Submissions are now closed for Rattus Futura: An Anthology of Future Rodents (working title) from Manawaker Studio, edited by CB Droege. This book serves as a sequel to the previous anthology Felis Futura.
Rattus Futura is an anthology focused on stories about the future which feature rodents. This volume will contain stories, poetry, and visual art.
Submitted works should be of any genre, as long as the work depicts a world that is noticeably in the future. Hard and Soft Sci-fi, (Post-)apocalyptic, Solarpunk, Slipstream, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Alternate (future) History, Supernatural, Retro-futurism etc. are all fine names for genres that often take place in the future, but your story doesn’t have to fit into one of those. In fact, if it manages to miss all of those labels, we may be even more interested to see it (unless it thus falls into what we specifically don’t want (see next paragraph)). All works must also prominently feature at least one rodent. It does not have to be a rodent of the genus Rattus. Other members of the rodent family, like mice and beavers, are also acceptable, as are non-biological minks, metaphorical hamsters, robots with the acronym S.Q.R.L., and so on.
We are not looking for gore horror nor erotic romance. Works that contain some horror elements or some romantic elements are fine, but we would like the book to remain accessible to young adults and squeamish people. Works which seem particularly hateful or which discriminate against specific real-world groups will also be rejected.
There is no hard word limit, but novellas and above might be hard to find room for. Fiction (one story only, please) should be attached to an e-mail (see below) as an RTF file. Please use standard manuscript formatting if possible. Do not send a link to a third-party hosting site, like Google Drive or Medium. If submitting a sequential graphic narrative (comic), see the formatting specs in the ‘art’ section below.
Poems (no more than five, please) should be included in the body of an e-mail (see below). If your poem requires special formatting not available in an e-mail, attach an RTF file.
The interior of the book will contain B&W illustrations to accompany the stories and poetry. The images don’t have to directly match the texts, but if text and images are submitted together, they may be published together. The cover of the book will feature a full color illustration.
For legal reasons, these illustrations should not feature any depictions of copyrighted characters, locations, or other IP. Visual art is not protected by fair use in this case, so if it looks risky, it will be rejected.
If submitting a work for the cover, it should be a 600dpi full color illustration 15″x10″ with a bleed area of 1/2″ inch (meaning all of the important elements are within the central 14″x9″ of the illustration, but the background extends to the edge). Leave room on the right hand side of the image for the title, and remember that the spine will run down the middle. Because this illustration is so specific and labor intensive, we will accept sketched queries. Please include links to sample artwork.
If submitting for interior art, it should be a 600dpi grey-scale illustration between 6″x6″ and 6″x9″ (or 9″x6″). If submitting a comic, each page should fit these specs.
All images should be attached to an e-mail (see below) as a lossless PNG or JPG. If sending multiple pieces, and they are collectively too large for an e-mail send link to a One Drive shared folder or similar service (and please leave it shared until it can be evaluated for inclusion).
If you’d like to see how it all will fit together, take a look at a previous similarly organized anthology here.
Submitters may submit in multiple categories simultaneously.
If your previously unpublished work is accepted, you will grant Manawaker Studio the right to publish the work exclusively for one year starting at the time of the publication of the anthology. The book may stay in print indefinitely, but is non-exclusive after the first year. The work or parts of it may also be used for promotional purposes in print or online. Less restrictive rights will be requested for previously published work. More restrictive rights will be requested for cover art.
Previously published work is okay (except for the cover art), as long as A) it’s over a year past the original publication; B) you let us know where it was published previously, so we can credit them in the book; and C) you have the ability to sell the non-exclusive print rights. It’s the submitter’s responsibility to ensure they have the rights to their work before submitting.
Original creators will retain all other copyrights.
Simultaneous submissions are okay, just make sure you tell us right away if your work is accepted elsewhere.
Compensation for inclusion in the anthology will be an electronic copy of the final book and a token payment of:
A sample contract sits here, if you are interested.
Contributors may also order the physical book at a discounted price, so that they may resell it at signings, readings, and shows without having to bump the cost above the cover.
All submissions should be sent to submissions@manawaker.com with ‘Rattus Futura Submission’ and your last name in the subject line. Include a brief cover letter and a bio (65 words max) in the body of the e-mail. If you’d like a URL for an online portfolio or blog included with your bio, give that as well.
All stories will be evaluated within a month of the deadline. No acceptances will be sent out before the project deadline.
Deadline for submissions is 31 Dec 2023. You should get a short confirmation note soon after we receive your submission. If it doesn’t come within a week, please query.
The plan is to publish the anthology in Spring/Summer 2024.
Any questions about the project or these guidelines (or any queries after submissions) should be sent to contact@manawaker.com.