Pink Narcissus Press

Submissions

General guidelines

We like strong writing, well-crafted worlds, and original voices. If this means excessive use of profanity, sex, or violence, then so be it. However, pushing the envelope of good taste is one thing, grossing out the editors is another. Whether or not we think a piece of writing is edgy or has just gone too far basically boils down to a matter of taste. We do appreciate the beauty in the subtle and the sublime. Can writing be both beautiful and profane, violent and subtle, or edgy and sublime?  We think so.   

We will make an effort to respond as promptly as possible. Response times vary - however, average turnaround time on short story submissions is 2-3 weeks. For longer works, average time is 4-6 weeks.

As e-mails do sometimes get lost in transit, please feel free to query us about the status of your submission at any time, particulary if the wait exceeds our turnaround time.

All Pink Narcissus Press publications will be made available in both trade paperback and e-book format.

Short stories

For short stories, our needs are very specific. Please see our call for submissions below.

Novels and novellas

The editors at Pink Narcissus Press are currently considering longer works (around 50,000 words and up) for future publication. In particular, we are interested in fiction novels that are well-written but may have been passed over by the larger publishing houses because they do not neatly fit into a specific genre or are just not "commercial" enough. If you have such a novel, then Pink Narc might be the home for your work. Although we will consider most types of speculative fiction, preference will be given to novellas and novels with strong elements of fantasy and/or sci-fi.  

 

For longer works, please submit the entire manuscript. A synopsis (of any length) or outline of the work is appreciated.

 

Novel and novella submissions should be sent to slush <at> pinknarc.com.

By e-mail: 

Electronic submissions preferred. No queries necessary for fiction. We prefer a Word doc.  If submitting a story, please include the title of the story in the subject line of the e-mail. Anthology submissions should be sent to the appropriate e-mails listed below.

Although we are focused on fiction, we may occasionally consider either short comics/manga or poetry. Please query first before submitting any comics/manga. Queries may be sent to: info <at> pinknarc. com. 

By snail mail:

We will also accept hard copies. Please include an SASE with sufficient postage if you wish to have your manuscript returned, otherwise we will recycle it. (If you are submitting from outside the US please use International Reply Coupons (IRCs) available from your post office). If submitting a hard copy, please include a word count. Manuscripts and other correspondence may be sent to Pink Narcissus Press, PO Box 303, Auburn, MA, 01501.

Standard manuscript format is preferred. If you are not sure what that means, please read Dr. Bill's "A Note to Contributors" which explains how to write a proper cover letter and format a manuscript.

Payment and rights

For writers

Upon acceptance, the publisher will enter into negotiations about payment and rights. For the anthologies, we generally ask for exclusive first print rights and first electronic rights. The publisher would also like to reserve the right to use the work for promotional purposes (such as an excerpt on the website or on other promotional materials such as bookmarks, posters, and other similar items). ALL rights revert back to the author six months from the date of publication.  

For previously published stories, we ask for similar rights. Terms of payment are the same, we do not offer less for reprint rights.

*Please note that our pay rates have recently changed.* Starting with our current anthologies ("Queer Fish 2" and "Daughters of Icarus"), for fiction (anything over 2000 words) payment will be one US cent ($.01) per word. However, for flash fiction or stories under 2000 words, we will pay a flat fee of $20 US dollars. Payment to be made upon publication.

For artists

For single illustrations (cover art, website illustrations, etc.) we pay a one-time honorarium ranging from $50-100 depending on the complexity of the illustration. From artists we ask for NON-exclusive rights.

For manga or comics, we ask for the same rights as for writers (as above). As our focus is fiction, we are not seeking a lot of manga-style work, however, for the right piece, we would be thrilled to include it in one of our anthologies. Payment for comics/manga is a meager $20-$50 flat fee per page, depending on style, complexity, and skill of the artist. If you are still interested, please query with your idea, estimated page length, and samples of your work. 

Daughters of Icarus

A brave new world of feminist science fiction

Pink Narcissus Press seeks short feminist science fiction writing for its "Daughters of Icarus" anthology.  Submissions must explore gender roles in society; hard science fiction is not appropriate to this anthology. So long as your submission takes up this challenge, the only other requirement of authors is that the work have an original and creative voice. Please note that the gender of the author is irrelevant, and male authors are welcome to submit. However, authors of any gender would do well to acquaint themselves with the likes of Ursula K. LeGuin, Margaret Atwood, Octavia Butler, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman to obtain a sound footing in the genre and a better understanding of previous work in the genre.  Stories housed in new, unique worlds are preferred, as are those describing fantastical societies. Stories of any length will be considered.

Deadline: May 31, 2012 

Submissions for "Daughters of Icarus" should be sent to: icarus <at> pinknarc. com