Submissions FAQ
Do you accept simultaneous submissions?
Some authors like to send their stories to multiple contests at the same time. This is considered "simultaneous submission." We have no problem with this as we are judging winners for our contest and our Zine is not meant to be a "publisher" for the genre - we just want to recognize the winners of our contest.
What types of submissions do you accept?
The term "accepting submissions" smacks of a paying site that publishes the best written piece from a bunch of submissions. We sort of do this...but not really. What we do is offer a contest and the WSC SF & F Club members choose the stories they think are best as the winners...and we publish them online (and give a prize if we have a budget for it that year...) Go here to see details about the contest...
WillyCon E-Zine does not want stories/poems submitted to the contest with:
- Plagiarized work
- Superfluously gory horror
- Stories/poetry containing excessive, inappropriate, or explicit 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. Spider-Man, Batman, etc.)
I submitted a story/poem, but you rejected it. Will you give me the specific reason?
Probably not, and "rejection" is such a harsh sounding word...we prefer "non-winning entry." The contest is in the spring semester and we are really busy with WillyCon (the convention). Should we have the time and people available, we will try to give feedback, but most likely you will just receive a "thank you for submitting" e-mail and encouragement to try again. Winners will also get a certificate by mail along with whatever (if any) prize is being given that year.
Where and how do I send it to you?
We prefer all contest submissions be via e-mail attachment. See our short story contest page for details.
What is your response time?
Slow... Stories come throughout the year, but they are not judged until April, around the time we do the convention. Winners will hopefully be notified within a month after the contest ends...
What happens if you accept my submission?
Again, it is not "accepted" so much as chosen as a winner for that year's contest. And what happens is that it gets published here for all the world to see...
What do I get if you publish my work?
A big "Thank You!" for being a part of our contest, encouragement to keep writing, a certificate if you are a winner, and maybe a prize or money if we can afford it...
If chosen as a winner, who maintains the rights?
WillyCon E-Zine requests one-time English language electronic publishing rights for all works that we accept as a winning entry for the competition. We will publish your work online for a period of approximately one year. After that we will place it in our archive, unless you request otherwise. All works will be removed from the archive on author's request. WillyCon waives all rights beyond those stated above. If you resell a story that we have already published - good for you! You wrote it and it should remain yours to use in any way you see fit.