CALLIHOO NEWSLETTER Market News for Writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Julia West, Editor Volume 12 Number 8 15 May 2008 Website: http://www.callihoo.net IN THIS ISSUE Publication Notes Deadlines Market Guidelines Abyss & Apex Helix SF Market Information Cat Tales Helix SF Jim Baen's Universe Writers of the Future Contest DEADLINES Where it says "GLs in Vol. X No. Y," these are volume and issue of the CALLIHOO newsletter. The Robert A. Heinlein Centennial Short Story Contest Deadline 1 June 2008 [Contest, SF to 15k wds., $5,000 1st, $2,000 2nd, $1,000 3rd prize. No entry fee. No reprints or sim subs. E-subs only. GLs in Vol. 12 No. 1] 2008 Utah Arts Council Writing Contest Open 1 May to 27 June 2008 [Contest, Utah writers, all genres. Book length works only those with no pub book in that category. Novel/nonfic book (60,000+ wds) book-length poem collection (48 pages)/juvenile book 1st place $1000, 2nd prize $750. Poetry (10 poems)/short story/personal essay (to 7500 wds) 1st prize $300, 2nd prize $200. No entry fee. Must obtain Dun & Bradstreet number and include entry card. Ms in contest format. No E-subs, mult subs. GLs in Vol. 12 No. 7] Dark Distortions II Deadline 30 June 2008 [Print antho, dark fic to 50k wds. Pays royalties based on 2 cents/wd. Theme magic rites. E-subs only. No mult subs. Query for reprints. RT 60 days. GLs in Vol. 12 No. 4] Infinite Space, Infinite God II Deadline 30 June 2008 [Print antho, SF with Catholic world view, 3-10k wds. Pays $50. No alt hist, no reprints. E-subs only. GLs in Vol. 12 No. 4] L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest 3rd quarter deadline 30 June 2008 [Quarterly contest/print antho, SF/F/DF to 17k wds. Non-pros only. 1st prize $1000, 2nd $750, 3rd $500. No entry fee. No reprints. No E-subs. One entry per person per quarter. GLs in Vol. 12 No. 5] Darwin's Evolutions First Annual Halloween Contest Deadline 1 July 2008 [Creepy SF/F to 7500 wds. 1st prize $100 and pub, 2nd $50 and pub, 3rd $25 and pub. E-subs okay. GLs in Vol. 12 No. 6] Haunted Legends Open 15 to 31 July 2008 [Print antho, retelling of "true" ghost stories, 6 cents/wd. to 8k wds. E-subs only. No mult subs. GLs in Vol 12 No. 7] Lace and Blade Deadline 1 August 2008 [Print antho, romantic F, all lengths. Pays 2 cents/wd. advance. E-subs okay. No reprints. GLs in Vol. 12 No. 5] PUBLICATION NOTES Ken Rand says, "My long-awaited western-dark Fantasy Pax Dakota is now available from Five Star. Order from the publisher at www.gale.com/fivestar or from your favorite internet book dealer. Read the first chapter at www.sfwa.org/members/Rand/ Favor: will you please ask your local library to order the book? Thanks!" MARKET GUIDELINES Abyss & Apex Magazine of Speculative Fiction [Quarterly webzine, spec fic (no H) to 10k wds. Pays 5 cents/wd. to 1,500 words, $75.00 for longer, 60 days after pub. Reading periods Feb, May, Aug, Nov only. E-subs only. No sim or mult subs, no unsolicited reprints.] Our May 2008 reading period for short fiction and flash is now OPEN. Also, Our poetry submissions are CLOSED. Please review the new poetry guidelines. We are responding to submissions as quickly as possible. We still have submissions from November 2007 under consideration. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR Our mission is to publish the finest in speculative and imaginative fiction and poetry, with special attention to character-driven stories that examine the depths and heights of emotion and motivation from a broad variety of cultural and social perspectives. We want to publish powerful stories with emotion that resonates in our minds and hearts long after the first reading and makes us want to read them again and again. We look for the unique: stories that stand out from the norm even in a genre that pushes the envelope of normal. We take special delight in detailed world-building, and we enjoy reading about the realms and inhabitants of your imagination. We have no subject/topic preference, beyond a requirement that the work have a speculative element. We are happy to read high fantasy, magic realism, hard science fiction, sword and sorcery, and genrebending stories that don't quite seem to fit elsewhere. Our tastes span the gamut from classic Golden-Age SF to modern nontraditional formats. We don't mind experimental styles. We are, however, discriminating. We read a lot, so it may be hard to surprise us. We admit to a certain dislike of stories--or plots, settings, or character types--that we've seen many times before. You might be surprised how many different takes we've read on Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White. Please don't send us a "modern update on a classic fairytale," unless it is stunningly original. We will consider dark speculative fiction, but we do not publish horror. We won't publish extremely graphic violent or sexual content or over-the-top gore, and we are turned off by gratuitous foul language. In other words, if the primary purpose of the story is to scare us or make us queasy, we won't buy it. FICTION The submissions editors at Abyss & Apex read short fiction and flash during designated reading periods ONLY, four times a year. The four one-month reading periods are February, May, August, and November. The next scheduled reading periods are: May 2008 for the 3rd Quarter 2008 issue 27 (published July), August 2008 for the 4th Quarter 2008 issue 28 (published October). Short fiction and flash received outside of these designated reading periods will be deleted without acknowledgment. We will read short stories at lengths of up to 10,000 words. We are always interested in good flash fiction (1,000 words or less). If your story is on the borderline of flash length, consider trimming those extra words and making your short-short story even tighter and stronger. Payment is US $.05/word (five cents a word) up to 1,500 words, and a flat payment of $75.00 for longer stories, on 60 days after publication. We prefer to make author payments via paypal. If this is unacceptable please let us know and we will make other arrangements. Our editors try their best to provide feedback on stories that are declined, but may not be able to answer specific questions on the reasons a story was not accepted. We strive to keep our response times under one month, but this may change depending on a variety of factors, so feel free to query if you have not received a response in one month. POETRY Please read our new Poetry guidelines [below]. We like to see strong, emotionally resonant, literary-quality poetry with a clear speculative element, as well as scifaiku and what some call "science poetry" or "astronomy poetry." Both traditional and modern or nontraditional formats are encouraged, and we have no length restrictions for poetry. Wow us with a sestina, or stun us in free verse. We admire poetry that exceeds our expectations in scansion, imagery, emotional impact and creative wordplay. We love language, and we like to see it worked for all it's worth. Our love of poetry exceeds the space and funds we have to publish it, so we accept only the very best; amaze us! GENERAL INFORMATION * We accept submissions via e-mail only. * E-mail submissions must be saved in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rtf). * We do not accept simultaneous or multiple submissions, except for poetry. * We do not accept unsolicited reprints. * All short story submissions of more than 1,000 words must be in Standard Manuscript Format. That means 12-point type, double-spaced, black on white, ragged right margins; author's name and contact information on the TOP of the first page; and name, page number, and story name as a header every page thereafter. Further details are available at http://sfwa.org/writing/. * Attach your submission to an e-mail message in Microsoft Word or .rtf (Rich Text Format) and submit it to: editor@abyssandapex.com with the email subject in the following format: FICTION SUB: "Your title here" or FLASH FICTION SUB: "Your title here" * Flash fiction (fewer than 1,000 words) and poetry may be submitted within the body of your e-mail message. If you wish to send a cover letter, please include it in the body of your e-mail message as well. * We will not open or read any submissions that do not have an appropriate subject line. The subject line is important for sorting our mail; mail sent to the submissions address with an incorrect subject line may never reach us. * Please be absolutely certain to include your name and contact information on the manuscript itself. We would appreciate it if you would include a brief, two- to three-sentence bio either in the body of your e-mail message or somewhere within your attached manuscript. * Please submit only to the address above. * We strive to honor your time and effort and to keep our response times under one month, but this may change depending on a variety of factors, so feel free to query if you have not received a response in two months. * Please, no multiple or simultaneous submissions. Submitting a poem and a flash or short fiction piece at the same time is considered a multiple submission. * We are not currently soliciting artists or editorial content. QUERIES Send queries to us at editor@abyssandapex.com. In general, we try very hard to keep our response time under two months. However, please read any notes or updates at the top of this page to find out if any circumstances have changed that affect this norm. [http://www.abyssandapex.com/guidelines.html] POETRY GUIDELINES Our poetry submissions are CLOSED. Please review these new poetry guidelines. We are responding to submissions as quickly as possible. We still have poetry submissions from January 2008 under consideration. We are moving to a quarterly poetry submission schedule. This will be in the month following our quarterly fiction submission schedule. For poetry subs, we will be open next in the month of JUNE 2008. Our poetry reading schedule for 2008 is: June 2008, September 2008, December 2008. This will give us the opportunity to clearly review your work. We like to see strong, emotionally resonant, literary-quality poetry with a clear speculative element, as well as scifaiku and what some call "science poetry" or "astronomy poetry." Both traditional and modern or nontraditional formats are encouraged, and we have no length restrictions for poetry. Wow us with a sestina, or stun us in free verse. We admire poetry that exceeds our expectations in scansion, imagery, emotional impact and creative wordplay. We love language, and we like to see it worked for all it's worth. Our love of poetry exceeds the space and funds we have to publish it, so we accept only the very best; amaze us! Please use this subject header for your submission email: POETRY SUB: "Your title here" Submit your poetry either in the body of an e-mail message or as an attachment (Word, RTF, and txt are fine) to aandapoetry@gmail.com. You may submit up to three poems at one time. An exception is haiku or other extremely short forms; if you have four or five related short pieces, you may submit those together. Payment is a flat fee of US $5.00. Query the Poetry Editor (aandapoetry@gmail.com) with any questions. [http://www.abyssandapex.com/200804-poetryguidelines.html Helix SF [Quarterly webzine, SF/F, pros only; query first.] A Speculative Fiction Quarterly Helix does not take unsolicited submissions at this time and has no plans to do so. Active and Associate members of SFWA are welcome to submit queries. Please give story length, submission history if any, and something to give us some idea what it's about. Writers who are not SFWA members, but who have equivalent professional publication records, may also submit queries. If you are not sure what "professional publication" means in this context, check http://www.sfwa.org/org/qualify.htm. Please list your publishing credits in your initial query message. Note that word: "query." Please do not send any sort of submissions without querying first. Emails bearing attachments of any sort will be deleted unopened unless previous arrangements have been made. Paper manuscripts will be discarded unopened, except that we may look inside for return postage and appropriate it for our own use. Submission policy for poetry is somewhat different. Queries should be addressed to the Poetry Editor (poetry@helixsf.com). Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. The Editorial Staff root@helixsf.com P.O. Box 3912 Gaithersburg, MD 20885-3912 [http://www.helixsf.com/submissions.htm] MARKET INFORMATION Cat Tales George Scithers, editor, says, "Wildside Press's first issue of Cat Tales: Feline Fantasy Fiction has just gone to the printers. Our original intention was to publish this as a magazine, but we and our distributor have decided that a periodic publication in the form of a paperbook will sell better. "Our second issue is mostly standing in inventory. We are looking -- cautiously -- at material for a third issue: Stories involving cats (but not talking cats, which all too often seem to be elves, gnomes, or little men in furry suits), almost always with a significant fantasy, or science-fictional, or mystery/crime content. (Think of a story to be read whilst sitting by the fireplace with a cat in one's lap.) We use mostly new and some previously published material, but tend to avoid things published in the U.S.A. during the past two or three years. "What we're really short of at the moment is POETRY involving cats -- we can use any length from haiku on up to poems of 25 lines or so. "E-mail submissions welcome -- but always include your snail-mail as well as your e-mail address." George H Scithers g-scithers@sff.net Cattales@wildsidepress.com [sff.publishing.announcements, 12 May 2008] Helix SF From Helix SF chief editor William Sanders: "I am now just about hit my in-stock limit at Helix. In fact it is now at the point that I will be able to accept only two more stories for the rest of this year. "And of course I would like to make those two the best possible choices, so I'll have to be very selective. I won't pretend the odds are all that good - BUT, children, the chances are absolute ZERO if you don't at least try me. "All this is speaking strictly of fiction; I really do not know what Bud's current situation is visavis poetry. "So if anyone reading this, who is eligible to submit to Helix*, has something that you have been thinking of submitting - then you need to get on with it. You need to go ahead and send that query. (Repeat: QUERY. No submissions considered without prior query; see the submission rules at the magazine for what your query should contain.) *If you're not sure whether you're eligible: http://www.helixsf.com/submissions.htm [sff.private.sfwa.markets, 10 May 2008] Mary Catelli adds (it sounds like she got it from the editors): "You might tell them not to bother with anything under 3000 words. Even that is shorter than I'd probably want, but I might consider something of exceptional quality. "This in view of the unfortunate trend among the newer writers to produce little short-short vignettes. I've taken a few in the past; I'm not in the market for any more. "(With one exception: I will consider short-short submissions from anyone who can produce definite and indisputable proof that he is or has ever been Fredric Brown. However, I think this is very unlikely.)" [sff.private.sfwa.markets 10 May 2008] Jim Baen's Universe Jim Baen's Universe is a professional science fiction and fantasy magazine which is published on-line and bi-monthly. Eric Flint and Mike Resnick are the editors. Jim Baen's Universe is open for submissions until an unspecified future date but not for very long. We're already filled up through the June 2008 issue and we don't like to be more than six to nine months ahead of publication date. We don't want authors sending us stories that they could be sending somewhere else in the meantime. It wouldn't be fair to the authors and it would be a nuisance for us. Submissions will re-close on an unspecified future date but not before June 2008. [http://www.baensuniverse.com/subguide.html] Writers of the Future Contest First reader Kathy Wentworth describes the process manuscripts go through: "The stories are received in L.A. by the marvelous Joni [Labaqui], who logs them in, separates them from their identifying cover sheet, and ships them to me in large boxes. I read them, sort them into Honorable Mentions, non-placers, and possible Finalists. Then, when I finish the first reading, I read all the possible Finalists again to sort them into Finalists and Semifinalists. After that, I send everything back except the Semifinalists, which I read AGAIN, so I can write critiques. "Joni copies the eight Finalists and sends them to this quarter's panel of Final Judges. Then we announce the three winners." [sff.writing.writersofthefuture, 7 May 2008] End of the CALLIHOO Newsletter for 15 May 2008