Nevermet Press is always looking for article submissions from fans of fantasy, scifi and steampunk books, games, art, and culture. Currently, there are three Open Calls that we are soliciting submissions for:

Feel free to send your query to Jonathan Jacobs, Editor in Chief, at editor@nevermetpress.com. We’ll get back to you right away and look forward to working with you!

General Guidelines

Writers or bloggers interested in guest blogging on our site should contact the Editor directly at editor@nevermetpress.com . We’re looking for Opinion Editorials in the following areas:

• Editorials and Opinions on gaming culture, game design, actual play reports
• Industry interviews with authors, artists, and designers
• Reviews of recently published games or books
• New monsters, characters, spells, locations, traps, etc for table top roleplaying games (typically D&D, Pathfinder, or Savage Worlds)
• Commentary on speculative fiction trends and/or the intersection with gaming

Guidelines for Fiction

These guidelines outline the steps you need to follow to submit a work of fiction for Stories in the Ether. Specifically, they help you compose and submit a formal submission. If your submission is approved, we’ll contact you with more specific instructions. By submitting any material to us, you acknowledge and agree to adhere to these Submission Guidelines, including the Terms and Conditions at the end of this document. Please read them carefully.

1. Know What We Are Looking For

Nevermet Press is currently soliciting content in the categories listed below in the fantasy, science fiction, or steampunk genres:

• Short Stories for Stories in the Ether that can be read in one sitting (i.e. less than 15,000 words).
• Flash Fiction for Stories in the Ether that can be read in 30 minutes or less (i.e. less than 2,500 words).

2. Submit Your Work

1. Email the editors the completed article or story at submissions@nevermetpress.com.
2. Include a cover letter. If your article or story is greater than 2,500 words in length, you must include a PITCH with your cover page. This saves us time and gives us a chance to decide whether we want to read more. Your cover letter should:
• Specify the work’s genre (e.g. “A story of fantasy horror and madness…”, “A steampunk adventure…”, “A new scifi alien race”… etc)
• Include the type of content and the title in the subject line. For example: Short Story – The Cage of Doom.
• Be concise. Your pitch probably doesn’t need to be more than 500 words. Hit the highlights and leave it at that.
3. Send your article or story as an attached Word or RTF file in SWFA Standard Manuscript Format. Submissions without attachments will be rejected.
4. Limit one proposal to each email.
5. Always include the following information with your submission:
• Your full (legal) name. Indicate if you wish to use a penname.
• Your postal mailing address.
• Your contact email address and phone number.
• The total word count for your submission.
• Whether the article or story has been previously published elsewhere by another publisher (note: we prefer new works, but will consider previously published works as well).

3. Be Patient

If we’re interested, we’ll get back to you within 60 days. It might be much sooner than that, but it won’t be longer. We try to respond to everything, even though most of those responses are, “Thanks, but no.” If you don’t hear from us within 60 days, assume that your proposal has been rejected either for content reasons or because it’s too much like something else we have in the works.

What We Expect

Your submission should pitch something new, interesting, and that stands out from what is already available. Proof read, copy edit, and proof again. We are particular about word economy. Overly wordy strings of adjectives is often a red flag. Say more with less. Submissions can, and will, be rejected for poor writing basics. Show, don’t Tell. Works of fiction should be compelling and appealing to gamers as well as non-gamers alike. Don’t use Present Tense – we hate that usually.

Works that include erotica, pornography, child abuse and gonzo science fiction are immediately rejected. Works that are written in the first person, in the present tense, or are a “Dear So and So,” letter format, are almost always rejected.

If your work presents new material for a specific campaign setting developed by Nevermet Press, please mention that in your proposal. We love that sort of thing.

Simultaneous & Multiple Submissions

• We do not accept submissions that were previously published within the last 12 months (from submission date) by another publisher. However, publication on your own personal blog or website is an exception.
• We do not consider submissions currently under consideration with another magazine, website, or publisher.
• We DO accept multiple submissions, just make sure each one is sent in separately.
• We also (obviously) don’t accept plagiarized materials.

Rights & Licensing

In the event we accept your manuscript, you must agree to assigning non-exclusive, non-revocable, worldwide publication rights for the work to Nevermet Press, LLC. That means that once your contract is signed, we’ll have the non-exclusive rights to publish your work as we see fit. You, however, will retain ownership and the original rights to your work. You will also have the option to license your work to other publishers in the future. The contract will be sent out shortly after an article has been accepted. You’ll receive a contract via EchoSign.com – our exclusive electronic document signature provider. If you’re under 18, a parent or guardian must sign or co-sign your contracts–please advise us before hand if this is the case. Once we have purchased an article, it might not appear on our website or blog for several weeks or months, so be patient. We’ll do our best to let you know when your work will appear.

Payments & Royalties

Nevermet Press does not currently pay any upfront fee for accepted content intended for publication. However, we do pay a pro-rated quarterly royalty whenever your royalties exceed $25 based on all net revenue generated from sales of ePUB, PDF, Kindle, or Print versions of your work for the lifetime that the work is in publication. This means that any printed book, PDF, or eBooks published by Nevermet Press that includes your work will pay a percentage of the net revenue it generates directly to you whenever that royalty exceeds $25. These payments are made every 3 months for as long as the product is available for sale. Should your work appear in a collective work of multiple authors, then your royalty share will be pro-rated based on the word count of your work relative to the entire body of work. Your work may also appear on the free Nevermet Press blog, or via the Nevermet Press Insider newsletter, and publication in either of these formats does not carry a royalty (these are free to the reader).

F.A.Q.

How does the review process work?

After you submit your work, the editorial team at Nevermet Press will immediately review it. We then decide whether to Accept or Reject your story. Rejected stories may be invited for a re-submission if the work is close to the mark, but needs revision. You will be notified usually in about two weeks or so after submission, but we guarantee a response within 60 days.

What is the current acceptance rate of Stories in the Ether?

As of late January, 2012 our acceptance rate is close to 20%.

What happens after my story is accepted?

If your story is accepted, we will require you to provide us with a brief Author Biography about yourself (150 words or less), and to make any revisions recommended by the editors before publishing your work. Once a final version of your story is accepted, you will receive a contract from Nevermet Press, and your work will be published on our blog in the near future (you will be notified of the date and URL). Furthermore, your story will be included in an upcoming issue of the Stories in the Ether eBook issue, and in a future Stories in the Ether print anthology.

How much will I get paid?

We can’t say how much exactly, that depends on sales. All our contributors share a 30% royalty from eBook, PDF and print sales. According to SWFA guidelines, this amounts to a “token payment” in the form of a royalty.  

Can I submit something that was previously published? What if it was published in print?

Yes, as long as it was not published in the last 12 months.

Who is Nevermet Press?

We are a creative cooperative of writers, artists, and game designers who have a passion for great stories and roleplaying games. We operate much like a creative collective, so there are usually multiple projects going in parallel and it can be quite busy at times. We were founded in 2009 as an extension of a collaboration between two long-time RPG bloggers Jonathan Jacobs and Michael Brewer. Since that time we’ve published four books (three in print) and have plans to publish two more in 2011. You can learn more about Nevermet Press on our About page.

Where is Stories in the Ether sold?

The semi-quarterly Stories in the Ether ePUB journal is sold through LULU, Amazon’s Kindle Store, Smashwords, and DriveThruRPG.com. The later store carries both the ePUB and an exclusive PDF version of the print book. The print Anthology of Stories in the Ether will be sold through Lulu, Amazon, Barnes & Noble in 2012.

Terms and Conditions

In submitting any materials to Nevermet Press, LLC (“NMP”) by sending them to NMP through its submissions e-mail address at submissions@nevermetpress.com, the submitter (hereinafter “Author”) agrees to the following terms and conditions. For the avoidance of doubt, submission of any and all materials (“Work”) is considered acknowledgment of this agreement.

1. Author Warranties: Author warrants that he has clear title to the Work. Author warrants further that the Work is original and does not infringe upon any copyrighted material other than that published by Nevermet Press.
2. No Obligation: Author acknowledges that NMP is under no obligation to acquire or publish the Work.
3. Risk of Loss or Damage: Author agrees to retain a complete copy of all Works. NMP will not return any Work to Author, and NMP is not responsible for the loss of or damage to original manuscripts or revisions of it supplied by Author.
4. Independent Development: Author acknowledges that the Work may be similar to the theme, plot, idea, format, or other element of material that NMP has independently developed or that has or may come to NMP from other sources. Author shall not be entitled to any compensation by reason of the use by NMP of such similar material, whether developed or acquired by NMP before or after Author’s submission of the Work.
5. Miscellaneous: This Agreement shall be deemed to be entered into and governed by the laws of the State of Maryland and the United States of America applicable to contract made and performed entirely therein and constitutes the entire Agreement between the parties regarding the Work. This Agreement shall take effect upon the date of submission. No waiver by one party to this Agreement of any breach by the other party of any term or condition of this Agreement shall be deemed to be a waiver of any other breach of the same or any other term or condition of this or any other agreement. If any term or condition of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid or void, that term or condition shall be deemed to be stricken without affecting the validity or enforceability of the remainder of the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Except as otherwise provided in the Agreement, any subsequent modification or termination of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the successors and assigns of the respective parties.