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AF: Mission Statement and
Submission Guidelines
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Apocalypse Fiction is to be a bi-monthly e-magazine focusing on series science fiction set primarily in the "post-apocalyptic" genre. Though we will occasionally publish single stories and novellas, 90% of the work we accept will be in the form of continuing series.
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Before moving on to our submission guidelines, we feel that it is appropriate for us to define two terms, as they apply to Apocalypse Fiction:
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"Post-apocalyptic Fiction" - The simple definition is that "post-apocalyptic" fiction is any fiction set in the time period directly following some sort of world cataclysm. Most readers will call to mind the barren wastes and deserted highways of the "Mad Max" series of films or Harlan Ellison's "A Boy and His Dog." Harsh worlds of intense heat and crumbling cities- Great wastes and brutal struggles- desperate survivors and mercilous mutations.
But what of Stephen King's "The Stand?" Here we find a world destroyed by disease. A world in which the buildings are left standing and where (among the survivors) faith and spirituality reach unprecedented heights. Or Patricia Anthony's wonderfully original "Happy Policeman," a novel in which one small Texas town survives (for the most part) intact, protected in a bubble of alien construction from the nuclear devastation of the rest of the world... There are many types apocalypse other than nuclear. What of social apocalypse? Spiritual apocalypse?
We are certainly looking for classic "atomic" post-apocalyptic fiction- but a large part of what AF wants to accomplish is to push this genre to its limits. We challenge our writers to explore and chart new regions and new forms of apocalypse and the empty world.
Perhaps John Varley best sums up the appeal of the genre:
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"We all love after-the-bomb stories. If we didn't, why would there be so many of them? There's something attractive about all those people being gone, about wandering in a depopulated world, scrounging cans of Campbell's pork and beans, defending one's family from marauders. Sure it's horrible, sure we weep for all those dead people. But some secret part of us thinks it would be good to survive, to start over.
Secretly, we know we'll survive. All those other folks will die. That's what after-the-bomb stories are all about."
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"Series Fiction" - It is tremendously difficult for even an established writer (and virtually impossible for an unpublished writer) to publish an ongoing series. Editors of print magazines are (quite understandably) unwilling and unable to commit the tie and space needed to allow an untried writer (or even a seasoned writer) to flex his muscles and develop, month after month, a story which may or may not live up to the editor's expectations. As a result, the genre of series fiction has been largely overlooked in literature, and resides almost entirely in the domains of television and comic books.
But with the e-publishing revolution, we now have the opportunity to change all of that. Free from the constraints of limited space and printing costs, e-publishing proves to be the perfect forum for the largely overlooked genre of series fiction. At Apocalypse Fiction, we aim to provide a place where authors are free to focus on long-term development of their story, and the editor is free to focus on the quality of the publication.
We define series fiction as a continuing series of "episodes" or "installments", each on a complete story unto itself, while characters are developed and a greater story unfolds over the course of the series.
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Submission Guidelines:
Series Fiction: This is to be the meat and bones of AF. Though we will consider "cliff-hanger" type serial fiction, we are much more interested in stories told in the form of a series. That is, each installment of the series should be a complete story unto itself, while characters are developed and a greater story unfolds over the course of the series. Think M*A*S*H or the X-Files. Please query first, including a detailed synopsis of the first installments, and short descriptions of a least the next five episodes of your series. Let us know if it is to be an ongoing series, or a limited run of episodes. Also include a short author's bio, and any past publishing credits.
Serialized Novels: We will consider serialized novels, though we are hesitant to do so. The novel must be constructed in such a way that it is conducive to serialization, i.e., each installment must leave off at a dramatic point that will keep the reader interested in coming back to it. Generally, we are much more interested in developing the under-used genre of 'series fiction' than we are in serialization or "cliff-hanger" fiction. Please query first with an outline of your novel, indicating at which points it will be broken into installments. Also include an author's bio and any publishing credits.
Short Stories and Novellas: Feel free to send us your short story or novella in either Ms Word97 or WordPerfect format. We will read short stories of any length, but we ask that an manuscript over 10,000 words be accompanied by an introduction, outline, or pitch: Convince us that it is worth our time to read a lengthy manuscript. Also include an author's bio and any publishing credits.
Comic Book Series: We will accept comic book stories, shorts, and series of any length. Please query first with a description of your story or concept and a small sampling of your work (preferably a .JPG or URL linking to your site. Note: Nothing over 2 megs will make it through our firewall.) Also include an author's bio and any publishing credits.
Nonfiction (Essays, Articles, Reviews, Etc.): The ONLY nonfiction we will consider are articles on "the state of electronic publishing" or "the concept of post-apocalyptic fiction." No reviews, we won't read them. We will (with rare exceptions) be featuring only one article per issue, and most of these will be written by the Editor. Please send your article along with an author's bio and any publishing credits.
Art: We will accept submissions of original artwork to be used as "cover art" or "in-story". Please send your artwork (in .JPG format, under 2 megs) along with an artist bio and publishing credits.
Flash / Shockwave Animations: We are very excited at the prospect of including Flash and Shockwave animations, shorts, and series in Apocalypse fiction. Please query first with a detailed description and overview of your project.
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We will read and offer commentary on all submissions. We will try to respond to submissions within three weeks, and to queries within three days. Authors/artists retain all rights to their work. At this time Apocalypse Fiction is a non-paying publication. We are a growing e-zine in an unsure world of e-publishing, and for now we are primarily concerned with putting out a quality publication of which editors, authors, and artists alike can all be proud of.
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We accept submissions by email only. Please send your submissions to:
Scott C. Carr, Chief Editor
sardonica
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