. I will pretty much look at any style of poem but I do not want anything vampire related or anything that involves bad things happening to college kids, school kids or young children and definitely no woe be me poetry. Please send poems up to a maximum of 35 lines in the body of the email to poetrysub@katybennett.co.uk. Please put poetrysub - poem title - your name in the subject field. Also include details of where it was originally published and a short bio and a link to your web site or blog if available. You can submit up to three poems but only send one poem in an email. Payment terms: I'm paying £2.50 via paypal on publication." Reprints only, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details.

Dragon Ink House has an open call for their 20Spec anthology, and they want to see "Speculative stories set in the grit and glamor of the Roaring 20s. Think gangsters, the Klan, and political upheaval; the rise of communism and fascism. Women’s suffrage, androgynous fashion, and bootlegging. Jazz and speakeasies; ”The Diamonds as Big as the Ritz.” The rise of the Machine Age– radios, Model-T Fords, and mass-production. Hyper-inflation and excess. Tell decadent stories that take place after dark, far from home, in abandoned stills. And don’t be afraid to travel abroad. Europe, Asia, Africa– anywhere is fair game! This is not only an anthology of Urban Fantasy set in the 1920s. While UF will most likely have its place, we welcome Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror, including Bizarro, Slipstream, New Weird, Hard-Boiled Noir detectives, even (especially) stuff that defies a particular classification. The story is paramount, but we’d like to be able to represent all speculative-fiction fields. (Critter fiction (e.g. vampires, zombies, werewolves, ghosts, etc) is acceptable, but will be a tougher sell, due to the typical quantity of it.) [Ouch.] Attention to the culture, slang, and feel of the 20s is vital. Send us stories that roar, whisper and shriek." Length: "Ideally stories will be between 1500-5000 words, but we will consider flash-fiction and poetry as well. Nothing longer please." Payment: 1 cent per word on publication. No reprints, electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: December 20, 2010.

Eschatology, the Journal of Lovecraftian and Apocalyptic Fiction, is looking for some traditional ghost stories for a special Christmas Day edition [apparently during the Victorian era telling ghost stories was a Christmas tradition, which puts a whole new spin on a Christman Carol.] Their sub guidelines state they want: "well written, original short fiction up to around 1000 words. There is no firm maximum word count, though pieces exceeding the 1000 word guideline by too much are likely to be rejected." Payment: $5.00 via PayPal upon publication, no reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: December 15, 2010.

io9.com is holding a writing contest: "We can't prevent environmental disasters without preparing for them. That's why io9 is going to pay $2000 each to two people who write the best stories about environmental disaster. It's io9's Environmental Writing Contest - for science fiction and non-fiction." Also: "Your story should be between 3,000-5,000 words. It must be an original story that has not been published elsewhere. The contest has two categories: Non-Fiction and Science Fiction. We will pick a winner from each." "Winning stories will be published on io9, and we will give $2000 each to the winners in each category." There's a lot more on what they want to see, so if you're tempted, definitely check out the contest subs page. Deadline: December 11, 2010.

Permuted Press is "now accepting queries for novel length horror, science fiction, and speculative fiction. We're interested in: Completed novels of no less than 70,000 words and no more than 125,000 words (around 85,000-95,000 words is perfect for us). We're trying to expand our horizons a bit here at Permuted, so we're looking for horror, sci-fi, and spec-fic of the following types: Apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic tales (not just zombies!). Obviously we love zombie novels, but we're really interested in new and unique takes on the apocalypse. Bring something new and interesting to the table! Lovecraftian and Cthulhu Mythos works. We're primarily interested in seeing some fresh takes on the old (elder?) Mythos. Think William Browning Spencer's Resume With Monsters and Seamus Cooper's The Mall of Cthulhu. Time Travel and multi-universe stories. We love to see this sort of thing done well. Examples include Ken Grimwood's Replay and Paul Melko's The Walls of the Universe.
Novels with false realities or realities in question. Think along the lines of The Matrix, Inception, or most of the works of Phillip K. Dick. Survival horror. Fun, fast-paced tales with a person or group trapped in bad situation. Great examples of this type of work include Richard Laymon's Island, John Carpenter's The Thing, and the television show Lost." No details on the website about payment, but the publisher states in their FAQ that they do pay an advance and quarterly royalties, terms of which they will discuss upon acceptance (I'd be sure to nail these down in writing before you sign anything.) Query on reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details.

Realms of Fantasy magazine (recently purchased by Damnation Books) is "a professional market for the best in fantastic short fiction. Stories should be no longer than 10,000 words, and can address any area in the realms of fantasy: heroic, contemporary, traditional, feminist, dark, light, and the ever-popular “unclassifiable.” What we do not want to see is standard SF (this means no alien worlds, no hard-edged technology, no FTL drives, etc.) Additionally, ROF is not a market for poetry. What we do want to see is the very best in the field—Realms of Fantasy is a highly competitive market." Payment: "6¢/word & up (>7½k pay breaks to 4¢/word & up)" Query on reprints, no electronic submissions (will e-reply to non-US subs), see guidelines for more details.

The Library of the Living Dead has an open call for their Zombies Without Borders anthology, and are "Seeking original previously unpublished zombie stories. The theme of this book is about location. Instead of just stating where your story takes place use culture, geography, and other indicators to showcase the setting. Stories can take place anywhere on Earth except the United States of America. It is urged that authors submitting from outside of the USA choose a location other than their home countries. (e.g. if are submitting from England your story should not take place in England.)" Length: 4-7K, Payment: Pay: 1¢/word + copy, no reprints, electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: January 2, 2011.

Most of the above submission opportunities were found among the many market listings over at Ralan's place.