Ellen Datlow (one of the field’s greatest editorial practitioners) is currently editing the 19th (!) volume of Night Shade Books’ Best Horror of the Year and offers the following information about submissions:
(Ellen is) “currently reading for the nineteenth volume, covering material published in 2026.
Addendum: I never want to see manuscripts. Never. If I ask for a hard copy that means the collection/magazine/anthology/chapbook/whatever. NOT YOUR MS.
And please do not require a signature for delivery.
Ellen Datlow”
***
Ellen previously wrote a post decrying the lack of proper formatting and the lack of inclusion of certain materials in anthologies and collections, so I think it is a fair bet that she is very serious about her submission requests. She is, in effect, stating that if the publication your work has appeared in does not include elements (like rights citations) that used to be a part of every collection and anthology, she will not be reading it. Which means your work will not be considered for inclusion in the Best Of.
She has regularly written about the absence of reprint acknowledgments and original publication sources in anthologies and collections. (Hint for indies and new publishers: if you want to know what is “supposed” to be included in an anthology or collection, pick up one of the many HIGHLY successful anthologies edited by her. You’ll be picking up a one-stop course in “what goes into an anthology/collection”.)
When Ellen first began highlighting these omissions, I quickly opened up our own anthologies, just to make sure we were following her guidelines. (We do.)
I think it also bears noting that folks in this field talk to each other: Ellen is not the only publisher who gets frustrated with the all-too-common “failure to abide by publisher’s guidelines”. In fact, Amazing’s own guidelines offers summary rejection for any ms. that don’t follow ours.
Getting published – original or reprint – is difficult enough without getting labeled as a non-complier.
Steve Davidson is the publisher of Amazing Stories.
Steve has been a passionate fan of science fiction since the mid-60s, before he even knew what it was called.
