General Neon Hemlock Submission Notes:
- Unless the editors are otherwise specified, you can address cover letters to “Dear editors” or “Dear dave.” Please avoid “Dear Mr. Ring.”
- Please submit your story in .doc or .docx file, formatted in something approaching Standard Manuscript Format. One of the editors has a slight aversion to Courier and a fondness for Georgia.
- Please include a cover/query letter with the title, length, and a brief bio. You may include links to your website/social media, and previous publications if any. Please don’t stress about this cover letter, if we have additional questions about your submission, we’ll ask them.
- Simultaneous submissions are always fine; please withdraw immediately if you take another offer. Stories should be previously unpublished.
- Please no multiple submissions. If you receive a rejection within the submission window, you may submit another story.
- If you joke about how straight white men are underrepresented in speculative fiction, it will not win you any points.
- Thanks for thinking of Neon Hemlock for your work.
- Please don't self-reject!
This anthology, edited by Ann LeBlanc, will feature cyberpunk stories written by transfem authors.
Submit stories on Submittable from July 15th, 2023 to October 15th, 2023. Please contact us if there are any accessibility concerns for any reason and we’ll work with you.
What we’re looking for:
- Originals and reprints.
- Wordcount: Under 6,000 words.
- Pay: $0.08/word for originals, $0.01/word for reprints
- Concept: Cyberbunk and posthuman short stories by transfem authors.
- What we want to see: Augmented bodies. Uploaded minds. Cybernetics, real cities, and virtual worlds. Putting the trans in transhumanism. We’re looking for stories that push characters' bodies and minds to their limits. This anthology will use a very broad definition of "cyberpunk"—anything from ten minutes into the future all the way through the distant and unrecognizable eons. We’re open to stories that infuse magic into the setting. We want the full spectrum: stories of trans joy and gender euphoria, and darker stories of trans sorrow, struggle, and dysphoria.
- What we don’t want to see: We’re not interested in stories that retread ableist tropes equating body modification with the loss of humanity. We’re also not interested in stories that indulge in cyberpunk’s history of anti-Asian xenophobia.
Guidelines
- Please submit your story in .doc or .docx file, formatted in something approaching Standard Manuscript Format. Use italics for italics, etc. You do not need to include your legal name or home address.
- Please include a cover/query letter with the title, word count, a brief bio, and whether your story is original or a reprint. If you wish, you may include links to your website/social media and mention any previous publications if any. But please don’t stress about this cover letter. Your story is what matters, and if we have additional questions about your submission, we’ll ask them.
- Simultaneous submissions are fine; please contact us to withdraw immediately if you take another offer.
- Please only submit one story. The exception is if you receive a rejection within the submission window; in that case, you may submit a second, different story.
Submissions are open to transfem authors, including trans women, transfems, nonbinary trans women, etc. We’re not the gender cops, and you don’t need to justify or explain your identity. If you think you’d fit in an anthology of transfem authors, you belong here.
We’re especially interested in submissions from disabled writers, Black writers, Indigenous/Native writers, and other writers of color. Please don’t self-reject.
You should receive a confirmation of your submission via email. Please query after 90 days if you haven't heard back from us yet.
We’d love it if you tracked your submissions on Duotrope or the Submission Grinder.