We've decided to do the anthology again this year. Please pass the word along to
any authors you know who might be interested.
Strange Aeon: 2021 (Fearful
Wisdom) is a companion volume to last years Strange Aeon: 2020 (Lovecraftian
Tales). That alone tells you much of what you need to know. Like last year, I
want good, solid stories in a cosmic horror/Lovecraftian vein. I specifically
say Lovecraftian rather than Cthulu because I’d like stories across the entire
Mythos, including additions by the original group of Mythos authors like Robert
Howard and Clark Ashton Smith. [1]. In fact, this year I’d like to use more
stories that do not have specific Lovecraftian references and that move away
from the traditional Lovecraft style and voice. Try to avoid pastiche and tell
fresh new stories in your own settings. Style preference applies to gore and sex
as well: think early Weird Tales, no excessive language or explicit sexual
references. Although open to all forms of cosmic horror, science fiction horror
is more of a focus in this year’s anthology. I am especially interested in
stories of mad science and stories that “peel the onion.” Victoriana and
Lovecraft era period pieces will have a much harder time finding acceptance.
For
this anthology I’m asking for non-exclusive rights and will happily take
reprints. Simply tell me the publication history so that I can give proper
copyright acknowledgement.
Simultaneous and multiple submissions are acceptable;
please do so in a professional manner. If you are in doubt about a story or
story idea, feel free to query.
Though I am not especially interested in
non-fiction or poetry, I will consider it. At most, only one non-fiction piece
and one work of (long) poetry will be used.
I’m not overly concerned about
length. 2,500 to 10,000 words is preferable but I know that horror doesn’t
always lend itself to a strict word count.
I don’t care about submission
formatting as long as it’s legible, clean copy. Electronically, I need the
manuscript attached as an RTF, DOC, or DOCX file. Please submit to the email
address mkeatonauthor (at) gmail (dot) com with the word Submission in the
header.
The goal is a final book with about ten stories averaging 5,000 words
apiece. I will be accepting submissions no later than the end of July (or until
the anthology is filled. If you are writing a story specifically for this
anthology and are concerned about the “is filled,” feel free to query me in
advance).
I will update these guidelines and notify any already accepted authors
if the date has to be pushed back. I plan to start making final decisions
beginning in mid-July. All submissions should have final confirmation of
acceptance or rejection by the following week.
What's in it for the author?
There will be a token payment of $20 and a compensatory copy for the author, or
$35 for authors outside the USA. Contributors will get a bio to promote their
own work. (I would like to avoid a specific word limit on bios; please respect
the reader and the fact that every additional page raises the cover price. I
reserve the right to edit bios for space.) Copyright will be retained by the
author. Payment will be upon acceptance with comp copy to follow release of the
anthology. If, due to unforeseen circumstances, the anthology is cancelled, the
author is, of course, to keep the $20. [2]
Important Notes:
1] Authors new to
working in the Mythos may find this a bit confusing. Let me be clear: do not use
characters, creatures, book names, or anything else from modern authors. Modern
authors are under copyright. Lovecraft and the other members of his original
“circle” are largely under public domain. Please, do not accidentally infringe
on anyone’s copyright. Always check first. In addition, gaming rules and
supplements are also copyrighted works and should not be used. If in doubt, only
use Lovecraft’s own work as a source just to be on the safe side. Better yet,
create your own. This is always important when writing but especially in the
murky pseudo-shared world of the Mythos where the lines are more difficult to
see. If you questions have or concerns about this, a quick internet search
should tell you what you need to know.
2] Since any publication, the first time,
in any form, is by definition a use of First Rights, if you sell an unpublished
work, even on a non-exclusive contract, then you have used your First Rights.
And once First Rights (North American, World, Print, E-, or whatever other form
they may be) are used, it's all reprints from there and most places are no
longer interested. I would love to see your work, but I don’t want you to lose
out on another market because of confusion about the rights. As noted earlier, I
am interested in reprints for this project. One of the goals of this anthology
is to help writers and readers in this specific genre interest discover each
other. For this, reprints work very well.
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