Submissions

Publication Schedule:
Abyss&Apex publishes on a quarterly schedule.

January (1st Quarter)
April (2nd Quarter)
July (3rd Quarter)
October (4th Quarter)

Please note this is NOT our submissions schedule. Please see fiction reading period schedule here. Poetry has a different reading period schedule.

Submissions sent outside our submission periods will be deleted unread.

Updates:

Our next reading period for short fiction and flash was February – but we are currently CLOSED to submissions until May 1, 2012. Overstocked.
Please read the poetry guidelines carefully. Poetry has a different email submissions address.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

Our mission is to publish the finest in speculative and imaginative fiction and poetry, with special attention to character-driven stories that examine the depths and heights of emotion and motivation from a broad variety of cultural and social perspectives. A&A wants to publish powerful stories with emotions that resonate in our minds and hearts long after a first reading, stories that make us want to read them again and again. We look for the unique: stories that stand out in a genre that pushes the envelope of unusual. We take special delight in detailed world-building, and have no subgenre boundaries: we like slipstream, YA, hypertext fiction, dark fantasy, science fiction puzzle stories, magical realism, hard science fiction, soft science fiction, science fantasy, sword and sorcery, urban fantasy, military science fiction, ghost stories, space opera, cyberpunk, steampunk . . . there is very little we will not look at, although we have a severe allergy to elves, retold fairy tales, sports, westerns, vampires, and gratuitous sex and violence. We have no subject/topic preference, beyond a requirement that the work have a speculative element. We are happy to read stories that don’t quite seem to fit elsewhere.

We will consider dark speculative fiction, but we do not publish horror. We won’t publish extremely graphic violent or sexual content or over-the-top gore, and we are turned off by gratuitous foul language. In other words, if the primary purpose of a story is to scare us or make us queasy, we won’t buy it.

GENERAL INFORMATION
- We accept submissions via e-mail only.
- SHORT FICTION E-mail submissions must be saved in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rtf).
  - Please note: Poetry submissions must be copied into the body of the email. Please do not attach a separate poetry file. AGAIN, please do not send poetry to the fiction email address!
  - Important: Flash submissions must be copied into the body of the email.
- We do NOT accept simultaneous or multiple submissions, except for poetry (limit, three poems).
- We NEVER accept unsolicited reprints.
- We are not currently soliciting artists, book reviewers, or editorial content.
- We DO NOT serialize novels. Period. Don’t even ask.
FICTION including Flash Fiction:

We will read your genre short stories at lengths of up to 10,000 words. Higher word count? Query first.We are especially interested in good flash fiction (1,500 words or less). If your story is on the borderline of flash length, consider trimming those extra words and making your short-short story even tighter and stronger.

Reading Periods:

The submissions editors at Abyss & Apex read short fiction and flash during designated reading periods ONLY, four times a year. The four one-month reading periods are
- February
- May
- August
- November
The next scheduled reading periods are:
- May 2012 – OPEN
- August 2012
- November 2012
- February 2013
Short fiction and flash received outside of these designated reading periods will be deleted without acknowledgment. Poetry sent to the fiction address will also be deleted without acknowledgment.

Formatting:

All short fiction submissions of more than 1,500 words must be in Standard Manuscript Format. That means 12-point type, double-spaced, black on white, ragged right margins; author’s name and contact information on the TOP of the first page; and name, page number, and story name as a header every page thereafter. Further details are available at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mslee/format.html.

For Fiction submissions of more than 1,500 words in length, please attach your .rtf or .doc or .txt file to your email. We cannot at this time open .docx files.

Please note: Flash fiction (fewer than 1,500 words) must be submitted within the body of your e-mail message. If you wish to send a cover letter for flash, please include it in the body of your e-mail message as well.

Please be absolutely certain to include your name and contact information on the manuscript itself. We would appreciate it if you would include a brief, two- to three-sentence bio either in the body of your e-mail message or somewhere within your attached manuscript.

Submit your work to: abyssandapex@gmail.com with the email subject in the following format:

FICTION SUB: “Your title here”

or

FLASH FICTION SUB: “Your title here”

Please Note: We will not open or read any submissions that do not have an appropriate subject line. The subject line is important for sorting our mail; mail sent to the submissions address with an incorrect subject line may never reach us.

Response Times:

Our editors try their best to provide feedback on stories that are declined, but may not be able to answer specific questions on the reasons a story was not accepted. We strive to keep our response times reasonable (currently running about three months), but this may change depending on a variety of factors. Feel free to query if you have not received a response in three months.

Payment:

If we buy your story, payment is US $.05/word (five cents a word) up to 1,500 words, and a flat payment of $75.00 for longer stories. We currently pay 60 days after publication.

We prefer to make author payments via PayPal. If this is unacceptable please let us know and we will make other arrangements.

POETRY

Abyss & Apex likes to see strong, emotionally resonant, literary-quality poetry with a clear speculative element, as well as scifaiku and what some call “science poetry” or “astronomy poetry.” Both traditional and modern or nontraditional formats are encouraged, and we have no length restrictions for poetry. Wow us with a sestina, or stun us in free verse. We admire poetry that exceeds our expectations in scansion, imagery, emotional impact and creative wordplay. We love language, and we like to see it worked for all it’s worth. Our love of poetry exceeds the space and funds we have to publish it, so we accept only the very best; amaze us!

Poetry Reading Periods:

The poetry editors at Abyss & Apex read poetry during designated reading periods ONLY, four times a year. The four one-month reading periods are:

March
June
September
December

The next scheduled reading periods are:

December 2011
March 2012
June 2012
September 2012

Poetry received outside these designated reading periods will be deleted without acknowledgment.

Poetry Submissions Format:

Please use this subject header for your submission email:

POETRY SUB: “Your title here”

Submit your poetry in the body of your e-mail message to aandapoetry@gmail.com.

Please note:

You may submit up to three poems at one time.
Please paste your poetry into the body of your submission email.
Let us know if you’d be happy with a standard rejection form or if you want a personalized rejection. Remember that personalized rejections mean your submission will be held much longer.

Poetry Payment:

Payment is a flat fee of US $5.00. We pay 60 days after publication.

We prefer to make author payments via PayPal. If this is unacceptable please let us know and we will make other arrangements. We cannot pay via other arrangements outside of the United States.

Small Press Book Reviews

Abyss & Apex is pleased to offer small press book reviews. While we cannot review everything that comes out–the sheer number of books published makes that impossible–we will acknowledge books received. The process for getting a review is as follows:

In keeping with the types of short fiction we publish, we will only review Science Fiction and Fantasy novels. We do NOT publish or review Horror.
We will only accept books from small press publishers: authors need not apply.
We will NOT accept self-published, e-published, or vanity published works.
We prefer our copy of your book approximately six months in advance of a review.
We will only accept a maximum of three books per publisher at a time.
We understand that shipping and printing are expensive. Books can be in pdf format, sent to A&A’s submissions address with the following text in the subject line: SMALL PRESS NOVEL: (TITLE, PUBLISHER). However, we find paper copies much easier to read and prefer them.
Paper books and ARCs will be sent to A&A staff reviewers who specialize in subgenres. Please query for the proper mailing address.
We prefer to a publish reviews at or just before a book’s release date.
If and only if your book is to be reviewed we may request a thumbnail-sized illustration of your book cover.

QUERIES

For Short Fiction and Flash Fiction: Send queries to us at abyssandapex@gmail.com.

For Poetry: Send queries to us at aandapoetry@gmail.com

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