Editor Interview: GigaNotoSaurus

A “longish” story a month

Uncanny Magazine, Clarksworld, Tor.com, Escape Artists (EscapePod/PseudoPod/PodCastle)

Octavia Butler, N.K. Jemisin, Connie Willis, Max Gladstone, Neil Stephenson, Cat Rambo, Nisi Shawl, Eugie Foster

I think our stories tend to breathe most comfortably in the spaces between genres.

No matter what your final word count, the story should start right away. Leading with world building, background, or quotes (real or imagined) is a good way to lose me in the first few pages.

A brief cover letter [title of story, word count, prior publications and relevant professional/personal details]; a compelling story that starts on page one with a clear and confident voice from a unique point of view. And one that also follows the guidelines.

Don’t be afraid to query! If you haven’t heard back in the time allotted do reach out. I consider deeply every story that makes it into my queue, which may take longer than our usual response time. If you send a polite reminder that I’m holding on to your story, I’m happy to give you a status update.

Keep it short and sweet: provide the basics [Title, wordcount] (This helps me sort stories for reading and budget my time) If you have particular personal, cultural or professional expertise that you utilized in the story in some way, do mention it.
I don’t “weigh” submissions based on previous publications, but it’s nice to know if you have them. If you haven’t been published, don’t mention it and I won't miss it. Conversely, I don’t need the titles of all 200 of your previous publications. Just pick your best 3.

It depends on the story. If it doesn't capture me in the first few pages, I put it away and then try reading it again the next day. If it doesn't capture me, I ask myself why. Sometimes, a story just doesn't work for me, and sometimes a story which doesn't work on one day will capture me the next day. For the most part, I try to read every piece to the end, and sometimes it might require several rereads before I make up my mind.

If a story is about or from the viewpoint of a traditionally underrepresented group or member of that group, I may engage the author in a conversation about their experience to help the decision-making process.

I have an app that allows me to listen to written submissions as I do chores or my dayjob. The best stories are the ones that make me stop and listen in awe. In those cases, I would go back and reread the submissions text. Both times, I make notes during the story. I also discuss with my slush team on why they recommended the story. If there are questions about the story, particularly if the story is told about marginalized people, I may contact the author to get more info, or get a sensitivity reader to help me with the decision making process.

It depends. Most of the stories I accept tend to be very polished and require only light proof-texting. There are some stories though that require more edits and we work with the author on that. Edits that are substantial are seen as not ready for publication--those I would send back to the author as rewrite requests. It's important to note that rewrite requests from us are not considered acceptances. If we like the story, we'll send suggestions on how to make the story stronger. For the most part, many authors who address our suggestions turn a good story into a 'WOW' story, in which case, we buy it.

Yes.