CALLIHOO Newsletter ----------------------------------------------------------------- Market News for Writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Vol. 7 No. 33 Editor: Julia West February 8, 2000 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Web page: http://www.sff.net/people/julia.west/CALLIHOO/index.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS Two Utah writers won top prizes in the 1999 short story contest sponsored by Science Fiction Writers of Earth. John McCabe of Salt Lake City took first place with "The Enemy God" and Angella Taylor Lofthouse of Springville, Utah, took third place with "Blessing Stone." Congratulations, John and Angella! Read their short biographies at http://home.flash.net/~sfwoe/newsltr.htm#299 * * * Reminder: The Dare to Be Bad challenge begins February 16th and runs through February 21st. Mark your calendars and get your brains oiled (and your fingers limbered up) for the challenge! 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.) Salivan Short Story Contest, deadline 28 Feb 00. [Canadian, =no entry fee=, SF/F, H or romance, to 6000 wds, $50 prize in each of 3 cats. (GLs in Vol 7 No. 31)] =The Age of Wonders= SFF.NET anthology, open 1 Jan-1 Mar 2000 or until full (the two earlier ones filled up FAST). [Near-future SF about interface between human and machine. Pays 8 cents/wd. (max. $400) on accept., no reprints, query for over 5000 wds, E- mail subm okay. (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 25)] =Writers of the Future=, 2nd quarter 2000, deadline 31 March 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)] =Starlight 3= anthology, deadline "late spring 2000". [SF/F, pays 7-1/2 cents/wd., no upper word limit, (GLs in Vol. 6, No. 38)] =The Doom of Camelot= anthology from Green Knight Publishing, deadline 21 April 2000. [Arthurian stories, 3-7,000 wds, pays 3-5 cents/wd., pays shortly after accept. No E-mail subm. (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 29).] =The Darker Side of Eternity, Volume II=, contest deadline 1 May 2000. [contest/print antho, H (SF/F elements okay) stories. Must be member of World Horror Convention. Submit to 2500 wd and/or to 10,000 wd stories. 1st prize (short) $100, (long) $300. Runners-up 3 cents/wd. Pays on pub. No reprints or E- mail subm. (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 24)] 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.] =On Spec= Theme Issue ("World Beat") deadline 31 Aug 2000. [Canadian print mag, prefers Canadian authors, 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] ***************************************************************** * "Don't you think it would make your tough guys a little more * * interesting to the reader if once in a while you had one bend * * down to smell a rose?" * * --Russell Baker, advice to him from Elliot Coleman * ***************************************************************** CONTESTS =The Best of Soft Science Fiction Contest= [Annual contest, soft SF, to 7000 wds, published or offered for pub during year, enter as many as want, no entry fee, open 1 Oct to 15 Dec, 2000, prizes 1st $100, 2nd $50, 3rd $25] Sponsored Annually by the Soft SF Writer's Association Lela Buis: Contest Director 1277 Joan Drive Merritt Island FL 32952 http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Den/5752/ index.html Who Can Enter The contest is open to all writers, and you can enter as many manuscripts as you wish. The entry must have been published or offered for sale within the year the contest is entered. If the story has been published, include this information so it can be listed with any announcement of winners. Opening and Closing Dates The contest will open October 1 and close December 15 to avoid the Christmas rush. Judging should be complete by the first of the year and prizes disbursed by March. Entry Fee There will be no entry fee for the contest at this time. Judges and Prizes The manuscripts will be judged by the members of the Soft SF Writer's Association, who also contribute the prizes. Current awards are: First place $100, second place $50 and third place $25. Judging Criteria Emotional impact, artistic style, cleverness, originality, characterization, theme weight, imagery, sensuality. Stories which contain shocking or disturbing elements are unlikely to win. This is not the type of emotional impact we're looking for. Format and Length No form is required for entrance to the Best of Soft SF Contest. Please send a disposable manuscript in standard format addressed to the Contest Director, 7000 words or less with you name and address securely attached. If you want a personal notification of the winners, include a SASE. Transfer of Rights Winner's stories will be kept on file, and others disposed to keep administrative costs to a minimum. No rights will be transferred by submission to the contest. If an anthology is planned, writers will be contacted later. General Soft SF is different from hard in that characters, emotional content and artistic effect are emphasized rather than plot and deterministic science. Although adult issues are encouraged, gratuitous violence and graphic sex should be kept to a reasonable minimum. Mixed-genre stories are acceptable (fantasy/SF, mystery/SF, horror/SF) as long as elements of science fiction are included--that is, some projection of trends, facts or technology in a scientific way. Social, behavioral, natural or hard science are all acceptable as a basis; and past, present, future or alternate universe are all fine as a setting. [http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Den/5752/index.html] =Nineteenth Annual Science Fiction/ Fantasy Short Story Contest Sponsored by Science Fiction Writers of Earth= [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, deadline 30 Oct 2000] SFWoE P.O. Box 121293 Fort Worth, TX 76121 http://www.flash.net/~sfwoe/ Purpose: To promote the art of short story writing. Awards: $200 First Prize*--$100 Second Prize--$50 Third Prize (Prize money on deposit at Omni American FCU in Fort Worth, Texas.) *The First Place story is eligible to be published in Altair -- Magazine of Speculative Fiction. Entry Fee: $5.00 -- The fee includes a one-year membership in SFWoE*. Each additional submittal requires a fee of $2.00. Eligibility: Unpublished members of SFWoE in good standing who are not serving on the 2000 contest nominating committee are eligible to enter. Since the entry fee includes a one-year membership in SFWoE, the contestant on submitting the entry fee automatically meets the eligibility requirement. (Note: "Unpublished member" is defined as a member who, prior to entering this contest, has never received money for a published piece of fiction writing.) Submittal: Each manuscript entered must meet all of the following requirements: * Length -- 2,000 to 7,500 words * Typed -- double spaced on one side of the paper * Paper -- white, 8.5 by 11 or country's standard size * Title Page -- must include your name, address, phone number, story title, and length. Add e-mail address if available * Clear Copies -- do not submit originals. Manuscripts will not be returned Deadline -- postmarked on or before 30 October 2000 (Advice: enter early -- avoid deadline crush) Disqualification: A manuscript will be disqualified if in the judgment of the nominating committee the entry falls into any one or more of the following categories: * Manuscript fails to meet all of the contest submittal requirements * Story has been published and/or the author has received payment for the story or some other piece of fiction writing prior to the date of entry * Story is considered to be outside of the SF/F genre * Story contains sex for the purpose of arousal only * Story contains harsh or foul language for the purpose of shock only * Story is in bad taste (Note: Entry fee will not be returned because of disqualification.) Judging: A contest nominating committee will select the best stories from all of the qualified entries. An independent judge will determine the winners from the nominated stories. The decision of the judge is final. Notification: The prize money will be awarded by SFWoE in accordance with the decision of the judge. Contest winners will be notified by first class mail in January of 2001. Each contestant in January of 2001 will be mailed the following information: * Name and location of the contest winners * Name and background of the judge * The 2000 contest statistics * Rules/entry form for the 2001 contest (Note: SFWoE will make a reasonable attempt to have the contest results reported in the better known SF/F trade journals.) Address: Mail signed official entry form and your manuscript(s) on or before 30 October 2000 to: SFWoE, P.O. Box 121293, Fort Worth, TX 76121 *Science Fiction Writers of Earth is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and improving opportunities for talented writers to become published authors. [http://home.flash.net/~sfwoe/intrules.htm] ***************************************************************** * "The itch for writing and making a name holds you fast as * * with a noose, and becomes inveterate in your distempered * * brain." * * --Juvenal (Satires, VII, 52) * ***************************************************************** MARKET GUIDELINES =Glyph= [New small press print mag, F to 4000 wds, pays 1/4 cent/wd ($2.00 min.). E-mail subm okay.] Tracy Feeler and Cullen Bunn, Editors 11 San Miguel Drive, Apt. B St. Charles, MO 63303 E-mail subm to: tdf1965@hotmail.com http://www.undauntedpress.com/glyph.htm =Glyph= is seeking short stories up to 4,000 words in length. We are looking for imaginative stories that will take our readers to new and thought-provoking places. All types of fantasy--Sword & Sorcery, High and Low fantasy, Urban fantasy -- are welcome. Stories obviously derived from role-playing adventures will be frowned upon. Have fun writing a grand adventure and we'll enjoy reading it! We are also seeking poetry (no line limit) and artwork to fill the pages of our magazine. We purchase FNASR. We may also publish reprints, but these must be approved in advance by the editor. Response time will be approximately four to six weeks after we receive the submission. We always comment on submissions. Payment will be 1/4 cent per word and one contributor's copy for fiction and poetry ($2.00 minimum) and $5 (interior) to $10 (cover) and one contributor's copy for artwork. All submissions should be in standard manuscript format. Postal submissions must be accompanied by a SASE for return of manuscripts. Electronic submissions should be pasted into the body of the email and sent to the editor at: tdf1965@hotmail.com. Include a word count and a brief biography with each submission. While it is not required, we highly recommend that you purchase a sample copy of =Glyph= to see what the magazine is all about. A sample copy or subscription won't set you back much, and you will be helping to support a market which supports artists like yourselves. Mail submissions to: Tracy Feeler and Cullen Bunn, Editors 11 San Miguel Drive, Apt. B St. Charles, MO 63303 tdf1965@hotmail.com [http://www.undauntedpress.com/submissi.htm] =Space and Time= [Biannual print mag, SF/F/H to 10,000 wds, Pays 1 cent/wd. No E- mail subm.] Gerard Houarner, Editor 138 West 70 th Street, 4B, NY, NY 10023-4468 (=Query only=, no email subs): oddist55@aol.com New URL: http://www.cith.org/space&time.html S&T is a bi-annual magazine of science-fiction & fantasy. We publish supernatural horror, hard s-f, swords & sorcery, and our favorite: that-which-defies-categorization. If you're not sure your manuscript is right for us, send it in and let us decide... For fiction, we prefer under 10,000 words; more than that has to be very good indeed. Poetry of any type is fine, as long as it falls within the sf/fantasy genre; strong narrative poems are welcome here. We're generating pretty much all the non-fiction we want right now, so hold off on that. Payment is 1 cent per word ($5.00 minimum) for First North American Serial Rights, with a non-exclusive option on subsidiary rights, plus two copies on publication and a 40% discount on additional copies. Normally we pay on acceptance; because of our current cash-flow problems, though, we probably can't issue checks until after #92 comes out." [DarkEcho, 3 Feb 00] =Whispers From The Shattered Forum= [Quarterly print mag, DF/H to 4000 wds, pays 1/4 cent/wd ($2.00 min.). E-mail subm okay.] Cullen Bunn, Editor 11 San Miguel Drive, Apt. B St. Charles, MO 63303 E-mail subm to: cbunn@undauntedpress.com http://www.undauntedpress.com/whispers.htm =Whispers From The Shattered Forum= is currently seeking short stories up to 4,000 words in length. We're looking for strong stories that will frighten and entertain our readers. We welcome a wide variety of horror tales (although we do not really want to see any erotica). Stories featuring vampires, werewolves, serial killers, and the like must be original and particularly terrifying in order to catch our attention. Subtle horror, psychological horror, supernatural horror, cosmic horror -- all are welcome. Dig deep and find out what really scares you. Have fun writing the story and we'll have fun reading it. We are also seeking horrific poetry (no line limit) and artwork to fill the pages of our magazine. We purchase FNASR. We may also publish reprints, but these must be approved in advance by the editor. Response time will be approximately two to four weeks after we receive the submission. We always comment on submissions. Payment will be 1/4 cent per word and one contributor's copy for fiction and poetry ($2 minimum) and $5 to $10 and one contributor's copy for artwork. All submissions should be in standard manuscript format. Postal submissions must be accompanied by a SASE. Electronic submissions should be pasted into the body of the e-mail. Include a word count and a brief biography with each submission. While it is not required, we highly recommend that you purchase a sample copy of =Whispers from the Shattered Forum =to see what the magazine is all about. A sample copy or subscription won't set you back much, and you will be helping to support a market which supports artists like yourselves. Send submissions to: Cullen Bunn, Editor 11 San Miguel Drive, Apt. B St. Charles, MO 63303 cbunn@undauntedpress.com [http://www.undauntedpress.com/submissi.htm] ***************************************************************** * "Writing isn't your career, it's your religion. Writing is * * your form of prayer. You put words together one by one to * * reach the truth." * * --Mary Kay Blakely (comment to her sister, Gina Blakely, * * in =Wake Me Up When It's Over=, 1989) * ***************************************************************** MARKET INFORMATION =DNA Publications= Starting in March of 2000, DNA Publications will begin providing free content on its website (http://sfsite.com/dnaweb/home.htm). The content will consist of both previously unpublished material and reprints from DNA's five magazines, which include =Weird Tales=, =Absolute Magnitude=, =Dreams of Decadence=, =Pirate Writings=, and =Aboriginal SF=. "It is our aim to make DNA's Web page a destination site for the science fiction community," said Publisher Warren Lapine. "We believe that our print magazines give us an inherently superior position to Web-only publishing. Our Web site does not have to fund our company, so we can afford to pay writers more money and thus offer the very best in content." DNA Publications, Inc., PO Box 2988, Radford VA 24143-2988 dnapublications@iname.com (=queries only=, no subs) DNA Publications will be paying 3 to 5 cents a word on acceptance for the original fiction on its Web site (http://sfsite.com/ dnaweb/home.htm). It will consider all forms of science fiction, fantasy and horror. All stories must be original. Unfortunately, due to the volume of submissions we receive, email submissions cannot be accepted. All submissions should be sent to the address above. [DarkEcho, 3 Feb 00] =Northern Fusion= A writer on sff.net says he just received an email from the editors of the Canadian magazine =Northern Fusion=, saying that their magazine is on hiatus and the future is uncertain. [sff.writing.response-times, 6 Feb 00] =Speculations= The market/writing magazine for SF/F, =Speculations=, says on its website, "We have some news for you. As of Issue 31, Speculations will go from a 64-page bimonthly digest to at least a 48-page monthly. Subscription prices will drop to $20 per year for all subscribers. If the division process results in us owing you a fraction of an issue, it will be rounded up to the next highest number. This means that everybody has at least two more issues to go. For reasons of cost, we will be delivering =Speculations= via e-mail. The electronic version will be as identical to the print version as we can possibly make it. The layout and design will all look very familiar, and you'll be able to easily print and read it away from your computer. (See Technical Specifications below for exactly how we're going to do this.) Don't Worry! You need not have access to the World Wide Web to enjoy =Speculations=. Everything we delivered via the Post Office will be delivered via e-mail; you won't have to remember to check a Web site every couple of weeks. There will be no service interruption; Issue 31 will be e-mailed to all subscribers we currently have an e-mail address for on February 1st, 2000. All of our editorial team and principal contributors are still on board, including Susan Fry, Mike Resnick, Randy Dannenfelser, Cynthia Ward, and Bruce Holland Rogers. =Speculations= will remain free of advertising, and none of your personal information--including your e-mail address--will ever be given to anyone else. Extra Goodies: Going electronic opens up many new possibilities. The first and most important is one we've already had running for three years: an online community for writers that we call The Rumor Mill. It's currently available on the Web at www.speculations.com and is free to everyone, subscriber or not. We'll also have a subscribers-only area. Your login and password to this area will be e-mailed to you with your copy of Issue 31. The private area will include: Your Statistics and Options: Any time you like, you'll be able to change your e-mail address or see exactly how many issues you have left.You'll be able to tell us online how you like to read your =Speculations=. Printer-friendly? Screen-friendly? Both? The Archive Stacks: As electronic issues go out, they will also go into the archives and will remain available to current . If you lose your copy of Speculations #31, for instance, you'll be able to go into the Archives and request that a fresh copy be e-mailed to you. And as new subscribers come on, they'll be able to look in the archives and order access to back issues, which will be charged to their subscriptions. Authors will be paid royalties for each back issue sold through the Archives; see Answers for Authors below for details. Market Reports & Response Times: an expanded version of Randy Dannenfelser's latest column, with full guidelines. Response times will be updated on the fly as subscribers submit them, right there on the page, and each market will have a link back to its own discussion topic on The Rumor Mill. The Market Vault: The complete text of every Market Maven column we've ever run, indexed and searchable, or readable all at once in a big mass. We expect that access to this feature alone will be worth the price of admission; nobody's ever even tried to act as an institutional memory for the small press. The Dead Market List: A subset of the Market Vault, containing a concise list of every closed market we've ever reported, with links to the complete text. Is it dead, Jim? Only the DML knows for sure. Technical Specifications: How are we going to provide an identical, universally-accessible, printer-friendly reading experience to all of our readers via e-mail? Simple: by sending =Speculations= in Adobe's Portable Document Format. If you do not already have version 3 or greater of Adobe's Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, please visit the Adobe web site at www.adobe.com and install it. It's free, very easy to install and use, and works with almost all computers; chances are excellent that you already have it included as part of your Web browser. Don't worry if you don't quite understand all of this. Complete instructions for downloading the Adobe reader and reading and printing =Speculations= will ship with every issue, and we'll be available via e-mail and The Rumor Mill to support you in whatever way we can. Answers For Authors: How much are you paying? We will continue to pay at least three cents per word upon acceptance. What rights are you buying? Instead of serial or one-time print rights, the money we pay will be an advance on royalties for 1000 copies sold. As soon as copy number 1001 is requested by a paying customer, an identical check for another advance on royalties for the next 1000 copies will be sent to you, and so on into infinity. When will you report royalties? Sales statistics will be available online immediately for all issues containing your work. Can I sell my work elsewhere? Yes. All we ask is the same 90 days' worth of exclusive rights that we asked for in the print days; after that, you can do whatever you want with it. Do you archive? Not in the usual sense of the word. Your work will never go online for immediate download under any circumstances, nor will it ever be published in any format we can't reasonably secure. This is another reason why we like Adobe's PDF format. We're able to secure it in such a way that readers can't even select and copy text from the document. Okay, sure, they could always print it out and scan it back in again, but they'd be able to do that with the print version. What about piracy? We're taking all possible steps against illegal redistribution of your work. Pirates will be vigorously prosecuted, and because we already have a well-established online community, we expect that they will be caught, and quickly. If You're Staying With Us: We either have your e-mail address already or not. If you received Online Update #16 on December 31st, you're all set. Speculations #31 will show up at that address shortly after February 1st, 2000. If we do not have your e-mail address or you need to change it--perhaps you are a GEnie orphan, or you don't like the way AOL sometimes mangles file attachments--please either visit the Web site at www.speculations.com or send an e-mail message to update@speculations.com and tell us what you need us to do. If You're Not: We will refund the balance of your subscription if you absolutely hate this idea. Please send a signed request for refund to Speculations, PMB 400, 1111 West El Camino Real #109-400, Sunnyvale, CA 94087-1057. We're sorry to see you go, but we respect your decision. We are particularly sensitive to the plight of those of you who have been watching us for five years and have finally decided to take the plunge. All checks received from new subscribers after January 1st, 2000 that don't clearly indicate that the sender knows we're an online publication will be returned with a copy of this letter. We hope you don't come away with the idea that you killed =Speculations= by subscribing. Please help us continue by filling out the attached form and dropping that check back into the mail. And Finally: We know this notice comes as a sudden shock, for which we must apologize. This is the very first announcement we've made; the last thing we wanted was for anyone who wasn't connected via e-mail to feel "aced out" by the people who are already online. Please stay with us. At the end of the day, we're going to be the first print publication to go electronic in a manner that fully respects both its customers and contributors. We're going to be able to do this because our customers are our contributors. With your support, we'll do it right, and we'll show the way for others to follow." [http://speculations.com/] MARKET LIST UPDATE Paula Fleming has updated her online speculative fiction market list. It's at http://home.att.net/~p.fleming/Sfmarket.html ==End of the CALLIHOO newsletter for 8 February 2000==