Q: How do I submit my book/magazine/audiobook for review in Locus, or listing on your site?
A: See our Review submission guidelines. Also contains information about inclusion in Forthcoming Books and People & Publishing sections.
Q: Where’s my issue? Your website says it was mailed last week.
A: Every month a few copies of the magazine get delayed by the postal service. Please wait another week or two, and chances are it will show up. If not, contact Locus at locus@locusmag.com.
Q: I have a question about my subscription/want to change my address or email.
A: Digital subscribers: Click on My Account on the top menu and sign in to your account. More specific answers to questions about digital issues can be found there also. Send an e-mail to locus@locusmag.com, or phone the Locus offices at 510-339-9196.
Q: How do I submit news to Locus? Is there a special contact or email address?
A: Send tips or press releases to locus@locusmag.com. There’s no separate email address for news.
Q: Where are your rates for advertising in the magazine or on the website?
A: Here! Also, you can call us at 510-339-9196 to find out about our current promotions.
Q: Where can I purchase the magazine?
A: Online here, or at a real brick-and-mortar bookstore here. If you’d like to purchase scans of content from past issues, please email or call our office. Scans are available at $5 for the first page and $2 per additional page.
Q: Would Locus Online be willing to exchange links with my site?
A: You are welcome to link to Locus Online from your site, and we will link to your site from Locus Online if we feel your site would be of interest to our readers.
Q: May I submit my story or book for publication by Locus?
A: No. Locus does not publish fiction. You should submit your story or novel to a suitable magazine (see Links Portal) or publisher (see Publishers). It’s best to become familiar with what they publish before you submit your work to them.
Q: May I submit an article / a review / artwork to Locus?
A: Locus Magazine is not an open market for freelance work, so if you send a pitch you may have to wait a while for a response. Do follow up with another email. Pitches for articles are accepted on rare occasions and may be sent to locus@locusmag.com. More information about reviewing for Locus below.
- How often does Locus have openings for reviewer positions?
- We take on new reviewers once every couple of years. Reviewer positions are usually filled through referral, the occasional pitch, or from Locus editors spotting an existing reviewer doing work that is exciting. This summer we had an open call that was very fruitful, and may do it again next year.
- What does Locus look for in a review?
- An assertive and clear voice which speaks to the content of a book and demonstrates a knowledge of the field. Some plot synopsis, highlights about what worked well, backing up assertions with details, and avoiding too many superlatives. Placing the work in the author’s oeuvre or in the field at large is a plus.
- How can I break into the pro reviews field?
- As with any form of writing, read, practice, and submit or apply wherever you see a good opportunity.
- It will always help to have a body of work to show editors, so we highly recommend publishing your reviews on whatever platform you have available to get your words out there and build a body of work.
- Look at book reviews in respected markets (Locus, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Strange Horizons, et al), note what they are doing and how they do it at different lengths. Write your own, even if it’s just for practice. Post reviews to forums such as Goodreads, or if you have a website, post professional-level reviews on your site, pieces you can point to as exemplars of your work. Polish each review carefully: have someone with a critical eye read it and give you feedback. Make sure there are no grammar errors, undue repetition, or unintentional stylistic problems. Compare your reviews to some of the best reviewers and see how yours stacks up.
Q: How do I purchase a book I saw listed in your index?
A: Locus doesn’t sell books listed in our indexes; the Locus Index is a bibliography, not a catalog of items for sale. To purchase books listed in the Locus Index or anywhere else, consult our Booksellers page for links to dealers of new, used, and out-of-print books.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
What genres does Locus review?
We review science fiction, fantasy, horror, speculative, surreal, slipstream, crossed genres, similarly themed YA, art books, and related nonfiction that is published or being published. If in doubt, send it in. As a rough age guideline, we cover titles appropriate for ages 14 and up. We rarely cover middle-grade and are not likely to cover anything younger.
We cannot guarantee coverage of any individual title – but send it in and we’ll take a look! For a free sample issue, see our subscriber portal.
Book Reviews:
For review consideration in Locus magazine, best practice is to mail in ARCS or proofs (pre-publication preferred) followed by a finished copy when available. Please note that we cannot guarantee coverage; but we can’t cover what we don’t receive. If no ARCs/ proofs are available, we recommend sending in two finished copies, one for listing (see below) and one for review consideration; titles not reviewed from ARCs are occasionally picked up on receipt of finished copy.
Print submissions of advance copies are strongly preferred.
Mail to: Locus Publications
655 13th St. #100
Oakland CA 94612
eARCS can be uploaded at tinyurl.com/locusarc but again, print is encouraged and preferred by several of our reviewers.
New & Notable, Annual Recommended Reading, Books Received Listings in Magazine:
To get your title listed in the magazine in our Books Received section, as well as considered for our monthly New & Notable lists and our Annual Recommended Reading List, please mail in at least one finished (final) physical copy. Only finished print copies are generally considered for these lists. If you do not send review ARCs, please send at least two finals – one for listing, one for potential review.
Magazines, Newsletters, Bookstore Catalogs, Annual Magazine Summary:
We list magazines, newsletters, and more, as well as reviewing individual magazine issues in our short fiction columns. Short fiction reviewers receive content directly; see contact info below.
For listing consideration, as well as potential inclusion in our annual Magazine Summary, please mail in at least one copy of each issue to the physical address above. For digital only publications, send digital issues to locus@locusmag.com subject line: For Listing. We select a handful of covers to accompany our magazine listing. Emailing accompanying cover images greatly increases the chances of your cover being selected. Covers can be sent via email as attached jpeg files (300-350 dpi).
For magazine review consideration, we recommend sending issues to each individual reviewer. Please note that we cannot guarantee coverage.
Magazine reviewer info:
Karen Burnham
karen.burnham@gmail.com
Paula Guran
87 S Meadowcroft Dr, Akron OH 44313
guran@literaryservice.com
Rich Horton
653 Yeddo Ave., Webster Groves MO, 63119
rrhorton@prodigy.net
Jonathan Strahan (Reviews Editor)
jonathan.strahan@gmail.com
Audiobooks:
In each issue we list audiobooks received. For listing, send in physical audiobooks to the above address. For review consideration, contact us at locus@locusmag.com.
Forthcoming Books:
Every three months, Locus publishes a full list of forthcoming titles from US and UK publishers. These are some of our bestselling issues. Booksellers, bookbuyers, librarians, collectors, and readers use these lists to plan their buying schedules far in advance, and they’ve let us know how eagerly they await this information.
For consideration in our quarterly Forthcoming Books section, please send your production schedule with a list of the science fiction, fantasy, and horror books, both new and reprint, including: Title, Author, Publication date, Genre, and Format (hardcover, trade paperback, paperback, ebook; please list original ebooks, and include “eb” or “ebook” with any other print formats being published). Please list reprint titles as well as first editions – it’s helpful if you mention they are reprints. If you are publishing novellas as well as full-length books, please indicate which are novellas.
We recommend checking with us about deadlines beforehand. Please email locus@locusmag.com subject: Forthcoming Books to send in your schedule, to query about Forthcoming Books, or to check deadlines.
We select a handful of covers to accompany our Forthcoming Books list. Including accompanying cover images greatly increases the chances of your cover being selected. Book covers can be sent via email as attached jpeg files (300-350 dpi), or sent to us through file transfer or on disk.
People & Publishing/Announcements/News:
We publish industry news and announcements, from sales announcements to notable weddings to awards and more. Email press releases, notices, news, awards info, sales announcements, and so on, to locus@locusmag.com subject line: People & Publishing.
Get a free sample of LOCUS Magazine in epub, PDF, or kindle. <http://subscribers.locusmag.com/sample-issue>
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