Submissions

WE ARE LOOKING for well-written, original science fiction, that is, science fiction with a solid plot, a beginning, a middle, and an end (but not necessarily in that order). No fantasy. No horror. No fan fiction. No poetry. Alternate history, not entirely taboo, is a difficult sale. Stories do not necessarily have to restrict themselves to robots, rocket ships, and extraterrestrials. However, the science and/or technology must be integral to the story; if you remove the science, the story falls apart, or disappears altogether. If the plot can be easily reconstituted as a western, a swashbuckler, or a bodice-ripper, it is probably not for us, either. We aren’t fixated on political correctness. We don't object to explicit language, violence, or sexual situations, as long as it is necessary to the plot. We like humor and satire. We really don’t care if you are a minority, transgendered, or purple; the story is the focus and not the author. Stories should run from 2,500 words to around 7,000 words. We also accept Shorter Stories. We consider Shorter Stories to be from 800 words to 2,000 words. Less than 800 words is probably an anecdote, not a story, not for us. Currently we are paying one cent per word, up to a maximum of $75 per story. We pay a minimum rate of $12 per story. Payment is usually within 30 days prior to publication. Our rates will undoubtedly grow as we do. These specifications are firm. Please do not send us your latest novel. We don’t publish installments, so please do not send us Part 1 as a story.

Articles

We want carefully researched articles discussing or explaining new and interesting discoveries in science with which most people are probably not already familiar. The writing must also be entertaining. We do not want to see your term papers. This is not an assignment. It helps if the author has some kind of credentials in the subject being written about, but that is not a requirement. For example, absolutely do not research widely available information about photosynthesis and send us a Wikipedia-like article on how photosynthesis works. On the other hand, if you have information about or are involved in photosynthesis being used to create a new breed of human, we may be interested in that. Keep in mind that we want articles, not news. This is not a newspaper. Payment is one cent per word up to a maximum of $75 per article, within 30 days prior to publication. Articles should be anywhere from 2,500 words to around 7,000 words in length.

Reviews

We are no longer accepting unsolicited reviews of books, movies, and video games. However, there is still a large assortment of science fiction media that would interest us: TV shows, comics, theater, even operas if they exist. The reviews must be analytic. Simply reiterating the plot and saying you liked or disliked the work is not a proper review. You must explain why you liked or disliked the work. Reviews must be timely—if the TV series has recently been released on DVD, it should be reviewed as a DVD. And whereas Ray Bradbury’s “The Martian Chronicles,” if you have just read it, may be new to you, it is not. Reviews should be up to 1,200 words. Payment is a minimum $12 per review, within 30 days prior to publication. Query first.

Artwork

Currently we are looking for full-color cover art and comic strips only, either illustration or photography. The cover art does not correspond to any story or article, so it has to stand by itself. In fact, we prefer that the cover tells its own little story. A spaceship in orbit around a planet is a nice image, albeit trite. If the message “Elect Zerbek For President” is seen on the side of the spaceship, however, that is intriguing, even funny, and we’d probably buy it. We prefer that artwork be optimized for the Web, submitted in either GIF or JPEG or PNG format, in as small a file size as you can render without compromising the quality of the image. Our cover specs are 520 pixels wide by 1000 pixels high. R-rated images are okay, but no erotica or raw nudity. Payment is $60 per image, within 30 days prior to publication. Please query in advance before submitting comic strips.

How to Submit Material

Email us the manuscript in RTF or DOC format. Please conform to proper manuscript format as best as you can. If we have trouble opening your manuscript we will reject it out of hand. RTF is preferred because it is universally accessible by all kinds of software on all kinds of platforms. Attach the manuscript in RTF or DOC format or artwork in JPEG or PNG format, to an email sent to editor-at-perihelionsf-dot-com, with “Perihelion Submission,” or words to that effect, in the subject line, along with a brief cover letter telling us something about yourself. It is not necessary to tell us about the story or article or artwork because we will see it ourselves. Every effort will be made to acknowledge receipt of your submission within a day or two. Please wait at least 48 hours before contacting us if you did not hear back. Generally, it then takes from one to three months to decide whether or not to accept the submission. Do not simultaneously submit anything to Perihelion Science Fiction. While it is in our possession, your manuscript should be exclusively for consideration only by us. Perihelion buys Exclusive First World Rights for a period of six months. After that, the copyright reverts to the original author.

All this aside, there are always exceptions to every rule, but it is best not to test us. Good luck!