CALL FOR SUBS!

[agilebrit]

Nick Mamatas (nihilistic_kid) and ellendatlow are editing an anthology called "Haunted Legends" for Tor Books. They're having an open reading period from July 15 to July 31.

Haunted Legends, to be published by Tor Books, seeks to reinvigorate the genre of "true" regional ghost stories by asking some of today's leading writers to riff on traditional tales from around the world. We don't just want you to retell an old ghost story, but to renovate it so that the story is dark and unsettling all over again.

Classic tales of the Jersey Devil, the spirits of the Tower of London, ghost lights, and phantom hitchhikers continue to capture the imagination. The Haunted Legends difference is that our contributors will tell the stories in ways they've never been told before.

We pay 6 cents a word, up to 8000 words.

Details here.

I am so going to write something for this. This is a chance to get published in a book with a some "name" authors. And it pays pro rates, too--a lot of anthologies pay peanuts.

Comments

[neo-prodigy.livejournal.com]

I don't submit to many anthologies, as I've found that most of them simply aren't worth my time. I generally don't have time to write a themed story that I'm not invested in for a market that at best will only offer you a complementary copy.

If I have a piece that's an ideal fit for an anthology or if it's for a theme that I will enjoy writing (and I mean it really brings out the writing muse), then I'll do it.

Ironically, there have been a couple of anthologies as of late that are themed that have really gotten me buzzed about writing. Even if the stories don't get accepted, I had fun churning out the pieces.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

I started to write a story for the Books Gone Bad anthology, got 2000 words in, and stalled like a big stalled thing. I'd like to get back to it someday, especially since I know exactly where I'm going with it, but unfortunately, it sucks, and I'm stuck on the "it sucks" part more than the "editing can turn suck into not-suck" part. I hate my brain sometimes.

But a half-cent a word and two copies seems pretty crappy for the amount of blood, sweat, and tears I put into a story, and if I write something based on the prompt, you can bet that an anthology like that won't be the first place I send it. I mean, you've watched me piss and moan for the last week over the silly Bunny From Hell story, and that's just a thousand-word piece I banged out in two hours. Imagine how much I tear my hair out over something longer...There's a reason my LJ is called "Wherein I whine about writing. A lot."

And I realize that part of it is economics--anthologies don't actually sell all that well, especially from small presses. But I have to take my own economics into consideration as well.

[neo-prodigy.livejournal.com]

You're absolutely right and I agree wholeheartedly. Specifically about you taking your economics into consideration. While most of us will have to keep a day job, writing is still a business and you have the right to decide whether or not a market is worth your time.

Oh and by the by, I've been meaning to mention this but I keep forgetting. You've been a real inspiration in regards to your perserverance in your Bunny From Hell Story. I'm working on a novel and I've decided that in May I'm going to start churning out at least 2,000 words a day until it's finished.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

*blush* A lot of times I whine about plot problems and word count as a way of jumpstarting the process. It helps to "talk" it out and figure out where I'm going wrong. Most of the time, anyway. *glares at ArtFic, which still sucks and I don't know why*

2000 words a day is ambitious! Good luck with that. I'm happy if I do that much in a week.

Oh, and I don't actually have a day job. My husband makes enough that I can stay home with Da Boy. And while homeschooling him takes a good chunk out of the day, I really have more time to dedicate to writing than I dedicate. I'm a terribly undisciplined person, and easily distracted by -- oh, shiny!

[mermaidrain.livejournal.com]

I was SO going to point you towards this, but you already know. So never mind. LOL! ;)