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The Colored Lens Speculative Fiction Magazine 295

About

The goal of speculative fiction has always been to examine the real world through the lens of the imaginary. By considering what could be, we gain a better understanding of what is. The Colored Lens strives to do exactly that. By publishing four to five short stories and serialized novellas a quarter in genres ranging from fantasy, to science fiction, to slipstream or magical realism, we hope to help our readers see the world just a bit differently than before they came to our website. No matter how fascinating the imaginary world can be, we live in the real world. We hope you enjoy our pages.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States Established in 2011

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic PublicationUnknown publication frequency.

Fiction Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:
GenreSubgenres
Fantasy FantasyOpen to all/most Subgenres, including: Dark Fantasy, Heroic Fantasy, Magic Realism, Slipstream.
Science Fiction Science FictionOpen to all/most Subgenres, including: Alternate History, Hard Science Fiction, Slipstream.
Lengths:
Flash Fiction Flash FictionUp to 1,000 words.
Short Story Short Story1,000 - 7,500 words.
Novelette Novelette7,500 - 15,000 words.
Novella Novella15,000 - 20,000 words.
Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) to Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) Pay ranges from Token payment to Semi-pro payment.
Details: USD $10 for flash; $20 for stories; for novellas, $20 for first 10,000 words, and $1 per 1,000 words over that.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are NOT allowed.
Media: Text.


Visual Art Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:
Artwork ArtworkUp to 3 pieces.
Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media.

Art Styles:

Fantastical, Science fiction art.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (US$10-49 per piece) Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $20.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are NOT allowed.
Media: Image.


Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

The Colored Lens Submission Statistics — Free Preview!

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.
This project ranks among the Most Personable Fiction Publishers in our database.
AccuracyWe have received 157 reports from 98 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported0 min | 9.2 mean avg | 1.0 median | 197 max days (27.1 std dev)
Responses96.18 %
Acceptances4.46 % of submissions accepted (47.0 avg. days per acceptance) | 7.14 % of submitters accepted Rejections are often underreported, which skews the statistics in favor of acceptances. Most publishers have a lower acceptance rate than indicated here.
Rejections91.72 % (3.6 avg. days per rejection) | 84.0 % personal, 6.3 % form, 9.7 % unspecified | 0.6 % shortlisted
Non-Responses3.82 %
Lost/Returned-
Never Responded2.55 % (124.3 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)
Withdrawals1.27 % (48.0 avg. days per withdrawal)
Pending6 responses are pending (2 min | 51.8 mean avg | 50.0 median | 106 max days waiting | 52.0 std dev) from 6 different members This only includes pending reports from users who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 7 days. (15.3 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 7 days.)
Do not query on the status of your submission before 7 days have passed.
Most submissions are acknowledged within one day.
Most recent response reported was received on 16 May 2024.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 12 May 2024.

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Dates

Last Updated: 11 May 2024
Last Audited: 17 Dec 2023. (We audit each active listing twice a year. Learn more at link.)
Date Added: 30 May 2011

Before Submitting

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  • Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
  • Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
  • Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
  • Be professional, patient, and persistent.