BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

Submission Guidelines

BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY is currently open to submissions.
BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY: Science Fiction New Submission
BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY: Fantasy New Submission
About BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

The Best American series is the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction. Each volume’s series editor selects notable works from hundreds of magazines, journals, and websites. A special guest editor—a leading writer in the field—then chooses the best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected—and most popular—of its kind. Science fiction and fantasy enjoys a long literary tradition, stretching from Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells, and Jules Verne to Ray Bradbury, Ursula K. Le Guin, and William Gibson. In The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy award-winning editor John Joseph Adams delivers a diverse and vibrant collection of stories published in the prior year. Featuring writers with deep science fiction and fantasy backgrounds, along with those who are infusing traditional fiction with speculative elements, these stories uphold a long-standing tradition within both genres—looking at the world and asking, What if…?

Submission Guidelines for BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

SELECTION CRITERIA

The stories chosen for this anthology must meet ALL of the following criteria:

1. The original publication of the story must be in a nationally distributed North American publication (i.e., periodicals, collections, or anthologies, in print, online, or ebook form);

2. The story must be written in English and written by a writer who is North American, or who has made North America their home;

3. The story must be published as text (audio fiction is not considered unless it also appears as text);

4. The original publication of the story must be as short fiction (excerpts of novels are not knowingly considered);

5. Story length must be 17,499 words or less;

6. The story must be at least loosely categorized as science fiction or fantasy (horror is acceptable if it also has elements of science fiction or fantasy);

7. The story must be published by someone other than the author (i.e., self-published works are not eligible);

8. The story must be an original work of the author (i.e., not part of a media tie-in/licensed fiction program);

9. The story must have been originally published between January 1 and December 31 of the eligibility year.

Authors

If you are a writer and would like to submit your own short fiction for consideration directly via our Moksha submissions portal.

Editors/Publishers

If you’d like to submit complete magazine issues, anthologies, or collections that you edited or published please email basff@johnjosephadams.com. Please ensure that your publication meets item #1 of the selection criteria.

Submission Responses

Because this is a best-of-the-year anthology that will be considering thousands of stories, no rejections will be sent out; instead you will just be notified if we wish to include your story in this year’s volume. No decisions will be made until after the end of the year and all stories have been considered equally. Final selections for each volume will be made in the March following the eligibility year.

Submission Periods

Submissions for each volume are open January 1 through December 1 of the eligibility year. For example, the submission period for the best of 2021 ends December 1, 2021. If your story is scheduled to appear in the eligibilty year, but is publishing after December 1, you may submit it before December 1, noting in the cover letter that the story is scheduled for publication in December.

BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY is currently open to submissions.
BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY: Science Fiction New Submission
BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY: Fantasy New Submission