Monday, May 30, 2011

PULP MODERN

I really like the sounds of this:

Pulp Modern is a fiction journal that publishes exciting, genre fiction. Those genres include crime, mystery, horror, fantasy and westerns. Stories should be between 2000 and 5000 words. Longer stories may be considered for serialization.
For more information check it out here.

Let me know what you think after reading the submission guidelines and payment to the writer. I think this is a killer idea.

20 comments:

sandra seamans said...

Any idea who the editor is? Personally, I like knowing who I'm dealing with upfront when I'm giving them that many rights to my story. Other than that, it sounds like a good zine.

wv: wippe

AC said...

I'm the editor, Sandra. I know it seems like a lot of rights, but that's only to make sure the story doesn't appear anywhere else for twelve months. The writer retains all the rights after that.

I've tried, over the years, to start up many a publication and I'm constantly attacked by "established" writers (people I've never heard of and can't find on Amazon or in any book store) about the rights, so I tried to be thorough here.

My intention is not to 'own' anyone's work (I forget the name of that particular right, but there's one that signs the story over for good. I would never do that!)

sandra seamans said...

I understand the need to cover all the bases rights wise, AC. I've been snookered a few times though, so I like to know who I'm dealing with before I sign away anything. :)

I'll post a link to your site on my blog.

David Cranmer said...

I've learned the hard way you have to lock stories in until your collection is released. I had a top story for an antho and at the 11th hour the writer moved it to another collection that was released a month before mine. And that was after I worked on it with him and offered plot suggestions that he ended up using.

sandra seamans said...

That was the writer's bad, David. Spinetingler had a writer do that to them also. It's very unprofessional when a writer does that and makes it more difficult for the next writer, not to mention the editor's frustration.

AC said...

Thank you, Sandra.

I understand everybody's concerns. I'm trying to establish an environment where writers and editors don't need to be weary of each other.

I will say this-- My experience with All Due Respect has been nothing short of perfect. Not one writer has been "difficult." Everyone is happy when I send an acceptance email and most people who I've had to turn away have written emails back thanking me for looking at their work (I usually encourage them to submit again, so that might be a key to softening that little stabbing feeling we all get with a rejection notice).

So my point, I guess, is, I'm surprised to hear about these situations with writers pulling their stories after an editor has helped improve them.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Always nice to have a new place to play.

Charles Gramlich said...

I'll have a gander.

Paul D Brazill said...

Looks good!

David Cranmer said...

Patti, I agree. More places for writers to drop stories is a good thing. And paying markets is best yet.

Brian Drake said...

Sounds good! I may whip up something. Then again, David, I promised you a western almost two years ago, and that has yet to be finished...

AC, best of luck with the project!

David Cranmer said...

Brian, I'm expecting the greatest western ever written! :)

Paul D Brazill said...

I've just mentioned it at my place. Need to get working on a story to submit.

David Cranmer said...

Same here. I started sketching out some ideas and September 1st is plenty of time.

Jack Getze said...

What AC's problem with present tense?

Chris Rhatigan said...

This looks fantastic. I like the broad scope of genres and that it will be in print and that it will have art and that pays. Fantastic.

David Cranmer said...

Austin, Folks still write to me and say "Shouldn't it be Beaten to a Pulp?" I tell them Beat sounds better. I wish I had thought of Pulp Modern.

Chris, As you can imagine I'm glad to see westerns included.

AC said...

Austin, everybody has their pet peeves about writing. Mine is present tense fiction. I know it's popular. It's become more and more acceptible over the last twenty years. I just can't read it. When a piece of fiction is in the present tense, I feel a wall between the story and me.

Another way to put it is this: Stories written in the past tense allow for reflection. It's like a nice big body of water inviting me to jump in. Present tense is like jumping in and finding out it's not water but, rather, a piece of glass that won't break.

I put that in the guidelines so people know what my particular pet peeve is. One last comparison-- I first noticed that Playboy was publishing stories written in the present tense in the mid-90s. Right about the time reality television started showing up. I said, at the time (about both), "It's a trend. It will go away." Neither has. Writers, especially younger writers, love to write in the present tense. Reality television is even on Bravo and A&E. People love it. I'm the old bastard who can't stand it. I've heard all the reasons for writing in the present tense and I'm not convinced. It just feels cold to me. Luckily, most editors aren't as picky in that area, so writers of present tense fiction have nothing to worry about!

Speaking of, I put my feelings on the matter into a flash fiction piece that is supposed to appear in a print journal some time soon now. The story is called "Presently Tense" and it's about a character in a present tense story who stops the action and admonishes the author for refusing to give his characters the opportunity for reflection.

Ultimately, we must say, to each his or her own.

Dave King said...

Sounds intriguing. Worth giving it a shot I reckon. I've bookmarked the page - and I'm thinking...

David Cranmer said...

AC, I'm fascinated by your thoughts on this subject. I'm going to drop you an e-mail...

Dave, Its a very good new venue for writers.