The following guidelines and links outline how to submit original short fiction to the Tor.com magazine website, novellas/novels/etc. to the Tordotcom Publishing imprint (TDCP), and novels to Tom Doherty Associates, LLC (TDA).
If you’re interested in submitting non-fiction articles/essays/lists posts to the Tor.com magazine website, that information can be found here.
Tor.com Original Short Fiction Submissions Guidelines
As of January 7, Tor.com is closed to unsolicited short fiction submissions on an indefinite basis. Please check here for more information. Our readers and editors will respond to each story that has been submitted to us. If you have questions about the status of your story, or wish to withdraw your story from our consideration to submit it elsewhere, please email [email protected].
Tordotcom Publishing Novella Submissions
Tordotcom Publishing submissions are currently closed. The following guidelines describe our previous open period, which is still being evaluated. We plan to reopen, but do not currently have a confirmed date. It is unlikely to be any time in 2019 but will update this page with concrete plans when we decide on dates and genre. If you have been waiting for a response, please email [email protected]. You are also free to withdraw a submission at any time, either through the submissions system or by emailing us.
WHAT WE WERE LAST LOOKING FOR:
Tordotcom Publishing is currently considering novellas of between 20,000 and 40,000 words in both the science fiction and fantasy genres, submitted between May and June of 2018.
Lee Harris, Carl Engle-Laird, and Ruoxi Chen all actively request submissions from writers from underrepresented populations. This includes, but is not limited to, writers of any race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, class and physical or mental ability. We believe that good science fiction and fantasy reflects the incredible diversity and potential of the human species, and hope our catalog will reflect that.
In addition to reviewing the guidelines, we also encourage you to take a look at our existing list to get a sense of the work our current authors are producing and Tordotcom Publishing’s vision and tastes. Good luck—we look forward to reading your work.
WHAT WE’RE NOT LOOKING FOR:
Tordotcom does not accept works that have been previously published elsewhere, in any venue. This includes all forms of digital self-publishing.
We do not accept works that are not identifiable as fantasy or science fiction, or do not fit the genre we are currently soliciting. This includes, but is not limited to, non-science-fictional thrillers, and all kinds of non-fiction and memoirs.
We are not currently interested in tie-in fiction. This includes fiction that exists within worlds established in previously published novels, or that relies upon a knowledge of previously published novels.
We do not accept multiple submissions. If you have more than one novella, you may only submit one at a time. You may submit another once we have responded to your first submission.
We prefer that you not simultaneously submit your story to Tordotcom Publishing and other venues. If you do, however, and your novella is accepted by a different venue, please immediately withdraw your submission from Tordotcom Publishing. You can do so by emailing [email protected] with your story title, date submitted, and byline. Please make sure “Withdrawal” is in your subject line.
What we pay: We offer an advance against royalties, the size of which will depend on a number of factors, including you, the length of your story and how commercial we think it is. We also offer a royalty-only option, but if we decide to make you an offer, you will be free to choose between the two.
What rights does that give you? Our contract covers the right to publish the story in print, audio and ebook formats, worldwide, in English. Most of our print books will be published as p.o.d., though we may choose to publish other print editions.
HOW TO SUBMIT:
When we are open, please submit your novellas through the form at https://tor.moksha.io/publication/tornovellas. Once you’ve registered there you can also use that portal to check the status of your submission.
Due to the volume of submissions we receive during our open periods, we won’t be able to respond to all submissions within 6 months of receipt, though we will respond. Do not be concerned if your story doesn’t seem to be moving up the queue, as we don’t usually read in order of submission. If you’ve received a confirmation email, your story has been received and there is no need to contact us to check. Please do not send your work until you feel it is ready to be read. We will not be accepting “updated” versions of the same work once submitted.
Tom Doherty Associates, LLC Fiction Submissions
Tom Doherty Associates, LLC submission information can be found here.
Last updated 08/08/2018.
