The Colored Lens is an established print publisher of speculative fiction. They aim to help readers see the real world more clearly by looking at it through the lens of the imagination: “By considering what could be, we gain a better understanding of what is.” They publish all forms and styles of speculative fiction, including fantasy, science fiction, slipstream, alternate history, and magical realism. They do not publish poetry or nonfiction.
The Colored Lens is looking for stories with that are crafted with traditional storytelling principles in mind. A well-formed plot and memorable characters are key. They also prefer stories written in past tense.
The Colored Lens publishes four issues each year, in the winter, spring, summer and autumn. Each print issue, available on Amazon, contains writing from around 10 contributors. The Colored Lens has been published since 2012, and so far they’ve produced 47 issues.
The Colored Lens publishes stories up to 10,000 words, though they prefer stories between 500 and 5,000 words. They accept flash fiction, as long as each flash has a clear plot. They also sometimes publish novellas up to 20,000 words, as a series over multiple issues. Every story must have a speculative element.
The Colored Lens pays $20 per short story, and $10 per flash. For novellas, they pay $20 for the first 10,000 words, and $1 per 1,000 words after that.
The Colored Lens accepts submissions online using Google Forms. They do not accept submissions via email, unless a submitting author cannot use Google Forms. Emailed submissions are available by arrangement only and will be processed more slowly. They do not accept submissions by post.
They do not accept simultaneous submissions, or previously published work. They also do not accept multiple submissions, so authors should wait to receive a response before submitting again. Authors should submit no more than five stories every 30 days.
The Colored Lens only accepts submissions that follow the guidelines they’ve posted online. Please read these guidelines in full, including the specific formatting instructions, before submitting.
If you would like to learn more or submit to The Colored Lens, please visit their website here.
Bio: Ella Peary is the pen name for an author, editor, creative writing mentor, and submission consultant. Over the past five years, she’s written hundreds of articles for Authors Publish, and she’s also served as a copywriter and copy editor for a wide range of organizations and individuals. She is the author of The Quick Start Guide to Flash Fiction. She occasionally teaches a course on flash fiction. You can contact her at ellapeary@gmail.com.
