July Market Report
Welcome to the July Market Report for SF/F.
Magazine News:
Deep Magic is a bi-monthly electronic magazine that publishes clean short fiction in the fantasy and science fiction genres. Our issues are also filled with author interviews, art features, book reviews and tips for writers. Most of our nonfiction pieces are invitation only to industry professionals and Deep Magic staff, but if you have a fantastic piece, please send it our way. Not all the authors we feature write exclusively clean fiction. We don’t judge. But everything you find inside Deep Magic will be.
Story Submissions here.
Payment Terms
For first world-wide rights, pays $.08 per word for the first 5,000 words and $.06 per word for each word between 5,001 and 16,000 words, with payment capped at $1,060 for stories longer than 16,000 words.
For reprinted stories that are not currently available elsewhere on the internet for free, pays $.02 per word.
We use PayPal for our authors.
Additional Guidelines
Word Count Limits: 1,000 to 40,000; but payment capped at 16,000 words. Format: standard manuscript format, saved as .docx, .doc, or .rtf files. Information to Include: At the top of your submission, state your name (and pseudonym if you wish to be published under one), email address, mailing address, the story title, and word count. Response Time: Four to six weeks. Please do not inquire within the first six weeks.
Multiple Submissions: No
Simultaneous submissions: No.
Does Not Publish the Following:
* Stories with graphic violence
* Stories with mature sexual themes
* Stories with profanity or vulgarity. We want a broad, family-friendly audience; think original Lord of the Rings trilogy or Star Wars.
* Stories featuring or glorifying illegal drug use
* Stories with graphic child abuse or glorifying child abuse in any way
* Stories not within the Fantasy and Science Fiction Genres. It’s got to have some magic or cool technology in it!
* Poorly written stories
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Anthology News:
Behind the Mask (working title) is our next themed anthology and it’s all about superheroes! But not how they saved the world this time. We’re more interested in the ordinary day-to-day challenges facing these extraordinary individuals: growing up, growing old, relationships, career struggles, parenting. How they cope with that age-old desire to fit in when, let’s face it, they don’t.
We want superhero stories with originality, diversity, and strong character development that celebrate the genre but manage to push its boundaries as well. Fun, quirky, serious, happy, sad: any tone will do, and we plan to have a nice variety. But bring us something fresh and relevant to this crazy world we live in today.
So without further ado, here are the details!
Short Fiction (3K to 6K words)
* Deadline: 9/15/16
* Guidelines:
- Include a cover email containing genre, word count, brief bio, and contact information
- Please confirm that your story has not been published before
- Attach your complete story in Short Story Manuscript Format in .doc, .docx, .txt or .rtf format
- We do not accept reprints
- We do accept simultaneous submissions for short stories (but ask that you contact us immediately if your story is accepted elsewhere)
- Send to Submissions@MeerkatPress.com with subject line: Superhero – Genre – Title – Author
Payment: .02-.08/word
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Horror Library Volume 6
Editor: Eric J. Guignard
Imprint: Cutting Block Books
Submissions Accepted: July 15, 2016 – September 15, 2016
Projected Release Date: April 2017 (both print and e-format)
Payment: Three cents per word and one contributor copy (no royalties)
Reprints?: NO
Multiple and/or Simultaneous Submissions: YES
Response Time: Three weeks or less
Send Submissions and Queries To: Horror.Library.Submissions (AT) gmail.com
The Horror Library has arisen anew! That is, new volume, new editor, but with the same passion to advance dark, smart horror short fiction.
The Horror Library series has been publishing cutting-edge horror for more than ten years, with new volumes released about every two years. Past contributors include such notables as: Bentley Little, Gary Braunbeck, Kealan Patrick Burke, Jeff Strand, Ray Garton, Lisa Morton, Tim Waggoner, et al. We’d love to add your name to this list!
The short of it:
We’re looking for non-themed horror short stories.
The long of it:
The tastes of this anthology series run toward light horror or psychological horror rather than anything brutal (think along the lines of: The Twilight Zone, Tales from the Darkside, Tales from the Crypt, Black Mirror, etc.). Stories about demons, serial killers, or any traditional monster trope (zombies, vampires, etc.) will be a very tough sell.
Ideal qualities to make your story a success include:
Emotional Resonance (e.g. Fear, Relief, Joy, etc.)
Action (Plot Movement)
Unique and Thoughtful Ideas
Literary Courage (Push Boundaries)
Extraordinarily Memorable ‘Voice’ in Characters
The audience for this anthology are mature, literary readers (i.e. “R” rating). Profanity and sexually-related material is acceptable, provided it is not gratuitous and not excessive. What is not acceptable is anything relating to torture or sexual abuse of children, or graphic sex/“erotica.”
If you’re unsure what we’re looking for, simply review former volumes of Horror Library for additional insight. If you’re still unsure, just send it!
Suggested word count is 2,000 – 6,000 words.
Attach submissions to email as a Microsoft Word file (doc type doesn’t matter).
Formatting isn’t important (though good form is to follow Shunn guidelines).
Submissions and queries to Horror.Library.Submissions (AT) gmail.com
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General guidelines
We like strong writing, well-crafted worlds, and original voices. If this means excessive use of profanity, sex, or violence, then so be it. However, pushing the envelope of good taste is one thing, grossing out the editors is another. Whether or not we think a piece of writing is edgy or has just gone too far basically boils down to a matter of taste. We do appreciate the beauty in the subtle and the sublime. Can writing be both beautiful and profane, violent and subtle, or edgy and sublime? We think so.
We accept multiple submissions. No simultaneous submissions.
All Pink Narcissus Press publications will be made available in both trade paperback and e-book format.
Submissions: Brave Boy World: a transman anthology
We are currently seeking stories for a new anthology. Stories must fall into the category of science fiction (hard or soft), and must feature a transgender male protagonist. Given the nature of speculative fiction, however, we are willing to consider stories that feature non-binary, intersex or genderfluid characters, but for this project, any non-binary character should either identify strongly as male, or the story should deal with themes of what it means to be “masculine” or a “man” in terms of the world setting in which the story takes place.
We strongly encourage writers who are transgender to submit, however being trans is not a requirement. However, all cisgender writers should be familiar with the trans experience.
No erotica. Furthermore, stories that fetishize trans people will be rejected forthwith with a salty response from one of the editors.
Submissions will remain open until the anthology is filled. No word length requirement. Payment of $100 per story will be made prior to publication. We will consider reprints, with a token payment of $50.
If submitting, please format the header of the e-mail as follows: Brave Boy World [Last Name] [Title of Story]. Questions and submissions may be sent to pinknarcissuspress@gmail.com.
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A new volume of the venerable horror anthology series has opened to submissions:
J.N. Williamson’s Masques
From the first volume of Masques in 1984 (Maclay and Associates) through Masques V in 2005 (Gauntlet Publications), series editor, the late J.N. Williamson, assembled widely praised collections of superlative horror fiction. The books presented the work of such giants of the genre as Charles Beaumont, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Joe R. Lansdale, Ramsey Campbell, Richard Matheson, and William Nolan, as well as stories by other, less familiar writers, many of whom have gone on to become today’s titans of dark fiction.
In accordance with Jerry Williamson’s wishes, we (Mort Castle and Tracy Knight) have taken on the joint editorship of Masques; the new books in the series will be entitled J.N. Williamson’s Masques as we honor what Jerry accomplished and continue his tradition of bringing new and memorable fiction into print. The books will be published in hardcover limited editions as a joint venture of Barry Hoffman’s Gauntlet Press and Tom Monteleone’s Borderlands Press.
We are now open to submissions.
Fiction: Original stories between 500 and 8,000 words. The horror we admire deals with (to use Williamson’s words) “concerns of mind, body, and–dare we say it?–spirit.” Supernatural quite okay, but there needs be something new in concept, style, or ____, if you’re giving us vampires, zombies, ghosts. Characterization matters and “she was a really tall vampire” doesn’t do it. If your horror could win a “gross out” competition or rank as a finalist, it had better do more than bring on the upchuck reaction. No reprints. No simultaneous submissions. Please send no more than one work.
Poetry: We might use a few poems. Please, no imitation Poe. No imitations of Lovecraft imitating Poe. Think of the very best in the genre – Bruce Boston, Marge Simon, Mark Powers – and the very best (supposedly) “outside of the genre”: You should know why Lucien Stryk’s “The Pit” and Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” can be considered horror poems.
Other: Maybe. Whatcha got in mind? We don’t want book reviews, essays on your definition of horror, or how R. L. Stine is responsible for your PTSD, but–we’re willing to consider … ????
Payment: Minimum $150/fiction, $15-25/poetry, on publication. We’ll ask for exclusive rights for a reasonable period and anthology rights for a reasonable period. (No, we haven’t worked out “reasonable period” yet, but your editors and our publishers have all sat on the writer side of the editorial desk and therefore we’re writer friendly.) You will be asked to sign tipsheets.
Submit by E-mail: In your subject line, give us your name and the words JNW MASQUES. First line of your e-mail should have the title of the piece. Attach your story only in .doc format. Yes, a cover (e)letter is quite all right, but please … Don’t expect us to be impressed with how many 5 star reviews your “Kindle Single” scored on Amazon, though we are happy for you that you have a large and supportive family.
US Post Office: Standard double-spaced manuscript format, please, and will you please number your pages? Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Response Time: Might be a while. Two of us have to read your submission. Then we need time to argue about it. If we like your work, but can’t use it in the first volume of JNW Masques, we might ask to use it in upcoming editions.
E-mail address:
editmort [at] aol.com
US Post Office:
M. Castle
MASQUES
PO Box 326
Steger IL 60475
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Bio Note:
Cynthia Ward has published stories in Asimov’s Science Fiction, Witches: Wicked, Wild & Wonderful (Prime Books), Weird Tales, and elsewhere. Her short novel The Adventure of the Incognita Countess is forthcoming from Aqueduct Press. She is the editor of Lost Trails: Forgotten Tales of the Weird West: Volumes One and Two (WolfSinger Publications). With Nisi Shawl, she coauthored the diversity fiction-writing handbook Writing the Other: A Practical Approach (Aqueduct Press). If you’re looking for more spec-fic market news, Cynthia publishes the monthly Market Maven e’newsletter; a sample issue is available.
