Submissions

Submission Guidelines

At Speculative Fiction Illustrated we are striving to build a community of like minded readers, writers, and artists to encourage and celebrate the works and talents of newer artists and authors.

We welcome all types of speculative fiction— space travel and strange alien worlds—fantastic quests with magic and monsters—daring adventures with action and romance—scary stories that creep and chill....

That being said, this is a family-friendly magazine.  Regardless of the long tradition of edgy narratives that have continually pushed their way into modern texts, we don't hold with that philosophy.  We will not publish anything that is offensive in regards to profanity, sex and sexuality, or extreme and graphic violence.  We do not discriminate against faith and religion, nor are we a religious magazine that openly promotes one belief over another.

We do not promote alternative lifestyles, nor believe in gender identity beyond the traditional sexes.  That is not our market.  We will not publish stories that promote that ideology.  We are not making a political statement of any kind, so this is not the place for divisive commentary.  If this is what you want to publish, we expect you will find a publication that will be a better home for your work.   We wish you well.

We will, however, publish works of writing and art that stretch the mind, explore the human condition, and consider the what-ifs and the whys of life.  Our goal is to publish works that feel timeless and classic—stories that can be enjoyed in the years to come, just as much as we enjoy them today.

Portfolio Submission (Color or Black and White)

If you are interested in illustrating one of our stories for publication, please submit representative work of your illustration style. Interior illustrations are black and white. Cover illustrations are full color.

Upon selection, we will contact you about a specific story and scenes to illustrate. You will work with the art director to finalized your drawings for publication in a future issue of the magazine.

Gallery Submissions or Cover Art (Full Color)

Cover illustrations are full color. They are often tied to interior stories, but could also be independent works. Other art gallery works can be original ideas, not tied to any story.

Final front cover illustrations must be at least 6” x 9” with a quarter inch bleed on all edges edges (6.5” x 9.5”), resolution of 300 dpi. Back cover and Interior cover pieces will most often be the same 6" x 9" dimensions, but could also be half these dimensions, or 6" x 4.5".

Occasionally we will publish an art gallery or an art-focused edition of the magazine that will include more interior art.  There is room in these special editions for more full-color art and more flexibility in the final art dimensions.  We are still limited to the final 6" x 9" print size, however, so if you're considering submitting a mural sized piece of art, know that it probably wouldn't reproduce well in this setting!