Submissions Open for Sci-Fi Anthology
Want to contribute to an upcoming Samak Press anthology? Here's your chance.
Prepare to make first contact with a batch of new captivating sci-fi stories from Samak Press.
I first announced in September 2024 that Samak Press would publish a pair of multi-author anthologies for the first time. One anthology would be devoted to horror. The other anthology would focus on science fiction.
I opened submissions for the horror anthology, Feral Lands, last fall. Currently, I’m reading through those tales and making final selections for the anthology.
Now I am opening submissions for the science fiction anthology, Ripples in Space, through the end of February.
Ripples in Space
Ripples in Space will be the first ever multi-author science fiction anthology from Samak Press
The anthology will feature a collection of first contact stories. Within that theme, you will see tales of aliens visiting Earth, explorers from Earth visiting another planet, and aliens discovering other aliens. All sorts of first contact scenarios are open territory to explore within the pages of this anthology.
The best part is these will be original stories from a multitude of authors — some familiar and some new. You won’t find them published anywhere else. I anticipate featuring 10 to 12 stories ranging in length from 1,500 to 7,500 words apiece.
Each story will offer a unique spin on a first contact story. No lazy, cliched tales filled with overused tropes and cardboard characters need apply. These will be suspenseful page-turners that will make you think and linger with you long after you’ve read the final page.
Submissions
I am eager to see what sort of first contact stories other authors come up with for Ripples in Space. No science fiction subgenre is off limits. The main thing is getting a batch of fresh, unique stories that break new ground. Having said that, an alien romance or erotica will be a hard sell since I don’t typically like reading those types of stories in the first place.
Feel free to go check out the full submission guidelines over at Samak Press if you’re interested in submitting a story.
If you want a good reference for how I approach first contact tales, I suggest reading Outcasts, a story I wrote for the Strange New Worlds newsletter last April.
That sounds like a very cool idea and the theme especially is one I've written a lot of stories about. If I'm honest it may even be my favourite theme in SF.
I've looked at your submissions page, but here is a question for you - what if it's been previously published here on Substack? If you wanted to include it in the anthology then I guess I could either remove it or make it paid-only. Unless it also served for anthology promo purposes...
I'm thinking this one: https://inadifferentplace.substack.com/p/xf?r=2s9hod
Crud, and my first post here, Tertia, would have been perfect for this!!! Oh well, it had been on reedsy before anyway so it wasn't technically unpublished.