OMNI Magazine now publishes exclusively on-line. However, our guidelines have not changed much. We are looking for literate, strongly plotted science-fiction stories--2000 to 10,000 words--on a variety of subjects and themes. We want to intrigue our readers with mind-broadening, thought-provoking stories that will excite their sense of wonder. Characterization is crucial. And since many of our readers are not familiar with technical jargon, the stories must be written in clear, understandable prose. Payment ranges from $1250 to $2,500.It is impossible for us to judge a story's quality without seeing the complete manuscript. If you have a story you think fits our requirements, submit it for consideration. But please do not send more than one story at a time; wait for a response on one before submitting another. For an idea of the kinds of stories we publish, read some recent issues of OMNI or check through our website.
Note: we do not publish sword-and-sorcery, space opera, or supernatural stories. And we do not accept unsolicited poetry or simultaneous submissions. We will consider a self-contained story that is part of a novel, or may later be developed into one.
All stories must be typed, double-spaced, and on only one side of each page. Each page should be numbered and include title and author's last name. The author's full name and address should appear in the upper left-hand corner of page one; an approximate word count should appear in the upper right-hand corner. We will accept dot-matrix computer print--although we prefer letter-quality, which is easier to read--but please separate the pages. If you choose to submit photocopies, they must be clear and readable. Due to the tremendous volume of submissions we receive on a daily basis, manuscripts must be sent by snailmail only.
Please include an appropriately sized, self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE). (Contributors residing outside the United States should use international reply coupons.) Even if you do not want your manuscript returned, we require a letter-size SASE for our response; manuscripts without an SASE will not be returned.
We usually respond within three to five weeks after receiving a submission. Depending on numerous variables, however, it can sometimes take longer. Please give us ample time before you begin writing or calling to inquire about a submission's status.
All submissions should be sent to the attention of
Fiction Editor Ellen Datlow atOur web address is http://www.omnimag.com/
OMNI, General Media International
277 Park Ave., 4th Floor
New York, NY 10172-0003.
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Based on my years as fiction editor of OMNI, I'd like to offer some general writing tips to accompany our writers' guidelines:
Are you writing for yourself or an audience? If you're lucky and good, you can do both at the same time. How accessible must you be? How accessible do you want to be? There are fine writers in and outside the fantasy field who are respected and read by editors and other writers but who don't sell very well. This matters more in novel form than in short fiction. A writer can afford to be more experimental in short fiction because each story in a magazine or anthology does not sell the entire magazine or book. Each novel published needs to make money for the publishing house. You can and indeed must be literate in everything you write, but this does not mean you must be "literary." When submitting fiction to an editor, send it in as finished and polished as you can. A story can only be read a first time once. In other words, impact counts. Editors are more likely to buy a story that hits them strongly on the first read. Whether a story is meant to be read more than once or not, the first read is the most important. If you're having trouble with dialogue, I highly recommend reading the work of Elmore Leonard. You can pick up almost any of his books, turn a page at random, and find terrific, effective dialogue. People speak in idiom. Most people do not speak with perfect grammar or sentence structure. If you are using formal dialogue intentionally--for example, to show that a character speaks English as a second language--it's allowable. Leonard's dialogue runs fast and furious. It is not appropriate for every kind of story, but you can still learn from him. The first line and paragraph of a story count. To see examples of effective first lines, check out William Gibson's stories in his collection BURNING CHROME. You don't have to start off with a bang, but something has to hold the reader--an image, a character, a hint of an event to come. This is known as the "hook."
Ellen Datlow |
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If you're looking for some useful references to writing science fiction and fantasy, I recommend the following titles.
--Ellen Datlow, Fiction Editor
SCIENCE FICTION WRITER'S WORKSHOP---AN INTRODUCTION TO FICTION MECHANICS by Barry B. Longyear (Owlswick Press, 1980)
THE CRAFT OF SCIENCE FICTION: A SYMPOSIUM ON WRITING SCIENCE FICTION AND SCIENCE FANTASY edited by Reginald Bretnor (Barnes & Noble Books, 1976)
CREATING SHORT FICTION by Damon Knight (Writer's Digest Books, 1981)
WRITING SCIENCE FICTION by Christopher Evans (St. Martin's Press, 1988)
HOW TO WRITE SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY by Orson Scott Card (Writer's Digest Books, 1990)
SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS OF AMERICA HANDBOOK edited by Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith (Pulphouse Publishing, 1990)
BEGINNINGS, MIDDLES, AND ENDS by Nancy Kress (Writer's Digest Books, 1993)
PARAGONS:TWELVE SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS PLY THEIR CRAFT edited by Robin Wilson (St. Martin's Press, 1996)
INTERSECTIONS:THE SYCAMORE HILL ANTHOLOGY edited by John Kessel, Mark L. Van Name, and Richard Butner (Tor, 1996)
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