Switchblade is a crime fiction print anthology featuring authors writing in the hardboiled/noir genre, and nothing else. So think Richard Stark, Ross MacDonald, Jim Thompson, Ken Bruen, James Ellroy, Lawrence Block, Iceberg Slim, Max Allan Collins, Christa Faust. (just to name a few) We don’t do cozies. We don’t do procedurals. We’re not a literary magazine, and we don’t do other genres. That said, we will consider noir/crime fiction ranging from the early twentieth century up to present day. Aside from that, we are a no limit hardboiled fiction journal—we publish the kind of stories no one else will consider. Back in the day there was a Nynex yellow pages ad campaign that went like this: if it’s out there, it’s in here—that’s how we feel. The world is filled with deviance, and good hardboiled fiction reflects that. We like strong characters, and good story telling, and we will not reject anyone based on mainstream morality. Amoral protagonists are encouraged. We will not however, publish masturbation fodder for masochistic pedophiles. We’re not interested in torture-porn erotica. But if you’ve got a deplorable protagonist, and there’s a good story—we’ll print it.
Switchblade Issue Two, Volume One Lineup:
The Jacket is coming off, and before it hits the pavement, the blade will be out with one thumb jab at the button; whitening your throat at the tip, just below the jugular. Coming in late June, 12 sharp and deadly tales from authors you may know, and a few you’ve yet to discover. It's coming at you; quicker than the eye can see, the second stab of Switchblade.
William Dylan Powell
Ashley Erwin
Stephen D. Rogers
Charles Roland
S.E. Bailey
Renee Asher Pickup
Paul Greenberg
J.L. Boekestein
Rob T. White
Peter DiChellis
Scotch Rutherford
Carmen Jaramillo
And Featuring the Artwork of Sam Lee
Switchblade Issue One available on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Switchblade-Issue-One-Paul-Brazill/dp/0998765007/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1493068462&sr=1-3Tom Leins
Liam Sweeny
Patrick Bates
Preston Lang
Steve Liskow
Larry Kelter
Paul D. Brazill
Travis Richardson
William Dylan Powell
Jim Wilsky
Fred Zackel
Scotch Rutherford
Susan Cornford
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
We are not accepting submissions at this time. Our reading period for Issue Three (September) will be posted in late July.
Content. Rural noir is fine (very popular right now) but we love urban noir too. Urban being the setting.(not a reference to the racial demographic--any racial demographic is fine) We do mob stories. And not just Russian mob stories. Got a tight piece of fiction about the Sicilian mob in Jersey—we’ll look at it. Anyone who thinks the Italian Mafia (LCN) in America evaporated into thin air after the John Gotti trial, hasn’t spent any time in Philadelphia. That said—if it reads like a Sopranos script or Goodfellas fan fiction, it’s going right into the trash bin. Make it original. If I open up a story about an Irish mob guy from Chuckytown (Charlestown), and his name is Blackey—it better be one hell of a story.
Just like the other guys, we’re not interested in clichés. Serial killers are boring to me. Heist plots are also going to be a tough sell. We like Michael Mann’s “Heat”, and Stanley Kubrick’s “The Killing” as much as the next guy, but as I’ve stated, we’re looking for originality, first and foremost. We love suspense. We like tension, and we like tightly written, gritty fiction with a twist (or two). If you really want to know what we're all about, and to see what kind of stories end up in the pages of Switchblade, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of our latest issue. For $6.95 its a real steal.
Formatting. Our motto is quick and dirty: we’re looking for short fiction: 2,000 to 4,500 words. We’re also seeking flash fiction with a maximum of 1,000 words. Please put “fiction submission” and the title of the story in the subject line. We're also seeking poems (no longer than a page)about switchblade knives. Please put "poetry submission" and the title of your poem. Include a cover letter in the body of the email as well as a brief (100 word max) biography. No simultaneous submissions. Address your cover letter to “Dear editor at Switchblade…" We’re not the big five, but we expect some professionalism.
Please set tab indentations for paragraphs at .25” Send your story in standard manuscript format, double spaced as an attached Microsoft Word document (.doc or .rtf) to switchblademagsubmissions (at) gmail (dot) com
Payment: We're now upping the ante. (a little) Each selected contributing author will now receive $10 (via Pay Pal)and one contributor copy of the print edition of the magazine.
Artwork: Please put "Artwork Submission" in the subject line of the email. We are currently seeking themed artwork featuring switchblade knives. Artwork should be submitted either as a link to your online portfolio, or as an attached JPEG file (at least 200 DPI)
Rights: Switchblade claims the following publication rights: First English-language Rights, English-language Periodical Rights, World Periodical Rights, and Electronic Distribution Rights. All rights revert back to the author six months after initial publication. Should Switchblade choose to create an anthology of previously published work, new rights will be negotiated.
Reprints: We are not accepting any reprints at this time.
Find us on twitter: https://twitter.com/SwitchbladeMag
