We ended up getting a story for the first UNDEAD because I posted the guidelines here so I figured I'd better let you all know about the sequel.
Personally I'd like to see someone come up with a good hybrid mythos zombie tale somehow.Jacob
http://www.permutedpress.com
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SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: THE UNDEAD 2
PDF of guidelines available here.
Following are the submission guidelines for THE UNDEAD 2 zombie anthology, a follow-up to the hugely popular and well-reviewed anthology THE UNDEAD. THE UNDEAD 2 will be published by Permuted Press as a trade paperback/eBook and edited by D.L. Snell and Travis Adkins.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Unique, well-written tales featuring zombies. We stress unique. Your tale should have something new, exciting, and interesting to contribute to the zombie fiction genre. Surprise us. We define zombies as the living dead and do not restrict them to slow, dumb, Romero-style resurrected humans. For the best idea of what we’re looking for we strongly recommend you read THE UNDEAD (ISBN 0976555948) . A single novella of greater length (15,000+ words) may be included if something unique of quality comes along. Please query if you have such a novella.
WHAT AREN'T YOU LOOKING FOR?
Traditional zombie tales that bring nothing new to the genre. No tales about being trapped in a building and no tales about attempting to travel somewhere to rescue someone unless there is a new, unique spin.
HOW MUCH ARE YOU PAYING?
$10.00 US dollars upon publication plus 1 copy of the printed trade paperback. Authors outside North America will receive either $10.00 US or 1 copy of the printed trade paperback (their choice) due to additional shipping costs. Payment will be made via Paypal only.
WHAT RIGHTS DO YOU WANT?
First print and digital rights, exclusive print rights for one year from time of publication. Author retains copyright.
HOW LONG SHOULD MY STORY BE?
Up to 8,000 words. No minimum length but extremely short stories are much less likely to be accepted—in general we’re not into flash fiction. A single novella of greater length (15,000+ words) may be included if something unique of quality comes along. Please query if you have such a novella.
HOW DO I SUBMIT?
Send the file as an attachment (.DOC or .RTF, please no PDF, HTML, etc.) to submit@undeadanthology.com. Stories should be double-spaced and use Courier New 12 pt. font with italics for emphasis (not underlining). Don't put your story in the body of an e-mail (see instructions about COVER LETTER below). Put your contact information at the top of the first page. Stories that don't follow proper formatting guidelines will be rejected unread (yes, we’re serious).
WILL YOU ACCEPT SNAIL MAIL SUBMISSIONS?
Yes, query us at submit@undeadanthology.com for mailing instructions.
WHAT SHOULD I PUT IN THE COVER LETTER/E-MAIL BODY?
Please include a brief snippet explaining what makes your zombie tale unique if it won’t ruin our first reading (by giving away a big surprise, etc.). A brief biography, publication history, etc. is fine.
WHAT'S THE DEADLINE?
We will begin reading immediately and stories will be accepted until July 31, 2006 or until the anthology is filled.
HOW DO I KNOW YOU’VE RECEIVED MY SUBMISSION?
Within one (1) week of your submission, you'll receive an e-mail confirming that we received it. If you don't receive this confirmation, feel free to query.
ARE MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS OKAY?
Yes, but we're not going to buy more than one story from any single author. But please, don’t inundate us with stories. It’s probably a good idea to pick your top 3 unique zombie tales and submit no more.
WHAT ABOUT SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS?
Simultaneous submissions to other publications are fine but please inform us if your story is placed.
WHAT ABOUT REPRINTS?
Reprints will be considered. Include in your submission where the story has been previously published (even if it has only been published online). Previously unpublished stories are much more likely to be accepted than widely circulated tales.
TIPS ON GETTING YOUR STORY READ.
- Follow the formatting instructions.
- Thoroughly proofread your story.
- Make sure your story is interesting within the first page.
ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE ME A DETAILED RESPONSE IF YOU REJECT MY STORY?
Based on the expected volume of submissions it is highly unlikely that constructive criticism will be given on rejected tales. If you followed the submission guidelines you will at least receive notice your story was rejected. If you did not follow submission guidelines your submission will simply be deleted.
WHAT ARE THE LIMITS ON VIOLENCE, GORE, AND LANGUAGE?
None as long as it fits the story.
WHAT ARE THE LIMITS ON SEXUAL/EROTIC CONTENT?
We aren’t interested in tales featuring graphic sexual/erotic content, nor are we interested in tales which focus heavily on sexual/erotic content as the primary plot of the story.
I’M A NEW AUTHOR, NEVER BEEN PUBLISHED, THIS IS MY FIRST STORY, ETC., ETC., DO I HAVE A CHANCE?
Of course! Check out the lineup for THE UNDEAD—we accepted tales from many up-and-coming authors. We accept tales from all authors big and small. If you’ve got a quality story we want it!
CAN I WRITE A STORY IN THE ‘NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD’, ‘THE RISING’, OR (ENTER YOUR FAVORITE ZOMBIE BOOK/MOVIE/COMIC HERE) UNIVERSE?
Not unless you own the copyright! Keep your zombie tales set in your own zombie world—don’t make reference to any other works/characters unless you own the copyright to those works/characters. Of course you’re welcome to rework any stories you’ve written in such a universe so that they are generic zombie tales and submit them in that form.
DO YOU NEED A COVER ARTIST?
We will need a cover artist. If you’re interested, send a few samples of your art (no large files, please) to submit@undeadanthology.com. Include your rates.
DO YOU NEED INTERIOR ART?
We will consider black-and-white/grayscale interior art on a case-by-case basis but we will not pay for its use. If you have some zombie-related black-and-white/grayscale art you would allow us to use email samples (no large files, please) to submit@undeadanthology.com.
WHAT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS THAT AREN'T COVERED IN THESE GUIDELINES?
Send an e-mail to submit@undeadanthology.com.
