Note: Rational Magic and Rooftop Sessions will NOT publish material
that is already being posted elsewhere on the Internet.Submission Addresses:
Rational Magic/The Washington/Bursting with Song/Twisted Tales of Toy Torture stuff: SF, fantasy, other fiction, nonfiction, poetry, SF/fantasy bar stories, Broadway material, anecdotes about the treatment of toys
(Please address your submission to Aviva Rothschild)Rooftop Sessions stuff: Beatles fanfic
(Please address your submission to Susan Ryan)
Note to Rooftop Sessions contributors: there are additional submission criteria aimed specifically at you at the bottom of this list.Note to potential franchisees for The Washington: although you have separate criteria, there are valuable bits of info on this page as well.
Preferences:
Science fiction, fantasy, "unclassifiable" magical stories (e.g., superheroes), anything Broadway-related.Will Consider:
Most other types of fiction, nonfiction, poetry. We have very few taboos regarding subject matter, language, etc. (but see below).Not Very Interested in:
Gore (the bloody kind, not Al), softcore porn, conservative viewpoint, kidstuff, romance, book reviews.Not at All Interested in:
Hardcore porn, racist/sexist/homophobic/anti-Semitic stories, religious "live-this-way" stories, New Age stuff, any other kinds of fanfic besides Beatles.Length:
Open. Longer works will be serialized.Format:
The ideal way to send a story is in HTML format. Failing that, .DOC or .TXT attachments are OK. You can also cut and paste your story into an e-mail, but it will then be formatted as the editor sees fit, so if you have special formatting this might not be your best option.
- Include name/alias, e-mail address, your website (if any), and a short biography of yourself.
Sloppy manuscripts turn us off in a big way. No typos, and watch your grammar, please! If we like a story but think it needs grammatical punching up, we'll return it to you for fixing and look at it again when you're done.
Turnaround Time:
We hope to read your story and accept or reject it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, we can't say as to how long this process will work out to in practice.Rejections:
Rejections are an unfortunate fact of life for writers. If we have time, we may offer comments on your rejected story, explaining why we turned it down, and perhaps something you could do to fix it.Editing:
Rational Magic reserves the right to lightly edit accepted works. If the editor feels that a necessary change will alter the meaning of something, the change will be submitted to the author for approval. Rational Magic also reserves the right to retitle works, though we will discuss options with the author.Terms:
Rational Magic is meant as a showplace for talented writers. Authors retain copyrights, and we do not take any publication rights, except as they relate to the temporary display of a story in the e-zine. Rational Magic takes First Electronic Rights for one month. During that time, you may not place the story elsewhere on the Internet, although you can try to place the story in a print venue. Afterwards, your work will be moved into the Archives, where it will remain until you request its removal.Payment:
At this point, nothing but glory. We hope to become a paying zine someday!Criteria for Rooftop Sessions Submissions:
In addition to the general writing guidelines outlined above, fanfic writers should abide by the following:
- Keep in mind the "voice" of the Beatles as characters. Nothing is more bothersome in Beatles fanfic than Beatles who don't at least sound British, if not Liverpudlian.
- Romance is fine, but it is by no means the only genre we would like to see.
- We will NOT accept any story that is disrespectful toward or bashes any member of the Beatles, their families, or their associates.
- We will NOT accept "Martin Luther Lennon" stories, i.e., stories that treat John like a saint.
- We will NOT accept porn or slash. (If you're not sure what "slash" is - it's NOT blood and guts.)
- If you do write about sexual situations, make them tasteful, not crass. Sensuality is fine, graphic sexual description is not.
- Strong language is allowed, within reason. Use profanity judiciously or it will be trimmed.
- Keep in mind the old Writers' Workshop adage: write what you know. If you use your own experiences as the basis for your fictional adventures, you will have a much better story.
- Nothing weird or implausible. If you're using a science fiction or fantasy setting, keep the story within the reasonable realm of possibility without spiraling off into the ridiculous. Consistency and internal logic are very important.
- Watch out for anachronisms and regional errors. For example, a character wouldn't use the Pill before 1960, pull out a cell phone in 1964, wear a micro-miniskirt before 1968, use a VCR before 1978, refer to AIDS in 1980, or listen to a CD before 1985. Similarly, you can't ski to work in Denver, go to a fast-food drive-through in Manhattan, or go to an American-style shopping mall in 1960s England. If you're not sure something existed at a certain time or place, look it up!
Those Submission Addresses Again:
Rational Magic/The Washington/Bursting with Song/Twisted Tales of Toy Torture stuff: SF, fantasy, other fiction, nonfiction, poetry, SF/fantasy bar stories, Broadway material, anecdotes about the treatment of toys
(Please address your submission to Aviva Rothschild)Rooftop Sessions stuff: Beatles fanfic
(Please address your submission to Susan Ryan)
