CALLIHOO Newsletter Market News for Writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Julia West, Editor Vol. 10, No. 16 10 September 2002 Website: http://www.sff.net/people/julia.west/CALLIHOO/index.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------- IN THIS ISSUE Deadlines Contest Strange New Worlds Contest (gls) Market Guidelines Say... (gls) Market Information Andromeda Spaceways Black Gate Crux Gothic.net Imaginings anthology Speculations Tor ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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.) SAY...WAS THAT A KISS? Deadline 30 September 02 [Semi-annual printzine, themed. Fic to 8,000 wds. Pays $10/piece. No sim, mult or electronic subs or reprints. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 16)] STRANGE NEW WORLDS VI CONTEST Deadline 1 October 02 [Contest, Star Trek SF to 7,500 wds. Non-professional writers over 18 only. No E-mail subs. Multiple entries okay. Winners sell all rights. Grand prize $1000, 2nd prize $600, 3rd prize $400 + 10 cents/wd. for anthology. Up to 20 HM pub in antho at 10 cents/wd. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 16)] 2002 ZOETROPE: ALL-STORY SHORT FICTION CONTEST Deadline 1 October 2002 [Contest. Fiction to 5,000 wds. 1st $1000, 2nd $500, 3rd $250. No reprints. $15 entry fee per story. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 3)] BYLINE FLASH FICTION CONTEST Deadline 5 October 2002 [Short story/vignette under 1,000 words, which feels complete. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $50, $30, $15. (GLs in Vol. 9 No. 25)] SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS OF EARTH Deadline 30 October 2002 (postmarked) [Contest for new writers, SF/F 2,000 - 7,500 wds. $5 fee 1st entry (gives year's membership to SFWoE)/$2 fee further entries. 1st prize $200, 2nd $100, 3rd $50. No E-mail subs. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 9)]] WRITERS OF THE FUTURE, 4TH QUARTER 2002 Deadline 31 October 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)] MOTA: AN ANNUAL ANTHOLOGY OF FINE FICTION Deadline 1 November 2002 [Annual antho, fiction to 10,000 wds (to 8,000 wds preferred). Pays $100 on pub. Mult subs and reprints okay. (GLs in Vol. 9 No. 9)] OCEANS OF THE MIND WINTER 2002 ISSUE: CANADIAN WRITERS Deadline 1 November 2002 [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)] BYLINE NEW-TALENT SHORT STORY CONTEST Deadline 4 November 2002 [Writer who's never won a cash prize in a ByLine fiction contest. Max 5,000 words. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $50, $35, $25, $15. GLs in Vol. 9 No. 25)] 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)] 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: STORIES BEYOND GENRE ANTHOLOGY Probably opens 1 Mar 2003 [Biannual print antho, slipstream/magical realism. Pays 5 cents/wd on accept. First open reading period abt. 1 Mar 2003. (GLs in Vol. 9 No. 22)] ----------------------------------------------------------------- CONTEST STRANGE NEW WORLDS VI CONTEST [Contest, Star Trek SF to 7,500 wds. Nonprofessional writers over 18 only. No electronic subs. Multiple entries okay. Deadline 1 Oct 02. Winners sell all rights. Grand prize $1000, 2nd prize $600, 3rd prize $400 + 10 cents/wd. for anthology. Up to 20 HM pub in antho at 10 cents/wd.] STRANGE NEW WORLDS VI Star Trek Department, Pocket Books 1230 Sixth Avenue New York, NY 10020 1) ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: No purchase necessary to enter. Enter by submitting your story as specified below. 2) CONTEST ELIGIBILITY: This contest is open to nonprofessional writers who are legal residents of the United States and Canada (excluding Quebec) over the age of 18. Entrant must not have published any more than two short stories on a professional basis or in paid professional venues. Employees (or relatives of employees living in the same household) of Simon & Schuster, VIACOM, or any of their affiliates are not eligible. This contest is void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. 3) FORMAT: Entries should be no more than 7,500 words long and must not have been previously published. They must be typed or printed by word processor, double spaced, on one side of noncorrasable paper. Do not justify right-side margins. The author's name, address, and phone number must appear on the first page of the entry. The author's name, the story title, and the page number should appear on every page. No electronic or disk submissions will be accepted. All entries must be original and the sole work of the Entrant and the sole property of the Entrant. 4) ADDRESS: Each entry must be mailed to: STRANGE NEW WORLDS VI, Star Trek Department, Pocket Books, 1230 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10020. Each entry must be submitted only once. Please retain a copy of your submission. You may submit more than one story, but each submission must be mailed separately. Enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you wish your entry returned. Entries must be received by October 1st, 2002. Not responsible for lost, late, stolen, postage due or misdirected mail. 5) PRIZES: Simon and Schuster will own all rights to the winning entries. Each winner will be required to execute a contract granting Pocket Books all such rights. One Grand Prize Winner will receive: Simon and Schuster's =Star Trek: Strange New Worlds VI= Publishing Contract for Publication of Winning Entry in our =Strange New Worlds VI= Anthology with a bonus advance of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) above the Anthology word rate of 10 cents a word. One Second Prize winner will receive: Simon and Schuster's =Star Trek: Strange New Worlds VI= Publishing Contract for Publication of Winning Entry in our =Strange New Worlds VI= Anthology with a bonus advance of Six Hundred Dollars ($600.00) above the Anthology word rate of 10 cents a word. One Third Prize winner will receive: Simon and Schuster's =Star Trek: Strange New Worlds VI= Publishing Contract for Publication of Winning Entry in our =Strange New Worlds VI= Anthology with a bonus advance of Four Hundred Dollars ($400.00) above the Anthology word rate of 10 cents a word. All Honorable Mention winners will receive: Simon and Schuster's =Star Trek: Strange New Worlds VI= Publishing Contract for Publication of Winning Entry in the =Strange New Worlds VI= Anthology and payment at the Anthology word rate of 10 cents a word. There will be no more than twenty (20) Honorable Mention winners. No contestant can win more than one prize. Each Prize Winner will also be entitled to a share of royalties on the =Strange New Worlds VI= Anthology as specified in Simon and Schuster's =Star Trek: Strange New Worlds VI= Publishing Contract. 6) JUDGING: Submissions will be judged on the basis of writing ability and the originality of the story, which can be set in any of the Star Trek time frames and may feature any one or more of the Star Trek characters. The judges shall include the editor of the Anthology, one employee of Pocket Books, and one employee of VIACOM Consumer Products. The decisions of the judges shall be final. All prizes will be awarded provided a sufficient number of entries are received that meet the minimum criteria established by the judges. 7) NOTIFICATION: The winners will be notified by mail or phone. The winners who win a publishing contract must sign the publishing contract in order to be awarded the prize. All federal, local, and state taxes are the responsibility of the winner. A list of the winners will be available after January 1st, 2003, on the Pocket Books Star Trek Books Web site, www.simonsays.com/startrek/ or the names of the winners can be obtained after January 1st, 2003 by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope and a request for the list of winners to WINNERS' LIST, STRANGE NEW WORLDS VI, Star Trek Department, Pocket Books, 1230 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10020. 8) STORY DISQUALIFICATIONS: Certain types of stories will be disqualified from consideration: a) Any story focusing on explicit sexual activity or graphic depictions of violence or sadism. b) Any story that focuses on characters that are not past or present Star Trek regulars or familiar Star Trek guest characters. c) Stories that deal with the previously unestablished death of a Star Trek character, or that establish major facts about or make major changes in the life of a major character, for instance a story that establishes a long-lost sibling or reveals the hidden passion two characters feel for each other. d) Stories that are based around common cliches, such as "hurt/comfort" where a character is injured and lovingly cared for, or "Mary Sue" stories where a new character comes on the ship and outdoes the crew. 9) PUBLICITY: Each Winner grants to Pocket Books the right to use his or her name, likeness, and entry for any advertising, promotion, and publicity purposes without further compensation to or permission from such winner, except where prohibited by law. 10) LEGAL STUFF: All entries become the property of Pocket Books and of Paramount Pictures, the sole and exclusive owner of the Star Trek property and elements thereof. Entries will be returned only if they are accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Contest void where prohibited by law. TM 2002 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved [http://www.psiphi.org/cgi/upc-db/feature/snw6-rules.html] ----------------------------------------------------------------- MARKET GUIDELINES SAY... [Semi-annual printzine, themed. Fic to 8,000 wds. Pays $10/piece. 1st issue theme Was That A Kiss? Deadline 1st issue 30 Sep 02. No sim, mult or electronic subs or reprints.] Christopher Rowe, Editor The Fortress of Words PO Box 1304 Lexington KY, 40588-1304, USA E-mail (queries only): isthisacat@hotmail.com. =Say...= is the new semi-annual zine from indie press The Fortress of Words. Inspired by the critical and popular success of our debut publication, the one shot =...is this a cat?=, each issue will be themed around a very broad question. The theme for the premiere issue is: Was That a Kiss? Artists and illustrators, writers and poets, and maybe even comics creators will offer work that answers, addresses, illuminates, challenges or rebukes the question at hand. =Say...Was That A Kiss?= will debut at the 2002 World Fantasy Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in November. Below, you'll find ordering and subscription information, a description of the magazine's format, guidelines for fiction, comics and poetry submissions, art guidelines, and the address for the Fortress of Words. ORDERING INFORMATION: =Say...= will be a semi-annual zine with issues to appear in the Autumn and the Spring of each year, available by subscription (see address below) for US$10 to readers in the United States. Individual issues are US$5. Readers abroad should send an inquiry to the subscription address or via the internet to isthisacat@hotmail.com. FORMAT: Say... will measure 7"x8.5" and will usually be around 48 pages long, staple bound in cover stock. NOTE: DEADLINE FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS FOR THE FIRST ISSUE IS SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2002. GENERAL Please do not send simultaneous or multiple submissions (excepting only multiples in poetry, see below). We are not accepting unsolicited reprints at this time. FICTION GUIDELINES: Each issue of =Say...= will be themed around a question, and your story should in some way answer, address, illuminate, challenge or rebuke that question. You usually won't have to work very hard to convince us that your story fits the theme. We're very open minded. The question for the first issue is: Was That a Kiss? Speculative fiction of any sort will be read with sympathy, but we're open to any type of fiction in English, so long as the story fits the rest of the guidelines and is less than 8,000 words long. Stories should be typed or printed in black ink. They should be in a monospaced font on one side of white paper measuring 8.5"x11" or close to it. Use a one inch margin all around. Please put your name and address in the upper left hand corner of the first page and an approximate word count in the upper right hand corner. On the second and subsequent pages, please place a header in the upper right hand corner that includes the page number, your last name, and an identifying word or two of the title. Please include a cover letter telling us a little about yourself and listing your last few publishing credits (if applicable) but not a description of the story and definitely not your reason as to why it's on theme. All submissions must include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for our reply (in the US--contributors from other places may include an e-mail address and we'll use that). The envelope should carry sufficient postage to return your manuscript if that's what you want, though we prefer disposable (and recyclable) manuscripts. If you send a disposable manuscript, a business sized envelope with a single first class stamp will suffice. The fiction editor is Christopher Rowe. COMICS =Say...= will print one or two short comics in each issue, if we get one or two we like. Remember, though, that the magazine will be in black and white and the issues will be reproduced on pieces of equipment that sometimes have coin slots on the side. (If you want to see an example of how the comics we've published look, check out =...is this a cat?=). The genre and theme requirements are the same as for fiction, but the length should be no more than eight pages. Please submit photocopies of your submission, as we can't be responsible for originals of unsolicited work. If we choose to publish your comic, we may ask for originals or for electronic files. PLEASE KEEP THE PAGE SIZE AND RATIO IN MIND (8.5" tall by 7" wide). Please include a cover letter telling us a little about yourself and listing your last few publishing credits (if applicable) but not a description of the comic and definitely not your reason as to why it's on theme. All submissions must include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for our reply (in the US--contributors from other places may include an e-mail address and we'll use that). The envelope should carry sufficient postage to return your submission if that's what you want, though we prefer disposable (and recyclable) submissions. If you send a disposable submission, a business sized envelope with a single first class stamp will suffice. Christopher Rowe is the comics editor, too. POETRY GUIDELINES (by poetry editor Alan DeNiro) Send 1-5 poems at a time that interpret the theme in any fashion whatsoever, in any style. Crafty wordplay, a unique voice, and a lack of bad abstractions and cliches will go a long way. Poems do not have to be narrative, or even speculative. While there are no length requirements per se, poems under two pages long will have the best chance for acceptance, purely for spatial reasons. POETRY SUBMISSIONS ARE ACCEPTED BY EMAIL ONLY to adeniro@rocketmail.com. Poetry submissions sent by postal mail to the Fortress of Words world headquarters will be returned unread. No attachments to the email; paste poem(s) in body of the email in plain text. Any formatting vexations do not help chances of publication. No reprints or simultaneous submissions. NONFICTION GUIDELINES Articles, reviews and other nonfiction pieces will be solicited by the editors. We are not accepting unsolicited nonfiction at this time. ART GUIDELINES We're looking for artists to provide black and white illustrations for both the cover and interior. Story illustrations will be solicited based on artists' samples, but we'll also be happy to look at spot and incidental illustrations that fit the theme of a particular issue. Please send samples and/or incidental illo submissions to the PO Box listed below. SEND PHOTOCOPIES ONLY, as we can't be responsible for original artwork. If we decide to use your work, we may ask for originals or electronic files later. The cover illustration will also be in black and white, and the same rules apply. Christopher Rowe, ever busy, is also the art editor. PAYMENT We're offering ten bucks. Well, it's a bit more complicated than that, but that's really what it boils down to. Payment for fiction is a flat US$10 per story. Payment for comics is a flat US$10 per comic. Payment for poetry is US$1 a line with a maximum of US$10 no matter the number of poems you let us use. That is to say, if we publish one of your poems in a single issue and it's eleven lines long, you get ten bucks. If we publish three of your poems in a single issue and they together total 119 lines, you get ten bucks. If we publish one of your poems and it's nine lines long, we greatly admire your integrity. Each individual artist whose work we use will receive a flat US$10 no matter how many pieces they have in an issue. If you live outside the hegemony, we'll arrange non-US$ payment somehow (gift certificates? merchandise? easily negotiable securities?). ADDRESS To subscribe, to order single copies, or to order copies of =...is this a cat?= (US$5 for domestic customers, write for info otherwise) send a check or money order made payable to CHRISTOPHER ROWE to the PO Box below. All submissions (except poetry, see above) should also go to this address. We don't accept electronic submissions of anything else. The Fortress of Words, PO Box 1304, Lexington KY, 40588-1304, USA. Christopher Rowe, editor, said, "Sorry about the close proximity of the deadline on this one--the first issue was originally invitation only, but we've got enough room left that we decided to kick it open in the last three weeks. I'll post the theme of the second issue sometime soon (and actually, suggestions for "theme questions" are welcome at isthisacat@hotmail.com). "I'm really serious about the "no electronic submissions" bit (except poetry, which goes to somebody else). Write me at the isthisacat eddress if you have any questions." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=178&show_all_t opics=0] ----------------------------------------------------------------- MARKET INFORMATION ANDROMEDA SPACEWAYS INFLIGHT MAGAZINE Robbie Matthews, editor-in-chief of =Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine=, said, "We will occasionally accept reprints, if asked nicely beforehand, AND if I think our readership won't have read it already (ie, very small circulation) AND if we aren't terribly busy (which we are...). "So our official stance on reprints is 'Sometimes, query first...' and in practical terms at the moment is 'No...'" [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 9 Sep 02] BLACK GATE John O'Neill, editor of =Black Gate Magazine=, said, "I promised a while back that I'd try to give more regular progress reports on reading submissions, and I'm probably overdue. I thought I'd publish an update today. "For regular (postal) submissions: * We're currently making final selections on manuscripts received late spring through early summer (March - May) of this year, and have just begun reading the next block of manuscripts (June - August). * We've responded to all physical submissions prior to March, so if you haven't heard anything on a sub earlier than that, it's probably time to contact us. "Electronic Submissions: * We're still *very* overwhelmed with electronic submissions, and are probably a good 2 months behind the above dates reading e-subs. * I still feel it's faster, more efficient, and cheaper to submit and respond by e-mail, but man... the decision to allow this option has more than doubled our workload, and substantially added to our (already slow) response times. * I'm currently reading all electronic submissions personally, which probably hasn't helped either. * I haven't made any decisions yet on the ultimate fate of this little experiment, but I would like to keep it open as long as possible. "We are constantly trying to improve our response times on all fronts, and I do appreciate the tremendous patience exhibited by our contributors. Boy, do I. We get do get a regular stream of query letters, but they're almost universally polite and apologetic... frankly, I'm continually surprised at how understanding everyone is. As I recall my days as a struggling writer, I was anything but patient and understanding...." [sff.publishing.black-gate-magazine, 6 Sep 2002] CRUX Sara Guidry, editor of upcoming =Crux= magazine, said, "Yes, I look at reprints. Sorry, I left that out on the webpage. I KNEW I couldn't have gotten it all right the first time." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 3 Sep 02] GOTHIC.NET A writer on the =Speculations= Rumor Mill said, "Seth Lindberg has announced that he is stepping down as editor at =Gothic.net=." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 3 Sep 02] IMAGININGS ANTHOLOGY When asked if there will be a second =Imaginings= anthology, editor Keith R.A. DeCandido said, "That is my fond hope. Pocket won't commit to a second until they at least get an idea of the response to the first. We Shall See. "My ideal situation is that we do one of these every two years." [sff.publishing.albe-shiloh, 8 Sep 02] SPECULATIONS A writer on the Rumor Mill said, "Kent Brewster, the publisher [of =Speculations=], just had his editor quit, so is having to do it all himself." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&m=13091&sh ow_all_topics=0, 30 Aug 02] TOR Teresa Nielsen Hayden, an editor at Tor Books, answered a question about whether a writer should pitch a novel to an editor thus: "Generally, what we're interested in seeing from beginning novelists are books. A pitch may sound bad or good, but who knows what it really means until you see the book itself? "Pitching ideas is a movie thing. Sometimes it's a nonfiction book thing. In our end of the industry, it's something established authors sometimes do--but in their case, you can see how the idea relates to their books you've already read. "The basic point is that we don't buy ideas. We buy books. If you've got a great idea, we'll be interested in seeing the book that comes out of it." [sff.publishing.tor, 7 Sep 2002] ==End of the CALLIHOO Newsletter for 10 September 2002==