Submissions

The SFWA Blog is open to pitches for original nonfiction articles on topics that might be of interest to creators of science fiction and fantasy (SFF) throughout the globe. SFWA welcomes pitches from both members and nonmembers; Black, Indigenous, and other writers of color, as well as writers of other under-represented identities, are encouraged to submit article pitches.

SFWA primarily serves SFF writers working in both short and longform prose, games, poetry, translations, and comics, so we’re interested in seeing topics relevant to those audiences. They may be geared toward experienced writers or beginning writers, but we tend to run articles geared toward experienced writers more frequently. Potential topics may relate to, but are not limited to: the craft of writing, the business of writing and publishing, critical examinations of tropes in SFF, social issues in SFF, media tie-ins, writing across genres and formats, personal perspectives, career transitions, what to know about self-publishing, current trends and topics in the SFF zeitgeist, and managing multiple projects. We are particularly interested in pieces on SFF communities and structures outside of the USA. Articles can take the form of an essay, reported piece, how-to, listicle, and Q&A. A series of articles may be considered.

We are not interested in analyses of singular works, microgenres, reviews, or pieces that primarily focus on self-promotion. At this time, topics related to generative artificial intelligence and/or machine learning will not be accepted. Instead, we encourage folks to visit our webpage that gathers SFWA members’ thoughts, articles, and other works on the subject.

Ideal article length is between 800–1000 words. Pay is $0.10/word on final draft wordcount.

Rights: First English language rights in print and digital formats for a single issue. Exclusive rights for one month from publication.

Submissions can be made here: https://airtable.com/shr3HpNGBcn39XkAx

In your pitch, please include the following:

proposed article topic
expected article length
estimate of how long it will take you to produce the piece
a link to samples of your writing (such as blog posts or published articles), if you have any

If you don’t have any writing samples, we still welcome your pitch!

Please do not send completed articles or samples of the article you’re pitching for consideration. These will be automatically rejected. No multiple submissions. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please indicate this in your bio section of the form.

Pitches that have been generated by artificial intelligence or machine learning tools will not be accepted.

What we’d love to see is a pitch with a clear focus and point of view that communicates why this topic is relevant for SFWA’s audience. If you’d like some guidance on pitching an article, this Writer’s Digest piece has some good advice.

Please do not send submissions for an article you have previously published elsewhere; if the article was published on your personal blog, that counts as having been previously published.

Allow up to forty-five days for a response. In most cases, we will use form letters. After that time, you may query at webeditor@sfwa.org . Contracts will be issued for completed articles. Payment will be issued on receipt of a completed and signed contract.