The reading period for The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror #22is now open.
“I co-edit the multi-award winning anthology series The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror (St. Martin’s Press) with Kelly Link & Gavin Grant,” says Ellen Datlow. “We are now reading for the 22nd volume, which will include all material published in 2008.
“I am looking for stories from all branches of horror: from the traditional-supernatural to the borderline, including high-tech sf horror, supernatural stories, psychological horror, dark thrillers, or anything else that might qualify. If in doubt, send it. This is a reprint anthology so I am only reading material published in or about to be published in 2008. Submission deadline for stories is December 15th 2008. Anything sent after this deadline will reach me too late. If a magazine, anthology, or collection you’re in or you edit is coming out by December 31st, you can send me galleys or manuscripts so that I can judge the stories in time. No email submissions. I strongly suggest that authors check with their publishers that they are sending review copies out to me as I don’t have time or energy to nag publishers to get me material. I request it once (maybe twice) and that’s it.
“There are summations of “the year in horror,” and “the year in fantasy” in the front of each volume. These include novels, nonfiction, art books, and in my section, “odds and ends” – material that doesn’t fit anywhere else but that I feel might interest the horror reader. But I have to be aware of this material in order to mention it. The deadline for this section is January 30th, 2009.”
Submissions should be sent to: Ellen Datlow, YBFH #21, PMB 391, 511 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10011-8436. Or to: Kelly Link & Gavin Grant, 150 Pleasant St., #306, Easthampton, MA 01027.
Kelly & Gavin cover fantasy and Datlow covers horror. If you consider something may fall into both categories, send a copy to each of them. They do not confer on their choices.
Datlow adds, “I do not want to receive manuscripts from authors of stories from venues that it’s likely I already receive regularly (like Interzone, The Third Alternative, Cemetery Dance, Subterranean, Postscripts, Weird Tales, F&SF, etc) or from anthologies and collections, unless I don’t have or can’t get that anthology or collection. What I would prefer is if you contact your publisher and ask him/her to send me the magazine or book.
“Please do not send a SASE. If I choose a story you will be informed. If you want to confirm that I‘ve received something, enclose a self-addressed-stamped postcard and I will let you know the date it arrived. For stories that appear on the web, please send me (or have the publisher send me) print-outs of your story.”
