Calls for Submissions: Speculative Fiction and Fantasy

Calls for Submissions: Speculative Fiction and Fantasy

fashion style    8:52 AM   

Reading periods will soon be closing for several speculative fiction and fantasy publications.

All of these magazines are open to submissions right now.

(Don't worry, if you miss the deadline, there will other opportunties to submit. See their submission guidelines for future reading periods.)


Note: These are all paying markets.

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Midnight Breakfast 

Deadline: November 30. 

 "We’re open to loose genre, though we tend to skew more towards literary and speculative fiction. We also love a good, well-written humor piece. What we’re not looking for: fan-fiction, erotica, or anything that requires excessive world-building (as much as we love Game of Thrones in these parts, that kind of work isn’t for us)."

Payment: $50 per accepted work. Read submission guidelines here.

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Lakeside Circus 

Deadline: November 30 (?) 

"We want speculative fiction, particularly science fiction (hard, soft, near-future, etc), urban fantasy, magic realism, mad science, and apocalypse tales. Whether prose or poetry, we’re looking for the same kind of almost-weird fiction we publish in our anthologies. We like fiction with layers of meaning; stories that are odd or different without being too strange to understand. We enjoy interstitial, genre-bending, and “literary SF/F” writing. Your work has to encapsulate a complete moment; more than a vignette, each submission must have a beginning, middle, and end. Something has to change along the way, but parts of the story can happen off stage. As always, we want beautiful, dark, unusual, and meaningful." 

Payment: 2 cents per word (fiction or non-fiction), with a minimum of $10 US, payable on publication. In addition, Authors will receive a one-year digital subscription to the magazine. Read submission guidelines here.

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Crossed Genres 

Deadline: November 30.  

"It’s the mission of Crossed Genres Publications to give a voice to people often ignored or marginalized in SFF, which has led us to publish titles focused on older women, overweight women, immigration, skilled laborers, QUILTBAG families, and people marginalized throughout history." Crossed Genres Magazine is an official SFWA Qualifying Market. 

Payment: 6¢ per word for fiction. Authors will also receive a gratis print and ebook copy of the anthology in which their story appears. Read submission guidelines here.

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Betwixt 

Deadline: November 30. 

"Betwixt publishes speculative fiction of all sorts—fantasy, science fiction, speculative horror, slipstream, weird fiction, steam/diesel/cyber/etc.punk, you name it. We particularly like stories that smash genre boundaries to smithereens, but we also love fresh takes on established genres and in-depth explorations of ultraspecific niches. Experiments in form and style are welcomed enthusiastically—but a straightforward narrative with tight, crisp language is just as beautiful." 

Payment: $0.03 per word up to $225, payable upon receipt of completed contract and author questionnaire. Read submission guidelines here.

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Urban Fantasy

Deadline: November 30. 

"Urban Fantasy Magazine is a professional fantasy magazine publishing fiction, articles, and reviews.We are looking for urban fantasy fiction of up to 4000 words (we may accept longer stories, but only the first 4000 words are paid). We like to read stories set in the world where we all live, albeit with fantastical elements. We’d like for our readers to imagine that our stories are taking place in the city next door. We do accept stories about vampires, werewolves, and zombies, but keep in mind that you’ll be facing strong competition from other writers, including established writers whom we solicit directly." 

Payment: 6 cents a word. Read submission guidelines here.

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Shock Totem 

Deadline: November 30. 

Shock Totem Publications (commonly referred to simply as Shock Totem) is an American small-press publisher specializing in dark fantasy and horror. Shock Totem’s main goal is to promote and support new and established authors by focusing primarily on fiction, but also through editorials, essays and interviews. "We’re not interested in hard science fiction, epic fantasy (swords and sorcery), splatterporn (blood and guts and little more), or clichéd plots." 

Payment: 5 cents per word for original, unpublished fiction; 2 cents per word for reprints. There is a $250 cap on all accepted stories. Read submission guidelines here.

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Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly

Deadline December 1.  

The Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly is an online magazine devoted to science fiction romance. Each issue includes news, reviews, opinion columns, and an original, exclusive short story. 

Payment: 2 cents/word (US) paid upon publication, promotional biography with two links, and a complimentary quarter-page advertisement. Read submission guidelines here.

10 Cons Of Self-Publishing

10 Cons Of Self-Publishing

fashion style    1:53 AM   

Here are ten reasons that explain why self-publishing might not be the right thing for you to get into when you are trying to publish your new book. But when reading this list, keep in mind that there is no one right way to get your book published. Therefore, it is important for each writer to consider their own goals, reasons, and resources before choosing to pursue the traditional book publishing route, or the self-publishing route.

1. No Guarantee Of Success

There are no guarantees of any kind of success with self-publishing - or any kind of publishing or business - or in life in general. That's just how it is. One of your publications that you put all of your efforts into might sell one copy a week. And your next one will sell 100 per week. You won't know for certain which of your books will sell well until you write it and publish it. And to make the whole process of self-publishing more interesting, you will shoulder 100 percent of the financial risk. If you can't deal with any of that, then self-publishing is not for you.

2. High Out-Of-Pocket Expenses

Self-publishing start-up costs can be very high if you foolishly purchase and take delivery of a large quantity of books from a printer. And then spend the next three years trying to sell them. And then get sick of the entire process and sell them to a big bookstore chain for pennies on the dollar. Where do you think those expensive coffee-table books on the bookstore discount table come from?

3. Choosing A Particular Niche For Your Writing Can Be A Crap-Shoot

There is a market and audience for every imaginable niche. But if you expect to make any money writing about your particular micro-niche, you better pick wisely - and really know what you are writing about. A traditional publisher probably won't accept your book if your micro-nice is too small to be profitable. They will help you make your book more marketable to a bigger audience. But if you don't want that kind of professional help, you can self-publish your book about a very obscure topic that is of interest to you, and not many others, and languish in obscurity.

4. Revisions Can Get Expensive

Revisions can be very expensive if you haven't yet sold the bulk of your initial inventory of books - that inventory that you foolishly ordered in bulk to lower your per-copy price - and are now storing in your basement.

5. Distribution Is Limited

Distribution can be limited because bookstore chains, for the most part, do not accept self-published books. But eventually you will find other sales outlets for your books. You can do your own distribution by finding bookstore that will accept self-published books in your niche. You can also sell and distribute your books directly to buyers that contact you through your own website. Shipping fees, bookstore fees, and distribution company fees will all take a huge chunk of your profits. And all of this takes time away from your writing.

6. Fiction Market Is Very Tough

The fiction market can be particularly difficult to sell to - especially for unknown or new authors. It is especially difficult to build a following for your fiction without the backing of a traditional publisher. And most reviewers will not touch your book with a ten-foot pole.

7. Can Be Very Time Consuming

Self-publishing is extremely time-consuming - especially if you expect to make any money at it. Don't forget, that with self-publishing you are responsible for all aspects of your book's production, marketing, sales, design, writing, publicity, finances, website design, etc. It can easily become a major portion of your life.

8. You Must Accept Returns And Give Refunds

If your books do not sell, the stores return them to you for a refund. And you pay for shipping both ways. You can offer a larger discount and write a special contract refusing returns, but stores will not accept that. Accepting returns and giving refunds can be a dangerous and costly game for a self-publisher with limited financial resources.

9. There Is A Huge Amount Of Competition

If you are afraid of competition, and the challenge of building a following for your publications, then self-publishing is certainly not for you. Competition is what keeps you on your toes, and constantly striving to offer a better product, and helping more people in the process. It's called capitalism. If you don't have the intestinal fortitude for a good challenge, and the chance to help people with your books, and make a few bucks while doing it, then a life of self-publishing is not for you.

10. Big Learning Curve

There is a very big learning curve for self-publishing. It can take a few years to learn all the ins and outs of self-publishing. In addition, you need to learn the ins and outs of the publishing industry, and also learn about all aspects of running a small-business.