What we want

Beautiful writing showing engaging characters in science fiction or fantasy settings.

Genre: Science fiction and fantasy prose only.

Length: We accept submissions up to a firm 10,000 word ceiling.

We prefer stories in the 1,000-6,000 word length. We have only ever bought one story <1,000 words..

Pay: We pay a flat rate of $.01/word.

Type:

Reprints No (except for translations never published in English) Multiple No (one story at a time) Simultaneous Yes (you can submit the same story elsewhere) Rewrites Only if specifically solicited (you’ll know)

Open period: We are always open for submissions.

Diversity: We welcome stories from all authors, and especially those from traditionally under-represented groups. We read entirely blind, preferring not to know anything about submitters until we’ve formed an opinion about the story.

We will not accept stories that depict animal cruelty that is not essential to the story. We give bonus points for vegan-friendly stories. Stories that feature extensive hunting, fishing, etc. are not for us.

Advice:

Revision – we’re a demanding market. Most stories we publish have gone through at least 3-4 rounds of revision.

– we’re a demanding market. Most stories we publish have gone through at least 3-4 rounds of revision. Don’t do these things.

do these things. Timing – we aim to answer within 24 hours, though sometimes travel or other obligations slow us down. Stories in our ‘maybe’ pile are generally reviewed on the weekend. Please don’t query until two weeks have passed.

– we aim to answer within 24 hours, though sometimes travel or other obligations slow us down. Stories in our ‘maybe’ pile are generally reviewed on the weekend. Please don’t query until two weeks have passed. Tracking You can track our responses on Literarium, Submission Grinder, Duotrope.

You can track our responses on Literarium, Submission Grinder, Duotrope. Rejectomancy – insight into things we see as weaknesses

Statistics – occasional statistical information about our submissions

Exemplars: Jack Vance, Roger Zelazny, Patricia McKillip, Richard Llewellyn, Arthur C. Clarke, Richard Adams, A. A. Attanasio, Ursula K. Le Guin, George R. R. Martin, Sean Stewart, Richard Cowper, Walter M. Miller, Jr., Theodore Sturgeon, Samuel Delany, James Thurber.

Submission method: Electronic submission only, via our online portal (see button below).

Art: For cover art guidelines, click here.

Format: We ask for a modified version of the modern Shunn format, with no personally identifying information (no address, e-mail, phone, etc. on any page, including in the header). We provide an optional template here if you want to use that. We ask for submissions in DOC, DOCX, ODT, or RTF format. See our style guide for details.

Terms

Pay: We pay on acceptance, via PayPal. If you cannot use PayPal (i.e, your country is not on this list), we’ll try to work something out on a case by case basis.

Rights: We buy the following rights:

worldwide electronic – to post the story on our website – exclusive for 6 months from the date of purchase, non-exclusive for the life of the magazine.

– exclusive for 6 months from the date of purchase, non-exclusive for the life of the magazine. non-exclusive print and electronic: to include the story in monthly, quarterly, and annual anthologies covering the period when the story is originally published in our magazine. to include the story in special limited edition issues sent to financial backers. to include the story in a best-of anthology published within the calendar year after the story is originally published in our magazine.

non-exclusive audio rights

Contract: a sample contract is here.

Submit your story