Updates:

• Our May 2008 reading period for short fiction and flash is now OPEN.
• Also, our POETRY SUBMISSIONS are CLOSED.. Please review the new poetry POETRY GUIDELINES.
• We are responding to submissions as quickly as possible. We still have submissions from November 2007 under consideration.

• What we're looking for
• Fiction
• Poetry
• Very important: General information on sending manuscripts
• Queries
• Support Abyss & Apex

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WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Our mission is to publish the finest in speculative and imaginative fiction and poetry, with special attention to character-driven stories that examine the depths and heights of emotion and motivation from a broad variety of cultural and social perspectives. We want to publish powerful stories with emotion that resonates in our minds and hearts long after the first reading and makes us want to read them again and again. We look for the unique: stories that stand out from the norm even in a genre that pushes the envelope of normal. We take special delight in detailed world-building, and we enjoy reading about the realms and inhabitants of your imagination.

We have no subject/topic preference, beyond a requirement that the work have a speculative element. We are happy to read high fantasy, magic realism, hard science fiction, sword and sorcery, and genrebending stories that don't quite seem to fit elsewhere. Our tastes span the gamut from classic Golden-Age SF to modern nontraditional formats. We don't mind experimental styles. We are, however, discriminating.

We read a lot, so it may be hard to surprise us. We admit to a certain dislike of stories — or plots, settings, or character types — that we've seen many times before. You might be surprised how many different takes we've read on Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White. Please don't send us a "modern update on a classic fairytale," unless it is stunningly original.

We will consider dark speculative fiction, but we do not publish horror. We won't publish extremely graphic violent or sexual content or over-the-top gore, and we are turned off by gratuitous foul language. In other words, if the primary purpose of the story is to scare us or make us queasy, we won't buy it.

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FICTION

The submissions editors at Abyss & Apex read short fiction and flash during designated reading periods ONLY, four times a year. The four one-month reading periods are

• February
• May
• August
• November.

• May 2008 for the 3rd Quarter 2008 issue 27 (published July)
• August 2008 for the 4th Quarter 2008 issue 28 (published October)

Short fiction and flash received outside of these designated reading periods will be deleted without acknowledgment.

We will read short stories at lengths of up to 10,000 words. We are always interested in good flash fiction (1,000 words or less). If your story is on the borderline of flash length, consider trimming those extra words and making your short-short story even tighter and stronger.

Payment is US $.05/word (five cents a word) up to 1,500 words, and a flat payment of $75.00 for longer stories, on 60 days after publication.

We prefer to make author payments via paypal. If this is unacceptable please let us know and we will make other arrangements.

Our editors try their best to provide feedback on stories that are declined, but may not be able to answer specific questions on the reasons a story was not accepted. We strive to keep our response times under one month, but this may change depending on a variety of factors, so feel free to query if you have not received a response in one month.

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POETRY

Please read our new Poetry guidelines.

We like to see strong, emotionally resonant, literary-quality poetry with a clear speculative element, as well as scifaiku and what some call "science poetry" or "astronomy poetry." Both traditional and modern or nontraditional formats are encouraged, and we have no length restrictions for poetry. Wow us with a sestina, or stun us in free verse. We admire poetry that exceeds our expectations in scansion, imagery, emotional impact and creative wordplay. We love language, and we like to see it worked for all it's worth. Our love of poetry exceeds the space and funds we have to publish it, so we accept only the very best; amaze us!

Please use this subject header for your submission email:

POETRY SUB: "Your title here"

Submit your poetry either in the body of an e-mail message or as an attachment (Word, RTF, and txt are fine) to aandapoetry@gmail.com. You may submit up to three poems at one time. An exception is haiku or other extremely short forms; if you have four or five related short pieces, you may submit those together.

Payment is a flat fee of US $5.00.

Query Poetry Editor with any questions.

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GENERAL INFORMATION

• We accept submissions via e-mail only.

• E-mail submissions must be saved in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rtf).

• We do not accept simultaneous or multiple submissions, except for poetry.

• We do not accept unsolicited reprints.

• All short story submissions of more than 1,000 words must be in Standard Manuscript Format. That means 12-point type, double-spaced, black on white, ragged right margins; author's name and contact information on the TOP of the first page; and name, page number, and story name as a header every page thereafter. Further details are available at http://sfwa.org/writing/.

• Attach your submission to an e-mail message in Microsoft Word or .rtf (Rich Text Format) and submit it to: editor@abyssandapex.com

  with the email subject in the following format:

  FICTION SUB: "Your title here"

  or

  FLASH FICTION SUB: "Your title here"

• Flash fiction (fewer than 1,000 words) and poetry may be submitted within the body of your e-mail message. If you wish to send a cover letter, please include it in the body of your e-mail message as well.

• We will not open or read any submissions that do not have an appropriate subject line. The subject line is important for sorting our mail; mail sent to the submissions address with an incorrect subject line may never reach us.

• Please be absolutely certain to include your name and contact information on the manuscript itself. We would appreciate it if you would include a brief, two- to three-sentence bio either in the body of your e-mail message or somewhere within your attached manuscript.

• Please submit only to the address above.

• We strive to honor your time and effort and to keep our response times under one month, but this may change depending on a variety of factors, so feel free to query if you have not received a response in two months.

• Please, no multiple or simultaneous submissions. Submitting a poem and a flash or short fiction piece at the same time is considered a multiple submission.

• We are not currently soliciting artists or editorial content.

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QUERIES

Send queries to us at editor@abyssandapex.com.

In general, we try very hard to keep our response time under two months. However, please read any notes or updates at the top of this page to find out if any circumstances have changed that affect this norm.

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