| |
|
Who
should submit
The Squid will publish stories by young writers. What
exactly does that mean? Basically, we're looking for stories from
middle and high school students, but we will happily accept stories
from young writers not enrolled in middle or high school (i.e.,
home-schooled students, alternative ed students, young college
students, and drop-outs between the ages of eleven and eighteen).
Writers of all ages
are encouraged to submit non-fiction. Only fiction submissions
are limited to young writers.
Back
to top
|
What
to send
The Squid is looking for good stories of any length.
Humor, horror, sci-fi, and fantasy are preferred, but The
Squid will consider anything with a punch. Stories should
be quickly paced, original, and closely proofread. Since The
Squid will only be accepting two-dozen stories a year, the
competition will be stiff; send only your best. The Squid
is also open to artwork and non-fiction (book reviews, short story
reviews, author interviews, how-to writing tips, etc…).
Contact The Squid with any ideas.
Of course, the best way to judge the tastes of The Squid
is to read the stories we've published so far.
Back
to top
|
What
not to send
Incomplete stories. Sloppy work. Overly sentimental stories (for
example, the really sad tale about the family dog that had to
be put to sleep … unless, of course, Fido digs his way out
of the grave that night and scratches at the front door). Stories
that don’t fit the format guidelines (see below). Profanity.
Sex. Gore for gore’s sake. True stories. Poems. Random artwork.
Living animals. Boring stories.
Back
to top
|
Fiction
submissions
There are two methods of submitting to The Squid:
E-submission
Postal submission
|
| |
E-Submission
The Squid prefers electronic submissions
(e-subs). If submitting electronically,
please format along the following lines; submissions not conforming
to this format will be deleted unread.
E-subs should be single-spaced, with an extra space between paragraphs.
Don’t indent paragraphs. Scene breaks should be noted by
a pound (#) sign, italicized sections should be offset by underscores
(for example: _this section is to be read as italicized_), and
bold print should be offset by asterisks (*). At the top of your
e-sub, write your name, your email address (so The Squid
can respond), the story title, and an approximate word count.
At the end, write END in caps.
Once you’ve done all this, save as “text only.”
When you’re ready to submit, initiate email, address it
to submissions@the-squid.com,
open your text editor (for example, WORDPAD or NOTEPAD ... not
WORD), and paste your submission directly into the body of the
email. In the subject line of the email form, please write “fiction
submission” so that your submission can be properly routed.
No attachments, please. They’re potential virus factories
and will be torched as such. Any attachment will be deleted unread.
Please include a short cover letter, too. You can start your email
with the cover letter, then paste in the submission.
Back
to top
|
|
Postal
submissions
Postal submissions will be read between mid-September and late
May. You may submit year-round, but if you’re sending through
the mail, chances are that The Squid won’t actually
read (and respond) until that reading period. All postal submissions
must include either an SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope)
or an email address. If you wish to have your story returned to
you after it’s been considered, send an SASE with appropriate
postage. If you just want a response, write "disposable"
on the manuscript, and include a regular, business-sized envelope
with one stamp or an email address. The Squid will not
respond to postal submissions that include neither an SASE nor
an email address.
Postal submissions must be typed and should follow standard manuscript
format. Use nice, white paper. Use a decent printer or a fresh
typewriter ribbon. Font should be courier new, twelve point. Leave
at least a one-inch margin on all sides. Double-space the text.
Indent paragraphs. Don’t include an extra space between
paragraphs. At the top of page one, include your name, contact
information, and an approximate word count. Space down to the
middle of the page, type the title of your story and your name
again. On subsequent pages, use a header that tells the page number
and gives your name and the name of the story.
If a postal submission is accepted for publication, the author
may be asked to submit a copy on disk.
Please include a brief cover letter with your submission.
Mail postal submissions to:
John Dixon
Springton
Lake Middle School
1900
North Providence Road
Media,
PA 19063
Back
to top
|
Non-fiction
submissions
The Squid
is open to non-fiction submissions, too. Writers of all ages are
encouraged to submit non-fiction. The Squid is looking
for book reviews, short story reviews, writing tips, and interviews
with established authors. If you’d like to submit one of
these or have an idea for another type of non-fiction submission,
contact The Squid at editor@the-squid.com.
When making this sort of contact, please type the words “non-fiction
query” in the subject line of the email form. |
Artwork
submissions
If you are interested in contributing artwork, please contact
The Squid at editor@the-squid.com.
When making this sort of contact, please type the words “artwork
query” in the subject line of the email form.
Back
to top
|
Cover
letter
Cover letters should be brief. Take a moment to tell The Squid
who you are. List any previous publishing experience and / or
writing awards you have received. Cover letters should also include
contact information.
Back
to top
|
Additional
submission information
We are only interested in stories 1500 words or shorter in length.
Simultaneous subs, reprints, and multiple subs are all fine. If
you're sending us a simultaneous sub or a reprint, please mention
this in your cover letter. If you're sending multiple subs, be
patient; it might take a bit longer for us to respond.
The Squid
reserves the right to make editing changes in stories accepted
for publication. If this is a problem, let us know.
Back
to top
|
The
process
Write and revise your story. When you're happy with it, read and
follow the submission guidelines. You should hear from The
Squid within a month. If you don’t hear from The
Squid in six weeks, feel free to query. Most stories will
be either rejected or accepted, however, if a story is "close,"
The Squid might suggest changes and invite the author
to re-submit. Unless invited, please do not re-submit rejected
stories, even if you've revised. This being said, DO feel free
to send more stories; The Squid rejects stories, not
writers.
Unfortunately, The Squid does not have time to respond
personally to all writers and will resort to form rejections most
of the time. While this may seem coldly impersonal, there just
isn't time to provide all writers with constructive feedback.
Therefore, if your story is rejected WITH feedback, take this
as an encouraging sign. And always, keep rejections of all varieties
in perspective. If you want to write, you must learn to accept
rejection and keep on writing. Also, just because your story isn't
right for The Squid doesn't mean the story is a flop.
It might fit nicely elsewhere.
Back
to top
|
Payment
Unfortunately, as The Squid is a non-profit venture,
we cannot afford to pay contributors at this time. The Squid
will, however, be running paying contests from time to time.
Back
to top
|
Contact
The Squid
Still have a question? Contact The Squid at editor@the-squid.com.
Please type 'query' in the subject line of the e-mail form.
You may also write to us at the following address:
John Dixon
Springton
Lake Middle School
1900
North Providence Road
Media,
PA 19063
Letters will be received during the regular school year only.
Back
to top |
|
|
