Submissions FAQ

Do you accept simultanous submissions? (What are simultaneous submissions?)

What types of submissions do you accept?

Where and how do I send it to you?

What is your response time?

Will you critique my submission?

What happens if you accept my submission?

What do I get if you publish my work?

What if you reject my submission?

What is your submission and publication schedule?

 

Do you accept simultanous submissions? (What are simultaneous submissions?)

Some authors like to send their stories to multiple potential publishers at the same time. This is considered "simultaneous submission."

Ultraverse editors spend a significant amount of time reading and considering the place of each piece in the upcoming issues. In the past, we have had stories yanked out of our hands at the last minute because the author received a faster offer from another e-zine. For this reason, Ultraverse does not accept simultaneous submissions.

What types of submissions do you accept?

Ultraverse.us accepts submissions in the following categories:

• SciFiMage: An original image or the link to someone else's image on the web, for SciFiMage. Ultraverse Editor Chris Africa will write a short story about it. One image will be chosen each issue. Image selection will be based on creativity, as well as whether the original artist consents to publication in Ultraverse. Chris may invite guest authors to write the short story for SciFiMage.
  
  
• Poetry: 50 lines or less
  
  
• Short Stories: Science fiction and fantasy between 2,000 and 10,000 words
  
  
• Author Interviews: Up to 3,000 words
  
  
• Book Reviews: Especially new authors and small-press books that are ignored by other media, up to 2,000 words
  
  
• New Novels: Announcements of recently published novels, including self-published works
  
  
• News: News items of interest to Ultraverse readers
  
  
• Links: For the "links" section, including small banners for Ultraverse affiliates
  
  

Fiction must be complete. We will not agree to publish a story on the basis of an outline or synopsis.

Illustrations may be submitted as small as 300x300px in any image format, but must be provided in the requested size, resolution and file format upon acceptance.

Ultraverse.us does not accept:

• Plagiarized work
  
  
• Superfluously gory horror
  
  
• Stories/poetry containing sexual content
  
  
• Stories/poetry containing excessive profanity
  
  
• Stories/poetry taking place in any trademarked universe, such as Star Wars, or any other type of fan fiction
  
  
• Superhero fiction (e.g. Batman) or comic book art
  
  

Where and how do I send it to you?

• All submissions should be sent to editor@ultraverse.us.
  
  
• In your email, be sure to include the following pieces of information:
  • your real name. This will remain confidential if you submit a pseudonym under which you want your story published. However, because our agreement with you can be considered legally binding, we require that you do business under your legal name.
    
    
  • the name under which your story should be published, if it is different from your real name
    
    
  • a statement as to whether you are willing to edit your submission, if we request it. This helps editors to avoid spending extra time on submissions that we feel must be edited in order to be published in Ultraverse.
    
    
  • your current bio, even if you have been featured in Ultraverse previously. We have discovered that bios, web sites and email addresses quickly become outdated and even obsolete. If you were previously published in Ultraverse and do not send us an updated bio, your submission will run without a bio.
    
    
  • any addresses that you want us to link from your bio (personal web site, email, etc.)
  
  
  
• Ultraverse reserves the right not to accept submissions sent as attachments. Submissions should be sent as text in the body of the email, with the following formatting:
  • paragraphs should not be indented
    
    
  • paragraphs should be double-spaced
    
    
  • italics should be indicated with underscores (e.g., _italicized text here_)
    
    
  • bold text should be indicated with asterisks (e.g., *bold text*)
  
  
  
• Illustrations should be attached to the email. Make sure to scan your image for viruses before sending it, and repair the file if necessary.
  
  

What is your response time?

We cannot guarantee a response time. If a piece has been in our hands for more than six weeks and we decide we want to use it, we will query you to be sure you have not already committed it elsewhere.

Will you critique my submission?

If you request it and we have time, we may provide a critique.

What happens if you accept my submission?

If we decide we want to publish your story or article, we may request that you make changes to it. You may refuse, but please be aware that your submission may be rejected on that basis alone.

These are our terms:

1. You agree to give us electronic rights to publish your story/poem or article on Ultraverse.us for 60 days (the duration of one publication cycle) and to market or promote the piece as we see fit in order to achieve maximum visibility for both the author and Ultraverse.us.
   
   
2. We request permission to maintain your story/poem or article in our archives beyond the initial 60 days. Any piece kept beyond 60 days will be removed from our site with seven days' notice from the author. You may refuse this request without prejudice.
   
   
3. You retain the copyright of your piece. A copyright symbol/statement (indicating that the author holds the copyright) will be added immediately underneath the story/poem or article, to scare away any potential violators.
   
   

If we decide we want to publish your image in any part of Ultraverse, including SciFiMage, these are our terms:

1. You agree to give us electronic rights to publish your image on Ultraverse.us for 60 days (the duration of one publication cycle). If it is necessary to use your image in any other medium or location in order to market or promote our publication, we will specifically request your permission and agree to abide by your decision.
   
   
2. We request permission to maintain your image in our archives beyond the initial 60 days. Any image kept beyond 60 days will be removed from our site with seven days' notice from the artist. You may refuse this request without prejudice.
   
   
3. You retain the copyright of your work. A copyright symbol/statement (indicating that the artist holds the copyright) will be added immediately underneath the image, to scare away any potential violators.
   
   
4. Your image will be published in low-resolution format only (72 dpi, no more than 300 pixels in length or width), to discourage others from downloading it and using it inappropriately. If we want to publish it in a larger format, we will request permission separately.
   
   

If you refuse the above terms (except for permission to archive your submission), or you do not repond to our offer to publish by the deadline stated in our offer email, we may consider the offer terminated.

What do I get if you publish my work?

Payment is in recognition only. We have incorporated advertising and a "donations" button, but have not yet received funding to begin compensating authors.

What if you reject my submission?

We will send you a form letter (email) letting you know that we can't use it.

What is your submission and publication schedule?

Refer to the official schedule for dates.

Authors/illustrators accepted for publication will be notified the first day of the month before publication.

---

Ultraverse e-zine of science fiction and fantasy is Copyright 2003-2005 Parola Scritta and Chris Africa.
All stories, artwork and articles published in this e-zine are copyrighted by their creators, with limited publication rights given to Ultraverse. All other rights are reserved by the author or artist. Distribution without permission is a violation of copyright law.