Submissions for The Best of British Fantasy 2019 are now open.
Submitting work to The Best of British Fantasy 2019
Please read all the details carefully before sending your work.
What is the 'Best' of 'British' 'Fantasy'?
- Best: In the immortal words of the Atlantic Monthly's Ellery Sedgewick: "My selection is made according to the whim of one individual."
- British: This is about authorship, not publication. The author should be a citizen or long-term resident of the United Kingdom. This includes stories from UK citizens residing outside of the UK, stories from (other) immigrants that now make the UK their home, and, of course, stories from UK-born people who live in the UK. Basically, I would like to read a lot of stories.
- Fantasy: I define fantasy as "containing some element of the fantastic". This is deliberately broad, and includes everything from the most epic of epics to the most literary of, uh, literary. Magical realism, sword & sorcery, paranormal romance, grimdark, are all encouraged, as are the many other shapes and sizes and subgenres of fantasy. [nb. Please note that NewCon already publishes terrific science fiction and horror 'best of' series, so BoBF will not stray too far afield.]
- It probably goes without saying, but the best guide to my editorial taste in British fantasy can be found here.
Detailed requirements
- Stories means stories. No poetry, non-fiction, or extracts from longer works, please.
- Submissions should ideally between 2,000 and 5,000 words. I'll read shorter and longer pieces, but - realistically - they're also less likely to make the final volume.
- This is a reprint anthology. Stories must have been first published (anywhere in the world) between 1 January and 31 December 2019.
- Please ensure you hold the reprint rights for the story before submitting it.
- As well as stories that first appeared in anthologies and magazines, I would love to see stories that first appeared in a digital format, as a self-published story, as bonus content in a book, in a magazine, in a small press, as a limited edition, in a chapbook, whatever. Audio and interactive stories are also of interest, but I can only accept works submitted as text.
- We pay 1p a word for reprint rights on accepted stories, up to a maximum of £60.00, along with contributor copies of the book. There will also be non-mandatory, non-onerous publicity requirements/opportunities for contributors as well.
How to submit your work
- Please send your story to bestofbritishfantasy@gmail.com with [BOBF2019] in the subject header.
- Publishers or editors sending complete volumes or issues, please include a note saying which stories/authors are eligible.
- Submissions are preferred in doc, docx or rtf formats. PDF is acceptable, but we will need a doc/docx/rtf file upon acceptance.
- If I have not acknowledged receipt within a week, please do get in touch to confirm.
- The final deadline 15 November 2019, but the sooner the better. For anything publishing between 15 November and 31 December 2019, please include a note confirming the final publication date.
Please note that, due to the anticipated volume of submissions, I will only be in contact regarding the stories I accept for the anthology.
I will use this website to post any key publication updates, including the 'recommended reading' list, and will do my best to respond to any enquiries about individual submissions in a timely fashion.
Finally, please do share this link broadly. I'm keen to cast a wide net, and have the BoBF series represent the full spectrum of British voices, talents, and backgrounds.
Contributing to The Best of British Fantasy website
The articles on this site are contributed to us by writers, readers and fantasy lovers of all shapes and sizes.
If you would like to contribute an article about your personal ‘best of British fantasy’, please email bestofbritishfantasy@gmail.com with [ARTICLE] in the header.
‘British’ and ‘fantasy’ are both interpreted broadly. For the anthology, ‘British’ means the author was born in and/or is a long-term resident of the United Kingdom, and ‘fantasy’ means anything with an element of the speculative or fantastic.
The work that you're focusing on must be at least five years old. (No new or upcoming releases, please.)
How you define ‘best’ is up to you, but we prefer the article not linger on the definition, and be more of a personal explanation of why you like the work so much.
It is best to imagine you’re pitching the subject to someone without much prior knowledge. Why is it your ‘best British fantasy’? Why could it be their favourite too?
Articles should be 600-800 words. There's a (small) payment as well.
Please contact us with your proposed topic before sending in an article.