Eric T. Reynolds ([info]ericreynolds) wrote in [info]specficmarkets,
@ 2008-08-03 20:03:00
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Call For Submissions - Footprints


PUBLICATION TITLE: Footprints.
DESCRIPTION: Science Fiction anthology to be edited by Jay Lake, [info]jaylake and Eric T. Reynolds, [info]ericreynolds.
PUBLISHER: Hadley Rille Books.

ABBREVIATED SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

THEME. Long after our species and all its works have turned to dust, the moon landing sites will still show evidence of our time here on Earth. Imagine future explorers from among the stars interpreting that. The astronauts’ footprints should last longer than the fossils in the Olduvai Gorge have.

LENGTH. 4000 to 10000 words.

SUBMISSION PERIOD: From 15 August 2008 through 15 November 2008.

More info at [info]ericreynolds and [info]jaylake.

Complete submission guidelines are here.



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[info]malkhos
2008-08-04 01:41 am UTC (link)
A theme Joseph Campbell could have handeled in his early days, before he went mad. I used to have an old anthology of his early work--his stories requently concerned alien archaeologists working on a post-apocalyptic earth devoid of humans.

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[info]ericreynolds
2008-08-04 04:25 am UTC (link)
I've always throught the archaeologist encounters post-apocalyptic Earth was interesting and dealt with that in a reverse sort of way in another anthology last year (human encounter alien ruins).

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[info]kmarkhoover
2008-08-04 04:09 am UTC (link)
Kind of a narrow theme. Nevertheless, I wish I had something for it....

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[info]ericreynolds
2008-08-04 04:31 am UTC (link)
I've done several narrow theme anthologies, but it's amazing how diverse the stories in them have been.

For this one, the non-humans have a similar puzzle that terrestrial archaeologists have--piecing together the appearance, culture, technology, etc. from relics left behind--except in this case they don't even know the appearance of the creatures they want to study. Footprints leave more clues than are apparent at first.

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[info]cynthiaward
2008-08-11 10:17 pm UTC (link)
Dear Mr. Reynolds & Mr. Lake:

I have tried to copy and to download the GLs at your link, but no go.

If you'd like these GLs included in the MARKET MAVEN e'newsletter (going out in the next couple of days), please send them to market[dot]maven[dot]subscriptions[@]gmail.com.

(If anyone's interested in checking out the details or subscribing to the monthly MARKET MAVEN [successor to SPECULATIONS] market-news e'NL, go to http://www.speculations.com.)

Thank you very kindly.

Best,
Cynthia Ward

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[info]ghoststrider
2008-10-13 01:04 am UTC (link)
Hi, I have a question about your anthology's submission guidelines:

Is it absolutely necessary for all the human works to have vanished?

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[info]ericreynolds
2008-10-13 02:23 am UTC (link)
Do you mean human works on Earth? If so, yes they are all gone. No trace left. If you mean on the Moon, then no. There's virtually no erosion there and although the equipment left there (scientific instruments, the bottom half of the landers, the Russian rovers, other robotic craft) will certainly have degraded (to what degree can be speculated on), they still exist in some form, and of course the bootprints/footprints are still there.

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[info]ghoststrider
2008-10-13 02:36 am UTC (link)
Hmm. I was thinking somewhat more advanced than that. I mean, if human species doesn't get blown up tomorrow because Bush and Putin decide to toss nukes, I would think we'd last for at least a few centuries. Is having, say, a city on the Moon in line with your anthology, or do you just want 20th century technology?

Edited at 2008-10-13 02:37 am UTC

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[info]ericreynolds
2008-10-13 03:27 am UTC (link)
A few years into the future might be okay, but no cities on the Moon. I really like stories like that, future lunar colonies, etc. (and will be publishing Return to Luna this fall with stories about that very thing), but the idea of this anthology is for visitors to try to make sense of minimal relics left by us that are present now along with our footprints and what can they make of it?

The aliens could be archaeologists who have to piece together a picture of our culture, civilization, likeness, etc. from just those few tantalizing objects sitting there with the funny-looking footprints the strange creatures left behind. Part of this is illustrating how the Moon preserves those few things about us while what's left on Earth is completely erased. As for what happened to us, well, that's up to the aliens to speculate about as well, based, of course, on the evidence there.

Keep in mind that an archaeologist tries not to let his or her own experiences and culture interfere with his/her analysis of a site, but some bias will still come into play. So, what bias will the aliens have when they try to decipher what they've found?

Edit: another interesting scenario could be that competing alien species analyze the site, coming up with very different theories.

Edited at 2008-10-13 03:30 am UTC

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[info]ghoststrider
2008-10-13 06:16 pm UTC (link)
Hmm, then I suppose my story won't work for your anthology, then.

Still, I think its a great idea. I really want to get copies of your "Barren Worlds" and "Extraterrestial Ruins" anthologies.

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[info]ericreynolds
2008-10-21 11:31 pm UTC (link)
Sorry to hear it doesn't work out.

Ruins Extraterrestrial, btw, will soon be available in local bookstores.

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[info]bililoquy
2008-10-21 07:28 pm UTC (link)
Hullo, I have a couple quick questions about the anthology. Sorry if they're overly specific; I don't want to waste your time if my concept's not quite on point.

Must alien investigation of the moon relics be front and center, plotwise, or may it largely act as a catalyst for internecine conflict down the line? And could a post-singularity, near-divine sort of culture fill the alien role you're looking for, or is a le Guin-esque Hainish anthropologist more the idea?

Thanks for your time.

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[info]ericreynolds
2008-10-21 11:29 pm UTC (link)
The overall theme of the anthology is the deciphering the footprints and relics, but if the footprints and relics at least play an important role in the story and act as a catalyst for something else then your idea fits within the guidelines. As for the alien culture, that's up to you.

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