CALLIHOO Newsletter Market News for Writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Julia West, Editor Vol. 10, No. 32 11 March 2003 Website: http://www.sff.net/people/julia.west/CALLIHOO/index.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------- IN THIS ISSUE News Deadlines Market Guidelines Maiden of Pain (gls) Nowa Fantastyka (gls) Sciencefictionzine.com (gls) Market Information Abyss & Apex (open again) Alien Worlds Alternate Realities Elsewhen Gateway S-F Ideomancer Leading Edge Metropole (caution) Realms of Fantasy Strange Horizons Online Market List ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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.) SKIN DEEP Deadline 31 March 2003 [British children's antho (12 and up), stories about racism (incl hist/SF) to 5,000 wds. Pays 400-500GBP/story. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 31)] WRITERS OF THE FUTURE, 2ND QUARTER 2003 Deadline 31 March 2003 [$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)] HIDDEN TALENTS SHORT STORY CONTEST Deadline 31 May 2003 [Canadian contest, short stories to 5,000 wds. Prizes: 1st $500C, 2nd $250C, 3rd $100C, HM $25C; Junior 1st $200C, 2nd $100C, 3rd $50C, HM $10C. Winners pub. Entry fee $10C ($5C for Junior Writers--under age 17). No E-mail subs, reprints. Mult subs okay with separate entry fee & form. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 30)] MAIDEN OF PAIN Deadline 1 July 2003 [Novel proposal, Forgotten Realms, Loviatar (Maiden of Pain) priest/ess. Include 10 p. writing sample: a scene from your version of Maiden of Pain, 1 p. story synopsis (whole story), and 1 p. cover letter about you. No E-mail subs. Final novel to be 90,000 wds, due June/July 2004. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 31)] BORDERLANDS 5 ANTHOLOGY Deadline 1 September 2003 [Non-theme antho, dark spec fic to 5,000 wds. Pays 5-7 cents/wd. Sim and E-mail subs okay. No reprints. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 31)] DAIKAIJU ANTHOLOGY Deadline 30 November 2004 [Antho, giant monster stories to 12,000 wds. Pays Aus$30/story. Enquire for E-mail subs. GLs in Vol. 10 No. 31)] ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS Ken Rand's book =Tales of the Lucky Nickel Saloon= is a finalist for the Utah Speculative Fiction Award. Other finalists are Orson Scott Card, Lee Modesitt, and K. L. Morgan. An award ceremony is set for Saturday, April 12 at the downtown Salt Lake City library. ----------------------------------------------------------------- MARKET GUIDELINES MAIDEN OF PAIN [Novel proposal, Forgotten Realms, Loviatar (Maiden of Pain) priest/ess. Include ten-page, double-spaced writing sample: a scene from your version of Maiden of Pain, one-page, single-spaced story synopsis (whole story), and one-page cover letter about you. No E-mail subs. Deadline 1 Jul 2003. Final novel to be 90,000 wds, due June/July 2004.] Maiden of Pain c/o Book Publishing Wizards of the Coast P.O. Box 707 Renton, WA 98057-0707 Guidelines for Novel Proposal Wizards of the Coast is seeking proposals for one book in the Forgotten Realms novel line. Please read these guidelines very carefully before submitting. Submissions that do not conform to the guidelines will not be considered. This is an "open call" and we expect a large number of submissions. The book for which we're accepting proposals is =Maiden of Pain=, part of The Priests, a new series of stand-alone Forgotten Realms novels that focus on characters who are--you guessed it--priests. As such, the primary protagonist must be a priest or priestess, preferably of Loviatar (a.k.a. the Maiden of Pain). If the protagonist doesn't serve the Maiden of Pain, the principal villain had better do so. Your essential references are the 3rd edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, and Faiths & Pantheons--study them well. Stories must grow organically from the setting. Please don't try to force a "generic" fantasy story in, and certainly don't ask us to do it for you. Learn the setting--as much as you can in the time allowed, anyway. Readers of the Forgotten Realms novel line are very particular about the world's continuity, and so are we. Your story should be set in one of three locations in the Realms: * Anywhere in the realm of Sembia except the city of Selgaunt. Please do not use characters from the Sembia novel series or wander too far into Cormyr or the Dalelands. * Anywhere in Thay except the Thaymount. Please leave Szass Tam out of it. * The city of Luthcheq in the realm of Chessenta. Please don't wander east into Unther or west into Chondath. The list is in no particular order, so choose the location that most strikes your fancy, but stories set anywhere outside one of these three locations will not be considered. You will have a much better shot at the book if you avoid the following elements: * Avoid these gods: Lolth (or any other drow god), Mask, Cyric, Shar, Mystra, Umberlee, and Lurue--and their worshipers. * Avoid these monsters: aboleths, beholders, doppelgangers, dracoliches, dragons, giants, liches, mind flayers, orcs, vampires, and yuan-ti. * Avoid the following character archetypes: alchemists, any other author's signature characters (Drizzt, Elminster, and so on), anyone who fights with two swords, apprentice/inexperienced wizards, drow of any kind for any reason, even in "cameos," dwarves or gnomes for comedic effect, sorcerers, Asian/Oriental Adventures/Kara-Turan characters. Note: If you use one of the "iconic" characters that have game stats in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, they cannot be killed or permanently altered. * Please don't use any of these overused or banned themes/plots: an ancient evil has been awakened after centuries of sleep/death/undeath, kid/reluctant hero/Bilbo Baggins gets caught up in an adventure against his will, space travel, "the artifact hunt," time travel, or a monster (especially nonhumanoids) as the principal point-of-view character. Considering the nature of the goddess in question, this book will probably end up being a bit more "dark" than the average Forgotten Realms sword and sorcery adventure, but please keep in mind a basic "PG-13" level of violence, gore, and sex. All proposals must be typed, on one side of plain white paper, with one-inch margins all around, and set in type no smaller than 10-point. Your package must include: * A ten-page, double-spaced writing sample: a scene from your version of =Maiden of Pain=. * A one-page, single-spaced story synopsis that tells us the whole story: beginning, middle, and end. Don't write cover or ad copy--tell us the story, and be specific about locations, character types, monsters, etc. * A one-page cover letter that tells us anything about you that you think we might need to know. * A stamped, self-addressed envelope. Please put your name and contact information on the letter, the synopsis, and the sample. Pay close attention to spelling, grammar, punctuation, and presentation. The book itself will be 90,000 words in length, with a first draft due somewhere in the neighborhood of June or July of 2004. Please be realistic about your ability to do the writing. We're very deadline-driven here, and there's rarely any room for authors to run late. It's not a bad idea to read over our standard submission guidelines. We will be accepting proposals through the end of the business day on July 1, 2003. Any proposals received after that date will not be read. Any proposal longer than a one-page synopsis/10-page sample will not be read. Proposals not specific to the novel =Maiden of Pain= will not be read. We will only read hardcopy submissions sent by mail. Please do not email us. Flooding us with submissions will not help--please send us only your best proposal. Though only one proposal will be chosen for =Maiden of Pain=, we will be looking at all of these as writing samples with other opportunities in mind. This is your chance to bring your talents to our attention, and we are known as a publisher that works with talented, unpublished authors. We've had the pleasure of launching a number of writing careers, and would like to launch some more. Please address proposals to: Maiden of Pain, c/o Book Publishing, Wizards of the Coast, P.O. Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707 [http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=fr/fx20030305x] NOWA FANTASTYKA [Polish monthly printzine, SF/F. Pays $100/short story or novelette, $200/novella. Uses English stories in translation.] Marek S. Nowowiejski, Director of Foreign Department ul. Mokotowska 5 m. 6 00-640 Warsaw POLAND E-mail: mareksn@poczta.onet.pl http://www.proszynski.pl/czasopisma/nowafantastyka (note: website all in Polish) Long established, monthly professional SF magazine slick colour cover. Articles, full-colour SF/F art, original Polish fiction and translated fiction. Pays $100 per short stories and novelettes, $200 to 250 per novellas (the second option in case of two installments). Prefers traditional themes (exploration of space, aliens, far future, high fantasy) and especially stories concerning cultural clashes (here and everywhere, anytime), black culture (Africa and African diaspora), various mythologies or elements taken from them. Contact Marek S. Nowowiejski, Director of Foreign Department (mareksn@poczta.onet.pl) | ul. Mokotowska 5 m. 6 | 00-640 Warsaw | POLAND (Update (Oct 2002) confirmed as a market) [http://www.geocities.com/canadian_sf/smith/ foreign_market_list.htm] SCIENCEFICTIONZINE.COM [Bi-weekly webzine, SF 1,000-30,000 wds. Bi-weekly piece 1500 wds or under. Pays $5/story on accept. E-mail subs only.] David Hobaugh, owner and editor Doug Hobaugh, web designer Adam Hobaugh, assistant Hobaugh Publications PO Box 716 Greensburg, PA 15601 Email submissions: submissions@sciencefictionezine.com Website: sciencefictionezine.com About sciencefictionezine.com =sciencefictionezine.com= is a new web based science fiction publication. It will contain free content and subscriber content. The content will include original science fiction literature and art focusing on any science fiction theme. A bi-weekly newsletter containing sample paragraphs on new stories, authors bios, one original short story, and one piece of original art. The site will also include a used book store. Writer's Guidelines We accept submissions of any word count. Short novels and sample novel chapters also accepted. We are looking to provide stories of varying length, from under 1000 words to over 30,000 words, which appeal to many different readers. For the bi-weekly newsletter we need one piece of fiction under 1500 words. Will read any science fiction themed submissions but hard science and advanced society themes appeal to us. We are buying First English Language e-Rights. We will also look at Second Serial e-Rights for exceptional material. For Second Serial Rights you must provide a history of all past uses of the work. The e-rights revert back to the author 1 year after the purchase agreement or 6 months after first inclusion on the website or in the newsletter. Paying $5 per story, regardless of length. Pays on acceptance. We only accept electronic submissions. Submissions must be a Word or WordPerfect document attached to an email. Please use standard mss format. The email must include your name, address, email address, the story title, format of the attachment, and whether the work is an original or a reprint. Email submissions to: submissions@sciencefictionezine.com Art Guidelines The art work guidelines are still under development but we are interested to see what you have. Please submit you work as an email attachment (following the same guidelines above). [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=178&show_all_t opics=0, 27 Feb 03] ----------------------------------------------------------------- MARKET INFORMATION ABYSS & APEX Leah Bobet, submissions editor for =Abyss & Apex=, said, "The March/April issue of =Abyss & Apex= is live, with fiction by Stella Evans, Finley Larkin, and Sue Burke. Enjoy! "As well, we're open to submissions again! We seem to have a shortage of things sharp, actiony, and of the SF persuasion; if anyone has something fitting any or all of that description, we'd be most gratified to see it." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 28 Feb 03] ALIEN WORLDS A writer on the =Speculations= Rumor Mill said, "The editorial in =Alien Worlds= #36 . . . indicates that the publisher intends to pull the plug in June if the mag doesn't reach its break-even point in subscriptions. It's only a couple of dozen subs short of that, and it seems like a nice place for beginners to earn their spurs--so some of us might consider looking into it. It's a Fading Shadows publication." http://www.geocities.com/fadingshadows1/aw.htm [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 20 Feb 03] ALTERNATE REALITIES Ralan Conley said, "There have been some questions about =Alternate Realities=. I've been in contact with Joan McCarty (who has really been through hell the last several months) and the webzine is back as a quarterly. Until their domain is re-established (2-3 months) they have the URL of: http://www.freewebz.com/alternaterealitieszine/index.htm From the "Welcome" page: "After several months of being offline, we are proud to be back and any past contributors should contact us right away, especially if you have not received payment." "Before the difficulties (described on the "Welcome" page) =Alternate Realities= was a good market. I expect it will be again. Please support the effort." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=204&show_all_t opics=0, 9 Mar 03] ELSEWHEN A writer on the Rumor Mill said, "Has anyone heard anything about =Elsewhen=? They were supposed to be launching soon, and their turnaround time had been rather quick, but they haven't responded to my queries about a submission. Just wondering if I need to look elsewhere... (no pun intended)." Another writer responded, "I received payment for a short story I sold to =Elsewhen= last month and in the letter Michael (the editor) said that they're swamped right now. "According to the letter I received they're not planning to launch for another six months." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 25 and 26 Feb 03] GATEWAY S-F A writer on the Rumor Mill said, "Well, despite appearances, =GateWay S-F= is alive. I just heard from the publisher, Joseph Fekete. There will be a spring/summer issue, probably in about two months." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=204&show_all_t opics=0, 8 Mar 03] IDEOMANCER Mikal Trimm, one of the editors of =Ideomancer=, said, ". . . give =Ideo= a little more time before you worry. Since we raised our rates, our subs have skyrocketed, so we're slowing down a bit." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=204&show_all_t opics=0, 5 Mar 03] LEADING EDGE A writer on the Rumor Mill said, "=Leading Edge='s website has changed. Their new URL is http://tle.byu.edu. No, it hasn't been axed. The publication is still going strong. They recently put out a new issue, #44." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=204&show_all_t opics=0, 1 Mar 03] METROPOLE A writer on the Rumor Mill said, "A small warning: I have heard of at least two writers and probably there are others, who were not paid by =The Spook= which now calls itself =Metropole=. You have to decide if you want to take a chance because I believe the same people are running the show." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 5 Mar 03] Another writer said, "I've posted this before, but I'd advise extreme caution as far as =Metropole= is concerned. There have been a number of reports of non-payment." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&show_all_t opics=0, 11 Mar 03] REALMS OF FANTASY A writer on the Rumor Mill asked, "Does Shawna [McCarthy, editor of =Realms of Fantasy=] ever accept humorous stories? What about interspecies erotics?" Carina Gonzalez, Editorial Assistant at =Realms of Fantasy=, replied, "We generally don't accept anything in the "erotic" category at all. I mean, granted, a love story is a love story, but once the graphic detail comes into play, it's just no longer something we're interested in. "As far as humor is concerned though, bring it on! We definitely have no problem if someone wants to submit something that's humorous. It's not seen often amongst our pages because we tend to receive well-written "serious" fantasy much more often than humorous stories of the same caliber. It's more likely that the humorous story will illicit groans because it's a "bad joke" rather than an appreciate laugh. But please, if you have something you think will work, I'd love to see it." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=204&show_all_t opics=0, 4 Mar 03] STRANGE HORIZONS Jed Hartman, one of the fiction editors at =Strange Horizons=, said, "Figured it was about time to post a status update (and some statistics) for the =Strange Horizons= fiction department: * We've now responded to everything submitted before 1/16/2003. If you sent us a story on or before 1/15 and haven't heard back from us, please query. (If you submitted on or after 1/16, and you received an autoresponse saying that we'd received the story, then please don't query yet.) * We've received over 5000 submissions since we launched, and the submissions-per-month rate continues to increase slowly but steadily. (It's hard to tell at the moment after January's deluge and February's lull, but I'm guessing it'll level off around 220/month.) * Our average response time is hovering around 22 days over the past six months, though there've been a fair number of outliers at well over 30 days. We haven't gone over 60 days in several months. "Oh, and I don't know if this is the right topic for this, but =SH= is currently running a Readers' Choice Awards poll; if you read the magazine in 2002, or even just looked at the pictures, then stop by and vote for your favorite material. The winners will receive small cash prizes." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 4 Mar 03] ----------------------------------------------------------------- ONLINE MARKET LIST DOUGLAS SMITH'S FOREIGN MARKET LIST http://www.geocities.com/canadian_sf/smith/ foreign_market_list.htm Good selection of markets, by country, and he's marked them as to whether he's authenticated them as viable markets, whether they're dead, etc. ==End of the CALLIHOO Newsletter for 11 March 2003==