The Latest on Galaxy # 2, Poetica # 3 and Flashpoint # 2 - Submission Opportunities Wide Open!

Here’s the hot-off-the-press latest on the planned 2021 anthologies from Clarendon House.

1. Galaxy # 2 submissions currently bring the proposed book to around 25,000 words. That’s given that ALL the submissions get accepted, which is very unlikely. So Galaxy # 2 could turn out to be a very slim volume.

Part of the problem is the 500 word limit requirement. Several authors don’t feel that they want to try and tell a story within 500 words, and I understand that. The idea of such a low word limit was to give many more authors the chance to participate in the contest associated with Clarendon House anthologies, which gives entrants the chance to win a book contract. I’m not going to change that word limit requirement to be fair to those who have submitted, but one of the consequences is that, as I say, Galaxy # 2 might be quite thin — unless I get a whole load of submissions in the next few days. Deadline: April 30th.

2. Poetica # 3 is in much the same boat as above. Word numbers aren’t as significant when it comes to poems, but the book would be around 120 pages if every submitted poem was accepted. That’s not too bad — people tend to buy poetry based on quality rather than quantity, so it’s probably still going to be a marketable book even after some poems are rejected. But there is plenty of room inside for many more poems between now and the end of the month deadline. Deadline: April 30th.

3. Flashpoint # 2 is a slightly different case. Restricting submissions to only magazine subscribers has left me with an unviable book at the moment. If every magazine subscriber were to submit something acceptable, we would be fine — but as it stands, Flashpoint # 2 may need a rethink… Stand by for further announcements on this one.

So, your takeaway from this is: if you have high quality science fiction or fantasy story that can be told within 500 words, and can get it to me before April 30th, you have a good chance of being included in the book and therefore winning enough reader votes to get a book contract from Clarendon House. Similarly, if you’re a poet, get your beautifully crafted and meaningful work to me by the end of the month and there’s a strong likelihood of being accepted.

If you’re a magazine subscriber and have something good to send in, please do so as soon as you can - and stand by for any further news about Flashpoint # 2.

Full submission guidelines can be found here.

Any questions? Please email me at grant@clarendonhousebooks.com