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Submission Guidelines
Formatting Guidelines for Fiction
For fiction, we treat submissions differently based on word length because we treat them differently in publication. Refer to the appropriate section below for fiction formatting guidelines.
Guidelines
Be sure to read the Global Information and Content Guidelines before deciding to submit.
Payment
MindFlights pays 1/2 cent (US) per word with a minimum of $5.00 and a maximum of $25.00. Authors whose works appear in the print version will also receive one contributor copy.
Reprints
As stated, we prefer original works, but exceptional reprints will be considered. The author must be sure they have the right to sell reprints.
Formatting
Our preferred formatting varies depending on the length of the work. Please consider the following guidelines carefully.
Format (Short Fiction Under 2000 Words)
Submission of these types of works are done completely through the web tool. You will not upload any files, as the submission will be entirely sent through the form. For fiction under 2000 words, please do not indent paragraphs and please do put a blank line between paragraphs.
The instructions are detailed. You will be asked to classify your submission (Fiction, Review, Essay, etc.; Romance, Fantasy, Science Fiction, etc.), then provide title and other information. We ask that you provide a present tense blurb that will appear in the contents to entice website visitors to read your work. Next, you will be asked to enter your submission in full into the next box (some formatting instructions are given). Lastly, you can enter your "cover letter" before saving and previewing.
When you save/preview, your submission will be presented for your inspection and in the middle of the page you will find a button that says "Approve Submission and Notify Editors." You may click that button to finalize your submission or scroll further down to make additional changes and repeat the save/preview process.
Once you approve your submission, the editorial team is notified that a new submission has been received. Your submission will then appear in a list in your Author-Artist Tools.
Format (Long Fiction Over 2000 Words)
As an online publication, we recognize that most Internet readers are attracted to shorter works. Nevertheless, while we strongly prefer works under 5000 words, we do not have a word limit on submissions—thus, there is no need to query on the basis of word count. When works over 5000 words are received, we will (after bracing ourselves) hold the work to our highest standard. If after the first 1500-2000 words, the submission has not gripped us, inspired us, and if it is not compelling us to read on, we (as we perceive our readers would do) will cease reading, then reply with our decision. (Please note that we do not want to see novel-length works.)
For fiction over 2000 words, except as noted below, manuscripts should be in standard format--Double space your manuscript and indent your paragraphs; no blank line between paragraphs; mark section breaks, etc. Font? Nothing really crazy. Courier 12 pt. is standard, and is fine. We will change the font before we create the final files for the site.
Standard Manuscript Format Exceptions
- Format your contribution as you would like to see it in print. If you want something in italics, put it in italics. If you want something to appear in bold, put it in bold.
- Use the em dash properly. You may use the em dash character or two hyphens. Our style conforms to Chicago Manual of Style, which calls for NO spaces before or after the em dash--just type the last word of the first section, two hyphens, and the next word.
- Please use EITHER first-line indent OR tabs, but not both. Do not mix the two.
- If your word processor does not support "headers" do NOT use a running header. Word® supports headers and footers. Do NOT manually insert running headers. This obfuscates the process of setting the manuscript up for final publication.
For Reprints -- if your work is a reprint, AT THE END of the work, include any necessary (i.e. required by previous contract) reprint information, such as "First Appeared in XYZ, May 2004." We only care about this if you are required to include it by previous agreement. We DO care if it IS a reprint.
When you are done, save it. (Perhaps you want to “save as” and preserve your original manuscript.)
One more step....
Save in RTF (Rich Text Format). If you use Word®, it will not change the way it looks, but the coding “under the hood” will be different.
We only accept text submissions for Long Fiction in RTF format.
More Process Information
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