Amplitudes Anthology Story Submission Guidelines
Lee Mandelo seeks submissions of original short fiction for a new anthology titled Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity to be published by Erewhon Books in Summer 2025, with editor Diana M. Pho.
During a time of rising threat against queer and trans people's flourishing, this anthology project aims to imagine other, better worlds as an act of literary resistance. Inspired by the words of José Esteban Muñoz, “the future is queerness’s domain," these stories explore what might happen if the oppressive status quo of the here and now is rejected—instead asking, but what if things were different?
Whether speculating on new technologies and cultural shifts; imagining community politics through utopias and dystopias; exploring the materiality of how queer and trans people navigate an ever-changing world as well as their own relationships; or something else entirely: the stories Amplitudes seeks will offer engaged, imaginative perspectives on "queer futurity."
Amplitudes aims to gather together the works of writers from many backgrounds envisioning the dynamic, resilient possibilities of queer and trans futures. The editors welcome fiction that is playful, serious, sexy, experimental, frightening, hopeful—or all of the above, in hopes of revitalizing our queer imaginations and inspiring dreams of new possibilities. Amplitudes is open to any and all forms of speculative fiction, including cross-genre and/or literary works. (In other words, feel free to get weird with it!)
We are also actively seeking works in translation. Translators should query with their proposed piece, including a brief summary of the story and biographical details on the author/details on whether the author has already officially agreed to the translation project.
We will not consider any submissions for which any content has been created or modified by an AI reinforcement learning or natural language processing system, such as Chat-GPT.
The anthology pays standard 8 cents/word as an advance on future earned royalties, 50% of which will be split pro-rata among contributors, for right of first publication.
On the Editor
Lee Mandelo (he/him) is a writer, editor, and critic in the fields of queer and speculative literature. During his previous tenure as senior editor at Strange Horizons, the magazine was nominated for multiple Hugo Awards; his own fiction has also been nominated for the Lambda and Nebula.
His debut novel Summer Sons—a contemporary southern gothic dealing with queer masculinity, fast cars, and ugly inheritances—has been positively featured in publications ranging from NPR to the Chicago Review of Books. His most recent novella Feed Them Silence is near-future science fiction about wolves, bad research ethics, climate catastrophe… plus a failing queer marriage. And, lastly, as a critic he writes a long-running column for Tor.com exploring LGBTQ+ fiction and politics—such as a recent series feature on the novels of Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù.
General Guidelines
Stories between approximately 1,000 and 7,500 words
Send submissions to submissions@erewhonbooks.com, with the subject line AMPLITUDES: Title, Author
Translators, please query with AMPLITUDES: TRANSLATION: Title, Translator, Author
Please include a brief cover letter with the title, length, and a short bio
The editors strongly encourage submission of works by writers from underrepresented backgrounds and/or minoritized communities
Formatting
Please ensure documents are sent as Word attachments (no PDF or Pages)
Preferred formatting: 12pt font, double spaced, title and writer included in header
Original, unpublished stories only (no reprints)
Please, only one story per writer (no multiple submissions)
Simultaneous submissions will be considered, but please inform us that this is the case and update immediately if the sale is made elsewhere