Market News for Writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Julia West, Editor Vol. 11, No. 9 21 October 2003 Website: http://www.sff.net/people/julia.west/CALLIHOO/index.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------- IN THIS ISSUE News Publication Notes Deadlines Anthology Cloaked in Shadow antho (gls) Contests Delacorte Press Contest for a First Young Adult Novel (gls) Highlights Fiction Contest (gls) The Lichfield Prize (gls) Market Guidelines Continuum SF (gls) Market Information Adbhut Adventures of Sword & Sorcery Argosy Artemis Magazine Black Gate Magazine DAW Dreams of Decadence (temp closed) Flesh & Blood (closed 'til Feb 04) Ghoulish Games antho (dead) Here & Now HP Lovecraft Mag of Horror Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Orbital Injection (dead) Paradox Polyphony 4 PS Publishing SF-F.ORG Magazine (on hiatus) Strange Horizons Tangent TTA Press USA ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS PUBLICATION NOTES E-CALLIHOOt Catherine Asaro said, "=Skyfall= is due out this October. I also have a 30,000 word romantic fantasy novella called "Moonglow" coming out in the anthology =Charmed Destinies= . . . [which] should be out in November. In February, 2004, the anthology I edited called =Irresistible Forces= comes out from Roc/NAL. I'm really excited about this one. It has Lois Bujold's story about the wedding of Miles. I've a novella in there about Vyrl from =The Quantum Rose= in his teenage years, and how he met his first love. "I also have my first fantasy novel coming out in February [2004]. It's called =The Charmed Sphere=, from the Luna line. It is about the same fantasy world as in my novella "Moonglow." "Then in about September [2004], I have a book called =Sunrise Alley= coming out from Baen. This is another one in the progression of =The Veiled Web= and =The Phoenix Code=. It takes place about ten years after =The Phoenix Code=. "My next Skolian Empire book, =Triad=, will come out from Tor in the fall [2004]. This one takes place a number of years after the end of Skyfall and is about Roca and Eldrinson's family when they are in their younger years. Readers will get to meet Soz as a young women in her teens and early twenties. "Also, I have a fantasy story called the "Curves of Never-Haven" which is coming out in an anthology from Al Sarrantino, though I'm not sure of the release date." ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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.) MOTA 4: INTEGRITY Deadline 1 November 2003 [Annual antho, theme of "Integrity." Fiction to 6,000 wds. Pays $100/story on pub. No reprints or E-mail subs. Mult subs okay; separate envelopes. (GLs in Vol. 11 No. 7)] OCEANS OF THE MIND WINTER 2003: AUSTRALIAN WRITERS Deadline 1 November 2003 [PDF magazine, SF to 8,000 wds. Pays from 6 cents/wd. No H/F/S&S. Prefers E-mail subs. Sim subs okay. RT E-mail 4-5 wks, snail 6-8 wks. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 29)] BYLINE NEW-TALENT SHORT STORY CONTEST Deadline 5 November 2003. Open to writers who have never won cash prize in a ByLine fiction contest. Maximum 5,000 words. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $50, $35, $25, $15. Winners not printed; no rights taken. No reprints or E-mail subs. Mult subs okay; separate entry fees. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 33)] FANTASTICAL VISIONS 2003 SHORT FICTION WRITING CONTEST Deadline 15 November 2003 [Contest, F 2,000 to 10,000 wds. 1st $200+pub, 2nd $150+pub, 3rd $100+pub, HM .5 - 1.5 cents/word+pub in Fantastical Visions Vol. III. Entry fee: none for 1 entry, $5 for 2nd, $3 for each thereafter. No reprints. Subs must be hardcopy with electronic; electronic can be E-mail or online entry form. GLs in Vol. 11 No. 8)] BYLINE SHORT-SHORT STORY CONTEST Deadline 5 December 2003 [Short story of any type or subject, to 2,000 words. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $60, $30, $20. Winners not printed; no rights taken. No reprints or E-mail subs. Mult subs okay with separate entry fees. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 33)] DELACORTE PRESS CONTEST FOR A FIRST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL Open 1 October to 31 December 2003 [Contest, YA (age 12-18) contemp. novel 100-224 typed pages. U.S. & Canadian writers without prev. pub YA novel. Standard contract, HC and PB, advance and royalties, $1,500 cash and $7,500 advance. No sim or E-mail subs. Two subs max. No entry fee. (GLs in Vol. 11 No. 9)] WRITERS OF THE FUTURE, 1ST QUARTER 2004 Deadline 31 December 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. 10 No. 33)] OCEANS OF THE MIND SPRING 2004 ISSUE: COLONIES Deadline 1 February 2004 [PDF themed mag, SF to 8,000 wds. Pays from 6 cents/wd. Science Fiction stories about colonies. How they do or don't survive, the challenges and rewards. No H/F/S&S. Prefers E-mail subs. Sim subs okay. RT E-mail 4-5 wks, snail 6-8 wks. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 29)] HIGHLIGHTS 2004 FICTION CONTEST Open 1 January to 29 February 2004 [Contest, Children's stories to 800 wds. (500 wds. for beginning readers). Three $1,000 prizes. No entry fee. Entrants 16 yrs and older. No reprints or E-mail subs. Entries returned Jun 04. (GLs in Vol. 11 No. 9)] SAY. . . WHY AREN'T WE CRYING? Reading period 1 November 2003 to 1 April 2004 [Semi-annual printzine, themed. Fic to 8,000 wds. Pays $10/piece. No sim, mult or electronic subs or reprints.] THE LICHFIELD PRIZE Deadline 30 April 2004 [Contest, unpub 1st novel, past, present or future, 80,000 to 120,000 wds. Prize L5,000 and chance to have novel pub by Times Warner Books. No entry fee. No reprints. (GLs in Vol. 11 No. 9)] CLOAKED IN SHADOW ANTHOLOGY Deadline 1 May 2004 [Antho, DF abt dark elves to 8,000 wds. Pays 1-3 cents/wd. on accept, as advance on pro rata share of 50% of royalties. No reprints, mult or E-mail subs. RT 3-6 wks. (GLs in Vol. 11 No. 9)] OCEANS OF THE MIND SUMMER 2004: SPIRITUAL SCIENCE FICTION Deadline 1 May 2004 [PDF themed magazine, SF to 8,000 wds. Pays from 6 cents/wd. No H/F/S&S. Prefers E-mail subs. Sim subs okay. RT E-mail 4-5 wks, snail 6-8 wks. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 29)] OCEANS OF THE MIND FALL 2004: SCIENCE FICTION MYSTERIES Deadline 1 August 2004 [PDF themed magazine, Robbery, murder, piracy, locked room SF to 8,000 wds. Pays from 6 cents/wd. No H/F/S&S. Prefers E-mail subs. Sim subs okay. RT E-mail 4-5 wks, snail 6-8 wks. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 29)] 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)] ----------------------------------------------------------------- ANTHOLOGY CLOAKED IN SHADOW ANTHOLOGY [Antho, DF abt dark elves to 8,000 wds. Pays 1-3 cents/wd. on accept, as advance on pro rata share of 50% of royalties. No reprints, mult or E-mail subs. Deadline 1 May 2004. RT 3-6 wks.] Fantasist Enterprises Cloaked in Shadow Anthology PO Box 9381 Wilmington, DE 19809 E-mail (no submissions): cloaked@fantasistent.com http://www.fantasistent.com/Submissions.html Overview Is anyone else tired of green cloak-wearing, blond-haired, bow-wielding, tree-hugging elves? Yes, I will always love "typical" elves, but I'd like to see something a little different. Elves who worship death instead of nature. Elves who hunt down and kill humans for sport. Twisted elves. Psycho elves. Any kind of elf with a dark nature deserves a shot at getting in this anthology. Guidelines The anthology will contain fifteen to twenty original dark short stories about elves, from both new and established writers. Works that cross genres are okay, but the focus will be on dark fantasy. No pornography. No poetry. Stories may contain sex and violence, but it must be tasteful (that is subjective, I know) and integral to the story. No reprints. No multiple submissions. Inclusion of an electronic version of the story would be appreciated for faster editing and pre-press. No electronic-only submissions. Deadline: May 1, 2004 or when filled Length: up to 8000 words Rights: first World Publication Rights in the English Language in Perpetuity Pay: 1-3 cents per word upon acceptance, as an advance on pro rata share of 50% of the royalties Response Times: 3-6 Weeks Typical. Possibly less, possibly more. If you have not heard anything after 7 weeks, send us a postcard, or better yet, e-mail. Contact Information If you have questions, please e-mail cloaked@fantasistent.com. NOTE: E-mail submissions are strictly prohibited and will be deleted without being read. Mail your story to: Fantasist Enterprises, Cloaked in Shadow Anthology, PO Box 9381, Wilmington, DE 19809 USA [http://www.fantasistent.com/Submissions.html] A writer on sff.net said, "=First World Publication Rights in the English Language in Perpetuity= "This is a red flag. "First World Rights" is normal and reasonable, but "in perpetuity" doesn't make sense in this context. Asking for first world rights is reasonable and kosher--but once someone exercises them by printing the story, they go away and are seen no more. "In perpetuity" is either being misused or means they want more than first world rights. It may be that they only mean "we want the right to print the story in new/other editions of the book as long as we're still in business," but it may also mean that they want the right to control where the story appears forever and ever. "If the former, they're being careless and ill-informed in crafting their market listing, which doesn't bode well for their editorial behavior. If the latter, they want more rights than they should be asking for (especially for what they're paying), and you don't want to give a good story away that cheaply." [sff.people.julie-czerneda, 18 Oct 03] ----------------------------------------------------------------- CONTESTS DELACORTE PRESS CONTEST FOR A FIRST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL [Contest, YA (age 12-18) contemp. novel 100-224 typed pages. U.S. & Canadian writers without prev. pub YA novel. Open between 1 Oct 2003 and 31 Dec 2003. Standard contract, HC and PB, advance and royalties, $1,500 cash and $7,500 advance. No sim or E-mail subs. Two subs max. No entry fee.] Delacorte Press Contest Random House, Inc. 1745 Broadway, 9th Floor New York, New York 10019 Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers is pleased to announce: The Twenty-Second 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 hard-cover 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 $7,500 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 81/2" 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 need not be returned, enclose a business- size stamped, self-addressed envelope for notification. Manuscripts that need not 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, 2003, but no later than December 31, 2003. 2. Send manuscripts to: Delacorte Press Contest, Random House, Inc., 1745 Broadway, 9th Floor, New York, New York 10019 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, 2004. Winners of the Delacorte Press Prize for a First Young Adult Novel: Past Highlights First Place Recipients =Cal Cameron by Day, Spider-Man by Night= by A.E. Cannon =Squashed= by Joan Bauer =Under the Mermaid Angel= by Martha Moore Honor Book Recipients =The Romantic Obsessions and Humiliations of Annie Sehlmeier= by Louise Plummer =Children of the River= by Linda Crew =Best Friends Tell the Best Lies= by Carol Dines 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= by Nancy Osa Honor Book =Bringing Up the Bones by= Lara M. Zeises 2002 First Place =Ostrich Eye= by Beth Cooley 2003 First Place =Wings by= Julie Gonzalez [http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/games/delacorte.html] HIGHLIGHTS 2004 FICTION CONTEST [Contest, Children's stories to 800 wds. (500 wds. for beginning readers). Three $1,000 prizes. No entry fee. Open 1 Jan to 29 Feb 2004. Entrants 16 yrs and older. No reprints or E-mail subs. Entries returned Jun 04.] FICTION CONTEST Highlights for Children 803 Church Street Honesdale, PA 18431 Category: Stories that begin with the words "I have a problem." We can't wait to see what kind of story you'll come up with. Mystery? Adventure? Humor? Sports? It's up to you! Prizes: Three prizes of $1,000 each. Entry Dates: All entries must be postmarked between January 1 and February 29, 2004. Criteria: Stories may be any length up to 800 words. Stories for beginning readers should not exceed 500 words. Indicate the word count in the upper right-hand corner of the first page of your manuscript. No crime, violence, or derogatory humor. Manuscripts or envelopes should be clearly marked FICTION CONTEST. Those not marked in this way will be considered as regular submissions to Highlights. Enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope with each entry. No entry form or fee is required. Work from both published and unpublished authors is welcome. Entrants must be at least sixteen years old.* All submissions must be previously unpublished. Send Entries to: FICTION CONTEST, Highlights for Children, 803 Church Street, Honesdale, PA 18431 Winners: The three winning entries will be announced in June 2004. These stories will become the property of Highlights for Children and will be published by Highlights. All other submissions will be considered for purchase by Highlights. Manuscripts not purchased will be returned in June with a list of the winners. *We're sorry that we cannot consider work from children under the age of sixteen for the contest. Young writers are welcome to submit their work for consideration elsewhere in the magazine. Guidelines available upon request. THE LICHFIELD PRIZE [Contest, unpub 1st novel, past, present or future, 80,000 to 120,000 wds. Deadline 30 Apr 2004. Prize L5,000 and chance to have novel pub by Timer Warner Books. No entry fee. No reprints.] The 2004 Lichfield Prize Lichfield Garrick Castle Dyke Lichfield WS136HR UK E-mail: lichfield.prize@lichfielddc.gov.uk http://www.lichfieldgarrick.com/htm/projects/ lichfieldPrize.shtml Lichfield District Council in association with Time Warner Books announce the details of entry for the 2004 Lichfield Prize. Introduction by Maria Whatton When I was seven years old I decided to write an opera. I sat at the kitchen table driving my mum mad by asking her how to spell every other word. What made me want to do it? Why an opera? I still don't know, and by the way I started to become unstuck when I realised I needed a musical score but the fact was I had a strong desire to write, to tell a story. If I summon up that image I can picture myself clearly. I had to move the sauce bottle to make room for my Woolworth's writing pad. I cannot remember what I wrote but I can recall vividly that forceful compulsion to articulate ideas from my head into words. This desire to create stories and to read and listen to them has never left me. It has grown stronger. I believe this to be a natural human urge. Human beings need to explain themselves and their world to themselves. Look back to the stories of ancient mythology/legends and we see not only explanations of our physical world but of human relationships and emotions. In creating stories we endow ourselves with a power that is not so easily manipulated in the real world of our fragile human lives always open to random chance and fate. That is why writing for me is such a potent form, and why I am delighted to be in a position where I am part of a team creating opportunities for writers. The new Lichfield Prize will award the winner with œ5000. In practical terms, that means enabling a writer to pay the rent for the next five months while they are writing novel number two, or flying to Zanzibar to research the next great story. The Lichfield Prize also offers the winning author the chance to have their novel published by Timer Warner Books. What are we looking for? For 2004, we are looking for a first, unpublished novel. The setting can be anywhere; the subject matter is also open. It can be set in the past, present or future. What is most important is the quality of the writing. We want a confident clear tone, a work scrupulously imagined. Remember that writing a novel is a solitary activity that only comes to fruition in the hands of the reader. A novel is a partnership between your writing and your reader. Think about what makes you as a reader want to turn the page, what makes you want to carry on reading? Try to be as objective as possible. Take your text and imagine you are someone else. Read it with Ernest Hemingway's words in mind: "The most essential gift for a good writer is a built in, shock proof, shit detector. This is the writer's radar and all great writers have it." I would also suggest reading other great first novels: Zadie Smith's =White Teeth=, commendable for its scope and ambition, Arundhati Roy's =God of Small Things=, Amy Tan's original and unsentimental, story about four mothers and their first generation Chinese-American daughters, =Joy Luck Club=. Finally, take courage. If you have a great story to tell, move the sauce bottle aside, get your writing pad out, and get on and write it. Edit it, redraft it as many times as you need to and send it to us. We can't wait to read it. Good Luck. Maria Whatton is an Arts Development Officer for Lichfield District Council. Competition Organisers Lichfield lies in the heart of England and art is at the heart of Lichfield's great culture. For centuries Lichfield has become home to numerous pioneering artists, many of whom have shaped art and indeed life, as we know it. With such innovators as David Garrick, Dr Samuel Johnson, Alias Ashmole, Joseph Addison and Erasmus Darwin the district can be extremely proud of its heritage. The District of Lichfield is now experiencing an enormous regeneration of its arts and culture with the opening of the Lichfield Garrick in July 2003. Lichfield District Council are central to the creation, development and support of the arts in numerous ways including it's community focused Arts Development work, its Grant Aid support of many local artists and arts organizations and its capital and on-going revenue support of the Lichfield Garrick. Lichfield District Council are proud to support its arts and develop a culture to inspire and entertain its residents and provide an innovative region for its thousands of visitors. lichfielddc.gov.uk Time Warner Books was formed in the UK on 10 March 1992 following its acquisition from the administrators of the former Maxwell empire by Time Warner Trade Publishing in New York and was named Little Brown and Company (UK) until 1 January 2002 when it was changed to Time Warner Books UK. It won the much coveted Publisher of the Year award in 1994, acquired Virago in 1995 and the science fiction and fantasy imprint Legend, from Random House, in 1997. Approximately four hundred new titles are published each year under the imprints Abacus, Atom, Little, Brown, Orbit, Virago and Time Warner Paperbacks. This year's best selling titles and authors have included Anita Shreve's "Sea Glass", Beryl Bainbridge's Booker nominated "According to Queenie", Iain Banks' "Dead Air and Margaret Attwood's "The Blind Assassin". timewarnerbooks.co.uk The Judges Beryl Bainbridge, Author Barbara Boote, Editorial Director, Time Warner Books Sally Dunsmore, Director, Oxford Literary Festival Christopher Rodriguez, Playwright - Lichfield Garrick Writer in Residence Craig Thomas, Author Maria Whatton, Arts Development Officer, Lichfield District Council Rules of the Competition 1. An entry must be a novel and an original work of fiction. 2. The entry must be a first novel. 3. No entered manuscript should have been previously published. 4. Entrants must be willing to have their script published, subject to reasonable financial arrangements with Time Warner Books. Scripts from the short list that do not win the Prize may also be considered for publication. Entrants must therefore be free of publishing commitments elsewhere. 5. The novel may be set in a historical, present day or a future context. 6. There is no minimum or maximum word limit for entries. However, a commercially viable novel is likely to be between 80,000 and 120,000 words in length. 7. The manuscript should be typed, double line spaced on one side of A4 sized paper. 8. Co-operation is expected from short listed entrants in related promotional activities initiated by the Prize's organisers. 9. The closing date for entries is Friday 30th April 2004. No manuscripts will be accepted after that date. 10. The complete manuscript and entry form should be delivered to: The 2004 Lichfield Prize, Lichfield Garrick, Castle Dyke, Lichfield WS136HR UK or by email to lichfield.prize@lichfielddc.gov.uk 11. If an acknowledgement of receipt is required, a stamped addressed reply card must be included 12. No manuscript will be returned unless a suitably sized stamped addressed envelope is enclosed. Please ensure that the envelope is strong and has adequate postage. 13. In the unlikely event of none of the entered manuscripts proving commercially publishable, the œ5000 prize may not be awarded. 14. The judges' decision is final; no correspondence will be entered into. 15. No guarantee can be given that the winning novel will be published. However, every effort will be made by the Prize's organisers and sponsors to enable the novel's publication. 16. Employees of, or those in any official connection with Lichfield District Council or Timer Warner Books are not eligible to enter the competition. Notes to Entrants 1. You are advised that judges are looking for a quality manuscript with wide audience appeal and commercial sales potential. 2. Manuscripts should be submitted for entry as soon as they are completed. The deadline of 30th April 2004 is the final date for submission. 3. It is recommended that you retain a copy of your manuscript for reference. 4. We will write to all entrants in June 2004 to let you know whether your novel has been successfully short listed by our judging panel. 5. Short-listed authors will be invited to the Lichfield Prize presentation ceremony held at the Lichfield Garrick during the Lichfield Festival in July 2004, when the winner of the competition will be announced. [http://www.lichfieldgarrick.com/htm/projects/ lichfieldPrize.shtml] ----------------------------------------------------------------- MARKET GUIDELINES CONTINUUM SCIENCE FICTION [New triannual print zine, SF to 12,000 wds. Query before submitting. Pays $20-$50 on accept. Rt 3 wks. E-mail subs okay. Query for reprints] William L. Rupp, Editor P.O, Box 1390 Bonsall, CA 92003 editor@continuumsciencefiction.com http://www.continuumsciencefiction.com/ =Continuum Science Fiction= is the title of a new magazine I will be publishing as of January, 2004. The proposed publication schedule is three issues per year, to be called Winter, Summer, and Fall. The exact size and page count are features yet to be determined. One thing is certain, however. I intend to make =Continuum= an outstanding source of exciting, readable short science fiction. The emphasis will be on adventure in the broadest sense of that term. Do not expect to find an unrelieved parade of glum, down-hearted dangerous visions in these pages. Don't misunderstand; I love noir stories (especially the film noir classics of the 40's and 50's), and that can extend to science fiction as well. But as a steady diet, I don't think so. Also, do not expect to find stories that are in reality exercises in stylistic gymnastics, with little plot or pacing. If that's your preference, try the literary journals that hardly anybody reads. It is possible to combine great story telling with great characterization and imagery. It can be done, in SF as well as in other genres, and we will attempt to do just that in the pages of =Continuum=. There are several calendars in my home, and they all indicate that we are heading into the final stages of 2003. No one should believe that I am in any doubt about what era we live in. Nevertheless, one need not apologize for looking back at the great authors, stories, and magazines of the late 1930's, the 1940's, and the 1950's when seeking models to emulate in the field of science fiction. The idea is to encourage the writing of great, exciting, though provoking stories that achieve the same goals in the early 21st Century that Campbell, Heinlein, Asimov, Sturgeon, Leinster, Del Rey, Clement, Silverberg, and so many others achieved a half century or more ago. So, there you have it, the quick version of my editorial philosophy. I hope you will share my enthusiasm as =Continuum Science Fiction= heads toward the launch date of its premier issue. [http://www.continuumsciencefiction.com/] If you are interested in submitting material for my consideration, PLEASE QUERY FIRST Author's guidelines: Genres preferred: Science fiction with an emphasis on good story-telling and adventure. Interstellar settings especially welcome, also stories of Earth in the far future. I am also interested in stories of contact with other intelligent species, or even stories that deal exclusively with other species. Humor is always welcome, but must be well-done. Of course, really good stories need not be limited to the preceding descriptions. Genres NOT preferred: Out and out fantasy, sex bordering on pornography (although sex in context is not impossible),sadistic violence, and especially thinly disguised political rants. Grim, noir type ideas certainly can be acceptable, but I don't want a magazine exclusively filled with dangerous visions. Type of material accepted: Fiction, articles with a scientific or technological focus, author interviews or profiles, artwork (query first), book and movie reviews. Payment: * Science fiction short stories: 1000-2500 words. $20.00 * SF short stories: 4000-6000 words. $35.00 * SF novelettes: 8,000-12,000 words. $50.00 * Articles: 2,000-4,000 words. $25.00. * Book and movie reviews. (I would prefer a column approach, that is, short reviews of several books or movies in a single manuscript: 1,000-2,000 words.) $15.00 Rights bought: I will be paying for first North American serial rights. Payment will be on acceptance. Response times: three weeks or less (Okay, I'm having a bit of a problem with this, but will try to keep up!) Reprints accepted: query. Electronic submissions accepted: yes, but only in .txt or .rtf formats. Regular mail is also fine, with SASE. Surface mail address is: P.O, Box 1390, Bonsall, CA 92003 Name of publisher and editor: William L. Rupp Reading period opens: immediately Deadline: none at present; submissions open until I have enough for several issues. I am also extremely interested in contacting people to sell advertising space in the magazine. Such people would receive a portion of the advertising fee obtained. [http://www.continuumsciencefiction.com/submission.htm] ----------------------------------------------------------------- MARKET INFORMATION ADBHUT Another new SFF magazine launches. This time it's in India. Dinker Charak has just announced =Adbhut=, an online SF and Fantasy magazine based in India but published in English, intended to help promote science fiction and fantasy among the Indian readership. We are reliably informed that =Adbhut= in Hindi means 'strange' and they are now open for submissions of creative work. As well as SF and Fantasy, they plan to promote and generate interest in various fields of science and philosophy, and in addition to the English language version, they hope to release each online magazine in as many Indian languages as possible. Adbhut.com accepts contributions from authors of Indian descent, or from authors whose work is deemed to have direct relevance and interest to an audience comprising primarily persons of Indian descent. =Adbhut= is the brain-child of Dinker Charak and a group of local SF fans. Charak is best known in India for his collection of short stories, 'The Murmurs of the Dawn'. Submission guidelines are up at www.Adbhut.com [Note: I do not find any mention of payment anywhere in the guidelines. Ed.]] [http://www.computercrowsnest.com/dailynews.php] ADVENTURES OF SWORD AND SORCERY A writer on sff.net said that Randy [Dannenfelser], editor of =Adventures of Sword and Sorcery=, had heart surgery a while back and he has not been well. This could explain why the magazine has been MIA for so long. ARGOSY A writer on the =Speculations= Rumor Mill said that Lou Anders at =Argosy= is looking for more mainstream and mystery/suspense pieces. [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&m=16902&sh ow_all_topics=0, 19 Aug 03] ARTEMIS MAGAZINE Ian Randal Strock, editor of =Artemis Magazine=, said, "Issue #8 of =Artemis Magazine= is at the printer right now. "I've got a new day-job, and since it's finally starting to pay something resembling income, I've had time and brain-power to work on the magazine (thus, see above). "I think that's about it for the major updates. My presence here [on sff.net] will be spotty, for which my advanced apologies. Work seems to have overwhelmed time, and some things had to give. Usenet was one of them. E-mail works." [sff.publishing.artemismagazine, 30 Sep 03] BLACK GATE John O'Neill, editor of =Black Gate Magazine=, said, "Last Friday at about 2:00 pm we experienced a catastrophic hard drive failure on =BG='s main computer. I handed it over to a recovery team on Friday night, and they called this morning to tell me they were returning my money. The disk is unsalvagable. "Tough as this is, it could have been worse. I literally handed over the final page corrections for =BG= #6 to the printer 24 hours earlier. If this crash had happened even a week earlier, we would have lot two months work, without a back up. As it is, =BG= #6 is completely backed up on the two zip disks I delivered to the printer (whew!). I also have fairly recent back-ups of the most crucial info on the hard drive, the =BG= subscription database. "On the other hand, there is no (current) back-up for my e-mail, including nearly a thousand unread e-mail submissions. Not to mention all the various book keeping files. They were customarily backed up as soon as the issue was finished, and the most recent is 6 months old. Aargh. "We're investigating other recovery options. I'll keep you posted." [sff.publishing.black-gate-magazine, 25 Aug 03] Mr. O'Neill continued, "I received a call from the drive recovery company in CA this morning. The nasty grinding sound from my hard drive was the drive heads coming loose, which were scraping against the drive surface. After taking apart the drive in their clean room, they've informed me that there was "no recoverable data on the drive." "To make matters worse, we discovered over the weekend that our most recent subscription database back-up (August 14) failed to complete. We're missing info on about a hundred subscribers. "We have paper records of everyone who subscribed by mail, of course. But as of today we have no info on any of the missing subs who subscribed online. I'm checking with our ISP to see if we can access their back-ups, but I'm not particularly hopeful." [sff.publishing.black-gate-magazine, 8 Sep 03] On another subject, a writer on sff.net said, "I've read the =BG= guidelines, but I'm not sure I would know where to draw the boundary delineating what is "adventure fantasy" and what not... For example, would you classify "Lord Stink" as such? Kelly's "The Girl Detective"? =Perdido Street Station= or Jeff Ford's =The Physiognomist=?" John O'Neill responded, "Great question. I get this a lot (although it's usually phrased as "why doesn't my submission count as adventure fantasy?") "I tend to think strict genre definitions do more to generate argument than understanding (look at the decades-long debate on a definition for SF, for example). But broadly, the "adventure fantasy" I look for is plot and character focused and (& this is the key point) has a lot of dramatic tension - crises, danger, near escapes, and a rousing climax. "In literary fantasy, and slip-stream, the pay-off tends to be an epiphany of some kind, and very often a quiet one. If there is a plot, it often doesn't even make sense in conventional terms. "When done well, this kind of fiction can have an extraordinary impact. If it was 1980, I might have started a slipstream fantasy magazine. But it's 2003, and nowadays there's almost a glut - and no publication devoted to adventure fantasy. So here we are. "But not to dodge your question. Yes, I absolutely would qualify "Lord Stink" as adventure fantasy. Same with my good buddy Jeff Ford's =The Physiognomist= and (especially) =Perdito Street Station=. I have to admit I don't remember "The Girl Detective" well enough at the moment to judge." [sff.publishing.black-gate-magazine, 8 Oct 03] A writer on the Rumor Mill said, "[=Black Gate= is] overstocked on contemporary fantasy." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&m=17102&sh ow_all_topics=0, 10 Sep 03] DAW A writer on sff.net asked, "I was looking at the manuscript submission requirements for DAW, and I noticed something that struck me as odd. They still state that they want 1" margins and a typewritten or letter-quality computer printout, but they no longer mention anything about Courier 12 or a monospaced font. "Are editors moving more toward accepting manuscripts in better-looking fonts these days, or should I still submit everything in Courier 12? "(My general rule is, of course, to stick with Courier unless I hear otherwise -- but if an editor would be fine with Times New Roman 12, double-spaced, that's a lot fewer pages and a much better-looking font, in my opinion.)" [sff.publishing.daw, 1 Oct 03] Debra Euler, editor at DAW, said, "We don't specify Courier, because any readable font--Times, Palatino, etc., is fine. However, if we say "any readable font," we know that some people are going to set their mss in some of those annoying "handwriting" or other foofy fonts while saying, "*I* think it's readable!" So, yeah, you can use Times. No silly fonts though to make your ms stand out. We don't want them in colorful folders, with artwork, or nicely bound. Just double-space them, give them sufficient margins, and stuff 'em in an envelope." [sff.publishing.daw, 2 Oct 03] DREAMS OF DECADENCE A writer on the Rumor Mill got a form rejection slip from =Dreams of Decadence= mentioning they are now closed to submissions. http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&m=16822&sho w_all_topics=0, 6 Aug 03] FLESH AND BLOOD A writer on the Rumor Mill said that =Flesh And Blood= is closed to submissions until next February. [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&m=17102&sh ow_all_topics=0, 5 Sept 03] GHOULISH GAMES ANTHOLOGY A writer on the Rumor Mill got a note from the =Ghoulish Games= anthology saying that the antho is cancelled due to "unforeseen problems". [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&m=16862&sh ow_all_topics=0, 12 Aug 03] HERE AND NOW A writer on sff.net said that =Here & Now= has been having terrible email problems, so if you're waiting to hear back from them, and you haven't heard back by the end of the day today, you should query again. Check out their blog at http://bradanpress.blogspot.com/ for the full tale of woe and details on the addresses to query. [sff.writing.response-times, 13 Oct 03] HP LOVECRAFT MAGAZINE OF HORROR A writer on sff.net received an interesting email from Marvin Kaye of =HP Lovecraft= in response to a query, and received his permission to post about it. He said in part: "Most of the queries I've been receiving lately receive the reply that our inventory is full, and no new material will be reviewed before January. But there are two exceptions: poems and short-shorts. Our managing editor is always asking me for more short pieces to solve layout problems. "Do bear in mind for future submission choices that despite the magazine's title, I'm looking for a wide spectrum of fantasy. Nearly anything you could find in F & SF is possible for us, not just Lovecraftian prose, and not even modern horror. Our only alleged taboos are alternate worlds fantasy and SF, but our publisher has already broken both rules, and they're his rules. At Torcon3 in Toronto, I was concerned about the limited view most people I spoke with had of where we're going with =HPL Magazine=; my editorial in the first issue addresses this, but word of mouth is surely more important." [sff.publishing.market-report, 10 Sep 03] MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST NEW HORROR Editor Stephen Jones has announced that he is now reading for the fifteenth volume of =The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror=, which will be published as a trade paperback in the UK by Robinson and in the USA by Carroll & Graf in 2004. This is a reprint anthology. He is looking for horror and dark fantasy stories and novellas, either supernatural or psychological, which were first published between December 2002 and December 2003. Electronic publication is acceptable, but all submissions should be either in manuscript, galley or photocopy format. No e-mail submissions. Space in the book is obviously limited and the competition is tough, so only the most exemplary fiction will be chosen. Do not send multiple submissions, only what you consider your best work. Even if you think it may have already been seen by the editor, if in doubt send another copy anyway. Include a brief covering letter with your name and address, giving your bio/bibliographical information and details of publication. Also include an e-mail address if you want to be notified when the book is full. All material received will be considered disposable. The deadline for receiving stories is February 1st, 2004. You will be contacted after that date if your story has been accepted. Payment is on publication. =The Mammoth Book Of Best New Horror= also includes an extensive annual overview of the previous year in horror. To be aware of material published (especially from the small press), the editor needs to have seen it. This includes novels, collections, anthologies, poetry, art books, reference works, magazines and chapbooks covering fiction, non-fiction and films. All appropriate titles received will get a mention in the "Introduction," and publishers may also be listed in the book's "Useful Addresses" section. All material for inclusion should be sent to: "The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror #15", c/o 130 Park View, Wembley, Middx HA9 6JU, England. As always, the editor and publishers are not responsible for any material that goes missing. =The Mammoth Book Of Best New Horror= Volume Fourteen is available in bookstores next month. It includes fiction by Ramsey Campbell, Basil Copper, Stephen Gallagher, Glen Hirshberg, Brian Hodge, Graham Joyce, Caitlin Kiernan, Kelly Link, Paul McAuley, China Mieville, Kim Newman, Nicholas Royle, Jay Russell, David J. Schow and Jeff VanderMeer ... among others. 22 Sep 2003 by Jessica Martin [http://www.computercrowsnest.com/dailynews.php] ORBITAL INJECTION A writer on the Rumor Mill said "=Orbital Injection= is not going to be published." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&m=16742&sh ow_all_topics=0, 31 Jul 03] PARADOX A writer on the Rumor Mill said concerning =Paradox=, "Chris Cevasco [editor of Paradox] posted in the =Paradox= newsgroup at SF Reader that he had a very busy summer but should be getting response times back down again during the next couple of weeks." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&m=17262&sh ow_all_topics=0, 26 Sep 03] POLYPHONY 4 When asked when people would begin to hear about their submissions to =Polyphony 4=, editor Jay Lake said, "Not prior to early November, almost certainly." [sff.publishing.polyphony, 29 Sep 03] PS PUBLISHING PS Publishing launch a new SF&F magazine with Arts Council money. Wow, Pete Crowther--the owner of the very quality small-press PS Publishing--has stuck grant gold and convinced the Arts Council of England to pony up enough folding green stuff to launch a new genre fiction magazine. Called 'Postscripts'--a working title apparently, so possibly subject to change before launch--each issue will contain about 60,000 words of short fiction and book reviews. The launch issue line-up should include work by Ramsey Campbell, Gene Wolfe, Michael Marshall Smith, Ian McDonald, Graham Joyce, Peter Hamilton, Steven Erikson and Harlan Ellison. Containing mainly SFF and horror, the title will also feature some crime and suspense content. It should hit the streets about May 2004, followed by number two in August 2003. It'll be interesting to see if their blended content approach works, as =Interzone= eventually had to fold its standalone companion crime fiction title for lack of sales legs. Possibly by combining the two, it'll appeal to both--although there must be a risk by "doubling up" it'll also put off a small element of readers from both sides of the genre fence. Prices should be around the L5.00/$8.00 level. In a similar fashion to PS's book runs, where they produce a small run of exquisitely produced but very "premium" priced volumes for collectors and hyper-fans, PS will be knocking out a 100-edition limited run of a hardback version of the magazine, priced at L50.00 or $80.00 for you US types. Ouch. But as always, it's sure to be a work of beauty. Keep posted over at www.pspublishing.co.uk 26 Sep 2003 by Jessica Martin [http://www.computercrowsnest.com/dailynews.php] SF-F.ORG MAGAZINE A writer on the Rumor Mill says that sf-f.org magazine is going on hiatus. [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&m=17302&sh ow_all_topics=0, 1 Oct 03] STRANGE HORIZONS Jed Hartman, one of the fiction editors of =Strange Horizons=, said, "I don't know if this counts as news exactly, but thought it was worth mentioning that we at =Strange Horizons= have been seeing many more than usual improperly formatted submissions lately. Anyone who hasn't read our submission-formatting guidelines since we updated them at the beginning of 2003 should do so next time you submit. "The one thing I have noticed from our staunch longtime submitters is that some of them aren't putting information like author name, author email address, story title, and rounded-off word count at the top of the email; even if you send us stories all the time, even if you're a close personal friend of ours, it really helps us if you put that info at the top. See our fiction submission guidelines for more information than you probably want about formatting and such." [Rumor Mill, Market News, 14 Sep 03] Susan Marie Groppi, another of the fiction editors for =Strange Horizons=, said, "Anyone getting a one-day rejection from =Strange Horizons= has to be getting it from a department other than fiction. I don't think it's possible to get anything shorter than a ten- or eleven-day response on fiction, and I would know." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&m=17182&sh ow_all_topics=0, 18 Sep 03] TANGENT SF zine =Tangent= looks set to shut down. Our chums at SFsite.com are reporting that the owner of the science fiction zine =Tangent=, David Truesdale is thinking of shuttering Tangent after more than a decade of service to the genre. The site may stay alive if Truesdale can find someone of appropriate calibre to take over the mantle. Dave originally set up =Tangent= in 1993 as a print magazine with the idea of reviewing all the magazine-published short fiction in the science fiction and fantasy genre ... a playing field it has had to itself since (a large, unprofitable and mostly ungrateful task, we'd imagine). =Tangent= became online-only in 1997, operating out of www.tangentonline.com. As one of the only comprehensive sources of detailed reviews for SFF shorts its presence will leave a singular hole. Jeniffer Johnson is acting as site caretaker until a final decision is made. 25 Sep 2003 by Jessica Martin [http://www.computercrowsnest.com/dailynews.php] TTA PRESS USA The United States address for TTA Press (including =The Third Alternative=) has changed. It is now 360 W. 76th Ave. #H, Anchorage, AK 99518. Address them to Wayne Edwards, Editor, TTA Press USA ***************************************************************** * "Dogs may have kept us company on the hunt, but it was the * * cats who insisted we invent houses and discover fire." * * Khiem Tran * * * * "Though science will build the starships, it's science * * fiction that will make us want to board them." * * Athena Andreadis * ***************************************************************** ==End of the CALLIHOO Newsletter for 21 October 2003==