May Market Report
Welcome to the May Market Report for SF/F.
Deadlines and Closures to Note: recompose, The Super Market, and Where the Stars Rise: Asian Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories close 5/31/2016.
Sword and Sorceress 31 closes 5/13/2016.
#
Magazine/Webzine News:
This is the submissions portal for our People of Colo(u)r Destroy Horror! special issue. Please read Nightmare‘s general guidelines before submitting, and also note the additional special issue guidelines below. Note: Nightmare is currently only open to submissions for this special issue.
From the editor:
According to Wikipedia, person of colour is a term used primarily in the United States to describe any person who is not white. It seems somewhat more appropriate than the term “visible minority” since in many parts of the world “visible minorities” actually constitute the majority. Person of colour is a malleable term, writers who self-identity as such are invited to submit.
Editor Ellen Datlow defines horror as “the genre of unease.” Horror fiction does not have to contain ghosts or zombies to be horror, what the genre seeks to do is inspire a feeling of dread. “Carmilla” is horror, but so is Horacio Quiroga’s “The Feather Pillow.”
Guest Editor Silvia Moreno-Garcia is looking for previously unpublished horror short stories of up to 7500 words, reflective of the issue’s theme, written by writers of colour. She is looking for strong, distinctive voices, featuring a variety of settings and time periods. Although we will not be able to publish all stories sent to us, Moreno-Garcia thanks all writers in advance for the chance to look at their work.
* Who are the guest editors for the special issue? Silvia Moreno-Garcia is our overall guest editor and she will also be selecting and editing the original short stories (1500-7500 words); our other section editors are to be named later.
* Who can submit stories for consideration for the special issue? Anyone who identifies as a person of colo(u)r.
* I identify as a POC. What can I submit? Horror short stories, up to 7500 words. Dark fantasy–which for PDH will be defined as works set in a secondary world with magical elements–will not be considered, so please save it for our POC Destroy Fantasy! special issue.
* What kind of horror? All kinds! We enjoy horror with or without supernatural elements, with or without science fictional elements, with or without gore–if it’s scary, dark, or disturbing, we want to read it. Horror with fantastical elements might fit the bill, but we are not looking for anything set in a secondary, magical world for this special issue.
* Format? For POC Destroy submissions, submit your manuscript in standard manuscript format.
* Response time? We will endeavor to reply as quickly as possible to submissions, but since assembling the special issue is similar to assembling an anthology, stories being seriously considered may be held until 6/15/2016 to allow our editors to consider everything before making their final decisions.
* How many stories and how often may I submit? Our usual policy of allowing authors to only submit a story once every 7 days is lifted for this issue; so while you may only submit one at a time, you can send in something else as soon as we pass on the first one.
* Pay rate? For the special issue, we are offering a special pay rate of 8 cents/word.
* Reprints? We haven’t lined up our reprint editor yet, but we likely will not be open to reprint submissions for the issue. Our Destroy reprint editors are chosen in part because of their extensive knowledge of the field, thus making reprint submissions, when we only have so few slots to fill, unnecessary.
* Can I submit a rejected story to Nightmare in the future? All stories submitted to the special issue will also simultaneously be considered for regular issues of Nightmare. So if you receive a rejection for the special issue, you can consider that story having been rejected by Nightmare in general. If we end up with so many good stories we can’t fit them all in the special issue, we’ll take such “overflow” for regular issues of Nightmare.
* Can I submit a story previously rejected by Nightmare to PDH? Yes! Since it’s a different editorial team, it makes sense to allow them to consider such submissions. So if you have a story previously rejected by Nightmare, feel free to submit it to the special issue.
* Is there anything you’re explicitly not looking for? Other than the fact that (a) the story needs to be by a POC author and (b) it has to be horror, please abide by the regular Nightmare guidelines. The only two things that our guidelines for this or any issue of Nightmare explicitly forbid are (a) erotica and (b) media-based fiction and/or fan fiction. Anything else is fair game.
* Artwork? We are also looking for artists who identify as persons of color to submit work for the People of Colo(u)r Destroy Horror! issue. Payment is $200 for the cover illustration and $100 for story illustrations. Interested applicants should send an e-mail with the subject line “POCs Destroy Horror Artists” to art@nightmare-magazine.com with a link to images of your works.
Special issue deadline: 11:59 PM ET 5/15/2016.
#
This is the submissions portal for our People of Colo(u)r Destroy Fantasy! special issue. Please read Lightspeed‘s general guidelines before submitting and also note the additional special issue guidelines below. Note: Fantasy (and Lightspeed) is currently only open to submissions for this special issue.
From the Editor:
Welcome to People of Colo(u)r Destroy Fantasy! We’re looking for original, unpublished fantasy stories of up to 7500 words written by People of Colo(u)r. The stories can be set in this world with fantastical elements or they can take place in another world entirely. Please avoid timeworn clichés like the White Savior, the Magical Negro, and the Woman Who Is Only A Sex Object. Voice matters – we are looking for voices we haven’t heard before, rhythms and narrative structures we don’t see often enough in fantasy literature. Story matters—take us on a journey. Make sure there’s a strong turning point, that the stakes are high. We look forward to reading your work!
* Who are the guest editors for the special issue? Daniel José Older is our overall guest editor and he will also be selecting and editing the original short stories (1500-7500 words); our other section editors are to be named later.
* Who can submit stories for consideration for the special issue? Anyone who identifies as a person of colo(u)r.
* I identify as a POC. What can I submit? Fantasy short stories, up to 7500 words.
* Format? For POC Destroy submissions, submit your manuscript in standard manuscript format.
* Response time? We will endeavor to reply as quickly as possible to submissions, but since assembling the special issue is similar to assembling an anthology, stories being seriously considered may be held until 7/15/2016 to allow our editors to consider everything before making their final decisions.
* How many stories and how often may I submit? Our usual policy of allowing authors to only submit a story once every 7 days is lifted for this issue; so while you may only submit one at a time, you can send in something else as soon as we pass on the first one.
* Pay rate? For the special issue, we are offering a special pay rate of 8 cents/word.
* Reprints? We haven’t lined up our reprint editor yet, but we likely will not be open to reprint submissions for the issue. Our Destroy reprint editors are chosen in part because of their extensive knowledge of the field, thus making reprint submissions, when we only have so few slots to fill, unnecessary.
* Can I submit a rejected story to Fantasy/Lightspeed in the future? All stories submitted to the special issue will also simultaneously be considered for regular issues of Lightspeed (which normally incorporates Fantasy). So if you receive a rejection for the special issue, you can consider that story having been rejected by Lightspeed in general. If we end up with so many good stories we can’t fit them all in the special issue, we’ll take such “overflow” for regular issues of Lightspeed.
* Can I submit a story previously rejected by Lightspeed to PDF? Yes! Since it’s a different editorial team, it makes sense to allow them to consider such submissions. So if you have a story previously rejected by Lightspeed, feel free to submit it to the special issue.
* Is there anything you’re explicitly not looking for? Other than the fact that (a) the story needs to be by a POC author and (b) it has to be fantasy, please abide by the regular Lightspeed guidelines. The only two things that our guidelines for this or any issue of Lightspeed explicitly forbid are (a) erotica and (b) media-based fiction and/or fan fiction. Anything else is fair game.
Special issue deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET 6/15/2016.
#
Mothership Zeta is open for submissions until 5/7/2016. We will have another submission window 11/6-12/2016.
6000 words max (flash fiction, 1000 words max).
No simultaneous or multiple submissions. If your submission is rejected before the submission window closes, you may send a new submission.
Payment: $0.06/word (original fiction)
What We Want
SF/F/H stories that are fun. The robot who fights a dinosaur, not the robot who explores its lack of humanity and deactivates itself. The nagini who goes on an adventure, not the nagini who is tortured and drowns herself. The blonde woman who kills monsters, not the blonde woman who gets ripped apart by monsters. Fun doesn’t necessarily mean “funny,” and stories can have conflict and darker elements, but we want stories that leave the reader satisfied, usually in a positive way. Bittersweet is okay, tragic is not. (Unless you’re Cabin in the Woods. A killer unicorn buys you some credit.)
We hope to publish fiction reflecting the full range of settings and tropes found in speculative fiction. We’d particularly like to see more stories set outside America, and stories that feature characters who represent a range of backgrounds and ethnicities.
Reprints: No unsolicited reprints.
What We Don’t Want: Graphic horror, Erotica, Fanfiction, Rape, torture, child abuse, a whole host of things we hope no one thinks are “fun” but we felt we should mention them here anyway.
Diversity: Mothership Zeta welcomes submissions from writers of all backgrounds. We are especially interested in seeing more submissions from people of backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented or excluded from traditional publishing, including, but not limited to, women, people of color, LGBTQ or non-binary gender people, persons with disabilities, members of religious minorities, and people from outside the United States. Our goal is to publish fiction that reflects the diversity of the human race, so we strongly encourage submissions from these or any other underrepresented groups
How to Submit: Standard Manuscript Format, submitted through our Online Submissions Portal in .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .odt.
In your cover letter, please include your legal name, byline (if different from your legal name), and the story’s approximate word count. If you have any previous publications, feel free to list the most recent three, but this is optional and won’t affect your story’s consideration.
You will receive an automated confirmation of your submission via e-mail. Please query info at mothershipzeta.org if you have not received this confirmation within 24 hours.
After six weeks, if you haven’t received a response, feel free to query by e-mail (add QUERY to your e-mail subject).
###
Bio Note:
Cynthia Ward has published stories in Asimov’s Science Fiction, Witches: Wicked, Wild & Wonderful (Prime Books), Weird Tales, and elsewhere. She edited the anthologies 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.
