IEET Looking for Short Science Fiction

This is something I might actually do.  I’m a big fan of science fiction and I’ve been researching Trans/Post-humanism and human enhancement.  I might as well put that to use.  BTW, is there any due date or time limitation I need to know about?

I just started (or, should I say “re-Started”) my story tonight.

While at the grocery store, I started to think about “What if the USA devolved into two separate “nations” that each were driven by a different political ideology.

One a Social Welfare state that provided cradle-to-grave care for its citizens, and liberalized drug and “social” policies (gay rights, recognition of alternative forms of marriage contract and sexual gender/orientation, etc.), but also had omnipresent surveillance of EVERYONE (including those in government, who actually have even more strict surveillance than typical citizens).

The other a “Libertarian fantasy land.” Where Gold was the only accepted currency (well, and Silver and Platinum - “Money” has to be some form of specie), and each community is able to regulate themselves as they see fit. There are NO “Public Goods” in this society.

Then I though… “What is it you used to do?” (talking to myself).

You used to prey upon other people, and were damned good at it.

How would a person from each society go about predating the complimentary society?

I submitted a comment on this page a few hours ago but I don’t know if it went through or not so I will submit it again just in case.

I might as well describe the short fiction I’m working on.  It takes place in the year 3120 when two forms of post-humans, whom I refer to as Techs and Bios, have long since been the norm.  Following Kylee Aronson, an “adult-lescence” who is part of the second generation of Bios to have a life expectancy of 1000 years, the reader explores a day in a life in this future world and through Kylee’s thoughts what events and innovations lead to this future, what society for the two post-human groups is like, and how the two groups interact with each other.  This short fiction is based on what I have researched on post/trans-humanism as well as current events and technological developments.

P.S. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone at IEET.

You too Christian

Warning, my friends.  Whenever your work appears on a public website,  you have lost your First Worldwide Electronic Rights.  90% or more of publishers will not touch anything that’s been on a public website like IEEE.  That goes for First E-Rights, as well as print rights. 

If you want to give away your work for free, go for it.  If I am putting in hours of effort to make up a nice hard SF story, I want some bennies for it, like cash or swag.  I see nothing of that here, and I have kids in college, so I will have to pass on this here. 

Good luck to all.

This sounds like a great idea - Short Science Fiction is fun to read and the imaginative ideas will be pertinent and useful to this site

Gürsel, you’re certainly welcome to try to make sales to whatever market you choose. But the most you’re liable to make for a story of this type sold to a periodical will be about $200 (from a market that pays very well). You will not be sending the kids to school on sales of this story.

Christian - your idea sounds very good. There is no time limit on when you can send it in. You can direct questions about Fiction to director@ieet.org, and send your story there as well.  Sorry about getting your comment on so slowly - have you asked for automatic commenting?
I am sure you would get the privilege. Send your request to director@ieet.org

Damn, I have several stories that would be very fitting for the theme, but they are about 100 words, 400 words and 3,500 words in length.

I am self-publishing an e-book of progressive subversive (funny ha ha) science fiction stories that will deal with AI data mining, virtual reality, nanotechnology, mind uploading, and future sexuality. My <a href=“http://www.indiegogo.com/overthemoon?a=514945”>IndieGoGo campaign</a> explains more…I may be interested in posting excerpts of some of the stories here.

Is there a deadline?

It lacks deadline and prize.

While Gürsel Fahri’s comment is partly correct - many publisher’s will not consider previously published material - you do not lose a single right, Electronic Worldwide, or any other rights.  You still own the copyrights and they are reserved to you whether or not your publish here.  It is also the case that short, sci-fi stories are unlikely to bring much remuneration from anyone but blue-chip pubs, and that hardly will pay the bills, as another comment mentioned.

In addition, there are other considerations. First, IEET is a respected organization, and known to a number of communities. It may even be more valuable to have a short work or essay published here and take it’s place in your resumé that to receive compensation.  Many years ago I had a poem published in a leading journal of anthropology.  I got one copy of the journal in return, but it paid for itself many times over in dividends as an entry in my biography that encouraged publishers to read and consider what i send them. That, as they say, can be “priceless”. 

A final opportunity is that, if you have written a longer work, it may be easy to extract an interesting portion of it and work it into a short story or essay with little trouble.  In that case you 1) have the advanced evidence of interest; and, 2) there are few if any barriers to publishers picking up longer works in which small portions have been previously published, serialized or otherwise distributed.  In fact, some publishers prefer this to have happened, as it provides advance promotion of the work which does not cost them anything.

These are matters to be weighed individually. But by no means is the matter - even the one of personal profit and publication opportunities - as open and shut as Mr/Ms Fahri would make it to seem.  Indeed, some of you might be more interested in having your work read and thought about, than you are about some tangible reward in return.  My advice -  write your best, then do what serves you best.  - good luck to all, Red

Any idea when people who have submitted stories can expect to hear back? I’m used to waiting a while, just curious as there is no indication of response time estimates.

Been thinking about this for a year; two sensationalistic stories come to mind: one about Jesus- the other about Hitler.
The first involves Jesus being reconstructed from historical legacy, but coincidentally or not the world ends at the time he is fabricated.
The second is about the daughter of a scientist who steals her dad’s time machine, has an affair with Hitler in 1945, then returns to the year 2015 to have the baby.
The public enjoys stories and films about Jesus and Hitler.

@Matthew Bailey:
“...The other a ‘Libertarian fantasy land.’ Where Gold was the only accepted currency (well, and Silver and Platinum - ‘Money’ has to be some form of specie), and each community is able to regulate themselves as they see fit. There are NO ‘Public Goods’ in this society.”

Such a land in real life would last a few months until criminal organisations took over. Utopians usually neglect thinking enough about crime.