On April 1st UFO Publishing opens submissions for their sixth Unidentified Funny Objects anthology! From Terry Pratchett to Douglas Adams, comedic speculative fiction is some of the most beloved of the genre and unfortunately too often overlooked by publishers. So channel your inner comedian and get to submitting!
Not sure how to write comedy? Check out these articles for my advice on where to get started.
- In their own words: “We’re looking for speculative stories with a strong humor element. Think Resnick and Sheckley, Fredric Brown and Douglas Adams. We welcome quality flash fiction and non-traditional narratives. Take chances, try something new, just make sure that your story is funny.”
- Genres they accept: Speculative Fiction.
- Word count limit: 500-5000 words.
- Payment: $0.10 per word + contributor copy. Payment will be made upon acceptance. Our preferred method of payment is via PayPal, but you may request a check.
- Simultaneous Submissions*: Unknown; my advice is don’t.
- Multiple Submissions**: No. Limit of 1 submission per author — even if you receive a response before the submission window closes please do not send another story unless directly invited to do so.
- Schedule: Submissions open April 1 – April 30, 2017
Additional tips: “Puns and stories that are little more than vehicles for delivering a punch line at the end aren’t likely to win us over. The best way to learn what we like in general is to read a previous volume. You can buy it here and also read the online stories for free.” They also include a list of tired tropes. Click on their submission guidelines page for details.
*This means whether they will allow you to submit this story to another publisher at the same time or not.
**This means whether you can send them more than one story at at time.
Reminders when submitting:
Read the publication: Their stories are freely accessible on the site. You have no excuse not to do your research and see what kind of style gets their attention. It will also give you an idea of what’s been done before so you don’t end up sending them something too similar to a recently published story.
Read the guidelines: I don’t post everything required for their submissions, just the basics. Furthermore, this is a static post. Publishers change their submission requirements at will so it’s always a good idea to read and re-read them, even if you’ve submitted to them before.
Follow the rules: Do I really need to say this? Don’t send pieces over the word count. Don’t send content they specifically warn against. Don’t send weirdly formatted manuscripts if they give you specific instructions. “But Liz, I–” Nope! No, no, no. If you do not follow the rules you risk being a pariah to that magazine – and worse, editors can exchange notes on who’s being a pain.
Happy submitting!
Liz Schriftsteller 