GUIDELINES: SHELTER OF DAYLIGHT
Hello, and welcome to the guidelines for Shelter of Daylight. First, a word about the digest and its history. Shelter of Daylight began in the Spring of 2009 as a spinoff of Aoife's Kiss. It is published as a 6 x 9 perfect-bound trade paperback book. It is published semi-annually in spring [April] and autumn [October].
Shelter of Daylight publishes science fiction and fantasy. We do not want dark material, dark fantasy, certainly not horror. We do like stories that are positive, even uplifting. Sure, bad things happen to people, but the people we like to read about overcome what happens to them. And yes, sometimes an uplifting story can have a sad or poignant ending, we understand that. Just don't bother sending us dark material. Send it to our Cover of Darkness. They love that sh...tuff.
Staff:
Terrie Leigh Relf is the Editor for Shelter of Daylight. On occasion, Staff members of Sam's Dot Publishing may read slush.
Shelter of Daylight considers original science fiction and fantasy stories of word counts between 2,000 and 8,000. For accepted stories we pay $15.00 and a contributor's copy. We also consider reprints, but most likely will publish zero, one, or no more than two reprint stories per issue. The payment for a reprint is $6.00 and half a contributor's copy...oh, what the heck, make it $6.00 and a whole contributor's copy.
Shelter of Daylight will also consider flash fiction [up to 1100 words]. For accepted original flash fiction we pay $5.00 and a contributor's copy; for reprints, we pay $3.00 and a contributor's copy. We will publish no more than two flash fiction pieces per issue.
Shelter of Daylight considers original science fiction and fantasy poetry of lengths up to 100 lines. For accepted poems we pay $4.00 and a contributor's copy. We also consider reprints, but most likely will publish zero, one, or no more than two reprint poems per issue. The payment for a reprint poem is $2.00 and a contributor's copy.
Shelter of Daylight considers original articles, interviews, reviews [of books or movies, frex], of word counts between 1,000 and 2,000 words. For accepted pieces we pay $8.00 and a contributor's copy. We might consider timely reprints, but query first.
Shelter of Daylight considers interior art [b&w]. We prefer sf/f thematic pieces that suggest a story behind them. We are not looking for designs and patterns. For accepted pieces we pay $5.00 and a contributor's copy.
Note: All payments will be made upon publication.
Note: at the bottom of these guidelines you will find some advice for writers. We strongly urge you to READ & HEED this advice. We turn down over 80% of the submissions we receive. Almost all of those rejected submissions violate one or more of the principles in that advice. Read and heed, folks.
How to submit your work:
For electronic submissions [preferred]:
In the upper left corner of the first page of your work, we want to see the name to which you wish the check made out to, the address to which the check is to be mailed, and your e-mail address. In the upper right hand corner of the first page of your work, we want to see the approximate word count.
Ten lines below your e-mail address, and centered in the page, we want to see the title of your work and your byline [note that the name in the byline does not necessarily have to be the name in the upper left hand corner]. Four lines below your name, we want to see the beginning of your work.
Indent paragraphs a tab space of 0.25". Do NOT set any other tabs. Double-space the lines. If you use italics, then use italics. However, if you submit in plain text format, use asterisks * before and after words and phrases to denote italics. Please use Times New Roman or Courier New font, preferably 12point.
Submit your written work as an RTF or Word attachment, or pasted as text in the body of the e-mail. Put SUBMISSION: and the title of your work in the subject line.
Submit your art as a JPEG attachment. Put SUBMISSION and the title of your piece in the subject line.
Submit your poem as text pasted into the body of the e-mail. If you desire italics for words and phrases, place an asterisk * before and after the words to be italicized.
In your e-mail, say hello, and provide your contact information. This is the same information that appears in the upper left corner of the first page of your submission. If your submission is accepted, we will request a bio and send you a contract.
Send your e-mail submission to: shelterofdaylightNOSPAM at yahoo.com. You'll have to remove the NOSPAM and replace at with @.
B. For snail-mail submissions [tolerated]:
Follow the electronic submissions format. Additionally, identify and number each page of your work. At the top of each page, in a header, we want to see your name, a word from the title of your work, and a sequential number. For example: Beauregard - Shash, p.475. Paperclip your story in the upper left corner. Be sure to include a #10 [that’s business-size] SASE with your submission. Please submit disposable manuscripts. Please print your manuscript in Times New Roman or Courier New font, 12-point.
If we accept your snailmail submission, you will be asked to supply an electronic version.
Send your snail-mail submission to:
Sam's Dot Publishing
ATTN: SOD
P.O. Box 782
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 52406-0782
Final Note: If you have questions about any of this, e-mail shelterofdaylightNOSPAM at yahoo.com. You'll have to adjust this address, of course.
Shelter of Daylight makes every effort to respond within 2 months. Please do not query until after 3 months.
Other helpful advice:
If you want your work to be published in Shelter of Daylight, please pay close attention to the advice below.
1. Do proofread your work, and eliminate mistakes of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and syntax.
2. Do practice word management. Use the right word, and only as many words as necessary.
3. Plot does matter. Without a plot, a story is history--in more ways than one. A plot, simply put, is the answer to the question: How do I get from the conflict to the resolution? Answer that question before you write the story, and let the answer guide your pen/keyboard/magic marker.
4. Do make your characters live through your words, for characters carry your story. A good story is not about an event or a circumstance or a moral question, but about how your protagonists and antagonists respond to the stimuli of the event or circumstance or moral question. In a proper story, your protagonist will change in some way as a result of the circumstances or events. If your protagonist does not change, you have not written a story.
a. Corollary: we receive a lot of submissions in which someone is abused as a child and therefore misbehaves as an adult. This sort of blaming is reductionist and not very useful. We as humans have and make choices, regardless of our traumas. We want stories with an eye to the future, not to the past. In other words, humans are complex, and should not be limited by reductionist motivations.
5. Do NOT preach. If you absolutely must make a moral point, or a statement about the state of society, politics, or religion, do so with a subtle velvet hammer...or compose an essay. Yes, we agree, the world is in a sorry state...so what else is new? Send us a story, not a sermon.
6. We do not object to colorful language....IF it has a purpose in the story. You cannot shock us. But you can annoy us with unnecessary florid language.
7. Do NOT send simultaneous submissions. Do NOT send multiple submissions. One submission at a time, please.
8. DO tell us if your submission has been published previously, and where and when, so that we may accredit the proper sites.
9. Set off direct address with commas. Thus, "Hello, Harry, how are you?" "Harry" is used in direct address, and therefore is set off by commas. Put another way, there is a huge difference between "Let's eat, grandmother," and "Let's eat grandmother." Commas are important. Editors do not have time to insert them into direct address for you. That's your job.