Holdfast magazine call for submissions - Deadline 15th June 2014

Holdfast magazine are currently seeking writers and illustrators, both established and new. Please read through the guidelines and send all queries and submissions to:



submissions@holdfastmagazine.com





Print Anthology


They  are looking for fiction and non-fiction on all four themes:


Speculating on Speculative Women

Animals, Beasts and Creatures

Objects, Artefacts and Talismans

Diverse Reflections: Seeing Yourself in Speculative Fiction


Illustrators

We will need you to make this book as beautiful as our site! Please contact us if you are interested in being a part of the print anthology.


It has been an incredibly exciting year for us at Holdfast. Issues 1 & 2 are out, and we have been overwhelmed by the support and encouragement that we have received from the speculative community, especially when it comes to our amazing contributors. One thing that has become increasingly clear is that if we want to offer even a small payment, (which, please believe me, is a major priority) we cannot rely on donations and advertising alone; we are going to have to rack our brains and actively make some money.



And so, wthey will be launching a Kickstarter over the summer, with the aim of producing an anthology compiling all the year’s themes. This will include some of the best fiction and non-fiction we have already published, but also a whole bunch of new stuff. And this is where you come in! We are now accepting submissions for short stories and articles from all four themes. These are listed above.



If you are submitting specifically for the anthology, please put ‘Anthology’ specifying the theme and submission type. For example: ‘Anthology, Animals Beasts and Creatures, Fiction.’ Send to submissions@holdfastmagazine.com



The deadline for submissions is June 15 2014.



The online issue deadlines still apply, so if you want to get your story into issue#3, Objects, Artefacts and Talismans, please still submit by the 31 May 2014 (all submissions will also be considered for the Anthology). However if you miss the issue#3 deadline, you will still have 15 days to submit to the Anthology deadline on the 15 June 2014. Additionally, if you miss the Anthology deadline, you will have until September 21 2014 to submit to Issue#4, Diverse Reflections: Seeing yourself in Speculative Fiction for the online version.



And if  they don’t make their Kickstarter target, we are determined to produce it as an ebook. So, either way, they will be showcasing your wonderful contributions.





Issue#3 Objects, Artefacts and Talismans



Deadline for online issue: May 31 2014

Deadline for anthology: June 15 2014



As this issue is all about objects, artefacts and talismans, we want to see stories and articles that have these at their centre. All genres under the umbrella of ‘speculative’ will be accepted. They would definitely  like to see representations of different speculative genres. They like character focused, beautiful, interesting writing, that is more than the sum of its plot.



All submissions will also be considered for the Anthology.



Issue#4 Diverse Reflections: Seeing Yourself in Speculative Fiction



Deadline for online issue: September 21 2014

Deadline for anthology: June 15 2014



In this issue they will look at people who aren’t represented in speculative fiction as much as they should be. For example, people of colour, lesbian, gay, bi and trans people, and people with disabilities. Everyone should be able to see themselves reflected in their world, including SFF fans. It seems, however, that much like other media, this just isn’t the case. We’re looking for submissions on this theme to be included in the Holdfast Anthology and in Issue#4.





Please read through their guidlines below before submitting:



Guidelines



Fiction

100-5000 words.

Please format in house style:

1.5 line spacing, line break paragraphs and single speech marks for dialogue, with double speech marks for quoting within speech.



Please submit file as .doc or .rtf.



Please put 'fiction', the theme, and the title of your story in the subject line of your email.



Speculative Poetry

They are looking for thoughtful, imaginative, carefully crafted work, in keeping with the issue theme.



Please try to keep poems to under forty lines, and submit a maximum of four, within one document attachment. Please submit files as .doc or .rtf



Please put ‘Poetry’ and the theme in the subject line of your email.



Articles

Maximum 2000 words. Please send article ideas with a link to examples of your work/blog (if you have any. We welcome unpublished non-fiction writers).



Please put 'Article' and the issue theme in the subject line of your email



A Letter to...

In each issue, they write a letter to an author that has influenced our reading, writing and lives that is in keeping with the issue theme. Do you have an author in mind whose work has featured this theme, that you want to write an open letter to? Please submit a 100 word explanation of who this is and what you want to say about them.



Please put 'A Letter to' in the subject line of your email.



Illustrators

We are looking for illustrators to help bring our fiction to life! Please contact us if you are interested. Please send an example of your work, or link to a portfolio.



Please put 'Illustration' in the subject line of your email.



Letters to the editors

Do you want to give your opinion on something you have read in our current issue? Tell us and we may feature your letter in the next issue.



Please put 'Letter to the editors' in the subject line of your email.


Remuneration

They are seriously working on revenue streams for the magazine that would enable us to reimburse contributors for their valuable work. We believe that writing and illustrating deserve reward. However, as this is a labour of love, we are presently unable to pay for contributions up front. Instead, we are going to operate a 'future-based earnings cooperative': we will divide all future income equally between all contributors. See their finance page here.