Orion’s Belt Submissions / How to Submit (Payment: $.08 per word)

Orion’s Belt Submissions are currently open for speculative poetry, prose and art.

Orion’s Belt is a literary speculative-fiction online magazine. They specialize in the strange and poignant and awe-inspiring, stories that have a cosmic scale and intimate personal stakes. Currently, they publish fiction and poetry, one story and one poem per month. All submissions must be 1200 words or less.

Speculative fiction, for them encompasses a wide range of fiction that includes non-realist elements. While they focus on science-fiction and fantasy, they are open to slipstream, horror, magic realism, myth retellings, surrealism, superhero stories, and all other fantastical genres and subgenres. They expect writers to write interesting stories to be interesting enough to hook in readers.

 

Guidelines for Orion’s Belt’s Submission

• Submissions should be directed to orionsbelt.submissions@gmail.com.
• All stories must be under 1200 words (not including the title and byline). Stories over 1200 words will sadly be rejected automatically.
• All stories must contain significant speculative elements. This does not mean all sci-fi stories must have lasers and rockets. It just means a non-speculative story doesn’t become speculative if you include a single line clarifying the story takes place on Mars.
• The subject line of your email should be a variation of “Submission – Story Name (Author Name).”
• There is no need for submissions to be anonymous.
• Stories need not necessarily follow Standard Manuscript Format, but it is preferred.
• The font should be 12-point Times New Roman.
• There is no hard limit to the number of times one can submit, but they ask that you not submit more than twice in one month.
• If Orion’s Belt rejects a story, please do not resubmit it, even if you revise it.
• Submitting a story simultaneously to Orion’s Belt and another publication is acceptable, but please contact them if another accepts the story first.
• They only accept stories that have not already been published elsewhere.
• A cover letter is expected. This needn’t be long or detailed. Learn how to write a proper cover letter to submit.
• Attach the story to your email as a Word file or PDF. In the body of the letter, include your name, the title of your story, its length, its genre or subgenre, up to three previous publications, and any other information you deem relevant.

Poetry Submissions

Art Submissions

Payment

They pay a flat 8 cents USD ($.08) per word. This is the industry-standard, SFWA-approved professional rate.

Deadline

Submissions are open until September 1st, 2023. 

Visit the Orion’s Belt Website to learn more about submissions.