We are happy to announce a new promotional video on YouTube, telling people about On Spec, and showing some of the editors at work. It is the work of Teddy Edwards, an Edmonton university student. We are proud of the work he put into it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-gS1iUxJog&feature=youtu.be
Just a hint. Follow On Spec on Twitter, and/or join our Facebook group and you can see the cool selection of Apocalyptic tunes in our 12 Days of the Apocalypse countdown.
We are currently closed to new submissions. See our Submissions page for details. Pay attention to the guidelines, because they aren`t just suggestions. We really mean it.
It isn't just because On Spec is a sponsor of Pure Speculation that we encourage people to go to this event. The volunteers who work on programming and other entertainment for Pure Spec, have put together a very eclectic schedule of panels, film screenings, literary discussions, musical performances, and all for a reasonable cost. You will see bloggers, podcasters, writers, gamers and comic book artists, all in the same place. Plus you can get a lot of holiday shopping done in the Marketplace. Check our www.purespec.org and then drop what you are doing on November 16, 17 and/or 18. Go to Pure Spec, and engage with some really cool people.
On Spec magazine is looking to branch out and include a comic in our upcoming issues. Here at On Spec, we believe that real art and literature can be found in genres and styles many people tend to dismiss, and that includes sequential art.
UPDATE: Deadline for submissions is January 31st, 2013! Please read carefully!
We’re a Canadian speculative fiction magazine, so this position is only open to Canadian artists and speculative stories. Science fiction, fantasy, horror; if it’s fantastic, we’re interested. Graphic sex and violence should be avoided, or used very carefully. Aside from that, feel free to be as unusual or avant-garde as you like!
For each issue, we’d like to run a self-contained story under ten pages long. These stories can take place within the same continuity, but each story needs to be understood on its own. Since we print our issues at digest size (13.3 x 20.3 cm, 10.8 x 17.8 cm with our margins), the comic needs to be clearly readable at that size. Please keep in mind that we print in black and white.
Colour is optional for the proposal. We will pay $30/page, and the story must be 4 to 8 pages in length.
NOTE: Short-listed candidates will be asked to produce a publication-ready comic for consideration.
For submitting a proposal, PLEASE follow these guidelines:
-Provide a description of the concept of your proposed comic
-Provide a one or two completed comics samples of previously published work (web or print)
-Your website url
-PLEASE have the email subject line as "Graphic Art Proposal"
-MUST be able to meet deadlines
-Email to: onspec[AT]onspec.ca
We will compensate closely to our semi-prozine rate for our other content (short stories, poetry), and promote the author through our website, Facebook, and other social media.
Some of the On Spec crew will soon be winging our way to Toronto for this year`s World Fantasy Convention. We hope our authors and fans who are attending WFC will take the time to drop by our table in the Dealer Room for a visit.
A couple of weeks later, it is Edmonton`s turn to host an increasingly popular event, The Pure Speculation Festival. On Spec sponsors the Literary Guest; this year it`s Steve (S.M.) Stirling and his lovely wife Jan. There will be several other authors there, among them Minister Faust, Chadwick Ginther, Karen Dudley, Tracy Cooper-Posey and Krista Ball. Plus we are thrilled to have Spider Robinson as our virtual guest via Skype. Weekend tickets cost a mere $40 in advance. Check www.purespec.org for details.
We'll be selling On Spec at this weekend's Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo. If it is like the Calgary Expo, it should be a blast. You really should also investigate the Pure Speculation Festival display, and pick up your weekend ticket there. And think about a nice, small, intimate, interactive festival while you stand in that long line for your photo ops and autographs.
If you enjoy an adventure and want to meet new people, love Science Fiction, Science Fact, Fantasy, Horror, Gaming, Film, Comics or all of the above, then a weekend in Edmonton in November is tailor-made for you. Pure Speculation, sponsored in part by On Spec, is a total geek-fest. While events like the upcoming Edmonton Comic Expo (we'll be there!) can give you movie and TV stars, lots of photo ops and an amazing array of cool stuff to buy, Pure Speculation will give you a chance to get up close and personal with the creators of the SF works you love. No long lineups for an autograph, and no need for having your GPS to remember where you parked your car. Visit the Pure Speculation website. Some of the guests are listed, and very soon you will see a comprehensive list of the programming and events. Here's just a taste of it:
FRIDAY EVENING
A Taste of Pure Spec is the opening event, but here's the catch. You need a weekend advance ticket to get in. This is where we give each of the main guests a chance to introduce themselves, and perhaps even say or do something a little different. In previous years, author Ed WIllett charmed us with songs by Flanders and Swann; artist Joe Wos told and drew a hilarious tale about a duck named Don; game designer Jason Kapalka gave an engaging talk about computer game idreas that died on the drawing board. You never know what you're going to get.
And this year, one thing we DO know is that we'll get some top notch entertainment. Local singing group Apocalypse Kow, and Calgary singer/songwriter Vanessa Cardui will be there to get the festival off to a great start.
SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Our marketplace will be open all day, giving the attendees a place to browse for all manner of SF and Fantasy related products (many hand-crafted) that can't be found in your local mall. Several small-press book publishers will be selling their books, too.
Programming begins at 10am and goes on through the day. You can listen to inspiring discussions about the art of writing, the issue of race in Science Fiction books and film, things that are cool and new in the world of comics, interviews with featured guests, and so forth. Our mega panel of all the guests will be Saturday, and the Costume Competition is Sunday at noon. There will be something for everyone, including the kids. And soon to be announced is a special Saturday evening social event, hosted by the local Browncoats group. Tickets for this will be available at the door.
SPECIAL FOR ASPIRING YOUNG WRITERS
Something not to be missed is our one-day YouthWrite workshop on the basics of writing computer games. It's a special event held on-site, with separate registration (see the Pure Speculation website for details). YouthWrite participants will be able to wander through the Marketplace, and they may wish to purchase a Sunday ticket for the festival, after their workshop is done.
All in all, Pure Speculation is a feast for geeks, and not to be missed. Visit www.purespec.org for registration information.
A very popular event at Pure Speculation is the "Pure Spec Idol" session. Virginia O'Dine first pitched the idea, and appeared on the panel, and we have kept it ever since. Writers submit the first page of a manuscript, anonymously. Then they watch as the panel of editors listens to the page being read aloud. With often huge slushpiles of manuscripts coming in to a magazine or book publisher, the first page of a story can "make or break" it. So the editors will stop the reading as soon as the prose breaks a rule or throws them out of the narrative. Then they provide a quick but useful critique for the author's benefit.
We aren't quite as cruel as Simon Cowell, but you do need to be able to take criticism. And we don't ask the writers to own up to their work, unless they want to! It's an entertaining and useful learning experience at the same time. Get your weekend ticket for Pure Speculation at www.purespec.org .
On Spec Magazine, a non-profit science fiction and fantasy magazine, is looking for a web developer with Drupal experience to volunteer with helping update the back end of our website. The commitment would be 5-10 hours a month.
We will offer a free subscription to our magazine, plus other goodies! Depending on commitment, more may be negotiable.
If you're interested, please email Jen Laface, the Publisher's Assistant: onspec@onspec.ca
Learn about upcoming issues and events.
