PLEASE, READ THE GUIDELINES

I read a story in my slush pile this week.

Ugh.

It was a clear violation of the magazine's publication guidelines.

Basically, it was erotica.

We don't publish erotica. We don't publish anything explicit--either sexually or violently--because we all have families who read our magazine, teenage sons who read our magazine.

But that's not all.

This particular author sends in quite a lot of stories, very few of which actually (and coincidentally, it seems) jive with our guidelines.

Please, authors, read the submission guidelines before you submit. PLEASE!