Editor Interview: Nature Go to the listing List all editor interviews Edit answers (editors only) Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.900-word hard SFColin Sullivan, Editor, Futures on 08 January 2014What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?Futures is the science-fiction column in Nature, the international weekly journal of science. It also appears in the monthly sister journal Nature Physics, meaning that we have space for about 63 stories a year. It also means that a lot of our readers – and a lot of our contributors – are working scientists. We have a very strict 850-950 word limit, so your vignette needs to be tightly structured to do its job in the space allowed.Colin Sullivan, Editor, Futures on 08 January 2014What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?Read other stories that we have published (nature.com/futures) and don't rely on typical SF cliches to give your story backbone. And make sure that something actually happens in your story: don't write a scenario.Colin Sullivan, Editor, Futures on 08 January 2014Describe the ideal submission.Something that makes me want to keep on reading. It's as simple as that. I want to be engaged because I want my readers to be engaged.Colin Sullivan, Editor, Futures on 08 January 2014What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?The obvious mistake is word length. The other is genre – much as I might enjoy some swords and sorcery, that's not what we're after. The other common mistake is forgetting to include a story: I don't want to read lots of exposition, and with just 900-odd words available, your story doesn't have room for it.Colin Sullivan, Editor, Futures on 08 January 2014How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?I'm interested in whether or not the submission is a good story. I endeavour to read submissions blind, so no, I'm not that interested in cover letters nor am I that taken with publication lists. If I like the story it gets in, if I don't, it doesn't.Colin Sullivan, Editor, Futures on 08 January 2014If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?As the submissions are only 850-950 words long, I do my best to read them all in their entirety. However, I will stop if I get bored, because that means the idea is bad and so is the story-telling.Colin Sullivan, Editor, Futures on 08 January 2014What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?None.Colin Sullivan, Editor, Futures on 08 January 2014 Cookie Consent: This site uses secure first-party cookies for essential, preference-setting, and statistical purposes. We do not use any marketing, advertising, or third-party cookies. Read our full cookie policy. Accept All Cookies Allow Essential Cookies Only