CALLIHOO Newsletter ----------------------------------------------------------------- Vol. 6 No. 27 Editor: Julia West November 24, 1998 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Web page: http://www.sff.net/people/julia.west/CALLIHOO/index.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! (Let's hope there are lots of writerly things to be thankful for this year.) DEADLINES Let me know if you need more information on the contests, anthologies or magazines listed below. The =Amelia= Science Fiction/Fantasy Award deadline is 15 December 1998. [SF/F to 3000 wds, $100 prize. Entry Fee: $5 each. Amelia Contests, Frederick A. Raborg, Jr., Editor, 329 "E" Street, Bakersfield, CA 93304-2031. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 17)] Best of the Soft SF Contest deadline 15 December 1998. [Soft SF to 7000 wds, enter as many mss. as you wish, 1st $100, 2nd $50, 3rd $25, no entry fee, The Soft SF Writer's Association, 1277 Joan Dr., Merritt Island FL 32952. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 21)] =Writers of the Future=, 1st quarter 1999, deadline 31 December 1998. [$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)] =Romance and Beyond Magazine= contest, deadline 1 February 1999. [SF/F/H romance to 10,000 wds., awards $50, $20, $15, $10, deadline 1 Feb 99, $10 entry fee, only accepts 1st 30 entries in each category (4 different categories), Briada Press, Inc., 3527 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy, Suite 9; Lafayette, LA 70503-5130. {GLs in Vol. 6 No. 20)] =Eternity Online= Best of the Web anthology, deadline 1 March 1999. [Fiction pub on web in 1998. No word limits or submission fee. 10 $5 prizes, $50 Grand Prize. E-mail subm okay. Steve Algieri, eternityol@aol.com or Eternity, Best of the Web '98, PO Box 930068, Norcross, GA 30003. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 24)] =Pulp Eternity= Volume 5: Unthemed issue, reading time: 1/1/99 - 4/1/99. [Any genre, to 10,000 wds, but most under 5000, pays 3 cents/wd. on pub. Steve Algieri, Senior Editor, PO Box 930068, Norcross, GA 30003, E-mail: eternityol@aol.com; http://www.pulpeternity.com. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 18)] =Eternity Online= Second Anniversary Issue, deadline 1 May 1999. [genre fiction, incl. SF/F/H, to 5000 wds. No reprints. 1/4 cent/wd. to $50. Send to eternityol@aol.com; put Anniversary Issue in the subject line. Subm. not following guidelines returned unread. http://www.pulpeternity.com. Anniversary Issue, PO Box 930068, Norcross, GA 30003. (GLs in Vol. 6, No. 24)] =Pulp Eternity= Volume 6: Women of Empowerment. Reading time 4/1/99 - 7/1/99. [Female viewpoint to 10,000 wds, but most under 5000, pays 3 cents/wd. on pub. Steve Algieri, Senior Editor, PO Box 930068, Norcross, GA 30003, E-mail: eternityol@aol.com; http://www.pulpeternity.com. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 18)] =Eternity Online= Halloween Horror Issue, deadline 1 August 1999. [scary stories, incl. H/dark F/dark SF, to 5000 wds. No reprints. 1/4 cent/wd. to $50. Send to eternityol@aol.com; put Halloween Issue in the subject line. Subm. not following guidelines returned unread. http://www.pulpeternity.com. Halloween Issue, PO Box 930068, Norcross, GA 30003. (GLs in Vol. 6, No. 24)] =Pulp Eternity= Volume 7: Alternatives II/ Cyberpunk. Reading time 7/1/99 - 9/1/99. [Alt. sexuality and cyberculture, to 10,000 wds, but most under 5000, pays 3 cents/wd. on pub. Steve Algieri, Senior Editor, PO Box 930068, Norcross, GA 30003, E-mail: eternityol@aol.com; http://www.pulpeternity.com. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 18)] =Pulp Eternity= Volume 8: I Am Cat. Reading time 9/1/99 - 12/15/99. [Cat stories, to 5000 wds, pays 3 cents/wd. on pub. Steve Algieri, Senior Editor, PO Box 930068, Norcross, GA 30003, E-mail: eternityol@aol.com; http://www. pulpeternity.com. (GLs in Vol. 6 No. 18)] MARKET GUIDELINES =Neverworlds= [Bimonthly webzine, sf/df/h to10,00 wds, E-mail subm, $15.00 short fiction, $20-$30 novellas/novelettes, 5-10 stories/issue] Kevin L. McPherson, editor E-mail: dechaune@ns.sympatico.ca SUBMISSIONS: Guidelines & Formats General: The basic goal of "Neverworlds" is to put unique, thoughtful, imaginative fiction and art online. Period. If it were possible, every manuscript, column, poem or picture submitted would be used, but hey, a line has to be drawn somewhere. So, keeping that in mind, here's a short list of preferred material: Sci-fi (the harder the better), dark fantasy, horror, mystery, psychological thriller, and some poetry (by some I mean it would have to be genre-specific--no freeform please). Science or writing-related articles as well as book (fiction) reviews are welcome, but at this time there will not be payment for such works. Of course there are a few categories that (unless they're particularly outstanding) probably won't even be considered, such as romance, goth/vampire stories, non-fiction, lovesongs, grocery lists, etc. Also, stories based on previously (over)used characters or settings (i.e. Star Wars, any of the Star Treks, etc.) won't even get a second glance. While there are no restrictions on language, violence, or explicit sex, this is also not an open invitation for such material either. Erotica is fine, but it'd better be well-crafted and sensibly plotted, not simply watered-down porn. Splatterpunk would have to be pretty impressive to be considered. This is not meant to discourage anyone from submitting fiction in these areas, it just seems that a certain level of less-refined writing exists where these genres are concerned. Keep it reasonable. Story length will be fairly flexible, although the emphasis is on short fiction. 10,000 words is a pretty hefty short story, and is probably the maximum for a single submission, although, like everything else, this is not a hard and fast rule, only a guideline. Most short fiction clocks in around 5,000 words or less. Articles and reviews should be in the 3,000 range, and poetry shouldn't be more than a few dozen lines. Artwork is also being accepted, and artists can submit drawings or paintings. The guidelines for art is generally the same as for written work, although image size and type are subject to specific restrictions [ see "Format" below ]. There's been some concern regarding copyright; there shouldn't be. Once you put your name to a story, it's yours. Just give the completion date of your story with your submission and it will be included along with your name. No simultaneous submissions, please. Format: It would be nice to see story submissions sent in as MS Word (DOC) or WordPerfect (WPD) attachments; these are easy to convert to HTML. ASCII text files (TXT) are okay, but please clearly denote 'special' characters (italics, underlined portions, etc.), preferably somewhere within the body of the document. There have been some problems with 'garbled' text; the safest bet is to use a DOC format, this seems to be the most popular and the easiest to work with. Paragraphs can be shown by either indentation or blank line spacing, whichever you prefer. However, when converted, they will be separated by blank lines--this makes it much easier to view. Art submissions are a little harder to categorize, but the basic (and easiest to work with) image types are JPG/JPEG and GIF. Others, such as PCX and TIFF, may not be acceptable due to the limitations of some software. To be safe, send a message regarding the type and size of your images first before attaching any. Writers may wish to include a short biography/picture of themselves, and they're encouraged to do so. When submitting material, please be sure to place "NEVERWORLDS" somewhere in the subject line of your letter. Payment: $15 for short fiction, $20-$30 for novellas and novelettes, $10 for drawings, $20 for paintings $5 for selected poetry Publication: Obviously not every story or article is going to be published. This isn't a case of bias against certain works or genres, it's just personal preference. If a piece is deemed interesting, original, and well-written, then it stands a good chance of being included. Once you've sent a submission you should receive some sort of reply within a week. If two weeks pass and you still haven't heard anything, write again--chances are your original e-mail was somehow overlooked (it happens). New issues will appear bi-monthly featuring a novella, up to five to ten new short stories, and as many articles, reviews, and poems as possible. Please send all submissions to Kevin L. McPherson at dechaune@ns.sympatico.ca [http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/dechaune/ neverworlds/nw.htm] =Raven's Wing= [Webzine, NO PAYMENT, F to 3000 wds. E-mail subm.] What is =Raven's Wing?= =Raven's Wing= is an electronic webzine published on the internet and edited by Katherine Booth. RW features fantasy in all its incarnations. Sword and sorcery, urban fantasy, and quest fantasy are all appreciated here. We publish stories up to 3000 words and hope to appear on at least a quarterly basis. The first issue is scheduled for January 1999. What do we want in a story? RW is looking for stories with strong characterization and plot that fall into the fantasy genre. Stories must be under 3000 words. Stories with birds as strong focal points will be given greater consideration, but all fantasy is welcome. Do not query. Send the entire story. What about artwork? RW also needs good quality artwork, preferably in .gif or .jpg format. Please contact me if you have artwork of ravens or birds. How to submit! Send all submissions to BirdyMuse@cwix.com. Submissions must be single spaced, with a double space between paragraphs. List your real name and e-mail address at the top of your message, then cut and paste your story into the body of the e-mail. The SUBJECT line must read RW SUB. Any submissions that do not arrive in this format will not be read. To submit artwork, please put RW SUB in the subject line, then attach your artwork in a .gif or a .jpg file. If you have multiple pieces, then please .zip them. For a text file of these guidelines, please send an e-mail to the above address with RW GL in the subject line. Payment? I'm sorry but RW does not pay at this time; however, I will provide full credit to each author and a link to his/her home page. In addition, RW only seeks to use the rights you are offering. For example, if you would like to reprint a story in RW, I will only ask for reprint rights for that issue. New stories, of course, will be for first electronic rights. [http://home.cwix.com/~birdymuse@mci2000.com/RWing.html (correction from last issue)] MARKET INFORMATION =Avon Anthology= More information on the anthology Avon Books is publishing: Avon Books, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019 (this is the right zip code). Send to Jennifer Brehl. Mark envelope "for original anthology series." The series will be edited by Lou Aronica, who edited =Full Spectrum= for Bantam. "The only requirement is that the fiction be of the highest grade--the same specs as =Full Spectrum=." Length: All lengths, including novellas. Payment: 10 cents/word. [SFRT4, Cat 4, Top 6, 4 Nov 98] =The Bulletin= New [SFWA] =Bulletin= editor John Betancourt has announced that as part of an administration initiative to "make this magazine a showcase for SFWA," the pay rate for feature articles has been raised from $.03 a word to $.10 a word. The increase is effective with issue #140, and includes all previously contracted-for material. "The =Bulletin= should be -- and will be, if I have my way -- the first place any non-fiction about the SF/F field or SF/F publishing is submitted," Betancourt said. "Remember -- articles do not have to be about the nuts and bolts of writing. We hope to broaden the scope of the magazine's content significantly in the coming months, as we actively go after the best and most interesting articles of interest to the core science fiction and fantasy market." =Chameleon Publishing Anthologies= The editor of Chameleon Publishing (=Cemetery Sonata= and Civil War ghost story antho, closed 30 Sep 98) is =June= Hubbard, not "Jane" as was reported in an earlier market report. In a recent letter to a writer on sff.net she mentioned that she will be doing more anthologies in the future. [sff.writing.response-times, 19 Nov 98] =Event Horizon= The new webzine edited by Ellen Datlow, =Event Horizon=, is still not an open market. Datlow says she's mostly soliciting by word of mouth due to time constraints but hopes to be open and have guidelines posted in the near future. (http://www.e-horizon.com/ eventhorizon/index.html) [Inklings, 11 Nov 98] =Goblin Market= The electronic chapbook =The Goblin Market= is full. A message on its website says, "=The Goblin Market= is now closed to submissions. Thank you to all the writers who supplied us with stories and poems!" [http://www.eggplant-productions.com/goblin/] =Jackhammer E-zine= Editor Raechel Henderson says, "Attention =Jackhammer E-zine= Readers: Pardon me while I pull a PBS moment, but we need your support. Due to some accounting errors, =Jackhammer E-zine= will be short money the first 2 weeks in December. What that means is that we either A) Pay authors late (way late!) or B) Go hungry for 2 weeks. I'd rather not put off authors' payment, and you really don't want to see Matt hungry (it's not a pretty sight). So if you haven't already ordered your copy of =Jackhammer E-zine='s Print Issue, please consider doing so now. It's supporters like you that keep =Jackhammer= online and free." [http://www.eggplant-productions.com/] =New Genre= New magazine =New Genre= wants to break genre stereotypes with "highly crafted and compelling stories...Accepting variants of either genre [SF/H]..." Cautions that "gore, superviolent, or excessively explicit subject matter needs to be justified by quality of story. Most fantasy will not be published; df considered." Length: up to 14,000 wds. Payment: $1 per printed page. No art, poetry or reprints. SF editor: Jeff Paris, Horror editor: Adam Golaski, 25 Cutter Ave. Somerville, MD 02144 agolaski@worldnet.att.net -- NO EMAIL SUBMISSIONS [DarkEcho, 12 Nov 98] =The Plastic Smile Anthology= In an update about the anthology =The Plastic Smile=, Mark McLaughlin, editor, says, "I've only accepted a few stories so far because people keep sending gore and sex and brand names -- all the things I've said in my guidelines that I don't want. People should write to the address [below] for complete guidelines. Basically, I want stories that explore the role(s) that dolls play in people's lives. For example, John Pelan's Plastic Smile story "Twins", which also appears in the current Urbanite, issue No. 10, explores the "doll-as-scapegoat" concept with subtle finesse. "When will I finish reading for the project? When I finally find enough stories. Yeah, I'm being picky. But I live with a doll expert: so, through talking with her, I know a lot about dolls ... their history, their place in our world. So my pickiness is based upon knowledge, and an appreciation of the curious little darlings." Urban Legend Press, P.O. Box 4737, Davenport, IA 52808 [DarkEcho, 12 Nov 98] =Roc Anthology= Laura Anne Gilman and Jennifer Heddle, editors at Roc Books, sent this (electronic) letter to authors: "Dear Authors: "Roc Books is putting together an original anthology, and we are =currently accepting submissions from members of SFWA= to fill a limited number of slots. [Italics mine--Julia] "The tentative, working title is "Treachery and Treason," summing up the theme of the anthology. We are looking for tales of any kind of betrayal, disloyalty, or sneakiness -- be it military, political, emotional, or financial -- so long as it's done within a science fiction/fantasy/horror context. (The more devious, the better!) "The deadline for submissions is April 1, 1999. Maximum story length is 5,000 words, paying .05 - .06 a word, and we do accept e-mailed submissions. In fact, we encourage them. "Direct all submissions to Jennifer Heddle at Roc Books, 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014 or JHeddle@penguin.com. Sincerely, Roc Books" [SFRT4, 9 Nov 98] =Scaremongers 3 anthology= A writer on sff.net received the following letter in response to a submission to the =Scaremongers 3= anthology. "Thank you for submitting to =Scaremongers 3=. Unfortunately due to financial pressures this anthology will not be going ahead now. I apologise for the inconvenience. Regards, Anthony Barker." [See Tanjen below] [sff.writing.response-times, 20 Nov 98] =Tanjen= British publisher TANJEN will no longer publish fiction, has canceled existing contracts with authors, and is no longer inviting submissions from writers. They remain committed to promoting and selling current stock (listed at http://www.tanjen.demon.co.uk). According to Jennie Dean, "Finances have dictated that some of the projects we were hoping to publish next year have regrettably been canceled. We are truly sorry about this but cannot do anything about it. We are changing direction and getting involved with the non-fiction market. Our interest in the horror/sf genre remains faithful but our black-hearted bank manager has issued an offer we cannot refuse." Ms. Dean's comment counters an earlier letter from publisher Anthony Barker to authors "that the financial affairs of Tanjen have now been taken over by the bank. . .all future publishing is cancelled. So I'm taking the tough decision now to close down Tanjen once I've got rid of the remaining stock." [DarkEcho, 5 Nov 98] BE VERY AFRAID Barnes and Noble will buy Ingram, one of the largest wholesale book distributors in North America. This is the lead paragraph from Publishers Weekly's on-line newsletter. "So it's true. The days of speculation end with the shocking announcement that B&N will buy Ingram for a cool $600 mil. "The purchase, which will consist of $200 million in cash and $400 million in B&N stock, will make the entire Ingram Book Group, which consists of Ingram Book Company, Retailer Services Inc., Ingram Periodicals, Spring Arbor Distributors, Publishers Resources, Inc. Ingram International, Tennessee Book Company, Lightning Print and Ingram Library Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of B&N. The deal is expected to be completed within 45 days, pending approval by government agencies. Steve Riggio, vice-chairman of B&N, said he did not expect any anti-trust problems with the transaction." The American Booksellers Assoc. has already filed a protest with the FTC. Many independent booksellers are shocked at this news, for Ingram has enabled the indies to remain competitive with B&N and Borders. Now they will in effect be supporting their competitor. The implications for on-line booksellers like Amazon.com, who get many of their books through Ingram, are also troubling. Many publishers are not happy, either." ==End of CALLIHOO newsletter for 24 November 1998==