We are closed. Please do not send any material. There is nobody to read or reply, so please accept our best wishes for good luck in submitting elsewhere. By all means, enjoy the articles and stories remaining on this museum site, which reflects an important little piece of early Internet/WWW history.--JTC

Who We Are: Outside is a paying professional magazine of SF and dark imaginative fiction, aimed at people who love to read well-plotted, character-driven genre fiction. We are interested in fiction that transcends the limitations and ventures outside the stereotypes of genre fiction.

What We Publish: short (1500-4000 words) Science Fiction, Horror, and darkly imaginative fiction. We seek well-written, professionally executed fiction, with attention to basics - grammar, punctuation, usage. We do not accept Sword & Sorcery, pornography, or excessive violence and gore beyond the legitimate needs of a story. Also no derivative works (e.g., emulating TV shows and movies - no Star Trek stories, for example).

Our goals: We strive to be both writer-friendly and reader-friendly. We eagerly look forward to receiving top quality, professional material from you.

Requirements: We no longer accept snail mail submissions. All stories must be submitted via e-mail to storysub@clocktowerfiction.com.

The subject line of the e-mail must begin with [storysub] followed by the name of the author, followed by the title of the story. For example:

Correct:
   [storysub] Edgar Poe - The Fall of the House of Usher

Incorrect:
   [Story Sub] Edgar Poe - The Fall of the House of Usher

   storysub - Edgar Poe - The Fall of the House of Usher

   [submission] Edgar Poe - The Fall of the House of Usher

Because we have automated mechanisms for routing submissions, it is extremely important that you follow the "correct" format above, including the brackets in the subject line. Ensure that it follows the format exactly. The body of the e-mail should contain the author's full name, social security number (if you have one), and address, followed by an approximate word count. No simultaneous submissions, please. Submissions that do not follow the format above will not be considered. The story you are submitting may be submitted as either plain text pasted into the body of the e-mail or as an attached RTF file. We DO NOT ACCEPT Microsoft Word DOC files - please save your file as RTF (Rich Text Format) - most word processors, including Microsoft Word have a "Save As..." feature that will allow you to save your story in RTF format. For plain text submissions, place an underscore ("_") on either side of text that should be italicized (since formatting is not retained in plain text) and paste your story directly into the body of your e-mail.

Grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage weigh heavily as we consider the story. You must master these essentials to be a professional writer. We expect that a professional writer owns, and regularly uses, a dictionary and at least one or two usage books (e.g. Strunk & White, Fowler). To be a successful writer, you should be a voracious but discriminating reader. Many books are available about the craft of writing -- read them all for free through your public library. Join a writers' group. Write constantly to improve your craft -- it's a tough discipline, as difficult and time consuming as learning to play symphony-quality violin or piano. Visit SharpWriter.Com for a comprehensive writer's resource. Finally, despite all these somewhat dire words, we wish you a passionate and successful love affair with writing.

We pay three cents per word upon acceptance of your manuscript for First Serial Rights for one year. Acceptance constitutes final editorial approval of content. We strive to pay as promptly as possible, but please allot a reasonable amount of time (6-8 weeks after acceptance) for your check to arrive.

Manuscripts must be sent by e-mail to storysub@clocktowerfiction.com only. Postal mail submissions will be disposed of without being read (as will submissions not mailed to the above e-mail address).

We usually respond within twelve weeks after receiving a submission. Depending on many variables, however, it can sometimes take longer. Please give us ample time before you begin writing to inquire about a submission's status. No simultaneous or previously published work.