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Requirement #1: Good
Writing Mechanics
Command of English. If you're not a competent writer, I will not read
past the first page. If you have the best story EVER, it won't matter if
you cannot present it professionally. I don't mind a typo here or a
misspelling there, but if the first few pages is full of them, something's
wrong.
Vocabulary. You
don't have to be a walking thesaurus, but I'm looking for intelligent,
competently written stories that transcend the sixth-grade reading level.
Good dialogue. If
your dialogue is contrived, I'll stop reading. I advise that writers read
their dialogue out loud; if it sounds contrived, you'll probably know.
Please, edit your
manuscripts and polish them until they shine before submitting.
Requirement #2: Story Structure
There are many definitions
of "story," but mine are very specific. If your story doesn't have the
following five elements, don't send it:
Protagonist. There must be at
least one. He can be good, bad, or indifferent, but he should be flawed
and have some motivation for working toward the plot's resolution.
Antagonist. There
must be at least one. He can be good, bad, or indifferent. It can be
nature, or the protagonist working against himself, or something
intangible. But he/she/it must work against the protagonist.
Plot. There must be a real plot;
something must happen.
Resolution. The
plot must be resolved, and your protagonist must participate in
that resolution; he cannot be a bystander watching it all happen. (To
paraphrase Twain, a story should accomplish something and arrive
somewhere.)
Change. At the end of the story,
the protagonist must have changed in some way. If he's the same guy he
was at the beginning of the story, it won't fly for me.
If your story lacks ANY ONE of
those things, don't send it. If you don't like the requirements, please
don't submit. I will reject any story lacking those five elements, no
matter how well it's written.
Requirement #3: Manuscript Format
Observe standard manuscript format,
or something reasonably close to it. If you don't know what that means,
don't submit. Learn it.
The basics:
double-spaced; one-inch margins; Times New Roman;
name, address, phone, email, copyright, word count, etc. on page one; title, name,
and page number on every page; no extra spaces between paragraphs; indent
each paragraph; and for scene breaks, don't use lines of asterisks or
blank lines but use a pound sign (#). Really.
Requirement #4: Submission Rules
Submission format. Electronic submissions only,
in Word .DOC, .ODF, or .RTF. No PDFs.
Reprints. Reprints might be okay, but DO NOT submit something that
appeared online. And yes, I check.
Simultaneous submissions.
I'm okay with these; just tell me, and let me know if it sells
elsewhere.
Multiple submissions.
Probably not, unless I've worked with you before.
Requirement #5: You Understand the Following...
You understand that
all publications are published as print-on-demand books through Ingram's Lightning Source division,
and as ebooks.
You understand that
all anthologies are open until filled, and I am very slow to fill as I am
very picky.
You understand that
the response time depends on when I read. Sometimes I read immediately;
other times I queue things up and read occasionally.
You understand
that, in addition to a contributor's copy, I offer a lot of money for
stories, but I pay based on shared royalties. My contracts are forever; my
plan is to maintain titles until they make money and, hopefully, reward
contributors. I'm a writer first, and I know how frustrating it is to
submit to a shared-royalty anthology that makes the editor a few bucks and
folds. My anthologies are slated to be around a while. I generally pay
$500 and up for a story.
You understand
that if you didn't read this page, you have no right to complain about
anything covered above later. |
