To any authors wishing to submit, we absolutely would love to hear from you – but please take note of what we are interested in and what we are not. We do not guarantee we will respond to every submission, especially if it is obvious that the submitter has paid no heed to what we are actually looking for. While our primary focus is science fiction (and subgenres), we consider fantasy, horror and other spec fic genres if the story breaks the mould. We want mature spec fic that challenges preconceptions (both conceptually and stylistically) and that is what we will provide the reader.

What We Provide the Author

At Fantastica we want to work with assertive authors to create a relationship that will help our goal of becoming a spec fic hub. As such we provide both a publishing opportunity and a platform from which to launch yourself. Monetarily, we can’t offer advances, but authors receive 50% of royalties on ebook sales and 25% on print sales (split between authors in the case of an anthology). We are after novellas and novels, stand-alone or part of a series. Below is part of our service:

    • Full, professional structural and copy edits with feedback
    • Uploaded to major ebook retailers for sale
    • Made available print on demand and sold into bookstores around Australia
    • Publicity and promotion by the Fantastica team
    • Individual cover that maintains the Fantastica list aesthetic
    • Complementary physical copies for self and promotion

What We Provide the Reader

Fantastica will search out and provide only the best speculative fiction from around the Australia. We will not only make our books DRM free but allow anyone in the world to purchase them. We will provide a resource for readers to follow emerging authors. Our website will be constantly updated with thoughts and opinions on the world of SFF, and we encourage your participation. We want to be more than a publisher; we want to be a facilitator for the unknown.

What to do

Send us your one-paragraph synopsis and your manuscript to . Please save all manuscripts as a Word document in 12 point Times New Roman, double-spaced. There’s no need for a cover page, but please add headers with author name and working title, as well saving the file as Surname, First name – Title (draft #). All staff are volunteers but we will try to reply within 3 months.

Addendum: Translations

We’d love to publish more non-English SFF. If you’re a translator interested in finding appropriate speculative fiction and translating it into English, or if you’ve already got a translated manuscript and you want to enter the English-speaking market, please .

Addendum: How NOT to Submit

  • No melodrama
  • No exposition dumps on the first page, and preferably barely any at all
  • Only use first person if it works for the story
  • Do not send us the first, second, third or fourth draft
  • Please read our books before submitting, we promise it will help
  • Do not send extra information, only a short synopsis and manuscript