Thanks to the sharp eyes of a NanOrlando reader, I dropped a quick note to Drollerie Press that they had 2009 dates listed on two of their open submissions. Today the dates have been updated to 2010 dates for all three open anthologies: Trafficking in Magic, Greek Myths and Ghost Stories. Dues dates for submission range from end of February to end of March. Check out Drollerie Press if the topics sound interesting to you.
Rewrite a Greek Myth
Just found out about this, but it has an extended deadline so I figured I’d post it.
Details:
Drollerie Press is seeking short stories for an anthology retelling Greek myth re-set as urban/contemporary fantasy. They may be set in any location in the world, and do not have to specifically reference Greece. The stories should be between 5 and 20k in length, and should be YA friendly, that is, appropriate to a sophisticated YA reader and to adults as well. The protagonist(s), therefore, should be wrestling with issues of young adulthood, and should be between the ages of 17 and 25. Some profanity is acceptable. Sexual activity and violence may be referenced, but should not be described in loving detail.
This is a general anthology, so stories may contain cross-genre elements, such as romance, science, or horror as long as they’re set in the present. In particular, however, the stories should be creative and intelligent, and show knowledge of the source material and skill at reweaving it for a new audience. How veiled the original story remains up to the author, but it should specifically reframe the original story, not be written as a prequel or sequel. Each author may submit up to 3 stories, but only one will be accepted per author. In this anthology, as in all Drollerie Press works, inclusive representation is important to us. Authors may be from, and stories may be set, anywhere in the world. Characters of any race, creed, or sexual orientation are encouraged.
Compensation is an equitable distribution of royalties based on word count. Publication will be in ebook, with trade paperback to follow if warranted by sales.
Submissions for this anthology may be submitted by email to submissions @ drolleriepress.com or by upload on the contact page and should contain “GREEK” in the subject line. Review and response will occur after submissions are closed.
Submissions for this anthology close on February 28, 2010. (Extended deadline!)
Ladies sharpen your pens!
Realms of Fantasy has announced a special issue for August 2011. This issue will be devoted to the women of fantasy and feature only female writers. (Sorry, gentlemen, you’ll have to sit this one out.) They’ve put out the word that they’re looking for submissions from female fiction writers.
Submissions dealing with gender, sexism and other areas important to feminine speculative literature are particularly welcome.
Submissions should be postmarked no later than November 15th, 2010. Stories accepted will be illustrated by female artists.
For more information, check out. http://www.rofmag.com/
New Science Fiction magazine open for submissions
Lightspeed, a new Science Fiction magazine, is braving the publishing scene with plans to launch later this year. They have just opened for submissions from interested authors and are seeking original science fiction stories between 1,000 and 7,500 words, though they prefer works under 5,000 words. This is a paying market offering 5 cents per word. They will consider reprints of previously published stories at a pay rate of 1 cent per word, but keep in mind that they are more interested in work that has not been previously published.
The magazine is interested in stories that explore all aspects of science fiction from near future to far future. However, they are not interested in stories based on popular TV shows or established franchises, such as Star Trek, or in fan fiction. This is a market for original worlds and new visions. They also are not accepting fantasy stories or poetry.
If you’re interested in submitting to them, please read the guidelines for full information on the process. You can also follow the editor, John Joseph Adams, on twitter.
J.K. Rowling comparisons
Okay, writers, listen up. Publishing examples related to J.K. Rowling really only apply to J.K. Rowling.
It’s one of those little things that bug me when I discuss writing and publishing with potential writers. They immediately leap to examples of what one should do based on J.K. Rowling. These start with “if you look at J. K. Rowling…” and go on to justify whatever it is the writer believes really happens in the publishing world. I’ve run into writers who actually seem to expect a few million from a first novel because “if you look at J.K. Rowling.” I’ve had writers thrust novels at me that I’d need a forklift to pick up. When I try to tell the writer that I don’t know of any agents or publishers who will be interested in a novel that runs 500,000 words in length (no, I’m not kidding), they say “if you look at J.K. Rowling.” Well, if you look at J.K. Rowling, you’re likely to misjudge the publishing industry.
Oh, and a tip from an acquisitions editor I know. When you submit you’re novel, don’t brag it’s the second best book every written – right after J.K. Rowling (no, I’m not kidding).
How long should a chapter be?
This question keeps showing up in writing groups I belong to and I keep disagree with the “popular” answer. Why? Well, the popular answer tends to be “as long as it needs to be.” The problem is this answer provides no useful information. If the person asking the question already knew how long the chapter needed to be, they wouldn’t ask. Besides, I believe that an author has to exercise some control over the story and can actually determine how long chapters should be and even adjust and change lengths depending on needs.
So, my answer…
Chapters in novels tend to run in the 3,000 to 5,000 word range. Some stories work well with shorter chapters in about the 2k range. Some works tend to need longer chapter over 5k. For example, historical books tend to have longer chapters because there is a need to work historical detail in with the chapter action and this takes more space. Something like a cozy mystery may have short chapters to keep things flowing and the pages turning. These are not rules. Just common practice. Agents and publishers tend to worry less about chapter length than novel length. (An editor might suggest a length change but I don’t think it’s common.)
Sometimes a single chapter will need to be much longer or shorter than the chapters around it. This is fine. There’s no need to make all the chapters the same length, though often due to story pacing they will run close in length.
Keep in mind that chapter breaks really are for a reader’s comfort as much as anything else. The first novel – Moll Flanders – has no chapter breaks. I’ve read it and though the book is a hilarious romp, it’s frustrating because without breaks, it’s hard to put it down and find your spot when you pick it up again. But it’s too long to read in one sitting so you have to stop at some point. Chapter breaks are just rest stops on highway through the novel.
Writing Resolutions
The New Year is approaching and writers everywhere are thinking about resolutions. This year I’m working on writing resolutions of my own and would like to put the challenge out to my fellow writers to create a writing resolution or two for the new year.
Keep in mind that these resolutions don’t have to be big or difficult to achieve. Don’t resolve to “get published” since that isn’t really something you can achieve on your own. Instead, resolve to submit something. Don’t say you’ll finish a novel if you haven’t started the novel, but if you already have a novel drafted out, you might want to aim to polish it up. Don’t resolve to write every single day when you know you really can’t. Perhaps settle for writing regularly and adjust the schedule with the year.
But don’t wait for next November and Nanowrimo to continue your writing journey. There are 11 other months in the year open for your novelling pleasure.
New Fiction Mag looking for submissions
Keep in mind that a new magazine is always a gamble and these days magazines are struggling to stay in business. But that means finding a home for a short story is a challenge these days, so I thought I’d pass this along.
Port Iris magazine is looking for submission for their premier issue, to be released in March 2010. They are particularly interested in science fiction, fantasy and horror but will consider other genres. They want flash fiction under 1,000 words and stories up to 5,000 words. They are also interested in artwork.
This is a paying market but payment is minimal ($5/$10). But it could be the perfect home for someone’s short story.
http://www.portiris.com/
Submission Call: Ghosts and The Uncanny
Sometimes I come across quirky little calls for submissions. This one is from a Canadian magazine looking for stories, poetry and non-fiction articles on ghosts and the afterlife.
Keep in mind, they are in Canada and require snail mail submissions and a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope). You’ll need to go to the post office for international postage on this one.
Pay is an honorarium. This means you will not receive royalties or other payment on the story. Just the honorarium. But for those worried about such things, it does count as a “paid” publication.
Okay, now the info from the publisher
Descant Magazine: Ghost and The Uncanny
For this special issue, Descant turns ghost hunter and dares to explore the murky connections between life and death, science and superstition, folk beliefs and fictions. We are looking for apparitions of all kinds. Do you have paranormal poetry? Are you haunted by the past? Do you have a ghost of an idea? Perhaps you’d like to address the role of ghosts in literature and film. We want to document the existence of ghosts, both literal and metaphorical, on our pages.
Descant pays a $100 honourarium upon publication.
For full guidelines see Descant
How long is a novel?
A question I’ve heard from many writers is – how long should a novel be? After all, Nanowrimo is 50,000 words and we’re supposed to be writing a novel, right? First the simple answer – the safest length for a novel is 70,000-90,000 words. If you aim for that, you’re generally in safe ground.
But somehow novelists never seem to be able to stay in safe ground. Or there wouldn’t be so much debate about the length of a novel. So, some of the questions I’ve heard over the years. Right now, I’m sticking with novels for adults. I’ll discuss YA (Young Adult) novels in an upcoming post.
What if my novel is 40,000 words?
I seem to be hearing a lot lately from writers with very short works, often in the 30,000 – 50,000 words range. Generally these are regarded as novellas rather than novels. They are tricky to find publishers for because they take up too much space in a magazine to be considered a short story but as a book they’re too thin to compete on the shelves. But it is possible to find a home for them. Look for calls for submissions to anthologies or check with smaller press who publish ebooks.
But what if my novel is way over 100,000 words?
From 90,000 to 110,000 words, you’re probably still in safe territory. Some genres tend to run longer than others, so it may be a good idea to check the average length of FIRST NOVELS in the genre you write. First novels over 110,000 words can be hard to place because the length means a significant investment on the publisher’s part.
So, why do I see so many really long novels on bookshelves?
With rare exceptions, the longer novels you see aren’t first novels. Authors who’ve built up an audience and proven that their books will sell get more leeway when it comes to length. It’s simple economics. The longer the book, the more it costs to edit, print, ship, etc. So a publisher generally wants to see that an author is going to sell before they invest in a lengthy novel.
