SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Paradox publishes both historical fiction and science fiction/fantasy/horror with historical themes, as well as articles, news and reviews. While any well-written story stands a chance of being accepted, the following sorts of stories will be given preference:


Historical Fiction: Any time period is fair game, but the editor is particularly interested in pre-Industrial tales, especially those set in the ancient world and the Middle Ages and told from a broad spectrum of geographic and cultural perspectives. The editor would also like to see material set during human pre-history as long as it is believable (i.e., no sexy cavegirl stories). Historical accuracy is, of course, a wholly inflexible prerequisite to acceptance of any piece of pure historical fiction, but Paradox wants stories that are also artfully crafted, have engaging, fully-developed characters, interesting plots, and satisfying (though not necessarily happy) endings. If your story explores or illuminates some aspect of human nature, all the better. Paradox will also consider historical mysteries that fit these guidelines.


Speculative Fiction: All speculative submissions should have some integral real-world historical context (history being broadly defined to include mythology and religion as well). The editor is primarily looking for Alternate History, Time Travel, Arthuriana, Secret Histories, stories in which archaeology, history, literature, art, or music plays a prominent role, historical retellings with a fantasy or SF twist, classical mythology settings, retellings of classic mythology from an alternate character's perspective, "religious historical" fantasy/SF, stories exploring evolution (human or otherwise), and any other forms of historical fantasy/SF/horror you think might fit this overall theme. Horror should be frightening rather than gory. Lovecraftian Mythos tales are welcome, but as with most of the best Mythos stories, yours should be rich in its historical context.

Do not send any vampire tales, werewolves (or other were-animals), gratuitous erotica, or children's stories.

Do not send any stories lacking some integral real-world historical, mythological, or historical-religious context.

Do not send rewrites unless specifically requested to do so.

A word on Tense: Stories told in the present verb tense already have one strike against them and will very rarely be accepted for publication in Paradox.

Again, these guidelines are only meant as a guidepost but are not meant to stifle anyone's creativity. The best way to get a feel for the type of story likely to be accepted for publication is to read an issue of the magazine by ordering a sample copy or subscribing.

Paradox welcomes stories from both established and unpublished writers.


Non-fiction Articles: Non-fiction articles for Paradox should be approximately 4,000 words in length and should deal with innovative historiography, historically relevant literary analysis, or cutting-edge historical research of wide interest. Black-and-white illustrations (if any) should be provided by the author in scan-ready form. It is important to bear in mind that Paradox readers possess a keen interest in the subject of history but represent a very wide diversity of backgrounds. Thus, specialized jargon and statistical detail should be kept to a necessary minimum. As Paradox readers are reading this magazine primarily for entertainment purposes, a suitable style for articles is far more informal than that in many professional journals. The editor will also consider "what if" essays considering alternate paths history might have taken, analyzing where we would be had history unfolded in a fashion other than that in which it did, and answering those alluring questions of why, how and when our collective destiny became reality. Proposals for non-fiction articles and CV (or letter detailing your personal or professional qualifications for writing on the given subject) may be sent as an e-mail attachment in RTF (Rich Text Format) to editor@paradoxmag.com (note: fiction submissions will not be accepted at this e-mail address). If you have a completed article you would like to submit for consideration, please do so by mailing a hard copy along with a CV or cover letter.

News columns and book or movie reviews are assigned, and Paradox does not accept freelance submissions in those areas. If you would like to be considered for an assignment, you may e-mail a CV (or letter detailing your qualifications) as an attachment in RTF (Rich Text Format) to editor@paradoxmag.com.

Author interviews are conducted by the editor of Paradox.


Submission Process & Payment: Paradox pays 3 to 5 cents per word on publication for stories up to 15,000 words in length (2,000 to 9,000 words strongly preferred). Paradox will (very rarely) consider longer works between 15,000 and 25,000 words in length, but such a work would likely have to be serialized over two or more issues. Payment for non-fiction articles is at the rate of 3 cents per word. Paradox buys First World English language rights and an option on anthology rights; all other rights are retained by the author. You can expect a response one to four months after submission. Send a hard copy of your story to Christopher M. Cevasco, Editor, Paradox, P.O. Box 22897, Brooklyn, NY 11202-2897. Use standard manuscript format (e.g., double-line spaced, 12-point Courier or other nonproportional font, 1-inch margins, underline rather than italicize when needed). Include name, address, e-mail, and approximate word-count on title page and name, shortened form of title, and page number on top of every subsequent page. Do not staple or fold. Include a SASE for response (or SAE & IRC for international submissions). Manuscripts will not be returned unless sufficient postage and envelope is provided along with submission. No electronic fiction submissions will be accepted (only non-fiction proposals and CV's will be accepted by e-mail as outlined above). Paradox is only looking to publish previously unpublished work (publication in any form, including electronic or self publication, renders a story ineligible for submission). No simultaneous submissions please (i.e., do not submit a story to Paradox if it is currently under consideration elsewhere). No multiple submissions please (i.e., do not submit a subsequent story to Paradox if you are still waiting to hear back regarding an earlier submission to the magazine).

Each contributor will receive four contributor copies of the issue of Paradox in which his or her work appears and will be eligible to purchase additional copies of that issue at one-third off the cover price.


Artwork: All interior artwork in Paradox will be assigned. To be considered for an assignment, send samples of your work to Editor Christopher M. Cevasco at the story submission address (preferably non-returnable photocopies). Or, if you have a website gallery featuring your artwork, you can simply e-mail a link to the site. Payment is $20 and up (on publication) for black-and-white interior illustrations.

Paradox is not looking for any cover artwork at this time.


Poetry? Cartoons? Although Paradox will focus on fiction rather than poetry, if you've written a poem you think will fit the theme of the magazine, please send it along, and it will be considered for possible publication (payment is a flat rate of $10 per poem). The same holds true for cartoons—dealing with historical figures or themes only please (payment for cartoons is in contributor copies).