Sallis began writing science fiction for magazines in the late 1960s. Having sold several stories to Damon Knight for his "Orbit" series of anthologies, and a story to Michael Moorcock by the time he was in his mid-twenties, Sallis was then invited to go to London to help edit "New Worlds" just as it changed to its large format during its Michael Moorcock-directed New Wave SF phase; Sallis published his first sf story, "Kazoo" there in 1967 and was co-editor from April 1968 through Feb 1969. His clearly acknowledged models in the French avant-garde and the gnomic brevity of much of his work limited his appeal in the science fiction world, though he received some critical acclaim for "A Few Last Words" (collection, 1970). Sallis has been influenced by French New Novelists including Michel Butor and Robbe-Grillet. Camus’ "L'Etranger" is mentioned in each of Sallis's novels.