Through Blood and Iron - Subs and Q&A
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Through Blood and Iron
EDIT: The reading period is closed to longer works of fiction. Please do not send any further submissions over 1,500 words. Through Blood and Iron will continue to be open to flash fiction (works of roughly 1,500 words or less) up until the completion of the final draft (targeted for April).
Ricasso Press is pleased to announce it is accepting submissions for its fourth anthology, Through Blood and Iron. This will be a themed collection of short stories with a total word count of between 85,000 and 100,000 words, dependent on submissions.
The reading period is through October 30, 2009, with a projected December 2009 release date. Submissions are accepted via RTF-formatted e-mail attachments only. Go to www.ricassopress.com/contactus.html for the e-mail link.
What are we looking for?
The theme of this collection is heroic fantasy, defined as fantasy stories of any kind which involve heroic action. You cannot have your characters swing their swords too much. If you recall the five minutes of film in Braveheart that follows William Wallace speaking the line "I'm going to pick a fight," then you have perfectly imagined the kind of writing that will fill the pages of Through Blood and Iron. To use another movie reference, if you submit the short story version of Russell Crowe's Gladiator, I promise I'll buy it (which, of course, does not mean I am actively seeking four hundred stories about gladiators). Both Braveheart and Gladiator have at their core a heroic figure who is central to lots of down-and-dirty action. Your story should try to emulate this.
Is this an appropriate place to send your Sword & Sorcery tales? You bet your claymore it is, but continue reading the part about sorcery.
Stories can be of any length. Any word count is acceptable, from micro-flash to novella-length. Bear in mind that one of the goals of the anthology is to present the greatest number of stories for readers. What that means for authors is that a 10,000-word piece needs to be far better than the two 5,000-word pieces it displaces. Does that also mean flash fiction is an easier sell? Not at all; quality counts here as well. Regardless of the story's length, authors will be paid 1/2-cent per word ($5.00 minimum) on acceptance (or shortly thereafter).
What aren't we looking for?
Profanity and Sex...I am a prude when I write. I would like to keep this anthology PG-rated at the most, which means you are limited to the occasional mild curse word. I promise that if you use anything stronger than what you would hear on an early-evening television program your story will get bounced. Even if I love your story, the fact that you sent it to me knowing this restriction will earn you a rejection. Same for sexual situations. Suggest them to me; don't describe them in minute detail.
Excessive violence...I understand a collection of good old-fashioned blood and thunder is going to get the heroes in some messy situations. It is possible to keep the level of description below an R-rating (to use more movie terminology). I have no problem with violent action in these stories; what I'm trying to avoid is paragraph after paragraph of intimate details on every decapitation and disembowelment.
Lack of Motivation...Why is your character where he/she is? An action story is more than just a few thousand words of combat. Something put your protagonist into that situation. I want to know about it.
Lack of Action...The action is not the story, but any piece that doesn't involve some kind of conflict and resolution isn't a story. Conflict for this collection is best resolved with a blade. Adrenaline needs to flow for your story to get any traction.
Too Much Magic...High Fantasy and Sword & Sorcery typically involve members of the sorcerous society. I am not opposed to a presence of magic, but it should not be the central theme of your story. Picture Gandalf fighting Saruman in a battle of arcane skills: magical energy flies freely. At the end of this fight they pull out a couple of swords and start hacking away. The swordfight is what I'm looking for more than anything else. If the magic vs. metal balance swings too far towards the former, the story won't be right for this collection.
Thank you for your interest in Ricasso Press and Through Blood and Iron.
Rob Santa
Hopelessly Addicted Writer of Speculative Fiction
and CEO ofRicasso Press
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