Nova Express? Isn't that a novel by William S. Burroughs?

Well, yes, but its also a hard-hitting, Hugo Award nominated zine covering the entire spectrum of speculative fiction. We feature interviews, reviews, fiction, occasional poetry, and serious (but non-academic) critical articles on important issues and authors throughout the entire science fiction/fantasy/horror/slipstream field. We feature a mixture of staff and free-lance written material, high quality graphic design, a growing national distribution network, and a subscriber list that includes places as far away as Europe and Japan.

What are your technical requirements?

All hardcopy submissions must be in standard manuscript format (typed, double spaced, etc.) and must include SASE. We also accept submissions on disk, the preferred format being MS Word 5.1 for the Mac, and by e-mail, but query first. Address queries to lawrence@bga.com. Our maximum limit for unsolicited articles or fiction is 5,000 words firm, and we prefer under 3,000.

What are you looking for right now?

Large bribes. Also, sharp, well written reviews (we can never get enough of these) and articles on cutting edge authors and topics (i.e., our readers are much more interested in the likes of William Gibson, Clive Barker, and Iain McDonald than they are in Heinlein, Asimov, or Poe). Our main focus is on the metagenre of modern science fiction, emphasizing ideas and writers from the late 70s/early 80s onward, with a special interest in post-cyberpunk and slipstream works. Though we still cover horror, we're less interested than we were five years ago. We're constantly looking for interesting critical articles on topics that fit underneath this rubric, so if you have an idea for an article you'd like to write, please let me know.

And we're always looking for book reviews.

Fiction should be distinct, original, and highly literate. We are especially looking for professional quality stories (and stories by professional authors) which, because of their unusual or bizarre nature, cannot find a niche in the mainstream press. Past issues have included stories by Walton Simmons, Brad Linaweaver, and Joe R. Lansdale. Please note that we're a pretty tough sale for fiction. Poetry submissions should be strictly related to the SF/F/H/SS genre.

We do NOT want to see any stories featuring Captain Kirk, Dr. Who or any other two dimensional escapee from the big or small screens, nor any stories featuring Cthulhu, Dagon, or any other of Lovecraft's greatest hits. Finally, we do not want to see any fiction or articles with a specifically fannish slant. A few other things to avoid are: 1.) the use of "read" as a noun; 2.) the phrase "tour de force"; and 3.) the phrase "buy this book." Well written book reviews and critical articles are especially welcome, and are probably the best way to break in. Please see copies of the magazine for our review format. We do not accept simultaneous submissions or reprints.

What do I get out of this?

Whaddaya want? Wicker?

At the current time, payment is in two contributor copies and a four issue subscription for each submission used. Those wishing to submit articles or fiction are strongly advised to familiarize themselves with the magazine, either by subscribing ($12/4 issues or $20 for 8), sending off $5.00 for a postpaid sample copy, or reading back issues at our web site.

Subscriptions and submissions should be sent to the address below.

Nova Express
P. O. Box 27231
Austin, Texas 78755
E-mail: lawrence@bga.com