Behind the scenes

The Electric Spec editors are working hard behind the scenes on the marvelous May 2024 issue! We have scheduled the Production meeting for the beginning of May. Food and drink will be involved!

We are reading the stories in the slush pile. Different editors have different processes. Some like to read a few stories every week. At the opposite extreme, some like to power through many stories in one sitting. Obviously, in the first scenario each story gets a lot of individual attention. In the second scenario, it's easier to compare stories with one another. In all scenarios your story will have a better chance if it grabs the reader right away.

Of course, editors have their own idiosyncrasies. Personally, I'm not excited about stories over 5,000 words because they're extra work for us in terms of editing and formatting, etc. Each editor enjoys different genres. I enjoy time travel tales and quantum fiction. But, don't worry, we all enjoy good stories.

Bottom line: if you submitted a story: Thank You! And Good Luck!

Give your story the best shot

Wow! We're excited about all the great stories we got for the marvelous May 2024 issue of Electric Spec! Submissions for this issue are now closed.
Since we get so many stories, there's an easy way you can give your story the best possible shot at publication: obey our submission rules. Recall, these submission rules are listed on our Submission page. The main items are:

• between 250 and 7000 words
• traditional manuscript format: indented paragraphs instead of left justification and double-spaced
• include the title, your name, address, and word length on the first page of your story
• attachment in Rich Text Format (RTF)
• subject line: SUBMISSION: Story Title by Author's Name (Word Count)
• include a a cover letter
• submit only one story at a time

Thanks for submitting! Good luck!

Grab the reader

The next submission deadline is fast approaching: April 15, 2024.
We've already received a lot of great stories for the marvelous May 2024 Electric Spec Issue!
If you've submitted: thank you!
Our large number of stories means we get to be very selective about which we ultimately pick. Competition is stiff. For authors, this means you will be better off if you grab the reader on the first page. You will be even better off if you grab the reader in the first paragraph. There are many ways to do this including unique characterizations, dialogue, and/or descriptions, dramatic problems, dialogue and/or settings. Make the reader wonder: what happens next? If the editor is thinking this, we are much more likely to buy the story.
Good luck with your story!

Gruesome murder stories

We, the Electric Spec Editors, have been hard at work on the marvelous May 2024 issue! This involves reading a lot of stories from the slush pile. I'm not sure why but recently I got to read several stories that featured gruesome, and/or bloody, and/or gory murders. Some of these were well-written stories. But it doesn't matter. We do not publish gruesome murder stories. Please send these stories to other markets!
Thanks!