SIGNUM Contributors' Guidelines
Nonfiction: Articles, interviews, reviews, essays, and the occasional rant.
What to pitch? Think eclectic, and think personal. We're interested in your experience, in addition to your ability to research and analyze. Subject matter can range from art to psychology to new technologies, and from pop culture goodies to media theory. The slant: SIGNUM explores not just the products and creators of culture, but seeks to unearth why they exist, how they work, and what they say to and about us as individuals. In addition to the longer articles, interviews and essays intended for the print anthology, we're looking for reviews and short pieces. This is a 'zine: if it's interesting to you, it's probably interesting to us!
Multimedia and hypertext fiction:
SIGNUM's "Free Zone" offers a showcase for dynamic and/or interactive Web experiences, and for hypertext stories. Pieces may be linear or nonlinear, textual or non- textual, visual or aural or ... whatever. In general, shorter/smaller pieces work best.
If you're interested in having your work showcased, drop email to signum@magdalen.com. Introduce yourself briefly and provide pointers to your online work. If you point us to a completed piece that you hope to showcase in SIGNUM, make sure you let us know the history of the piece: Has it been publicly displayed on your homepage or featured on a website? If you want to unveil a new work on SIGNUM, send URLS for your previous stuff and short descriptions of new ideas (i.e. 2-3 sentences).
Short Fiction:
To have your work considered for inclusion, send a brief introductory letter to the postal address below, along with a hardcopy printout of your submission(s). Send short stories of up to 3,500 words, and/or several pieces of micro- or flash fiction. The total number of words you send must not exceed 3,500 or the whole package will find its way to the circular file rather quickly.
Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please let us know if you're submitting the piece(s) to multiple publications. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you would like your materials returned to you. Do not send irreplaceable original works to SIGNUM. SIGNUM is not responsible for any damage to or loss of submitted materials. Currently, we are not paying for fiction or hyperfiction.
Visual Art
Illustrators, painters, photographers, and other artists are invited to submit their work for inclusion in SIGNUM. All works submitted for consideration must be done so digitally. Yes, you have to take a digital photo of that sculpture, and then send it in email as an attached file or point us to an URL where can see it. Keep file sizes small and remember that we understand that this quick digitization of your work may not present it in its best light. Quick & dirty jpegs will have to do. You may prefer to invite us to your studio or show. We'll do our best to look you up in person! If showing in New York City, please send postal mail invitations to the address below and keep us on your publicist's list.
Contact SIGNUM
This is the place to send review items: books, CDs, viddys, toys, 'zines and whatnot. Please don't send a press release about something without sending the item itself. Hate that. Also, please email us first before sending DVDs or any Macintosh-unfriendly software–we may ask that you send those directly to a reviewer.
Tiffany Lee Brown
Editor, SIGNUM
200 East 10th Street, #903
New York, NY 10003
