SPECULATIVE MYSTERY ICONOCLAST SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Currently closed to all submissions

WRITER’S GUIDELINES 

 

WHAT TO SUBMIT: 

Fiction:Speculative Mystery Iconoclast is a new PDF magazine that is looking for exceptional, unpublished stories (between 2000 and 6000 words) that fall into two categories: 

 

1] Speculative Mystery:These are stories that contain elements of both Speculative fiction as well as Mystery. Following this guideline, submissions should form one of the following variants: 

• Science Fiction / Mystery
• Supernatural Horror / Mystery
• Fantasy / Mystery
• Dark Fantasy / Mystery
• Science Fiction / Supernatural Horror / Mystery
• Science Fiction / Fantasy / Mystery
• Dark Fantasy / Science Fiction / Mystery

 These tales should focus on questions of who-dunnit, how-dunnit, why-dunnit, or combinations thereof. Authors should also note that Mystery is not limited to the Crime genre. For example, tales may involve Archaeological / Historical / Scientific mysteries that have researchers as protagonists instead of cops, private eyes, or amateur sleuths. 

 

2] Iconoclastic Speculative Fiction:These are stories that (either in part OR as the focus of the story) reveal what really inspired a tale from mythology OR what really happened during a historical event OR what really drives a particular phenomenon OR what’s really causing a current circumstance (for example, why we haven’t made contact with aliens yet). Feel free to use Science Fiction, Supernatural Horror, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, or a mix of these genres in your real explanations. 

 

Remember, beyond the quality of the writing, plot and logical consistency is important. Make us believe and then make us wonder…  

 

WHAT NOT TO SUBMIT: 

• No Reprints
• No poetry
• No Flash fiction (for now)
• No Magical Realism
• No stories with excessive gore or erotic elements that are not integral to the plot
• No stories where the protagonist wakes up and realises that it was all a dream or where the speculative elements are all in his / her head
• No child abuse stories
• No stories containing copyrighted characters or fan-fiction
• No clichés like P.I. stories that begin with a detective sitting at his desk, then a sultry dame with ‘legs for days’ walks into his office
• No clichés from Science Fiction, Supernatural Horror, and Fantasy tropes, either. Please.
• No trunk stories

If you really want to get a good idea of the type of fiction we publish, feel free to buy a copy at http://www.specmystery.com/buy.html.

 

RIGHTS: 

We ask for First World Electronic Rights for 120 days, the right to archive your story, Non-exclusive Audio rights, as well as Non-exclusive Anthology Rights.  

 

PAYMENT: 

Payment for fiction is a flat rate of US$20 per story. Additionally, contributors receive a free copy of the issue in which their stories appear. Payment is made in US currency via MoneyGram upon publication.

 

We are also not opposed to authors donating a story to our magazine or including an author’s complete writing bibliography and synopsis of an upcoming novel as payment. Please query first if this option interests you. 

 

Speculative Mystery Iconoclast is published quarterly in PDF format and we aim to submit every issue to reviewers at Tangent, IROSF, and The Fix.  

 

HOW TO SUBMIT: 

 

Email your story to specmysticon (at) yahoo (dot) com as a Word doc attachment. Put “SUBMISSION: STORY TITLE” in the subject of the email. Stories must be typed according to Standard Manuscript Format (double spaced, 12 point Courier, with last name / keyword(s) from title / page number on each page of the manuscript, one inch margins, and underline to denote italics). 

 

No simultaneous or multiple submissions or reprints will be accepted.No postal submissions will be accepted. 

Submission window:

All-year-round!

 

We try to maintain a response time of up to two and a half months – usually a lot sooner.  Remember to check out these guidelines regularly for any changes and the blog for tips and slushpile updates.

 

ARTIST GUIDELINES 

Speculative Mystery Iconoclast only accepts colour cover artwork at this time.  Please note that each cover is not linked to any particular story contained within the issue itself but rather to the feel of the fiction we aim to publish. Therefore, artwork should be visually consistent with a speculative theme – anything that you imagine might be in the realms of the genres listed in the fiction guidelines above.   

 

As with the fiction guidelines, no depictions of gore or sexual content will be accepted. 

 

Email your artwork submission in .jpeg format (300 DPI) as an attachment. Put “ART SUBMISSION: YOUR NAME” in the subject of the email. Send to specmysticon (at) yahoo (dot) com and we will get back to you. 

 

If accepted, you will be asked to send a brief bio (up to 100 words) telling our readers who you are, where you’re from, and where they can find your art. 

 

RIGHTS: 

 

We ask for First World Electronic Rights for 120 days and the right to archive your artwork. You may publish the artwork after the 120-day period has elapsed. 

 

PAYMENT: 

 

Payment for artwork is a flat rate of US$20 per cover. Additionally, contributing artists receive a free copy of that specific issue. The issue will also feature the brief bio as mentioned above. Payment is made in US currency via MoneyGram upon publication. 

 

NOT SURE YOUR ART HITS THE MARK?

 

If you have an online portfolio, send us an email with your details and a link to your portfolio. If you don’t have an online portfolio, simply email your details plus 2 to 3 samples as j-peg attachments. In both cases, put “ART QUERY: YOUR NAME” in the subject of the email. Send to specmysticon (at) yahoo (dot) com and we will get back to you. Remember to sign all your artwork. Send only finished, original artwork.

 

Note: A well-polished look for all covers is what we want.

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