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*   SORRY - this anthology closed to submissions on September 30, 2007. It was open for more than three months, and got more that 375 subs.  We are leaving this page up as an “archive†post to inform others and remind ourselves about the details of this project. (And as a hint about what to expect from future projects.)
- the publisher -
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Submission Guidelines for “HARDBOILED HORROR”
Notorious Press invites authors to submit short fiction to be considered for inclusion in the upcoming anthology HARDBOILED HORROR edited by James Van Pelt. General theme is that all stories will include elements of *both* the Horror and Mystery/Crime genres. This title will be a PoD trade paperback with a release date of early 2008. (Possibly first available at two conventions in March 2008 - the World Horror Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah & Left Coast Crime in Denver, Colorado.)
CONTENT GUIDELINES:
Notorious Press loves fiction that crosses over rigid genre boundaries. Stories submitted for this anthology should include elements from both Horror and Mystery/Crime. How you blend the two camps will be an important factor in story selection. For example, it is probably not enough if the protagonist just stumbles into a situation and discovers that it is supernatural. That realization should come as a RESULT of specific detection - not accidental encounter. Or stories can also start as Horror, then add the classic “detection” elements - developing theories, following clues, etc. Protagonists can be mortal or not, as long as you are blending the styles. You may even submit tales that initially seem like they are destined to have a supernatural conclusion, but which are resolved in earthbound ways, debunking the supernatural. Works may certainly lean more heavily on one side or the other, but should include both genres.
We certainly don’t mean to imply that the plot and tone of all stories should be the same - not by a long shot. We would love to have a variety of styles from very dark & violent to light & breezy. Still leaves plenty of room to play with the conventions of each genre. Mystery elements can run the gamut from Private Eyes to Cops to Amateur Sleuths and way beyond, with plots motivated by solving the usual questions of Who-dunnit, How-dunnit or Why-dunnit. Horror elements can include any new or old manifestation of the field, including but not limited to ghosts, zombies, vampires, psychic phenomenon, or even plain old vanilla slashers. But please do include new twists if using stock characters or situations.
Please, no “fan-fic†or unauthorized use of others’ copyrighted or trademarked characters. No porn. Sexual content, if included, should be relevant to character development or needed to advance the plot. If sexual matters are the main focus of the action we probably won’t use it in this anthology. (But the same story might still be right for one of our future projects.).
New stories preferred, but will also consider work already published elsewhere in limited exposure releases. Might even consider an old “classic†tale from decades back if it is on target.
Multiple Submission? Sorry, there are a LOT of submissions in already, so only send one story. If you’re sure you have several that can fly, still send your best then wait for results on it first. The editor is reading submissions daily, doing ongoing short-listing, and letting folk know stratus within two weeks.
RATES & RIGHTS:
Pay is about $50 per story, maybe more for a novella and less for a short-short. Word counts are somewhat flexible to allow for variety, but most selections will probably be between 3,00 and 8,000 words. Contributors will also get 2 copies of the finished book. We’d prefer to pay by PayPal, but other options are possible. If the publisher sells over 1,000 copies additional bonus payments will be divided among all contributors.
Notorious Press has first publishing rights for new stories, and may keep the anthology “in-print†for a long while, as it is PoD release. We would ask that stories not be placed elsewhere until one year after HARDBOILED HORROR is released, except in the author’s own single-author collections. After that one year period, all rights revert to the author for possible additional sales. (Author retains copyright in any case.)
HOW TO SUBMIT:
The editor strongly prefers e-mailed e-submissions, so query him first before you try any other method. As for format, please send the story as an attachment rather than in the body of the e-mail. Stories must be in standard manuscript format (one-inch margins, double spaced, Times New Roman or Courier font) and attached to your e-mail in .rtf or .doc format. Probably wise to put your contact info (name, e-mail, story title) in both the body of the e-mail and in the attachment, just to make sure. Please send inquiries and submissions directly to the editor, James Van Pelt at: hardboiledhorror@aol.com
Unpublished as well as experienced pros are encouraged to submit. If you have them, please include your most relevant publishing credits. Notorious Press believes that readers of “small press†fiction have a far greater interest in the authors’ methods, techniques and inspiration than do average readers, so this publication will eventually solicit a foreword and/or afterword from each selected author. But please DON’T send it with your story. (This is a change since these guidelines were first posted.)
Putting a word-count in the intro would be nice, too. And we all about “nice”.
TIMELINES:
Submission window is June 15 to Sept 30, but that may change depending on the volume of submissions. To avoid disappointment, submit early or query the editor first if applying in the last two weeks. We’ll try to acknowledge the receipt of all submissions within two weeks, but please don’t expect a final decision until November. Simultaneous submissions not accepted, due to the rather short submission window for this project.
ABOUT THE EDITOR:
James Van Pelt is a veteran author with many short-fiction sales in both the Horror and Mystery genres, including such high-profile magazines as Weird Tales and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Additionally, he has one novel and two collections of stories published by Fairwood Press. James lives in western Colorado where he is a full-time writer and a full-time teacher. (Do the math!) JVP’s own website is http://www.sff.net/people/james.van.pelt/
OTHER ANTHOLOGIES FROM NOTORIOUS PRESS:
Notorious Press is committed to producing at least 2 anthologies per year, along with selected single-author collections and reprints of forgotten works in the Mystery/Horror/Fantasy realm. See the website for other submission possibilities… http://www.notoriouspress.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Questions specifically about submitting to this anthology should be directed to the editor, (see above), but any other question about Notorious Press is welcome at: info@notoriouspress.com
THANKS!
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