Screw the business model.
Here's what I'm thinking. This is just the daydream stage, an offshoot of something I've toyed with doing for a quite a while. I'm wondering about publishing an anthology of Halloween stories, probably digital format only. A good launch date would be October 1, 2010. I'd pay very little. A friend suggested toy bats, and I like that idea.
But then you get into the problems of submissions. Open submissions? Too many stories to read, and I would feel awful rejecting people. Not sure I could do that. So maybe invitation only. I would do the content editing, but would pay someone else to copy edit, proof, and format.
I put this cover together in order to convey what I would be looking for. No hardcore horror. Maybe some humor, some quirky. But like I said, just mulling it over right now, don't know if it will happen, but I'm open to suggestions and ideas.
I think I'd buy it just for your cover idea above. Go and work your magic!
ReplyDeletemary, i love that cover image! glad you hear you like it too!
ReplyDeleteanne
I love the cover. I don't just want to buy it, I want to be in it. That cover is so damn awesome.
ReplyDeleteIt can definitely work! You invite the authors, they can either put together samples or entire story. You write up a proposal and you shop it or pub yourself. Awesome idea. Check out this site to give you an idea. They pub electronic and kindle and do well.
ReplyDeleteemeraldcite, that would be awesome if you submitted a story! i do want people to know that my expectations for sales are very low. i honestly would be surprised to sell 100 copies, so it would definitely be something done for fun. production costs would probably be over 1K. Like to keep it to 1K, but it could go over. i'd have to sell 500 copies to break even, which i don't think can happen in a million years. that's the big problem with ebooks. you can't take any shortcuts in editorial and formatting, so production cost are equal to print, but with lower sales. there are some amazing people out there who are able to do everything from editing to formatting, but that's not me.
ReplyDeletekelly, that site is fantastic! didn't know about them, so thanks! i am afraid that with so many people moving into electronic -- well, everybody is talking about the ebook bubble, and i think it will happen. but i'm really excited to see some big names launching sites like this. michael cunningham is one of my favorite authors. definitely makes me want to pub the antho myself when i see things like that.
ReplyDeleteI'm so in.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a cool idea. Great, chilly, back-of-the-neck tickling supernatural fiction is an art that deserves to have an eduring place in literature. (And I love the menagerie of skulls on the cover!!)
ReplyDeleteExcellent cover, Anne! I think this anthology will do better than you think.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, it's exciting to read about different forms of publishing.
Have you considered publishing digital by print on demand, say through Lulu or Amazon?
ReplyDeletejason, i hope you'll consider submitting something!
ReplyDeletepamela, i was wondering about POD thru amazon. Was just reading a blog about the amazon service, and it would be nice to have both print and digital available.
anne
Loving the concept. I have a story idea brewing already... Also, if you need a bit of help with the graphics let me know. My secret identity is a graphic artist.
ReplyDeletethanks, Shirin! I'll keep that in mind!
ReplyDeleteanne