SNAFU Guidelines

SNAFU: PUNK'D

AN ANTHOLOGY OF MILITARY HORROR IN 'PUNK' GENRE TALES

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AU5c/word / 2k-7.5k words

Opens Jan 1st 2023. Closes March 31st 2023 (in your time zone).

Fantasy, Horror, or Science Fiction, but all must have a military/action focus

Theme – action horror/specific ‘punk’ genre.

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WHAT WE WANT

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ACTION-BASED horror/spec-fic within conflict in a past, present, or future filled with the aspects that make your story a ‘punk’ sub-genre tale.

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In the broadest sense, the punk subculture is about anti-authoritarianism, anti-big corporate, and pro-personal freedom.

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Think Bladerunner for cyberpunk, Naked Lunch for biopunk, the Crysis videogames for nanopunk, The League of Extraordinary Gentleman for steampunk and so on… anything that can be considered a high-action monster story set within an obviously ‘punk’ theme. If you choose an obscure sub-punk style, please make it obvious for us which one it is in.

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For level of unnatural creature we will give priority to, think Frankenstein’s Army, Van Helsing, Dog Soldiers or Aliens. We want lots of monster goodness and lots of action.

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Please ensure the action is central to the story, from start to finish, and don’t forget monsters!

This volume is like the previous volumes squared. Even more all action.

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We want extreme action (yes, I said it again) and it really should be in the style of military or paramilitary action.

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RANDOM THING – please begin your cover email with ‘Hello Geoff (I read the guidelines)’. This is for two reasons. One, I hate being called Mr Brown. Two, I wanted to make sure you are reading these guidelines. No proper greeting, we won’t read your work. We will delete and not respond to your email.

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And to say it again, full action. Nothing less. Hoo-rah!

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We actively encourage submissions from all cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, and identities. Storytelling is for everyone, and we are richer for it when all voices are heard.

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SOME GUIDANCE

IF YOU TAKE THIS PLOT PATH, IT BETTER BE DAMNED GOOD:

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Bladerunner-style synthetics as the antagonist. These are the most common of things any of the punk styles, and just like Highlander, there can be only one!

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What we DO NOT WANT AT ALL, IN ANY FORM:

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• Rape as a plot device/backstory

• Racism, bigotry, misogyny of any kind in the narrative voice

• Child abuse/paedophilia (can’t believe we have to say this, but we do)

• Rape as a plot device/backstory (yes, we have to say this twice)

• Fanfiction or derivatives
   

Edited by Amanda J Spedding and Geoff Brown

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Payment: AUD5c/word and one contributor copy in each format released.

Wordcount range: 2,000 – 7,500 words (query for shorter or longer)

Submissions open January 1st 2023.

Closing date is March 31st 2023.

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Anything submitted either side of this period will be deleted without being read or replied to.

No selections will be made until after the period closes.

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Projected publication date: Q4 2023

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Please follow these guidelines when submitting to us:

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• Please put your full contact details and word count top left of the first page of the manuscript.

• Standard submission format, with minimal document formatting.

• Courier, Palatino Linotype, or Times New Roman set at 12pt.

• Italics as they will appear.

• No underlining.

• Double spaced.

• Please don’t use TAB or space bar to indent lines.

• DO NOT indent at all, even for first lines.

• NO SPACE between paragraphs unless a line-break is required. ONE SPACE after full stops.

• Please put full contact details on the first page of the manuscript (yes, I said this twice… it’s important).

 

Send your submission to Geoff Brown at editor@cohesionpress.com as an attachment (.doc/.rtf only)

In the subject line of your email, please put Punk’d: [STORY TITLE] (Replace [STORY TITLE] with your actual story title. Yes, unfortunately I do need to say this)

Example – Punk’d: Varmint Control

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NO MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS

NO SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS

NO REPRINTS

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Please include a brief ‘hello, this is who I am’ in your email body as a cover letter. It doesn’t have to be long, and if you’re unpublished as of yet, don’t feel you will be treated differently without a list of prior publications.

Blank emails with attachments will be deleted.

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FORMATTING GUIDELINES MAIN POINTS (AGAIN):

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• We ask for no indentation for paragraph beginnings. Do not indent. This is for ease of placement in the desktop publishing program we use.

• Secondly, please only put one space after a full stop.

• Also, italics MUST appear as they will be used – no underlining – and again, only one space after a full stop.
   

Anyone that fails to follow these guidelines will likely see their story fed to an alternative dark and dystopian reality.

No-one wants that. Trust me.