Fiction subs & queries: Ann VanderMeer, fiction editor
Nonfiction & poetry subs & queries: Stephen H. Segal, editorial director

Founded in 1923, Weird Tales quickly became the chief source for many types of fantastic fiction over a substantial portion of the 20th century; it helped launch the careers of imaginative authors as wildly diverse as H.P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury and Tennessee Williams. The present incarnation has been published continuously since 1988 — and today, we are trying to be what Weird Tales might have become if it had continued from 1923 to the present uninterrupted. Where other current-day magazines of the fantastic often focus on a certain “flavor” (e.g., fantasy, horror, science fiction), Weird Tales’s aesthetic is harder to pin down — except that, quite simply, we are all about stuff that is weird. Truly extraordinary fiction you cannot find anywhere else. Stories that might tap on the shoulder of an innocent bystander, whisper in their ear, slap them across the face, and leave them with a strange new passion for the unique and unknown.

Weird Tales has begun taking submissions for a new flash-narrative format: ONE-MINUTE WEIRD TALES! Take a look at this video clip and you’ll get the idea:

These are sharp little micro-stories of 20 to 150 words, presented in a quick sequence of brief one-screen chunks — sort of a funky hybrid of a movie trailer, a Zen koan, and an Adult Swim between-show bumper. They don’t necessarily have to be funny — but they DO have to be immediately grabbing and viciously memorable. And, of course, weird.

Flat payment of $25 for video/online publishing rights. Send your scripts — that is, your stories demarcated with individual screen breaks — within the body of email to weirdtales@gmail.com.

FICTION: Short stories of 10,000 words or less (don’t send anything longer w/o a query first, or it will be returned unread). WEIRD TALES is looking for well-written work that is unusual and original; works of the fantastic, stories that are unique and strange with a proclivity toward the dark side. A new take on traditional storylines is also welcome as long as it is different and distinctive. Think in terms of the exploration of the imagination and stories which push the boundaries. Please be aware that our 2009 story calendar is nearly full, and we are buying very selectively at this time. Email submissions to weirdtales at gmail dot com.

NONFICTION AND POETRY: These are not acquired by our fiction editor, and should instead be addressed to editorial director Stephen Segal: nonfiction at weirdtales dot net. Nonfiction: Our “Weirdism” section features third-person journalistic narrative vignettes of 300 to 800 words, written New Yorker “Talk of the Town” style, whose motif is “the weirdness of real life.” Poetry: We are temporarily closed to poetry submissions, and will reopen later in 2009.

PAYMENT: Within eight to twelve weeks upon acceptance, unless another arrangement is made. First North American publication rights, covering all print and electronic versions of the magazine: 3-4 cents a word. Also two copies of the issue in which the work appears (plus reduced contributor rates for additional copies). We also reserve the nonexclusive right to reprint stories, for an additional fee, in translated and collected editions (such as “Best-Of” volumes) drawn from our magazines.

OTHER INFORMATION: We prefer all submissions in standard manuscript format. (A simple Google search on “standard manuscript format” will turn up many examples and tutorials.) Simultaneous submissions accepted, but no multiple submissions. Cover letters are enjoyed but not essential. You may receive a form rejection, but I will do my best to give personal comments as time allows. Allow 6-8 weeks response time.

For hardcopy submissions through the mail: provide an SASE with proper postage to ensure a response. If the postage is not enough to return the manuscript, it will be considered disposable. Weird Tales is not responsible for loss or damage to any unsolicited work. Please mail to our editorial address: Weird Tales Fiction Submissions, P.O. Box 38190, Tallahassee FL 32315, USA.

(NOTE: This is not the same as our address for customer service/subscriptions/business correspondence, which is: Weird Tales, c/o Wildside Press, 9710 Traville Gateway Dr #234, Rockville MD 20850, USA.)