# Anthology Proposal - Draft



## Steerpike (Jul 1, 2013)

I'm trying to come up with wording for a Call for Submissions on an e-book anthology I want to do. What I have below is a first go at it. Curious what members think of it in terms of attracting authors.  Here's the text so far (including a title off the top of my head, which is subject to change if I decide I don't like it  ) :


SHADOWS OF A DYING WORLD
- A Swords & Sorcery Anthology -
​Caldera spins in the twilight of its days, long ages since the first of its mortal races emerged, blinking, into the sun. Telahn, the sprawling City of Dragons, is the center of the human world, built amongst the cyclopean ruins of a vanished civilization. The rich embrace decadence and nihilism in their decaying manors and estates. The poor eke out a brief existence amidst the drugs and violence of the city streets. Non-humans are chattel and live according to the whims of their masters.

Throughout the world, humans hold sway. From the clans of the far north, behind heavy walls of stone, to the nations of the east, who build towering monuments to their sun god. Riders of the horse tribes rule the steppes far to the west of the city, while the jungles of the south are home to mysterious civilizations isolated by time and geography.

Adventurers roam the land in search of fortune. Sorcerors plumb the far corners of the globe for secrets of the forbidden arts. Fellows of the Collegium Arkheologia sift the sands of time for secrets of the ancient world and its strange technologies.

And all the while, the non-human races huddle in dwindling numbers in the safety of their ancestral homelands and watch and wait.

____________________
​*SUBMISSIONS *

_Shadows of a Dying World  _is a classic sword-and-sorcery style fantasy anthology in the dying earth subgenre. Submissions should pay homage to the roots of the genre - adventure, romance, dark sorceries, mysterious locals, and the grit and grime of common life all have a role to play.

Stories may be set in any location in the world of Caldera, and since the world is only loosely defined, authors should feel free to indulge their creative license. The description of the world, above, should be a starting point, not a limitation.

Stories should be between 5000 and 8000 words, and should be submitted to: __________. Submissions will remains open until October 31, 2013.

*RIGHTS AND PAYMENTS*

__________ acquires first electronic rights, and maintains exclusive worldwide electronic rights for a period of three years. After that time, the rights become non-exclusive and authors may publish their stories elsewhere.

Profits from sales of the anthology will be divided evenly among each of the authors and Publisher. Royalties will be paid quarterly. Each author will also receive a contributor's copy of the finished e-book.


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## ThinkerX (Jul 1, 2013)

The 'humans hold sway' part is a bit optimistic...at least to me. 

I've been toying with notions for a couple of 'dying world' type stories for a long while now...though this might not be the world I had in mind.


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## Steerpike (Jul 1, 2013)

ThinkerX said:


> The 'humans hold sway' part is a bit optimistic...at least to me.



Yeah. It doesn't come across exactly how I meant it. I think it needs to be reworded. Humans are the most popular race across the planet, but basically they've been reduced to a pretty meager, dangerous existence in most places. The world is not friendly. 

I'm trying to keep the world as open as possible, though I would like to focus it to some degree so that the stories are related in that manner.


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## Devor (Jul 1, 2013)

I think it reads alright.

Were you intending to post this publicly?  I think the best way to look for quality submissions is to find the people you want to contribute, make friends, and ask them.  People usually respond well to that.

Also, kind of an aside . . . I stumbled on the site stickK.com recently, and it made me think of your previous thread about submission fees.  The site asks people to submit a regular goal, like losing weight, and gives you the option of setting a payment plan so that every time you miss a goal, you give a few dollars to charity or a friend.  Presumably, you could give contributors the option of setting a word count goal, and contributing to a cover art fund whenever they miss it.


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## BWFoster78 (Jul 2, 2013)

Steerpike,

In that it drew my interest and you're looking to draw the interest of authors, I'd say it did its job.  Good sign, huh?

I don't know if this applies to anyone but me (I've long since learned that my opinions in no way represent the masses), here are my considerations when thinking about submitting to something like this:

1. I generally feel that this kind of think will probably not make much money, so that's not much of a motivator for me.  Perhaps I'm wrong as I don't have any experience; I just figure that, unless you have some really good names, it's unlikely to generate just a ton of money.

2. Absent money as a motivator, I'm looking:

a. To advertise my writing.  If I know that the work will see a relatively large audience who then have a chance of discovering my work, that helps.

b. To get feedback.  While I think that, in general, my writing passes the minimum threshold for being readable by someone other than my immediate family, I'm looking to improve.  Having an understanding of the editing process to be employed would help.

Hope this provides some insight.

Thanks.

Brian


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## Steerpike (Jul 2, 2013)

Thanks, Devor. Yes I did want to make it public, so I could get a fair amount of feedback. I may well approach some authors. I'm also going to run the idea past a guy who has a few SF/F awards under his belt. Maybe he'll want to contribute, which would be great for sales, but I'm doubtful. Still, I think it will be a fun project and can provide some great stories.

Brian - I'm glad it drew your interest. That's great to know. You're right, selling high numbers will be a bit of a battle, as always. There is a slim chance I could get an author or two who has a name to take part. If not, then I can probably get them to spread the word about the anthology, which will still help. As far as finances go, on the down side there might not be much revenue. On the up side, the payment to authors isn't capped, so if it does do well, each author will take an equal share for as long as the book is selling.

It may be useful for advertisement. I'm going to list authors on the web site for the anthology, and provide a brief bio and the opportunity to link to other places where their work appears, so that might be an enticement. I'll be trying to get the anthology out in front of reviewers as well, and that could provide an opportunity for feedback. My first attempt at this, so it's all a bit new.


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## Devor (Jul 2, 2013)

It might be best to downplay money issues until you have a good plan, and to press that you're going to make it a quality product and a quality publishing experience for people.

For instance, I think a good reason to do an anthology is just to get a chance to work with an editor.  A lot of would-be authors don't have that experience and don't have a good view of what it does to their work.


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## Philip Overby (Jul 2, 2013)

I find that anthologies take place in a shared world are a bit of a hard-sell, especially if it's a world no one really knows. However, I think you do a good job of introducing the world you want the stories to take place in. "Dying Earth" is a subgenre that doesn't get as much attention as others so I think it would attract curious writers and readers.


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## ThinkerX (Jul 2, 2013)

Ok...'shared world no one really knows'...

...but how about a 'known world now in the public domain'?  especially a 'dying earth' type world?

Thinking of Clark Ashton Smiths 'Zothique' here.  It has most of the same elements, and I believe its part of the Lovecraft mythos, which was shared from the start.  A collection of CAS's stories, including a few set in Zothique was released recently, helping boost recognition.  

Main difference is 'Zothique' was pretty much human only, though huge swaths of the continent are unknown.  (Most fan made maps show the continent as having a distinct northern coastline, contrary to Smiths own description.)


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## Darkblade (Jul 2, 2013)

I've read quite a few anthology proposal blurbs this past year. Your's is quite good but has a small problem. The shared world is a bit of a turn off. A world that I know next to nothing about that I have to share with potentially unlimited other authors, all with the possibility of contradicting one another. I'd prefer to submit to a general genre anthology than messing around with a world I barely know.


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## Devor (Jul 3, 2013)

One thing does occur to me . . . if I wanted to propose a shared world to people, and ask people to contribute, I would do it by writing that first story which set up the world, and use it both as a hook and to set the bar.  I would want to "Wow!" people right out of the gate.

And then my pitch would be, "Hey, I wrote this awesome setting, and I'm just blown over by it.  Take a look, it has so much potential.  I think with a little help we could go the distance and do an anthology.  What would it take for you to be willing to write something for it?"


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## Darkblade (Jul 4, 2013)

That is actually a good idea. Giving potential applicants something more than the few paragraphs to latch onto and let them get a feel. I'd still be hesitant to submit to it but not outright dismiss it.


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## ALB2012 (Jul 4, 2013)

I too am not sure of the shared world idea though as it would be hard to come up with stories for those unfamiliar with the world.  It might have a limited readership if you limit it to that world but if you expanded it to a "dark world" you might get more sign ups.

That said it DOES sound an interesting project. I have submitted a couple of pieces of flash fiction to anthologies and it is a lot of fun. It usually doesn't pay well, if at all, but it is great writing experience and exposure.


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