What's this all about?
Just A Minor Malfunction... is an independent science-fiction e-zine, dedicated to publishing quality, thought-provoking, professionally-edited sci-fi. We take submissions, and no story will receive a form letter rejection.
About the Editor
My name is Michael S. Alter, and I am a life-long sci-fi fan. I grew up reading Asimov's and Analog, Heinlein and Clarke. I love the stories, although editing errors would always throw me.
A few years back I started writing my own stories, and then decided to try my hand at publishing. I launched issue #1 with several key ideas in mind:
No form letters to authors submitting a story. I'll always give you at least some personalized feedback.
Sharing the profits with the authors. All authors receive a share of the proceeds according to a formula.
Authors retain the rights to their work, even after my edits. I only keep the right to continue publishing the story as part of the issue of the magazine.
Low-priced, high-quality stories, lucky 13 per issue. I'm a strong editor, I'll work with my authors to put out only the best stories. I have additional reviewers/editors keeping me honest, too. (Thanks again to Louise Sorensen!)
I'm not trying to make big money out of this, only enough to take my wife out for a nice dinner! ;-)
What you get
Sci-fi! It'll make you think, and maybe open your eyes a little to the future coming at us. There'll be 13 (unless I miscount!) sci-fi stories, maybe 30,000 to 50,000 words total, plus an article from the editor (that's me!) about the future in the real world.
Risks & Challenges
No risks at all. I already have a number of good stories.
Submitting a Story
If you'd like to submit a story for this or future issues, send it (as text in the body of the email, please!) to:
michael.s.alter.author@gmail.com
Rules for submission:
4,000 words or less (I'm not super-strict about that one)
PG-13 or tamer (a bit more strict on that account, but there is a gray area)
Has to be a work where you own all the rights
Science fiction, or maybe tales of the weird. No swords and sorcery, please!
Other Ways You Can Help
Some people just can't contribute, but that doesn't mean they can't help:
Post about the campaign on Twitter...
...or Facebook
...or any other social media platform
...or just tell your friends about it!
Thanks again for checking out our campaign!
