Steampunk Cthulhu antho

THE MARKET

• Antho: Steampunk Cthulhu
• Editor(s): Brian M. Sammons & Glynn Owen Barrass
• Pay Rate: 3¢ / word + 3 contributor copies
• Response Time: variable 
• Reading Period: now until July 31
• Description: The age of steam meets the age of Cthulhu, in a past where technology unbound warps Victorian Britain and the world at large into a dark Steampunk reality.
• Submission Guidelines: www.freewebs.com/batglynn/

NOTE: Author D.L. Snell conducted the following interview to give writers a better idea of what the editors of this specific market are seeking; however, most editors are open to ideas outside of the preferences discussed here, as long as they fit the basic submission guidelines.

THE SCOOP

1) What authors do you enjoy, and why does their writing captivate you?

GB: Gawd there are so many… let’s see now! Two favourites: Raymond Chandler, because of his attention to detail and the rawness of his prose, and of course, H.P. Lovecraft, so rich with imagination and darkness, I couldn’t imagine a world without his sinister vision.

BMS: Lovecraft, for his original vision of horror. Stephen King for being the first author of adult books I ever read and introducing me to the joys of reading. Robert Bloch and Joe R. Lansdale for doing both bleak horror and black comedy so well. Richard Matheson for being the most consistently good and enjoyable over such a long career. And I can’t forget Robert E. Howard for his manly badassery. 


2) What are your favorite genres? Which genres would you like to see incorporated into submissions to this market?

GB: My genres, cyberpunk, and horror, for the most part. For this book, with immense clues in the title, we want to see the Cthulhu Mythos mixed with Steampunk, and are quite happy to see elements of fantasy, sci-fi, and even comedy within the subs.

BMS: Horror first and foremost, with various flavours of sci-fi and the occasional sword and sorcery fantasy, as long as it’s not too cute and fluffy. As for what I’d like to see for this book, a real blend of Lovecraftian nihilistic and inescapable horror with the often “future is bright” feel of steampunk. Also, I’d like to see some tales outside of the Victorian Britain setting.

3) What settings most intrigue you? Ordinary or exotic locales? Real or fantasy? Past, present, or future?
GB: I very much like alternate reality settings, whether it be past, present or future. Imagination can really soar when the world and reality have no boundaries.

BMS: I go through cycles. I’ll be into historical fiction for a while and then switch to something futuristic. However I always return to stories set in the modern world where reality clashes with the horrific or fantastic. 


4) Explain the type of pacing you enjoy, e.g. slow building to fast, fast throughout, etc.
GB: Any really, though it is good sometimes to read something slow paced, that suddenly goes ‘boom’ at a mile a minute near the end.

BMS: While arguments can be made for any type of story, the majority of short stories I really like are fast paced. I like the sense of action they impart. Conversely when it comes to novels or horror movies, I prefer creeping dread. Yeah that’s weird, I know.

5) What types of characters appeal to you the most? Any examples?

GB: Those that feel helpless against an overpowering Evil/Government/Religion, but fight back nonetheless. Doomed protagonists also read very well in a story.

BMS: I always like strong capable characters that nonetheless come up against things they just can’t overcome. It’s the whole feeling of yeah, you might be a bad ass (in whatever field) but compared to this you’re still nothing.

6) Is there a specific tone you'd like to set in your publication? What kind of voices grab you and keep you enthralled? Any examples?

GB: Dark for the most part, dystopian too. Steampunk tales in a grimy, polluted world with nothing shiny but the glint in the antagonist’s eye.

BMS: I’d be happy to run the gambit. From a few (but only a few) silly, humorous tales to the darkest, most feel bad stories imaginable, and everything in between. As long as it’s 100% steampunk and 100% Lovecraftian (or would that be 50% of both?) I’ll be happy.

7) What is your policy for vulgarity, violence, and sexual content? Any taboos?

GB: Swears are okay, as long as they are part of the story, but I don’t see our protagonists lowering themselves to such vulgarities. Violence, no problem where it is a necessary part of the story and not gratuitous. And sex… nothing X-Rated.

BMS: I’m fine with vulgarity; it’s a form of expression I’m fairly familiar with, as long as it’s warranted. Violence, I like violent horror. While not essential to tell a good story, I grew up in the 1980s reading plenty of splatterpunk. Sex, as long as it’s not just tossed in to be titillating and nothing more, I’m fine with it. As for taboos, for me it would be the victimization and sexualisation of children. No one wants to read that, and if you do, then this is not the book for you.

8) What kind of themes are you seeking most in submissions to this market? In general, what themes interest you?

GB: Again, darkness in the Steampunk world, sinister conspiracies and things beyond comprehension breaking through into our reality.

BMS: Technology mixed with black magic or just going too far. Famous characters (fictional or real) from the era would be a good addition, as long as there’s a solid reason for them to be in the story. Perhaps pulpy adventure mixed with the darkest horror. 


9) Overall, do you prefer downbeat or upbeat endings?

GB: Either, and if it’s downbeat for the heroes and upbeat for the bad guys, that’s fine! The protagonist discovering the hopelessness of the human condition in the face of the horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos would be a good (but not totally necessary) ending to a Steampunk Cthulhu tale.

BMS: Either, but if I had to lean one way or the other, I’d lean toward downbeat. Not only does it feel more Lovecraftian to me, but I think too many of today’s horror stories have happy endings.

10) Any last advice for submitters to this market? Any critical do's or do not's?

GB: DO NOT pay lip service to the Mythos, as in throwing in a few names here and there just to make something Cthulhu Mythos when it’s not. We want the stories rich with the elements of both genres, blended seamlessly.

BMS: Let me stress that again, DO NOT play lip service to the Lovecraftian element. I’ve recently put together a number of Lovecraftian anthologies and you’d be surprised how many authors think that namedropping Cthulhu or the Necronomicon is sufficient. Well it’s not. The same should be said about the steampunk genre. If you’re not completely comfortable with one side of this genre blending experiment or the other, it will show. 

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For more scoops, go to www.dlsnell.com.

D.L. Snell writes with Permuted Press. He edited Dr. Kim Paffenroth thrice, John Dies at the End once, and provided a constructive critique to Joe McKinney on his next major novel after Dead City, Apocalypse of the Dead. You can shoot D.L. Snell in the head at www.dlsnell.com.

To reprint this article, please contact D.L. Snell.

Transtories antho

THE MARKET

• Antho: Transtories
• Publisher: Aeon Press
• Editor(s): Colin Harvey
• Pay Rate: Minimum £10 per story, possible bonus, plus royalties
• Response Time: 1 - 2 months - ish
• Reading Period: March 1st - 31st
• Description: Stories based on words prefaced by 'Trans' in dictionary, from 'transact' to 'Transylvania' (but this last is not recommended).
• Submission Guidelines: www.ralan.com

NOTE: Author D.L. Snell conducted the following interview to give writers a better idea of what the editors of this specific market are seeking; however, most editors are open to ideas outside of the preferences discussed here, as long as they fit the basic submission guidelines.

THE SCOOP
1) What authors do you enjoy, and why does their writing captivate you?
I grew up idolising Roger Zelazny, and to a lesser extent Samuel R. Delany, and I still get a little shiver of anticipation when the occasional magazine or anthology crops up with Robert Silverberg's name in the table of contents.

Right now I'm enjoying Lucius Shepherd for his imagery and use of language; Nancy Kress for her characterization; Jason Sanford for his ideas; Greg Egan for his science. But that's only a smattering of the writers I like to read. And there will be four or five different names tomorrow if you ask me the same question! 

2) What are your favorite genres? Which genres would you like to see incorporated into submissions to this market?
I'm not looking for horror, because Aeon Press is covering horror through Box of Delights. Apart from that, I don't really have favourites. I'm hoping that I'll see SF as well as fantasy, and maybe some slipstream—but I read all forms of speculative fiction. 

But the whole point of Transtories is that just as anthologies such as Eclipse, and older ones such as New Dimensions, Orbit and Universe, we're looking for a range of stories with no connection other than that they're good. I want sixteen different submissions, rather than sixteen different versions of the same story.

3) What settings most intrigue you? Ordinary or exotic locales? Real or fantasy? Past, present, or future?
All of them. But if I'm doing a regional anthology—as I did before with Dark Spires—then I'll say what I want the location to be. In the absence of that, writers can assume they have a free hand.

But to answer the question, I love Jack Vance's exotic planets, and Lucius Shepherd's use of Central America. Many of my favourite stories are set in more recognizable milieu; an alternate rural Dorset, the bars of New York where a man in the penthouse fights the rhythms of the universe, an isolated hotel on the Maine coast called the House of 31 February, the Sprawl, orbital zaibatsus, the city of Rebma, and London in 1810, where the Dog-faced Man prowls the streets.

4) Explain the type of pacing you enjoy, e.g. slow building to fast, fast throughout, etc.
It's more important to me that the author displays control of the tempo of their story, rather than what that pace is. I'm not sure that this counts as pacing, but the best stories start as late as the writer can manage, and finish when the story's done.

5) What types of characters appeal to you the most? Any examples?
Rounded, believable characters that are consistent. I like to see the protagonist evolve throughout the story rather than change abruptly, or worse, remain static.

6) Is there a specific tone you'd like to set in your publication? What kind of voices grab you and keep you enthralled? Any examples?
I'm completely open-minded about this. There are stories like Bester's 'The Pi Man' and Zelazny's 'This Mortal Mountain' that couldn't be written by anybody but their authors. And then there are stories like Dozois' 'Morning Child' that seem incredibly simple. What I want is for the author to seem invisible, unless like Frederik Pohl in 'Day Million' he's talking to the reader. 

7) What is your policy for vulgarity, violence, and sexual content? Any taboos?
If the story calls for it, I have no taboos. But I don't want sex or violence in stories for the sake of it—there has to be a reason for it to be present. 

8) What kind of themes are you seeking most in submissions to this market? In general, what themes interest you?
I like to see stories where there is not one idea but two, colliding in a nuclear explosion, sparking off one another.

If you read most pro magazines, they will have two or even more ideas, working off one another. As an extreme example, Mike Alexander's 'Ware of the Worlds' deliberately took Wells' War of the Worlds, with its Martian cylinders invading, then added the replicator from Star Trek, but twisted the outcome with a plot development from Ursula K. Le Guin's The Lathe of Heaven, and rounded it all off with a denouement reminiscent of Alfred Bester. And all the time he was perfectly in control.

I don't expect all writers to achieve these levels of innovation and control—this was, after all, one of the very best stories of last year, written for a top-paying magazine. But these are the sort of stories that I'd like authors to aspire to.

9) Overall, do you prefer downbeat or upbeat endings?
Upbeat, although if a downbeat ending is required, and can be justified, I'll accept it. I don't want what some are calling 'Pollyanna-ish stories' where the author has to pull a figurative rabbit out of a hat, to force a happy ending.

10) Any last advice for submitters to this market? Any critical do's or do not's?
Write the story you want to write, rather than what you think I want to see. Surprise me. Don’t be afraid to stretch yourself to your limit—I’d sooner have a glorious failure which can be reworked, than a safe, dull story.

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For more scoops, go to marketscoops.blogspot.com.

D.L. Snell writes with Permuted Press. He edited Dr. Kim Paffenroth twice, John Dies at the End once, and provided a constructive critique to Joe McKinney on his next major novel after Dead City. You can shoot D.L. Snell in the head at www.exit66.net.

To reprint this article, please contact D.L. Snell.

Unspeakable Horror 2: Abominations of Desire

THE MARKET

• Antho: Unspeakable Horror 2: Abominations of Desire
• Editor(s): Vince A. Liaguno and Chad Helder
• Pay Rate: 5¢ per word
• Response Time: 30-60 days 
• Reading Period: April 1st through June 30th (2011)
• Description: In this sequel to the Bram Stoker Award-winning anthology, editors Liaguno and Helder are exploring the dark underbelly of desire — whether contained and constricted or unleashed and unrestricted. They are looking for stories that stress the force of physical appetite or emotional need, tales that explore the strong, envious longing for the unattainable. This is a collection of queer horror — meaning that stories must contain a central gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender focus.
• Submission Guidelines: darkscribepress.com

NOTE: Author D.L. Snell conducted the following interview to give writers a better idea of what the editors of this specific market are seeking; however, most editors are open to ideas outside of the preferences discussed here, as long as they fit the basic submission guidelines.


VIDEO TRAILER FOR THE FIRST UNSPEAKABLE HORROR


THE SCOOP
1) What authors do you enjoy, and why does their writing captivate you?
Writers who take a literary approach to their horror…writers who use literary machinations to convey horror beyond basic blood and guts. Writers who aren't afraid to push some envelopes and who think outside the constraints of genre boxes. Think Dennis Cooper, Gemma Files, Stephen Graham Jones, Lee Thomas, Laird Barron…  

2) What are your favorite genres? Which genres would you like to see incorporated into submissions to this market?
We enjoy primarily horror and dark psychological suspense. For this second volume in the Unspeakable Horror series, we'd like to see well-written tales of dark fiction with a strong literary fiction aesthetic that explore the specified theme of desire gone awry from a GLBT perspective.

3) What settings most intrigue you? Ordinary or exotic locales? Real or fantasy? Past, present, or future?
Fantasy settings don't really do it for us. We prefer stories told against realistic settings — ordinary or exotic. For us, as both readers and editors, horror is most effective when set against an ordinary backdrop. Fantasy settings tend to become characters in and of themselves; for us, it's a distraction. Past and present work equally well, future…not so much.

4) Explain the type of pacing you enjoy, e.g. slow building to fast, fast throughout, etc.
While both hold equal appeal, what really blows us away are the subtler horrors that creep up and insinuate themselves into your consciousness as a reader. Then, before you know it, the writer pulls out the stops and leaves you punched in the gut, mouth agape. Stories that shock and/or provoke — but for the right reasons. We want that shock and provocation to sneak up on us versus clobbering us over the head. We want material that elicits an emotional response of some kind and leaves us with our jaws hanging open upon conclusion.

5) What types of characters appeal to you the most? Any examples?
Complex characters facing extraordinary internal and/or external crises. Sympathetic or unsympathetic matters less than the author's ability to make us relate on some level to the character. Personally, I have a penchant for supporting characters that play integral roles in the story that may not at first be obvious. I also enjoy clever twists on stock characters. Read anything from Stephen King's recent Full Dark, No Stars collection for perfect examples of the kinds of the full-bodied, complex characters we crave.

6) Is there a specific tone you'd like to set in your publication? What kind of voices grab you and keep you enthralled? Any examples?
Again, we have a weakness when horror merges with a strong literary fiction aesthetic. Complex, evocative stories that whisper with the power of a scream. Potential contributors to this second volume have the unique leg-up in having a first volume to use for comparison. Read Jameson Currier's "The Bloomsbury Nudes" or Jan Van der Laenen's "The Epistle of the Sleeping Beauty" and you'll see precisely the kind of tone and voice that grabs us. 

7) What is your policy for vulgarity, violence, and sexual content? Any taboos?
A writer has one responsibility and one responsibility only: To tell the truth of their story. If vulgarity, violence, or sexual content is essential and germane to the truth of the story that they're trying to tell, then it will blend seamlessly. Conversely, if one or more of those elements are thrown in to merely titillate or as a cheap shock effect, then those will stand out like a sore thumb. Taboos? Hard to dissuade taboo subject matter when you're asking writers to push envelopes and to think outside genre boxes. That said, it takes a very skilled writer to successfully and artistically tackle taboo subject matter. Our advice: Unless you're one of those writers, don't attempt this at home, kids.

8) What kind of themes are you seeking most in submissions to this market? In general, what themes interest you?
Again, we're exploring the concept of desire — the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state. What happens when human desire twists, bends, warps, mutates? What happens when desire is fed? Starved? Submissions should explore the answers to those questions.

9) Overall, do you prefer downbeat or upbeat endings?
Makes no difference if the theme is met and the quality of the writing is strong.

10) Any last advice for submitters to this market? Any critical do's or do not's?
We specifically list quite a few tips in our guidelines. Our biggest tip: Read them! Our two biggest pet peeves with the open reading period for the first volume were stories that somehow equated sexual orientation with pedophilia or bestiality and the sheer volume of psycho trannies or lesbian revenge tales in which someone’s unmentionables are chopped, eaten, or otherwise lopped off.

Those are the do not's. As far as what may give a potential contributor an advantage at this point in our readings for UH2…stories that feature lesbian or bisexual female characters, well-crafted stories featuring transgendered characters and themes. Other than that, push those envelopes, folks. Make our jaws drop. Haunt us with your words.

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For more scoops, go to marketscoops.blogspot.com.

D.L. Snell writes with Permuted Press. He edited Dr. Kim Paffenroth twice, John Dies at the End once, and provided a constructive critique to Joe McKinney on his next major novel after Dead City. You can shoot D.L. Snell in the head at www.exit66.net.

To reprint this article, please contact D.L. Snell.

Best New Werewolf Tales Volume One antho

THE MARKET

• Antho: Best New Werewolf Tales Volume One
• Publisher: Books of the Dead
• Editor(s): James Roy Daley
• Pay Rate: 1¢ a word/reprints
• Response Time: I respond to everyone after all the stories have been submitted and read.
• Reading Period: Ends March 31/2011
• Description: This interview applies to both the anthology and the press itself. For the anthology, Books of the Dead Press is seeking reprints of werewolf stories. More in guidelines.
• Submission Guidelines: booksofthedead.blogspot.com

NOTE: Author D.L. Snell conducted the following interview to give writers a better idea of what the editors of this specific market are seeking; however, most editors are open to ideas outside of the preferences discussed here, as long as they fit the basic submission guidelines.

THE SCOOP
1) What authors do you enjoy, and why does their writing captivate you?
I’m a meat-and-potatoes reader, meaning: I get turned on by a fantastic story and turned off by literature-gymnastics. Sometimes my younger brother Derek and I will laugh about Anne Rice and the way she puts a story together, saying things like, “Yes, yes. The night was dark, the willows were flowing in the air, which was cold—the moon was full, the taste in your mouth was bitter, the grass was long, your heart was broken, there was a longing in your loins, and the mist was rolling across the hills like a blanket of apprehension... but what the hell, lady!? Make your character step into the goddamn castle or I’m throwing the book across the room.”

When I’m not reading through the endless pile of submission that I’ve been receiving, I find that 90% of everything I consume comes from the big boys. In the past year or so I’ve read books by: Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, F. Paul Wilson, Peter Straub, Gary Brandner, David Morrell, Ray Garton, and Robert McCammon. When I look at that list of writers, the one thing they all have in common is the ability to write a plot driven story with characters you can understand. A writer like the late Michael Crichton, on the other hand, was a master at plot, but had no sense of character. If he wrote a conversation between a ninety-year-old scientist and a five-year-old girl, who said what would be interchangeable.

2) What are your favorite genres? Which genres would you like to see incorporated into submissions to this market?
I like lots of genres, but what I’m looking for is horror. Remember horror? I know there are a million writers out there writing about zombies, vampires, werewolves, the apocalypse, and whatever else falls into the horror category, but the amount of books that I’ve read that have actually scared me could be counted on one hand. If you submit to Books of the Dead, I want you to scare the shit out of me. Make me nervous. If I’m reading your story and the phone rings, I want to be startled.

3) What settings most intrigue you? Ordinary or exotic locales? Real or fantasy? Past, present, or future?
Settings are backdrops, and consequently, not important to me. The movie Alien wasn’t awesome because it was a futuristic story told on a spaceship. You could have taken those same characters, plunked them in 1800s, stuck them on a boat, and when they came across the alien . . . that story would still rock. Plot and character. It’s all about plot and character.

4) Explain the type of pacing you enjoy, e.g. slow building to fast, fast throughout, etc.
Lets look at Stephen King—

Eyes of the Dragon was told at an easy pace, much like The Body (Stand by Me), Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, and the Dark Tower series, and those are all great books.  They’re fantastic. But sometimes, especially with King’s early work, he tells a story at breakneck speed: The Running Man, Rage, most of the stories in the Night Shift collection. And those stories are great too. Slow building to fast? Look at Thinner, or ‘Salem’s Lot.

Bottom line: I like all types of pacing, as long as I’m reading a well-told story. For me, pacing is just a detail.

5) What types of characters appeal to you the most? Any examples?
Sarah Langan is good at creating characters. So is Robert McCammon. In fact, if you want to read a book that is just loaded with amazing characters, a fantastic plot, and great pacing, read McCammon’s Boy’s Life. It’s one of the best books ever written.

Simple as it sounds, I just want to believe in the character. In the story "Pop Art," Joe Hill’s opening line is: My best friend when I was twelve was inflatable. Then he made me believe it. That’s what I call skill.

6) What is your policy for vulgarity, violence, and sexual content? Any taboos?
I’m not into racism, and I like to keep my porno and my horror separate, but aside from that, anything goes. It can never be too violent, or too vulgar. The problem with violent stories is never the violence, nor is it the ‘bad’ words. It’s a lack of talent. If a writer is writing for the sake of creating the most hardcore story ever, chances are the story will be terrible. If a skilled writer attempts to write the most fascinating story ever, and it happens to become really nasty and mean, like Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door, or William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist, chances are the final product will be something special.

7) What kind of themes are you seeking most in submissions to this market? In general, what themes interest you?
A theme is a main idea, moral, or a message; the message may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and are almost always implied rather than stated explicitly. I don’t care about theme. Plot and character; it’s all about plot and character.

8) Overall, do you prefer downbeat or upbeat endings?
As long as it’s a good ending, it doesn’t matter.

9) Any last advice for submitters to this market? Any critical do's or do not's?
A while ago I wrote a ‘writing advice’ list. I also wrote a piece called: What does a Publisher Want. I’ll reprint them here:

What does a publisher want?

That’s a big question, and because every publisher is different, nobody can give you a perfect response, encompassing every possible answer. I can, however, explain what Books of the Dead is looking for in a story, and I do think it’s safe to assume there are a lot of editors and publishers that might feel the same way.

There are a few things that publishers DON'T want, and I’ll just get 'em out of the way for the sake of stating the obvious: terrible spelling, ridiculous storylines, careless formatting, inappropriate submissions, an abundance of needless words, half-witted suggestions and/or demands regarding the business...

Actually, I’m going to stop on that one. It’s not the reason I’ve decided to write this post, but it’s worth a comment or two.

I’ve had several authors tell me about all the problems they’ve had with publishers, and before I’ve even had a chance to read their story they tell me what they expect in a contract—including, but not being limited to—demands, and things that would force me to restructure my entire business model. So far, 100% of the time, these suggestions are coming from writers that nobody knows, with no real fan-base, and no worthy writing credits. On a few occasions I’ve been sent a multitude of emails that that monopolize my time, making me hope the story is a piece of shit before I’ve even had a chance to read it. And for the record, so far, all the people that have decided to scrutinize how I do things have submitted stories that have been well below my publishing standards. The point is: there isn’t a company in the world that wants to develop a working relationship with someone that nitpicks. To recapitulate, if you, the writer, are thinking about discussing the finer points of a contract before it’s been offered, stop what you’re doing, stick your empty head into the nearest toilet, and flush.

Now... here’s the thing I wanted to talk about: stories, and why most of them get turned down.

The most common thing that forces me to plunk a submission into the ‘NO’ pile, is what I like to call, painting a story with a wide brush.

If you've decided to write a story that is as complex as the entire Star Trek universe, and you plan on doing it inside of 4,000 words, you have failed. There are probably a bunch of people reading this that will say, “Well . . . that’s not me,” so I’m going to put it another way.

Captain Kirk was sitting inside a bar. He had both elbows on the table and a pint of Romulan ale in his hand. On his left, his best friend Spock was trying to reason with him.

Spock said, “It is highly illogical for you to get so inebriated, Captain.”

Kirk grunted, mumbling something about being trapped inside the worst story ever told and feeling the need to drink his troubles away.

This is good. The writing itself isn’t great—well, frankly it’s pretty bad—but this is how you tell a story. If you want to dress it up, put some fancy words in there, add some deep thoughts and some poetry flare, great! This is all good stuff. It works. And sure, there’s more to writing than this. But within a few words this little Star Trek tale has already established who, what, where, why, and how. You know who your characters are, where they are, what they’re doing, how they are doing it, and why. This is basic storytelling 101. This is what Books of the Dead is looking for.

And often times, this is what I find:

Some would allege that a misinterpretation of the Romulans, who were an illustrious many people from the incalculable solar system known as the second sun from the third dominion, and the creator of Romulan ale, was something that only the dimmest and the slowest from the race known as the Vulcans, of the Vulcan empire, would ever succumb to. Vulcans—a species with elongated, pointy ears, and a comprehensive lack of comedic ethics—had a genetic hereditary that was thought to be among some of the most gifted of the known universe, which was incessantly being explored and investigated by Captain Kirk and the rest of his crew aboard to S. S. Enterprise. Spock, a Vulcan, and colleague to Kirk—

Awful. The reader might know who, but the where, why, when, how—these things are missing. Complex words don’t make a story enjoyable. The right words do. And when a story starts out like this one does, it never ends well.

Story is character.
Story is plot.

Don’t try to force a universe of ideas into a few convoluted paragraphs. Know what your story is about, and explain what happens to your character. Once you’re done, make it pretty.

Simple.

In film they called it the KISS system.

KISS stands for ‘Keep It Simple Stupid.’ And it applies to writing as well.

Writing Advice:

1. Read everything you can. If you don’t have time to read you don’t have the necessary skills to write.
   
2. Edit everything 10 times.
   
3. Omit needless words. This means that a sentence such as: ‘The man that was holding the gun in his hand was getting ready to fire off a shot.’ Becomes something like: ‘The man with the gun was ready to fire.’
   
4. Read Stephen King’s book On Writing, whether you like his work or not.
   
5. Don’t trust the editor to edit your work properly. Assume they’ll fuck it up, meaning: try to find your own editor.
   
6. Ten-time all-star goalie Martin Brodeur says (and I quote): “Any time I see something that will be good for my game I steal it. Hey, fair game.” I have this quote beside my writing station and I figure it applies to literature as well.
   
7. 80,000 words sitting pointlessly together is not a novel. It’s shit.
   
8. It’s not about getting noticed. It’s about writing something worth noticing.
   
9. Writing is like painting a picture. Make sure you put in enough details to do it right. So, in your story, if you have a man walking across the street, make sure the reader knows what the man is like AND what the street is like.
   
10. Write what you know; fill in the blanks.
    
11. Don't use the same word repeatedly. Example: The guy was likeable enough, like that guy I like in that television show Like Father, Like Son.

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For more scoops, go to marketscoops.blogspot.com.

D.L. Snell writes with Permuted Press. He edited Dr. Kim Paffenroth twice, John Dies at the End once, and provided a constructive critique to Joe McKinney on his next major novel after Dead City. You can shoot D.L. Snell in the head at www.exit66.net.

To reprint this article, please contact D.L. Snell.

Zombie Zak's House of Pain antho

THE MARKET

• Antho: Zombie Zak's House of Pain
• Editor(s): Zombie Zak and Bill Tucker
• Pay Rate: 1 cent per word, and 1 contributor copy
• Response Time: Varies, But not until after the reading period has ended
• Reading Period: April 30, 2011
• Description: Seeking previously unpublished contemporary creative tales of dark horror/dark fiction to fill up the House of Pain.
• Submission Guidelines: libraryofthelivingdead.lefora.com

NOTE: Author D.L. Snell conducted the following interview to give writers a better idea of what the editors of this specific market are seeking; however, most editors are open to ideas outside of the preferences discussed here, as long as they fit the basic submission guidelines.

THE SCOOP

1) What authors do you enjoy, and why does their writing captivate you?
Edgar Allen Poe, HP Lovecraft and Dante Aligheri to name but a few. Why? Because their characters have breadth and scope and the intensity of the story carries through with passion and a desire to leave a mark upon the reader. Poe's characters were narrow of landscape; they were people going through an ordinary life and hit with something much more so. Lovecraft painted on a skein of such proportions that one's mind would either be boggled or forced to focus on the simple. And Dante, well, he visited Hell, and brought back a good story or two.

2) What are your favorite genres? Which genres would you like to see incorporated into submissions to this market?
Personally I'm a big fan of Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy, with Comedy occasionally thrown in. However, this is a Horror Anthology for Dark Fiction and what we are looking for is good, creepy, dark stories meant to creep you out in any of a variety of fashions. We have no serious prejudices against any types of story content.  As long as it's dark, horror filled and tasty, we'll probably like it. (Which will obviously make the final selection process that much more difficult to narrow down.)

3) What settings most intrigue you? Ordinary or exotic locales? Real or fantasy? Past, present, or future?
I really like the realm of the ordinary, as explored by the moment that something extra ordinary breaks out from its bounds. Life is ordinary, at the best of times, but when a story can completely smash through the boundaries of the drudgery and the drear and present you with something just past comprehension—then, then fun can begin.

4) Explain the type of pacing you enjoy, e.g. slow building to fast, fast throughout, etc.
Personally, I'm a big fan of the simple concept of the environment, the writing meets and matches the story. I like all kinds of things, and can be captivated by any of a variety of formats. Therefore, in simplest terms, if the pace fits the story, then the story I will enjoy.  However, the biggest caveat will be, to be consistent with it. If it's a slow build to spectacular climax, then awesome. If it's a constant joy ride from the get go to the end, yo, then also awesome. If it creatively mixes it up and gives you the roller-coaster thrill ride, then extra awesome. If it tries real hard but can't get past the occasional blast, then not so much.

5) What types of characters appeal to you the most? Any examples?
Ohh, I like all kinds of characters. Serial killers, cannibals (flesh-eating Grannies are a good start there), mad scientists, evil neighbours, demons, sad and angry angels, hungry spirits, garden gnomes that go on rampages, plants that devour living meat sacks, mercenaries with no heart, and kittens that do their part. Really, I like colourful characters, people who have a reason, a point, something that within the context of the story, have something worth giving a darn about; even if that means hoping that the good guy wins (yeeesh, and that's a fate worse than…)

6) Is there a specific tone you'd like to set in your publication? What kind of voices grab you and keep you enthralled? Any examples?
No specific tone, per se. Just dark fiction; run wild with it. Let your horror muse out and play with story, character, plot and splattery parts. The idea behind this antho is variety, the spice of life and all that. Weird is good, as is the straight forward.

7) What is your policy for vulgarity, violence, and sexual content? Any taboos?
Keeping things in perspective, a certain level of vulgarity and violence is acceptable; if it fits the story and is not purely vulgar for the sake of vulgar, then it's probably going to be ok. I am not inclined towards stories that focus excessively on violent sexual behaviour and sexual content when it concerns young 'uns. If you have to think too much about whether or not it's an acceptable level of sexual content, then it's probably too much. I have no issue with such violent sexual aberrance being referred to in context, but explicit detail of such will not be accepted. Ergo, no rape scenes; however a victim of rape, or the fear of rape, or the threat of rape, may fit well enough.

8) What kind of themes are you seeking most in submissions to this market? In general, what themes interest you?
Mostly looking for stories that delve into the depth of human existence; darkness that dwells within not only the heart of Man, but also the beating, bloody, pulpy mass clenched in his clawed fist. Stuff like that. Good clean fun all round!

9) Overall, do you prefer downbeat or upbeat endings?
Yes. Hehehee. Actually, I have no preference on endings. If it fits the story, then it is a good ending. I like downbeat endings that continue to stare down into the abyss waiting for the thing that never—but might—come out. Also, I like upbeat endings where the hero wins, gets the girl and dines with knife and fork—but, we all know how often that story really happens...

10) Any last advice for submitters to this market? Any critical do's or do not's?
Think of the "man as the monster, rather than the monster as the man." Stories should refrain from Zombie or Zombie themes—not because we don't like them or anything, but because we want to focus on the heart of dark fiction. If you can pull it out, raw and wriggling, from some deep, dark, cavernous immensity of pain, suffering, sorrow, regret and doom, then it's probably going to have a good spot, in the centre of the room.

Write, for writing's sake! Experience the darkness, enough to slake. And Welcome to Zombie Zak's House of Pain. Can I interest you in some cookies?

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For more scoops, go to marketscoops.blogspot.com.

D.L. Snell writes with Permuted Press. He edited Dr. Kim Paffenroth twice, John Dies at the End once, and provided a constructive critique to Joe McKinney on his next major novel after Dead City. You can shoot D.L. Snell in the head at www.exit66.net.

To reprint this article, please contact D.L. Snell.

Bride of the Golem antho

THE MARKET

• Antho: Bride of the Golem
• Editor(s): Gus Ginsburg
• Pay Rate: $500 US
• Response Time: 2 weeks to one month
• Reading Period: Until April 4
• Description: A collection of humorous Jewish horror stories.
• Submission Guidelines: mimeticdeclination.blogspot.com

NOTE: Author D.L. Snell conducted the following interview to give writers a better idea of what the editors of this specific market are seeking; however, most editors are open to ideas outside of the preferences discussed here, as long as they fit the basic submission guidelines.

THE SCOOP
1) What authors do you enjoy, and why does their writing captivate you?
For this anthology, authors who have written stories similar to what I am hoping to include are Shalom Auslander, Etgar Keret, Shulamit Hareven, Nathan Englander, S.Y. Agnon.  Of special interest are humorous stories in which the protagonist's ethics or religious scruples are a hindrance to effective action, or result in humorous consequences.

2) What are your favorite genres? Which genres would you like to see incorporated into submissions to this market?
I am open to writings which toy with the norms of genre writing, as long as the story is darkly amusing.  I am especially fond of classic B-horror films and bad 1950s horror sci-fi.  Surrealism and magical realism are welcome, as are works written in detective story style. 

3) What settings most intrigue you? Ordinary or exotic locales? Real or fantasy? Past, present, or future?
I am open to most settings.  It would be challenging to make a fantasy-genre story Jewish and darkly funny, but if someone submits such a story I would be happy to read it.  I'm not opposed to futuristic tales of Jews in space with robots who season their monotone speech with Yiddish terms or Israeli mannerisms.   I'd love to see stories set in medieval Spain, Provence or N. Africa.  Also welcome: funny Jewish ghost, zombie, vampire and werewolf tales.

4) Explain the type of pacing you enjoy, e.g. slow building to fast, fast throughout, etc.
The pace of the action and plot is not as important as the humorous narrative voice.  It should be slightly scary, but mostly funny, and the humor should start early on.  A story with deep character development can be up to 10,000 words, but Etgar Keret has shown that you can deliver a poignant story in 500 words or less.

5) What types of characters appeal to you the most? Any examples?
Neurotic and normal characters are welcome.  They can range from Ultra-Orthodox to Reform or secular Jews of any nationality.  Converts will also not be turned away.  The characters from Nathan Englander's short stories are good models.

6) Is there a specific tone you'd like to set in your publication? What kind of voices grab you and keep you enthralled? Any examples?
I would like the collection to offer a range of voices in third and first person narration...the narrative voice can be clever, neurotic, untrustworthy, as long as the overall effect is one of dark humor.

7) What is your policy for vulgarity, violence, and sexual content? Any taboos?
I would prefer to avoid incest, rape and Nazis, as well as stories with a racist or sexist or homophobic bent.  Also I'd rather not see stories with a political axe to grind on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  If there is vulgarity, violence and sexuality, it should not be gratuitous but integral to the plot and character development. 

8) What kind of themes are you seeking most in submissions to this market? In general, what themes interest you?
The intersection of humor, horror and halakhah.

9) Overall, do you prefer downbeat or upbeat endings?
My favorite are absurd endings.  I also like open/unresolved endings.  Humorous endings are welcome.

10) Any last advice for submitters to this market? Any critical do's or do not's?
The story should feel at least somewhat Jewish.  Don’t take a story you’ve already written and merely change the main character’s name to Goldberg or throw in a quote from the Talmud before your story begins.  This won’t be enough.

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For more scoops, go to marketscoops.blogspot.com.

D.L. Snell writes with Permuted Press. He edited Dr. Kim Paffenroth twice, John Dies at the End once, and provided a constructive critique to Joe McKinney on his next major novel after Dead City. You can shoot D.L. Snell in the head at www.exit66.net.

To reprint this article, please contact D.L. Snell.

Leather, Denim & Silver antho

THE MARKET

• Antho: Leather, Denim & Silver – Legends of the Monster Hunter
• Editor(s): Miles Boothe
• Pay Rate: ¼ ¢  / word. Anything over 5,000 words includes a contributor’s copy.
• Response Time: Under 1 Month
• Reading Period: Open Until Filled
• Description: Hair-raising, Hell-bent stories about the people that take the monsters down.
• Submission Guidelines: www.pillhillpress.com
  

NOTE: Author D.L. Snell conducted the following interview to give writers a better idea of what the editors of this specific market are seeking; however, most editors are open to ideas outside of the preferences discussed here, as long as they fit the basic submission guidelines.

THE SCOOP
1) What authors do you enjoy, and why does their writing captivate you?
I recently discovered Brian P. Easton’s Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter, loved it, and realized that there is a terrible shortage of monster hunting books out there.  Looking for more, I turned to non-fiction hunting books with a safari flavor; old Peter Hatahaway Capstick and Robert Ruark tales about big-game hunting in Africa, some of which will raise your hair as much as any monster hunt.

All of their writing is action oriented, and all of it deals with hunting something that will hunt and kill you right back. Great stuff.

Mix in a few old Westerns from Louis L’Amour, add a little Stoker, and you’ve got the general recipe for this antho.

2)  What are your favorite genres? Which genres would you like to see incorporated into submissions to this market?
Dark Fantasy and Horror are at the top of my list, and are a natural fit for this antho. Action-adventure and mystery are also a good fit.
 
3)  What settings most intrigue you? Ordinary or exotic locales? Real or fantasy? Past, present, or future?
I’m a sucker for a “hidden” setting, something unusual, something that you didn’t necessarily know was there. If it catches my attention and draws me in without beating me purple, I’m there. I do prefer real settings over fantasy, and am interested in past or present day stories.

4) Explain the type of pacing you enjoy, e.g. slow building to fast, fast throughout, etc.
For me, this depends on the story and the writing. As long as I’m drawn in, I’m up for whatever ride the writer wants to take me on.

For this antho, action will be a central part of any story, so I expect to see a lot of fast pacing, hopefully mixed with some slow, atmospheric stuff.

5) What types of characters appeal to you the most? Any examples?
Characters who experience life in unusual ways grab me every time. Someone who is motivated by deep loyalty, courage, terror, or anguish is worth reading about.

Movie characters are the most recognizable, and for this book I can easily picture male and female characters similar to Indiana Jones, Josey Wales, Quint from Jaws, Van Helsing, Sherlock Holmes, or the short lady from Poltergeist. Any character who deeply inspires you can be used as a model.

6)  Is there a specific tone you'd like to set in your publication? What kind of voices grab you and keep you enthralled? Any examples?
I’m really hoping for all different kinds of tones. This is one area that I am wide open in, and stories built on grim determination or revenge are great, but I’m hoping for a wider range to balance those out. Just make it powerful.

I would love to see at least one piece built on somber tones that ends in complete anguish.

I’m open to voice as well. Whatever moves you will probably move your readers.
 
7)  What is your policy for vulgarity, violence, and sexual content? Any taboos?
Violence is almost required in monster hunting, and a well-placed curse is only natural. I don’t expect to see a lot of sex, but it’s welcome if it is central to the plot and really moves the story along.

On the other hand, anything that pulls the reader out of the story is undesirable, so a poorly placed curse can be equally damaging. The same goes for pointless sex and gore.

8) What kind of themes are you seeking most in submissions to this market? In general, what themes interest you?
For these types of stories, anything highly emotional is good.  Commentary about the current human condition is great, but so are timeless themes such as love and valor. Subtle themes are more difficult to present with monsters lurking about, but I’m open to any interpretation.

I love sideways views of society that highlight the kind of stuff you just glance past day to day. I feel like a lot of monsters can hide there as well.

9) Overall, do you prefer downbeat or upbeat endings?
I very much enjoy both. I love a triumphant hero, but I equally love a decimated squadron leaving behind only a crackling radio.

Anything goes, and I’m happy as long as I read that last sentence and wish there was more!

10) Any last advice for submitters to this market? Any critical do's or do not's?
Keep the hunters human, and the monsters non-human (at least until the end – a turned hunter is great)!

A lot of writers go to great lengths to avoid cliché’s, but in this genre, those stories are sometimes the best! Don’t limit yourself!

Mary Sue’s are boring, but exciting and emotionally wrought deaths can be great.

Good writing!

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For more scoops, go to marketscoops.blogspot.com.

D.L. Snell writes with Permuted Press. He edited Dr. Kim Paffenroth twice, John Dies at the End once, and provided a constructive critique to Joe McKinney on his next major novel after Dead City. You can shoot D.L. Snell in the head at www.exit66.net.

To reprint this article, please contact D.L. Snell.

Through the Eyes of the Undead 2 antho

THE MARKET

• Antho: Through the Eyes of the Undead 2
• Editor(s): Robert Essig
• Pay Rate: 1¢ / word and one contributor copy
• Response Time: Up to two months
• Reading Period: Until April/May 2011
• Description: This is an anthology of stories based upon the zombie perspective.
• Submission Guidelines: http://undeadeyes2.blogspot.com/

NOTE: Author D.L. Snell conducted the following interview to give writers a better idea of what the editors of this specific market are seeking; however, most editors are open to ideas outside of the preferences discussed here, as long as they fit the basic submission guidelines.

THE SCOOP
1) What authors do you enjoy, and why does their writing captivate you?
Robert Bloch, Richard Laymon, Douglas Clegg, Stephen King, and Ray Bradbury to name a few.  I like these authors because they pull me into their stories with such ease using great writing, believable characters, and interesting themes.

2) What are your favorite genres? Which genres would you like to see incorporated into submissions to this market? 
Horror and dark fantasy above all.  For this anthology I am looking for a little bit of everything just so long as the story is from the zombie's perspective.  Steampunk, western, crime, sci-fi, bizarro, fantasy—I'll look at just about anything.  The one exception: no erotica.

3) What settings most intrigue you? Ordinary or exotic locales? Real or fantasy? Past, present, or future? 
I like strange locales.  Something that strays from the ordinary.  I'm not a huge fan of futuristic stories; however, for this anthology I am very open-minded about setting and time periods to achieve a wide variety of stories.

4) Explain the type of pacing you enjoy, e.g. slow building to fast, fast throughout, etc. 
I tend to enjoy stories that are fast throughout, but I don't knock a slower paced story for that reason alone.  If the writing is captivating, the pace matters very little.

5) What types of characters appeal to you the most? Any examples? 
Strange, flawed, eccentric, and unusual.  Characters that the average reader can relate to are great. 

6) Is there a specific tone you'd like to set in your publication? What kind of voices grab you and keep you enthralled? Any examples? 
From Hunter S. Thompson to Poe.  A diversity of tone is very welcome.

7) What is your policy for vulgarity, violence, and sexual content? Any taboos? 
I'm fine with all of the above as long as it pertains to the story and isn't thrown in for shock value alone.   No gratification of rape, racism, bigotry, or child and animal abuse.

8) What kind of themes are you seeking most in submissions to this market? In general, what themes interest you? 
Just make sure the story is from the zombie's perspective.  I can't stress this enough.

9) Overall, do you prefer downbeat or upbeat endings? 
I prefer downbeat, but I would like a good mix of both.  If all the stories were one or the other, they would run the risk of becoming monotonous.

10) Any last advice for submitters to this market? Any critical do's or do not's? 
Do not send a first draft.  Follow the guidelines carefully.  Be sure that your story is written through the zombie's perspective.

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For more scoops, go to marketscoops.blogspot.com.

D.L. Snell writes with Permuted Press. He edited Dr. Kim Paffenroth twice, John Dies at the End once, and provided a constructive critique to Joe McKinney on his next major novel after Dead City. You can shoot D.L. Snell in the head at www.exit66.net.

To reprint this article, please contact D.L. Snell.

Mortis Operandi antho

THE MARKET

• Antho: Mortis Operandi
• Editor(s): Kfir Luzzatto & Dru Pagliassotti
• Pay Rate: $50/story
• Response Time: Around 30 days
• Reading Period: Jan. 1, 2011 until filled
• Description: Criminal investigation stories with a supernatural twist
• Submission Guidelines: theharrowpress.com

NOTE: Author D.L. Snell conducted the following interview to give writers a better idea of what the editors of this specific market are seeking; however, most editors are open to ideas outside of the preferences discussed here, as long as they fit the basic submission guidelines.

THE SCOOP
1) What authors do you enjoy, and why does their writing captivate you?
Two of my long-time favorites have been Raymond Chandler, for his mastery of language and his dark, deadpan humor, and China Mieville, for his bizarre but beautiful weird-fantasy settings. Simon R. Greene's novels make me grin and KJ Parker's twisty political plots impress me. I'm eagerly awaiting the last book in Steven Erikson's epic Malazan Book of the Fallen.

2) What are your favorite genres? Which genres would you like to see incorporated into submissions to this market?
We're looking for crime-investigation stories, of course, and they must contain some kind of central supernatural element — as we say in the guidelines, "magic, monsters, or miracles." However, we'll take any subgenre of crime fiction and any sort of overall treatment (tragedy, comedy, horror, romance, parody, etc.). 

3) What settings most intrigue you? Ordinary or exotic locales? Real or fantasy? Past, present, or future?
I can't tell you how many submissions I've read over the years that have been set in contemporary middle-class white suburbia. It's always a pleasant change to get a story about different cultures, subcultures, or historical periods. Of course we'll accept stories set in generic suburbia if they're well written, but exotic locales and different historical periods will stand out more. That said, authors must be familiar with the culture or time period they're writing about — we don't want stories full of stereotypes or errors. And for this particular anthology, we're not interested in science fiction or stories set on other worlds, either — sorry!

4) Explain the type of pacing you enjoy, e.g. slow building to fast, fast throughout, etc.
I tend to prefer stories that grab my attention in the first page and keep me hooked throughout, whether via action or suspense.  However, Kfir and I both appreciate a gentle, slowly paced, atmospheric story; sometimes those are the works that linger with readers the longest.

5) What types of characters appeal to you the most? Any examples?
I like characters who have distinctive personalities.  I have a weakness for male characters who are oddly charming social misfits like Sherlock Holmes, Gregory House, Stephen Maturin (the Aubrey-Maturin series), and L (Death Note).  Similarly, I appreciate female characters who are confident, strong, and a bit dangerous, such as Ellen Ripley, Gretchen Lowell (the Beauty Killer novels), Sydney Bristow, O-Ren Ishii, and so many of Pam Grier's characters.

6) Is there a specific tone you'd like to set in your publication? What kind of voices grab you and keep you enthralled? Any examples?
We don't have any particular tone preferences, but we do appreciate a distinctive authorial voice.  Most of the authors I mentioned above serve as good examples.

7) What is your policy for vulgarity, violence, and sexual content? Any taboos?
Vulgarity, violence and sex are OK if they further the plot. However, I personally find distasteful stories that feature graphic descriptions of violence against women or have protagonists who are woman-haters, so those will be much harder sells. Although sex crimes of any sort are fair game for Mortis Operandi, I'd prefer they occur off-stage; I'm not interested in publishing stories that might encourage someone's violent sexual fantasies.

8) What kind of themes are you seeking most in submissions to this market? In general, what themes interest you?
It'd be great to see stories that go beyond the simple search for "truth" and "justice" to address more nuanced themes; some of the best crime fiction is also thoughtful social commentary.

9) Overall, do you prefer downbeat or upbeat endings?
For this anthology, either is appropriate. The investigator should solve the crime, because that's the point of crime fiction, but whether the criminal is brought to justice is entirely up to the author — and whether that's an upbeat or downbeat ending depends on which character happens to be the story's protagonist.

10) Any last advice for submitters to this market? Any critical do's or do not's?
We're expecting to get about a dozen stories featuring a white, middle-class male vampire or werewolf investigating a murder somewhere in the contemporary UK or US, probably teamed up with a spunky female spell-caster who has a secret crush on the investigator.  Please send us something different!

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For more scoops, go to marketscoops.blogspot.com.

D.L. Snell writes with Permuted Press. He edited Dr. Kim Paffenroth twice, John Dies at the End once, and provided a constructive critique to Joe McKinney on his next major novel after Dead City. You can shoot D.L. Snell in the head at www.exit66.net.

To reprint this article, please contact D.L. Snell.