SUBMISSIONS

Although these are our current payrates, we hope in the future to raise them; please check back from time to time, or better yet, subscribe to our notification list. Please note we do accept simultaneous submissions, but we request to be informed immediately if they are accepted elsewhere. As a courtesy to our staff, we also request single submissions, no more than one per week.

Please also note RE has many articles on improving your chances of publication, notably Confessions of a Slush Monkey, Letter from the Editors: On Being a Better Author (And Submitting Well), and How to Sell a Story. They are all highly recommended.

FICTION

we accept: science fiction, fantasy, horror, erotica, adventure stories, westerns, magical realism, myths, fables, and faery tales. All work must be original and previously unpublished. The stories we accept typically run between 500 and 10,000 words. Un-agented and unsolicited manuscripts welcome. We are very open to new or unpublished authors. We will consider stories with illustrations (including comics or manga) as long as you send us a text-only query first. We publish up to 10 new stories a month. Due to legal concerns, we can only accept work by authors who are 18 or older.

we do not accept: mainstream or literary fiction, true stories (including ghost sightings and war stories), work which is highly derivative (Tolkien-esque elves, Anne Rice-style vampires), plays, novels, poems, prose poems, short shorts, flash fiction, non-narrative artwork, pornography, or works that are unnecessarily vulgar, bigoted, or violent. No reprints.

payment: Upon publication, we pay a $15 honorarium for first electronic publishing rights and the right to archive your story. We award a $50 bonus to our favorite story or essay each month, which we "feature" as the first and most visible title listed on our website. (This is the online equivalent of a cover story.) The author retains all print rights and anthology rights. We do not announce our decision on the recipient of the $50 "feature" bonus until shortly before publication, and the winner is selected from pieces we have already chosen to publish. Please do not send us stories on condition that we "feature" you; our feature choice is non-negotiable.

formatting your submission:

Send your submission in the body of an e-mail. We do not accept attachments or hard copies.

Include your name, the story's title, the story's genre, and the story's length at the beginning of the e-mail. No summary.

Use standard online formatting. Do not use manuscript format. Your document should be single spaced, with a blank line between paragraphs. Paragraphs should not be indented. Periods should be followed by a single (not double) space. (Look at any of our published stories or articles for an example of proper online formatting.)

HTML tags are acceptable.

Follow your story with a short bio (50-100 words). You are welcome to link to other published work, or to a personal webpage. (Sample bios can be found here.)

send fiction submissions to: fictionsubmissions@reflectionsedge.com

NONFICTION

we accept: In addition to our fiction, we publish up to six nonfiction essays a month. These essays must be about an aspect of genre fiction. Essays can analyze current or historic publishing trends or individual works, discuss history, science, culture, or any genre-relevant area of expertise, or interview an established genre fiction author. A list of topics that particularly interest us can be found here, and past nonfiction articles can be found here. Due to legal concerns, we can only accept work by authors who are 18 or older.

we do not accept: personal accounts of how difficult it is to be a struggling writer, lists of inspirational quotes, press releases, angry diatribes, or essays in which facts are inaccurate or unsubstantiated. No reprints.

payment: Upon publication, we pay a $15 honorarium for first electronic publishing rights, and the right to archive your essay. The author retains all print and anthology rights. We award a $50 bonus to our favorite story or essay each month, which we "feature" as the first and most visible title listed on our website. (This is the online equivalent of a cover story.) The author retains all print rights and anthology rights. We do not announce our decision on the recipient of the $50 "feature" bonus until shortly before publication, and the winner is selected from pieces we have already chosen to publish. Please do not send us essays on condition that we "feature" you; our feature choice is non-negotiable.

formatting your submission: You may send a completed essay OR a query with your name, a resume and/or writing sample, and a brief explanation of your proposed topic and what you want to say about it. For other formatting questions, please refer to the guidelines in the fiction submissions, above.

send nonfiction submissions to: nonfictionsubmissions@reflectionsedge.com

RESPONSE

We try to respond to all submissions within two months - usually sooner. If you have not received a reply within two months, e-mail editor@reflectionsedge.com.