Cindi Myers Market News's Blog

‘The writer’s intention hasn’t anything to do with what he achieves.  The intent to earn money or the intent to be famous or the intent to be great doesn’t matter in the end.  Just what comes out.’

Lillian Hellman

XOXO Books, an electronic and print publisher specializing in romance and erotica, is looking for submissions for three new anthologies. “Tattoo lovers wanted! Are you a passionate tattoo artist or just love  tattoos? We want you to submit your tattoo artwork, body shots  and tattoo stories: romance, mystery, vampire, erotica, contemporary, steampunk, paranormal, for our Tattoos Art n Stories Anthology.”

Stories should be 2500 words or less, double-spaced in 12-pt Arial font. Deadline for submissions is May 1.  Include a cover letter including your name and e-mail address, and exact word count. Send your submissions to submissions@xoxopublishing.com with the  subject “The Tattoo Series”.
 Release dates for The Tattoo Series Anthologies are June 18, 2010, July
16, 2010, and August 14, 2010.

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From writer D.L. Snell’s blog comes the following:

Redstone Science Fiction is looking for all kinds of science fiction stories, from space opera to cyber punk. Editors Michael Ray and Paul Clemons will consider stories from 750 to 4000 words. Payment is 5 cents a word.  Check the guidelines for more information.

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Mountain Magic, Spellbinding Tales of Appalachia, is looking for submissions.  Editor Brian J. Hatcher is interested in the following:

* Short stories up to 2500 words and poems between 8 – 34 lines
* The setting must be the Appalachian states (West Virginia, Kentucky,
Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia)
* Magic (either supernatural or performance magic) must be central to
the plot of the story or poem
* Urban fantasy is acceptable. Rural  fantasy, more so.
* Horror stories and poems should not be too graphic. I am looking for
“quiet horror” for this anthology.

The deadline for submissions is June 21, payment is 5 cents a word. For more information, see the guidelines.

There are so many different kinds of writing and so many ways to work that the only rule is this: do what works. Almost everything has been tried and found to succeed for somebody. The methods, even the ideas of successful writers contradict each other in a most heartening way, and the only element I find common to all successful writers is persistence-an overwhelming determination to succeed.
Sophy Burnham

Lia Brown is a new editor with Avalon Books. Formerly with Oxford University Press, Ms. Brown has also worked for Marvel Comics, St. Martin’s Press, HarperCollins and Random House. At Avalon, she’s looking for “wholesome family-friendly romances, historical romances, mysteries, and westerns.” She likes character-driven stories and good dialogue. You can read more about Ms. Brown at the Avalon books blog.

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Orbit Books, the science fiction and fantasy imprint of Hachette, has announced they’ll begin publishing short fiction electronically this fall. Though right now they’ll publish only stories by authors already published in book length fiction by Orbit, if the line is successful it could launch a new outlet for short fiction. The stories will sell for $1.99 and the authors will receive royalties on their sales.

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The 25th annual anthology of Sword and Sorceress is now accepting submissions. Send your sword and sorcery story with a strong female protagonist. No explicit sex, gratuitous violence or profanity. Stories may be up to 9000 words, but shorter stories are preferred. The deadline for entries is May 14. Find the guidelines here.

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Ellora’s Cave is launching two new lines of erotic romance. GenEdge, aimed at 18-25 year old female readers, should feature 18-25 year old female protagonists. The heros in these stories may be the same age as the women or older. These stories should have a young voice. These are erotica, so the sex is explicit and steamy. The length can range from 10,000 words to 125,000 words.

Branded is a line of erotica aimed at women who enjoy reading about explicit sex but who believe sex should only take place only within marriage. These stories may be set in any time and place, but the couples involved must have made a commitment the equivalent of our understanding of marriage. These aren’t religious or inspirational stories and the sex is as explicit as any other Ellora’s Cave story, but the commitment to monogamy within marriage is part of the story. These stories also range from 10,000 to 125,000 words. For more information, check out their Call For Submissions.

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Check out my website at http://www.CindiMyers.com I have a new list of ALL my books on the site, plus information about upcoming titles, including my June release, Her Mountain Man.

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As always, feel free to share the information in this blog with others. All I ask is that you give me credit and share the link to this blog. Thank you.

‘This (writing) is the love of your life. It’s what I want to do when I wake up. Nothing feels so absorbing, so fulfilling.’

More unexpected markets for short fiction. This week: Ethnic magazines. These special interest magazines cater to specific ethnic or cultural groups and are open to fiction pertaining to such groups.

Azizah is a magazine for Muslim women. You must be a Muslim woman to contribute to this magazine. The editors are open to inspirational and literary short stories to 1500 words. Payment is $50.

ColorLines bills itself as “a magazine of race and politics”. If you have a short story up to 4000 words that explores these themes, the editors would like to hear from you. Payment is 10 cents a word.

Hadassah Magazine is a publication for Jewish women. The editors are interested in humorous stories and contemporary fiction related to Judaism and Israel. Length: 1000-3000 words. Payment is $250.

India Currents explores “the heritage and culture of India in the U.S.” Literary, contemporary, historical and humorous fiction are welcome here, 1500-3000 words. Payment is $50 per 1000 words.

Lilith seeks contemporary stories with Jewish themes that would appeal to its audience of Jewish women. Length and payment varies.

Midstream also seeks stories with a Jewish slant. 2000-5000 words. They pay 5 cents a word.

Viking is published by the Sons or Norway and promotes Norwegian heritage and tradition. The editors are interested in ethnic, historical and humorous fiction, 400-1200 words. Payment is $180-400.

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Family Circle Magazine is holding a short fiction contest. Submit an original short story, up to 2500 words, by September 8, 2010. Each author may submit up to two different stories. The grand prize winner will receive a prize package worth over $1500, including a check for $750. Second and third-place cash prizes will also be awarded. There’s no cost to enter. Find all the rules here.

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As always, feel free to share the information in this blog. All I ask is that you give me credit and include a link to the blog.

Cindi Myers

Her Mountain Man — coming in June, 2010 from Harlequin Superromance.