IASFA – Open Call for TEU10 – The Expanding Universe Sci-Fi Anthology

This is the tenth iteration of the TEU short story collections. I do one a year. Target is 20-25 stories. The cover is a Tom Edwards pre-made and that should give you an idea of what we’re looking at for content. Stories that would suit being under that cover. This one is exclusive to members of the IASFA. I intend to have about 5 to 10 headliners in this set and will open up the final slots to newer authors or authors who have not yet established themselves in the Sci-Fi arena. I always have a story in the TEU volumes. Read to the end for all of the submission criteria.

Here are the particulars:

• A science fiction short story or novelette of alien contact, colonization, adventure, or military. NO HORROR and no Sci-Fi Romance. Don’t run afoul of the cover – if it makes sense in that view, then it’ll work. A near-Earth technothriller wouldn’t fit.
• Never before published and it will be exclusive to Amazon for 3 months. Many people write a reader magnet for their own world in order to get dual use from their stories. That’s fine, but make sure it stands alone, too, since many readers won’t know your world. If you want readers to come into your universe, you can’t have a story that doesn’t stand alone with potential new readers.
• 6k to 8k words
• This is not the first three chapters of a novel. It needs to stand apart in that it has an ending. It can be in your world, but must stand on its own.
• Only one submission per author, original material, please
• Equal royalty split (no buy-in) paid on/about January 15, 2025
• You will get digital rights to your story returned to you when we close out. We’ll keep the paperback in perpetuity for consistency’s sake and so the newer authors can show their name with established authors on the Amazon page. If for some reason the rules regarding exclusivity change to include paperbacks, then we’ll pull the paperback down. I won’t encroach on an author’s rights. – Yes, everyone will have a contract. I pay a premium for Docusign, so I’m sure as heck going to use it!
• Initial 500 words due by May 15th. If you can’t grip a reader in the first 500 words with a short story, they’ll skip your story. This means when I open my email on the morning of the 16th, Alaska time, I will have all of the submissions. Submit in Word, in calibri or arial 12 point, and single spaced paragraphs with an extra half line space between paragraphs (do not put an extra carriage return between paragraphs and don’t tab your indents by all that’s holy – that’s not what I mean). Also, there will be a template in the files section – just use that and save yourself a lot of grief. If you write using a Mac, you’ll have to go through some gyrations to get into the template. Please get it right. Please.

Send your first 500 words to me at craig@iasfa.org – subject line needs to be TEU10- [your name] – [story title]. File name needs to be that, too. Early bird gets the worm. Once I’m satisfied the anthology is full, I won’t accept any more stories (if you’ve been cleared to the second round). My beta readers determine who makes it into the final anthology. Point to note – none of my beta readers are authors – they despise horror and dark themes as much as I do – if you write with the purpose to crush the soul of the reader, then this anthology is not for you).

You’re responsible for having the final story edited to a professional standard. I’m not that kind of editor (think acquisitions). If there are more than three typos in your final story, it will be rejected and if you have three typos or fewer, they will be fixed before we publish.

You must be an https://iasfa.org/join-iasfa IASFA member to participate.

Authors must have at least one other science fiction work published so interested readers can find (and buy) more of your work.

If you clear the first round with me, I will put you on the list for the second round which means you’ll get a contract with more specifics surrounding the final format – write the rest of the story. I will run that through beta readers for final viability. If they like it, it remains in. If they don’t, it doesn’t make the final cut and you get your full rights returned at the time of rejection because we won’t license your work. Also, final stories will need to include a one-liner blurb after the title & author’s name in the file, and a 100-word (or so) bio at the end with a single link where you want to send an interested reader. Look for the anthology template in the files here.

The final story is due by August 15th. Follow submission guidelines, please. If your first 500 pass muster, then I’ll be looking for the full story as soon as you can do it. I’ll stop taking submissions once I have a full anthology. TEU10 is already up for pre-order for Sep 9.

I’ll provide the cover – a Tom Edwards cover because we only put the best covers on the TEU volumes. It is shown here.