Up-and-coming anthologist John Joseph Adams has announced yet another new project: Federations, for which he’ll be paying 5 cents per word. Prime Books expects to publish it in May 2009. He describes the anthology thus: “From Star Trek to Star Wars, from Dune to Foundation, science fiction has a rich history of exploring the idea of vast intergalactic societies, and the challenges facing those living in or trying to manage such societies. The stories in Federations will continue that tradition.
“What are the social/religious/environmental/technological implications of living in such a vast society? What happens when expansionist tendencies on a galactic scale come into conflict with the indigenous peoples of other planets, of other races? And what of the issue of communicating across such distances, or the problems caused by relativistic travel? These are just some of the questions and issues that the stories in Federations will take on.”
He’ll be looking for original science fiction stories up to 5,000 words (he’s willing to look at longer stories, but $250 is the maximum he’ll pay for a story). The reading period will be 1 November 2008 to 1 January 2009. For submission details, see this page.