June 1, 2020 — Writers: we are always interested in seeing more Black voices, voices of color, Indigenous voices, LGBTQIA+ voices, and voices from around the world. And we are always open for submissions .

June 5, 2020 — Visit our store . Half of all this year’s sales will be donated to Black Lives Matter.

June 9, 2020 — Issue 31 is live today. Read the first two stories online, or buy the full ebook.

September 4, 2020 — 3LBE print volumes are coming back starting with Volume VI coming in October. Pre-order now in the store .

Submission Guidelines

Three-Lobed Burning Eye (3LBE) is a speculative fiction magazine published online twice per year (usually Spring and Fall) and print anthology (every other year). Each issue features six original stories, some with audio readings. 3LBE was founded by editor Andrew S. Fuller in 1999.

Please read some issues of the the magazine to learn what we published, and read the full guidelines before submitting ficition.

Fiction Guidelines

What We Publish: Original speculative fiction.

Word Count: Short fiction 1001–7500 words, Flash fiction ≤1000 words, (2000–5000 preferred length)

Simultaneous Submissions: No. (Do not send to another publication simultanteously.)

Multiple Submissions: No. (Do not send more than one.)

Reprints: No. (Do not send stories previously printed, posted online, audio, or via Patreon.)

Language: English (Translations are welcome from around the world.)

Pay Rate: $100 for short fiction, $30 for flash fiction; + 1 print annual

Rights: We purchase first world electronic rights, with non-exclusive archival rights, optional first audio rights, and non-exclusive anthology rights for the annual printed later. Payment is made within 30 days of publication via PayPal.

Response Time: Within 90 days

Submission Status: We are currently open to submissions. All submissions through May 21, 2020 have been read and responded to. Please query if you haven’t heard back.

Our Needs

What We’re Looking For

Original speculative fiction: horror, fantasy, and science fiction. We’re looking for short stories from across the big classifications and those shadowy places between: magical realism, fantastique, slipstream, interstitial, and the Weird. We will consider suspense or western, though we prefer it contain some speculative element. We like voices that are full of feeling, from literary to pulpy, with styles unique and flowing, but not too experimental. All labels aside, we want tales that expand genre, that value imagination in character, narrative, and plot. We want to see something new and different.

We believe in diverse characters and points of view in fiction; and encourage authors of every race, culture, creed, gender, orientation, expression, status, age, and ability to submit their work.

Our issues include audio readings. If your story is accepted, you will have the opportunity to record your story, have a colleague do so, or one of our narrators.

We prefer that contributors wait two issues before submitting again. If your 3LBE story is later reprinted in another publication, we appreciate a mention.

What We’re NOT Looking For

We are not interested in fan fiction, novel excerpts, or memoir. We do not publish poetry or non-fiction (reviews, essays, interviews). We are not currently considering reprints or outside artwork.

We are not looking for extreme horror. Please avoid excessive descriptions of violence or gore.

We do not publish erotica per se, but we don’t mind some hotness in context of the story.

Though 3LBE’s title echoes a line from an H. P. Lovecraft story, our publication is not a Cthulhu Mythos-themed venue. We’re open to the occasional “Lovecraftian” short or cosmic horror tale, though we prefer that you make the story your own.

For legal reasons, writers must be at least 18 years old.

How to Submit

We only accept electronic submissions via our online form (linked below). We do not accept email submissions or attachments, your story will be pasted into the online form. If after 90 days you do not hear from us, feel free to query.

If you receive a rejection, please wait a minimum of seven (7) days before submitting again. Please do not respond to rejections, even to say thank you, or resubmit revisions of rejected stories. We regret that we are unable to offer feedback. Also, please limit your submissions to a few in a calendar year.

Cover Letter

Brief cover letters are appreciated, no more than a single paragraph, please. Include your top three or four publishing credits and any experience relevant to the story. Please refrain from summarizing your story.

Formatting

Please format italics with surrounding _underscores_. Indicate section breaks with # symbol, do not add extra manual line breaks. Single- or double-line spacing does not matter. Proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation are characteristics of a professional manuscript.

Advice

Read a few issues of 3LBE to see what we publish. Write something better. Explore, challenge, be original. We only want your best.

Read widely in the science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, and other genres. Beware clichés, overused language, hackneyed plots, cheap thrills, thin characters, and wish fulfillment. There is nothing wrong with tropes and trends like vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, serial killers, faeries, superheroes, or aliens; but we are interested in new explorations of ideas. Don’t rely on cleverness and twists. Strive for depth, texture, and imagination.

Please feel free to report our submission response times to:



Duotrope’s Digest

Critter’s Black Hole tracker

The Grinder

Recommended Reading

American Fantastic Tales ed. Peter Straub

The Book of Fantasy ed. Jorge Luis Borges

Dangerous Visions ed. Harlan Ellison

The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories ed. Ann & Jeff Vandermeer

Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror ed. Ellen Datlow, Terri Windling et al

New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color ed. Nisi Shawl

Year’s Best Weird Fiction, vols. I–V ed. Michael Kelly et al.

The Best Horror of the Year, vols. 1–10 ed. Ellen Datlow

Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora ed. Sheree R. Thomas

The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy ed. Ellen Datlow

The Dark Descent: The Evolution of Horror ed. David G. Hartwell

The Elements of Style by Strunk and White

Writers whose work we enjoy: Robert Aickman, J. G. Ballard, Clive Barker, Algernon Blackwood, Ray Bradbury, Octavia E. Butler, Italio Calvino, Ted Chiang, Michael Cisco, Julio Cortázar, John Crowley, Harlan Ellison, Jeffrey Ford, Shirley Jackson, M. R. James, Stephen Graham Jones, Franz Kafka, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Kathe Koja, Ursula K. Le Guin, Kelly Link, Arthur Machen, Richard Matheson, China Miéville, Flannery O’Connor, Nnedi Okorafor, Lucius Shepherd, John Shirley, Isaac Bashevis Singer, James Tiptree Jr., Jeff VanderMeer, Gene Wolfe … to name a few.

You have read the guidelines and wish to:

» SUBMIT A STORY «

▲ BACK TO TOP ▲