ANTHOLOGY ANNOUNCEMENT

The Dead Robots’ Society Podcast and MWS Media, LLC are proud to announce EXPLORERS: BEYOND THE HORIZON, a short story anthology to be published in 2011. The stories in EXPLORERS will feature characters forever changed by their discovery of lands and worlds beyond their own. Whether it’s by charting new stars, trekking across fantastical realms, sailing new oceans or traversing the wild and unknown spaces between dimensions, readers will find the unimaginable in the pages of EXPLORERS.

OPEN SUBMISSION CALL:

Submissions are now open for EXPLORERS: BEYOND THE HORIZON. All submissions must be primarily science fiction or fantasy. Horrific elements are acceptable so long as the emphasis is on science fiction or fantasy. The submission period will end at 11:59PM (CST) December 31st, 2010.

NO reprints. Unpublished manuscripts only. One manuscript per author. Do not exceed 5,000 words.

Please follow standard manuscript formatting.

Submissions must be sent as e-mail attachments in .rtf or .doc format to submissions@deadrobotssociety.com.

This is a paying market with royalty sharing. Space is limited, so good luck to everyone. Please see the FAQ below for answers to most of your submissions questions.

FAQ:

If I send in a story, will it automatically get in the anthology?

• Sadly, no. Space is limited, and that means some hard choices will have to be made by the editorial staff. Work from unpublished authors will be judged alongside those of professional writers, and the quality of work that makes it through to the end must be high.

Will I be paid for my submission?

• Yes, there will be an upfront payment, as well as a semi-annual royalty sharing payment, and all payments will be made via PayPal.

Will my submission be edited?

• Possibly, though that would be a process you and the editors go through together.

I have a romance story? Does that count?

• Only if the emphasis is on the fantasy or science fiction elements.

My story is just a few words over your limit of 5,000. That’s okay, right?

• No. 5,000 words is our limit. Anything over that will be immediately disqualified.

Is it okay if my story is ready on January 1st, 2011?

• Nope. 11:59PM (CST) on December 31st, 2010. Anything submitted after that will be deleted.

What’s the rule on sex & profanity? I know you’re not shooting for erotica, so I’m guessing there’s no graphic sex… but what about the level of violence, profanity and sexual situations? Are we talking PG, PG13, or R?

• We aren’t looking for erotica, nor are we shooting for copious gore and constant F-bombs, but we’re okay with some of those things. Anything between a PG and an R rating is fine. Use your best judgment, but understand that the editors will be the final judges.

What rights are you looking for in the stories you’ll be choosing?

• We will be purchasing “First Worldwide English Language Print and Electronic Serial Rights,”
  which basically means we have the right to be the first ones to publish the story in print and electronically everywhere in the world, and that the story hasn’t been published elsewhere in those forms.