A press release from Rachael Henderson of Eggplant Literary Productions:

Hello!

Spellbound, a quarterly fantasy magazine for children 8-12, ran from 1999 to 2002. We’ve reopened, changed the format from print to electronic, and raised funds for our first year of publication. Now we’re looking for stories, poetry and artwork to fill the issues. Details are available from http://eggplantproductions.com/?page_id=598.

Briefly we’re looking for fiction to 2,500 words, poetry and artwork. We pay upon acceptance for World Electronic English-language rights (2.5 cents a word for fiction, $10-20 per poem, and various for artwork). Full guidelines are below. You can contact me (Raechel Henderson, the publisher) with questions at eggplant [at] eggplantproductions [dot] com.

Guidelines for Spellbound:
Spellbound is a publication for 8-12 year olds. Each issue will be published in ePub format. This is a quarterly publication with reading periods.

Themes and Reading Periods
Winter 2012: Rings & Other Magic Things, Reading Period: July 1 – September 30, 2012
Spring 2013: Changelings & Doppelgangers, Reading Period: October 1, 2012 – December 31, 2013
Summer 2013: Dragons, Reading Period: January 1 – March 31, 2013
Fall 2013: Creatures of the Deep Dark Woods, Reading Period: April 1 – June 30, 2013

Fiction

Fiction Editor: Raechel Henderson
Word limit = 2,500
Payment = 2.5 cents per word
Rights bought: First World English-language Rights

We’re looking for stories involving magic, myth, legend and adventure in a fantasy setting. We’re especially interested in young protagonists and showing girls in a “heroic” role are welcome. Please send fiction submissions to submissions [at] eggplantproductions [dot] com. Send submissions in the body of the e-mail. No attachments!

We’re not looking for stories with morals. We want Spellbound to introduce children to fantasy in all its wonderful forms. And please, no profanity.

Some guidelines for juvenile literature: The protagonists should be children and the plot should revolve around them, they should not be passive actors in the story. Stories should not have ambiguous endings. And dialog should be natural. Let your inner child out to play when you write a story for younger readers. Write the kind of story that you would have liked to read when you were younger, rather than the kind of story you think kids should read.

Poetry

Poetry Editor: Marcie Tentchoff
Payment = $20 / poem; $10 for poems under 8 lines
Rights bought: First World English-language Rights

We are looking for short poems, no longer than 36 lines maximum. All submissions must fit one of the upcoming themes to be considered.

We will gladly read either free verse or traditionally rhyming poetry, but we are not interested in poems which toss masses of meaningless and conflicting imagery at the reader, in the hope that he or she will be able to make some sense out of the muddled result. We expect rhymes and meter in traditional poetry to be neither forced nor strained. Likewise, all poetry, even free verse, should flow well and have a musical quality.

As Spellbound is a fantasy magazine for children, poetry should have a strong speculative element. We’ll look at up to five (5) poems at one time from poets. Send poetry submissions to poembound [at] eggplantproductions [dot] com

Art

Art Director: Samantha Press
1. ALL forms of art welcome – painting, digital art, photography, papercraft, felted dioramas, anything.
1.1. Remember, this is for a children’s e-zine: we are looking for fun, visually-arresting images without explicit violence, gore, or adult-themed nudity.
1.2. We are accepting submissions for both cover art (1 artist per issue) and spot illustrations (color or b&w; multiple artists per issue).
1.3. If you are mailing in your application, please do not include originals – all physical applications will be kept on file.
1.4. Please, do not attach really high-resolution files to your email or submit images with watermarks that obscure the fine detail of your work. Any art you send us will not be used by the company without your express permission to do so.
2. Please tailor your submissions to the upcoming “themes” of each issue, and keep in mind the deadlines for each.
2.1. Each deadline ends at midnight of the evening specified. Submissions received for each issue past the deadline will be dismissed, although all artists will receive a response and their submission will be kept on file for future reference.
3. Please include your resume and/or pricing guide / standard rates, if you have either.
4. Please be patient. You will receive a response within 2-4 weeks after we receive your submission.

We look forward to seeing your work!

Email us at artdirector [at] eggplantproductions [dot] com or send physical applications to: Eggplant Literary Productions c/o Sam Haney Press, 5333 Century Ave. #6, Middleton, WI 53562.