Saturday, January 27, 2007

PIRATE ANTHOLOGY UPDATE

Ann and I have just accepted "Boojum" by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette for the pirate anthology. It's a wonderful story and I wouldn't be surprised to see it in some year's bests at some point.

In the next week or so we'll clear the decks. So if you've got something on hold with us or submitted in the last month you'll be hearing from us shortly, don't worry.

Editing any anthology involves a whole series of checks and balances. It's not even so much a question of one story being better than another. It's more a question of how it all fits together. So we're being very methodical and patient in our reading and our re-reading. Some things will be rejected or accepted faster than others as a result. And, as you might expect in this internet age, snail mail stories are being looked at more slowly than electronic submissions. Thanks for your own patience waiting to hear from us.

As for what we are seeing too much of...that's difficult because we are definitely seeing a lot of traditional pirate stories. And yet, we do want traditional pirate stories. I would just say, more specifically, that we're seeing a lot of Master-and-Commander rip-offs. Otherwise, keep 'em coming, in all varieties.

You can still submit to the anthology until the end of February. Piratical guidelines are here and the normal ones are here:


Fast Ships, Black Sails, to be published by Night Shade Books, wants exciting, bone-rattling pirate fiction set in the past, present, or future, covering the full spectrum of parrot-carrying, booty-taking, grappling-hook pirate adventure and fun. Submissions should be between 3,000 and 10,000 words, with payment set at 5 cents per word to 10k, two contributor copies, and a share of royalties. No simultaneous submissions. No boring stories. Electronic submissions to peglegparrots at hotmail.com in Word or RTF format. Snail mail submissions to POB 38190, Tallahassee FL 32315, USA, with SASE for reply only. We will read from November 1, 2006, through the end of February, 2007. – Captains Ann and Jeff VanderMeer


Jeff

4 Comments:

At 9:25 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I shall endeavor to hoise the main sails and write something in time.

 
At 11:41 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ack. The sails be up, but the wind be down. We've stationed the first mate, the one that snores horrible, behind the main. Alas, no good. Tis an ill wind that blows out, to much for the night watch and not enough of for the sails. Hopeful the morrow will bring wind.

 
At 5:55 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have only just found out about this anthology right this second, but I will try and get something onto paper/into word document by the end of Feb.
Not that anyone cares, but that'll give y'all an idea of my astonishing ability to write fast and write badly.

mo.

 
At 12:06 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This sounds like a great anthology, and I will certainly submit to it.

Great to hear that submissions are accepted throughout February . . . as I only just heard tell of it!

Yar.

Cheers

 

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