SERIAL publishes short stories of 500-10,000 words, novellas, novels, and serialized fiction. “We accept all genres, however we specialize in genre fiction like action-adventure, science-fiction, mystery, fantasy, horror, thriller, romance, and westerns.” The reading level must be young adults. Read the complete guidelines here.
SQF: Why did you start this magazine?
Tanya Ferrell: I started SERIAL Magazine because I love serialized fiction. I’ve been reading and writing free serialized genre fiction online for over 10 years now and maybe a few years ago, I got inspired by Stephen King’s book On Writing where he discussed his journey as a young writer submitting to magazines… which led me to revisit to Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Barsoom which I’d argue is one of the best serialized pulp fiction stories of all time. These many points of inspiration made me want to see if there was still an appetite for serialized fiction and old school pulp mags, so…SERIAL Magazine was born.
SQF: What are the top three things you look for in a submission and why?
TF: Pacing is everything. It has to suck you in and be a fast read, because I don’t believe genre readers or magazine readers are especially patient people, especially with unknown authors. I also don’t think SERIAL Magazine is something that readers sit down to read cover to cover on a leisurely Saturday. It’s small and compact, designed for portability, and I imagine our stories are read between commercial breaks and in bathrooms and on commutes. We fit in where we can get in.
In that vein, within the first few paragraphs, the character needs to be given a compelling reason to care. Is the main character and/or the situation they’re in sympathetic? Is the environment especially unique and interesting? Is a mystery afoot that we want to see resolved?
While not always necessary, we love an unexpected moment or twist, something that makes the jaw drop and prompts a “WTF?!” reaction. We want stories that will stick with people and be talked about after they’re read. When the editorial team meets to discuss the stories we’ve read, these are usually the ones that stick out.
SQF: What most often turns you off to a submission?
TF: If I’m halfway through page one and I don’t know who the main character is and why I should care about them, and what the premise or conflict in the story will be then it’s unlikely I’ll keep reading. I’ll do a skim but if nothing interesting catches my eye, then it’ll likely be rejected. Not because it’s a bad story, but because it isn’t a good fit for our publication.
SQF: What magazines/zines do you read on a “regular” basis?
TF: This will sound bad, but I don’t read a lot of magazines or zines on a regular basis. I check-in and skim read Clarkesworld pretty frequently as I really admire what Neil Clarke has done to build up that magazine. But I’d say I spend more time reading vintage pulp mags, serialized stories that have been turned into novels, and modern serialized fiction.
SQF: Many editors list erotica, or sex for sex sake, as hard sells. What are hard sells for your publication?
TF: We don’t publish erotica. But I suppose hard sells would be stories that feature ghosts, Nazis, and/or hate crimes. Many authors don’t take ghost stories far enough, a character realizes that the person they’ve been interacting with was a ghost and that’s the end… which doesn’t make for a compelling story. And many authors use serious topics like Nazism and hate crimes as a crutch to add gravitas and depth to their story when the actual bones of the story aren’t very strong.
I’ll also say writing that still needs a lot of editing. I am 100% a story person. I can read through writing that needs work to find the gem of a story hidden in there. But editing does take time and slows us down. My editorial team has gotten good at saving me from myself and shooting down stories that will eat up a lot of our time in editing.
SQF: What one question on this topic do you wish I'd asked that I didn't? And how would you answer it?
TF: Are bios / cover letters necessary for submission?
Please don’t waste your time sending a bio or cover letter. They don’t get read. All submitted stories go into a folder to be read and we choose the stories we like most. Once we’ve chosen, we reach out to the author. Bios don’t get read until days before publishing. Cover letters never get read. We only want your story. If you’re submitting a novel, we would also like a synopsis. But that’s it!
Thank you, Tanya. We all appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule to participate in this project.
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