Please note that you should expect a response to your submission within three months. If you haven’t heard by then please send a query email to althist.editor@gmail.com
Please don’t submit your piece simultaneously to another publication.
What We Want
Firstly we recommend that you read some of the first issue of Alt Hist to get a flavour of what we publish, either the sample material or better yet go and buy yourself a copy.
Fiction
Fiction submitted:
1. Must be a short piece of fiction – under 10,000 words.
2. Must be either historical fiction, alternate history, or historical fantasy.
3. Must be a well written character based story rather than an exercise in ‘what if …’
4. Must not be simultaneously submitted to another publication.
5. Must be an original work that has not been published elsewhere.
Non-Fiction
Reviews and articles about historical fiction, alternate history books, genres and writers are welcome and criteria 2) and 3) above also apply.
Artwork
We would love to have your artwork to illustrate the magazine and website. In fact we need a nice image for the website asap, so if you have something you would like to contribute we’ll count you in for a share of the first two year’s profits as well!
Please let us know what rights you are granting us and be aware that the magazine will be published as an ebook and printed book.
How To Submit
Please submit using our online submission system provided by submishmash.
If you are having any problems submitting or want to ask a question contact us at: althist.editor@gmail.com
In the subject line please put: Fiction Submission, Non-Fiction Submission, Artwork Submission as applicable.
In the body of the email tell us a bit about yourself and any previous publishing credits.
If submitting text please use standard manuscript format.
How We Pay
Please note this has changed recently.
We currently offer a token payment of either $10 per accepted submission or a free copy of the print version of the issue in which your work features. You will also receive a free PDF copy of the issue.
We are looking for First English Language serial rights, which means that we have the right to publish it first before it appears anywhere else. Once published you could then publish the story elsewhere if you wish, such as an anthology for instance.
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Is there a soft or hard deadline for fiction submissions?
No deadline for submissions at present so just send when you’re ready. I look forward to seeing your work.
question: is the manuscript to be in the body of the email or as an attachment–in “text”, or whatever? I have two stories that might qualify as alternate history.
Good luck on your venture. We need a good alternate history and/or well researched SF history magazine.
Hi Roselyn
An attachment would be best – either Word or RTF format works well.
Thanks
Mark
By the way Roselyn, I forgot to say thanks for your kind words about the magazine. I’m looking forward to seeing your stories. We’re looking for “straight” historical fiction as well as alternate history.
Hi,
Great to hear about this! Your journal looks like it could fill the gap left by the end of Paradox, a magazine that I miss a lot.
I’ve got a timeline which could be a serial. It’s a Harry Potter based timeline where the Muggles find out about Harry Potter’s magical world. I’ve got 500 updates planned and I’m up to 190. Each one is maybe 1K words so I’d submit them a bunch at a time. It’s on alternatehistory.com right now, and the effective POD is the 1996 Super Bowl (which occurs during Order of the Phoenix in canon).
Would this work, or do we need to talk to J. K. Rowling about copyright issues?
Teaser: Right now Voldemort is in control of North Korea and there’s an international manhunt going on for a Muggle who was bitten by a now-dead Lupin and became a werewolf without realizing it. McGonagall is in charge of Hogwarts, Dumbledore is teaching Transfiguration and currently chasing a Horcrux, Slughorn is teaching Potions, and Snape is teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hagrid is a zookeeper in Washington DC and Sybill Trelawney is out of a job. It also introduces Travis Radner (the American Secretary of Magic) and Anastasios Dialonis (the Grand Mugwump and the most powerful wizard in the world — he’s effectively the head of the Wizarding United Nations)
Andrew
I think there would be a problem with any works based on another author’s creation, so I’m afraid the idea you propose wouldn’t work for us and, I suspect, would be quite difficult to be published anywhere without permission from the copyright holder.
We’re also really focused on publishing stories based on actual or alternate histories rather than contemporary fantasy. Historical fantasy is fine though.
thanks for your interest Andrew.
Mark
Just wondering, do you wish these stories to be rough around the edges so you can take your “editorial sword” to them, or do you want them as crisp and cleanly polished as possible? The reason I ask is due to the fact that I could certainly send a short story this instant, but would have an editor friend look at it first, if need be.
That sounds lazy, so let me put it like this: I have self-edited the story three times over, but hesistate to send it. If I do submit it, and you happen to like it but have some suggestions – do I than get a chance to edit it and resubmit it?
I would recommend only sending what you consider to be a polished manuscript – otherwise the chances of rejection will be much higher. If a story is rough around the edges then it won’t be published in Alt Hist. If you feel a story needs improvement I would recommend spending more time on it.
However, if I do accept your story there may still be some changes to that are required.
Do you guys accept multiple submissions?
Yes that’s fine
Hello Mark,
I have an Ancient Rome historical mystery short story that is archived at an online mystery ezine. Would you consider this for print in your magazine?
Cynthia
If you can email me some details about where it is currently published then I will let you know. Email address is althist.editor@gmail.com
Hi Mark, I have a similar question to Cynthia’s. I have several historical fiction pieces that were previously published, but are now out of print. Do you accept reprints of this variety? Thank you very much for your time!
Hi Faith
We might consider it if they are out of print – stories that have previously been published and are still available we can’t though. If you email me the details I will let you know.
Would you accept a serialised novel?
Possibly – please submit a couple of chapters and I’ll take a look
I’ve just submitted them.
Chris
Hi, I have a smiliar question to Chris’. I also would like to send a serialized novel to you, if at all possible. Should I send that to you as well?
Hi Andrew – if you think it would be suitable just send a couple of chapters.
Hi there.
I have a question regarding word count for short stories. You have an upper limit of 10,000 words but is there a minimum word count?
Many thanks
Sarah
Not really!
Hi, I enjoyed the first issue , but I really wanted to say I was absolutely blown away by the last (most recent I think) issue of Alt Hist which I finished reading yesterday. Awesome project, if there’s anything like this elsewhere on the net, I’d be surprised. Nice one, keep up the good work!
Andy
Many thanks for your kind words – I’m really glad you enjoyed reading it.
Mark
I just printed up a novel, set in 207CE in North Africa (see willpflaum.com). You don’t review work or have reviewers per se? I would send someone a copy, they would review and submit their review? No? After you write a book, what are you supposed to do to get people to read it?
Hi Will – that’s quite a wide ranging question! We do review some books – although mostly those that are submitted to us from publishers as otherwise I think we would be inundated with too many books. There are lots of things that you can do to promote your book. Perhaps you could try looking at some forums for writers such as Absolute Write – they have a forum on book promotion tips: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=48.
Hope that helps!
Mark
Thank you Mark.
Ahoy, Mark!
In brief, I’ve just found you (through SteampunkMag.com), and believe I might have a short story that’d be a good fit. Legal question, though: it’s a epistolary story, and is in the form of Renfield’s journal as he travels to meet, then interacts with Count Dracula amid dawning realizations about the Count’s true nature.
Will the character use be a problem? Not sure whether there’d be considerations about the Stoker estate…
Thanks-
Dave
Hi Dave
I believe that Dracula is no longer in copyright so I doubt there would be any legal issues. However, I think your story would sit better with a horror magazine than with Alt Hist – we’re more likely to publish something about a historical figure rather than a fictional one (unless of course your story was about the historical figure who was one of the possible sources for Dracula.
Hope that helps.
Mark
what sort of artwork are you looking for?
Anything with a historical theme.
Would you have a problem with a piece showing the evils of persecution if the evils were shown through role reversal?
No