The Courier

Submissions Update

2008-09-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

Due to multiple factors, we are placing a moratorium on all submissions. We thank all the authors who have sent us their wonderful stories to read and apologize if we have not responded in a timely manner. Hopefully in the near future we will be able to accept submissions again, so please continue to check this website for updates.

-The Editors

The Courier April 08 Issue

2008-04-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

Its done! Please click on the link below to download your copy.

COURIER APRIL 08.pdf

This issue features fiction by Tom Sneem, Silvia Moreno Garcia, Selena Thomason, and Chris Ward, artwork by Reginald Marcellin, and photography by yours truly. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Thanks,
D.N.Drake

NOTE: In the first release (which has since been fixed), there was a layout issue with the story Mood Meds (the last sentence). Below the last sentence is available.

A tropical island, perhaps. He'd always wanted his own island.

Upcoming Release

2008-04-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that the first issue of The Courier will be released before next Wednesday barring any unforeseen occurrences. The issue will be directly emailed to those who subscribed to it, and everybody else will find a link on this very blog directing you to a download.

Thanks,

D.N.Drake

Understandably Fed Up

2008-04-04T06:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry everybody for the major delay. Putting out a PDF magazine is tougher than we originally thought. It is coming, don't worry. That being said, we are almost done with lay-out. I was pretty sick for a while (Feb-March) so that is another reason for the delay. All three of us have been working our butts off, so please be understanding.

Thanks again,
D.N. Drake

progress report 3/9/08

2008-03-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

We have been delayed in the release due to personal matters. Expect the release by the end of March. My apologies for the postponement.

Regards,
D.N. Drake

Progress Report 2/20/08

2008-02-20T08:25:00.000-08:00

We're about one week from releasing the first issue of The Courier. I suggest you read the editorial before delving into the fiction as there may be some confusion in regards to what we are actually publishing. We have changed our mission statement (although it is not posted on this site yet). Keep an eye out in your inbox for the PDF version if you subscribed -- it will also be available for download here (most likely).

If you'd like to subscribe email us at -- subs (dot) courier (at) gmail (dot) com

Thanks,

D.N. Drake

File Format

2008-02-13T16:19:00.000-08:00

Please be sure to send your submissions as an RTF document. We've been receiving quite a few other file types, and we can't open all of them.

Thank You,
Editorial Staff

Progress Report 1/30/08

2008-01-30T09:06:00.000-08:00

Well, we're changing things up a bit here. Our new submissions address is subs (dot) courier (at) gmail (dot) com. Please address all submissions to the editorial staff as a whole (ie. Dear Editors). Our response time is changing from 3 days to 14 days (due to the large amount of submissions). Our pay rate is still 1/2 cent (US) per word, but that too will be increasing soon (if all goes as planned).

Thanks,

D.N. Drake

Progress Report 1/15/08

2008-01-14T21:43:00.000-08:00

Alright. We're excited to announce that our first issue is complete and will be released, as planned, in mid-to-late February. If you would be interested in subscribing to it (it's free), please email me at the below-listed email address.

Additionally, we are now accepting submissions for our next issue.

Thanks,

D.N. Drake (editor)

Progress Report 1/7/08

2008-01-07T12:17:00.000-08:00

All of us here are getting very excited with our upcoming issue. We have some excellent mundane sf lined up from both new and established writers. We also hope to include some artwork and photography. If you are an artist and/or photographer and would be interested in submitting work, please send us an ART SUBMISSION to subs (dot) courier (at) gmail (dot) com. Our pay rates for art vary.

Also, we are still NOT backlogged with submissions, so if you would like to submit a story for our first issue, please email your FICTION SUBMISSION to the above mentioned email address. We pay 1/2 cent per word, and we respond in approximately 14 days to all submissions.

Thanks again everyone,

D.N. Drake (editor)

Progress Report

2007-12-22T06:33:00.001-08:00

We've received a lot of great submissions for our first issue, but there is still room for a few more. What we would like is a few 'longer' stories, in and around 5000 words. If your story is significantly longer than that, please query first.

In addition to this, we would be interested in a possible serial. If you have a work approximately of 30,000 words, please query us first with the subject (SERIAL QUERY). Do not, under any circumstances, send us the manuscript unless invited to do so (we will discard the email unread).

Also, we will be looking for two non-fiction articles of any length (preferably under 7000 words). Query first for that as well, and put the subject (NON FIC QUERY).

Remember, your fiction submissions MUST BE MUNDANE SF, no exceptions.

Thanks,

- D.N. Drake (editor)

Black Hole and Duotrope

2007-12-11T19:07:00.000-08:00

This is a friendly reminder to all those submitting to The Courier. Please remember to submit our response times to BOTH major submission data pools - those being The Black Hole and Duotrope. Doing this helps not only us receive credit for our fast response time, but it also helps other writers when scouting out prospective fiction markets.

Thanks,

D.N. Drake (editor)

Non-Elitist Mundaners

2007-12-09T15:59:00.000-08:00

Mundane SF has been a topic of heated debate ever since its inception. Why? I would venture to say that it's primarily due to the elitist attitudes of a small number of Mundaners - who also happen to be the most outspoken. We here at The Courier are not anti-everything-else. We enjoy a large variety of science fiction, as well as other forms of fiction and non-fiction. We do not believe Mundane SF is superior or inferior to any other forms of science fiction, and we do not believe it needs to be "tactically embraced" for the genres survival.

We DO believe, however, that the genre needs a breath of fresh air. Is Mundane SF the sole answer to this need? Absolutely not - but it is ONE answer. There are plenty of directions this genre can move in, and realism is one of them. I also believe that surrealism is another.

So to all you nay-sayers and elitists, we ask you to drop your defenses a bit and just enjoy the stories. I think we all forget sometimes that this is just entertainment.

Thanks,
D.N. Drake (Editor)

Call For Submissions

2007-12-04T18:19:00.000-08:00

Our first issue will be released in late February 2008. Currently, we are looking to fill those pages primarily with short fiction. We are interested in non-fiction, but for this first issue the editorial staff will be filling in a lot of those needs with introductory articles. Please feel free, though, to submit Mundane SF stories up to 5000 words in length (our guidelines are posted below). If you have something really good that is longer than that, please query first.

Additional Notes: We DO NOT accept Fantasy, Horror, or anything involving the supernatural. This ezine ONLY accepts Mundane Science Fiction. If you are not familiar with what Mundane SF actually is, please take a look at it's Wikipedia article here.

Thanks,
Editorial Staff (D.N. Drake, Ian Drake, Daniel Barbuto)

The Courier: Mission Statement & Guidelines

2007-12-02T16:07:00.000-08:00

The Courier is a Mundane Sci-Fi ezine published quarterly. We enjoy realistic characters with realistic flaws in realistic world settings. We want writing of literary quality - a great concept that is thrown together haphazardly is of no interest to us.

Our favorite Sci-Fi writers are Anthony Burgess, Philip K. Dick, and Arthur C. Clarke - and our favorite Literary writers are Vladimir Nabokov, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, John Updike, and John Steinbeck. If you can envision the concepts of the first three mixed with the styles of the last four, then you know what our ideal story would be like.

If you have a story between 1 and 5000 words that fits our criteria, send it to: drake.dn (at) gmail.com in .rtf format, and please include the word SUBMISSION in the subject line. Also, please include a brief cover letter in the body of the email (including a short-list of publication credits, if any). We will respond within two business days. We currently are paying 1/2 a cent (US) per word, and we hope to increase it to professional rates at some point.

Additionally, art work may be sent to subs (dot) courier (at) gmail (dot) com. We are interested in anything pertaining to Mundane SF, whether it be photography or artwork. We pay a flat fee of 25 dollars (US) for a cover size piece.

If you are interested in subscribing to The Courier (it's currently free, so this is the best time to subscribe), email me at: drake.dn (at) gmail.com, and include the word SUBSCRIPTION in the subject line. In the body of your email, please include your name and email address. Once the first issue is released, it will be emailed to you as a PDF file.

If you are a blogger, an editor, or just a Mundane Sci-Fi fan - link me to your site/blog/whatever. Spread the word.

Thanks,
D.N. Drake

Welcome to The Courier

2007-12-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

Greetings. I am a Sci-Fi author and now an editor of an upstart Mundane Sci-Fi ezine called The Courier. I will be posting later on tonight with more details.