CALLIHOO Newsletter ----------------------------------------------------------------- Vol. 7 No. 22 Editor: Julia West November 16, 1999 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Web page: http://www.sff.net/people/julia.west/CALLIHOO/index.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS Utah author and E-CALLIHOOt Shayne Bell just sold a story to =Science Fiction Age= and another to the prestigious British magazine =Interzone=. Way to go, Shayne! DEADLINES Check out the CALLIHOO website, listed above, for more information on these contests, magazine issues, and anthologies. (Where it says "GLs in Vol. X No. Y," these are volume and issue of the CALLIHOO newsletter.) =Fantasy, Folklore & Fairytales=, "Millennium--The Real Story" closes November 20, 1999. [Monthly webzine, themed, F 1500-7500 wds, pays $10-$15 on accept, E-mail subm okay, website: http://fff.fantasytoday.com/ (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 16)] First Annual "Fantastical Visions" Contest (and anthology) deadline 1 Dec 99. [F 4000-7000 wds, 1st prize $100, 2nd $75, 3rd $50, HM 1/2 cent/wd. =No entry fee=. (GLs in Vol. 7, No. 20)] The Isaac Asimov Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Story Writing, deadline 15 December 1999. [SF/F by undergrad. students in college or university, 1,000-10,000 wds, 1st place $500, =entry fee $5.00 per story=, no limit to number of entries per person. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 44)] =PRISM international= 15th Annual Short Fiction Contest 1999, deadline 15 December 1999. [Canadian contest, $2,000C 1st prize, 5 $200 runners-up (+pmt for pub), =$20 1st entry fee, $5 all others=, max. 25 pp. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 44)] =Pulp Eternity= Volume 9: I Am Cat. Deadline 15 Dec 1999 or when filled. [SF cat stories, to 10,000 wds, pays 3 cents/wd. on pub. http://www.pulpeternity.com. (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 5)] =Skull Full of Spurs= anthology deadline 31 Dec 99. [SF/F/DF/H with western landscapes. 1000-8000 wds, 6›/wd. (GLs in Vol. 7, No. 20)] =Starlight 3= anthology, deadline 31 Dec 1999. [SF/F, pays 7-1/2 cents/wd., no upper word limit, (GLs in Vol. 6, No. 38)] =Writers of the Future=, 1st quarter 2000, deadline 31 December 1999. [$1000 first, $750 2nd, $500 3rd place. =No entry fee=. L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest, P.O. Box 1630-JBW, Los Angeles, CA 90078. (GLs in Vol. 6, No. 10)] =Extremes: Fantasy and Horror from the Ends of the Earth=, deadline 1 Jan 2000 or when filled. [Limited edition CD anthology, F/H outside USA, pays 1/22 of profits, lwpub@aol.com, http://www.dm.net/~bahwolf/extremes.htm. (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 10)] =Midnight Galleries= first issue deadline 1 Jan 2000. [Quarterly game-based antho series, shared-world, 5000-20K wds, pays 6 cents/wd., query first, E-mail subm okay to Kaytman@aol.com. (GLs in Vol. 7, No. 16)] MARKET GUIDELINES =Darkling Plain Speculative Fiction= [Update from last week. Semi-annual print mag, SF/F/H/spec fic to 8,000 wds. Pays 3 cents/wd. No e-mail subm.] David M. Cox, editor. 4804 Laurel Canyon Blvd. Box 506, Valley Village, CA 91607 e-mail: DCMcKeag@DarklingPlain.com alternate: DCMcKeag@aol.com Published semi-annually. First issue scheduled for spring 2000. =Darkling Plain= is a new fiction market seeking literate science fiction. Despite the distinctions that some make between "science" fiction and "literary" fiction, many distinguished literary writers, including Ray Bradbury, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Edgar Allen Poe, John Updike, Mark Twain, and Thomas Pynchon, have all either written science fiction or employed many of its conventions. Our goal is to break down those distinctions with stories by new and established writers which mix the conventions of science fiction, horror, fantasy, and literary fiction. Our stories show that good fiction of any sort is a story with compelling characters and a compelling plot, powerful in the beauty and sophistication of its language, which informs the reader on the experience of being human. =Darkling Plain= will bring these stories to you in every issue. To further illustrate this point, we will re-print one work of classic, literary fiction which employs some or all the conventions that commonly define science fiction, horror, or fantasy, such as Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" and Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter." There will be a critical essay on the re-printed work by =Darkling Plain= contributing editor John A. Howard, as well as other critical essays on current and classic works of speculative fiction, and a regular column by esteemed small-press editor Eric M. Heideman. First and foremost, =Darkling Plain= seeks to promote the field of speculative fiction. In our opinion, there is no better way to do so than to support the writers of speculative fiction. If you agree, help support the market that helps to promote these writers by sending a check or money order payable to =Darkling Plain=, $5 for a single issue or $16 for a four-issue subscription, to: Darkling Plain Speculative Fiction 4804 Laurel Canyon Ave., Box 506 Valley Village, CA 91607 e-mail: DCMcKeag@DarklingPlain.com alternate: DCMcKeag@aol.com Fiction: Payment 3› per word for literate speculative fiction. This includes science fiction, fantasy, horror, magic realism, literary, and especially unclassifiable stories that blur the boundaries of all of these designations, up to 8,000 words. I define literary fiction as a story with compelling characters and a compelling plot, powerful in the beauty and sophistication of its language, which informs the reader on the experience of being human. I define good speculative fiction in the same way, with the added requirement that the story include a speculative element--something futuristic or otherworldly, fantastic or threatening, ominous or outrageous--as an integral part of the story. Readers of =Darkling Plain= care less about genre distinctions and more about a good story, well told. If you can do that, your chances are pretty good with us. Response time will be two to six weeks. I may take longer, especially if the story is under consideration, so wait two months before querying. And now, a word about editorial responses: I will try to respond personally to every manuscript submitted, even if it's only a sentence or two. On the other hand, if I have something to say about the story, I may respond with quite a few sentences. One of the goals of a good editor is to help writers improve their story and their craft, and that sometimes means being critical. If you can't appreciate criticism, grow a thicker skin, because any successful writer will tell you they received a lot of criticism on the way to success, at which point they received plenty more. It's worse when nobody says anything at all. If you take the time to submit your best work, I look forward to letting you know what I thought. Poetry: $25 for speculative poetry, up to two typewritten pages per poem. Nonfiction: Payment 3› per word for critical essays on writers, themes, and works of speculative fiction--not mere book reviews-- and speculative science articles, to 5,000 words. Interviews 1- 3› per word. Illustrations and Cartoons: $60.00 for front cover art, $35 for back-cover art, and $25 for commissioned interior art. For an assignment, please send clear, disposable samples of your work first. DO NOT send originals unless requested. Send all submissions to: Darkling Plain, 4804 Laurel Canyon Blvd. Box 506, Valley Village, CA 91602 =Darkling Plain= and its editor assume no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts. If you want your manuscript returned to you, include a SASE with sufficient postage, and remember that the Post Office determines what constitutes sufficient postage. Manuscripts without an SASE will not be returned. Postage-due submissions of any sort will be refused. If you include an e- mail address with your submission and advise me that you do not need your manuscript returned, no SASE is necessary--I'll respond via e-mail. [E-mail from DCMcKeag@aol.com] MARKET INFORMATION =Century= Word is that =Century= is once more among the living, and issue #5 has just appeared. It debuted at World Fantasy Convention and has a new website: www.centurymag.com. [sff.writing.response-times, 18-19 Nov 99] ==End of CALLIHOO newsletter for 16 November 1999==