CALLIHOO Newsletter
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Vol. 6 No. 15 Editor: Julia West September 1, 1998
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NEWS
=The Gila Queen's Guide to Markets= issue #96, SF/F/H Markets
Part I, is now available. It's $8.00. All checks must be in
U.S. FUNDS ONLY, and made out to Kathryn Ptacek. Gila Queen's
Guide to Markets, P. O. Box 97, Newton, NJ 07860-0097. Act
quickly, for these SF/F/H issues go fast.
DEADLINES
Let me know if you need more information on the contests,
anthologies or magazines listed below.
UPC Science Fiction Award 1998, deadline 14 September 1998. [SF
in Catalan, Spanish, English or French, 70 to 115 pages (25,000
to 40,000 words), first prize of 1,000,000 PTA (abt. $8,000),
perhaps a special mention of 250,000 PTA. Winning novella
published by the UPC through Ediciones B, in its collection "NOVA
ciencia ficcion." Consell Social de la UPC, Edifici NEXUS, Gran
Capita 2-4, 08034- Barcelona (SPAIN). (GLs in Vol. 5, No. 30)]
=The Alsop Review= Short Story and Poem Contest, deadline 30
Sept 98. [literary e-mag, no entry fee,, submission must be E-mail, send to competition@alsopreview.com., no mult. subs.; $100
prize. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 13)]
=Cemetery Sonata= and untitled Civil War ghost anthologies,
deadlines 30 September 1998. [Ghost stories and "things that go
bump in the night" and Civil War ghost stories or ghost stories
relating to that era. 500-6,000 words, 3 cents/wd. Reprints OK.
No E-mail subs. Email WZTT67B@Prodigy.com for more information.
Jane Hubbard, editor, Chameleon Publishing, 3430 Salem Drive,
Rochester Hills, MI 48306. (GLs in Vol. 6, No. 10)]
=Writers of the Future=, 4th quarter 1998, deadline 30 September
1998. [$1000 first, $750 2nd, $500 3rd place. L. Ron Hubbard
Writers of the Future Contest, P.O. Box 1630-JBW, Los Angeles, CA
90078. (GLs in Vol. 6, No. 10)]
=Star Trek: Strange New Worlds II= contest/anthology, deadline 1
October 1998. [Star Trek stories, non-pro writers over 18, to
7500 wds, 1st prize $1000, 2nd prize $600, 3rd prize $400, all
plus 10 cents/wd. for pub. in antho.; hon mention pub in antho
for 10 cents/wd. No reprints or E-mail subs. Strange New
Worlds II, Star Trek Department, Pocket Books, 1230 6th Avenue,
New York, NY 10020. (GLs in Vol. 6, No. 13)]
The next reading period for =Tales of the Unanticipated =(issue
#20) is tentatively set for 1 September to 1 October 1998.
Eighteenth Annual Science Fiction/fantasy Short Story Contest
Sponsored by Science Fiction Writers of Earth, deadline 30
October 1998. [SF/F 2,000 - 7,500 wds, $5.00 entry fee 1st subm,
$2.00 thereafter, unpublished writers. $200 1st prize, $100 2nd,
$50 3rd. SFWoE, P.O. Box 121293, Fort Worth, Texas 76121. (GLs
in Vol. 5 No. 34)]
=Dark Annie= issue #2 deadline 31 October 1998. [Genre E-zine,
to 5,000 wds, 1/2 to 1 cent/wd. on accept. Reprints okay,
snailmail or E-mail submissions. E-mail darkannie@aol.com
Editors: Eva Harstein and Elizabeth Watts, P.O. Box 566, East
Brunswick, New Jersey 08816. (GLs in Vol. 6, No. 10)]
=Altair= Issue #3 competition, deadline 1 Nov 1998. [SF/F 2,000
to 10,000 wds, entry fee $5.00 U.S./each, mult. subm. okay, 1st
$400, 2nd $200, 3rd $100. E-mail subm. okay to altair@
senet.com.au (pay entry fee by credit card) or mail to Altair
Publishing, PO Box 475, Blackwood 5051, South Australia,
Australia. (GLs in Vol. 5 No. 32)]
=Scaremongers 3=, British horror anthology, deadline 31 December
1998. [non-traditional horror to 6,000 wds, L15 per 1000 words on
pub., E-mail subs fine. Anthony Barker, Editor, 1st Floor, Alpha
House, Countesthorpe Road, South Wigston, Leicester LE18 2PJ
ENGLAND, E-mail jennie@tanjen.demon.co.uk, Web site:
http://www.tanjen.demon.co.uk. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 12)]
ANTHOLOGY
=The Last Continent: New Tales of Zothique=
Editor: John Pelan
4128 Woodland Park Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103.
E-mail jpelan@cnw.com
It is the last days of Old Earth, the sun begins to flicker and
gutter out. Strange hybrid creatures roam the desolation between
the few remaining cities of Man. Dread new gods stalk the world
and old gods awaken from millennia-long slumber. Only the vast
continent of Zothique remains, a place of beauty, terror, and
wonder--a place created many years ao by the last of the great
Romantics: Clark Ashton Smith. This volume is a tribute to the
late author, perhaps the finest prose-stylist to grace the pages
of =Weird Tales= during the magazine's heyday in the 1930s.
Smith's work has captured the imagination of an impressive array
of authors, from H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard to Fritz
Leiber and many of the great fantasists working today. This is
not intended to be a volume of pastiches; herein we wish to see
stories that capture the beauty, wit, and the mordant humor of
the late author; not slavish imitations of his opulent prose.
Zothique is a large continent, filled with stories yet to be told
that will stand as fitting tributes to the Bard of Auburn. Find
one of these untold tales of Zothique, relate it to us; show us
the awe and terror of Earth's last days. . . . Give us the
'sense of wonder' we all felt when discovering Zothique for the
first time. . . . Let us see the magic. . . .
5000 - 6000 words, pays 8 cents/wd. on acceptance. We are
amenable to considering other lengths. It is the intention of
the Publisher to produce a volume suitable in presentation to
serve as a fitting homage to Clark Ashton Smith; the volume will
be released as a quality signed, limited edition in a run of 500
copies. Deadline: 1 December 1998
[The Gila Queen's Guide to Markets #96]
MARKET GUIDELINES
=Pyramid=
[Gaming online magazine, very little fiction (but "adventure
seeds" would be good for fiction writers), pays 3 cents/wd. on
pub., wants E-mail subm.]
Writer's Guidelines, May 1998
=Pyramid Magazine= is a general-interest gaming magazine
published on the World Wide Web by Steve Jackson Games in Austin,
TX. At one time, we printed our magazine the old-fashioned way --
on paper (30 issues!). But we're convinced that the Internet is
the communication medium of the future, so here we are!
=Pyramid= covers all aspects of adventure gaming--roleplaying (of
course), but also boardgames, card games, computer games,
miniatures, wargames and even play-by-mail. And while some of
what we put up each week is written by SJ Games staffers, most of
it comes from freelancers. The pay's not much, but =Pyramid= does
provide a golden opportunity to get some exposure in the game
business, and to establish a professional relationship with Steve
Jackson Games -- and there's no telling where that could lead.
But we get a lot of submissions, more than we could ever use, so
a lot of perfectly good articles get rejected. If this happens to
you (and it will . . .), please don't take it personally. If the
editor has any comments or suggestions, take them to heart. If he
suggests that you resubmit the article after making certain
changes, do it -- editors love perseverance and a willingness to
take directions. But let's get to the important
stuff: What We Want
What kind of articles do we publish? Well, a quick look at the
=Pyramid= archives will answer that question. In fact, if you
don't have at least a passing familiarity with our magazine,
you've got no business trying to sell us an article. No, you
don't have to be a devoted reader with a complete run of
slipcovered back issues and a hard drive full of downloaded
files; but you should know what kind of magazine we are. We have
run, in the past, complete adventures for roleplaying games;
rules variants for boardgames; articles on converting a favorite
fictional setting into a roleplaying world; short "adventure
seeds" for roleplaying; first-person accounts of game
experiences; opinions, news and reviews; and lots more.
One of the best ways to break in with us is to submit something
for our regular "adventure seeds" columns. These come in five
categories -- "Creatures of the Night" for monsters; "Warehouse
23" for items; "Terra Incognita" for locations; "Adventure Pizza"
for short adventure ideas; and "Supporting Cast" for
personalities. These entries should be short (1,000 words or so),
heavy on atmosphere, and light on stats (though some basic stats
are going to be necessary).
And while some portion of each issue of =Pyramid= will be devoted
to SJ Games products, we are by no means a house organ. So yes,
send us those GURPS and Car Wars and Toon and Ogre and In Nomine
articles, but don't forget AD&D, Champions, Kult, Call of
Cthulhu, Magic: The Gathering, Vampire, Kingmaker, Empire
Builder. We also run reviews of new products in our "Pyramid
Picks" section, but these are reviews with a difference. "Pyramid
Picks" spotlights only the very best in gaming (the section
subtitle is, "Gee, We Wish We'd Done That"). We don't print
negative reviews, or even so-so ones. If we don't like a game, we
just don't print anything about it. Normally, reviews are
assigned -- but if you've come across something you really like,
let us know about it. Reviews are typically 750 to 1,000 words in
length; occasionally, there is so much good stuff to say, that
the review exceeds this length. This is rare, but possible.
What We Don't Want
While we'll look at almost anything, there are a few things that
come up to the plate with two strikes already against them.
Excessively long articles top the list. While there is no
specific upper limit for =Pyramid= articles, anything that tops
5,000 words has to be outstanding for us to consider it. There
are always exceptions, of course, but they are extremely rare. If
what you have to say can't be said in fewer words than that, it's
probably not a suitable subject for us, anyway. Another thing we
hardly ever run is fiction. No particular reason, we just don't.
What We Pay
=Pyramid Magazine= pays 3 cents a word, when the article goes up.
"Pyramid Picks" pay a flat $25.00 each. If you want SJ Games
merchandise instead, that pays off at 2-to-1; so a 1,000-word
article would pay $30.00 in cash or $60.00 in goodies. We
generally just cut checks; if you want merchandise instead, let
us know with your submission. Contributors will also get a chance
to see their work "in print" as well; we'll e-mail them a copy of
the final web page. That, and the burning envy of all your
friends, is about it.
How We Want It
Ideally, we want plain ASCII text sent to us over the Internet by
e-mail (to pyramid@io.com). We can handle a number of word
processing programs, but we can't guarantee we can translate them
all, so ASCII is your best bet. You can also send us a disk if
you like -- IBM or Mac 3-1/2" -- again, plain ASCII is our
preference. Do not send us hard copy alone -- there's a new
millennium dawning, and if you can't get it to us electronically,
you have problems that exceed being published in =Pyramid= . . .
Since these articles will be ultimately be turned into web pages,
some basic HTML coding ( and ; to bracket italic text,
at the end of each paragraph, that sort of thing) would be
helpful. But we are not asking our writers to design web pages
for us, nor -- to be frank -- do we want you to. We have our own
designers and graphic ideas, and while suggestions are welcome,
if you send us a completely designed web page instead of text,
we're likely to change everything anyway, and curse your name for
the extra work.
If your article has special graphic requirements -- maps,
diagrams, special art -- contact us and we'll figure out how best
for you to send it. Also, don't bother with a Game Evaluation
Waiver. Those are for manuscripts that you hope to sell to SJ
Games for publication as a game product, not for magazine
articles.
The Rest of It
We're dealing with limited space and limited attention spans;
it's crucial to cram the most information in the fewest words.
Tight, concise writing is essential. And the basics of spelling,
punctuation and grammar are still important -- since the editor
has dozens of articles to choose from for each publication slot,
it's vital that you not give him an easy excuse to reject your
piece out of hand, like poor English. If you have some specific
ideas for illustrations, feel free to include them, as well.
Good luck, and we hope to hear from you soon!
[From Steve Jackson Games' Pyramid website,
http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/]
MARKET INFORMATION
=Absolute Magnitude=
DNA Publications (=Absolute Magnitude='s parent company) has a
new address: P. O. Box 910, Greenfield, MA 01302-0910.
[GQGM #96]
=Adventures of Sword and Sorcery=
Randy Dannenfelser, editor of =Adventures of Sword & Sorcery
Magazine=, notes that the magazine has a new E-mail address:
double_star@yahoo.com. Please send all E-mail to that address.
He also notes that the new website should be up in about a month.
[E-mail dated 26 Aug 98]
=AS&S= also has a new snail mail address: P. O. Box 807, Xenia,
OH 45385.
[GQGM #96]
=The Gila Queen's Guide to Markets=
The Gila Queen's residing at a new website:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/7844/gila/index.html.
Although it's on Geocities, it doesn't seem to have any of those
endlessly annoying pop-up windows, so check it out!
=The Plastic Smile=
The anthology about surreal dolls, =The Plastic Smile=, is less
than 1/2 full, and so still looking for stories. Wants stories
2000-3500 words, with no robots, sex dolls, brand names, statues
or figurines. Pays 3 cents/word. See full guidelines for the
rest of the data.
[GQGM #96]
==End of CALLIHOO newsletter for 1 September 1998==