Submission Guidelines
Ray Gun Revival (RGR) is an e-zine (electronic magazine) publication that is targeted to a particular kind of story and not a specific age group. With that said, we assume that those who will find the most interest in these stories will be readers aged 14 to adults.
Fiction
Poetry
Who Can Submit?
Publication Format & Rights
Simultaneous Submissions
Submission Process
Editorial Process
Publication Process
Fiction
Genre
Ray Gun Revival is all about space opera and golden age science fiction.
Acceptance CriteriaRay Gun Revival is a publication of fiction. Our criteria for acceptance are simple:
- Did we enjoy it? Was it interesting?
- Was it well written, excelling in both the art and craft of creative writing?
- Was it compatible with a PG-13 rating?
- Original Ideas / No Fan-Fic
As much as space opera and golden age sci-fi flirts with derivative ideas and characters, all work must be original (by which we mean "original characters in original settings"). Ray Gun Revival does not publish fan-fic.
Content Guidelines
It is possible to tell rarin' good stories without gratuitous...anything. It may be helpful to imagine the film industry’s PG-13 rating and apply it to fiction when considering if your submission is a good fit for Ray Gun Revival.
Regarding explicit violence: although science fiction often relies on combat, the basic impact can be retained without excessive description. Saying, "The morf wielded his sword deftly, slaying the zags in his path without breaking stride" is sufficient for moving the plot along. A good, "He ran the beast through with the spear" now and then is fine, too. Gore for the sake of gore is not going to score any points here. Focus more on the story and your characters. Battle scenes, be they in space or on some ethereal plain, are frequently more interesting to write than to read!
Regarding sexual content: if your story relies on the depiction of such actions, please tread carefully. We aren't looking for graphic scene depicting specific actions. Instead, the same plot movement can be achieved with treatment such as, “Roland's desires for Caitlin were too strong to resist, and he yielded to his temptation and her favors.” Finally, keep the age-old adage in the back of your mind, “When in doubt, leave it out.”
It is not our intention to offend, however, if you find yourself challenged by some of the ideas presented, you will have gotten your money's worth. (This is financial pun -- the e-zine is free.)
Formatting Guidelines
Manuscripts should be in standard format. All submissions should be in English and follow standard grammar rules. Artistic departure from standard rules should be minimal. Submissions with grammatical errors that detract from the enjoyment of the contribution will be rejected regardless of whether the effects were intentional or not.
- use one inch margins all around
- double space your manuscript
- indent your paragraphs
- use Courier 12 pt font
Standard Manuscript Format Exceptions:
Format your contribution as you would like to see it in print. If you want something in italics, put it in italics. If you want something to appear in bold, put it in bold.
Use the em dash properly. You may use the em dash character or two hyphens--just type the last word of the first section, two hyphens, and the next word.
Font? Nothing really crazy. Courier 12 pt is standard, and is fine. We will change the font before we create the final files for the site.
If your word processor does not support "headers" do NOT use a running header. Microsoft Word supports headers and footers. Do NOT manually insert running headers. This messes up the process of setting the manuscript up for final publication.
If your word processor does not center-justify text, do NOT space or tab to center. Just leave the title, byline, and any scene-change lines on the left margin.
If you aren't sure about such things as how to set up a document's headers or page margins, this article entitled Formatting Submissions might help.
File Format
We only accept text manuscript submissions in Rich Text Format (.rtf). Save As .rtf before you submit your manuscript file. Sending submissions in the wrong format may warrant the immediate and indiscriminate vaporization of your digital manuscript. You have been warned.
Do not use any punctuation or spaces in the file name, as our automated system will not accept it. Oh yes, it might tell you it's been accepted, but it lies. In truth, what the system will do is atomize your story without a blink of its eye. Again, you have been warned.
Word Length
We have no specific word length requirements. Having said that, shorter stories (~ 3500 words) will likely have a better chance of being picked up. Tell your story, then stop, then edit the dickens out of it until you've got something gleaming and pure. Then take another pass.
Keep in mind that the longer your work, the more riveting it will need to be in order to justify publication.
Style Guide
When in doubt, follow the Chicago Manual of Style. To aid our writers, we have compiled our own Style Guide, which lists clarifications and style preferences. We also have a section listing a some SF terminology.
Reprints
We prefer original works, but will consider exceptional reprints. Authors should be sure they have the right to sell reprints. If your work is a reprint, include any necessary reprint information at the bottom of the work, such as "First appeared in XYZ, May 2005."
Payment
Ray Gun Revival is a for-pay publication that pays $5.00 for up to 1500 words and $10.00 for works longer than that for one-time electronic rights. If the work is to appear in print, the author will receive one free contributor copy.
That's just for starters.
We will also put up a tip jar and funnel any contributions back into the publication with the idea that enough readership and eventual corporate sponsorships and donations will pay the way for primo author's rates.
You gotta start somewhere.
If you believe in space opera and would like to see this genre surpass its prior glory, give us a shot and we will remember you when we're rich and famous, or at least when we have enough pesos in the tip jar to adopt a better paying scheme.
The Bottom Line
Our standard is to publish good stories, with compelling characters, in interesting settings, that are well told. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the RGR staff.
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Poetry
We are open to the scenario where the odd piece of space opera poetry crosses our virtual desks, wows us, and demands to be published. Short of that, we don't expect to publish much poetry. Perhaps that's not strong enough. Pigs will fly before we publish poetry.
Of course, this being a sci-fi rag, anything is possible, and we haven't automatically ruled poetry out. Just understand that it will be very difficult, and your work will have to wow us, change the world, and bring about world peace to even be considered. It is possible, just not remotely likely, so don't take it personally if we don't pick it up.
Reprints
We prefer original works, but will consider exceptional reprints. Authors should be sure they have the right to sell reprints.
Payment
We are currently paying $5.00
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Formatting Guidelines
Cover art must be 6 inch X 9 inch 300 dpi TIFF, JPEG, or PhotoShop file (1800 X 2700 pixels). However, do NOT send such a file in as your submission! Submissions MUST be in JPG format and sized 333 X 500 pixels.
Please state in your cover letter that you are submitting cover art for consideration.
We are actively looking for artists interested in supporting space opera / golden age sci-fi. If you know such a person, hook us up!
We would love to have quality illustrations for covers and selected stories. Submissions should clearly indicate which work they are meant to illustrate and submitted as a JPEG approximately no larger than 500 pixels wide or tall. Final images need to be usable within a 5 inch by 8 inch page layout.
Payment
Currently, we are paying $10.00 US for the right to publish your art on the cover or within Ray Gun Revival. If used as part of the print version, the artist will also receive one contributor copy.
Reprints
We prefer original works, but exceptional reprints will be considered. The author must be sure they have the right to sell reprints.
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Who Can Submit?
New Authors and Illustrators
We welcome quality submissions from authors and illustrators, regardless of publication history, and will work with you to let you know what our submission standards, practices, and eclectic tastes are. Keep in mind that our formatting practices may not be standard compared to other publications.
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Publication Format and Rights
Ray Gun Revival is published as an Internet magazine. Ray Gun Revival, therefore, will contract with the author to secure One-time Electronic Publication Rights, for publication in the English language. (Internet format)
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Simultaneous Submissions
RGR will not accept simultaneous submissions. If we accept your submission, we expect to be able to publish it. If you have submitted to more than one publication and are accepted in more than one place, then what? If you have submitted elsewhere, wait for a response before submitting here.
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Global Guidelines and Submission Process
We rely on on-line submissions. The process is fairly easy.
- Register for the Forums. (Due to spambots, we have disabled automatic acceptance. To facilitate your registration, you might drop an email to editor@raygunrevival.com, and let us know the username you've chosen.)
- After you have registered, and received notice you have been activated, log in to the Forums.
- Click on “Author - Artist Tools.” That will take you to a page that allows you to manage your profile. Overview of Author - Artist Tools.
- Once you have updated your profile for the first time, you will see a button labeled “Add a new Submission.”
- Click the “Add a new Submission” and complete the following form.
Submission is easy. Just format your contribution (SEE "Formatting Guidelines" ABOVE), click the “Add a new Submission” link from the Author-Artist Tools menu, and follow the instructions.
No simultaneous submissions. If we accept your submission, we expect to be able to publish it. If you have submitted to more than one publication and are accepted in more than one place, then what? If you have submitted elsewhere, wait for a response before submitting here.
Payment upon acceptance. We are buying electronic rights to publish your work on the www.theswordreview.com website.
We have no word length requirements. Tell your story, then stop. Since our medium is electronic, word length is not a limiting factor. Keep in mind that the longer your work, the more riveting it will need to be.
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Editorial Process
A pool of editors reviews all submissions. As writing is a combination of skill, talent, natural ability, and ongoing hard work, Ray Gun Revival will try to let you know
- If we like something, and would like to publish it as/is,
- If we like something enough to request revision,
- If we can't use something for our publication
- We do not promise to read entire submissions. For example, if grammar is prohibitively flawed, we might just remark on a couple of paragraphs and send it back. We will clearly note if we want you to revise and resubmit.
Finally, remember that taste, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. If RGR doesn't pick up your submission for publication, we might just have different tastes. There's nothing wrong with that, and we will wish you all the best and hope that your work is picked up elsewhere.
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Publication Process
Ray Gun Revival Internet magazine will feature a new issue every two weeks. As each new issue is published, the previous one becomes part of our archives.
The archives appear in the Vault within the forums of Ray Gun Revival.
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Conclusion
Life is hard. Fiction is easy. Bring some adventure back into your life. It's time for a little Ray Gun Revival, and we're packin' heat.
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