RELEASE of SQ MAG, A New Specfic EZine

IFWG Publishing is excited to announce the launch of SQ Mag, a speculative eZine, on 1st March. Each edition will be updated every two months.

The following structure makes this an exciting, must-read:

• SQ Mag is a free ezine. It costs the reader nothing to read everything published on the site. 
• What's more, subscribers to the eZine (costing nothing), have the option of the new edition stories being emailed to them in HTML, PRC or EPUB formats (also for free).
• SQ Mag releases anywhere between 3 and 9 short stories and/or novelettes each edition (usually around 6), where each of the main genres of speculative fiction are represented (scifi, horror/dark fantasy, fantasy). SQ Mag is also committed to publishing a fair share of new writers' work.
• Every year, a 'Best Of' anthology will be published, of the best short stories published the previous year.
• SQ Mag will always be publishing serial fiction piece in each edition.
• SQ Mag is an international ezine: they will publish in the English idiom of the submitted work. That is, if a writer submits a story in UK English, it will be edited and published in UK English. We have a little flag next to the author to indicate this.
• SQ Mag also publishes reviews in each edition.
• SQ Mag periodically publishes interviews and articles.

 SQ Mag grew out of a print magazine called SQ Magazine. The model presented above is, in the view of the publisher and editor, a better one for grown and exposure.

IFWG Publishing is the publisher of SQ Mag but has decided that the eZine be independently managed and financed. This means that while IFWG Publishing will be a major sponsor, all income generated by sponsorship, donations and merchandise, including profits from he yearly anthology, will be retained for the running of the eZine.

Visit SQ Mag at their in-construction site - www.sqmag.com, where you will see how it is looking, and how it is organized. Better yet, if you subscribe before 1st March 2012, you will get the first stories emailed to you if you have chosen such an option.

Sophie Yorkston, Editor-In-Chief
Gerry Huntman, Contributing Editor and Publisher

Story Quest Short Story Contest

For those who have been following this contest, the 3rd (and now annual) Story Quest Short Story Contest will open for submissions on 1 August 2011 and close on 31 October 2011. There are some changes that most of you will know of for this year, but we have one important addition:

1. The important one - we have decided to charge $5.00 per submission (to a maximum of 3). This is not a money making venture (believe me) but it helps defray some of the costs associated with administering the contest - in two ways: firstly, we have been getting a lot of submissions and this means that the revenue generated from the fee will help pay for our editors' time. Secondly, it will discourage frivolous entries and in effect, reduce unnecessary workload.
2. This year we have fully transitioned our contest to Speculative Fiction only. The web site discusses the scope of genre and styles in more detail.
3. This year we changed to an annual competition.
4. This year we have changed the prize to modest cash prizes and publishing in SQ Magazine - for the winner and runners up.

We encourage those of you who are specfic writers to submit to our contest in August. We enjoy reading the entries and helping elevate author profiles.