Tuesday, December 2, 2014

A Project Comes to Life: Sneak Peek of Kickstarter for Weird Wild West Anthology


I can finally share my Big Sekrit Project!

It still feels a bit unreal to me. This summer, at Congregate in Winston-Salem, I stood in the hall with Misty Massey and Emily Lavin Leveritt. "Wouldn't it be great if...?"

Which one of us said that? It doesn't really matter. We kicked the idea down the hall and around email, and, because none of us have enough to do (*snerk*), we started talking to a couple of author friends. And a couple of publisher friends...

And here we are.


eSpec Books is Kickstarting our anthology, a collection of western-themed speculative fiction, with commitments from several great authors and artists...check it out! One of the premier titles from this brand new press, the collection already boasts such contributors as R S Belcher (Six-Gun Tarot), Tonia Brown (Railroad!), Diana Pharoah Francis (Trace of Magic), John Hartness (Bubba the Monster Hunter), Jonathan Maberry (Code Zero), Gail Martin (Deadly Curiosities), Misty Massey (Mad Kestrel), and James Tuck (Blood and Bullets). It will also have a minimum of four open submission slots.

You noticed the open submissions? Yes, there's a call for submissions -- check out the Kickstarter Sneak Peek! 

The project will be funded via a Kickstarter campaign beginning December 9, 2014 and among the stretch goals planned for the project are stories by David Sherman (Starfist) and Robert E. Waters (The Wayward Eight) and additional open submission slots. 


I know you want a sneak peek of the Kickstarter! You know I want you to help fund us! 


This is gonna be epic!
 
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And so, with a loving heart, I offer you
Namaste
I’ve heard many translations. Here’s one I love: 
The light of the universe that shines within me recognizes 
the light of the universe that shines within you.

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#WeirdWildWest, #specfic, #anthology, #MistyMassey, #EmilyLavinLeveritt, #RSBelcher, #ToniaBrown, #DianaPharoahFrancis, #JohnHartness, #JonathanMaberry, #GailMartin, #JamesTuck, #eSpecBooks, #DanielleAckley-McPhail, #MikeMcPhail, #BryanPrindiville

5 comments:

  1. This looks cool. Very cool. I'm going to see if I can put something together to submit.

    #jazzed :)

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  2. For the open submissions, how much, if anything, are you paying per word?

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    Replies
    1. Great question, Cealyn! The short answer is "we don't know yet" because it depends in part on how successful the Kickstarter will be. We do, in fact, intend to pay a small fee. I'm checking w/my cohorts on how much more information we can provide pre-Kickstarter, especially w/respect to pro or semi-pro rates. I'll post more info here soon. Thanks for your interest!

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    2. Alright, thanks for responding!

      A suggestion -- you could start with what you'd realistically be able to afford.. 4c/word, or whatever it might be, if you reach your goal.. and then, if you feel so inclined, have certain stretch goals increase that amount?

      I just think if you're going to want people to submit, they have to know at least part what they're going to get out of it.

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    3. Cealyn, apologies for the long delay in replying. Great news! The Kickstarter has successfully funded, and we still have 7 days left, so I'm looking forward to stretch goals that include additional "slush" spaces.

      I wanted to follow up on our plans for payment, which are now better outlined, though there is still some fuzz-factor until the end of the Kickstarter campaign (but at least a minimum of $5500):

      Authors receive a 1% royalty share of the profits from both the Kickstarter and on-going sales, plus 2 comp copies and a 50% discount on purchased copies. Stories can be submitted until midnight (East Coast time), March 31, 2015. Email submissions to weirdwildwestsubmissions@gmail.com.

      Happy New Year to you, and Happy Trails!

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