CALLIHOO NEWSLETTER Market News for Writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Julia West, Editor Vol. 8, No. 3 13 June 2000 Website: http://www.sff.net/people/julia.west/CALLIHOO/index.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------- In This Issue DNA Publications Website Download Hugo Nominees Eternal Twilight Medieval Demographics Made Easy Noesis (dead) Orphic Chronicle (dead) Roadworks 2000 Short Story Competition (gls) The Worlds of Fantasy High Fantasy Contest (gls) ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS Download Hugo Nominees Fictionwise.com (http://www.fictionwise.com) is excited to announce that Michael Swanwick's two Hugo nominated stories are now online and available for free in eBook format (Palm, Rocket eBook Reader, and PDF). The two stories, "Ancient Engines" and "Scherzo for Tyrannosaur" can be downloaded at http://www.fictionwise.com See the "Specials" area on the right of the browser or click on Author Links to go to the author's Fictionwise home page. Fictionwise.com also offers these Hugo Award nominated stories for free: * "Fossil Games" by Tom Purdom * "Hunting the Snark" and "Hothouse Flowers" by Mike Resnick * "10 to the 16 to 1" by James Patrick Kelly Also at Fictionwise.com, multiple short stories are now available from Robert Silverberg, Damon Knight, Mike Resnick, James Patrick Kelly, Nancy Kress, Tom Purdom, John Kessel, Barry Malzberg, Mary Soon Lee, and others. [Registration is required, but it is free. --ed.] 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.) =Starlight 3= anthology, deadline "end of June 2000" [SF/F, pays 7-1/2 cents/wd., no upper word limit, (GLs in Vol. 6, No. 38)] The 42nd Annual Utah Original Writing Competition, open 15 May to 26 June 2000 [Annual contest, various categories of entries (long and short fiction and nonfiction), various 1st ($1000 or $300) and 2nd ($750 or $200) prizes, =no entry fee=, must be Utah resident. (GLs in Vol. 7, No. 43)] Warner Books' First Novel Contest, deadline 30 June 2000 [SF/F novels. Synopsis + first several chapters (up to 60 pages maximum). =No entry fee.= Prizes: Publication with advance and royalties.] Waterford Reading Intervention, deadline 30 June 2000 [Computer reading intervention program, SF/F 100 to 4000 wds, $100 to $500, E-mail subm only, work for hire. Subm to Anna Shelley at: annas@waterford.org. (GLs in Vol. 7, No. 44)] Writers of the Future, 3rd quarter 2000, deadline 30 June 2000 [$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. 6, No. 10)] =Cemetery Sonata= volume 2, deadline 1 Jul 2000 [Print antho, ghost stories 500-6000 words, pays 3 cents/wd. on pub., reprints okay. (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 39)] 8th Annual Garden State Horror Writers Short Story Contest, deadline 31 Jul 2000 [Annual contest, SF/F/H to 2500 wds, prizes--$50 1st, $25 2nd, $15 3rd, =$10 entry fee=, (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 42)] =Roadworks= 2000 Short Story Competition, deadline 31 Jul 2000 [Contest, SF/H/DF to 5000 wds, 1st prize 30% of entry fees, 2nd and 3rd 10% of entry fees each and pub in Roadworks. Entry fee L2 per entry (sterling only). No E-mail subm. (GLs in Vol. 8 No. 3)] =The Children of Cthulhu= anthology, deadline 1 Aug 2000 [Print antho, Lovecraftian, 750-10,000 wds, pays 4 cents/wd. against royalties, E-mail subm okay. (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 45)] =Chillers= anthology, deadline 1 Aug 2000 [Electronic antho, H 1500-5000 wds, pays share of royalties, no reprints or sim subs, E-mail and mult subm okay. (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 39)] The James White Award, a Science Fiction Short Story Competition, deadline 23 Aug 2000 [SF 2000-4000 wds, new writers, no reprints or E-mail entries, entry fee L3/$4 each, up to three entries allowed. Cash prize and publication in Interzone. (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 45)] =On Spec= Theme Issue ("World Beat"), deadline 31 Aug 2000 [Canadian print mag, theme of non-North American-based (different cultures) SF/F/H to 5000 wds, pays $50-$180C on accept., no reprints, faxed, or E-mail subs. (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 31)] =Byline= genre fiction contest, deadline 5 September 2000 [Short story that fits category: romance, sci-fi, confession, mystery, western, etc. No children's stories. 5,000 words max. =Entry fee $5.= Prizes: $50, $30, $15.] The =Worlds of Fantasy= High Fantasy Contest, deadline 15 September 2000 [Contest, High F/S&S 2000 to 25,000 wds. 1st place $50, 2nd place $25, 3rd place $10. All will be pub on website. No entry fee. E-mail subm. only. (GLs in Vol. 8, No. 3)] 19th Annual Science Fiction/Fantasy Short Story Contest Sponsored by Science Fiction Writers of Earth, deadline 30 October 2000 [Annual contest, SF/F by unpubl authors, 2000 to 7500 wds. =Entry fee $5 for 1st ms. (gives memb to SFWoE), $2 for each other ms.= Prizes $200 1st, $100 2nd, $50 3rd. (GLs in Vol. 7, No. 33)] =Winedark Sea= Literary Competition, deadline 17 Nov 2000 [Fantastic fiction, Cat A (1000 - 2000 wds) and Cat B (400 - 500 wds), 1st prizes $100, 2nd prizes $50. Cat C (illus fic 1500 - 3000 wds), 1st prize $250 between author and artist. $5AU - $10AU entry fee. Sim subs okay, no reprints, no E-mailed entries. (GLs in Vol. 8, No. 2)] The Best of Soft Science Fiction Contest, opens 1 Oct, closes 15 Dec 2000 [Annual contest, soft SF, to 7000 wds, published or offered for pub during year, enter as many as want, =no entry fee=, prizes 1st $100, 2nd $50, 3rd $25. (GLs in Vol. 7 No. 33)] 2001: A Science Fiction Poetry Anthology/Contest, deadline 15 Dec 2000 [SF/F Poetry, 1st Prize: $500, 2nd Prize: $250, 3rd Prize: $150, 4th Prize: $100, =entry fee US$10 for 1-3 poems=. (GLs in Vol. 8, No. 2)] =Electric Wine= Fiction Competition, open 1 Jun - 31 Dec 2000 [SF/F/H 1000 - 5000 wds, 1st $250, 2nd $150, 3rd $100, 3 pub prizes (1cent/wd +$10), $10 reading fee, no sim subs or reprints, E-mail subm preferred. (GLs in Vol. 8, No. 2)] =Anamnesis= Poetry Chapbook Award Competition, deadline March 2001 [Poetry, SF/F/H okay, submit 20-30 pages of poems, prize $1000, reprints okay, entry fee $15US, no E-mail subm, (GLs in Vol. 8, No. 2)] CONTESTS =ROADWORKS 2000 SHORT STORY COMPETITION= [Contest, SF/H/DF to 5000 wds, 1st prize 30% of entry fees, 2nd and 3rd 10% of entry fees each and pub in Roadworks. Entry fee L2 per entry (sterling only). Deadline 31 Jul 2000. No E-mail subm.] T. Denyer Roadworks 2000 Competition 7 Mountview, Church Lane West Aldershot, Hampshire, GU11 3LN, England http://www.roadworksweb.free-online.co.uk/ Entries are invited for the ROADWORKS 2000 Short Story Competition. Any theme within the genre categories covered by ROADWORKS magazine, ie: Science Fiction, Horror, Dark Fantasy (NOT Sword & Sorcery) and Slipstream. Max. 5000 word limit. Plus a critiquing service, if requested (see below). The Competition will be judged by GARY COUZENS, short story writer (Interzone, F&SF, The Third Alternative and many more; Honourable Mentions in the Datlow / Windling 'Year's Best' Anthology) reviewer (Zene) and film critic. THE PRIZES: The First Prize will be 30% of the total entry fees received, plus an original pen and ink drawing by James Ward, portraying the winner in a scene from the winning story. The illustration will appear on the front cover of the Competition Issue of ROADWORKS (Autumn 2000). In addition, the winner will receive a year's free subscription to ROADWORKS magazine (or extended subscription, if appropriate). The Second and Third Prizes will be 10% each of the total entry fees received, plus a year's free subscription to ROADWORKS magazine (or extended subscription, if appropriate). A further 7 runners-up prizes of a year's free subscription to ROADWORKS magazine (or extended subscription, if appropriate) will be awarded. The 10 winning stories will be published in the Competition Issue of ROADWORKS (Autumn 2000). Please make cheques/POs payable (sterling) to T DENYER. Please attach [the coupon available at http://www.roadworksweb.free-online.co.uk/letters.htm] to your competition entry & send to: Roadworks 2000 Competition, 7 Mountview, Church Lane West, ALDERSHOT, Hampshire GU11 3LN England by 31 July 2000 COMPETITION RULES 1) The Roadworks 2000 Short Story Competition is open to anyone over the age of 18. 2) The fee of œ2 covers each individual entry. If an entrant pays for a four issue subscription to ROADWORKS magazine at the time of application to the competition, their first entry is free of charge. Only sterling accepted. There is no limit to the number of entries. Payment by cheque or PO must be made payable to T DENYER. 3) Entries must be no longer than 5000 words and must be original work in English which has not previously been published. Entries should fall within the genre categories published by ROADWORKS magazine: Science Fiction, Horror, Dark Fantasy, Slipstream or a combination of these. Sword and Sorcery stories are not acceptable. Entries must be typed double spaced on single sheets of A4 paper. The title page must carry the entrant's name, address and a contact telephone number. The title of the story must appear on each subsequent page, but no other author details must be shown. The pages must be clearly numbered. 4) Entries must be posted to Roadworks 2000 Competition, 7 Mountview, Church Lane West, Aldershot, Hampshire, GU11 3LN, England, to arrive no later than first post on 31 July 2000. Manuscripts cannot be returned, so please retain a copy for your records. To receive acknowledgement of safe receipt please enclose a stamped addressed postcard stating: '[your manuscript/s] received by ROADWORKS 2000 Competition'. 5) Entries will be judged by Gary Couzens, whose decision is final. Mr Couzens will provide a critique where requested, providing a payment of œ4 for each story requiring a critique, and a stamped addressed envelope has been received. Cheques/POs must be made payable to T DENYER. Only sterling accepted. The critique will be provided after the closing date of the Competition. 6) Winners will be notified by telephone and in writing and will be published in the Competition Issue of ROADWORKS magazine, in October 2000. A list of winners will be provided where requested, as long as a stamped addressed envelope has been sent. 7) Non-prize winning entries may be re-submitted to other publications after the winners of this competition have been announced. 8) Entry into the competition pre-supposes that the author gives permission to T DENYER and ROADWORKS magazine to publish their entry should it be a prizewinner and, where necessary, to make minor editorial changes in line with editorial policy. 9) Entries not complying with the competition rules will not be considered. [http://www.roadworksweb.free-online.co.uk/letters.htm] =The Worlds of Fantasy High Fantasy Contest= [Contest, High F/S&S 2000 to 25,000 wds. 1st place $50, 2nd place $25, 3rd place $10. All will be pub on website. No entry fee. Deadline 15 Sep 2000. E-mail subm. only.] Doyle Eldon Wilmoth, Jr. submissions to twof@webtv.net The High Fantasy contest is open to both published and unpublished writers. All entries must be original works of fiction, written in English, unpublished and not accepted by any publisher, or submitted elsewhere at the time of the contest. Only one entry per person. First Place: 1) $50 (US) in cash, plus publication on SpecFicWorld website. Second Place: 1) $25 (US) in cash, plus publication on SpecFicWorld website. Third Place: 1) $10 (US) in cash, plus publication on SpecFicWorld website. Entry fee: None. Deadline: September 15, 2000. Open to: High Fantasy and Sword & Sorcery fiction. No urban or modern day settings. Length: between 2k-25k/words. Tip: I want to see new creative worlds beyond the norm. Something brewing with fresh life. Forget your typical medieval trimmings. I'll still read the basic run of the mill high fantasy stuff with dragons, orcs, elves, wizards and the like. But you should at least try to put a new twist on things. Just be creative. I also wouldn't mind seeing some high fantasy that is dark and plain ol' creepy--no gore though. Taboos: No Fan Fiction. No porn. No gore. No profanity. No child abuse stories. Where to submit: E-mail entries in English to Doyle Eldon Wilmoth, Jr at twof@webtv.net. Put "High Fantasy Contest" in the subject line. Format: Use plain text or HTML format in the body of the e-mail. NO ATTACHMENTS. Surround italicized text like *** this ***. Put your real name, title of story, word count, brief bio, snail-mail, and e-mail address somewhere at the top of the first page. Note: Stories longer than 8k/wds, please break up into separate e-mails and label them Part 1, Part 2, etc. Notification: Only the winners will be notified by e-mail of the results on November 15, 2000. The rest of the contestants can find the winning stories posted on SpecFicWorld on January 15, 2000. Note: I also require that the winners allow me to publish their stories at SpecFicWorld for a maximum of 180 days. Copyright: Authors retain all Copyrights to their work. Contest is void where law prohibits. If you have any questions about the contest please feel free to contact Doyle Eldon Wilmoth, Jr., at: twof@webtv.net. [http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/1524/e1.html] MARKET INFORMATION =DNA Publications Web Site= Warren Lapine, publisher for DNA Publications, says of DNA Publications website fiction submissions, "Yes I am willing to look at stories that have already been seen at our other magazines. Though it probably wouldn't be worth the effort to send stories that were rejected for =Absolute Magnitude= as I was the one who read those." [sff.writing.response-times, 5 May 2000] =Eternal Twilight= A writer on sff.net got a note from the editor of =Eternal Twilight= that submissions are now closed, but they hope to reopen sometime in the Oct/Nov/Dec timeframe. [sff.writing.response-times, 7 May 2000] =Noesis= A writer on sff.net got a note from =Noesis= saying that it had closed down. [sff.writing.response-times, 13 Jun 2000] =Orphic Chronicle= Kay Elmore, editor of webzine =Orphic Chronicle=, says it's folding. May 2000 was the final issue. [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/topic221.htm, 8 and 10 May 2000] MEDIEVAL DEMOGRAPHICS MADE EASY Do you write fantasy? If you want your stories to be more than "least common denominator" fantasy, in which the elements are taken more from other fantasy novels than your own mind, you'll probably do a bit of worldbuilding for your fantasy' world's society. A website that can help a *lot* with deciding how big your kingdom ought to be, in placing towns and villages, and in coming up with what people live where (and what their occupations are) is the "Medieval Demographics Made Easy" site at http://www.io.com/~sjohn/demog.htm. Although this was written for role-playing gamers, I've found that many "game" sites are extremely useful for the fantasy and science fiction writer. After all, both we as writers and they as gamers (or game masters) are coming up with places and people, telling stories, and trying to figure out people's motives. This site asks the questions "How many in that kingdom?" (Population Density), "How many in those walls?" (Town and city population), and then discusses population spread, merchants and services, agriculture, castles, and other miscellaneous topics. There's also an online demographics calculator, where you fill in a few blanks (which ask questions about the kingdom you're constructing), push a "button," and it will figure the demographics automatically (it's a Javascript script). One of the fun things about it is that it will tell you the likelihood of having one or more of over fifty business and services available--businesses like apothecaries, bleachers, furriers, mercers, and woodsellers. Without this list, you may not even have thought to *have* these sorts of people around! The URL for this site is http://www.black-gate.com/meddemog.htm. (Medieval Demographics Made Easy by S. John Ross) ***************************************************************** * Sometimes, though, one does reread and realize that * * something happened that one is glad of. One is tempted to * * say; "That's pretty good, I wonder who wrote that?" For the * * reader reading is never the writer writing. One always * * comes to one's work as a stranger. * * --Mary Gordon * ***************************************************************** ==End of CALLIHOO newsletter for 13 June 2000==