Better Fiction: The Blog

Guest Editors: Chris Schmitz and J. Dean Casey

Submission Guidelines: Better Fiction is a non-paying publication. We are open to both members and nonmembers of the betterfiction.com fiction critique forum. (Membership in the forum is free.)

The theme for 2009 is Apocalypse. My dictionary defines "apocalypse" as:

1 violent or destructive event
2 (the Apocalypse) Revelation, the last book of the New Testament
3 revelation, esp. about the end of the world

But don't despair if you want to submit a story that doesn't exactly fit the classic definition. The good news is we'll be using a broad interpretation of the word. For example, stories set in a dystopian society or that have lawless characters -- arguably harbingers of cataclysm or Armageddon -- would be fine. If you want to think in terms of movies for settings, here is a gauge: Waterworld, The Postmaster, Soldier, 28 Weeks Later, Hellboy.

Fiction and Poetry: We prefer reprints, and will only read previously unpublished pieces that have been critiqued in the Better Fiction forum. We will read reprints, however, from anyone.

For 2009, our preference is speculative fiction. Typically this means science fiction, fantasy, or horror. More generally, it's fiction that includes a fantastic element such as magic realism, the supernatural or paranormal. Although spec fic naturally lends itself to our chosen theme, we would be open to stories in other genres that otherwise fit our requirements. We don't print erotica or fan fiction, none at all. We also do not like overly used passive tense verbs (“telling” stories—make us participate in them) and we have an aversion to gratuitous/exaggerated sexual descriptions and violence. Especially when it comes to sex: if it’s in there, a good reason must exist. Overt violence to children is frowned upon and snuff/rape/child-abuse isn’t tolerated at all.

We're looking for quality, substance, and clean entertainment.

Summary:
If your story fits our needs and you want to see it printed in the annual BetterFiction Anthology 2009, please email your story to us at betterfiction AT gmail.com. (Note, in the email, there are no spaces, and you must replace the AT with the @ symbol. Printing it like this is a spam prevention and avoidance maneuver.) Deadline for submissions is July 31.

Your story should be in standard format according to SFWA (http://www.sfwa.org/writing/). Otherwise, submissions may be single-spaced, as long as a blank line separates every paragraph. We're open to any word length up to a maximum of 10,000 words, reprints preferred (exceptions will only come from our active forum members).

Submissions should be attached to the body of an email as either a .doc or a .rtf file. We accept email submissions ONLY. The main body of your email should be your cover page, include all important information including contact info, a brief story synopsis, any previously published works and credits, a short bio, and where/when this story was originally published.

Submit the story as it will be published; italics should be italics, not underlined. (Though that is the proper format.)

In general, never mess around with fonts. Editors hate that. Also, it makes life easier if your indentations are set universally instead of hitting the tab button each time. If you don't understand how to do that, or just didn't do it, don't worry.

Put your title, name, email address, and word count at the top of the story. At the end of the story, write the word "END". For reprints, at the end of your story (as well as in your cover letter) please include the information on where and when it was first published. This information will appear in the magazine if your story or poem is selected.

Nonfiction: We're looking for articles about writing, about writers, about the writing life, about classic works, and the like. We'll consider reprints and original works. Otherwise, follow the guidelines for fiction submissions. I am also interested in articles for the blog and may request to publish articles in both locations.

Artwork: We are also interested in your artwork. Submit your work as no greater that 360 dpi, if you can. We accept both color and black and white works, but do not submit anything in a "grayscale" format as it does not look right the way lulu processes it. Also keep in mind that though the PDF is full color, the paperback has a color cover only. All interior art will be black and white.

Rights: We want one-time print rights for both our PDF and print versions and occasionally will request the right to publish online in our blog. We have no interest in restricting your use of your story elsewhere in any way, at any time.