Important!
Before you send submissions, we strongly advice you read our submission policy below!
When sending your submission, you can either send a hard copy to us via mail, or email us.
Please DO NOT send email attachments over 5MB as they will be disregarded. If you have a website, or samples online, please send us the URL and we will check it out.
NOTE: Event Horizon does not pay its contributors any advance payment, neither do we guarantee any payment as a result of sales. It is primarily a showcase for creators, and this applies to ALL contributors, no matter their status in their given area. Mam Tor Publishing ltd. does not, however, retain ANY ownership or copyright of the material.
Writers who submit original comic scripts/plots will be expected to share the copyright with whatever artist draws the piece 50%/50%. There will be no exceptions to this with one creator claiming status over another.
This will only change if the artist fails to continue working on a character should it follow through into subsequent issues/collections. The artist should know this when he sets out. Later artists taking over a formerly established character/story will be able to claim their 50% ownership once they have demonstrated their commitment to the work(s) over subsequent publications.
Authors of text pieces will retain 100% ownership of their work unless otherwise agreed with the artist. Any illustrators who agree to spot illustrations for text pieces therefore have no ownership of the characters, plot, setting, etc.
Artists that showcase their own material retain 100% ownership, unless it is shared with an associated creator (writer/artist) as agreed in advance.
ALL SUBMISSIONS should be works that are outside the perceived notions of commerciality. We don’t want cliché, derivation or populist works. We’re not looking for the next big superhero. The main areas of interest are broken down into three sections, though this is more a general guide than a cast in stone rule book:
FANTASTIC
This is for work that is generally considered fantasy. HOWEVER we’re more interested in work that plays with the genre. We don’t want any more Elves, Goblins, Trolls or generic fantasy settings. Neither do we want cod-Shakespearian language. We want to find new ways of looking at fantasy (as explored in the works of writers like China Miéville and M. John Harrison for example). Typically this work is referred to as “New Weird”. This is sometimes associated with noir, but we’re open to any other variation on the theme, as long as it’s inspired, creative, fresh and bold. The book is for adults, so remember that when you submit!
GOTHIC
This is where we place the work that draws its primary inspiration from horror or gothic imagery/literature. Again, the same thing applies to this section as to all the others: No clichés! We would rather have inventive new directions and depictions that standard genre fodder, no matter how good. Originality WILL win you points and be more likely to get you in the book.
FUTURE SCIENCE
Needless to say this is the science-fiction section. And once again, think creativity and originality above all else. We don’t want Star Trek, Star Wars or Flash Gordon.
COMIC SCRIPT/PLOT SUBMISSIONS:
For content, see above.
Strips can be anything from 1 to 20 pages, but bear in mind it’s much harder to find an artist prepared to work on 20 pages for free, even with the promise of 50% ownership.
We want literate, adult work. We don’t want gratuitous work.
PROSE SUBMISSIONS:
For content, see above.
Stories should be 2000 to 8000 words. We reserve the right to edit.
Please do not submit work that has already seen print without informing us.
We want literate, adult work. We don’t want gratuitous work.
ART SUBMISSIONS:
For content, see above.
We do not want pin-up fantasy/sci-fi girl art, unless it has intentional irony or direct relevance to the story.
We don’t want art in-the-style-of other artists.
Ideally we don’t want anything mainstream – though there may be exceptional cases.
We don’t want manga.
We want interesting, challenging, beautiful work. We don’t want gratuitous work for its own sake.
IMPORTANT
We are a tiny company and do not have the means or time to respond to ever submission. However, we are grateful that you sent us your hard work, and we will ensure that everybody gets a fair shot. The lucky few that do make it into Event Horizon have passed through many inevitable editorial hoops before finally being approved. Some have failed to make it into the book at the very last moment. For those who don’t make it; please except our thanks for trying – Event Horizon only exists because of the spirit of people like you. We applaud your efforts and wish you every success in the future.
We will be sure to contact you should we chose to include your work, but my best advise is to forget about it the second you drop your samples in the post or press “send” on your email. If good news comes, let it be an unexpected joy. If you hear nothing, then don’t let it bother you. It may well be you were incredibly close. There are an awful lot of very talented people out there!
Many thanks,
Liam Sharp, Editor In Chief.