BrazenHead, an imprint of Lethe Press, publishes, on an occasional basis (one or two a year), exceptional novellas of queer speculative fiction.
Definition of terms:
Novellas—works of prose narrative fiction longer than short stories but shorter than novels. For production reasons, I can’t consider works shorter than 30,000 words. The upper limit is more flexible. The Nebula Awards rules cut novellas off at 40,000, but I’m happy to go up to about 60,000.
Speculative Fiction—science fiction, fantasy, horror, magical realism, all the myriad subgenres. The counterfactual element(s) should go to the bone: no psychological horror, no high-tech thrillers only a device or two away from the present, no Cottingley Fairies or ghosts that were probably just hallucinations. Hoary tropes (demon children, dragons, FTL space travel) are fine if handled interestingly; extrinsic SFX and clichés instead of worldbuilding are unlikely to fool me.
Queer—stories and characters of particular (not, one hopes, exclusive) interest to LGBTQI (and however many other initials) readers. That said, I’m not particularly looking for spec-fic stories about minority sexualities/orientations/gender identities any more than your typical F&SF or Strange Horizons story is about heterosexuality. I want stories, not utopian lectures.
I’m also not looking for speculative erotica. It’s a fine thing in its place, but BrazenHead isn’t that place. Nevertheless, write the sex the story needs—write it well and not simply for titillation—unless it needs foreground child abuse (background pederasty, if historical setting/culture demands, may skate by), rape without consequence, or bestiality.
Finally, please note well that I will be grumpy (though polite!) if submitted work doesn’t attempt to match all three requirements. BrazenHead is not a market for s0-called realistic fiction, nor for spec-fic that doesn’t involve queer themes, nor for full-length novels or collections of short fiction of any stripe.
Outside those restrictions, I want to be surprised and delighted. I’ll be especially delighted by cultural settings beyond the Anglo-American hegemony, but I can’t have everything.
How to submit:
Electronic submissions only. Please send your entire manuscript as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf attachment to
brazenhead@sentenceandparagraph.com
with the subject line: “BH submission: [title]”
Include your virtual and actual contact info in both the cover e-mail and the MS. Please don’t tell me about the story in the cover letter, but do feel free to tell me a little about yourself (or not, as you choose). If you wish to be added to the BrazenHead mailing list (I might send something out three times a year), let me know. All submissions will be acknowledged—I’ll try hard to do it within 24 hours. If two days go by after submission with no word, query.
At this early stage I feel it unwise to project how fast my decision making will be. Still, I hope not to be slow. If you don’t hear something within thirty days of the first acknowledgment, I’d encourage you to ask what’s up.
Simultaneous submission? Like most editors, I’m not in love with the practice. But I’m also a writer who’s known work to languish in one slushpile or another for unreasonable periods when it could be out garnering more! rejections! so…just tell me you’re doing it and, especially, let me know at once if some other happy editor snaps the thing up faster than I can.
Multiple submissions? Please don’t ask one piece of your writing to compete against another. It’s not fair to either.
How to make me immediately well disposed toward your work:
Again, .doc (preferred), .docx, or .rtf files only. I don’t myself use Word but I know most everybody else does and these file formats import well to the word processor I do use.
It would be wise to use something approaching standard manuscript format. I will not read single-spaced text and reformatting it will make me cranky. Functionally it doesn’t matter what typeface you use, but if it’s a display, decorative, or novelty font rather than a text/book face, I will laugh at you before I change it to something I’m willing to read. You don’t want that.
For production purposes, I prefer underlines over italics. It’s not a huge deal, though. Please do not use bold, ALL CAPS, or excessive punctuation (!?!!?!!) for extra-special super-duper shoutiness. Amateur distrust in the words’ and sentences’ rhythms and emphases makes me stabby and I will think ill of your manuscript and you.
It should go without saying that more than a few typos or syntactical missteps will prejudice me against your work. Don’t trust the squiggly red line to catch them. If you don’t trust yourself, get somebody to help.
What’s in it for you:
An advance against royalties of $100. I’m sorry it’s not more, but it is an advance, not a flat payment.
Five free copies of your handsome little book. (Samples of my designs can be viewed here.) Significant discounts on more copies if you need ’em.
That little (physical) book distributed as well as we’re able.
E-book editions appropriate for platforms including Kindle, nook, and iPad, and a PDF edition for them as want the design preserved onscreen.
Still have questions?
Send an e-mail. I’d really prefer a full MS honed to blinding brilliance, but if you want to query whether an idea might engage me before embarking on it, again, e-mail.
I look forward to reading your work.
—Alex Jeffers
editor/designer