Speculative fiction accepted – 3 announcements

Poetry & Flash Fiction Submissions Open

Grievous Angel is a SFF&H genre-only webzine. That means Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and related speculative fiction sub-genres, including Urban Fantasy, Mythos, Steampunk and Magical Realism, as well Humour/Satire riffs on these genre.

• We are looking for original Poetry (all forms, maximum 36 lines each + no more than five poems submitted at any one time) and Flash Fiction (maximum 700 words – yes 700 max). We are always happy to receive substantially shorter pieces of micro-fiction.

• Previously unpublished (no reprints) in English - and this also means not published on an author's own website.

• We accept submissions electronically via email - send to GrievousAngelSubs@icloud.com Please use Standard Manuscript Format – there is an excellent explanation here – BTW we're happy for italicised words to be typed as itals and we don't mind American-English or British-English spelling and grammar.

• Submissions can be within the body of an email or attached as a Word .DOC/.DOCX file or as an RTF or as a Mac Pages file but no PDFs. (And please state the number of words in your submission.)

At the risk of stating the bleedin' obvious, apart from the word length, the key factor with Flash Fiction is it has all the elements of a traditional self-contained short story, including a beginning, a middle and an end, even if some aspects may be implied. Flash Fiction is NOT an extract or vignette from a longer story and should never end with the words To Be Continued...

• We pay what what Duotrope and the SFWA classify as a "Professional rate", namely 6 US cents per word for fiction and US$1 per line for poetry. (Minimum payment for fiction: including prose poems & micro fiction: $10. Haiku: $5 each.) Payment usually within two weeks of publication.

• In return we acquire the First Electronic Worldwide Exclusive English-Language Rights (text) for six (6) months PLUS non-exclusive anthology rights for a planned periodic ebook anthology. We will extensively promote any published works on social media channels and some poetry may also be reproduced in the British Science Fiction Association's Focus magazine. However authors retain all other copyrights and after the initial 6 months – from the date of publication – you are free to republish the story or poetry anywhere and elsewhere in any format.

• Timescales: It is our intention to provide an acceptance or rejection note with 21 days of receiving a submission. We currently have an approximate 18 week/4 months backlog between acceptance and publication.

• Contact Details: Please ensure your name and email contact details (along with word count and title for fiction) are included with your submission. If you write under a pen-name/nom-de-plume include this information. And say a few words about yourself in a brief bio (max 25 words). Also, if you have a Twitter handle, let us know that as well.

• Forbidden Vices: We don't object to sex, violence and swear words – as long as they are pertinent to the story/poem and are not being used gratuitously. We are not interested in submissions advocating racial and religious hatred, sexism, child abuse, violence or any other topics generally regarded as unacceptable in the 21st Century. Edgy: Yes. Rapist, cannibal, chainsaw-wielding murder porn: No. We're not prudes, we just want content we and our readers will enjoy reading.

• No Multiple Submissions

• No Simultaneous Submissions
• No Re-Submissions: unless we specifically suggest it.
• No Reprints

A well written 300 word story or 16 line poem is far more likely to be accepted for publication whereas a poorly written, padded-out 700 word story or 36 line poem is a sure candidate for a rejection slip.

See more information on our website.

First anthology accepting submissions

Metasagas, a small independent publishing company dedicated to the goal of promoting futuristica, is accepting submissions for our first anthology of short fiction, Futuristica Volume 1. Deadline: August 31, 2015.

Guidelines

• We pay 6 cents per word against a pro rata share of royalties.
• We buy first rights and exclusive eBook rights for 6 months after the date of publication.
• We do not purchase reprints.
• We accept simultaneous submissions.
• Manuscripts should be in standard manuscript format, between 3,000 and 10,000 words.

Story Criteria – Story content must be original. We do not accept fan fiction or derivative works.

We prize diversity, specifically stories that include multicultural backgrounds or lead characters of atypical ethnic origins. Basically, while we have nothing against heterosexual white American males, we feel they are already adequately represented in science fiction and we want stories about the rest of humanity. We are interested in character-oriented fiction.

Women Positive – Not every princess needs saving. We want stories with awesome female protagonists.

Sex Positive – If it isn’t consensual, it isn’t sex. Sexual content should be integral to the story, but not the whole story. No rape. Period.

Science Positive – Stories should explore science fiction, scientific fantasy, space opera, emerging technologies, etc.

We have a preference for near future, near Earth settings. No high fantasy, dragons or dinosaurs, unless they also have lasers.

We are committed to responding to submissions as quickly as possible. Manuscripts will be evaluated in the order in which they are received. See more information here.

Amazing Stories Writing Contest

On July 1st, 2015, Amazing Stories will open for submissions to the Gernsback Science Fiction Short Story Writing Contest. The final round will be judged by SFWA President Cat Rambo and SFWA members Dave Creek and Jack Clemons.

Three stories (1st, 2nd and 3rd) will receive 6 cents per word (up to $120.00) each in prize money. The authors will also be eligible for SFWA affiliate membership. The top ten stories will be published on the Amazing Stories website and will also be published in a follow-on anthology (electronic and/or print), which will also be paid at 6 cents per word.

All stories must be original, previously unpublished short stories, between 1,000 and 2,000 words in length.

Stories must be written on the theme of "What will our solar system look like 250 years from now - exploration, colonization, exploitation?" and must have a positive outlook. (Conflict welcome, resolution positive.) Submissions should follow standard short story manuscript format.

The contest will remain open until either 100 submissions have been received or July 31st, whichever comes first.

For further information, visit the website.

[La Bloga thanks author Sabrina Vourvoulias for these announcements.]