Boxfire Press is working on a charity project -- here's the call for submissions:
We're currently seeking professional writers to contribute to a book project whose proceeds will benefit non-profit writing organizations that develop and foster writing skills in young people. The anthology (trade paperback and ebook) will comprise personal essays along the theme: Going It Alone. This could be a piece about going to see a movie by yourself, eating alone in a restaurant full of couples, taking a cross country trip on your own, filing a case in court without a lawyer, etc.
The sky's the limit here. Use your imagination. Be creative. Think in terms of Big Truths that readers can relate to, universal themes that present themselves through self-exploration.
It's difficult to ask writers to work for free. We're writers ourselves who rely on our work to make a living. Contributing authors will receive a copy of the finished paperback and retain all rights to their pieces. You'll be able to resell your piece after publication. We want contributors who feel strongly about our cause and who are comfortable donating their work. We'll be transparent about sales figures and the amount of the final donation (net profits, minus the costs of printing and distributing the book) and to whom the money goes.
We haven't chosen a charity (or charities) yet because we want our contributors to give us some ideas about organizations out there that might be worthy. We do have a few in mind, though. The criteria are that they're tax exempt non-profits in the United States whose missions are in some way related to encouraging and fostering writing in young people. They also have to have a history of using donations and their resources wisely and for the public's benefit.
Julia Smillie, a wonderful writer and editor (take a look at her blog at http://readjulia.com/change), has agreed to volunteer her time to edit the anthology. She'll read your submissions and if they're chosen, work with you to get them ready for publication.
SOME TIPS
- Submissions should be between 500 and 5,000 words, most will be somewhere in between
- Creative interpretations of the theme are encouraged, but we should see clearly how it relates
- Previously published material is okay, provided you have the necessary rights to donate the work to the project (North American anthology print rights and worldwide ebook).
- Let us know up front if you create any composite characters or change names in your story
To help Julia stay not crazy, we're asking that submissions be sent via our online system at http://boxfire.submishmash.com/submit/. Submishmash will ask you to create an account and give your first and last names and email address. Your personal information is safe and your submissions are secure, we promise. Creating an account allows you to login and see the status of your submission at any time.
We'll be accepting submissions now through the end of October and we expect to choose the contributors shortly thereafter.
Call me Ishmael. Mother died today. It was a pleasure to burn.
Those three sentences have something in common: they're all great beginnings to some great stories. Unfortunately, we don't see a lot of those (great beginnings) in the unsolicited submissions sent to us. A bad beginning telegraphs a lot about the story that follows because good writers know that good beginnings are so important. When you want an agent or editor to read your stuff, a good beginning is vital.
Les Edgerton says in Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One and Never Lets Them Go that "When an agent or editor encounters a poor or improper beginning, she doesn't bother to read on." Yeah, it's true. I know the odds of a story with a bad beginning being a total waste of my time are pretty high. I've been pretty surprised at how often I have to wade through a few slushy paragraphs and lame starts to get to the real writing in a story. Most of the time, the writer really starts at about paragraph three or four and all the ones that came before were just some throat clearing.
That's just too late. Grab us from the first page, from the first paragraph, from the very first sentence. A good beginning might lead to a happy ending (and a signed contract).
To get started on crafting great openings, take a look at the American Book Review's 100 Best First Lines from Novels. Those three at the top all appeared on the list. What are your favorites?
- Do you pay an advance?
We only discuss financial terms when we reach the contract stage with an author. - Where will the stories be distributed?
It depends on the story, but over the last year we've developed relationships and have contracts in place with some of the top eBook distributors out there right now, including Apple, Amazon.com, Sony, etc. We'll give your work the widest distribution we can. - Shouldn't I just publish my stories myself?
You certainly can. Many eBook distributors have developed self-serve platforms for authors. However, we always think it helps in the mind of the reader if the book or the story has been vouched for by an independent third-party. Even though, for example, I own the company -- my own stories have been independently shaped and edited before they ever went out the door. - How much will my stories sell for? Will you make them free?
Financial terms, including the retail price, are left to the contract stage. We'll develop a pricing strategy that we think best fits your story and your goals. Free eBooks will get your name out there and maybe even generate a lot of attention and reviews, but they won't make you--or us--any money, obviously. - I've never written before, will you really publish my story?
If it's a good story and a good fit for us, then, sure. I know what it's like to fight against the publish machine, a machine that leaves a lot of good authors outside the door while pushing the works of tried and true, but sometimes, mediocre ones. I really want Boxfire Press to be a place known for discovering and developing new authors. - Do you take print rights? Can I resell my story?
The exact rights we ask for with your story will be decided on at the contract stage. In general, we ask for worldwide eBook rights, the option to exercise some prints rights for a certain amount of time and the option to sell some subsidiary rights. The specifics can be complicated, so, again, will worry about it all at the contract stage. - Do you accept simultaneous submissions? What about reprints?
We don't like simultaneous submissions, but most important is that you're upfront at the time of submission. We'd hate to get excited about publishing your story only to learn you've decided to accept an offer from someone else. As for reprints, we prefer previously unpublished works--but if you've got the rights we're asking for, we're not opposed. Again, it's just important to be as upfront with us as possible from the time you submit - Do I need an agent?
Nope. - You're a writer, so is my story safe with you? I don't want it stolen.
I do read all the stories, but I'm not in the business of taking other's work. That being said, there's a very, very small chance that you might send something that's similar to something I'm already working on or something we're already developing with another writer. That's just the chance you take when you send an unsolicited manuscript on spec. If you're really worried, feel free to send us a query letter first and if it sounds too similar, we'll let you know.
We're looking for some great short fiction to add to our library of eBooks. To get an idea of the kind of stuff we publish, take a look at Justin McLachlan's stuff in our store (they're currently free in the iBookstore, if you have an iPad or iPhone). Mainly, we're talking contemporary science fiction and fantasy. That's all we're going to say about it, because we don't want to limit your imagination. Basically, tell us a good story above all. And your experience doesn't matter much. We're dedicated to helping new writers succeed, so, even if you're just starting out -- try us. You might be surprised.Some tips:
- Good grammar, accurate spelling -- so so so important.
- Sex sells, but usually not to us, especially if it's gratuitous.
- The same goes for rampant, gory violence.
- We love humor, but do it well.
- We've read a lot about vampires. A lot. We're starting to get bored.
If you've got something you want us to take a look at, use or handy online submission form. We're not take submissions by email, fax or regular mail. Sorry for the trouble, but this system keeps us from going crazy. It also let's you check on the status of what you've sent. You'll get a response from us, no matter what. And if we're interested in your story, we'll talk terms then. In general, we ask for worldwide electronic rights and print rights in North America for one year.
"This is one of my favorite short stories of all time!!!" --oneXXerrorI can't say thank you enough. I'm so glad that so many of you are enjoying them, because that's all I've ever hoped for. But, I owe you each an apology, too. I found out late last night -- in the middle of a four-day, cross-country road trip -- that the copies you were downloading weren't edited to the standards you expect and deserve. Here's what happened. Initially, my stories were being distributed by a third-party company, but I decided that wasn't working well for me and I decided to do it myself. When the books were being converted and readied for the iBookstore the second time around, I accidentally grabbed older versions of the manuscripts that hadn't been fully copy edited. I didn't notice, and they made it into the sotre.
"A M A Z I N G" --jessy.bookworm
"Short fiction at its best." --joefergs
That's no excuse, though. All I can say is that I'm deeply sorry. It was a quality control problem that I won't let happen again. I've been working from my car today, with my wonderful Verizon Mifi wireless card, to get the corrected versions uploaded and available to you. I've done what I can from my end now, so hopefully things are all fixed (or will be as Apple updates its catalog).
Despite this, I hope you'll stick with me. My next story, Andy: Superhero was set to come out at the end of the summer, but I decided today to move up the date to the end of July as a way to make up for the problems with the previous two stories. The original plan was to price it at about $1.99 in the iBookstore, but instead, it'll be free just like Ian: Next Year and Kurt: Thought Patterns.
Thank again. I mean that more I can ever express.
Uh-oh. You need flash to listen to this podcast.
So in October I'm planning to go to the Third Coast Festival in Chicago for the first time. I started in television a few years back and that's what I studied in college, but -- this radio stuff is still a bit new to me. Anyway, every year the festival has a contest for short radio documentaries. This year, they gave four general themes and eight sound clips in two categories (one of each had to be in the documentary). Other than that, it was pretty much wide open. So, I went to the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles were over 2,000 people had gathered to watch the Lost finale. Some of my audio was used by public radio stations in their own pieces, but here's what I camp up with on my own.