The Central Virginia chapter of Sisters in Crime announces an open call for submissions for an anthology to be published in 2024, tentatively titled Crime in the Old Dominion. 

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To be eligible for inclusion, you must be a member of SinC National and the Central Virginia chapter, both at the time of submission and at the time of publication. (You don't need to reside in Central Virginia to join the chapter, and it's perfectly fine to be a member of multiple chapters.)

 

This is not a themed anthology, though stories must involve a crime and must be set in Virginia. Word count is 3000-5000 words. Stories may fit into any of crime fiction's subgenres, but gratuitous sex and violence should be avoided.

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Pursuant to SinC National guidelines for chapter anthologies, all royalties will accrue to the chapter. However, we expect that contributing authors (those whose stories are accepted and published) will receive a small fee on publication that will make their stories eligible for certain industry awards/recognition.

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Specifics of contributing author compensation, along with information about author copies of the book, will be provided when we announce the publisher.

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Format:

• Submit your story as a .doc or .docx file. No other file formats will be considered. 

• Use Times New Roman, 12 pt, and double space. 

• Indent the first line of each paragraph one-half inch. Don't add an extra blank line between paragraphs, except to indicate a scene break. 

• Put a header including the name of your story and a page number at the top of every page (except p. 1).

 

We will be using a blind-submission process. Your name should not appear anywhere on your manuscript or in its document properties. (Entries will be checked for personal information and assigned a number as an identifier before they are sent to judges for selection.)

 

To submit:

• Attach your file to an email and send it to our chapter email address (sinc_cva@yahoo.com) with the subject line: Chapter Anthology Submission. 

• In the body of your email, include your name and confirm that you are a member of SinC National and the Central Virginia SinC chapter. No other information is necessary at this point, although authors of accepted stories will be asked to provide a mailing address, a brief bio, and a high-rez headshot for promotional purposes.

 

Originals only; no reprints. No simultaneous or multiple submissions. Send your best story, not an assortment.

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The deadline for submission is November 30, 2023. Please don't ask for an extension of this deadline. Authors will be notified of acceptance on or before February 29, 2024. Accepted stories are subject to editing, and you may be asked to participate in the editing process; if you're not prepared to be professionally edited, you should not submit.

 

The author of an accepted story will be asked to sign a permission agreement giving the chapter the right to include the story in all editions of the anthology, and the exclusive right to the story for a period of six months after the anthology's original publication date. All other rights remain with the author.

 

We have identified an MWA-approved publisher and are awaiting a signed contract before providing additional details, but we are confident you’ll be happy with them when you know who they are.

 

(Be sure to sign up for our Ask-the-Editor panel discussion on Thursday, September 14, 7 p.m. via Zoom. Please register here: https://sistersincrime-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAsdeytrT4rGt3vTxIg6KtvIM28-jwnvTcM)

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