CALLIHOO Newsletter ----------------------------------------------------------------- Market News for Writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Vol. 7 No. 44 Editor: Julia West May 2, 2000 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Web page: http://www.sff.net/people/julia.west/CALLIHOO/index.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS Ken Rand has (as usual!) been busy. He just sold "Imagine That" to =Dragons, Knights, and Angels Magazine=, a new Christian SF/Fantasy webzine, local to Utah. Read it at http:// home.quixnet.net/~dshelley/issue2/Imaginethat.htm. The story is one he wrote in a GEnie "dare-to-be-bad" challenge in the summer of 1995. Just like we tried to do in our February 2000 DTBB challenge, he wrote three stories in six days. One story, "The Gods Perspire," took second place in the Writers of the Future contest in 1996, and appeared in 1997, volume 13. One is due out in =Electric Wine=, an e-zine, and the other is "Imagine That." Ken's story "The Find" just came out in the limited-edition Extremes CD Rom anthology. Details at http://www.dm.net/ ~bahwolf/extremes.htm Keep it up, Ken! * * * CONduit 10: Night of the Living CONduit is coming up! (May 19- 21). See conduit.sfcon.org/ for more details. Many CALLIHOOligans and E-CALLIHOOts will attend either as guests or participants. Come join the fun! 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.) =Starlight 3= anthology, deadline "summer 2000". [SF/F, pays 7- 1/2 cents/wd., no upper word limit, (GLs in Vol. 6, No. 38)] The 6th =Chiaroscuro= Short Story Contest--the Piggies, deadline 15 May 2000. [Contest, H/DF to 5000 words, no reprints or mult subm, only E-mail subm, First place pub in =Gothic.net= at 23 cents/wd., second place pub in =Chiaroscuro= at 7 cents/wd., third place pub in =Twilight Showcase= at 4 cents/wd. (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 37)] =Brainbox: The Real Horror= electronic anthology, submissions accepted 1 February to 31 May 2000. [E-antho, H (and nonfic tale of what inspired it) 2500-10,000 wds, pays 2-4% quarterly royalties. E-mail subm only, no mult. subm. (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 35)] =Red Work= anthology, deadline 15 June 2000. [Electronic antho, stories of professional killers 4500 - 10,000 wds, pays approx 3% royalty, no reprints or E-mail subm. (GLs Vol. 7 No. 39)] The 42nd Annual Utah Original Writing Competition, open 15 May to 26 June 2000. [Annual contest, various categories of entries (long and short fiction and nonfiction), various 1st ($1000 or $300) and 2nd ($750 or $200) prizes, =no entry fee=, must be Utah resident. (GLs in Vol. 7, No. 43)] Warner Books' First Novel Contest, deadline June 30, 2000. [SF/F novels. Synopsis + first several chapters (up to 60 pages maximum). No entry fee. Prizes: Publication with advance and royalties.] Waterford Reading Intervention, deadline 30 June 2000. [Computer reading intervention program, SF/F 100 to 4000 wds, $100 to $500, E-mail subm only, =work for hire=. Subm to Anna Shelley at: annas@waterford.org. (GLs in Vol. 7, No. 44)] =Writers of the Future=, 3rd quarter 2000, deadline 30 June 2000 [$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)] =Cemetery Sonata= volume 2 deadline 1 July 2000. [Print antho, ghost stories 500-6000 words, pays 3 cents/wd. on pub., reprints okay. (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 39)] Eighth Annual Garden State Horror Writers Short Story Contest, deadline 31 Jul 2000. [Annual contest, SF/F/H to 2500 wds, prizes--$50 1st, $25 2nd, $15 3rd, =$10 entry fee=, (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 42)] =Chillers= anthology, deadline 1 August 2000. [Electronic antho, H 1500-5000 wds, pays share of royalties, no reprints or sim subs, E-mail and mult subm okay. (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 39)] =On Spec= Theme Issue ("World Beat") deadline 31 Aug 2000. [Canadian print mag, theme of non-North American-based (different cultures) SF/F/H to 5000 wds, pays $50-$180C on accept., no reprints, faxed, or E-mail subs. (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 31)] =Byline= genre fiction contest, deadline September 5, 2000. [Short story that fits category: romance, sci-fi, confession, mystery, western, etc. No children's stories. 5,000 words max. =Entry fee $5.= Prizes: $50, $30, $15.] Nineteenth Annual Science Fiction/Fantasy Short Story Contest Sponsored by Science Fiction Writers of Earth, deadline 30 October 2000. [Annual contest, SF/F by unpubl authors, 2000 to 7500 wds. =Entry fee $5 for 1st ms. (gives memb to SFWoE), $2 for each other ms.= Prizes $200 1st, $100 2nd, $50 3rd. (GLs in Vol. 7, No. 33)] The Best of Soft Science Fiction Contest opens 1 Oct 2000, closes 15 Dec 2000. [Annual contest, soft SF, to 7000 wds, published or offered for pub during year, enter as many as want, =no entry fee=, prizes 1st $100, 2nd $50, 3rd $25. GLs in Vol. 7 No. 33] ***************************************************************** * You go into a room and start writing and the Muse finally * * says, "All right, all right!" and comes to you. * * --Maya Angelou * ***************************************************************** MARKET GUIDELINES =Dragons, Knights and Angels Magazine= [Webzine, SF/F to 4000 wds, pays 1 cent/wd., no E-mail subm.] Executive Editor: Rebecca Shelley DKA Magazine 5461 W. 4605 S. West Valley City, UT 84120 www.dkamagazine.net We welcome submissions from anyone. The Magazine of Christian Fantasy & Science Fiction =DKA Magazine= is founded on the idea that the power of God is the greatest magic of all. While the stories we publish do not need to have an obvious moral, the protagonists must be motivated by moral values. This is a family magazine, so keep that in mind regarding language and content of the stories you submit. Mail submissions to: DKA Magazine, 5461 W. 4605 S., West Valley City, UT 84120 We pay: 1 cent per word for short stories up to 4000 words. $10 per poem. $25 for art work. [http://home.quixnet.net/~dshelley/sub.htm] =Waterford Reading Intervention= [Computer reading intervention program, SF/F 100 to 4000 wds, $100 to $500, E-mail subm only, =work for hire=, deadline 30 June 2000.] Subm to Anna Shelley at: annas@waterford.org www.waterford.org/ Waterford Institute is creating a computer reading intervention program for adolescent struggling readers. We need 160 fiction and non-fiction short books, long books, and test passages, ranging from 100 to 4000 words, to use as we teach these students strategies for reading comprehension. Passages need to be submitted by June 30, 2000. Waterford Early Reading Program is a product developed by Waterford Institute, a non-profit educational research organization in Provo, Utah. This program is being marketed by Electronic Education, a division of Pearson Education, which is the largest publishing house in the world. Currently, over 100,000 students in 33 states are using this program in early elementary school to help them become successful readers. We are now developing The Waterford Reading Intervention Program, a computer program for older struggling readers. We are searching for writers of age-appropriate, short books, long books and test passages. If you are interested in submitting written material for the Waterford Reading Intervention Program, please review the guidelines. Submission Instructions: This section will give you specific details about how to submit your text to us. 1. Before you begin to write, go to our website: www.waterford.org . Familiarize yourself with our guidelines and then check our grid of needed passages to see what length and style of articles we are looking for. 2. With your text, submit a cover sheet with your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. Do not have your name or other identifying information on the submitted text itself. 3. On the cover sheet, designate the title, topic, word count, type of text, i.e., narrative, expository, or functional, and the intended difficulty level of the submitted text. (See definitions on the website under General Guidelines and samples under Sample Passages.) On every page of the text, have the title and the page number. 4. Don't panic here. We want great, compelling, engaging stories. Don't let the parameters get in your way. But if your excellent stories are too long or too short, one of us will have to modify them. 5. All texts that will be used to teach a graphic organizer must have the applicable organizer filled out and included with your text. There are seven graphic organizers: K-W-L, story map, semantic map, problem/solution, and compare/contrast, sequencing, or character weave. (Access sample graphic organizers and blank forms on the website under Graphic Organizer.) This exercise helps both you and us tell if the text can be used to teach the appropriate concepts. 6. All test passages must be long and rich enough to lend themselves to be used with 5 comprehension questions without overlapping concepts or information. 7. The text itself should be double spaced. 8. Submit your cover sheet, graphic organizer, and text to Anna Shelley at the following e-mail address: annas@waterford.org 9. If your submission is not accepted, understand that the parameters for the program are very narrow, and we can only use a limited number and style of articles. 10. If your submission is accepted, we will advise you by e-mail and send you a contract that will give us unconditional rights to the submitted text. We will own it outright. You will get five free copies of your book, but you do not have rights to multiple copies. We will pay you for your submission by check, sent to the address you give us. Audience: * Age: Students from 8 years old to adult will be using this program. Text should be written so that multiple ages will be engaged, with an interest focus somewhere around 6/7th grade. * Reading Level: Third grade to eighth grade--see sample passages. * A variety of ethnic groups * Male more than female * Students have varied interest, but they struggle with reading skills. * Material needs to be engaging and compelling--funny, exciting, scary, or suspenseful--so that the student will want to make the effort to read. * They don't want to be lectured or bored to death. * As readers, they want to be treated with respect, humor, and confidence. They are very sensitive about being patronized. Passage Types: (see sample texts [at the website]) Narrative: Fiction story--humor, science fiction, fantasy, adventure, suspense, action. We want hopeful, edifying, engaging text. We do not want romance, coming of age, angst, dysfunction, violence, immorality, controversy, depressing, mental illness, or other dark topics and genres. Expository: Non-fiction, historical, biographical, or text-book style writing Functional: Writing that students encounter in daily living, i.e., recipes, announcements, instructions, applications, writing on packages, writing round on age-appropriate internet sites Reading level: (See sample texts [at the website].) * All text should be written at a sixth/seventh grade interest level, even though the reading level may vary from third to eighth grade. * Reading level is a way to evaluate a piece of writing to see how hard it is to read. There are many readability scales, and they often don't agree, so here are some guidelines: * Third/fourth grade reading level. Shorter, less complex sentences, shorter paragraphs--two to three sentences long with less difficult words. Concepts are very straight forward and concrete. * Fifth/sixth grade reading level. Longer sentences, but not very complex paragraphs four or five sentences long--50-80 words. Words are more difficult. Concepts are still fairly concrete and straight forward, but some inferencing and critical thinking can be required. May have subplots, mysteries or multiple problems. Topics may include subtopics, ideas increasing in complexity and containing more details. * Seventh/eighth grade reading level. Can include some complex sentences with clauses. Paragraphs can be 50-150 words long, based on natural paragraph divisions. Concepts can be more complex, abstract, multi-stranded, and sophisticated. Non-fiction has more details and readers must sift through information and make decisions about details. * To find a reading level of your submission, use the "tools" cue at the top of your Microsoft Word or WordPerfect screen. Then click on Spelling and Grammar. In WordPerfect go to options and then analysis. After all the spelling and grammar issues have been resolved, a box will pop up giving the word count, the reading ease, and the grade level of the passage. DISCLAIMER: The Flesch grade level given under "Tools--Spelling and Grammar" in Microsoft word and WordPerfect does not always correlate with other grading programs. If you would like, you can give us the Flesch score and then give the grade level you think your text is. In the sample passages, we have given three grade-leveling scores to help you get a feel for how leveling works. Story Elements that work for young adolescents: * Kids come out being smarter than expected * Kids win against the odds * Kids discover answers for themselves--not necessarily from adults * Kids resolve problem with adult * Mild magic * Weird but true stuff * Cool sports included in context of story * Exploring cool places included in context of story * Surprise "gotcha" ending * Setting is the middle school--a universal experience for the age group * Main characters need to be about the same age as the reading students. Writing Hints: * Grab their attention early and overtly. The route into the topic will make or break your text. Get the student personally involved or personally interested in your text. So, get the student personally involved or personally interested in the text within the first paragraph. (See sample passages [on the website].) * Have tension, humor, or suspense central to the text--start it early and keep it moving. * Keep the text moving quickly and explicitly, with clear, vivid prose situations, characters, and conflicts need to be easy to visualize. * Keep the paragraphs short. * Use dialogue liberally. * Use text kids relate to, but stay away from the profane, violent, and immoral. * Avoid complex, multi-stranded plots. * Choose true and concrete over abstract and hypothetical text. * Include authentic, multicultural themes without adopting a specific agenda. * Avoid moralizing, preaching, or lecturing. * Avoid sweet, young, elementary school topics and text. Taboos: * Stay away from the profane, violent, and immoral. * Do not use the name of any deity as slang or ridicule any religious practice. * Do not use any ethnic slurs--verbal or situational--or stereotypical roles and situations. * Do not include the occult, witchcraft, or ghosts. * Do not include any sexual innuendoes. * Do not include immodest dress or behavior. * Do not include smoking, alcohol, or drug abuse. * Do not include illegal behavior. * Do not disparage adults, authority figures, or the elderly. * Avoid stereotypical roles and imbalance in your treatment of male and female figures. * Do not disparage or make fun of the disabled. * Do not validate misuse of the environment. * Do not validate dangerous or unhealthy practices. * Do not include mistreatment of animals. Payment Schedule: Payment is based on if and how we finally use your submission, not on how you intended that we use it. For example, if you submit a long book but we only use a piece of it for a test, you would only receive $200, not $500. Type of Submission Fee: Functional Test Passage---$100 Narrative or Expository Test Passage---$200 Short Book--up to 2000 words---$300 Long Book--up to 4000 words ---$500 [See the website for extensive examples of the kinds of writing they want, the graphic outlines, etc.] [www.waterford.org/ www.waterford.org/institute/institute.html www.waterford.org/institute/authors.html www.waterford.org/institute/generalguidelines.html www.waterford.org/institute/ha.html www.waterford.org/institute/audience.html www.waterford.org/institute/texttypes.html www.waterford.org/institute/generalwritehint.html www.waterford.org/institute/Taboo.html www.waterford.org/institute/paymentschedule.html www.waterford.org/institute/submissionf.html] MARKET INFORMATION =Dread= A writer on =Speculations='s Rumor Mill says that =Dread= is now a dead market. They are officially closed to submissions and their summer issue (June, the writer thought) will be their last. [www.speculations.com/rumormill/topic291.htm, 30 Apr 2000] =Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine= A writer on the Rumor Mill says, "Grim news: a flyer in my mailbox this morning, addressed to me as a =Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine= subscriber. Quote: =Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine= will be closing down with issue #50. . . . ". . . the rest of the flyer is a pitch to buy their back issues. It's true that the MZBFM website, www.mzbfm.com, does not mention this--but the mailing label on the flyer is identical to the one I get on my magazine, down to the expiration date of my subscription. [It] says those who have subscriptions past issue #50 will have their money refunded. Does not say anything about new submissions, but does it really need to? So after issues 47-50 appear, presumably to publish the stories/art already purchased, the magazine will shut down." [www.speculations.com/rumormill/topic291.htm, 1 May 2000] ==End of the CALLIHOO newsletter for 2 May 2000==