Joshua Palmatier

 

The APOCALYPTIC, GALACTIC STEW, and MY BATTERY IS LOW AND IT IS GETTING DARK anthology Kickstarter has hit its goal!  If you have a story idea that fits one of the anthology themes, write it up, revise it, polish it, and send it in for consideration.  I've posted the guidelines below. 

The APOCALYPTIC, GALACTIC STEW, and MY BATTERY IS LOW AND IT IS GETTING DARK Submission Guidelines

Zombies Need Brains LLC is accepting submissions to its three science fiction and fantasy anthologies APOCALYPTIC, GALACTIC STEW, and MY BATTERY IS LOW AND IT IS GETTING DARK.  Stories must be submitted in electronic form as an attachment with the title of the story as the file name in .doc or .docx format.  The header of the email should include the name of the anthology the submission is for along with the title of the submission (for example:  WERE-:  WereJellyfish Gone Wild!).  The content of the email should also include which anthology the manuscript is intended for.  Please send multiple manuscripts in separate emails; you may submit to any or all of the anthologies as many times as you wish.  Manuscripts should be in manuscript format, meaning double-spaced, 12pt font, standard margins on top, bottom and sides, and pages numbered.  Please use Times New Roman font.  The first page should include the Title of the story, Author’s name, address, and email, and Pseudonym if different from the author’s real name.  Italics and bold should be in italics and bold.


A writing tip on coming up with an idea for a themed anthology can be found here:  jaceybedford.wordpress.com/2019/08/27/generating-ideas-a-guest-post-by-joshua-palmatier/.


Some thoughts on common problems with stories that we see in the slush pile can be found here:  jaceybedford.wordpress.com/2019/09/03/open-submissions-for-anthologies-a-guest-post-by-joshua-palmatier/.

Stories for this anthology must be original (no reprints or previously published material), no more than 7,500 words in length, and must satisfy the theme of the anthology. 

APOCALYPTIC is to feature science fiction or fantasy stories set during or after an apocalypse.  Stories featuring more interesting apocalypses, settings, and twists on the typical apocalypse will receive more attention than those that use standard tropes.  In other words, we don’t want to see 100 stories dealing with a zombie apocalypse.  If we do, it’s likely that only one, at most, would be selected for the anthology.  We are interested in all kinds of apocalypses:  zombies, meteors, flus, robots, climate changes, space critters, alien invasions, etc.  Be creative, choose something different, and use the apocalypse in an unusual and unexpected way.  We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.  Additional comments can be found at:  www.lauraannegilman.net/guest-post-zombies-need-writer-brains/.

GALACTIC STEW is to feature stories involving food, whether it be poisoning, a cultural or societal ritual, a trade meeting over dinner, etc.  We are attempting to fill half of the anthology with science fiction stories and half with fantasy stories.  Stories featuring more interesting takes on the use of food regarding the story will receive more attention than those that are more mundane.  Make certain the story is centered on the food!  If the food element is removed, the story should fall apart.  We do NOT want to see stories about cannibalism.  So be creative and use food in an unusual and unexpected way.  We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.  Additional comments can be found at:  www.stephanieburgis.com/2019/08/guest-post-galactic-stew/.

MY BATTERY IS LOW AND IT IS GETTING DARK is to feature stories where some type of tech has outlived its time and yet, during the course of the story, it discovers a new purpose or is used in a new, purposeful way.  This theme is inspired by the Opportunity rover, which functioned long past its prime.  As an example, we want stories that would take the rather sad fate of Opportunity and give it new life—a new, useful purpose—when we reach Mars, whether it be as a repaired resource for a colony or a critical piece of equipment used by spacecraft crash survivors or whatever.  Submissions do NOT need to feature the Opportunity rover; in fact, we will likely only include one or two stories involving Opportunity.  Submissions also do NOT need to be set in the future or include any kind of sentient tech.  Stories featuring more interesting outdated technologies and twists on the resurgent use of those technologies will receive more attention than those with more standard tech.  So be creative and come up with an unusual and unexpected use of an outdated technology.  We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.  Additional comments can be found at:  www.almaalexander.org/my-battery-is-low-and-its-getting-dark/.

DEADLINE and TIMELINE:

The deadline for submissions is December 31st, 2019.  Decisions on stories should be completed by the end of February 2020.  Please send submissions to contact@zombiesneedbrains.com.  You will receive a receipt email within a few days of receiving the submission and having it filed for consideration.  Notices about decisions on the stories will be sent out no later than the end of March 2020.

If your story is selected for use in the anthology, you should expect a revision letter by the end of April 2020.  Revisions and the final draft of the story will be expected no later than the end of May 2020.  These dates may change due to the editors’ work schedules.  Zombies Need Brains LLC is seeking exclusive world anthology rights (including electronic rights) in all languages for the duration of one year after publication/release of the anthology, non-exclusive world anthology rights (including electronic rights) in all languages after that.  Your story cannot appear elsewhere during that first year.  Pay rate will be an advance of a minimum of 8 cents per word.  The anthology will be published as an ebook and an exclusive mass market paperback edition, distributed to the Kickstarter backers.  The book would be available after that to the general public in ebook and trade paperback formats.  Advances would be immediately earned out by the success of the Kickstarter.  Royalties on additional sales beyond the Kickstarter will be 25% of ebook cover price and 10% of trade paperback cover price, both split evenly (not by word count) between the authors in and editors of the anthology.

Questions regarding these submission guidelines should be sent to contact@zombiesneedbrains.com.  Thank you.