Tips from an Editor

The submission deadline has passed so we are working fast and furious now on the fabulous November 2022 issue of Electric Spec. We get a lot of slush--which is great. But it also means we have a lot of work to get through it all. Here are some tips for publication that other editors might not admit. Sadly, when push comes to shove, we may be looking for reasons to reject you.

• Follow instructions.
  • Do submit your file in the format we request.
  • Do include some kind of cover letter.
  • Do obey word-length rules.
  • Don't include weird formatting.
• speaking of Word-length...
  • Submitting the maximum number of words will make success more difficult, because editors don't really want to edit such long stories.
  • Conversely, submitting less than 1000 words will also make success more difficult, because it's difficult to tell a full story in so few words.
• Genre.
  • We get a lot of dark, depressing stories. I guess it's because we accept 'macabre.' Personally, I'm tired of murder stories. If you submit a more positive story you might be more successful.
  • other genres we don't get as much include: steampunk (basically, any kind of punk), alternative history, cli-fi, magical realism, and any kind of genre mashup. Less common genres will be more successful because they seem more fresh and fun.

I guess that's enough for now. I better get back to work!
If you submitted: Good Luck!