The Slash Skinny

June 2007

Publishing News and Market Report on Original Slash

Edited by Dusk Peterson

If you wish to submit corrections to this report or additions for the next report, please e-mail the editor, Dusk Peterson.

Being listed in this report does not necessarily indicate that The Slash Skinny endorses the publication. Authors and artists should read all submission guidelines with care to determine which are legitimate markets.

Publications covered in this report vary widely in what age of readership they are aimed toward. A few of the sites linked in this report are intended for adults only. Sites' warning pages are linked to when available, but the absence of a warning page is not necessarily an indication that the site's contents are appropriate for minors. For this reason, parental guidance is strongly suggested.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction: FAQ | About the Editor | Copyright Notices & Credits.

Publishing News.

Releases & Reviews: Issues | Books.

Online Updates: New at the Website of The Slash Skinny | New at Other Websites.

Markets & Jobs: Calls for Submission | Staff Openings | Markets & Submission Guidelines.

Introduction

FAQ

(The FAQ links lead to the Website for The Slash Skinny.)

* What is original slash?
* What are the origins of The Slash Skinny?
* What types of presses and publications are listed in this report? How can I be listed?
* Why don't you list works that aren't labelled as slash?
* I don't want to be listed here. How can I be removed?
* How do I learn when new issues of The Slash Skinny are published?

ABOUT THE EDITOR

Dusk Peterson is an author of mainstream fantasy, homoerotic historical fantasy, and contemporary gay fiction, and is also editor of a gay e-zine, True Tales. Peterson's Website offers fiction, resources on GLBT history and literature, and resources on original fiction in the fan fiction communities.

COPYRIGHT NOTICES & CREDITS

Cover design: Dusk Peterson. Permission is granted for the reposting and reprinting of the cover for purposes of providing information on The Slash Skinny. Please link to the report's Website if possible.

This text, or a variation on it, was originally published at duskpeterson.com. Copyright © 2007 Dusk Peterson. Some rights reserved. The text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0). You may freely print, post, e-mail, share, or otherwise distribute the text for noncommercial purposes, provided that you include this paragraph. The author's policies on derivative works and fan works are available online (duskpeterson.com/copyright.htm).

June 2007, Issue 5. The Slash Skinny is a publication of duskpeterson.com in Annapolis, Maryland. Contact information and issue costs are available at the Website of The Slash Skinny.

Sources for information added in this issue: The Bard's Corner, The Skinny, YaoiSuki, and authors and Websites linked below.

Publishing News

On May 24, Iris Print announced that it would be starting a new magazine, BL Twist. The magazine, like the press, will be devoted to original works in the genre of boys' love, "stories of male/male romance, also known as yaoi or slash." For details, see the Markets & Submission Guidelines section below. Publisher Kellie Lynch also stated in the press's June 5 newsletter: "Stay tuned for some more news very soon! I can't tell you too much right now, but here's a hint: it starts with 'e', and ends with 'books'. (Riddles are just one of my many talents.)"

Juxtapose Fantasy, a subscription site for slash/yaoi fiction and art by Tricia Owens and others, now has a companion site, JoyBoy Island, for gay tropical island fiction.

Original slash authors were among the thousands of LiveJournal members who rose up in protest on May 30 during Strikethrough '07, a protest that was largely coordinated by the fandom community. Among the roughly five hundred journals that had been suspended by LiveJournal's staff were two fandom-based darkfic communities that attract posts by original slash authors: brokenboys and violentboylove. On May 31, a LiveJournal representative promised that all fandom journals and fiction journals would be restored. As of press time, brokenboys had been restored but violentboylove was still suspended. In addition, the personal journal of brokenboy's moderator remains suspended.

Hundreds of authors celebrated International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day on April 23 by announcing their online creative works. Among the original slash authors who participated were James Buchanan (male/male erotic military science fiction), Elizabeth Anne Ensley aka snapes_angel (speculative fiction stories), K. M. Frontain (male/male erotic fantasy stories), Jules Jones (male/male and male/female stories in various genres), Angela Penrose aka angiepen (modern fantasy/horror story), Dusk Peterson (historical fantasy novella, part of a male/male series), and Starkiller (male/male erotic fantasy). . . . Are you an original slash author who participated? If so, e-mail the editor with a link to your IPSTP Day announcement, and you'll be listed in later issues of this report.

News that may be of interest to original slash authors and presses who also produce yaoi: 801 Media's newsletter reports (via YaoiSuki) that yaoi is now a category at Amazon. It is part of the manga section. Subcategories include Boys in School, Salarymen, and Sensei & Student. For those who did not already know, Gay & Lesbian is an Amazon section within Genre Fiction, while quite a few Amazon members have created Listmania lists of slash-related fiction. Alas, Amazon has yet to take the hint and create an original slash cateory.

Releases & Reviews

Abbreviations:

N = New issue or new release.
R = Reprint or new edition.
O = Older issue or older release.

ISSUES

Bent Magazine (male/male print magazine and e-zine).

"A bi-monthly magazine featuring original male/male romantic fiction, as well as short comics, articles, and reviews."

[O] BENT Magazine #1 (November 30, 2006; $9.50 print, $4 download). Fiction by Alex Hogan, R. Derek Thomas, Kris Ashley, Brit Mandelo, Margaret Whitfield, and Michael Cain. Reviews by Jen Parker and Jordan Marks. Art by Chizukahime and Beyond Algo. Review by Tina Anderson (reviewer's blog).

[N] BENT Magazine #3 (March 15, 2007; $9.50 print, $4 download). Fiction by Anel Viz, River B., K. C. Warwick, and Kris Ashley. Nonfiction by Jacqueline Gerringer. Reviews by Jen Parker and Jordan Marks.

MAS-Zine (male/male e-anthology)

"Men loving Men fiction with dark elements." ISSN: 1613-915.

[O] MAS-Zine #1: Juxian Tang: The Darker Side (Summer 2002; no longer for sale; online stories are linked). Genres: science fiction and historical fiction. Fiction by Juxian Tang. Art by Jessica (cover art) and Angel. Review by Pam Hollier (published at MAS-Zine, May 2003).

[O] MAS-Zine #2: Bishonen in Peril (Autumn 2002; $8.90). Fiction by Becca Abbott, Heather Elizabeth Peterson (aka Dusk Peterson), Remy, Francesca, Amanda02, and MadamHydra. Art by BlackRose (cover art), Jessica (cover art of Yaoi-Con edition), Helm, and Francesca. Genres: yaoi fan fiction and original fantasy, science fiction, and vampire fiction. Issue description. Some contents may now be online at the authors' sites, which are linked from the issue description page. Review by Lady Cyrrh (site's warning page; The Annex Reviews, May 2003). Review by Amalthia (Almathia's Novel Reviews, undated). Review by Pam Hollier (published at MAS-Zine, May 2003).

True Tales: An Erotic E-zine of Masculinity and Power (male/male webzine).

An "online gay magazine that publishes true stories and fiction on masculinity and power." Also, "links to erotic art, photography, and videos, as well as some non-erotic writings on masculine power."

[O] True Tales #4 (October 2005; free). Theme: Regional Works. Includes fiction by Parhelion and Dusk Peterson, the latter of which became the runner-up for the 2006 Rauxa Prize for Erotic Fiction.

BOOKS

Adams, Nene (female/female fiction).

[R] Nene Adams: Black by Gaslight (PD Publishing, 3rd edition, 978-1933720128, $19.99, 316pp, trade paperback, November 2006). Female/female historical mystery. "August 1888 – On a foggy night in London's notorious Whitechapel, Rhiannon Moore, a woman reduced to prostitution in order to survive, meets two people who will change her life. The first is Lady Evangeline St. Claire – brilliant, unconventional, wealthy, and battling her own demons. The second is Jack the Ripper. Evangeline and Rhiannon are plunged head-long into danger and romance as the two women struggle to solve a deadly mystery, while at the same time understand their growing attraction to one another. Will love come in time to save both lives and sorely tested hearts? Or will the women learn – because Saucy Jack already knows – that blood is always . . . Black by Gaslight." Winner, Gay/Lesbian category of the 2006 IPPY Awards. Excerpt at the author's site. Series page at the author's site. Publisher's listing. Review at Amazon. Review by Lunacy (Lunacy's Fan Fiction Reviews, July 30, 1997). Review by Cee (Cee's Fan Fiction Reviews, undated). Review by Carol Seajay (Books to Watch Out For: The Lesbian Edition, April–May 2006).

[R] Nene Adams: The Madonna of the Sorrows (PD Publishing, 2nd edition, 978-1933720142, $17.99, 248pp, trade paperback, December 2006). Female/female historical mystery. "May 1889 – A chance meeting in the Turkish baths leads consulting detective Lady Evangeline St. Claire and her lover, Rhiannon Moore, to a mystery – the murder of a priest and the theft of a painting that proves to be more than a mere work of art. A series of clues left by a long-dead artist puts the pair on the trail of one of history's great lost treasures and the crime that helped topple a monarchy. Travelling to Paris and L'Exposition Universelle, Evangeline and Rhiannon find that matters are not as straightforward as they appear. As they continue to be haunted by a ghost from Evangeline's past, the partners may never recover from the events leading to the revelation of . . . The Madonna of the Sorryows." Winner, Gay/Lesbian category of the 2006 IPPY Awards. Excerpt at the author's site. Series page at the author's site. Publisher's listing. Reviews at Amazon. See also the reviews for Black by Gaslight, which sometimes mention The Madonna of the Sorrows.

Hajiceck, Jesse (male/male fiction and comics).

[N] Jesse Hajiceck: The God Eaters (Lulu.com, 978-1847288653, $24.00, 452pp, trade paperback, August 2006). Male/male science fantasy. "Imprisioned for 'inflammatory writings' by the totalitarian Theocracy, shy intellectual Ashleigh Trine figures his story's over. But when he meets Kieran Trevarde, a hard-hearted gunslinger with a dark magic lurking in his blood, Ash finds that necessity makes strange heroes . . . and love can change the world." Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel, Preditors & Editors Readers Poll 2006. Preview at the author's site, as well as creator's art and fans' art. Publisher's listing, with review. Reviews at Amazon. Reviews at del.icio.us. Reviews at LibraryThing (in English and German). Reviews by mdbl and guest reviewers (Private Parlor, undated). Review by Dusk Peterson (Buried Treasure, undated). Review by Bellona (Templum Bellonae, April 9, 2005). Unattributed review quoted (Gay Authors, undated). Review by Samantha McCoy (author's blog, July 15, 2004).

Jones, Jules (male/male fiction).

[N] Jules Jones: Dolphin Dreams (Loose Id, 978-1-59632-383-4, $7.99, 100,000 words, e-book, April 2007, cover art by Anne Cain). Male/male/male shapeshifter paranormal. "Martin's a sexual submissive, but he's nobody's doormat. So when he discovered that his boyfriend was already married, he told him to go. When it still hurt weeks later, a seaside break housesitting for a friend seemed just the thing to help him heal. When he made friends with two dolphins, he was simply grateful for the pleasant company. He didn't expect to need their help when his small boat was caught in a storm. And he never expected them to ask for payment – or what shape they'd be in when they did so . . ." Excerpt at the publisher's site. Excerpts at the author's site (site's warning page). Excerpts in Italian at Isn't It Romantic? | Review by Mrs Giggles (Romance Novel Central, undated). Review by Larissa Hayes (The Romance Studio, April 19, 2007). Review at LibraryThing.

Parhelion (male/male fiction).

[N] Parhelion: Peridot (Torquere Press, $1.95, 14,000 words, e-book, September 2006). Male/male historical fiction. "Steve is a jeweler who specializes in rare gems. He's a rare gem himself for the 1950s, a bachelor with a certain reputation. Nate, his best friend and business partner, has never had that sort of reputation, so when Steve gets the call that Nate was caught in establishment that caters more to his type, he goes home to see what's up. Nate's got problems of his own, as well as the most supportive and nosy family a man could ask for. He has things he wants to tell Steve, but will society allow it to happen?" Excerpt at Fictionwise. Review by Teresa (Fallen Angel Reviews, September 2006).

Powell, Kimberly (male/male fiction).

[O] Kimberly Powell: Emotion Sickness (Variable XY, $17.99, 177pp, 8.5 x 11 paperback, August 2005; $10, 177pp, e-book, forthcoming). Male/male. Illustrated. "Meet Sydney. Not at all your typical fifteen-year-old boy, every day is a power struggle. When Sydney wants for something, he plays for keeps – and there is nothing that he will allow to stand in his way. Having set his sights on the one thing he should never have desired, will he win the most important game of his life?" Excerpt at the author's site. Review by Jen Parker (YaoiSuki, April 10, 2007; site's warning page).

[N] Kimberly Powell: Beautiful Disaster (Variable XY, $17.99, 158pp, 8.5 x 11 paperback, October 2006, cover art by Liezl A. Buenaventura; $10, 158pp, e-book, forthcoming). Male/male. "In this continuation of Emotion Sickness, Sydney is forced to deal with his brother's absence and the reality of his solitude when he realizes that there is no one left to turn to. When his Father makes decisions regarding Sydney's life and the future of their family, Stefan must decide what is more important: his brother's obsessive desire or his family's happiness." Cover art at the artist's site. Review by Jen Parker (YaoiSuki, April 10, 2007; site's warning page).

Snyder, J. M. (male/male fiction).

[O] J. M. Snyder: Power Play (iUniverse, 0-595-27014-X, $23.95, 474pp, trade paperback, February 2003; $7.99, e-book, February 2003). Male/male contemporary fiction. "Ryan Talonovich is the star of his college hockey team . . . until an accident during practice leaves him confined to a wheelchair. The doctors say he'll walk again but a new season is already underway and he's been replaced on the team, which leaves him feeling alone and betrayed. What's the use of fighting to get back on the ice now? Then he meets Dante Espinosa, a short track skater on the city's speed skating club. Though he has to work overtime to afford his sport, Dante is hell on ice. Their love of the ice brings them together, but too many obstacles stand in their way: Ryan's struggle with therapy. The memory of Dante's first boyfriend. Lack of funding to the event, Dante's harassing boss, a skating friend in love with him, and Wil Dietrich, who will do anything to win." Publisher's listing, with preview. Fictionwise listing for e-book. Excerpt at the author's site. Review by PJ (Chewing the Bone, October 20, 2006).

[O] J. M. Snyder: Scarred: Four Novellas (iUniverse, 978-0595231119, $15.95, 270pp, trade paperback, June 2002; see below for e-book information). Male/male contemporary fiction and science fiction. "This book is available in trade paperback from iUniverse, or you can purchase the stories as individual e-books." See descriptions of individual stories below. Publisher's listing, with preview. Author's listing. Reviews at Amazon. Review by PJ (Chewing the Bone, October 16, 2006). Review at LibraryThing. Review by KatiKat (gay_bookclub, May 30, 2007).

[R] J. M. Snyder: VR Palace (Fictionwise.com, $1.85, 16,793 words, e-book, February 2007). Male/male science fiction. "In a future where pleasure is bought in virtual reality parlors, one man creates the perfect lover spun from binary code, everything he could want in a boy except real . . . or is he?" Excerpt at author's site. Excerpt at publisher's site.
[R] J. M. Snyder: His Song (Fictionwise.com, $2.05, 18,686 words, e-book, February 2007). Male/male contemporary fiction. "Dane is destined for greatness, his boyfriend Krish just knows it, but first he needs to break into the local music scene, and Krish doesn't trust the singer who's offered to help." Excerpt at author's site. Excerptat publisher's site.
[R] J. M. Snyder: Windows (Fictionwise.com, $1.95, 17,750 words, e-book, February 2007). Male/male contemporary fiction. "Thom's through with men after his last lover cheated on him, but the new boy who buys the house next door hopes he'll reconsider." Excerpt at author's site. Excerpt at publisher's site.
[R] J. M. Snyder: Scarred (Aspen Mountain Press, 978-1-60168-030-3, $5.49, 119pp, e-book, February 2007, cover art by Jinger Heaston). Male/male science fiction. "Regulators rule the streets of a war-torn city with hate and pain. Their cruelty is etched into every inch of Dae's body. He has never known anything but hurt from the hands of men, until he meets Coby." Excerpt at author's site. Excerpt at publisher's site. Excerpt at Fictionwise. Booktrailer. Review by Maya (Coffee Time Romance, undated). Review by Elise Lyn (Ecataromance, undated). Review by Teresa (Fallen Angel Reviews, April 2007). Review by Water Nymph (Literary Nymphs Reviews Only, February 26, 2007). Review by Natasha Smith (Romance Junkies, undated). Review by Frost (Two Lips Reviews, April 10, 2007). Review at LibraryThing.

See also: Updates (below) for additional information on books previously listed in The Slash Skinny.

Online Updates

NEW AT THE WEBSITE OF THE SLASH SKINNY

Blue Call Zine (no longer online) has been moved to the Dead Markets page.

The following pages have been added to the Website:

Reviews of The Slash Skinny: Reviews | Who Links Here.

The Master List of Professionally Published Original Slash.

The following issues and books were listed in abbreviated format in previous issues of The Slash Skinny but now have been added to the Master List in full format. Links to creators' Websites and reviews from the April 2007 issue of The Slash Skinny have also been added.

Bailey, Alison (male/male comics and art; edits male/male and female/female fiction).

Alison Bailey et al.: The Book o' Summer Love (One "L" Innovations, $3.00, 36 pp, trade paperback, January 2007, cover art by Alison Bailey; $3.00, e-book, January 2007). Male/male and female/female; short stories and comics. Fiction by Mechante Fille and Sarah Brinkman; comics by Jehzavere and Tracy Williams. "Three boy's love stories plus one girl's love story all set to the theme of 'summer love.'" Excerpts at editor's site.

Bruce, Camilla (male/male fiction).

Lingborn, Liv (male/male art).

Liv Lingborn and Camilla Bruce: Touched (Lemons and Cream, $11.00, 116pp, trade paperback, February 2007; $4.99, e-book, February 2007). Male/male fantasy, illustrated. "Meet Vilder the Hunter, hero, nobleman and protector of the weak. In three illustrated, original slash stories we get to know the man called Vilder. 'Like the First Lilies of Spring' gives us a short, bittersweet glimpse of his past among nobility and intrigues. In 'Touched' we meet him as the protector of Emar, a youth marked by the demons of Ram. And at last 'A Touch of Lilies' brings us to a full circle and connects the long denied passions of his youth with the man he has become." Longer description and sample art at the creators' blog. Preview at the creators' Website (site's warning page).

Jones, Jules (male/male fiction).

Jules Jones: Lord and Master (Loose ID, 978-1-59632-410-7, $6.99, 148 pages [62,000 words], e-book, February 2007, cover art by Anne Cain). Male/male contemporary fiction. "When Mark's PhD supervisor sent him for a job interview with an old university friend, he didn't mention that the friend was devastatingly handsome. He also neglected to mention to either that the other is gay." Excerpts at the author's site (site's warning page). Excerpt at the publisher's site. Based on the author's short story Lord and Master (Clean Sheets, August 23, 2006). Review by Water Nymph (Literary Nymphs Reviews Only, February 22, 2007).Review by Shannon Frost (TCM Reviews, undated). Review by Mrs Giggles (Romance Novel Central, undated). Review by Teresa (Fallen Angel Reviews, March 2007). Review at LibraryThing.

Bent Magazine (male/male print magazine and e-zine).

BENT Magazine #2 (January 2, 2007; $9.50 print, $4 download). Fiction by J. D. Meng, Kris Ashley, Rain, and Michael Gouda. Reviews by Jordan Marks and Jen Parker. Art by Chizukahime and Red Bean.

Forbidden Fruit (male/male webzine).

"An original slash fiction magazine."

Forbidden Fruit #13 (January 2007; free). Theme: Winter Holiday. Fiction by Kay Derwydd, Ally Blue, Emily Veinglory, Lullena, Alex Hogan, Ansley Vaughan, James Buchanan, Fiona Glass, and Alyx J Shaw. Nonfiction by Sharon Maria Bidwell and Emily Veinglory. Reviews by Luisa Prieto and Sharon Maria Bidwell. Art by Eve Le Dez, Emily Veinglory, Shallow, and Scott Gubala.

True Tales: An Erotic E-zine of Masculinity and Power (male/male e-zine).

True Tales #5 (December 2006; free). Theme: Military Men. Includes fiction by Ruthless.

True Tales #6 (February 2007; free). Theme: Military Men. Includes fiction by DoggyJ.

NEW AT OTHER WEBSITES

Parhelion: The "Original Stories" section of this Website has been updated to include information on the author's recent stories in Torquere Press anthologies. Male/male historical fiction.

True Tales: An Erotic E-zine of Masculinity and Power, which has published several original slash authors, has changed its format to a recommendations site as of the May 2007 issue. Each issue will now recommend works by authors of original slash and other male/male genres.

The subscription Websites Juxtapose Fantasy, SAPayne.com, and Variable XY have been updated with new original slash.

Markets & Jobs

For changes in this section since the previous report, look for the [new] and [updated] tags within each category.

CALLS FOR SUBMISSION

ImPRESS Books is seeking stories for a new action/adventure book, a horror anthology (Once Upon a Midnight Bloody), and a new issue of its science fiction and fantasy anthology (FTL). Non-paying market.

STAFF OPENINGS

BENT Magazine is seeking people for the layout team and people for the advertising/public relations team. Non-paying positions.

MARKETS & SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

[updated to "paying market"] BENT Magazine (male/male romance magazine and e-zine, friendly to slash and yaoi). Paying market. Publishes short fiction, art, articles, and reviews. Submission guidelines.

[new] BL Twist (male/male boys' love/slash/yaoi print magazine). Imprint of Iris Print. Paying market. Publishes serialized novels, short fiction, comics/manga, articles, and reviews. Submission guidelines.

Forbidden Fruit (male/male slash webzine). Non-paying market. Publishes short fiction, articles, and art. Submission guidelines.

ImPRESS Books (male/male and female/female slash print publisher). Non-paying market. Publishes novellas and short fiction. Submission guidelines. Blog (with more information on submissions in the sidebar).

Iris Print (male/male boys' love/slash/yaoi/shounen-ai/june print publisher). Paying market. Publishes novels, short fiction, art, comics, and graphic novels. Submission guidelines. More information on Iris Press submissions. Podcast with more information on Iris Press submissions. Blog. Book releases.

Kanallje Press (male/male slash/yaoi e-publisher and print publisher). Publishes novels, short fiction, and art. Has two publications, MAS-Zine (paying market) and the annual Yaoi-Con Fiction Anthology (non-paying market). Both are currently closed to submissions. MAS-Zine blog. Publisher's blog (personal blog, where publishing news is sometimes posted). MAS-Zine releases and Yaoi-Con Fiction Anthology releases.

Sache Publications (male/male homoerotic fiction print publisher). Paying market. Publishes novels and short fiction. Submission guidelines.

Yaoi Realm (male/male yaoi/slash Web publisher). Paying market. Publishes fiction, art, and manga. Submission guidelines. E-mail list. MySpace page. New releases.

See also: The Slash Skinny's Dead Markets,YaoiSuki's List of US BL Publishers (site's warning page), YaoiSuki's BL Release Calendar (site's warning page), Lori L. Lake's GLBT Publishing Links, and Lambda Literary Foundation's Publisher Links.

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