Orion’s Belt is the home of bold, experimental literary science fiction and fantasy. They want stories that make us think about our place in the universe and our relationships with each other. Stories that blur the line between “genre” fiction and literary fiction.
Orion’s Belt wants stories that reach toward the stars while never forgetting the people on the ground. And they want it all in under 1200 words.
Submission Guidelines for Orion’s Belt’s Call for Submissions
- All submissions should be directed to [email protected].
- All stories must be under 1200 words (not including the title and byline).
- The subject line of your email should be a variation of “Submission – Story Name (Author Name).”
- There is no need for submissions to be anonymous.
- Stories need not necessarily follow Standard Manuscript Format, but it is preferred.
- The font should be 12-point Times New Roman.
- There is no hard limit to the number of times one can submit to Orion’s Belt, but we ask that you not submit more than twice in one month.
- All stories over 1200 words will sadly be rejected automatically.
- All stories must contain significant speculative elements. This does not mean all sci-fi stories must have lasers and rockets. It just means a non-speculative story doesn’t become speculative if you include a single line clarifying the story takes place on Mars.
- If Orion’s Belt rejects a story, please do not resubmit it, even if you revise it.
- Submitting a story simultaneously to Orion’s Belt and another publication is acceptable, but please contact them if another publication accepts the story first.
- They only accept stories that have not already been published elsewhere.
- A cover letter is expected. This needn’t be long or detailed.
- Attach the story to your email as a Word file or PDF. In the body of the letter, include your name, the title of your story, its length, its genre or subgenre, up to three previous publications, and any other information you deem relevant.
Response
- Orion’s Belt tries to answer the majority of queries within a week. If they take longer, this typically means they are seriously considering your story for publication.
- If several months have passed, and you still haven’t received a decision regarding your story, don’t hesitate to query the magazine at [email protected]. Because of their relatively brief response times, they unfortunately cannot typically provide personalized feedback to writers.
Payment
- If your story is accepted, they will send you a contract in the form of a Word document. Send them back the contract with your name typed at the bottom, agreeing to the terms and conditions specified, and your story will be published.
- After publication, you will receive payment via PayPal. Sadly, authors cannot currently be paid except through PayPal. If you cannot use PayPal or a like service, they recommend you not submit to Orion’s Belt.
- They pay a flat 8 cents USD ($.08) per word. This is the industry-standard, SFWA-approved professional rate.
- Thus, if your story is 1000 words (not counting title, byline, etc.), you will receive $80 after publication. If your story is 500 words, you will receive $40.