S.L. Viehl's Blog, page 121
July 2, 2013
Locked BookLoops
I'm experimenting with my BookLoop design again, and here are three ways you can make faux "locked" loops. First you'll need some vintage trims, skeleton keys and antique lock plates:
For the first locked design thread your desired length of ribbon through the fastener holes on the lock plate and tie a loop at the bottom:
Tie a skeleton key on the opposite end of the ribbon, like so:
To fasten the BookLoop, pass the skeleton key through the ribbon loop and tug gently until the loop cinches around the book:
If you have small keys and plates, you can simply tie them as anchors to either end of your ribbon loop, like this:
An alternate way to make a cinching loop is to tie one end of your ribbon to the lock plate, pass the other end of the ribbon through the keyhole, and then tie your skeleton key onto the end as your anchor (this also allows you to use a single length of ribbon versus a doubled loop):
This option doesn't allow you to release the loop (unless your skeleton key is small and thin enough to pass back and forth through the lock plate's keyhole) so you should allow a little extra length of ribbon to slip around your book:
For the first locked design thread your desired length of ribbon through the fastener holes on the lock plate and tie a loop at the bottom:
Tie a skeleton key on the opposite end of the ribbon, like so:
To fasten the BookLoop, pass the skeleton key through the ribbon loop and tug gently until the loop cinches around the book:
If you have small keys and plates, you can simply tie them as anchors to either end of your ribbon loop, like this:
An alternate way to make a cinching loop is to tie one end of your ribbon to the lock plate, pass the other end of the ribbon through the keyhole, and then tie your skeleton key onto the end as your anchor (this also allows you to use a single length of ribbon versus a doubled loop):
This option doesn't allow you to release the loop (unless your skeleton key is small and thin enough to pass back and forth through the lock plate's keyhole) so you should allow a little extra length of ribbon to slip around your book:
July 1, 2013
Newslettering
I have never been crazy about e-mail newsletters, which is probably why I've never attempted to do one myself until I sold the Disenchanted & Co. books. Since there is a lot going on behind the scenes with the new series I really needed one, but I didn't want to get myself into a huge time sink that would just end up being deleted unread from someone's inbox.
The first thing I did was search for instructions as to exactly how to get a newsletter subscription option on a Blogger template. This video by Odin Spark not only explained that, it directed me to MailChimp, a free newsletter creation and mailing service -- which basically eliminated the rest of the research I was planning to do.
Once I watched the MailChimp tutorials, I put together my first test newsletter in about half an hour. I used one of their designer templates for the first issue, although I plan to create my own once I become a little more experienced with the site.
I think newsletters should be short, so I kept mine brief. I made a couple of insider-info type announcements about upcoming events, and included a request for feedback on what my subscribers would like to see in the newsletter. As an extra temptation I offered an incentive giveaway for those who take the time to respond. Right now my subscriber list is small but as it grows I'm planning more perks for the recipients that won't be available to anyone else.
The primary challenge of a monthly newsletter is to put together enough news, bonus material and incentives to make it worth someone's time to read. Before I jumped into doing my first issue I put together six month's worth of newsletters in draft form to get an idea of how best to approach the content, and that was extremely helpful in getting a handle on how to sustain it. Since I'm doing a lot of advance marketing right now I have plenty of news about the first book, but that tends to dwindle after the initial release and promotions are over. I also have to remain flexible enough with my content that I can add all those last-minute items that plague every author.
I think offering monthly incentives like contests and freebies is a fun way to keep subscribers reading the newsletter, but you have to think about what your readership really wants to know. My people are huge readers and always on the lookout for great books, so one of my newsletter content goals is to come up with a monthly recommended read by another author I think will appeal to them. I may also extend that to include recommendations from my subscribers.
The one thing I don't want is for the newsletter to become tiresome -- on either side. This challenges me to keep creating content that helps promote the series but that doesn't bore me or the subscriber. I'm going to do a lot of thinking outside the box on this aspect, and hopefully put together a monthly mailing that keeps readers clicking to open it instead of opting for the delete button.
Do you use a particular newsletter service that has proven valuable or helpful in some way? Let us know in comments.
The first thing I did was search for instructions as to exactly how to get a newsletter subscription option on a Blogger template. This video by Odin Spark not only explained that, it directed me to MailChimp, a free newsletter creation and mailing service -- which basically eliminated the rest of the research I was planning to do.
Once I watched the MailChimp tutorials, I put together my first test newsletter in about half an hour. I used one of their designer templates for the first issue, although I plan to create my own once I become a little more experienced with the site.
I think newsletters should be short, so I kept mine brief. I made a couple of insider-info type announcements about upcoming events, and included a request for feedback on what my subscribers would like to see in the newsletter. As an extra temptation I offered an incentive giveaway for those who take the time to respond. Right now my subscriber list is small but as it grows I'm planning more perks for the recipients that won't be available to anyone else.
The primary challenge of a monthly newsletter is to put together enough news, bonus material and incentives to make it worth someone's time to read. Before I jumped into doing my first issue I put together six month's worth of newsletters in draft form to get an idea of how best to approach the content, and that was extremely helpful in getting a handle on how to sustain it. Since I'm doing a lot of advance marketing right now I have plenty of news about the first book, but that tends to dwindle after the initial release and promotions are over. I also have to remain flexible enough with my content that I can add all those last-minute items that plague every author.
I think offering monthly incentives like contests and freebies is a fun way to keep subscribers reading the newsletter, but you have to think about what your readership really wants to know. My people are huge readers and always on the lookout for great books, so one of my newsletter content goals is to come up with a monthly recommended read by another author I think will appeal to them. I may also extend that to include recommendations from my subscribers.
The one thing I don't want is for the newsletter to become tiresome -- on either side. This challenges me to keep creating content that helps promote the series but that doesn't bore me or the subscriber. I'm going to do a lot of thinking outside the box on this aspect, and hopefully put together a monthly mailing that keeps readers clicking to open it instead of opting for the delete button.
Do you use a particular newsletter service that has proven valuable or helpful in some way? Let us know in comments.
June 30, 2013
Freely Ten
Ten Things You Can Have for Free
Freeware caution: always scan free downloads of anything for bugs and other threats before dumping the programs into your hard drive.
Alarm is a "digital clock that you can set to display a message and play a sound at a time of your choice. It is meant to be of help when you want to be warned while you are working (and chances are big you are going to forget you have to do this very important thing later on)" (OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8)
Capture Screen Rectangle is an "application adds a tray icon that provides functionality for capturing a rectangular area of the screen. This prevents you having to capture the whole screen or a window and then clipping it afterwards. The resulting image can be captured to the clipboard or to a file. Supported image formats include BMP, JPEG and PNG" (OS: Windows)
Cyotek Webcopy is a "free tool for copying full or partial websites locally onto your harddisk for offline viewing. WebCopy will scan the specified website and download it's content onto your hardisk. Links to resources such as stylesheets, images, and other pages in the website will automatically be remapped to match the local path. Using its extensive configuration you can define which parts of a website will be copied and how" (OS: Windows XP/2003/Vista/7/8 [32-Bit/64-Bit])
MoneyLine Personal Finance software "tracks all your money, bank accounts and spending in one place, so you stay organized and in control of your finances" (OS: Designer notes "Works on Windows 7, XP, Vista and 8; Works on 64 bit Windows; Mac OS X 10.3 or above")
Pocket Radio Player is a "free Shoutcast compatible internet radio player. Unlike the many other players out there, this software concentrates on offering basic functionality in a compact package" (OS: Linux, Mac and Windows platforms)
Polygot 3000is an "automatic language identifier that quickly recognizes the language of any text, phrase or even single words" (OS: Windows 95/98/NT/ME/2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8)
Print Envelopes is a "versatile program for printing business cards, envelopes or labels from Windows. There is a address list in the program, which you can create either by editing or by importing from general CSV file. There is a possibility, with this tool, to import addresses from such programs as Thunderbird, MS Outlook and others. Also, this program allows you to add your own envelope sizes to the primary formats. The optimal size for print is to be chosen automatically according to the printer settings. The printed file can be turned and shifted , also, there is possible to slightly move and place a sender and receiver address (margin distance). Print a sender address is optional. This program is able to print out a logo on the envelope too. In order to print an address to a foreign country you just simply choose your destination country. There is also possible to print out a different files in to one sheet ( texts or pictures ) while you printing an address plates at the same time" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8)
SoftCardManager allows you to "use your scanner to store Business cards and other similar sized cards. SoftCardManager stores digital images of each Card. Each one highly compressed is immediately available for viewing. Scan in a card, enter it into a phone book (basic details, Name, Company, Email address) and you can look at all their details instantly" (OS: Windows)
SoftMailCheck is an "email filtering utility designed to help you remove unsolicited emails which may contain viruses, undesired attachments or unrequested information, before you download them. Run SoftMailCheck as your first line of defence and then choose which emails you would like to receive before running your email program" (OS: Windows 2000, Windows 95/98/ME, Windows NT )
SSuite Office Writers D-Lite is a "tool that has just enough functionality to start you on writing that important novel, short-story or article, without any bells and whistles to distract you. Get writing from the first moment you start the application. It has all the important functions and text formatting needed to get you busy. It also has custom page settings for easier viewing of your document. Has a fixed type writer view for easy reading and text input. Full statistics are visible on the status bar, keeping you abreast of your text document as you type. No java or .Net required to run this application, keeping it very small and portable and very useful. Has all the necessary editing short-cut keys for power users" (OS: Windows All [32-Bit/64-Bit])
Freeware caution: always scan free downloads of anything for bugs and other threats before dumping the programs into your hard drive.
Alarm is a "digital clock that you can set to display a message and play a sound at a time of your choice. It is meant to be of help when you want to be warned while you are working (and chances are big you are going to forget you have to do this very important thing later on)" (OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8)
Capture Screen Rectangle is an "application adds a tray icon that provides functionality for capturing a rectangular area of the screen. This prevents you having to capture the whole screen or a window and then clipping it afterwards. The resulting image can be captured to the clipboard or to a file. Supported image formats include BMP, JPEG and PNG" (OS: Windows)
Cyotek Webcopy is a "free tool for copying full or partial websites locally onto your harddisk for offline viewing. WebCopy will scan the specified website and download it's content onto your hardisk. Links to resources such as stylesheets, images, and other pages in the website will automatically be remapped to match the local path. Using its extensive configuration you can define which parts of a website will be copied and how" (OS: Windows XP/2003/Vista/7/8 [32-Bit/64-Bit])
MoneyLine Personal Finance software "tracks all your money, bank accounts and spending in one place, so you stay organized and in control of your finances" (OS: Designer notes "Works on Windows 7, XP, Vista and 8; Works on 64 bit Windows; Mac OS X 10.3 or above")
Pocket Radio Player is a "free Shoutcast compatible internet radio player. Unlike the many other players out there, this software concentrates on offering basic functionality in a compact package" (OS: Linux, Mac and Windows platforms)
Polygot 3000is an "automatic language identifier that quickly recognizes the language of any text, phrase or even single words" (OS: Windows 95/98/NT/ME/2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8)
Print Envelopes is a "versatile program for printing business cards, envelopes or labels from Windows. There is a address list in the program, which you can create either by editing or by importing from general CSV file. There is a possibility, with this tool, to import addresses from such programs as Thunderbird, MS Outlook and others. Also, this program allows you to add your own envelope sizes to the primary formats. The optimal size for print is to be chosen automatically according to the printer settings. The printed file can be turned and shifted , also, there is possible to slightly move and place a sender and receiver address (margin distance). Print a sender address is optional. This program is able to print out a logo on the envelope too. In order to print an address to a foreign country you just simply choose your destination country. There is also possible to print out a different files in to one sheet ( texts or pictures ) while you printing an address plates at the same time" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8)
SoftCardManager allows you to "use your scanner to store Business cards and other similar sized cards. SoftCardManager stores digital images of each Card. Each one highly compressed is immediately available for viewing. Scan in a card, enter it into a phone book (basic details, Name, Company, Email address) and you can look at all their details instantly" (OS: Windows)
SoftMailCheck is an "email filtering utility designed to help you remove unsolicited emails which may contain viruses, undesired attachments or unrequested information, before you download them. Run SoftMailCheck as your first line of defence and then choose which emails you would like to receive before running your email program" (OS: Windows 2000, Windows 95/98/ME, Windows NT )
SSuite Office Writers D-Lite is a "tool that has just enough functionality to start you on writing that important novel, short-story or article, without any bells and whistles to distract you. Get writing from the first moment you start the application. It has all the important functions and text formatting needed to get you busy. It also has custom page settings for easier viewing of your document. Has a fixed type writer view for easy reading and text input. Full statistics are visible on the status bar, keeping you abreast of your text document as you type. No java or .Net required to run this application, keeping it very small and portable and very useful. Has all the necessary editing short-cut keys for power users" (OS: Windows All [32-Bit/64-Bit])
June 29, 2013
Comments Catchup Day
See you in comments.
June 28, 2013
Office Depot Finds
On a recent toner run to Office Depot I took a little time to browse (I know, such a hardship) and found some stuff I thought might be interesting to other writers:
3M keeps evolving its Post-It product line, and I found two types of multi-use decorative labels (#1 and #2 in the photo) and a pad of file folder labels (#3) which are super convenient. The decorative labels, which are 1-3/4" X 2-3/4" and come in packs of 40, are printed with phrases like "This belongs to..." and "Property of..." and are exactly the right size to serve as book plates. They were also on clearance and cost $2.00 per pack. The file folder labels are a patricularly nice find as I recycle my file folders and constantly have to relabel them; the pack of 100 labels was also on clearance at $.92.
Wilson Jones's Binder Apps Tool Band (#4) can be helpful to anyone who works with notebooks; it's the right size to fit over binders, tablets, sorting filers or large books. At $2.99 I considered it a real steal, too.
The "Rollin' with my Gnomies" three-ring binder (#5) is just a fun buy; great for kids, grownups or anyone who is a fan of the movie Amelie. I got mine for $4.99.
Back by the toner section I found a little display of blank ruled journals, and I was surprised at how pretty they were:
The smallest (#6 pictured in the photo) was $3.99; the middle-sized (#7, which has a fancy magnetic closure cover) was $5.99, and the largest (#8)was $7.99. That's about 50% cheaper than comparable journals you find in bookstores.
If you have time to browse at your local Office Depot be sure to check the bargain bins, which are usually located close to the registers -- that's where I found all the 3M lables on clearance.
3M keeps evolving its Post-It product line, and I found two types of multi-use decorative labels (#1 and #2 in the photo) and a pad of file folder labels (#3) which are super convenient. The decorative labels, which are 1-3/4" X 2-3/4" and come in packs of 40, are printed with phrases like "This belongs to..." and "Property of..." and are exactly the right size to serve as book plates. They were also on clearance and cost $2.00 per pack. The file folder labels are a patricularly nice find as I recycle my file folders and constantly have to relabel them; the pack of 100 labels was also on clearance at $.92.
Wilson Jones's Binder Apps Tool Band (#4) can be helpful to anyone who works with notebooks; it's the right size to fit over binders, tablets, sorting filers or large books. At $2.99 I considered it a real steal, too.
The "Rollin' with my Gnomies" three-ring binder (#5) is just a fun buy; great for kids, grownups or anyone who is a fan of the movie Amelie. I got mine for $4.99.
Back by the toner section I found a little display of blank ruled journals, and I was surprised at how pretty they were:
The smallest (#6 pictured in the photo) was $3.99; the middle-sized (#7, which has a fancy magnetic closure cover) was $5.99, and the largest (#8)was $7.99. That's about 50% cheaper than comparable journals you find in bookstores.
If you have time to browse at your local Office Depot be sure to check the bargain bins, which are usually located close to the registers -- that's where I found all the 3M lables on clearance.
The Beholder
Truth is beauty, and this video is very, very true (includes narration by the artist and background music, for those of you at work):
I'm also having a summer reading fun giveaway over at the series blog today; head over to Disenchanted & Co. for more details and a chance to win books and a neat reusable tote.
Beauty from Jesse Brass on Vimeo.
I'm also having a summer reading fun giveaway over at the series blog today; head over to Disenchanted & Co. for more details and a chance to win books and a neat reusable tote.
June 26, 2013
Elsewhere Being A (Winning) Loser
Last year I entered a story contest, and my entry didn't win. Losing the contest, on the other hand, helped me sell a novel series. Want to know how I pulled that off? Read my guest post about it on Killer Nashville's blog here.Graphic credit: © Yellowj | Dreamstime.com
Something Old, Something New
Even back in 1870 they were giving out freebies:
Stop by Disenchanted & Co. today and find out how to use historic printed materials as world-building resources.
Stop by Disenchanted & Co. today and find out how to use historic printed materials as world-building resources.
June 24, 2013
Forgery
Coining or inventing words is a regular task for storytellers, and in certain genres plays an important part of world-building. Not every writer forges new words -- some are fine with using only words that already exist -- but word smithing can be fun and a great way to stretch both your vocabulary and your imagination.
When coining words for your fiction one of the easiest methods is to create compound words by joining together two small words to forge a new construct. Some examples of these that already exist in our language are copperhead, eyebrow, flowerpot, handbag, ladybug, sandstorm and windmill. When you create a compound word you should consider what the two words you're combining mean, how they relate to each other, and when combined what sort of imagery they invoke for your reader. Let's shuffle the example compound words I just gave you and see what new words we can invent:
copperbrow ~ eyebag ~ flowermill ~ handstorm ~ ladyhead ~ sandpot ~ windbug
Copperbrow made me think of a warrior wearing some sort of metal band or helm to protect his forehead or eyes. I imagine if a character doesn't get any sleep they'll acquire a huge matched set of eyebags. Flowermill invokes two ideas -- a village perfumery or a brothel that specializes either in catering to virgins or procuring them. An agitated translator for the deaf might indulge in a handstorm, while a garden of ladyhead plants might bloom with genteel elegance. An ancient fire extinguisher could be called a sandpot, and an exotic alien insect that lives its life entirely within the air currents above a planet (or another species of blustering, ineffective politician) should be named windbugs.
If compound words seem too obvious, you can meld them together more completely by joining them at shared prefixes or suffixes. For this you can play with Degraeve.com's Invent-a-Word generator, which recombines words that share common prefixes or suffixes. It also allows you to choose the specific number of letters to be shared by the recombined words. Here's part of a list I got when I fed "word" as a 3-letter shared prefix to the generator:
word + ordain = wordain
word + ordeal = wordeal
word + order = worder
word + orderly = worderly
word + ordinal = wordinal
word + ordinance = wordinance
word + ordinaries = wordinaries
word + ordinarily = wordinarily
word + ordinate = wordinate
word + ordination = wordination
The generator can also be useful in reverse melding two words with a common suffix; here's a partial list of "word" as a 1-letter shared suffix:
aglow + word = agloword
borrow + word = borroword
claw + word = claword
draw + word = draword
few + word = feword
flaw + word = flaword
flow + word = floword
gnaw + word = gnaword
hallow + word = halloword
harrow + word = harroword
law + word = laword
low + word = loword
pew + word = peword
pillow + word = pilloword
shadow + word = shadoword
shallow + word = shalloword
show + word = showord
tallow + word = talloword
thaw + word = thaword
threw + word = threword
wallow + word = walloword
whew + word = wheword
widow + word = widoword
Do you have any particular tricks or tools you use when coining words for your stories that you'd like to share? Let us know in comments.
When coining words for your fiction one of the easiest methods is to create compound words by joining together two small words to forge a new construct. Some examples of these that already exist in our language are copperhead, eyebrow, flowerpot, handbag, ladybug, sandstorm and windmill. When you create a compound word you should consider what the two words you're combining mean, how they relate to each other, and when combined what sort of imagery they invoke for your reader. Let's shuffle the example compound words I just gave you and see what new words we can invent:
copperbrow ~ eyebag ~ flowermill ~ handstorm ~ ladyhead ~ sandpot ~ windbug
Copperbrow made me think of a warrior wearing some sort of metal band or helm to protect his forehead or eyes. I imagine if a character doesn't get any sleep they'll acquire a huge matched set of eyebags. Flowermill invokes two ideas -- a village perfumery or a brothel that specializes either in catering to virgins or procuring them. An agitated translator for the deaf might indulge in a handstorm, while a garden of ladyhead plants might bloom with genteel elegance. An ancient fire extinguisher could be called a sandpot, and an exotic alien insect that lives its life entirely within the air currents above a planet (or another species of blustering, ineffective politician) should be named windbugs.
If compound words seem too obvious, you can meld them together more completely by joining them at shared prefixes or suffixes. For this you can play with Degraeve.com's Invent-a-Word generator, which recombines words that share common prefixes or suffixes. It also allows you to choose the specific number of letters to be shared by the recombined words. Here's part of a list I got when I fed "word" as a 3-letter shared prefix to the generator:
word + ordain = wordain
word + ordeal = wordeal
word + order = worder
word + orderly = worderly
word + ordinal = wordinal
word + ordinance = wordinance
word + ordinaries = wordinaries
word + ordinarily = wordinarily
word + ordinate = wordinate
word + ordination = wordination
The generator can also be useful in reverse melding two words with a common suffix; here's a partial list of "word" as a 1-letter shared suffix:
aglow + word = agloword
borrow + word = borroword
claw + word = claword
draw + word = draword
few + word = feword
flaw + word = flaword
flow + word = floword
gnaw + word = gnaword
hallow + word = halloword
harrow + word = harroword
law + word = laword
low + word = loword
pew + word = peword
pillow + word = pilloword
shadow + word = shadoword
shallow + word = shalloword
show + word = showord
tallow + word = talloword
thaw + word = thaword
threw + word = threword
wallow + word = walloword
whew + word = wheword
widow + word = widoword
Do you have any particular tricks or tools you use when coining words for your stories that you'd like to share? Let us know in comments.
June 23, 2013
Sub Ops Ten
Ten Things About Submission Opportunities
Apex magazine is now open for submissions: "We do not want hackneyed, cliched plots or neat, tidy stories that take no risks. We do not want Idea Stories without character development or prose style, nor do we want derivative fantasy with Tolkien’s serial numbers filed off. What we want is sheer, unvarnished awesomeness. We want the stories it scared you to write. We want stories full of marrow and passion, stories that are twisted, strange, and beautiful. We want science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mash-ups of all three—the dark, weird stuff down at the bottom of your little literary heart. This magazine is not a publication credit, it is a place to put your secret places and dreams on display. Just so long as they have a dark speculative fiction element—we aren’t here for the quotidian. Keep in mind that the search for awesome stories is as difficult as writing them. If you are rejected, don’t get angry—instead, become more awesome. Write something better, and better, until we have to accept you, because we have been laid low by your tale. It really is that simple." Length: "a firm 5,000 words. Anything more will be auto-rejected." Payment: "for original fiction is $.05 per word up to 5,000 words; if we podcast your story, payment is $.01 per word up to 5,000 words." No unsolicited reprints, electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details.
ArcheBooks Publishing is open to submissions of novels in most genres. Length: 60-120K (prefers 90K) Payment: $2/copy per hardcover sold; $1/copy per paperback or e-book sold. Query on reprints, electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details.
Author Alex Shvartsman is looking for reprints only for his upcoming Coffee anthology: "Each story must somehow involve coffee as a major plot element. It’s not enough if an unrelated story is set in a coffee shop. I will also consider a few TEA stories as well. These stories must feature an element of the fantastic (fantasy, SF, light horror). No literary fiction please. For the moment, I will only consider reprints. If you published a story that you feel might fit the theme, please e-mail it to me at ufopublishing at gmail dot com. Please include information as to where and when it was first published, and confirm that the rights have reverted to you." Length: "Up to 4000 words. Flash (500-1000 words) especially welcome." Payment: "$0.01 per word plus one contributor copy of trade paperback and ebook." See gudelines here for more details.
Dark Opus Press has an open call for their Tell Me a Fable anthology: "We will be looking for stroies base on one of Grimm's Fariy Tales. We're sorry, but for the concept we're going for here we are not accepting poetry, reprints or artwork for this anthology. Our guidelines are simple. All stories MUST be based on a Grimm's Fariy Tale and NOT the Disney version. All stories must have a dark bent to them and be between 2,000 and 6,000 words. This word count is firm and stories outside this word range will not be considered. Please read our magazine guidelines to see what we do not want. If you don't review our magazine guidelines, we will know. We know that quite a few of Grimm's tales deal with children so we will be a little more lenient when it comes to violence toward children. However, it must be integral to your story and it should occur off-stage, if possible. If you are unsure, please query first." Payment: "Payment for accepted works will be a 1 cent a word US, plus one copy." Reading period: "The reading period for this anthology will start July 1st and end July 31st or until filled. Stories sent before July 1st will be deleted unread." No reprints, electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details.
Light Speed webzine is open for submissions: Lightspeed is seeking original science fiction and fantasy stories of 1500-7500 words. Stories of 5000 words or less are preferred. We pay 8¢/word for original fiction, on acceptance. To see which rights we’re seeking, please view our contract template for original fiction. All types of science fiction and fantasy are welcome. No subject should be considered off-limits, and we encourage writers to take chances with their fiction and push the envelope. We believe that the science fiction/fantasy genre’s diversity is its greatest strength, and we wish that viewpoint to be reflected in our story content and our submission queues; we welcome submissions from writers of every race, religion, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation." Reprints okay (pays 1¢/word), electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details.
Planetary Stories has a contest going: "Each issue of Planetary Stories, Pulp Spirit and Wonderlust will be carrying the winner of that contest. While making the above statement, I realize there is a chance it won't work out. We might not have enough winners, as there is only a few months before our first deadline, which will be September 15th. However, we will do our best to publicize this contest and make that statement come true. There are three categories, one for stories 250 words or less, one for stories up to 500 words, and flash fiction up to 1,000 words. ONE WINNER PER CATEGORY. The winner in each category will receive five cents per word, as well as a book from the Featured Author. No duplicate entries are allowed." See contest page here for more details.
Tephra magazine is looking for submissions: "...now open for international submissions to be included in the publication of its debut issue, due for release in both print and digital editions during the first quarter of 2014. We are seeking original, previously unpublished fiction, non-fiction, articles, essays, poetry, flash-fiction, art, comics, photography, interviews and reviews of books, films and theatre. TEPHRA will be covering a rather broad range of subject-matter, visions and voices - however, our tastes tend toward the unusual, the avant-garde, the curious and obscure. We have a penchant for absurdism, surrealism, dadaism, expressionism, transgressionalism, psychological horror, experimentation, science fiction, bizarro fiction and weird fiction." Length: "Fiction - 7,500 words or less; Non-Fiction / Articles / Essays - 3,500 words or less; Poetry: Please send no more that 10 poems per submission; Art & Photography: Please send a link to your portfolio and a brief biography. Image attachments will not be accepted; Interviews: Please send a propsal." Payment: "Payment is discussed privately between the editor (Justin Curfman) and the contributor upon acception. However, a 50 / 50 profit split is our general offer." See submission guidelines for more details.
Twilight Times Books is currently open for novel submissions: "Wanted: Mid-list authors. We need to place our resources behind authors who know how to promote their books. You don't necessarily need a national platform, a regional one will do. If you have demonstrated annual sales of 5k to 15k books, please consider placing your next novel or non-fiction book with Twilight Times Books or Paladin Timeless Books. Rest assured we will always keep a few slots open each year for exceptional books written by first time authors. Twilight Times Books will present the works of those writers whose stories blend genres, are too literary for other publishers or seem too mainstream or "quirky" in tone. The requirement for consideration at Twilight Times Books is your novel must be entertaining; your non-fiction book must be informative. Both fiction and non-fiction book submissions must be professionally written and you must have a comprehensive marketing plan. Purchase a book or read the stories in Twilight Times ezine to determine the type of writing we're interested in seeing. First consideration will be given to authors previously published by Twilight Times Books, Paladin Timeless Books, Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine (FMAM), Twilight Times ezine and/or Web Mystery Magazine. Our current response time is four weeks to two months. Simultaneous submissions will be considered with sufficient advance notice. We offer a standard publishing contract." Submission period: "We will be open to fiction submissions from June 15 to August 5, 2013." Looking for: "we will be especially interested in the following categories: fantasy, historical, literary, military, mystery/suspense, paranormal romance, science fiction, SF romance and YA fantasy." Also: "We have expanded our guidelines to include more nonfiction titles in 2013-2015 and we are also interested in: creative nonfiction, how-to books, humor/satire, juvenile, magic realism, mainstream/contemporary, military/war-related, nostalgia-related fiction and non-fiction, paranormal, Regency romance, regional, specialty/New Age, supernatural, the Sixties-related (fiction or nonfiction), World War II-related, women's fiction, writing advice, etc." Query on reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details.
Unlikely Story is currently open for submissions: "Unlikely Story publishes three themed issues a year: The Journal of Unlikely Entomology, The Journal of Unlikely Cryptography, and The Journal of Whatever Tickles Our Fancy This Year. We reserve the right to put out an indeterminate number of further sub-themed mini-issues on an irregular basis, if we feel like it. nWhat we’re looking for: Beautifully-written fiction, characters that grab us by the throats and refuse to let go, worlds that demand to be explored…and bugs. Genre isn’t particularly important to us—speculative, mainstream, slipstream, and the unclassifiable tales in between—we’ll read anything; all we ask is that something pertaining to bugs is integral or significant in your story. The bug element can be literal or metaphorical, hallucinatory or behavioral or metaphysical, or any combination thereof. Not quite sure what we’re talking about? Think of The Metamorphosis, Ender’s Game, Angels and Insects, Naked Lunch, A Recipe for Bees, District 9, Eight Legged Freaks, and Sandkings. Basically, think bugs, and let your imagination run wild. There are no barriers as to levels of profanity, gore, or sexuality allowed, but be sure to use them well if you do use them. Please note: our definition of bugs is somewhat expansive. Please read our FAQ for details. Our second non-entomological issue will be The Journal of Unlikely Cryptography. JoUC will publish annually. Submissions open July 1 – November 1, 2013." Length: "We’ll consider stories up to 8000 words, but strongly prefer stories of 5000 words or less. We’re open to flash fiction and fiction in non-traditional formats, but we do not publish poetry or non-fiction." Payment: We pay 5¢ per word for original fiction, and 1¢ per word for reprints." Electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details.
World Weaver Press has an open callfor their upcoming Krampus anthology: "You know the Jolly Old Elf of Christmas, right? Of course you do. You can’t avoid him. Yet, Santa Claus isn’t just a kindly old expert at breaking and entering and leaving gifts he didn’t actually buy for the children of a house. At least he isn’t in Austria and many other parts of Europe. In these ancient places, where, perhaps, the old, old gods still add a touch of mischief, Krampus is the angry, punishing sidekick of St. Nicholas (Santa’s counterpart in much of Europe). Known for his willingness to punish rotten children, Krampus might even be considered Santa’s dark side or evil twin. Krampus is the sort of guy more and more North Americans want to explore. He’s definitely having a moment this side of the Atlantic. To that end, World Weaver Press and Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine are pleased to announce a joint venture: An anthology of Krampus short stories. Although the book is yet to be named, we hope you’ll explore every possible Krampus angle via short stories. He’s a nasty old dude, and we hope your imaginations will get the better of you. Length: "Under 10,000 words." Payment: "$10 from Enchanted Conversation and paperback copy of the anthology from World Weaver Press." No reprints, electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details. Open submission period: June 15 – August 1, 2013.
Most of the above sub ops came from the marvelous market listings at Ralan.com. Special thanks to Kaitlyn Koby at World Weaver Press for the heads up on their open call, too.
Apex magazine is now open for submissions: "We do not want hackneyed, cliched plots or neat, tidy stories that take no risks. We do not want Idea Stories without character development or prose style, nor do we want derivative fantasy with Tolkien’s serial numbers filed off. What we want is sheer, unvarnished awesomeness. We want the stories it scared you to write. We want stories full of marrow and passion, stories that are twisted, strange, and beautiful. We want science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mash-ups of all three—the dark, weird stuff down at the bottom of your little literary heart. This magazine is not a publication credit, it is a place to put your secret places and dreams on display. Just so long as they have a dark speculative fiction element—we aren’t here for the quotidian. Keep in mind that the search for awesome stories is as difficult as writing them. If you are rejected, don’t get angry—instead, become more awesome. Write something better, and better, until we have to accept you, because we have been laid low by your tale. It really is that simple." Length: "a firm 5,000 words. Anything more will be auto-rejected." Payment: "for original fiction is $.05 per word up to 5,000 words; if we podcast your story, payment is $.01 per word up to 5,000 words." No unsolicited reprints, electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details.
ArcheBooks Publishing is open to submissions of novels in most genres. Length: 60-120K (prefers 90K) Payment: $2/copy per hardcover sold; $1/copy per paperback or e-book sold. Query on reprints, electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details.
Author Alex Shvartsman is looking for reprints only for his upcoming Coffee anthology: "Each story must somehow involve coffee as a major plot element. It’s not enough if an unrelated story is set in a coffee shop. I will also consider a few TEA stories as well. These stories must feature an element of the fantastic (fantasy, SF, light horror). No literary fiction please. For the moment, I will only consider reprints. If you published a story that you feel might fit the theme, please e-mail it to me at ufopublishing at gmail dot com. Please include information as to where and when it was first published, and confirm that the rights have reverted to you." Length: "Up to 4000 words. Flash (500-1000 words) especially welcome." Payment: "$0.01 per word plus one contributor copy of trade paperback and ebook." See gudelines here for more details.
Dark Opus Press has an open call for their Tell Me a Fable anthology: "We will be looking for stroies base on one of Grimm's Fariy Tales. We're sorry, but for the concept we're going for here we are not accepting poetry, reprints or artwork for this anthology. Our guidelines are simple. All stories MUST be based on a Grimm's Fariy Tale and NOT the Disney version. All stories must have a dark bent to them and be between 2,000 and 6,000 words. This word count is firm and stories outside this word range will not be considered. Please read our magazine guidelines to see what we do not want. If you don't review our magazine guidelines, we will know. We know that quite a few of Grimm's tales deal with children so we will be a little more lenient when it comes to violence toward children. However, it must be integral to your story and it should occur off-stage, if possible. If you are unsure, please query first." Payment: "Payment for accepted works will be a 1 cent a word US, plus one copy." Reading period: "The reading period for this anthology will start July 1st and end July 31st or until filled. Stories sent before July 1st will be deleted unread." No reprints, electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details.
Light Speed webzine is open for submissions: Lightspeed is seeking original science fiction and fantasy stories of 1500-7500 words. Stories of 5000 words or less are preferred. We pay 8¢/word for original fiction, on acceptance. To see which rights we’re seeking, please view our contract template for original fiction. All types of science fiction and fantasy are welcome. No subject should be considered off-limits, and we encourage writers to take chances with their fiction and push the envelope. We believe that the science fiction/fantasy genre’s diversity is its greatest strength, and we wish that viewpoint to be reflected in our story content and our submission queues; we welcome submissions from writers of every race, religion, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation." Reprints okay (pays 1¢/word), electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details.
Planetary Stories has a contest going: "Each issue of Planetary Stories, Pulp Spirit and Wonderlust will be carrying the winner of that contest. While making the above statement, I realize there is a chance it won't work out. We might not have enough winners, as there is only a few months before our first deadline, which will be September 15th. However, we will do our best to publicize this contest and make that statement come true. There are three categories, one for stories 250 words or less, one for stories up to 500 words, and flash fiction up to 1,000 words. ONE WINNER PER CATEGORY. The winner in each category will receive five cents per word, as well as a book from the Featured Author. No duplicate entries are allowed." See contest page here for more details.
Tephra magazine is looking for submissions: "...now open for international submissions to be included in the publication of its debut issue, due for release in both print and digital editions during the first quarter of 2014. We are seeking original, previously unpublished fiction, non-fiction, articles, essays, poetry, flash-fiction, art, comics, photography, interviews and reviews of books, films and theatre. TEPHRA will be covering a rather broad range of subject-matter, visions and voices - however, our tastes tend toward the unusual, the avant-garde, the curious and obscure. We have a penchant for absurdism, surrealism, dadaism, expressionism, transgressionalism, psychological horror, experimentation, science fiction, bizarro fiction and weird fiction." Length: "Fiction - 7,500 words or less; Non-Fiction / Articles / Essays - 3,500 words or less; Poetry: Please send no more that 10 poems per submission; Art & Photography: Please send a link to your portfolio and a brief biography. Image attachments will not be accepted; Interviews: Please send a propsal." Payment: "Payment is discussed privately between the editor (Justin Curfman) and the contributor upon acception. However, a 50 / 50 profit split is our general offer." See submission guidelines for more details.
Twilight Times Books is currently open for novel submissions: "Wanted: Mid-list authors. We need to place our resources behind authors who know how to promote their books. You don't necessarily need a national platform, a regional one will do. If you have demonstrated annual sales of 5k to 15k books, please consider placing your next novel or non-fiction book with Twilight Times Books or Paladin Timeless Books. Rest assured we will always keep a few slots open each year for exceptional books written by first time authors. Twilight Times Books will present the works of those writers whose stories blend genres, are too literary for other publishers or seem too mainstream or "quirky" in tone. The requirement for consideration at Twilight Times Books is your novel must be entertaining; your non-fiction book must be informative. Both fiction and non-fiction book submissions must be professionally written and you must have a comprehensive marketing plan. Purchase a book or read the stories in Twilight Times ezine to determine the type of writing we're interested in seeing. First consideration will be given to authors previously published by Twilight Times Books, Paladin Timeless Books, Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine (FMAM), Twilight Times ezine and/or Web Mystery Magazine. Our current response time is four weeks to two months. Simultaneous submissions will be considered with sufficient advance notice. We offer a standard publishing contract." Submission period: "We will be open to fiction submissions from June 15 to August 5, 2013." Looking for: "we will be especially interested in the following categories: fantasy, historical, literary, military, mystery/suspense, paranormal romance, science fiction, SF romance and YA fantasy." Also: "We have expanded our guidelines to include more nonfiction titles in 2013-2015 and we are also interested in: creative nonfiction, how-to books, humor/satire, juvenile, magic realism, mainstream/contemporary, military/war-related, nostalgia-related fiction and non-fiction, paranormal, Regency romance, regional, specialty/New Age, supernatural, the Sixties-related (fiction or nonfiction), World War II-related, women's fiction, writing advice, etc." Query on reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details.
Unlikely Story is currently open for submissions: "Unlikely Story publishes three themed issues a year: The Journal of Unlikely Entomology, The Journal of Unlikely Cryptography, and The Journal of Whatever Tickles Our Fancy This Year. We reserve the right to put out an indeterminate number of further sub-themed mini-issues on an irregular basis, if we feel like it. nWhat we’re looking for: Beautifully-written fiction, characters that grab us by the throats and refuse to let go, worlds that demand to be explored…and bugs. Genre isn’t particularly important to us—speculative, mainstream, slipstream, and the unclassifiable tales in between—we’ll read anything; all we ask is that something pertaining to bugs is integral or significant in your story. The bug element can be literal or metaphorical, hallucinatory or behavioral or metaphysical, or any combination thereof. Not quite sure what we’re talking about? Think of The Metamorphosis, Ender’s Game, Angels and Insects, Naked Lunch, A Recipe for Bees, District 9, Eight Legged Freaks, and Sandkings. Basically, think bugs, and let your imagination run wild. There are no barriers as to levels of profanity, gore, or sexuality allowed, but be sure to use them well if you do use them. Please note: our definition of bugs is somewhat expansive. Please read our FAQ for details. Our second non-entomological issue will be The Journal of Unlikely Cryptography. JoUC will publish annually. Submissions open July 1 – November 1, 2013." Length: "We’ll consider stories up to 8000 words, but strongly prefer stories of 5000 words or less. We’re open to flash fiction and fiction in non-traditional formats, but we do not publish poetry or non-fiction." Payment: We pay 5¢ per word for original fiction, and 1¢ per word for reprints." Electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details.
World Weaver Press has an open callfor their upcoming Krampus anthology: "You know the Jolly Old Elf of Christmas, right? Of course you do. You can’t avoid him. Yet, Santa Claus isn’t just a kindly old expert at breaking and entering and leaving gifts he didn’t actually buy for the children of a house. At least he isn’t in Austria and many other parts of Europe. In these ancient places, where, perhaps, the old, old gods still add a touch of mischief, Krampus is the angry, punishing sidekick of St. Nicholas (Santa’s counterpart in much of Europe). Known for his willingness to punish rotten children, Krampus might even be considered Santa’s dark side or evil twin. Krampus is the sort of guy more and more North Americans want to explore. He’s definitely having a moment this side of the Atlantic. To that end, World Weaver Press and Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine are pleased to announce a joint venture: An anthology of Krampus short stories. Although the book is yet to be named, we hope you’ll explore every possible Krampus angle via short stories. He’s a nasty old dude, and we hope your imaginations will get the better of you. Length: "Under 10,000 words." Payment: "$10 from Enchanted Conversation and paperback copy of the anthology from World Weaver Press." No reprints, electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details. Open submission period: June 15 – August 1, 2013.
Most of the above sub ops came from the marvelous market listings at Ralan.com. Special thanks to Kaitlyn Koby at World Weaver Press for the heads up on their open call, too.
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