I’m editing issue number 53 of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine.
A bit about the magazine: We are Australian, but anyone in the world can submit. We offer semipro payment. The magazine is run by a co-operative of 20-odd members, and each issue has a different editor. We have an automated slush process, where incoming slush is distributed randomly over all slush readers. Before stories go out to readers, all information identifying the author is stripped from the story. In other words: we read stories blind.
We also have a submission process for artists, and are always looking for reliable illustrators for front covers and internal illustrations.
Once three readers have approved your story, it will be re-united with the author’s name, and will go into the slush pool, where editors of coming issues roam to pick stories.
All of us are different, and all our tastes vary, which is why the magazine offers a lot of different types of stories. We have published a lot of writers who have gone on to do really well for themselves.
What I will be looking for:
Firstly, stories must absolutely be well-written. This includes quality at prose-level as well as a tight plot with a satisfying ending.
I am a huge fan of hard SF, as you will know, but I strive for a balance between the genres. I’d actually like to see some refreshing traditional fantasy.
I am not a fan of fantasy tropes, unless, of course, they are done really well. I point to the first story in issue 47 (which I also edited), a tale called Dig Up The Vote, which has so far received most positive comments out of the entire issue. It is, of all things, a story about zombies. Seriously. I detest zombies, but Patrick Tomlinson did them well. Buy a PDF of the issue if you’d like to see what I mean.
I need an artist who can do a crisp illustration of something set in space.
You know my style and my details are already with ASIM for illustrations, so I’m always happy to contribute 🙂
I might have a story to submit too… sort of fantasy though, not SF. I’m writing a Hard-SF/Horror story at the moment, but it was requested for another market.
how are you on illustrations of space ships etc? Most of what I’ve seen of yours is horror.
Yeah, that’s the strange thing. SF is my first love, over and above horror, but unfortunately for me most of my illustration work has been Horror and Fantasy. SF artist Jim Burns is my hero 🙂
I’ve only done one spacecraft, for an Aurealis cover a couple of years ago: http://www.andrewmckiernan.com/mediagallery/media.php?f=0&sort=0&s=20090819123059373
My only other two SFish works that have been published are:
http://www.andrewmckiernan.com/mediagallery/media.php?f=0&sort=0&s=20090609125606548
http://www.andrewmckiernan.com/mediagallery/media.php?f=0&sort=0&s=20090609152245964
I’d definitely love a chance to try something more SF and technical though 🙂
OK, that’s good to know
You’re a brave woman! 😉