CALLIHOO Newsletter Market News for Writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Julia West, Editor Vol. 10, No. 23 5 November 2002 Website: http://www.sff.net/people/julia.west/CALLIHOO/index.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------- IN THIS ISSUE Deadlines Contest Delacorte Press Contest for a First Young Adult Novel (gls) Market Guidelines 3SF (gls) Fortean Bureau (gls) Market Information 3SF Abyss & Apex Crux Fortean Bureau Planet Relish Strange Horizons ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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.) NESFA 2003 SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY SHORT STORY CONTEST Deadline 15 November 2002 [Contest, SF/F to 7500 wds, unpublished (professionally) writers only, no entry fee. Prize: $50 merchandise. No rights taken. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 14)] FIRST ANNUAL FIREBRAND FICTION/SFREADER.COM STORY CONTEST Deadline 30 November 2002 [Contest, SF/F/H 1,000-6,000 wds. No sim subs. Mult subs okay, separately. E-mail subs okay. 1st place $50 and pub, 2nd place $25 and pub, HM $20 and pub. No entry fee. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 15)] THE NATIONAL FANTASY FAN FEDERATION SHORT STORY CONTEST Deadline 1 December 2002 [Contest, SF/F/H. 1st place $50, 2nd $30, 3rd $20. Reading fee $2.00. No E-mail subs. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 1)] TOUCH OF NOIR Deadline 1 December 2002 [Antho, pulp detective/crime stories 4000-7000 wds (F/H elements okay). Pmt. percentage of royalties. E-mail subs only. RT 1-2 wks. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 14)] BYLINE SHORT-SHORT STORY CONTEST Deadline 5 December 2002 [Short story, any type or subject, to 2,000 words. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $60, $30, $20. (GLs in Vol. 9 No. 25)] THE MOONLIGHT & MAGNOLIA FICTION WRITING CONTEST: SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, HORROR Deadline 15 December 2002 [Annual competition for new writers, SF/F/H to 10,000 wds. No reprints. Prizes: 1st $250, 2nd $100, 3rd $50. Entry fee $7.50 per story ($2.50 2nd and thereafter to 3 entries). (GLs in Vol. 9 No. 17)] DELACORTE PRESS CONTEST FOR A FIRST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL Open 1 October - 31 December 2002 [Print publisher, YA novel (ages 12-18), contemp, 100-224 typewritten pages, pays $1500 and $6000 advance. No sim subs. Up to 2 mss. considered. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 23)] WRITERS OF THE FUTURE, 1ST QUARTER 2003 Deadline 31 December 2002 [$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. 9 No. 1)] CRUX: A JOURNAL OF SPECULATIVE FICTION 1ST ISSUE CONTEST Deadline 15 January 2003 [Contest SF/F/H to 3,000 wds. Elements for contest are: "that grape soda feeling"; "the eye of Jupitor"; and unicorns. For summer 2003 issue. E-mail subs only. Sim subs and reprints ok. 1st place $20+pub. No accept. on contest entries until after deadline. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 14)] OCEANS OF THE MIND SPRING 2003 ISSUE: WOMEN WRITERS Deadline 1 February 2003 [Quarterly e-mailzine in .pdf format. SF to 8,000 words. Pays 5 cents/word & up. Themed. Prefers E-mail subs. (GLs in Vol. 9 No. 7 and Vol. 10 No. 3)] POLYPHONY 3 ANTHOLOGY Open 1 January 2003 to 15 February 2003 [Anthology, slipstream/magical realism 4,000 to 10,000 wds. Pays 6 cents/wd. on accept. No E-mail, sim or mult subs. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 20)] PATH OF THE JUST SUPERHERO FICTION ANTHOLOGY Deadline 1 March 2003 [Anthology, F in Silver Age Sentinels RPG milieu, 3,000 to 7,000 wds. Pays 3-5 cents/wd. on pub. No E-mail subs. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 20)] ----------------------------------------------------------------- CONTEST DELACORTE PRESS CONTEST FOR A FIRST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL [Print publisher, YA novel (ages 12-18), contemp, 100-224 typewritten pages, pays $1500 and $6000 advance. No sim subs. Up to 2 mss. considered. Open 1 Oct - 31 Dec 2002.] Delacorte Press Contest Random House, Inc. 1540 Broadway New York, NY 10036 Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers is pleased to announce: The Twenty-First Annual Delacorte Press Contest for a First Young Adult Novel The prize of a book contract (on the publisher's standard form) covering world rights for a hardcover and a paperback edition, including an advance and royalties, is awarded annually to encourage the writing of contemporary young adult fiction. The award consists of $1,500 in cash and a $6,000 advance against royalties. Eligibility 1. The contest is open to U.S. and Canadian writers who have not previously published a young adult novel. Employees of Random House, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates, and members of their families and households are not eligible. 2. Foreign-language manuscripts and translations are not eligible. 3. Manuscripts submitted to a previous Delacorte Press contest are not eligible. Format for Submissions 1. Submissions should consist of a book-length manuscript with a contemporary setting that will be suitable for readers ages 12 to 18. 2. Manuscripts should be no shorter than 100 typewritten pages and no longer than 224 typewritten pages. Include a brief plot summary with your covering letter. 3. Each manuscript should have a cover page listing the title of the novel; the author's name, address, and telephone number; and a note stating whether or not the manuscript need be returned. The title should also appear on each manuscript page. 4. Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced on 8 1/2" x 11" good quality white paper, and pages should be numbered consecutively. The type should be at least 10 point. The author should retain a copy of any manuscript submitted. 5. Photocopies are acceptable if readily legible and printed on good quality white (not gray) paper. 6. Do not submit manuscripts in boxes. A padded envelope will do. Please do not enclose checks for postage. The publisher cannot guarantee the return of any manuscript, and is not responsible for late, lost, misdelivered, or misplaced submissions. 7. If your manuscript does not need to be returned, enclose a business-size stamped, self-addressed envelope for notification. Manuscripts that do not need to be returned will be destroyed by Random House. If your manuscript is to be returned, it must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope or book mailer large enough to accommodate the manuscript; otherwise, the manuscript cannot be returned. Multiple Submissions 1. Manuscripts sent to Delacorte Press may not be submitted to other publishers while under consideration for the prize. 2. Authors may not submit more than two manuscripts to the Delacorte Press competition; each must meet all eligibility requirements. Dates for Submission 1. Manuscripts must be postmarked after October 1, 2002, but no later than December 31, 2002. 2. Send manuscripts to: Delacorte Press Contest, Random House, Inc., 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036 Judging 1. The judges are the editors of Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers. 2. The judges reserve the right not to award a prize. 3. The decision of the judges will be final. 4. The editors of Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers will not be able to offer critiques of manuscripts or enter into correspondence about the manuscripts other than with the winning author. 5. Contest results will be announced no later than April 30, 2003. Previous Winning Titles and Authors 1983 First Place: Center Line by Joyce Sweeney Honor Book: The Question Box by Roberta Hughey 1984 First Place: Walk Through Cold Fire by Cin Forshay-Lunsford Honor Books: The Whole Nine Yards by Dallin Malmgren, Too Much T.J. by Jacqueline Shannon 1985 First Place: The Impact Zone by Ray Maloney Honor Book: The Romantic Obsessions and Humiliations of Annie Sehlmeier by Louise Plummer 1986 No Prizewinner 1987 First Place: Cal Cameron by Day, Spider-Man by Night by A. E. Cannon Honor Books: Children of the River by Linda Crew, Best Friends Tell the Best Lies by Carol Dines 1988 First Place: Ozzy on the Outside by R. E. Allen 1989 First Place: Hank by James Sauer Honor Books: Mayflower Man by Jean Adair Shriver, Mote by Chap Reaver, Silicon Songs by Buzz King 1990 First Place: Lizard by Dennis Covington Honor Books: Crosses by Shelley Stoehr, The Toom County Mud Race by Herb Karl 1991 First Place: Squashed by Joan Bauer Honor Book: The Joker and the Thief by Raymond Obstfeld 1992 First Place: Life Belts by Jane Hosie-Bounar Honor Book: Getting Lincoln's Goat by E. M. Goldman 1993 No Prizewinner 1994 First Place: Under the Mermaid Angel by Martha Moore 1995 No Prizewinner 1996 First Place: Breaking Boxes by A. M. Jenkins Honor Book: For Mike by Shelley Sykes 1997 First Place: A Door Near Here by Heather G. Quarles Honor Book: Hate You by Graham McNamee 1998 No Prizewinner 1999 First Place: Night Flying by Rita Murphy 2000 No prizewinner 2001 First Place: Cuba Fifteen (tentative title) by Nancy Osa Honor Book: Bringing Up the Bones by Lara M. Zeises http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/games/delacorte.html ----------------------------------------------------------------- MARKET GUIDELINES 3SF [Brit bimonthly print mag, F/SF to 10,000 wds. Pays 3p/wd (abt 4.5 US cents/wd) on pub. No sim, mult, or E-mail subs.] Liz Holliday, Editor 3SF Magazine 31 Shottsford Wessex Gardens London W2 5LG UK E-mail (queries only): liz@3sfmag.co.uk What we want - fiction To state the obvious, we're looking for good fantasy and science fiction - we're much less interested in horror, though sf/f that has an atmosphere of horror about it might be fine. What that means to us is fiction that grabs our interest and holds it all the way to the end - and that, in turn, means interesting plots and ideas, and crucially, characters we care about. We're as interested in hard sf and space opera as we are in high fantasy, contemporary fantasy and sword and sorcery. Bottom line - if in doubt, send it in. We'd rather read a dozen stories we don't want than risk missing the one we do. What we want - non-fiction We have various slots open for non-fiction. These include Readers' Guide (brief introduction and bibliography relating to a subgenre or particular author); Eclectica - almost anything that might interest readers and writers of fantasy and science fiction (can include cutting edge science topics, interesting turning points in history, mythology, folklore - but note that you'll need to demonstrate both interest and expertise in your topic); interviews with authors; Fanbase - introduction to a particular kind of fandom (eg cons, fanzines, netfandom, SCA, what have you). Please query for non-fiction before you submit - all non-fiction is commissioned. We also need very short 'strange fact' filler items (200 words maximum), but we do not pay for these. What we pay and the rights we buy We take stories up to 10,000 words long - but at that length, a story will have to be brilliant. Especially if you're a new writer, you have a much better chance with something shorter. And yes, we will buy short-shorts (under 1000 words). We pay L30 per thousand words, pro rata (i.e. 3p - or around 4.5 US cents per word depending on the exchange rate - per word), on publication, for fiction and non-fiction. We buy first English Language print serial rights, i.e. we buy the right to use your story once, in English, in the printed version of the magazine, and we need to be the first people to do so. We intend to do an electronic version of the magazine at some point in the future; we will be offering an additional royalty payment for electronic sales. Manuscript preparation Manuscripts should be printed in black (not grey!) ink, double spaced on one side of the paper (A4 or 8.5"x11") only. Use 12 point Courier or another mono-spaced typeface. Indent paragraphs but do not leave extra space between them. Do leave one extra line between scenes, and also mark insert a hash or asterisk. Put your name, the title of the story, and the page number on every page. Put your full name and address on the first or title page. Also on the first page, include an estimated word count (rounded to the nearest 50 words is fine). Cover letters are not necessary, but I like them. If any of this is news to you, you might want to check out Vonda N. McIntyre's guide to manuscript preparation: http://www.sfwa.org/writing/vonda/vonda.htm. You will find many other useful articles at http://www.sfwa.org/writing/ as well - but beware, some of them are tongue in cheek! No simultaneous submissions and no multiple submissions. Sending Your Manuscript And Receiving Our Reply We accept stories by regular mail only, unless you had fiction in =Valkyrie= or =Odyssey=, or non-fiction in =Odyssey=, when you may send work by email. We know this will disappoint some people and lead others to call us Luddites - but we've tried the email submissions idea and it caused no end of trouble. If you want a reply from us, you MUST include either your email address (preferred) or a Stamped Addressed Envelope. If the latter, you must either use British stamps or International Reply Coupons. Please don't use US or other foreign stamps - they aren't valid when posting letters from Great Britain to other countries. We hope to see something from you soon! Good luck and write well! FORTEAN BUREAU [Webzine, bizarre stories to 4,000 wds. Pays 3 cents/wd to $60 on pub. No sim or mult subs. E-mail subs only.] Jeremiah Tolbert, Editor Submissions: editors@forteanbureau.com =Fortean Bureau= Submission Guidelines What we look for in a story: Stories that make passes at explaining the unexplainable. Stories of science dealing with the bizarre. Stories regarding events so unusual they defy explanation. Stories that debunk all of those things. Stories on the edge of reason, teetering on the brink of logic. Stories just gone over the edge. Folklore, wive's tales, and urban myths so strange they just might be true. Most important; weirdness. We've seen ghost stories. We've seen stories about vampires. We're looking for things that are not common knowledge in U.S. pop culture, unless you're putting a new spin on it that we haven't seen. We especially like exotic locales and a variety of time periods. We also have a fondness for good, old-fashioned pulp-style adventure, but not without speculative elements. We're not interested in sword and sorcery, high fantasy, or space opera . We rarely see science fiction, so you'll get our attention with a science fiction slant at this point. When we talk about weird, we don't necessarily mean a horrific kind of weird, either. We're not interested in horror unless we're doing a special issue. "Dark" genre work either, as a general rule. Stories that revolve around a paralyzing fear of the unknown aren't going to pass muster with us. The Fortean philosophy seeks to understand those things, and at this time, we're seeking more upbeat work than what we've been seeing in the past. We like slipstream, urban fantasy, and as mentioned before, science fiction. While we're interested in stories of a Fortean nature, we still want strong, well-paced character-oriented stories. However, we enjoy looking at stories that don't quite fit into that standard mold, and may be more inclined to purchase a non-character centered story than some. Read the Fortean Times (www.forteantimes.com/) or The Charles Fort Institute (http://www.forteana.org/) website to learn more about the man and his ideas. This information shall prove useful if you wish to be published in the =Bureau=. Please do not make simultaneous submissions, and please wait to receive a response on one story before sending another. Submission Guidelines Submissions should be addressed to editors@forteanbureau.com with the subject "Submission- (Your Title Here)." Submissions must be attached to the email in standard manuscript format in a Microsoft Word (.DOC) or Rich Text (.RTF) format. Submissions in the body of an email will be returned unread. The body of your email must contain the following information: Author's Name(s) Title Word Count Standard mailing address A short (<150 words) biography and links. Email Address Story Length and Rights We would like to see stories up to 4000 words (somewhat firm). We don't want you to submit things longer than that, but you may if you think you have something only we would be interested in. Anything longer than 8000 words will be returned unread. We pay 3 cents a word, up to a maximum of $60 per story upon publication. This is an increase from our previous $40 limit. We purchase First Worldwide Electronic Rights, posting the story exclusively to our website and no other publication for 4 months. After 4 months from the publication date, the rights revert to the author. We continue to archive stories after this period unless requested by the author to do otherwise. We purchase no unsolicited reprints. Note: 4 months is an increase from the 3 months we were asking for previously. All stories purchased under a 3 month agreement remain under that agreement. New purchases will be for 4 months. Return Times Please allow us a minimum of six weeks to consider your story before querying. We are a young publication, and it will take us some time to work out our system. [http://www.forteanbureau.com/guidelines.html] ----------------------------------------------------------------- MARKET INFORMATION 3SF Liz Holliday, editor of =3SF= Magazine, said, "As I've been told repeatedly over the past few days, the =3SF= website is badly broken. I have a good idea why, but it's not something I can talk about publicly. We will be getting it sorted out just as soon as I can make time to brief the new webperson. "In the meanwhile, I'm reposting the guidelines. . . ." [See above] [sff.publishing.3sfmagazine, 31 Oct 02] ABYSS & APEX Elizabeth Bear, of =Abyss and Apex= magazine, said, "Anybody with a sub in to =Abyss & Apex= from before the first of November-- please be queryin' if you haven't heard from us by Monday. "The slushpile should be raked over completely this weekend." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 2 Nov 02] CRUX Sarah Guidry, editor of =Crux= Magazine, said, "I've responded to all submissions to =Crux= as of today. If you've sent something and not received a response, please let me know." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 30 Oct 02] FORTEAN BUREAU Jeremy Tolbert, editor of =Fortean Bureau= webzine, said, "We've updated our guidelines at the =Fortean Bureau=! Including some clarifications about the kind of work we're seeking, we've increased our payrates to 3 cents a word, with a maximum of $60 per story. [See above] "The key word with the =Fortean Bureau= right now is *weird*. "We're looking for submissions for our January issue right now. Thanks for reading, and I hope you will consider submitting to the =Fortean Bureau=." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 29 Oct 02] PLANET RELISH A writer on the =Speculations= Rumor Mill asked, "Long before the 14 month vacation, I had submitted a piece to =Planet Relish=. I was told it was being held, then I stopped getting answers to my emails. It's currently submitted elsewhere. "My question is: Are you reviving a 15 month old slush pile, or starting fresh?" Mark Rapacioli, editor of =Planet Relish=, answered, "Way, way too many submissions and queries were lost when my previous web host's mail forwarding service broke and/or when my AOL account dropped all my over-30-day-old mail, so we're starting all over. "While on hiatus, I had a message up on the site, stating that all submissions were considered returned to the writers. So, if the story does get back to you, feel free to resubmit. "Sorry to have been such a black hole, but with the new staff members and a new host, this should never happen again." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 24 Oct 02] STRANGE HORIZONS Jed Hartman, one of the fiction editors of =Strange Horizons=, said, "Seems like there's been a rash of email not getting through lately (especially stuff mailed from sff.net), so I'm gonna try to post status updates for =SH= more regularly for a while. Maybe once a month? Not sure. Anyway, here's today's status: "We in the =Strange Horizons= fiction department have now responded to everything submitted to us on or before 3 October 2002. If you sent us something on or before that date and haven't yet heard back from us, then either your submission or our response got lost in email; please drop us a query note. "If you submitted on or after 4 October, don't query yet, of course. [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 29 Oct 02] Jed Hartman also said, "Wanted to let everyone know that =Strange Horizons= will be temporarily closed to fiction submissions again during this coming December, from 12/1/2002 through 12/31/2002. Last year's temporary closure went very smoothly, so we're trying it again. "After the closure, we will be reopening to subs on January 1, 2003. "Feel free to pass this information along, but if you do, please be sure to mention that this is a temporary closure only. "Note that submissions in other departments are unaffected; this applies only to fiction. "Feel free to drop us a note (fiction@strangehorizons.com) if you have any questions. "I may as well take this opportunity to clarify a couple things: 1. During December, we'll continue to read and make decisions about anything submitted before December, and we'll continue to send out acceptances and rejections as we decide on things. 2. Anything submitted during December will receive an autoresponse saying that we're closed 'til January and that the submission will be deleted unread. 3. We will continue to publish new material all through December; the magazine isn't going on hiatus, just not open to fiction subs. [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 1 Oct 02] ==End of the CALLIHOO Newsletter for 5 November 2002==