Hope everyone's handling the new year okay. Still pretty slow going for me overall. Looming worries or general miasma of Lankhmar fog seeping into everything. Wait, what? I think I need to get in there and make a clear goal. The continuing Covid-19 crisis has not made it an easy year to start in on.
Read and Recommend:
-City of Bohane. Fantastic study for how setting is a character and for how details create superb immersion and for a look at amazing dialogue.
-A Visit from the Goon Squad. Each chapter is a new perspective. So many connections and layering and character depth. Great study in terrific writing I will use to enlighten my future creations and revisions. A bunch of these chapters start off subtle but really slam you by the end. I find certain bits reminding me of Moon's talk of the Magic Sword only expanded, applied in unexpected manners. The leaps made between characters and between moments in time, moving smoothly from present to future to past to present. The leaps really serve to inform the other moments and make them all matter more.
Currently Playing:
-Children of Morta. The setting is interesting. After every trip into the nearby caves, you return to the family house and little bits change as dialogue gradually develops each character thread. Character's will mention their goals, worries, hopes, etc. and then you'll gradually see how those bear fruit. The focus on these little changes that lead to big developments helps make the characters matter.
-Also battle on MTGA with my buddy. Crafting decks of cards with different slants, stories, creature or particular magic combo focuses makes me think about how I might apply such craft to a story. Take these elements from this story world I crafted, combine it with this aspect of another story, and then what new beast could be discovered? Will toy with this thought. And of course, this is probably just an excuse for my slacking off, admittedly.
Currently Listening: bignic's Domina soundtrack, Darren Korb's Pyre soundtrack, Austin Wintory's The Banner Sage soundtrack, and Jon Everist's Shadowrun Hong Kong soundtrack. Also, Kim Deal tracks from 2013-2014, and Ry Cooder (Paris, Texas and stuff with Ali Farka).
Onward to the updated lists of deadlines and windows.
I made several additions to the 5-20¢/word listing and the 1-4¢/word listing. Also note that the Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy is currently open to submissions for stories published in 2020: Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy, ~17499 words, Genre: any SF/Fantasy (Horror okay if includes spec element), Reprints ONLY, final selections made in March
UPDATE (1/31): The Arcanist just boosted their pay from 5 cents a word to 10 cents a word. They're open year-round for stories up to 1000 words (F/SF/H). You can find the listing under "Publications Open for Submissions with no Specified Deadline".
UPDATE(1/31): the website portal for Mike Resnick Memorial Award for Short Fiction is currently down for some unknown reason; hopefully it opens again soon
Submission Deadlines/Windows from January 2021 and Beyond (5-20¢/word USD)
1/31, Departure Mirror, ~20,000 words, 10¢/word ($300/story above 3000 words), Genre: SF/F, Poetry OK ($10/poem), Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK
1/31, Mysterion, ~9000 words, 8 cents/word, Genre: speculative that engages with Christianity
1/31 Diabolical Plots, 3500 words, 10¢/word, Genre: SF/F/Horror (must have a speculative element; mixed genres are welcome), Multiple OK (submit up to two new stories during this submission window), Stories should be anonymous (though will not disqualify if a mistake is made), Things they like include: weird fiction, sense of wonder, strong character and plot arcs, strongworldbuilding hinting at more to see around the edges of the story, philosophical food for thought, straightforward easily readable style, religion where the story doesn't try to convert the reader nor does the story demonize religion, platonic friendship between men and women, Use submission form
1/31, Alpennia, ~5000 words, 8 cents/word, Genre/Theme: lesbian historical fiction set before 1900 (esp settings other than 19th century America and England)
1/31, Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award, ~8000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF, Theme: near future (no more than about 50-60 years out) of manned space exploration, wants to see "Moon bases, Mars colonies, orbital habitats, space elevators, asteroid mining, artificial intelligence, nano-technology, realistic spacecraft, heroics, sacrifice, adventure"
1/25-2/5, Fireside Magazine (for the Autumn 2021 Issue edited by Brandon O'Brien), ~3000 words, 12.5¢/word, Genre/Theme: any genre, Note: stories in English or Spanish
2/1-2/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)
2/1-2/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is open to all authors
2/25, The Dread Machine's first annual anthology, 8¢/word, Genre/Theme: anything dread-inspiring set in the actual 1986 or alternate version, Multiple subs OK but no simultaneous
2/27, It Gets Even Better: Stories of Queer Possibility, 15,000 words (under 7000 best), 8¢/word + pro-rata share of 50% royalties, Genre: any spec, Theme: posits queer affirmation and joy, Multiple OK (up to 3 submissions at a time but no simultaneous), Reprints OK (same rates as original)
10/31-2/28, We Cryptids, 3000-6000 (3000-4000=5¢/word), $200/story+royalties, Genre: urban fantasy, Theme: what would happen if cryptids lived among us (modern time period; should be written in 2020 or as close as possible), Tone: noblebright not grimdark or despairing, Simultaneous OK
1/1-2/28, Upon a Twice Time (Autumn 2021 anthology from air & nothingness press), 1000-3000 words, 8¢/word, Genre/Theme: Fairy Tales (Grimdark, New Weird, SF, Fantasy, Dying Earth, genre bending/breaking)/stories mashing up two fairy tales and a genre of the author's choice, Submit story to info@aanpress.com
12/15-3/1, Out There: Into the Queer New Yonder (Inkyard Press), 4000-8000 words, $900/story + royalties, Genre/Theme: queer YA stories set in the future by queer authors, Note: only trying to fill two slots from this open call
3/1-3/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)
3/1-3/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is only open to Black, Asian, Latin, LGBTQ+ and other under-represented authors
3/14-unknown, Nightmare Magazine, 1500-7500 words (up to 1000 words for Horror Labs subs), 8 cents/word ($40/poem), Genre: Horror/DarkFantasy, Multiple Subs: one short story and one sub to Horror Lab (either one flash, one creative essay, or five poems)
3/31, Misspelled – Magic Gone Awry, ~7000 words, $50/story (only 5¢/word if ~1000 word), Genre/Theme: "magic, a magic user, or a magical world where something unexpected happens or something goes horribly wrong" ("must include some sort of magic mishap, whether real or virtual"), Multiple OK (1/email; 3 subs total), Email subs to submissions@CursedDragonShip.com (standard short story format; subject “Submission for Misspelled (last name).”
3/31 (my best guess; could be earlier), Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy, ~17499 words, Genre: any SF/Fantasy (Horror okay if includes spec element), Reprints ONLY, final selections made in March
3/31-3/31 (only open for 24 hours on that date), Harlan Ellison's The Last Dangerous Visions, ~3500 words, Genre/Theme: "In the broadest sense, a DV story is one that pushes back the borders of storytelling, that is daring and smart and looks beyond the horizon, exploring issues of privacy, gender, politics, climate, technology, but most of all, the emotional core of our humanity. DV stories are not about the thing, the McGuffin, the device, it's about us, about what William Faulkner called "the human heart in conflict with itself." Bold, provocative, humanistic. Stories that would have difficulty finding a berth in a conventional magazine. Beyond that, it's wide open," Note: editor will provide submission email address the day before the submission window opens, Editor: J. Michael Straczynski, also view the editor's Patreon page here
3/15-4/1, Constelación Magazine, Original Fiction (~6400 words, 8¢/word), Genre: any speculative in either English or Spanish, Theme: Beyond the Stars (no further details available yet), Art (send link to portfolio for consideration, $1000 for rights)
1/1-4/15, Parsec Short Story Contest, 3500 words, 1st place $200 and publication, 2nd place $100, 3rd place $50, Genre/Theme: "Still Waters, Deep Thoughts" ("This can be conveyed in the setting, plot, characters, dialogue…the only limit is your imagination. The theme must be integral to the story in some way and not just mentioned in passing"), Note: a max of 2 submissions allowed; each should be subbed separately
1/1-4/30, Mike Resnick Memorial Award for Short Fiction, ~7499 words, 1st Place: trophy and $250 with publication at current rate, Four runner-ups: $25 and publication, All five finalists honored at ceremony, Note: award given to a new author who has not had any work published by any SFWA-eligible publishing venue (i.e. no work paid at 6¢/word or more or totaling more than $50), Email submissions to resnick@arcmanor.com, Note: finalists announced by 7/15, NOTE: THIS MAY HAVE BEEN CLOSED EARLY (the website is currently lacking submission content)
4/1-4/30, Uncanny Magazine (call for novellas), 17500-40000 words, 10¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Wants: "intricate, experimental stories and poems with gorgeous prose, verve, and imagination that elicit strong emotions and challenge beliefs. Uncanny believes there’s still plenty of room in the genre for tales that make you feel"
11/13-5/1, Cryptids Emerging: Tales of Dark Cheer (anthology from Improbable Press), 5¢/word, ~5000 words, Genre/Theme: contemporary supernatural or historical fantasy about cryptids "emerging" ("cryptids living with humans, or just at the edge of our vision," that are "rising, changing, growing"), Submit to Atlin Merrick at submissions@improbablepress.co.uk, Note: format 1.5 line spacing
1/15-5/31, One Story, 3k-8k words, $500/story, Genre: any literary, Simultaneous OK, also open to submissions 9/7-11/14
6/15-7/1, Constelación Magazine, Original Fiction (~6400 words, 8¢/word), Genre: any speculative in either English or Spanish, Theme: Love Needs No Translation (no further details available yet), Art (send link to portfolio for consideration, $1000 for rights)
8/10/2021-8/31/2021, PseudoPod (Flash Fiction Contest), ~1500 words (500-1000 best), 8¢/word, Genre: any horror, Reprints OK, Simultaneous OK (if not an Escape Artists podcast)
9/7-11/14, One Story, 3k-8k words, $500/story, Genre: any literary, Simultaneous OK, also open to submissions 1/15-5/31
Publications Open for Submissions with No Specified Deadline (5-20¢/word USD)
Analog Science Fiction and Fact, ~20k (8-10 cents/word), 40k-80k serials (6 cents/word), poetry ($1/line), 4k-word fact articles (9¢/word), Genre: SF, Multiple YesAnathema: Spec from the Margins, 1500-6k words (if 1500-2k words pays 5¢/word), $100 CAD/story ($50/poem), Genre: SF/F/H, Simultaneous OK, Poetry OK (under 100 lines, Non-Fiction OK (1500-3000 words), Limited demographic: queer/two-spirit person of colour/Indigenous/Aboriginal, Note on Genre/Theme: "We are open to any form of genre or speculative content. We talk about what we do as "SF/F/H, the weird, slipstream, surrealism, fabulism, and more," elsewhere on the site. But we are not limited to those genres. Use them as a starting point and send whatever you want: as long as it's got some kind of speculative content we'll consider it. And we are also interested in seeing work that has been difficult to place because of content or perspective."Apex Magazine, ~7500 words, 8 cents/word, Genre: F/SF/Horror
Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, open 1st-2nd every month, 1000-40000 words (shorter preferred), 6¢/word (reprints 2¢/word), Genre: F/SF, Poetry ($1/line, ~40 lines, reprints 50¢/word), Articles (2-6¢/word, reprints 1-4¢/word), Note: great feedback provided if requested in cover letter
Reckoning, ~20,000 words, 8¢/word ($30/page for poems), Genre: SF/F/General, Theme: enivironmental justic, Simultaneous OK, Poetry OK (prefer multiple 3-5 poems <10 pages, but send only one if longer)Smokelong Quarterly, ~1000 words, $50/piece, Genre: Literary, Simultaneous OK, Notes on what they want: language that surprises and excites, narratives that strive toward something other than a final punch line or twist, pieces that add up to something, often (but not necessarily always) something profound or emotionally resonant honest work that feels as if it has far more purpose than a writer wanting to write a story
Publications Known to be Currently Closed (5-20¢/word USD)
Hybrid Fiction, 500-5000 words (or serialized novellas), 6¢/word, Genre: speculative hybrid/cross-genre (blend of 2+ genres, such as dark fantasy, steampunk western, historical fantasy, weird western, crime fantasy, etc.), OPENING DATE UNKNOWN ("We are on hiatus until until further notice due to the pandemic.")
Strange Horizons, open Mon. 1600 UTC - Tue. 1600 UTC (closed Dec.), ~10,000 words (~5000 best), 10¢/word, Genre: SF/Fantasy/Humor/Literary, Poetry ($50/poem), Reprints No, Multiple No, Simultaneous No, CURRENTLY CLOSED (hopes to reopen in February 2021)
Submission Deadlines in January 2021 and Beyond (pay 1-4¢/word USD or equivalent)
1/31, The Alchemy Press Book of Horrors 3, 3000-6000 words, 1 cent/word, Genre/Theme: monsters, Submit to alchemypress@gmail.com
2/2, Nobinary Review from Zoetic Press, Original Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction (~3000 words, 1¢/word), Genre/Theme: encourages any genres and mashing of genres / theme for next issue is Apocalypse ("not anything else we've already seen in countless books, movies, and television shows"), Poetry ($10/poem), Art ($25, "we also invite art that will accompany the literature")
2/28, Cosmic Horror Monthly, 1000-7500 words, 1 cent/word, Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy, Submit to submissions@cosmic-horror.net, Reprints OK (half cent a word), Poetry OK (50 cents/line), Art OK ($20 for interior, $50 for cover)
1/1-2/28, NewMyths, ~10k words, 1.5¢/word w/ min $30, Genre: any speculative, Simultaneous OK, Also seeking: Poetry, Book Reviews, and Art; also open 6/1-7/31
3/31, Misspelled – Magic Gone Awry, ~7000 words, $50/story, Genre/Theme: "magic, a magic user, or a magical world where something unexpected happens or something goes horribly wrong" ("must include some sort of magic mishap, whether real or virtual"), Multiple OK (1/email; 3 subs total), Email subs to submissions@CursedDragonShip.com (standard short story format; subject “Submission for Misspelled (last name).”
1/22-4/1, Tales from the Magician's Skull (Goodman Games), ~10,000 words (6k might be best and flash is unlikely to work for them), 4¢/word, Genre/Theme: sword and sorcery
7/1-4/30, Timeless Tales, ~2000 words (less than 1500 preferred), $30/piece, Genre/Theme: Tales of the Arabian Nights (retellings of specific tales or original stories featuring creatures of Arabian/Islamic folklore), specify in cover letter whether original story or retelling and which story is being retold (avoid Aladdin), PG-13 but also enjoys dark side of tales, Poetry OK (send up to 3 pieces as long as 1500 words or less), Reprints OK
3/15-5/15, Lamplight Magazine, ~7000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Dark/Literary, Reprints (1¢/word), simultaneous OK
3/28, Whetstone Magazine, 1500-2500 words, $10/story, Genre/Theme: pulp sword and sorcery (prefers secondary world settings)
Publications Open for Submission (No Specified Deadline; pay 1-4¢/word USD or equivalent)
Possiblities for Submission of Novels (note: new section to be expanded as the year progresses)
Search for More Submission Windows
Where to Submit Short Stories: 30 Magazines and Websites That Want Your Work, a decent list with a literary focus
28 Themed Submission Calls for August by S. Kalekar, submission possibilities including a few good ones I haven't had time to add to the lists above
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: plenty of updated lists of agents, calls for submission, contests, conferences, recipes, and more
Get Motivated for the Submissions Game
Submitting Short Fiction: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Genre Edition by Holly Lyn Walrath, a useful guide on playing the submission game written in 2019
Submission Tetris: An Analytic Approach by Laurence Raphael Brothers, a brief but useful consideration of what and where to submit in the submissions game from SFWA
Great Advice Here
Wulf Moon's Super Secrets: a ton of great advice on writing short stories that win (he runs a workshop that you can peek in on and learn from as it goes)
Charlie Jane Anders' advice: chapters from her forthcoming non-fiction book Never Say You Can't Survive with new chapters released every Tuesday
Delilah S. Dawson's page of links, including her advice on how to get published
More Links Yay
This is a listing of speculative award winners. Go read, study, and improve yourself.
Here are grants to apply for with the Speculative Literature Foundation
This is a listing at critter.org that shows general resp
Publisher's Pick Free Ebook of the Month (Maintained by Arc Manor of Galaxy's Edge fam
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