Irregularity & The Rite of Spring - Open for Submissions
Friday, August 16, 2013
Two new titles, now open for submissions!
Irregularity is our next major anthology after The Book of the Dead. It will be published in partnership with the National Maritime Museum, released to coincide with two of their upcoming exhibitions.
The stories should be focused on the period between 1660 and 1860, and those brave and motivated men and women who promoted scientific thought, skepticism and intellectual rigour in the face of superstition and intolerance. From Newton to Lovelace, Harrison to Darwin*- these people attempted (both successfully and unsuccessfully) to bring order to the world.
It is a tricky one, but to help, we've put together a very detailed brief (with a timeline and pictures) over on the Jurassic site.
3,000 - 6,000 words. Deadline: 7 November. Will be published next spring as a limited edition hardcover, paperback and ebook. Original stories only please, no reprints. Contributors will receive a royalty share and gratis copies (of all editions).
*FYI: We already have stories for Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton and John Harrison, so I suggest not writing about either of them. If you're looking to get inspired by a historical figure there are a lot of good starting points in the brief.
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We're also on the prowl for our next chapbook - The Rite of Spring. This is another "flash fiction" ebook, set in the shared world of Pandemonium. This time, I'm looking for stories set in 1913 (which was a pretty fascinating year) and outside of the United States. If you're following along at home, this gives us a sequence of events that looks a bit like this:
- A Town Called Pandemonium (November 2012) - 1853
- 1853 (February 2013) - 1853
- Ash (November 2013) - 1883
- The Rite of Spring (Spring 2014) - 1913
- The Streets of Pandemonium (November 2014) - 1923
Anyway, The Rite of Spring: strict maximum of 750 words, due 15 December (this is to give you time to read Ash, in case that helps inspire you). The stories should be "slightly alternate histories" - weird, creepy, fantastic, speculative stuff that's just a bit out of the norm... Pandemonium is a shared world, but everything stands alone. Reading the earlier chapbooks isn't a bad idea, but don't feel you need to throw in existing characters or settings.
Payment is £15 and Rite will be published as one of our digital chapbooks.
I wrote a quick list of tips for writing short-short fiction that might be of help.
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All the details are available here. I'm happy to answer questions in the comments.