"The night walked down the sky with the moon in her hand."

~Frederic Lawrence Knowles

Update: Yes, we are still open to submissions. Yes, we are behind for a few reasons. Yes, we are planning on publishing this antho as soon as it's full. If you haven't heard from us yet, you are still under consideration. Thank you for your patience!

Walking Down the Sky: Volume 1

Cold Moon Press is excited to announce guidelines for the first volume of their annual anthology, Walking Down the Sky.

The Fun Stuff

Volume One (to be subtitled later) will focus on the full moon as viewed by other cultures, such as the Cold Moon in December (or January, depending which culture you explore). What would happen in your story during Hungry Ghost Moon? Who would your main character meet during the Moon of Winds? (If you need help getting started, use your search engine to find "full moon names," and you'll find plenty of ideas!). Poetry and art submissions should also incorporate this theme.

We want stories for each month of the year, and one bonus story, for a total of 13 titles. We prefer urban fantasy, fantasy, science fiction, and horror. While the tone of this anthology is dark (and we are ok with not-so-happy endings), we are trying to keep this rated PG-13. Therefore, work that is explicitly sexual or violent would be best suited for a different publication.

Note: If your story is exceptional and we have already filled the space for the month you are exploring, we may still be interested in publication. We are opening a short story line for the press this fall. Your work may be considered for this. More details will be available soon!

The Mechanical Stuff

The guidelines are as follow:

• Stories should be between 3,000 - 10,000 words. Query first for longer work.
• Poems may be up to 28 lines.
• Art should be 300 dpi or higher. Submit as a .jpg.
• Writing should be submitted in Word documents with .doc file extensions. Make sure your last name and story title are in the file name (for example: Jones-StoryTitle.doc).
• Art should also be submitted with your name and title as the file name.
• Use Times New Roman, 12 point font.
• Documents should be double spaced only (Single space ok for poems). Indicate new paragraphs with an indent. Indicate section breaks using three centered asterisks.
• Title page should include your name, pen name, address, email address, and phone number. Also include your website address, if applicable.
• Include a brief bio with your submission. Feel free to be creative! Also, include a sentence or two which explains the moon name and/or culture of your story.

The Business Stuff

This collection will go to print fall 2012. We open for submissions until full.

We want one-time rights to the work for both print and e-book. Original stories only (no reprints).  Payment is $10 per short story, $5 per poem or art submission we use. Additionally, contributors receive one copy of the book and a discount on additional copies they purchase. We also strongly encourage authors to help promote the book by listing a buy link/cover art (provided by the publisher) on their website or social networking site.

Submit stories to editor@coldmoonpress.com.