And I’ve added a new page that is all the very latest updates (the same markets as in the table below, now with even more details!), searchable and sortable in the same way as the full market listings page. Both of these pages are, of course, best viewed on a wide screen.
Remembering Promises to Your Reader
Every story makes promises to its readers, even if the author doesn’t realize that they’re doing so. The trick is recognizing which promises you’ve made, and making sure that the ending pays those promises off in a way that either the reader expects … or will be delighted to have not seen coming. Handle that last one with care.
Critiquers can help. As I go, I ask my critiquers to write down questions they have (so that I can make sure they’re answered), the details they think are significant (so I can check if I want them to be), and things they expect to be resolved by the end.
I also train myself to notice the promises that I’m making. Is there a countdown to something? Is there unresolved tension (romantic or otherwise) between characters? Is there a big event coming up? Have I been foreshadowing anything? Did I set a gun on the mantelpiece and forget about it? Either that gun has to be removed from the mantelpiece, or it has to go off. That metaphorical gun can be a character, a conflict, a looming failure, or a striving for success.
I can’t keep track of all that stuff in my head. The promises that I make intentionally as I write, I also note down in my plot notes for the ending. (I’m approaching the ending of my novel now, which is why I’m thinking about this.) On my current project, I’ve been getting critique notes as I go, which is not something I always do and definitely not something I recommend for everyone! But it has helped me get a feeling for what promises my readers are picking up on, and that has shifted some of the details of the satisfying ending that I hope to provide.
During revisions, I keep a separate page just for notes of what I am promising and foreshadowing, and I check them off when I pay them off. I only write down the promise or foreshadowing when I actually see it on the page. Sometimes I need to work it in earlier to give it more impact. Sometimes the payoff isn’t good enough to be worth the promise, and I decide to take out the set-up entirely. It depends. Ah, the magic of revisions!
If all goes well, readers end up feeling satisfied with the ending, even if they don’t see all the moving parts that set up that emotional response.
What I’ve been up to lately, writing-wise:
I am at 120K on my “if T. Kingfisher wrote The Expanse” novel, about a derelict alien space station and the scrappy salvagers existing at its mercy. (Yes, I still need a better elevator pitch and comps!) If all goes according to plan, I should be able to finish the first draft of this book before the next edition of Aswiebe’s Market List. And then laugh. A lot. About how I was once worried that it would be “too short.”
Qualia Nous, Vol. 2 wants dark science fiction and all blended sub-genres of science fiction (horror, fantasy, etc.), pays $.10/word (capped).
The first volume of Qualia Nous(2014), edited by Michael Bailey, won the Benjamin Franklin Award for science fiction and was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in an Anthology. It was a Foreword ReviewsBook of the Year finalist in horror, science fiction, and a bronze winner for anthologies, as well as a silver medal finalist for the Independent Publisher Book Awards, a finalist for the Indie Book Awards, and a winner of the International Book Award. It was also the first Written Backwards anthology (of eventually many) to contain work by Stephen King.
… While not many like the term “literary,” that is what this anthology is looking for: groundbreaking work that break normal conventions and will stand the test of time, propelling emerging and undiscovered writers into the mainstream.
Written Backwards
Basics: speculative fiction and poetry, 3,000 – 10,000 words (fiction), pays $.10/wd, no reprints, due 7/31/23.
My full market list is now, finally, fully searchable online! I am so excited about this!!!
I’ve been fiddling with the page for the last couple of weeks … mostly learning which things I can’t do using these plug-ins. So the actual updates from this newsletter are from the middle of April, and you should expect another update in the near future. Going forward, I’ll update the online version at the same time that I send the newsletter out. Of course, you can still download the complete spreadsheet and keep your own copy on your own computer.
Go ahead, go to the Online Market Listings, search for “anthology theme” and see if any of your stories match current calls!
What Does Easy Writing Mean for You?
What kind of scene is easiest for you to write, and why? I was asked this question recently, and I think it’s a good one for any writer to think about.
For me, it’s food scenes. This isn’t terribly surprising. I like to savor my food, I like to watch cooking shows, I’m the main cook for my household so I have some idea what I’m talking about, and description is one of the writing tools that I got for free. But those aren’t the deepest reason why feasts are easy for me to write, they’re just the price of admission.
Food is visceral. It draws me in. Writing about it kicks my imagination (and my salivary gland) into overtime. I hit flow faster. The movie that plays in my mind as I write becomes more vivid. And when it’s more vivid for me, hopefully I do a good enough job writing it that it also becomes more vivid for my reader. And if they are my ideal reader, they are probably drawn in by the same things that I am.
The other kind of writing that I find easy, for the same visceral reasons, is body horror. This despite the mid-writing research required to keep it physically possible. Theoretical research only, I assure you. 😉
Now, does this mean that I should put a feast scene (or a body horror scene) in every chapter I write? Well, no. Although if I did both, I could probably churn out a pretty good horror novella in a month or two (note to self). Balancing scene types and tension and plot is important. But it does mean that I can lean in when I see an opportunity for a feast scene or some good old-fashioned enucleation. And if I’m plotting a story and there’s a choice between a cannibal feast or a dramatic love scene, I know which one will fit my voice and style better.
Writer, know thyself!
What I’ve been up to lately, writing-wise:
Let’s just say there’s nothing like a 4theWords special event to get me pushing to meet new word challenges … or to leave me with a hot mess of a chapter that has a lot of “put this bit here, move that bit there, double-check this detail, did I already say this?” inline notes that I now need to go through and clean up to get a proper first draft.
The Nebula Conference, May 12-14, 2023 ($150). Purchasing a membership also gets access to recorded panels and year-round special events: https://events.sfwa.org/
Uncanny Magazine is seeking passionate, diverse SF/F fiction and poetry from writers from every conceivable background. We want intricate, experimental stories and poems with gorgeous prose, verve, and imagination that elicit strong emotions and challenge beliefs. Uncanny believes there’s still plenty of room in the genre for tales that make you feel.
Uncanny Magazine
Basics: speculative fiction novellas, 17,500 – 40,000 words, pays $.10/wd, no reprints, due 5/15/23.
To see all the details about these new listings and what they're looking for, as well as hundreds of other listings, go to Aswiebe's Market List and download the latest version of the spreadsheet. Note: going forward, limited demographic market listings will be italicized.
Writers describe their planning process (or lack thereof) in all kinds of ways. Plotters! Pantsers! Plantsers! Architects! Gardeners! Drum Plotters!
Wait, no, that last one is a piece of graphics equipment.
I am not going to discuss all the different approaches, but this one secret is for all the kinds of writers who plot. Ready for it? Here goes.
You. Can. Change. Your. Mind.
Changing your mind can even be part of your process! It doesn’t mean your process is broken. Maybe you need something to write towards, but when you get there, you need to stop and think for a few days.
Imagine you’re following a treasure map to a walled city. When you finally reach it and climb that wall, you see that there’s a lot of city inside and you’re not exactly sure where the treasure is. And you also see a couple of pyramids in the distance, which look like they might have some treasures you never even guessed existed. Maybe while you were following the treasure map, you picked up some traveling companions. Now you need to consider their goals and skills too. Your treasure map didn’t fail; you’ve advanced to the next stage.
I call this the Replot Point, and I hit it about 3/4ths of the way through every writing project of sufficient length and density. Then it’s time for me to stop and think and scribble connections in my writing notebook. My subconscious has been leaving me breadcrumbs and making promises to my readers all the way along. It’s my job to follow those breadcrumbs and fulfill those promises, while getting from where I am to where I want to be. I plot from both ends to the middle. I make lists of all kinds of possible connections and outcomes. I think really hard about all of my characters’ goals and drives. I think about the emotional effect I want to produce in the reader.
And then I make a really detailed plot for the last quarter of the story. Did I change my mind about my initial plot for this part of the story? Maybe. Did I go from a big picture map to a city street map? Absolutely. Is there treasure at the end?
Well, that’s for the readers to decide.
What I’ve been up to lately, writing-wise:
I have created a detailed plot for the last 1/4 of my Altered Carbon meets The Expanse, as written by T Kingfisher* space opera/SF horror work-in-progress, and I am chugging along on it happily.
* Obvs, my pitch still needs a hell of a lot of work. But that’s a job for Future Abra.
The Nebula Conference, May 12-14, 2023 ($150). Purchasing a membership also gets access to recorded panels and year-round special events: https://events.sfwa.org/
Deathcap & Hemlock wants dark speculative flash fiction written in recipe format, pays $10.
What are we looking for?: Recipes that hint at a deeper narrative without violating the recipe structure will catch our eye. We are looking for short pieces, formatted like actual recipes (ingredients list, steps, measurements (metric, imperial; weight or volume—you decide!)). A short introductory paragraph to the recipe is okay, but optional.
Themes that are likely to mean you have a lot of competition in the slush include: revenge poisonings, transformation magic (eat something and it turns you into x), unwitting cannibalism.
We are not looking for stories about food or prose descriptions of how to make something. We are also not looking for anything that threatens actual people or real recipes for a poison that could be followed by readers. This is not a how-to site: we want speculative elements, we want recipes that ignite imagination (not felonies). Think outside the box of cereal killers.
Click below to see all the details about these new listings and what they're looking for. For hundreds of other listings, go to Aswiebe's Market List and download the latest version of the spreadsheet. Note: going forward, limited demographic market listings will be italicized.
Nothing on the Internet Lasts Forever, Plus Market List Updates
Don’t fall victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is if you put something on the Internet, it’s there forever. But only slightly well less-known is this: nothing on the Internet lasts forever.
We’ve had a reminder of that recently–and no, I’m not just talking about the Fowl Site. Those who’ve been submitting short stories for a minute might have started out using Ralan.com to learn about the latest SFF market listing updates. Recently Ralan closed their doors, replacing their website with a thank-you to everyone for the last 26 years and 57 days. Wow. That is a truly impressive accomplishment! I learned a lot about following SF and fantasy publications from watching Ralan. So long, Ralan, and thanks for all the fish.
So, what does “nothing lasts forever” mean for writers?
Keep your own records. Track your submissions. I use a spreadsheet to track my submissions, because I’m old school like that. If you use an app or an online website for that purpose, make sure it allows you to download a backup. And do keep that backup updated! Once or twice a year, just save it to your computer and back it up along with all your other writing files. Pair the habit with something memorable, like tax time or Halloween, and add a reminder to your calendar.
Plan to be rejected. If you see a submission call that seems like a good fit for a story that is already currently out on submission, make a note. If/when you get rejected, go check it out.
If you submit to an anthology or a contest, save the submission guidelines. You can just save the webpage as html. The vast majority of the time, these submission guidelines go *poof* the second the submission call closes. You might want to reference them later. For example, to see what they said their submission reading process would be, or to find the name of an editor that you can stalk on the internet to see if they’ve mentioned how progress on the anthology is going. (Stalking only, do not contact directly!)
And finally, once you get a story published, save the good stuff about being published. Save a copy of the published version of your story. Save the story illustration (you can’t use it, but it’s pretty, right?). Save positive reader comments. Not only are they an ego boost you can look at when writing feels hard, but you might be able to use those quotes sometime.
That’s just the actual submission process. There’s a lot more that you might want to think about saving your own copy of–useful articles, ebooks you bought, etc. And of course, there’s the whole “when social media goes away” and “why we should control our own newsletters” thing, but that’s a separate editorial all by itself (psst, I’m over at https://wandering.shop/@abracanabra).
What I’ve been up to lately, writing-wise:
I’ve hit that sticky spot where I have to stop and plot the ending of my WiP, in exact detail, before I can write further. Uggggghhhh! I have a bunch of things that need to happen, and some of them seem mutually contradictory. I will figure it out, but in the meantime I’m writing a lot of curse words in my writing notebook. You know. For posterity.
The Nebula Conference is over for 2022, but purchasing a membership now ($75) still gets access to recorded panels and year-round special events: https://membership.sfwa.org/event-4563942
The Beauty in Blood-Drenched Circuits (Starward Shadows) anthology wants dark speculative fiction written by ChatGPT (with prompts from you).
All submissions must contain speculative elements, and we prefer stories with a dark and contemplative tone. For this anthology, we’re particularly interested in exploring the relationships that humans form with those different from themselves–be it AI, aliens, or even their own kind. We’d also like to see some space-age twists on the classics we’ve always loved. The weirder and less mainstream, the better. Bonus points if you can prompt your writing partner to write a Sword and Sorcery for the ages. We’d also love to see if you can get your new friend to open up and share a laugh. (Black humor only, of course).
To see all the details about these new listings and what they're looking for, as well as hundreds of other listings, go to Aswiebe's Market List and download the latest version of the spreadsheet. Note: going forward, limited demographic market listings will be italicized.
What Can Writers Do for Awards Season? (And Best of the Year Anthologies)
tldr; Make an awards eligibility post on your website/blog. Post a thread of your publications this year on social media. Don’t forget to pay the cat pictures tax. 😉
You can call it an awards eligibility post, or an end of year post, or you can just say “This is what I got published this year.” If self-promotion makes you uncomfortable, think of this as an opportunity to reflect on what you’ve accomplished this year and what you’re happy about. John Wiswell’s post is a great example of this (and his stories are also good! go read them!): https://johnwiswell.substack.com/p/all-the-short-stories-i-published. With each story include the link (if available), the wordcount, the date published, and a quick description of what the story is about and why someone might want to read it.
Keep an eye on social media for people who are keeping lists of awards eligibility posts. Don’t be shy in sharing yours! And after you’ve made your eligibility post, remember that this is also a great time to talk about stories that you’ve really enjoyed reading that were first published this year. A rising tide, etc.
Okay, you say, but what else can a writer do? That’s where it gets more complicated. There is definitely a decreasing return on investment at this point. But yes, for many awards, there are other things you can do to increase your story’s visibility.
This is not true of all awards. Notable awards where authors can not offer their work for consideration include the Arthur C. Clarke Award (unless you’re a UK self-publisher), the British Fantasy Award, the BSFA Awards, the Locus Award, the Philip K. Dick Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Award, the Mythopoeic Awards, and the Shirley Jackson Award.
For a list of awards (and Best of the Year anthologies), click to view the full-size table of award info and the rest of the market list updates:
Life happens. It’s a truism because it’s true. After the past couple of years, we all understand how quickly our lives can be disrupted. Some disruptions are predictable (summer vacation, a new baby), others are less so (sickness, a dying relative, job loss). In my household, the last couple of months have been a little of column A, a little of column B. We’re all fine now.
My writing schedule, however, is shot. My Pacemaker.press wordcount graph looks terrible. You can really see when my kids came home from school, followed quickly by our whole family getting sick and then having an activity-packed family reunion.
I am not good at giving myself grace. I’m a fairly slow writer, and if I don’t drive myself to write on a schedule, suddenly weeks have gone by without words on the page. And I don’t write well in short spurts. I really need a few uninterrupted hours to sink into deep work mode.
So, grace. Giving yourself grace is not the same thing as giving up. Grace can be saying, “I can’t do as much as I want while [current circumstances], but I will if [better conditions].” Then you do what you can, when you can, under the current circumstances. Sometimes that’s a little, sometimes that’s nothing. Then you can either wait or do what you can until your circumstances change. That might be because they are temporary and have a natural end date. Or it might be because you have worked to get your life closer to those better conditions.
For me, knowing that there is an end condition and planning for it makes all the difference. I can give myself grace, even if right now all I can do is make a list, or take a few notes, or add a reminder to my calendar for later.
(Do you have a writing question? Send it to me, either by replying to this email or by using the contact form on my website, and it may get answered in the next newsletter.)
What I’ve been up to lately, writing-wise:
I’ve tinkered with the way the new market listings table shows up on the website. It should be more responsive for cellphones and smaller screens (will still display best on a larger screen). And now it has a search function! Please do leave a comment in my contact form letting me know what you think.
Other than that, I’m getting snippets of writing done on my space opera novel, when I can. Trying not to wince at how far behind my Pacemaker.press chart thinks I am!
The Nebula Conference ($150) is over for 2022, but purchasing a membership now still gets access to recorded panels and year-round special events: https://membership.sfwa.org/event-4563942
We’re looking for speculative stories with a strong humor element. Think Resnick and Sheckley, Fredric Brown and Douglas Adams. We welcome quality flash fiction and non-traditional narratives. Take chances, try something new, just make sure that your story is funny.
Puns and stories that are little more than vehicles for delivering a punch line at the end aren’t likely to win us over. The best way to learn what we like in general is to read a previous volume. You can buy them here and also read the online stories for free. WHAT WE DON’T WANT These are the tropes we see entirely too much of in the slush pile.
You will improve your odds if you steer clear of these:
* Zombies * Vampires * Deals with the Devil / Djinn in a bottle variants * Stereotypical aliens probing people, abducting cattle, and doing other stereotypical alien things.
Unidentified Funny Objects
Basics: humorous speculative fiction, 500 – 6,000 words, pays $.08/wd, no reprints, 2022 submissions close 8/25/22.
To see all the details about these new listings and what they're looking for, as well as hundreds of other listings, go to Aswiebe's Market List and download the latest version of the spreadsheet. Note: going forward, limited demographic market listings will be italicized.
July '22 Update
New and updated science fiction, fantasy, and horror publication listings for Aswiebe's Market List, July 2022 edition.
Name
What they want
Pay Per Word USD (originals)
Flat Pay USD (originals)
Website
Notes
Unidentified Funny Objects ANNUAL ANTHOLOGY - DUE 7/26 – 8/25
What even is flash fiction? Because the major awards don’t have a “flash fiction” category, there is no standard definition. Most publications agree that if it’s under 1,001 words, it is flash fiction. Some stretch that to under 1,501 words or even 2,001 words. Some ask for fiction that’s under 501 words. (And then there’s micro-fiction, which is usually under 300 words, and drabbles, which are exactly 100 words long.)
How do you know if a publication is flash fiction friendly? Even if they don’t list a minimum wordcount in their guidelines, flash fiction may be a hard sell. If they specifically mention flash fiction in their guidelines, that’s a good sign! If they say that they have more room for shorter stories, that’s a good sign!
What’s the best place to sell flash fiction? Flash fiction contests are worth considering. Low risk, high reward! Publications that specialize in flash fiction are a good bet. When comparing publications, remember that a flat pay rate instead of a per-word pay rate may be a better deal for flash fiction. And for these very short pieces, it’s great to find publications with a minimum guaranteed payment.
Here are 27 places to sell your flash fiction.
Name
Min Wordcount
Max Wordcount
What they want
Pay Per Word USD (originals)
Flat Pay USD (originals)
Payment Notes
Website
Notes
Factor Four Magazine
0
1,000
All speculative flash fiction, especially SF, fantasy, supernatural, and superhero fiction
Horror flash fiction, themed to When We Were Getting High, My Last Trick ‘r Treat, Body Grotesquerie, Ominous Visitors from Deep Space, or Out in the Fields, Forests, and Lakes
An Escape Artists publication. Original fiction up to 6,000 words, reprints up to 17,000. ONE-TIME SUBMISSION THEME: Indigenous Magic (#ownvoices) 7/1/22 – 7/31/22
Submission periods: 2/15 – 2/28, 5/15 – 5/31, 8/15-08/31 (ONE-TIME 2022 THEME: Nostalgia), 11/15 – 11/30, with a 1-week extension each period for BIPOC.
SUBMISSION PERIODS: Recommended Reading (short stories) has 2 1-week open submission periods, usually in Spring and Fall, The Commuter (flash fiction) has 4 1-week submission periods. NOTE: Long response time.
Do you have a writing question? Send it to me, either by replying to this email or by using the contact form on my website, and it may get answered in the next newsletter.
What I’ve been up to lately, writing-wise:
My cozy, funny, queer story about a haunted drag show and an unusual pest control specialist is now up at PodCastle! Go to Episode 740 to read or listen, or find it in your preferred podcast stream.
Note: ASL is its own language, with its own grammar and syntax that is different from English. This story is written to convey the meaning, not as a direct word-for-word translation. Special thanks to Anna Dudda for providing a Deaf expert reading.
Beck’s Pest Control and the Case of the Drag Show Downer
The Nebula Conference ($150) is over for 2022, but purchasing a membership now still gets access to recorded panels and year-round special events: https://membership.sfwa.org/event-4563942
Featured Market
Mysterionwants speculative fiction that engages with Christianity. Open for submissions during July 2022.
We are looking for speculative stories that meaningfully engage with Christianity.
Your story doesn’t need to teach a moral or cleave closely to an approved theological position.
Your story doesn’t need to be pro-Christian. We’re unlikely to publish anything that insults us, but we do want to read stories that challenge us. Having said that, there are tropes we see too often in stories critical of Christian faith and tradition: evil preachers, theocratic dystopias, Christians abandoning their faith because something inexplicable happened, crazy Christians trying to bring about the apocalypse by doing something in Israel, an unambiguously evil God. Any of these will be a hard sell.
There are tropes we see too often on the pro-Christian side, too. Stories where the plot resolution hinges on one or more characters becoming Christian, apocalypse stories based on a literal reading of Revelation, rapture stories, spiritual warfare with angels and demons as characters, retold Bible stories, allegory, theocratic utopias, anything that reads like C.S. Lewis fanfic. You’d have to do a very unique take on one of these to get anything other than a quick rejection.
Mysterion
Basics: themed speculative fiction, up to 9,000 words, pays $.08/wd for original work, $.04/wd for reprints, reprints okay, annual submission periods in January and July.
To see all the details about these new listings and what they're looking for, as well as hundreds of other listings, go to Aswiebe's Market List and download the latest version of the spreadsheet. Note: going forward, limited demographic market listings will be italicized.
Test
Name
What they want
Pay Per Word USD (originals)
Flat Pay USD (originals)
Website
Notes
Alternate History (Flame Tree Publishing) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 7/11/22
This (theoretically May) update is going out a couple of days late, so it’s extra large. More new markets! More useful links! So the timing seems right to talk about extra large stories: novellas.
tldr; Be patient, keep an eye on current submission calls (YES, I will list novella calls in this market list when I see them), and consider the advantages and disadvantages of publishing in a magazine.
How long is a novella? A novella is 17,500 – 39,999 words long, as defined by the Nebula Award categories.
Selling a novella is hard. Here are some options for science fiction, fantasy, and horror novellas, both publishers and magazines. There are a few publishers known for publishing novellas, but their unagented submission windows tend to be very short and far between, and there’s a lot of competition. Other publishers who occasionally publish novellas will often have special novella calls, but information about their novella publishing schedule is not even listed on their website the rest of the time. There are several magazines who accept novella-length submissions, but although they are open to the idea, they do not publish many novellas, they don’t pay royalties, and your novella will only be distributed as part of that magazine’s issue. (Yes, self-publishing a novella is always an option–there are special challenges there too!–but this is about selling it to a publisher.)
Options:
PUBLISHERS – OPEN
Pressfuls Novellas wants fantasy, horror, adventure, romance, and crime/mystery, pays 35% royalties. (Pressfuls Magazine appears defunct, but they’re still publishing longer works.) https://pressfuls.com/submit-a-story/
Midnight Bites ANTHOLOGY SERIES wants novelette and novella horror, 10k – 25k words themed and unthemed, pays $50 plus 25% royalties. Currently seeking carnie horror and medical horror. https://cronegirlspress.com/submissions/
PUBLISHERS – UPCOMING SUBMISSION CALLS
Neon Hemlock wants SF, fantasy, horror, weird fiction, and slipstream, especially queer. Pays royalties, or advance plus royalties. Award-winning. Open June 12th to 25th 2022 for trans women writers and writers of color. Open to all writers October 11th to 24th 2022. https://www.neonhemlock.com/submissions
Interstellar Flight Press has a one-time call for horror novellas including SF horror and fantasy horror, pays 30-40% royalties plus possible advance. Open to submissions 10/1/22 – 12/1/22. https://www.interstellarflightpress.com/submissions.html
PUBLISHERS – CURRENTLY CLOSED UNTIL ??
Tor.com (novellas) wants fantasy and SF, pays pro rates of advance + royalties or higher royalty-only rate. Award-winning. CURRENTLY CLOSED. Unclear if/when they will reopen for unagented novella submissions, but it’s been a couple of years. https://www.tor.com/fiction-submissions-guidelines/
Nightfire (Tor) wants horror novels and novellas, pays pro rates of advance + royalties or higher royalty-only rate. CURRENTLY CLOSED. Unclear if/when they will reopen for unagented novella submissions. https://tornightfire.com/nightfire-slush-submission-guidelines/
Uncanny (novellas) wants SF/F, pays $.10/word. Publishes 1 novella a year depending on funding. Award-winning. CURRENTLY CLOSED – LOOK FOR THEM TO OPEN NEXT YEAR. https://www.uncannymagazine.com/submissions/
Stelliform wants science fiction, fantasy, quiet horror and literary works with speculative elements, pays 2¢ CAD per word advance (up to $2000), plus royalties. CURRENTLY CLOSED. https://www.stelliform.press/index.php/submissions/
Wyldblood Press wants speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy or horror) novellas and novels, pays royalties. CURRENTLY CLOSED. https://wyldblood.com/guidance-submissions/
Magazines that accept full length novellas or have no wordcount limit include Analog, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and ParSec. Be cautious about submitting to places that don’t list a maximum wordcount; they don’t always expect or accept novellas.
June’s update will be shorter, and I’ll talk about where to sell flash fiction!
(Do you have a writing question? Send it to me, either by replying to this email or by using the contact form on my website, and it may get answered in the next newsletter.)
What I’ve been up to lately, writing-wise:
I’ve started work on a new novel, working title Desolation Station Salvage. I love this stage. Everything is shiny and new, and all kinds of fun random ideas are popping up as I write.
I’m looking forward to in-person convention 4th Street Fantasy in a couple of weeks, where I’ll be on panels discussing ambiguous endings and PoV.
The Nebula Conference ($150) is over for 2022, but purchasing a membership now still gets access to recorded panels and year-round special events: https://membership.sfwa.org/event-4563942
Featured Market
Award-winning Neon Hemlock will be open for speculative fiction novella submissions June 12 – 25, 2022 for BIPOC and trans women authors, October 11 – 24, 2022 for all. Pays royalties, or advance plus royalties.
:Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural, Slipstream, & Weird. Hybrid work or difficult to categorize novellas are also welcome.
Standalone works, although they may be connected to other series or work.
We are particularly interested in work that explores some element of queer experience, broadly speaking.
Neon Hemlock
Neon Hemlock
Basics: speculative fiction, 17,500-40,000 words, pay ?, no reprints, due 6/12/22-6/25/22 and 10/11/22-10/24/22.
To see all the details about these new listings and what they’re looking for, as well as hundreds of other listings, go to Aswiebe’s Market List and download the latest version of the spreadsheet. Note: going forward, limited demographic market listings will be italicized.
Horror flash fiction, themed to When We Were Getting High, My Last Trick ‘r Treat, Body Grotesquerie, Ominous Visitors from Deep Space, or Out in the Fields, Forests, and Lakes
An Escape Artists publication. Original fiction up to 6,000 words, reprints up to 17,000. ONE-TIME SUBMISSION THEME: Indigenous Magic (#ownvoices) 7/1/22 – 7/31/22
Librarian, The (Air and Nothingness Press) ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 6/30/22
Speculative fiction, themed to a helpful traveling librarian
Submissions open early on Mondays when they’re taking submissions, then close when they hit their quota. May be closed to submissions even if Moksha says they’re open, if there is no submission type to select. Long response time.
Fiends in the Furrows III, The: Final Harvest ONE-TIME ANTHOLOGY – DUE 7/31/22
Submission periods: 2/15 – 2/28, 5/15 – 5/31, 8/15-08/31 (ONE-TIME 2022 THEME: Nostalgia), 11/15 – 11/30, with a 1-week extension each period for BIPOC.
Story Unlikely
All genres, including bizarro and speculative fiction
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