What genres of books and stories 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 the Locus office for listing, as well as to each individual reviewer for potential review. Please note that we cannot guarantee coverage.
Magazine reviewer info:
Paula Guran [fantasy, dark fantasy, and horror]
87 S Meadowcroft Dr, Akron OH 44313
prlguran@gmail.com
Charles Payseur [short fiction]
cypayseur@gmail.com
A.C. Wise [short fiction]
a.c.wise@hotmail.com
Jonathan Strahan [Reviews Editor and Anthologist]
jonathan.strahan@gmail.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.
To be listed 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>
Advertise today: Run a color ad for under $300, online or in print! See our Advertising Page and email us for more details. We have discounts for small and independent press and other promotional opportunities and discounts: email us at locus@locusmag.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.
Locus Awards:
There is no submission process for the Locus Awards per se. We recommend submitting your book for review and then sending us a final copy. Titles can be written in by the voters, so even submitting your book isn’t strictly required, but getting the attention of the Locus reviewers and readers in advance is strongly recommended. The submission guidelines are at the top of this page: <https://locusmag.com/aboutlocusonline/submission-guidelines/>.
Articles:
We have a staff of writers and rarely take pitched articles or interviews, with the exception of international reports, obituaries, and the occasional convention report (primarily ones that we can not attend or get information from).
