Fantasy Anthology Open Call . . .

[G7]

Two months remaining in the open call below. If you've got a story in mind, this is a wonderful opportunity to get published. There are still slots open.

Please drop us an e-mail if you have questions.

gallerysevenbooks@graffiti.net
____________

Details: http://home.graffiti.net/gallerysevenbooks/fantasy.html

Fantasy Anthology

Gallery Seven Books is looking for quality fantasy stories to be published in a fantasy anthology in 2007. All types/styles of fantasy will be accepted (high, dark, military, romantic, etc.), as long as the tale takes place in a fantasy setting. Please keep science-fiction elements to minimum. Contributing authors will retain all rights to their characters and settings (and the story itself), but we will only accept unpublished original works, characters, and story lines. Preferred word-count is 4,000 to 10,000 words, though we will consider stories of differing lengths (no more than 15,000 words, please) if the tale is quality.

Submissions by email only. Send your electronic story in standard, 12 point double-spaced manuscript format in either .doc or rtf.

The following information must be included with your manuscript in the form of a short cover letter:
- Name/pen name
- Address
- E-mail Address
- Number of words
- Any other information you wish to include about yourself

Important information:
- Send story to: gallerysevenbooks@graffiti.net
- Submission Deadline: May 31, 2007
- Responses: Will be emailed by June 30, 2007

If your story is selected, contracts will be mailed to you in July, 2007.

Questions? E-mail them to gallerysevenbooks@graffiti.net and we will try and answer any queries you have.

If your story is selected for publication, payment will be one copy of the book.

Visit this page at: http://home.graffiti.net/gallerysevenbooks/fantasy.html

 

[Bardsandsages]

As someone who has put together two anthologies, might I offer a never-humble suggestion?

A single free copy of the anthology isn't really a lot of motivation for serious writers to turn out original work. "Exposure" doesn't really count for a whole heck of a lot these days. particularly when everybody and their brother offers "exposure" but doesn't seem to know how to actually promote. You guys are writers, so I'm sure you know what I mean. Visit any writer's forum and there are dozens of people happy to profit off of your work in exchange for giving you exposure.

At the very least, either open the selection up to previously published materials or offer some nominal payment for the stories. Particularly since you labeled this listing "paid". One comp copy doesn't really equate to payment. Particularly with for-profit projects, writers should be compensated for their work. (Geesh, did I just channel Lloyd Brown...gods help me!)

I like the color scheme of the site. Its very warm and has a welcoming feel. Nice use of white space as well. Where did the wizard art come from?

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

As someone who has put together two anthologies, might I offer a never-humble suggestion?

A single free copy of the anthology isn't really a lot of motivation for serious writers to turn out original work. "Exposure" doesn't really count for a whole heck of a lot these days. particularly when everybody and their brother offers "exposure" but doesn't seem to know how to actually promote. You guys are writers, so I'm sure you know what I mean. Visit any writer's forum and there are dozens of people happy to profit off of your work in exchange for giving you exposure.

At the very least, either open the selection up to previously published materials or offer some nominal payment for the stories. Particularly since you labeled this listing "paid". One comp copy doesn't really equate to payment. Particularly with for-profit projects, writers should be compensated for their work. (Geesh, did I just channel Lloyd Brown...gods help me!)

I like the color scheme of the site. Its very warm and has a welcoming feel. Nice use of white space as well. Where did the wizard art come from?

QFT.

Opening it up to previously published work, especially if it has only been published in, say, e-zines rather than in print, would make it much more attractive. As would paying even a nominal fee, because the credit becomes more valuable if it's paid.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Thirded. You're certainly not going to get any published authors with an anthology that pays nothing but a single author's copy.

Further--and I hope you don't take this as an attack, I'm just being honest--as a published author, I would strongly discourage even unpublished authors from submitting. Whether or not a market actually pays is very important in establishing one's credit as a published author, and a single comp copy does not qualify as paid work in any meaningful venue. An author who contributes to an unpaid anthology is, at least potentially, wasting valuable time. Exposure isn't enough anymore; it has to be the right kind of exposure, and in the right kind of venue.

 

[ha-gieden]

As an author, I understand that no matter how much you love doing something, once you start getting paid for it (and especially after you quit your day job) it ceases being a hobby and begins being work. I know that we all hope to get paid for our work. But still...

These guys are trying to get a good thing going. I am happy to contribute. Not because of pay, but for a love of the written word.

Besides, once you get rolling, 4,000 words really doesn't take that much of your valuable time.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

As an author, I understand that no matter how much you love doing something, once you start getting paid for it (and especially after you quit your day job) it ceases being a hobby and begins being work. I know that we all hope to get paid for our work. But still...

These guys are trying to get a good thing going. I am happy to contribute. Not because of pay, but for a love of the written word.

Besides, once you get rolling, 4,000 words really doesn't take that much of your valuable time.

Ask yourself this:

Compared to the costs of distribution, marketing (if any), binding and printing involved in such an anthology, would 1c/word truly break their bank? If so, they're either taking a loss already (a risky, but not impossible business venture) or on such a narrow budget that they're basically doing the project as an odd sort of vanity publication.

Ask yourself this:

Instead of publishing a print anthology (which, one assumes, will cost upwards of a $200 if they're going anywhere with it; for a serious anthology try closer to $2000 or more, or at least that was the case the last time I looked into it), they could pay their authors 1c/word and put up five 4,000 word stories... for $200 and the price of the web site they already have. That would make it a better credit for the authors (because it's actually paid, even if it's a small amount), almost certainly cut costs for the company, and give it wider potential exposure.

Ask yourself this:

Why aren't you insulted that your time and creativity, unlike paper, ink, binding, and THEIR time, is not worth even token payment from this organization?

4,000 words dedicated to a project like this is 4,000 words I could be paid $10 for by a flat-rate, low-budget e-zine, $40 by a typical e-zines, $200 by almost all print magazines and the better paying e-zines, etc. All of which are credits that have actual value and would help me get more stories published. Once I've *given* a story away, it can never appear in any of those markets because they all require first publication rights.

You would be better off writing those 4,000 words and posting them on your personal web site or to a writer's forum, where they would have a better chance of generating buzz and getting helpful comments and advice. They would also generally be considered publishable by most magazines and some e-zines, having never been professionally published. That's a better deal across the board.

 

[Mouseferatu]

That's it exactly, and thanks for spelling it out.

It is, frankly, insulting for any so-called "professional" market to ask people to contribute unpaid word count. Would you ask artists to draw for free? Web designers to do the site for free? How about lawyers to look over your contracts for free, or doctors to treat you for free?

If you're a hobby market, fine. Ask people for whatever you want. But if you want to be taken seriously as a professional production, have the grace to at least pretend you consider your authors to be worth something.

 

[Sir Elton]

Blast, I don't know if I can write up a quality story in two months. I need to have at least three. I'll wait for the next one.

If you were going to pay me that is.

 

[ha-gieden]

Ask yourself this:

Why aren't you insulted that your time and creativity, unlike paper, ink, binding, and THEIR time, is not worth even token payment from this organization?

I am under the impression that the people producing this anthology are also published authors who are planning on submitting their own work to the project. Their time is not being treated as any more valuable than mine.

I wouldn't consider this paid work. I agree that it probably won't give a great deal of exposure, and it won't count for much in some circles. I'm not suggesting that everyone fall all over themselves to contribute. Heck, *I* wouldn't have contributed had it not been the impetus for me trying a new kind of writing (I had never done anything under 20,000 words). Like I said, though, it seems to be a good cause. I enjoyed the writing, I was pleased with the result, and I will gladly take my free copy (my oldest son will probably enjoy reading it)! Afterwards, I will put the story up on the 'net and maybe read it aloud at an appearance or two. It'll be a good, quick way to introduce people to my writing, and I can use that to sell books.

I don't know about you guys but normally, when I sit down to write, I don't know if I'll ever see cold, hard cash for it. I plan on submitting it to a publisher. I hope that it gets accepted. Then, a year or so later, I hope it sells and I can *finally* see some pay. My first novel was 45,000 words (it was YA), and I trashed the manuscript the day I got my first rejection letter. A word count of 4,000 is sooo much less of an investment.

So basically, I did it for a good cause. I did it for fun. It didn't take long, and I was between projects anyway. If it doesn't sound like fun to you, then there's no real reason to do it.

 

[Scribe Ineti]

My first novel was 45,000 words (it was YA), and I trashed the manuscript the day I got my first rejection letter. A word count of 4,000 is sooo much less of an investment.

Out of curiosity, why did you give up on that manuscript so soon? There are lots of markets out there. Rejection is part of the writing business.

Just check out some of the writing sites out there, like Ralan, Duotrope, and Writer's Market. Tons and tons of markets. So many, that there's no real good reason any writer should submit their work for nothing more than a free copy of a book.

Never ever sell yourself or your work so short.