Details:
- Stories can be 1000 words to 10,000 words.
- The anthology will be published in ebook and paperback formats.
- We pay upfront $0.01 / word. Authors will receive the e-book and one print copy of the anthology, plus wholesale pricing for additional print copies.
- Previously unpublished submissions strongly preferred.
- We are seeking twelve months of exclusive worldwide print and electronic distribution rights and non-exclusive worldwide print and electronic distribution rights in perpetuity.
- Multiple submissions are fine, but simultaneous submissions are discouraged. Please don’t re-submit a rejected story unless we request revisions.
- We hope to have responded to everyone within one month of the submission window’s closing. Feel free to query if it’s been longer than two months.
- Stories must be double spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font (or something similar). Do not submit in Courier. The story title, your byline, a word count, and contact information should appear on the first page, and your last name, story title, and page number should appear in the header information of all other pages. We’re not particular about whether you use italics or underlining for emphasis, how many spaces are after the period, or whether you use straight or smart quotes.
- Submissions may be sent to the email address:
Submit your stories via email as an attachment in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format. The subject of your email should be SUBMISSION: <story title> by <byline>. The email body should contain a short list of your publishing credits and any pertinent biographical details. - The submission period begins December 1, 2017, and ends March 1, 2018.
Theme guidelines
- The story must have a fantasy/speculative element. Science fantasy is ok, but we’re aiming for fantasy rather than straight science fiction.
- We generally prefer “clean,” noblebright stories, but this anthology is open to a broader interpretation of noblebright than our other anthologies – grimbright and nobledark are definitely under consideration. We’re not looking for grimdark, though – we want despair tempered with hope and brokenness tempered with redemption. For more on noblebright, please see noblebright.org.
- The story must address the “Shards” theme in some way. Shards of lives, shards of a broken heart, shards of broken pottery or glass, shards of myth and memory… be creative! We don’t require “happy” endings, but as a noblebright anthology, we prefer to see hope and generosity rather than nihilism and cynicism.
