Month: December 2010

Space Opera

~ Scott W. Baker ~ 3 Comments

On the heels of my market list summary post, I get the fantastic news that the space opera zine Raygun Revival is back. Even better, my WotF vol. 25 pal, Jordan Lapp, is the one who brought it to my attention since his posse at Every Day Publishing is responsible for this resurrection.  They’ll be paying between one- and five-cents per word (Canadian, I suspect) for one story per week, 1k-4k words.

Ray Gun Revival (RGR) is an online magazine dedicated to fun stories, grand escapism, and good old sensawunda. RGR provides just that, a throwback publication that revisits space opera and golden age sci-fi. Their stories focus more on character development than hard science and sail all the wide-open waters between science fantasy and harder SF. Think of the original Star Wars stories, Doc Smith’s Lensman series, the Warlord of Mars tales from Edgar Rice Burroughs. Think of everything from John Carter and Gully Foyle to Kimball Kinnison and Han Solo. They are bringing out the deepest elements of what has traditionally been rather superficial fiction and updating them for a new generation of fiction enthusiasts.

I am rifling through some old stories to see if I have something I could send.  Most of my stuff is just too long.  I bet I have an abandoned draft or an undeveloped idea I can make work.  If not, maybe I can sequel “Leech Run” and see how Titan handles himself coming into port with a hold full of leeches on a crippled ship.  Fun to be had there.  Regardless, I’ll be sending something.  You should, too.

At Last…My Market Blurbs

~ Scott W. Baker ~ 2 Comments

At long last, I am adding my mini-commentaries on the markets in my market list. I had time issues and formatting issues to combat to get it this way. I hope it displays okay on your computer. It looks pretty good on mine. I’m no web-wiz; I just played with Excel and WordPress until it looked reasonable.

I’ve been trying to water my list of SF markets so it will grow. Each time I solicit a new market (new to my submission list), I add it, with the exception of one-shot anthologies which I don’t add so I don’t have to subtract later. Besides, an antho has limited spaces and I don’t need you stealing mine. So there.

I realize that I don’t delve into these markets very deeply here. I shouldn’t need to, as Duotrope and Ralan’s have more information that I could dream of providing here. But I should toss out a few comments on these markets just so you don’t think I’m claiming publications in them all (I have very few) or advocating them all (though most I advocate to some degree).

Key:

= Accepts Science Fiction    = Accepts Fantasy

= Pays Pro Rates   = Has Published My Work

SF Markets
Market My Blurb My Experiences
Analog One of “the big three”; reputed for hard-SF. Several form rejections, usually including a copy of the guidelines.
Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine Australian, semi-pro.  According to one of their emails, 95% of held stories do not get printed. Held two of my stories but have not published any.
Aoife’s Kiss (pronounced “ee-fah’s kiss”); token payout; part of Sam’sDot Publishing that evolved from Promartian that gave me my start Published one of mine online.  Good relationship with the editor.
Apex Magazine Pro market.  Dark fiction is their game. At least one personal rejection.  Not the fastest response time, but not unbearable.
Asimov’s The second of the big three.  Hugo and Nebula winners roost here. Some nice rejections, formulaic but specific.
Basement Stories Another dark market.  Semipro but recently raised rates.  Appears to be quite reputable. Still awaiting first response at about the 2-month mark.
Black Gate Semipro fantasy zine, one of the most respected.  Responses are very slow recently. One rejection, personal.
Bull Spec New pro-paying market, likes local (North Carolina) submissions. One rejection, form.
Clarkesworld Pro rates for science fiction.  Prefers optimistic stories, I believe. Several form rejects.  Super fast response time (less than a week).
Daily Science Fiction Another recent upstart.  Pro rates.  Likes flash but takes longer works. A couple form rejections.  Fairly quick responses.
Escape Pod Audio market that recently went print and pro!  Big bullseye on this one. Withdrew one stary when rights changed.  Waiting for first reply.
Every Day Fiction Flash market under the leadership(?) of my pal Jordan Lapp.  Low pay but good stuff. Has run two of my stories, one in their yearly antho.
Fantasy & Science Fiction The third leg of the “big three”.  Long history, stellar rep. Multiple rejections, mix of form and personal including one from the editor himself.  Fast replies for snail mail.
Leading Edge Heroic fiction, semi-heroic rates.  Long response times. Only one try, a reject with nice long feedback.
Lightspeed Fastest rejections in the galaxy.  Good rates if you can get it. Numerous form rejections, some I didn’t receive but found on their tracker.
Martian Wave Another Sam’s Dot zine, this one focused on space travel.  Small pay, big love. I don’t recall selling here.  Not sure I ever tried it.
OSC’s Intergalactic Medicine Show Orson Scott Card’s brainchild, now edited by Ed Schubert.  Good pay, good online content by subscription. Several rejects, the latest a personal from Ed’s desk.
Shimmer Semi-pro with a good rep and very discerning taste. One rejection, personal.
Sniplits (audio) Audio-only market that extends beyond speculative fiction into literature. Been waiting a while for my one response.  Long waits.
Strange Horizons Online pro-zine with a loyal fanbase.  I haven’t quite figured this one out yet. Numerous rejections, mix of form and personalized.
The Fifth Di… Yet another Sam’s Dot Market.  More low pay but quality beyond its tax bracket. My first short story sold here!  Will always have a warm place in my heart.
Triangulation Anthology This one’s put out by PARSEC, a Pittsburgh area SF group.  Well reviewed by Asimov’s.  Theme changes annually. One of my favorite stories sold here a while back.  One rejection since.
Writers of the Future contest The biggest contest of them all.  Novices only.  Some of the best fiction you’ll find.  They have a rep for taking longer works. Most visitors recognize this as my big break (still in the process of breaking).