| | MarsDust Online Submission Guidelines | Content
MarsDust will consider material submitted by any writer, and consider it solely on the basis of merit. We are definitely eager to find and develop new, capable writers. In writing for MarsDust readers, it is essential to keep in mind that they are, in general, very intelligent and technically knowledgeable, but represent a very wide diversity of backgrounds. That said, MarsDust differs from other publications of its type by not assuming that our readers are "nerds" or "geeks." Sure they may have traits that set them apart from what our culture has classically considered "normal." But to peg them into a weaker or "un-cool" slot because they stand out from the crowd is not the MarsDust way. To the contrary, we celebrate the ultimate coolness of our readers' courage to be themselves. When writing for MarsDust, conveying this attitude is very important. This is why we cover stories outside of the fiction genres - to explore and celebrate the complete lifestyle of the sci-fi, fantasy and horror fan. We want to explode the myth of the nerdy, obsessive fan and reveal the truth of the fan as a savvy, whole person with his/her finger on the pulse of society. Fiction - We publish a limited number of science fiction, fantasy and horror stories per episode of MarsDust Online. They should be good above all other considerations. Beyond that, we do accept stories with erotic themes and violent content. But porn or violence coupled with hateful messages will be sent immediately into the bit-bucket. These distinctions are at the sole discretion of MarsDust Online's editorial staff. We also consider book excerpts if the entire book meets the above criteria and you can provide written permission (one-time international rights) from the book's publisher at no cost to us. We are also working on plans to re-publish the best of our online fiction in trade paperback anthologies. If you are published by us online, we may contact you in the future with an offer to be republished in one of these books. Non-Fiction - MarsDust is looking for feature stories in the areas of science fiction, fantasy and horror entertainment. This includes, but is not limited to, movies, books, television shows, games, celebrities and conventions. We also like stories on rock and hip-hop acts &endash; especially if they are fans of the aforementioned genres. Generally we want bands signed with a label or doing extremely well on their own label. When interviewing a musician, get permission for us host MP3 files of their music. If they have videos in QuickTime format, ready for the web, we like hosting that as well. We are also eager to distribute music by the bands we cover in the form of free CDs to be given out at conventions and other gatherings, so if the artists you cover are willing to play ball, we can provide a bit of grass roots hype for them. Manuscript Format No simultaneous submissions please. Non-Fiction: Articles must be submitted only after careful proofreading. We only accept electronic submissions via e-mail for non-fiction articles. We prefer articles to be sent as attachments in ASCII format. Trying to translate documents from your 1998 version of MSWord is certainly do-able, but more of a hassle for us than it is for you to simply send it in ASCII format. The author's name and address should be at the top of the article. Our article submission address is: submissions@marsdust.20m.com Fiction: All manuscipts should be carefully proofread and sent in using standard manuscript format (double spaced, courier type, etc). We do not accept submissions via e-mail. Send your manuscript via regular mail to: | Steve Nagy | | C/O MarsDust Online | | 1661 Scio Ridge Rd. | | Ann Arbor, MI 48103 | | U.S.A. | If you wish to have us mail your manuscript back, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope, package, whatever is appropriate. Include an e-mail address, if you have one, for our reply. Otherwise, include an SASE. Response time: within 8 weeks. Payment MarsDust Online is now happy to offer pro rates for high quality fiction. We are currently paying three cents per word, up to 5000 words (you can write more, but that is the maximum amount we will pay) for short fiction. This rate does not apply to book excerpts, which we are not currently offering payment for. Should you submit an excerpt that we want to publish, we will gladly direct readers to where they can buy the book. MarsDust is currently not offering cash money of any sort for non-fiction articles. As a general rule, we do like to provide prominant links to your personal website or contact info with each published work. If you are a budding journalist with mad skills, we would love to help you with those all important first publishing credits. | 
