It’s been a busy few months and while we’ve posted some updates on Facebook and Twitter, I realised we really need to write a news post as well!
We received well over 320 submissions for The Art of Being Human during the open period, totalling more than 1.5 million words, with stories from at least 30 countries – that one heck of a response! Far more than we anticipated, and it has affected our response time dramatically, I’m afraid.
The editors are steadily working through the submissions, but it is taking us longer than we had planned (with other RealLifeTM stuff also interfering, as it has a tendency to do). We would like to apologise to the creators who have entrusted their work to us, and thank them for their patience. Please bear with us – I sent a “received” response to every submission early on to note submission, and will contact every author regardless of the outcome, so if you haven’t heard from me with an acceptance or rejections, please know we’re still considering your work!
Thank you again to all who submitted – the standard is very high which makes this process both better AND harder! We can’t wait to share our TOC with you though – it’s shaping up to be amazing.
The world in 2020 has been tipped upside down and shaken in ways we could barely have imagined, except perhaps in the post-apocalyptic and dystopic worlds of story. Amidst pandemic illness and death, political machinations and despair, one of the casualties has been, at least in a financial sense, the Arts. Governments across the world have slashed funding, galleries, theatres and entertainment venues have closed amid lockdown restrictions, money is being carefully metered with jobs more uncertain than ever, meaning our creatives across all industries are suffering. And yet, more than ever, we are turning to art to stay sane in lockdown, to keep our spirits up in isolation, and to remind us that despite the hardship, there is beauty in this world.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL/NGA
To that end, FableCroft is coming out of hiatus in this year of social distancing and staying at home, to call for submissions on a brand new original anthology, The Art of Being Human. Co-edited by Tehani Croft and Stephanie Lai, this anthology seeks to remind readers of the hope and beauty of the Arts, and the way our engagement with writing, music, film, theatre, artworks in all media, and craft of all kinds are at the core of our humanity. We are looking at this through a broad context, seeking work that in some way demonstrates the beauty and hope of humanity through a lens of “the arts” in some form.
Stories should be between 2,000 to 20,000 words long, and not previously published. Poetry of any length is also welcome. Works are invited from all over the world, but must be primarily in the English language.
Stories must contain speculative elements – science fiction, fantasy and horror and their sub-genres are all welcome, but we recommend researching FableCroft’s past projects for an idea of the sort of stories we publish. Generally, no erotica or splatterpunk is desirable. Please query the editor before sending stories outside those limits.
We are seeking original stories only – no reprint submissions please.
No simultaneous submissions please.
For multiple submissions, please query first.
Submission Guidelines:
E-mail to fablecroft@gmail.com as an attached RTF. We do not accept submissions via snail mail.
Please use a regular font, size 12, with margins of at least 2cm.
Indent the first line of each paragraphs by 0.5 (approx 1cm), 1.5 space lines, and indicate section breaks with a centered “#”.
Include name, address, phone number, email etc at the top of the document.
Submissions open: September 1, 2020
Submissions close: December 1, 2020
Anticipated publication date: May 2021
Payment will be AUD$100.00 for stories of up to 10,000 words (payment for poetry and longer stories accepted will be negotiated with the author) and a contributor copy of the ebook.
We would also like to include artwork to support the stories, and illustrators are invited to send appropriate samples (previously published work welcome for this element) – payment to be discussed.
The world in 2020 has been tipped upside down and shaken in ways we could barely have imagined, except perhaps in the post-apocalyptic and dystopic worlds of story. Amidst pandemic illness and death, political machinations and despair, one of the casualties has been, at least in a financial sense, the Arts. Governments across the world have slashed funding, galleries, theatres and entertainment venues have closed amid lockdown restrictions, money is being carefully metered with jobs more uncertain than ever, meaning our creatives across all industries are suffering. And yet, more than ever, we are turning to art to stay sane in lockdown, to keep our spirits up in isolation, and to remind us that despite the hardship, there is beauty in this world.
To that end, FableCroft is coming out of hiatus in this year of social distancing and staying at home, to call for submissions on a brand new original anthology, The Art of Being Human. Co-edited by Tehani Croft and Stephanie Lai, this anthology seeks to remind readers of the hope and beauty of the Arts, and the way our engagement with writing, music, film, theatre, artworks in all media, and craft of all kinds are at the core of our humanity.
Stories should be between 2,000 to 20,000 words long, and not previously published. Poetry of any length is also welcome. Works are invited from all over the world, but must be primarily in the English language.
Stories must contain speculative elements – science fiction, fantasy and horror and their sub-genres are all welcome, but we recommend researching FableCroft’s past projects for an idea of the sort of stories we publish. Generally, no erotica or splatterpunk is desirable. Please query the editor before sending stories outside those limits.
Submissions open: September 1, 2020
Submissions close: December 1, 2020
Anticipated publication date: May 2021
Payment will be AUD$100.00 for stories of up to 10,000 words (payment for poetry and longer stories accepted will be negotiated with the author) and a contributor copy of the ebook.
I would also like to include artwork to support the stories, and illustrators are invited to send appropriate samples (previously published work welcome for this element) – payment to be discussed.
I realised I neglected to make a formal announcement here about the status of the Monsterful anthology we announced earlier this year; Twitter and Facebook notifications were made, and the information removed from this site, but I didn’t actually post on the blog.
Regretfully, we have put the project on indefinite hold in order to focus on other books. Please see our submissions page for open calls. We still hope to bring the book to life at some stage, but now is not the right time.
From May 1, FableCroft Publishing will be conducting an open reading period for submissions of high-quality science fiction novels for a middle-grade and younger end of young adult readership (approximately covering 9-14 year olds).
We are explicitly not looking for dystopian stories; rather, we seek books with interesting extrapolations on our present world and/or challenging ideas (appropriate to the readership) about possible or potential futures.
We actively encourage work that explores or considers perspectives other than first world (ie: not typically the privileged, straight, white, male point of view) and are particularly keen to see premises that are not frequently seen in books for this readership.
Space exploration, alien and first contact stories are welcome but must have a strong scientific base to be considered.
Strong characterisation is essential, while overt violence or sexual themes are unlikely to be appropriate.
Works should ideally be between 20,000 and 60,000 words (depending on intended audience), unpublished, and not under consideration with any other publisher.
Open internationally to works written (or translated to) the English language.
Please send full manuscripts only as a Microsoft Word compatible document attached to an email containing a short author biography and publication history. Submit to fablecroft [at] gmail [dot] com
Please be cautious to only submit final, proofread copy – ensure you have checked all your edits and removed all track changes in your document.
No multiple submissions.
No simultaneous submissions.
Payment will be in the form of a small advance plus royalties for print and ebook sales.
We do not accept submissions via snail mail.
Please use a common reading font, size 12, with margins of at least 2cm.
Indent the first line of each paragraphs by 0.5 (approx 1cm – do not use tabs), and indicate section breaks with a centered “#”.
Indicate chapter breaks with a new page and a number or chapter heading.
Include name, address, phone number, email etc at the top of the document.
Submissions open on May 1, 2015. The open reading period will continue indefinitely at this point.
The deadline for pitches for Cranky Ladies of Historyis fast approaching (December 31). If you’re seeking inspiration for stories, Bad Girls & Wicked Women: The Most Powerful, Shocking, Amazing, Thrilling and Dangerous Women of All Time by Jan Stradling might be interesting. From the blurb:
Bad Girls & Wicked Women: The Most Powerful, Shocking, Amazing, Thrilling and Dangerous Women of All Time is an historic survey of 22 of the most ruthless and ambitious women in history. These are sassy, brilliant, magnetic, cunning and tough-as-nails women who defied the social mores of their eras. These anti-heroines battled against the odds and often against the status quo, succeeding in turning the power structure, if only for a short time, directly on its head. Some were cruel, some were visionary and some were blinded by ambition or love.
Submissions are now open for the new unthemed speculative fiction anthology, Insert Title Here.
Stories should be between 2,000 and 12,000 words and contain speculative elements – science fiction, fantasy and horror and their sub-genres are all welcome, but we recommend researching FableCroft’s past projects for an idea of the sort of stories we publish. Generally, no erotica or splatterpunk is desirable. Please query the editor before sending stories outside those limits.
We are seeking original stories only, for first and exclusive world rights (for a period of twelve months, excluding any subsequent Year’s Best reprint request) – no reprint submissions please.
Tsaritsa Sophia Alekseyevna of Russia, who inspired the cranky ladies…
GUIDELINES:
In 2014, FableCroft will publish an anthology of historical short fiction inspired by cranky ladies of history. Co-editors Tansy Rayner Roberts and Tehani Wessely are immediately seeking expressions of writerly interest in submitting to the anthology.
Authors are invited to submit a story pitch detailing story idea/historical personage. We are aiming for a diverse range of backgrounds, nationalities, time periods and reasons for notoriety in the book, and are particularly interested in stories that are firmly grounded in historical fact. We welcome stories that utilise elements known about the lives of the characters, but are not averse to artistic license either.
Some fabulous cranky women of history include (but definitely are not limited to):
Ada Lovelace, Ahhotep I, Amelia Bloomer, Amelia Earhart, Anne Bonney, Annie Oakley, Artemisia I of Caria, Bina Das, Boudicca, Caroline Chisholm, Caterina Sforza, Catherine de’ Medici, Catherine The Great, Daisy May Bates, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Elizabeth Kenny, Fu Hao, Fulvia, George Sand, Grace O’Malley, Gudit, Harriet Tubman, Isabella of Spain, Joan of Arc, Katharine Susannah Prichard, Livia, Lucrezia Borgia, Mary MacKillop, Mary Queen of Scots, Nancy Bird Walton, Nancy Wake, Nellie Melba, the Pankhursts, Rosa Parks, Sarala Devi Chaudhurani, Susan B. Anthony, Tamar of Georgia, Trieu Thi Trinh, the Trung Sisters, Tsaritsa Sophia Alekseyevna of Russia, Vida Goldstein, Vivian Bullwinkel, Zenobia…
From the list, you may note that our definition of “cranky” is rather broad, and stems somewhat more from a tendency to buck societal standards of the era than a true inherent crankiness. Though that’s good too!
HOW TO SUBMIT
Please email to fablecroft@gmail.com a story outline of no more than one typed page that clearly identifies your cranky lady of history and your proposal. In your cover email please use the subject heading CRANKY WOMEN PITCH [your chosen historical figure] and in the body include your own details and a short writing resume.
We will be regularly updating this page with historical women already spoken for, so please check back frequently, and get your pitches in as early as possible.
We are not specifically seeking young adult fiction, but we do want the book to be suitable for a high school audience, which will restrict explicit sex and graphic violence elements.
Open to authors worldwide.
Word count: fairly flexible.
Payment: 1 cent per word, capped at AUD$75.00 + contributor copy of print and ebook. Further royalties will apply for e-book revenue – information about royalties will be provided in contract negotiations with successful authors and is dependent on final book details.
Approximate timeline to publication
October 21, 2013 – December 31, 2013: open to pitches
January 2014: finalise pitch acceptances.
June 2014: deadline for stories to be submitted.
We are particularly looking for original work, but please query to fablecroft@gmail.com if you think you have a suitable reprint story.
FableCroft thanks Liz Barr for her inadvertent prompting of this project idea.
FableCroft 