Updated Submission Guidelines

Updated Submission Guidelines

Interested in submitting fiction to Black Gate? BG magazine is one of the top-paying markets in the field, but we have very specific needs and requirements. Be sure to check out our updated Submission Guidelines to get the latest on what we’re looking for.

New to this edition are clarified requirements & advice for both post and e-mail submmissions, as well as two special features by Black Gate editor John O’Neill: “The Seven Most Common Reasons we Return a Manuscript,” and “Six Things That Will Cause Us to Stop Reading.” That’s thirteen great reasons to have a look at our updated guidelines!

New Reviews of Black Gate magazine

New Reviews of Black Gate magazine

Critical acclaim for the first three issues of Black Gate continues to pour in. “These guys aren’t kidding around,” says Tangent Online of our third issue — “This heavy-duty volume, bigger than many trade paperbacks, is very classy.”

Our fiction, reviews and columns have been called “Incredible” (Indigenous Fiction), “Excellent” (SF Chronicle), and “Genuinely arresting” (Locus). And SFReader.com exclaimed “You won’t find a better looking or more professionally written pub…the literary standards, production value, and generously-heaped content of Black Gate are unparalleled.”

But don’t just take our word for it — read what the experts have to say. We’ve updated our reviews page with excerpts and links to six new in-depth reviews, from The Fix: The Review of Short Fiction, SF Site, SF Chronicle, and other fine publications. Enjoy!

Special Fiction Feature: “The Whoremaster of Pald”

Special Fiction Feature: “The Whoremaster of Pald”

Zed runs a friendly, profitable business in Pald’s foreign quarter — kept that way by his seeming willingness to avoid conflict at all costs. But beneath this carefully constructed cowardly exterior beats the heart of a shrewd businessman, one who will go to any lengths to protect both his business and his employees. But he’ll need every resource at his disposal when he finds himself up against an unknown opponent who wants him dead… an opponent with very powerful allies, and deadly Lisk stitch magic at his fingertips.

Harry James Connolly’s “The Whoremaster of Pald,” praised for “vivid prose strongly reminiscent of Jack Vance” (Tangent Online), was one of the most popular and acclaimed tales in Black Gate‘s second issue. Now we are proud to present it online, complete in its entirety, with the original art and sketches by Chris Pepper. If you enjoy it, be sure to read Connolly’s second tale of swordplay and magic in the decaying city of Pald, “Another Man’s Burden,” in the Winter 2002 issue of Black Gate!

READ THE STORY

Reviews of Black Gate magazine

Reviews of Black Gate magazine

What have the reviewers been calling Black Gate magazine? “Ambitious” (Interzone), “Wonderful” (RPGNet), “Spectacular” (Tangent Online), and “The Best Thing to happen to fantasy since Robert E. Howard faked his own death, moved to England, and took on a new identity as J.R.R. Tolkien” (The Wall Street Journal).

Okay, we’re kidding about that last one. But we’ve been thrilled to see the reception the critical press is giving BG. With just three issues shipped so far, SF Site proclaimed “Black Gate promises to be what I’m looking for.” And The Fix: The Review of Short Fiction asked “240 pages? How do they manage to fill all that?… So much for not much, in a good-looking, easy to read format. All power to John O’Neill and Black Gate!”

But don’t take our word for it. Drop by our new reviews page to read excerpts and recent articles about us from magazines such as Locus, SF Chronicle, Tangent Online, and many more. And find out why Interzone proclaimed “Does Black Gate deliver? In spades!”

Black Gate #3: Winter 2002

Black Gate #3: Winter 2002

A trio of adventurers scheme to steal a deadly enchanted sword… a dwarven detective stumbles on an ingenious new scam in a very old casino… a deadly worm terrorizes the helpless inhabitants of an ancient sky city… and the Lord of the Underworld tracks a child murderer across a chilling landscape where spiders lurk in hidden lairs and ghosts are hunted for sport — all in the big Winter issue of Black Gate magazine, shipping this week.

Our third big issue features fiction by multiple Hugo-Award winner Mike Resnick, Forgotten Realms novelist Elaine Cunningham, Darrell Schweitzer, and a brand new Pald story by Harry James Connolly! Our special preview has a complete list of the contents, as well as artwork and fiction excerpts. Look for our 224-page Winter issue in the finest book and comic stores across North America — or drop by our subscription page to subscribe online.

Letters — Our Readers Speak

Letters — Our Readers Speak

As our big Winter issue heads to press — with new fiction from Mike Resnick, Elaine Cunningham, Darrell Schweitzer, and much more — we continue to receive a wide array of comments and suggestions on the first two issues of Black Gate.

In the inaugural issue of our Letters Column we hear from aspiring writers, gaming fiction readers, Knights of the Dinner Table fans, and the renowned editor of Amazing Stories during the 1960’s, Joseph Wrzos.

READ THE ARTICLE

Online Subscription Form

Online Subscription Form

Subscribe now!

Our second issue is now on sale, with fiction from Nebula Award winner Leslie What, World Fantasy Award Winner Richard Bowes, and many others. Look for our big Summer 2001 issue, 224 pages packed with the best in adventure fantasy, in better bookstores across the United States and Canada.

You can now subscribe online to ensure that it’s brought right to your door, mailed in a sturdy protective envelope. If you’re interested in the best in modern heroic fantasy — from such authors as Charles de Lint, Mike Resnick, Michael Moorcock, Jeffrey Ford, Elaine Cunningham, and many others — look no further. Each huge issue of Black Gate is packed with the finest in fiction, articles, and reviews, covering the entire field of fantasy in detail.

Don’t miss out on the magazine that is re-defining heroic fantasy for the new century!

Black Gate #2: Summer 2001

Black Gate #2: Summer 2001

A lonely gargoyle guards a vampire’s tomb… an archeologist stumbles upon an ancient and deadly secret in the heart of the Sahara… a Mayan princess seeks a magical cure for her ailing father… and a courageous swordswoman confronts the curse of a dying sorcerer — all in the big Summer issue of Black Gate magazine, on sale now.

With 224 pages packed with the best in fantasy fiction, reviews, interviews, and artwork, the second issue of Black Gate is even better than our first. Look for it in the finest book and comic stores across North America — or drop by our subscription page to subscribe online.

Black Gate Recommends

Black Gate Recommends

So much to read, so little time… if you’re like us, there’s a lot of attractive titles on the shelves commanding your attention. If you’re a fan of heroic fantasy, we’re here to help.

Black Gate Recommends looks at some of the most intriguing titles to come our way in the last 60 days, including new work by Matthew Woodring Stover, Chris Bunch, Jeffrey Ford, Eric van Lustbader, and more.

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