SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Black Dragon, White Dragon

ADDED March 26: Updates on the table of contents (including brief descriptions of accepted stories) and other answers to questions (including response times) can be found at this thread in the forum: http://forum.sfreader.com/default.aspx?f=52&m=33831&p=1

EDIT ADDED WEDNESDAY, MAY 23: The reading period has concluded for the "Black Dragon, White Dragon" anthology. Thank you for your interest.

Ricasso Press is pleased to announce it is accepting submissions for its second anthology "Black Dragon, White Dragon." This will be a themed collection of short stories with a total word count of between 85,000 and 100,000 words, dependent on submissions.

The theme of this collection is dragons. I love them. Of the two hundred or so fantasy short stories I've written, thirty of them involve dragons. In my stories they have been simple animals, intelligent nobles, small as dogs, big as houses, heroes, villains, and everything in-between. It is my humble opinion that this singular staple of fantasy fiction presents the richest and most diverse template upon which a writer can base a story.

The reading period is through August 01, 2007, with a projected September/October 2007 release date (dependent on variables too numerous to recount here, of course). Submissions are accepted via RTF-formatted e-mail attachments only. Send to:

blackdragonwhitedragon@hotmail.com

EDIT ADDED MARCH 23: I have been receiving query emails stating that submissions are going missing. The response time right now for rejections and acceptances is very quick. If you have not received a reply from me regarding your submission within a week, assume your original message was lost and resend it. No need to query first. If after that you still don't hear from me, private message me through this forum.

Stories that involve dragons. Note that this does not say "fantasy stories." Dark fantasy and horror stories will be considered for this collection, as will science fiction stories. The preferred story will be a fantasy piece involving believable characters with which readers can connect, a sound plot which is resolved through the protagonist's actions, which is written in a well-paced and flowing style. Sprinkled throughout this anthology will be science fiction and horror pieces (should they be received). Does that mean a mediocre science fiction dragon story will displace a better-written fantasy one, just so that a science fiction story can appear in the collection? No. If the overwhelming number of submissions are skillfully-crafted high fantasy stories, then that's what the anthology will be. I will choose the best stories for the collection, not a diverse sampling of lesser quality (but unique) ones.

More importantly, the story does not have to feature a dragon; it could be a secondary presence. In fact, a dragon could never show up at all provided the purpose of the story is the dragon. For example, two heroes could go questing for a dragon but not find it or get sidetracked or a hundred other possibilities. As long as there is a dragon presence essential (note that key word) to the plot, the story is appropriate for this anthology.

Stories can be of any length. Any word count is acceptable, from micro-flash to novella-length. Bear in mind that one of the goals of the anthology is to present the greatest number of stories for readers. What that means for authors is that a 10,000-word piece needs to be far better than the two 5,000-word pieces it displaces. Does that also mean flash fiction is an easier sell? Not at all; quality counts here as well. Regardless of the story's length, authors will be paid 1/2-cent per word on acceptance (or shortly thereafter).

Profanity, Violence and Sex...I am a prude when I write. I would like to keep this anthology PG-rated at the most, which means you are limited to the occasional mild curse word. I promise that if you use anything stronger than what you would hear on an early-evening television program your story will get bounced. Even if I love your story, the fact that you sent it to me knowing this restriction will earn you a rejection. Same for sexual situations and gore. Suggest them to me; don't describe them in minute detail. I understand that when the knight is going toe-to-toe with the dragon there will be violence. What I am suggesting is that my preference is for tales that remark on "the sword slicing through the dragon's armor and spilling its fluids" and not "the putrefying stench of its bursting viscera assaulting the knight's senses as bile splashes his face and arms."

Lack of Motivation...Why is your character hunting the dragon? Why is your character running away from the dragon? Why, why, why? Please don't leave me in the dark. I don't want you to telegraph everything to me, but I would appreciate it if you let me know what's going on in your character's head. There is more to a knight riding out to slay the dragon than "because it is there."

Lack of Action...I once wrote a story where a wizard-for-hire played chess with a dragon. It was a character piece, and if it had been only that scene it would have never been published. Instead, I opened the story with a magical battle, ended it with one, and let both wizard and dragon recount tales of their past exploits. At its core, the piece was still a character study, one that happened to also involve heart-pounding combat and constant peril.

That will work for this anthology as well. The action is not the story, but any piece that doesn't involve some kind of conflict and resolution isn't a story. This in no way means that a beautifully-created character study won't find its way into the anthology. It only means that it will be a tougher sell.

Black Dragons and White Dragons...Not entirely true, but sending a story with either a black dragon or a white dragon does not influence the decision-making process.

Thank you for your interest in Ricasso Press and "Black Dragon, White Dragon." Updates will be found here. Please feel free to post questions or PM me.

As always, public thanks to Ralan Conley for his outstanding writer's resource site. Visit for market updates regularly. www.ralan.com