Genre: Frequency is looking for literate, strongly plotted, original stories, primarily in the Science Fiction genre but we will also look at fantasy and horror. We're willing to consider mystery as long as there is an element of SF/Fantasy/Horror.

NO: novel excerpts, swords & sorcery, media tie-ins, parody. Poetry by invitation only. We are primarily looking for NEW material -- reprints will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Length: Our primary interest (read: your best bet to sell to us) is stories of 2,000 words or less. We'll consider up to 5,000 words. Short-shorts of under 1,000 words are especially needed.

Style: Since our listeners won't want to hit the rewind button every twenty seconds, clear syntax and non-experimental structures are mandatory. Long passages in colorful alien dialect will also be problematical. Strong science is good; strong characters are better; both together would be best. And let's emphasize one more time: strong plotting is the foundation. "Slice of life" stories, even really cool alien life, are not what we're looking for. And for you horror writers: "Slice of Death" stories are also out. If I get one more story that's just "Boy meets girl, boy kills girl", with no SF or fantastical element, I may have to... no, I'm not going there. And you shouldn't either. Send me something original.

HORROR WRITERS - CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS

Payment: Frequency pays 3 cents per word for exclusive AUDIO rights. In addition, stories are sold as MP3 downloads through the website at approximately $1 per story. Authors receive a 20 percent royalty on those internet sales.

Submissions: Electronic submissions are preferred, to submissions@FrequencyPublishing.com. Please send in Word, text or rich text, in professional format: typed, double-spaced, one side of the page, include word count AND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE STORY. This may seem obvious, but experience has taught me that it's not, and I can't reply if I don't have your email address ON THE MANUSCRIPT. Hardcopy submissions to: PO Box 2711, Venice CA 90294. Please feel free to send several stories at a time.

Response: We will happily respond by email; for regular mail, please include an appropriately sized, self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE). (Contributors residing outside the United States should use international reply coupons.) Even if you do not want your manuscript returned, we require a letter-size SASE for a surface-mail response; manuscripts without an SASE will not be returned.

Frequency's top 12 reasons for rejections:

• The protagonist doesn't drive the story
• The protagonist doesn't have anything at stake in the action
• There is no action, only ideas
• There is only action, no ideas
• The protagonist doesn't change by the end
• Nothing has changed by the end.
• Good ideas, but the characters were cardboard
• Good characters, but nothing happens outside of their particular interaction (nothing bigger is at stake)
• Nothing happens
• Too much (clumsy or intrusive) exposition
• Does your main female character have to be a redhead?
• There's no fantastic or speculative element.
  

For cover art, Frequency is looking for professional-level realistic artwork. (Some abstract may be appropriate; try us on a case-by-case basis.) We'd also like to get some really cool computer-generated images. Like everyone, we're looking for dramatic imagery that will hook the reader. Frequency pays professional rates.

What to send: Send four to ten samples of your best work. DO NOT SEND ORIGINALS. Color copies, slides, transparencies, or tearsheats are acceptable.

Send to: Art submissions - Frequency, PO Box 2711, Venice CA 90294.

As we will want to keep submissions on file for reference, they will not be returned unless specifically requested by the artist (in which case SASE must be included). Electronic submissions are also acceptable, but ONLY after first querying to: submissions@frequencypublishing.com.