Going forward, Shimmer will consider stories up to 7500 words in length, though our preferred length is around 4000 words.

Please visit our complete fiction guidelines, and send us your best! The badgers are excited to read your stories!

Huge congratulations to Senior Fiction Editor E. Catherine Tobler, on her two-book deal! 

I’m delighted to tell you that my first book, Rings of Anubis: Gold and Glass, will be published this summer by Masque Books, an imprint of Prime Books. Rings of Anubis: Silver and Steam will soon follow.

I predict the muse would like you to know it’s an opium-drenched adventure that spans the steam-fogged skies from turn-of-the-century Paris to Cairo and back again, parchment airships bearing howling wolves hither and yon, while ancient Egyptian gods survey every mortal folly with a sterling snarl!

I can’t wait to read it.

Shimmer has put a lot of energy into our digital versions lately: we’re available in Weightless and Amazon, and are currently working on getting issues up at Smashwords and other markets.

Recently, though, someone told us they had no idea we put out a print version. I guess in these increasingly digital times, it’s easy to overlook our print version.

Convenient as electronic versions are, though, there’s nothing quite like getting one of our print versions in the mail. Picture it: instead of the usual clutter of junk mail and bills, you get a sleek envelope from me. You rip it open and pull out a copy or two of Shimmer. You run your fingers over the glossy cover, admiring the exquisite art. You flip through the 100 or so perfect-bound pages. You slip your copy into your purse or backpack to read in a quiet moment during the day — it’s just the right size to carry around.

And you know that anyone who sees you reading it will be drawn to your obvious taste and intelligence.

Our print edition is great, and I want everyone to know about it.

So we’re having a sale.

All print editions are on sale! The coupon code “printlives” gets you 15% off any print versions until next Saturday, October 20th. Browse our Back Issues page, and see what delights call to you.

15% off on a sleek and sexy print version!

You know you want to.

. . . a tie.

Our congratulations to K. M. Ferebee, for “The Bird Country,” and Milo James Fowler, for “Soulless In His Sight.”

Both authors have graciously allowed us to post their stories online, so click the links above and get reading!

Reader’s Choice Artist is Sandro Castelli; that’s his amazing cover to the left.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our survey — and to the talented writers and artists who make Shimmer thrive.

I am absolutely delighted to announce that starting today, Shimmer will pay $.05/word for fiction.

When we started Shimmer back in 2005, we paid five dollars per story. We said right from the beginning that someday, we’d pay pro rates. And now, thanks to the generosity of Art Director Emeritus Mary Robinette Kowal, we’re there.

Why?  Ann Vandermeer took Weird Tales in a wonderful direction — and it always seemed to me to be a direction very much in alignment with Shimmer. The new publisher, however, is taking things in a very different direction. Even without publishing the overtly racist chapter of Victoria Foyt’s novel Save the Pearls, it’s pretty clear that Weird Tales is no longer interested in publishing the kind of beautiful, dark, and original fiction that I adore — and the vocal outrage from the entire speculative fiction community shows that we are not alone in loving these stories.

So Shimmer and Mary Robinette Kowal are taking a stand.

We’re saying: We love these stories.

We believe in these stories.

We believe in excellence.

Won’t you join us? Read our guidelines here, or subscribe.

We’ve always believed the fiction we publish at Shimmer can stand with the best. And we’ve always thought it was worth a lot more than we were able to pay for it. Today, we’re taking a big step toward paying our authors what we think their stories are worth.

I am delighted to announce that we’re raising our pay rate for fiction from 1 cent a word to 3 cents a word, beginning with Issue 16. (Authors already under contract for Issue 16 will be recontracted at the higher rate. I’m sure they won’t mind.)

From here, it’s just one short step to pro rates. This is the golden age of the independent press, and we will thrive.

When Shimmer started, the goal was to raise the pay rate as the magazine could afford it. It has inched up over the years. I am so excited to see their pay rate rise like this. It’s a beautiful magazine, and this is a great step for authors. In a time when so many magazines are closing their doors, it’s nice to see one that is making changes for the better.

–Mary Robinette Kowal, Hugo-award winning author of Shades of Milk and Honey and Glamour in Glass

We’re also increasing the size of each issue by about 50%, so there’ll be even more Shimmery goodness for our readers. (Why not subscribe right now, before the price goes up?)

Other ambitious plans for this year: the Best of Shimmer anthology we’ve been dreaming about for years, in a fancy-pants hardback; a special young adult issue with a guest editor; and a foray into novellas and novelettes.

Shimmer has always been a labor of love, and it is marvelous to watch the beloved flourish.

Shimmer had the infinite good taste to publish one of my first short stories, and since then they’ve gone from strength to strength, establishing themselves as the purveyor of unique, quirky but always wonderful short fiction. I’m glad to see them take this important step forward.

— Aliette de Bodard, Hugo and Nebula-nominated author of the Obsidian and Blood series

My deep thanks to the Shimmery staff for their untiring efforts — and to all of our readers, whose support makes this possible.

Gentle readers!

We want to know what you think about Issue 14, so we set up a quick survey. It should take you less than a minute to complete.

Here’s the fun part: whichever story gets the most votes? We’ll work with that story’s author to put the whole story up online so everyone can read it. Help your favorite author get his or her story the readership it deserves!

We’ll also randomly select one responder to get a free copy of the issue of their choice — just give us your email address in the last question so we can get in touch with you if you’re the lucky winner.

Click here to take the survey! Votes accepted until midnight Mountain time on Sunday, February 26th.

Haven’t had a chance to read the issue yet? You can grab a copy on our Issue 14 page, or get our shiny new Kindle version for the introductory rate of 99 cents!

It’s time to add some new first readers to the Shimmer team.

Interested? Here’s what it takes:

You’ll carefully pore over the mountain of submissions, looking for gems. For each story, you’ll decide whether to pass the story up for further consideration, or gently reject it. The job generally takes less than five hours a week, once you get rolling. It requires consistency, alignment with the editorial team’s taste, and compassionate communication. We’ll also ask you not to submit your own fiction to Shimmer while you’re on staff.

Being a Shimmer reader means you’re part of a thriving and beautiful publication, working closely with a team of smart, fun people. If you’re a writer, you’ll learn a hell of a lot from the slush pile about what works and what doesn’t work. The position pays in glory, copies of Shimmer issues, and drinks if our paths ever cross at a convention. (But mostly glory.)

To apply, download the electronic version of Issue 10. (Get it free, here.) Then tell me which story you liked the most, and why? And which story you liked the least, and why? It’s not about the stories you pick as much as it is about why you picked them. We’re trying to get a sense of whether our tastes are in synch.

Send your response to beth@shimmerzine.com no later than the end of the day, January 31, 2012.