FAQs

Q: What's so special about BSFW? Why should I join?
A: The workshops and community! Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers is the largest most active speculative fiction writers group in New York City with nearly two hundred members and growing. The whole point of the Kaleidocast is to support the writers in the BSFW community. Original stories are encouraged to go through our critique process where you'll get friendly feedback from people with the same goal as you, to get published. If your story doesn't get accepted, you have the opportunity to edit your story and resubmit a second time. And you can do that with the help of those who'll be making the final call on whether your story will be published.

 

Q: What's the Octavia Project? How can I join?

A: The Octavia Project is a free summer program that brings together young women and trans and nonbinary youth to build new worlds. We believe that their ideas and imaginations are vital to a more just and equitable future. The Octavia Project provides them with the support and tools to build their dreams. Through their curriculum, young folks explore how the world around them is created by a series of choices that can be remade or replaced. Follow the link to learn more about them. Current and former alumni will be informed about the submissions process and any questions can be sent to info@octaviaproject.org Ask about the Kaleidocast mentorship program, Constellations.

Q: How long can my story be?
A: Oh, you ambitious pigeon, you. We like to limit our stories to 5,000 words and will take as few as 500.

 

Q: Does the story have  to be set in Brooklyn?

A: No, a story doesn’t have to be set in Brooklyn to have that Brooklyn soul! It could be on the moon or in another dimension, or dance on the head of a pin. But Brooklyn is urban life, so if your story is not in a city then it will be a harder sell. 

 

Q: So I can take a story that I've already written and retrofit it for the Kaleidocast?

A: Maybe, but it's harder. We've revised our submissions to pinpoint more specifically the kinds of themes and ideas that we want to produce. Unless your story was already talking about these things and had that urban feel, then you may be trying to shove a square peg into a circular hole. Our editors can tell when Brooklyn has been shoe-horned into a story. So let our themes be your guide and write something new!

Q: Do you accept stories that have been published or sent elsewhere?
A: Yes, but with a caveat. If it has been published elsewhere, there's no re-submission process as mentioned above. That's simply because there's no chance of editing the material. So if you're submitting elsewhere, please let us know because this can be a potential legal issue for us and other publishers. If your work has already been published, it would be considered a secondary market. That all being said, you are still more than welcome to workshop your story with us as a BSFW member.

Q: Will I get paid for my story?
A: Ab-So-Lutely! We offer 8¢ per word for new, unpublished stories. Then $20 for flash fiction reprints and $70 for short story reprints. Flash fiction counts as any story with 1500 words or less.

 

Q: Okay then, my story fits the thematic criteria, and it's awesome. How do I submit my story?

You can send up your submissions

Q: I still have some questions; where can I contact you?
A: You can find more specific details for submissions on our Submissions Details page. And if that doesn't answer your questions, click here or find our information on our contacts page.