Guidelines

We are seeking stories of an absurdist and surrealist nature. Stories should be between 2000 and 5000 words. They should not fit comfortably within any genre. We have peculiar tastes and recommend that you read an issue before sending in your work (issue 7 is a free PDF). DO NOT SEND MORE THAN ONE STORY AT A TIME. No previously published material. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but let us know the moment that your story is accepted elsewhere. Use indents for paragraph breaks rather than line spaces. Underline all italicized words. Include a bio and mailing address with your submission. We ask for First North American Serial Rights and the copyright reverts back to you upon publication. Send an email if you don't get a confirmation in a week. Payment is ten dollars and one contributor's copy. We reserve the right to make minor editorial changes.

We prefer humorous stories where impossible things happen. It must be able to grab our attention from the very first line. And make every word count.

Our favorite authors include Steve Aylett, D. Harlan Wilson, Steve Erickson, and Mark Leyner.

What we are not looking for

No poetry.

We are unlikely to accept horror stories. But if you do send one, make sure it's unconventional. The stories of Thomas Ligotti would be a good example of the sort of horror that we enjoy.

No stories with overused concepts that are central to the plot - such as zombies, vampires, ghosts, demons, werewolves, space aliens, God(s), or any Dungeon and Dragons-type of characters.

No stories that would be a good fit for any existing genre magazine.

No extreme horror/splatterpunk. Although there are no restrictions regarding content, we find wall-to-wall sex and violence extremely boring. But it's ok to use elements from this sub-genre.

No accounts of all the zany things that a character does after getting drunk and/or stoned.

No stories with endings that MAKE the story. In other words, when the story is mediocre up until the ending and the ending is so good that it enhances the quality of what has come before it. Also, no stories that are setups for jokes, with the ending being the punch line. We would prefer a joke in every sentence.

No stories that feature a protagonist who is a writer.

No passive protagonists. The protagonist must do something rather than have something done to them.

No stories that are mostly exposition. We prefer stories that are composed of scenes.

Response time is six weeks or less

Send submission as an attachment - either a Microsoft Word or Rich Text file. Email to bust_submissions@hotmail.com.
Email queries and questions to bradleysands@comcast.net.