Submission Guidelines:
Only unpublished work will be accepted.
No simultaneous submissions.
Speculative fiction means it must have a speculative element. We can get creative in finding one from time to time, but there's gotta be a thread for us to hang on. While we're on the subject of genres and fields... after two years, we can tell you that military sf and any straight horror will have the devil's own time swimming to the top of the sludge. No offense - we like shooting sentient beings and getting the slush scared out of us as much as the next editors. Our parole officers have put some limits on what we do is all. That limitation bothers us less than the anklets...
To submit, paste your dulcet prose into a clunky email to bookladen@gmail.com, or attach a file.
Don't worry about formatting. Your story's inner beauty will overcome the ugly outer shell we've imposed upon it.
If we accept your story for publication, we may request it be sent in standard manuscript format, except that the editors prefer Times New Roman to other fonts. Fie on Courier!
We will accept multiple submissions from the same author. Do realize that we're exceedingly unlikely to accept more than one story from you for an issue. (Ignore issue #4, you fool. I've never known how exceptions could possibly prove rules, but pretend for a moment that this one does.)
Lengths: All lengths are in actual Microsoft Word word count. By fiat of the management.
Featured Stories for the magazine: 2,000-7,500 words. 1 cent/word. It's a token payment. More than we can afford, less than you deserve. Welcome to the worst of both worlds.
Short-shorts used to fill the space between featured stories in the magazine: up to 1,999 words (preferred length under 750 words). $5. Unless you've won a Hugo. Then we'll negotiate. (The current premium for Hugo and Nebula winners is $.91. Given recent experiences with those scurvy dogs, we're thinking of charging them for the privilege of entering our pages.)
Neglected Novellas and Nebulous Novelettes for the website: Fugget about it, for now. We haven't quite found the free time and inclination to move into the realm of virtual magazining in a big way. Dirty ink and tree pulp for us luddite sciffies, every time.
If your 2,000-7,500 word story is accepted by us, we won't ask you to tell us about who you're dating, where you grew up, or any of that "David Copperfield crap." Our readers care about your writing not about you. Hey, it's a cold cruel world, we thought we should be the first to let you know. So, since we care about your writing - and specifically about your writing of the story printed in Fictitious Force - you will be required to provide a short essay, 250-500 words, about your story. What inspired you to write it, what difficulties did you have along the way, what superstitious rituals keep you writing and succeeding.
Email your story to bookladen@gmail.com.
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