Electric Athenaeum is a Science Fiction and Fantasy magazine publishing short fiction, articles, poetry, and interviews. Each issue features an accompanying theme, and is available for free to readers.
This issue’s theme: For Future Generations
We are currently OPEN for submissions! We plan on remaining open to submissions through 15 February 2018.
Fiction Guidelines
Word Limit: 3,000 words minimum, 10,000 words maximum
Pay Rate: 50GBP per story
Genre: We are open to any genre of speculative fiction, so long as the story contains a strong imaginative thread.
Theme: For Future Generations (more detail below)
Language: English (translations are welcome, as are submissions from authors worldwide)
Rights: We purchase first world electronic text rights.
For Future Generations (theme): Generation starships establishing new colonies. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Driving back the dark to protect your children. For this issue of Electric Athenaeum, we are seeking genre stories that focus on the issues surounding planning for future generations. We are particularly interested in stories featuring new visions/interpretations of generation starships, the care of fragile ecosystems, and dramatic explorations of balancing the rights of future generations versus the needs of the present.
Submissions Process: Please submit stories to us at electricathenaeum@gmail.com, using the Subject Line: Fiction: [Insert Story Title Here]. Please include a cover letter clearly listing your name, email address, story title, genre, and word count. The cover letter should also include publishing history (as applicable) and any other relevant information (for example, if you write interstellar fiction and also are a literal rocket scientist). Please use standard manuscript format and attach stories to the email as a .RTF, .DOC, or .DOCX file. No simultaneous submissions, please.
Queries and Response Times: We aim to respond to all submissions within two weeks. Please do not query us before that time.
Nonfiction Guidelines
What We’re Looking For: Articulate, well-written articles on a variety of subjects of interest to the SFF community that fit with out current theme. We are particularly interested in articles that explore the intersections between current science and fiction (be that hard science or social), examinations of genre history (for example, how different authors used/approached the trope of the generation ship), and essays on the writing or reading experience.
What We’re Not Interested In: At this time, we are not looking for reviews, interviews, or reprints of articles published elsewhere (particularly online). While we may print reviews or interviews, they will be handled in-house or directly commissioned to fit the theme of each issue. In addition, we have no interest in clickbait, pieces designed just to elicit an anger response or to denigrate a given work or group, or listicles.
Word Limit: 3,000 word maximum
Pay Rate: 50GBP per article
Submissions Process: Please Query First! Email queries to us at electricathenaeum@gmail.com using the Subject Line: Nonfiction: [Insert Proposed Article Title Here]. Please include a paragraph outlining the proposed article, and a list of your relevant qualifications or experience. If the article proposed seems a good fit, we will ask to see a full version. Please bear in mind that our request to see a full version of the article is not a guarantee of publication.
Poetry Guidelines
What We’re Looking For: Poetry of all forms, structures, and kinds that fits with our current theme. We are currently open to a wide variety of lengths, but it’s probably best to stick to no more than one page per poem.
Pay Rate: 10GBP per poem
Submission Process: Email submissions to us at electricathenaeum@gmail.com using the Subject Line: Poetry Submission. Please include a cover letter clearly listing your name, email address, poem title(s), and genres. The cover letter should also include publishing history (as applicable) and any other relevant information. Please use standard manuscript format and attach poems in a single document to the email as a .RTF, .DOC, or .DOCX file.
Visual Art Guidelines
What We’re Looking For: We are currently looking for artwork for the cover image of our first issue. We’re looking for science fiction or fantasy artwork that fits with the theme of For Future Generations, (see description above). We are open to all experience levels, and original or reprint artwork.
Pay Rate: 75GBP for cover art
Submission Process: Please Query! Email queries to us at electricathenaeum@gmail.com using the Subject Line: Artwork Query. Please include a link to a gallery of your work or the proposed piece specifically (if reprint), and a list of your relevant qualifications or experience.
Thank you to everyone considering submitting to Electric Athenaeum!