Hello! May all your jolly moments come at once in an overwhelming rush.
I was interviewed by horror podcast Deadman’s Tome about my new story with the magazine, and other things as well. It was live which meant I had to crawl out of bed at twenty to four in the morning my time. At first I was quite chatty, but a muesli crash ensued. Enjoy!
Well good morning my little spam lunches, I’ve got a new flash fiction over on Bizarro Central called Brain Painter. It’s about…well, you’ll have to see. Enjoy!
Why not send yours? Follow the link to find out how.
We’re getting too many good stories that are over a hundred and under three hundred, so that’ll be the new length we read on the podcast.
The rest stays the same, send us an odd or scary story along with a website/other contact I can read aloud, however nothing over three hundred as no-one wants to hear me droning on for hours. OK…now!
Send to: bizartcast@gmail.com
Podcast link: bizartpodcast.wordpress.com
We need your brains. We need to open up the hard outer shell to get to the soft goo inside. We would like odd, weird or scary stories, or perhaps all three, 100 words or less for our podcast. Send the story along with a website or alternative preferred method of online contact for you which I can read out loud with my lips.
Have a listen of the podcast, which weirdly doesn’t feature any stories yet, and send them to bizartcast@gmail.com
Stumbled across this calendar of endless possibilities on the Litreactor site just now (original article here). It’s a handy little monthly submissions guide to time-restricted publications. Before you read may I just make the personal assertion that I don’t believe in submission fees:
“Whether you’re looking to make it big with a book you’re sure is a best-seller, or you’re just interested in breaking through with a few bylines in lit journals that your mother can frame and put on the ‘fridge, one of the biggest hurdles is to know where to even send your work–and when.
Sure, going through a literary agent is obviously the easiest way to get your pieces in front of important eyes–but even getting an agent to represent you can be a huge challenge, particularly if you haven’t had a lot published. Which means it’s smart to also have, on hand, a list of places where you can submit unsolicited work throughout the year, in hopes of beefing up your portfolio.
But because accepting unsolicited work is, well, a lot of work, many journals, publishers, and magazines have limited time-frames during which they do all of their reading and deciding. So it’s smart to keep a Google Calendar or some other sort of digital log of who you’re aiming to submit to, what the due-dates are for submissions, and also a link to the requirements.
Here are a few places that accept unsolicited novels, stories, collections, and poems to get your submissions calendar rolling.
Get a running start with a few places that take submissions all year long.
Boyd Mills Press, out of Pennsylvania, is a small-ish press that accepts submissions of children’s and young adult books all the time, so you can send them your work as soon as it’s been proofread.
Electric Literature is an awesome short-story producing new-media magazine that gives print space to some of America’s freshest young talent. Submit your boldest and brightest, whenever you like.
Another most excellent (and highly selective) publication that will take your work all year is PANK Magazine, which publishes exciting, quirky, awesome poetry; short stories; and other forms of text. Check their website to see what they’re cooking up.
The Portland Review is a fun collective of writers and editors who publish (usually) around 3 times per year. They almost always have a beginning-of-the-year submission period, but will take what you send them most all the time. They also have a very cute and inspiring blog that I like very, very much. And, they use Submishmash, which makes it easy to track all of your entries.
Need a little seed money to start the year? The Oberon Poetry Magazine accepts contest submissions in the Spring (usually March or April) and awards $1,000 for the judge’s favorite.
Vagabondage Press’ literary quarterly, The Battered Suitcase, accepts fiction, non-fiction and poetry, but not criticisms or book reviews. They’re looking for previously unpublished authors who are interested in getting their name out there, so all levels of experience are encouraged to submit.
Founded by poetic dreamboat Derrick Brown, Write Bloody Publishing is rapidly establishing something of a cult following. Each year, they invite writers to send samples for short story or poetry collections, and select 7 to receive a book deal. A book deal! Their submission window is almost always in May, and almost always gets pushed back.
It’s pretty rare that you get personal feedback on your submissions– but Our Stories takes the time. They also offer prize money. There is a submission fee, but for many, that’s a much better trade off than receiving a stock letter of acceptance. Their submission period usually begins in Spring, but Summer is a slow literary season, so this one can get bumped down to less busy times.
Summer is really, really boring in publishing. Use July as your catch-up month for all of those year-round places.
No, really. Take the summer to write whatever you like. Relax and write. Put it on your calendar.
Tin House Magazine is a respected literary publication that accepts short stories and essays between Sept. 1 and May 31, which is a nice wide window. They have some themed publications, so check their website to see if you’re on-topic.
The Avatar Review accepts poetry, prose, and pretty much anything, beginning in October. They publish just once per year, and their main goal is to get unpublished authors their first exposure. Think of it a bit like really nice training wheels.
Some places have two submission periods per year, which offers a nice bit of flexibility. Memoir (and) is one of those places, and is also a really great publication. The November submission period runs through February, and they’ll consider just about everything you send them, so go ahead and write your heart out.
December is actually just the best time to wrap up any and all submissions that you’ve had sitting around. Instead of adding December-specific ones, I’ll redirect you back up to January.
Of course, there are hundreds of journals, magazines, quarterlies and publishers who take submissions throughout the year, and depending on your genre of choice, some will be a better fit than others. But whomever you decide to grace with your work, having firm-ish deadlines inked out ahead of time is a smart way to hit the ground writing.”
I think that says it all! Hop to it or the beating hand gets angry.
Recently I sent a short story to a magazine, and it was rejected. So? I hear you cry, this happens all the time. Do not sully our eyes with such pointless jibber jabber. Get thee forthwith into a nunnery, or at least next door.
What made this rejection interesting, my little slices of pepperoni, was the list of links they sent me. Websites with a range of publications that take short stories! They were: New Pages, Poets and Writers website, a list of Poetry Publishers who accept Electronic Submissions, a list of Online Literary Journals and a list of Literary magazines.
As well as that I discovered a benefit from following Neil Gaiman on Twitter other than being able to ask him directly if I can lick his face (I don’t really do that. Or do I?). The other day he posted this link, which appears to be a site called LitReactor, ‘a compendium of top advice from Contemporary Authors.’ Apparently it’s from the team that brought you ChuckPalahniuk.net, the site full of advice and workshops for cult writers, Chuck being the author of such cult classics as Fight Club.
Go on, you know you want to…
I was whiling away the day finding publications to send my comedy/fantasy short story to when I came across this. It seems like a great idea and is described thus far:
‘Word Crushes is a place where young adult authors, editors, and publishers of all ages can promote their short fiction, discover a new market, or simply find a good read.
Leave me a comment if you have market news, a publication you’d like to promote, or just about anything to do with teen short fiction.
I’m Erin Fanning, a writer and researcher but most of all a reader. For more on me, visit erinfanning.com .’
I found it while looking up a company called Sam’s Dot Publishing, who specialise in publications for sci fi, horror and fantasy. Each magazine does a different thing and for different ages so you need to read it all carefully, and their submission recommendations are very specific. If anyone has been caught drink driving by the police they may already have experienced something similar with the rigorous sobriety test.
Looks good though, but as I am going through an anti-story phase (ever since I read short story compilation ‘Love of Fat Men‘ by Helen Dunmore I’ve been obsessed with stories that are a snapshot of characters and events rather than a long haul of story, except I often do it humerously and probably not as well) I’m not sure if I’ll get in.The link is above though, for anyone who wants to try.
The Big Book of Bizarro is on sale on Amazon! Much cheaper, which is obviously better. It contains my short story ‘The Gathering.’ I only get published in things with the word ‘bizarre’ in the title, what does this mean?
I found the place to submit the story to on a website specialising in erotica publications, the Erotica Readers and Writers Association. Not only does it have submission calls but it offers advice too! Surely you are being spoilt.
Thanks to blog womagwriter for the details.
It’s probably useful to know the guidelines of such magazines as Take a Break and Fiction Feast. I’ll start by mentioning that I’ve never managed to get one published in here. I’ve only tried a couple of times and, in hindsight, the love story between a woman and her stalker was probably not the best choice (they do advise you to read the magazine first).
FICTION FEAST – GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS
Thank you for enquiring about submitting stories to us. We are happy to receive unsolicited manuscripts from authors, but for the present, request that these be no longer than 2,000 words. Should you wish to submit longer stories for consideration, I’ll drop you a line or telephone you. Please don’t be discouraged, as we are always on the lookout for new talent.
I enclose the Take a Break guidelines for your general assistance with presentation and plots to avoid. The basic requirements of a strong plot and a twist in the tail also hold good for Fiction Feast’s 1 page (700 words) and 2 page (1,200 words) stories. Stories of between 1200+ and 2000 max words needn’t be twist in the tail, but must have a compelling plot. Because Fiction Feast has so many stories, we’re looking for more variety in the type we publish; so, whatever the length, mystery, romance, crime, offbeat, macabre, science fiction, spooky tales – just about anything really – are welcome.
We can be flexible about story length, but as a guide our wordcounts and payment rates are:
1 Page (700 words) £200
2 Page (1200 words) £250
3-4 Pages (2,000 words) £325 to £400
All stories must be from an original idea, all your own work, not previously published in the UK and not currently on offer to any other magazine or publisher. We pay on publication.
Basic Requirements:
We are looking for contemporary stories aimed at women from their mid-twenties upwards. We require 1100 – 1200 words with a strong plot and a good twist in the tail. The twist should arise out of the story, rather than from a detail kept from the reader. To check your twist is a genuine twist – not simply a deception -imagine your story were being made into a film and ask yourself – would the surprise still work? If it wouldn’t, I’m afraid it’s not for us.
We do not have a monthly serial, so stories must be complete.
Subject Matter: We particularly like settings and situations which readers can recognise and relate to, rather than say, country house murders or stories about drugs rings or jewel thieves. It’s essential to read several issues of the magazine to get the flavour of the type of fiction we publish before writing a story aimed at Take a Break/Fiction Feast. Many writers waste a lot of time and effort because they haven’t done this. Please avoid straightforward romance i.e. boy meets girl and they live happily ever after. Also avoid historical backgrounds, science fiction and stories narrated by animals or small children. Take a Break is a family magazine so graphic murders or sex crimes are never acceptable.
Common plots to avoid:
* the heroine/narrator is revealed to be a cat, dog, fox, car (or tree…or whatever).
* the policeman/woman is really a strippogram/singing telegram
*a character’s mysterious arrangements turn out to be for a surprise party – not an aff
* a shifty antiques dealer dupes an old lady out of what he thinks is a priceless antique and it turns out she is making them by the dozen
* the woman discovers her husband’s secret lover is a man, or vice versa
* the murder victim ends up on a compost heap
* anything to do with poisonous mushrooms or tampering with car brakes
* anything to do with twins or nosy neighbours
* someone nervous about a first day at school turns out to be the teacher; or about a wedding, the vicar; or an interview, the interviewer
* anything to do with bumping off elderly elatives for the inheritance, in fact wills in general are best avoided
Because our stories are so short, a maximum of four characters is usually best with the main character – a woman.
Stories must be your own idea and original work, previously unpublished and not on offer to any other magazine or publisher at the time sent to us. Should your story be accepted we will probably have to edit it.
Presentation: Typed manuscripts are preferred, but if you can’t get your story typed, write clearly in double line spacing. Please ensure your name, address, e-mail address (if you have one) and telephone number are on the title page together with an accurate wordcount. Y our name and story title should also appear on all subsequent pages.
Please, please include a stamped addressed envelope large enough to hold your story. Self-seal envelopes are especially appreciated. It’s advisable to keep a copy your story to guard against the remote chance of loss. Features and articles should be sent directly to the Features Department with a covering letter. It can take 10-12 weeks before a decision is made concerning your manuscript, so please be patient. If your story has not been returned after ten weeks, please drop me a line giving me the story title, a brief synopsis of the plot and the date sent. I will get back to you ASAP. Should your story be rejected it may be we have already published or have in stock a similar story. More likely though, I feel it will not appeal to our readers. This does not necessarily mean I will not like another of your stories, so, don’t lose heart.
Seasonal Stories sent for specific issues, such as Christmas, Easter, Hallowe’en etc., must be sent at least four months in advance of the issue date.
It can take 10-12 weeks for a decision to be made on Fiction Feast stories, so please be patient. If you haven’t had a story returned after 12 weeks, please drop a line outlining the plot and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
Please send stories to me, Norah McGrath (Fiction Editor), at the address below:
I look forward to reading your work.
Norah McGrath
Fiction Editor
Fiction Feast
4th Floor
Academic House
24-28 Oval Road
London
NW1 7DT
Madeleine Swann 