As a fairly new writer, getting your name (and your story!) in the right anthology can open serious doors for you. That’s the kind of exposure that’s actually good for your career. Readers will buy anthologies if writers they like are included, which will mean lots more eyes on your story… and if people like what they read, they may just seek out more from you. As you can see, that could be a huge help to someone struggling to gain recognition in a tough market.
Unfortunately, anthologies are a tough sell to most publishers. Trust me, I’ve been trying to pitch one to anyone who’ll listen to me for 2 years now with no luck! I’ve been told that anthologies cost more money than they make, that they’re a headache to produce and even worse to market, that they don’t sell, that readers don’t respond… and so on and so forth. This is sad for readers, like myself, who love anthologies and look at them like getting an appetizer sampler at a new restaurant: a way to try lots of different things without a big commitment.
When you do find new anthologies to read, it’s always the same big-name writers filling up the Table of Contents; writers whose names carry weight with the public and are all but guaranteed to sell books. Gone are the anthologies of the 1980s and 1990s, wherein you could discover gold within the pages between standbys like Ramsey Campbell and Peter Straub. I can’t tell you how many authors I discovered just that way that are now among my favorites. But with publishers’ insistence on only having those big names, some of that magic is gone. As a reader, it’s a little sad because I love finding new books to read and anthologies were always such a great way to try before you buy, so to speak. As a writer, it’s VERY sad because I simply won’t be able to get that level of exposure and discovery for myself…
Enter Christopher Golden, James A. Moore, and John MacIlveen with their new project, The Twisted Book of Shadows. These guys, all great writers themselves, wanted to level the playing field. The idea behind this project is an anthology that welcomes submissions from anyone and everyone regardless of how big (or small!) their name is. Quality of story is the sole criteria, and to that end they’re reading blind. They’ve also enlisted a diverse panel of amazing people to help ensure that multiple perspectives are addressed.
I sat down with the creators of The TwistedBook of Shadows and asked them a few questions:
Unfortunately, anthologies are a tough sell to most publishers. Trust me, I’ve been trying to pitch one to anyone who’ll listen to me for 2 years now with no luck! I’ve been told that anthologies cost more money than they make, that they’re a headache to produce and even worse to market, that they don’t sell, that readers don’t respond… and so on and so forth. This is sad for readers, like myself, who love anthologies and look at them like getting an appetizer sampler at a new restaurant: a way to try lots of different things without a big commitment.
When you do find new anthologies to read, it’s always the same big-name writers filling up the Table of Contents; writers whose names carry weight with the public and are all but guaranteed to sell books. Gone are the anthologies of the 1980s and 1990s, wherein you could discover gold within the pages between standbys like Ramsey Campbell and Peter Straub. I can’t tell you how many authors I discovered just that way that are now among my favorites. But with publishers’ insistence on only having those big names, some of that magic is gone. As a reader, it’s a little sad because I love finding new books to read and anthologies were always such a great way to try before you buy, so to speak. As a writer, it’s VERY sad because I simply won’t be able to get that level of exposure and discovery for myself…
Enter Christopher Golden, James A. Moore, and John MacIlveen with their new project, The Twisted Book of Shadows. These guys, all great writers themselves, wanted to level the playing field. The idea behind this project is an anthology that welcomes submissions from anyone and everyone regardless of how big (or small!) their name is. Quality of story is the sole criteria, and to that end they’re reading blind. They’ve also enlisted a diverse panel of amazing people to help ensure that multiple perspectives are addressed.
I sat down with the creators of The TwistedBook of Shadows and asked them a few questions:
James A. Moore
ALF: Tell me a little bit about you.
JAM: I've been writing for over 25 years, and I have a deep seated love of all things horror.
ALF: Where did the idea for the Twisted Book of Shadows come from?
JAM: Chris and me were discussing the legacy of truly amazing horror anthologies that simply don't happen in this day and age, chief among them Charlie Grant's SHADOWS anthologies, which always had amazing stories and usually had a few names we'd never heard. Charlie had a policy of reading any submission that came into him, and sometimes he found new surprises. We wanted to do the same thing. We want EVERYONE to have a chance to wow us, and then if they do we want to publish those amazing stories.
ALF: What are you hoping to achieve with the book?
JAM: We want the absolute best anthology of horror around. If we can help a few people get published in the process, that's an absolute bonus.
ALF: Why have you chosen to read the stories without knowing who the authors are?
JAM: It's too easy to have a bias. even when you are trying not to, and we want to make absolutely certain that we pick the best stories without being influenced by someone we admire or some we call a friend, None of that. Take off the names and all we get to read is a story with potential.
ALF: How are you going to ensure that you have diverse contributors?
JAM: We're doing our very best to make sure that the news of the anthology gets out into the world at large. diverse groups, groups that specialize, and groups with an open door policy. We want the best. The best isn't always written by the peers we know., so we need to give signal boosts to make sure everyone is aware of this anthology.
ALF: How many submissions are you expecting?
JAM: More than I'd ever want to read. I'm sort of scared by the potential run of takes we might encounter.
ALF: Why should people submit?
JAM: Because we're paying professional rates, we'll have solid distribution and it's going to be a lot of fun. Because it's a chance to be in an anthology where you have to EARN the right to be in there. You have to give us your very best.
ALF: What does this project mean to you, personally?
JAM: When I was starting out there were places where you could get published without having a lot of background credits. Where you could actually have a story picked up and read by an editor without an automatic shift of your chances that was caused solely by your track record. We want to pay that forward. We want to have the best stories. I think it's a way of honoring those who went before, like Charles L. Grant and Karl Edward Wagner, and it's a chance to see fresh voices. It means a level playing field and that's always been important to me.
Christopher Golden
ALF: Tell me a little bit about you.
CG: I’ve been a full time writer for twenty-five years or so—novels, short stories, screenplays, comics, video games, an animated series…you name it. I’m also an anthologist, editor, podcaster, father, husband, chocolate enthusiast, and a person who has been known to burst into song without warning. New York Times bestseller. Stoker Award winner. Nominated for yadda-yadda…you get the idea.
ALF: Where did the idea for the Twisted Book of Shadows come from?
CG: I’ve edited a ton of anthologies over the years, but I’ve always wanted to do one that was open to ANYONE. To sell one to a mainstream publisher these days, you have really curate your list of contributors. I’ve done a lot of great anthologies that way, if I do say so myself. But I know so many talented or promising writers who can’t find markets that pay pro rates, never mind royalties. So many pay a nominal fee, and many of those don’t pay royalties at all. That’s why we went with crowdfunding. We’re inspired by so many of the anthologies we read when we were young, but we wanted to take it one step further. Zero slots in this book are being reserved for marquee names. Better than that, we won’t even know who the authors are. It’s a totally level playing field. We want authors to send us their very best, the greatest horror stories they have in them, no matter who they are. We just want the best.
ALF: What are you hoping to achieve with the book?
CG: A great anthology. An open market with pro rates. A spotlight on authors who might not otherwise get that spotlight. We want people to rise to the challenge, to really give us their best, and to know that if they’re chosen, it will be because their story was among the best, and for NO other reason.
ALF: Why have you chosen to read the stories without knowing who the authors are?
CG: Jim and I—and John McIlveen, who’ll be publishing through the Twisted imprint of his Haverhill House—know so many people. We’ve all been in the horror field a long time. We don’t want to be tempted to choose stories by our friends, and we especially don’t want to be tempted to choose stories by authors whose names will help us sell more copies of the book. That’s the whole point of a level playing field.
ALF: How are you going to ensure that you have diverse contributors?
CG: Jim and John and I know that as white, straight, cisgender guys, we come to the table with a certain inherent, unconscious bias. Even TRYING to read more widely, to keep an open mind, we can’t be assured that we won’t miss something that should have gotten a second or third look. To that end, we decided to assemble an editorial committee of writers to read along with us, a group of incredibly talented people in their own right, who also happen to represent a pool of diversity that Jim, John, and I can’t lay claim to. People of color, or members of the LGBT community, yes, but first and foremost people whose work has earned them the respect of their peers. They’re going to be reading along with us, helping us choose, and God, what an incredible group. Billy Martin, Nadia Bulkin, Rachel Autumn Deering, Lee Thomas, Lamar Giles, KL Pereira, Gabino Iglesias, and this year’s HWA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Linda Addison.
ALF: How many submissions are you expecting?
CG: No idea. Hundreds, at least. Maybe far more.
ALF: Why should people submit?
CG: Fortune and glory…but more importantly, a fair shake. If your story is chosen, it’ll be the power of the story that did it.
ALF: What does this project mean to you, personally?
CG: It’s a labor of love. Jim and John and I…not only will none of us make a dime unless there are royalties, but we’re putting our own money into it. The three of us are donating a shared $1000 on top of the GoFundMe crowdsourced funding. It always costs the publisher money to produce a book, but never in my career have I put my own money into buying stories for an anthology I’m editing. There’s a solid chance I won’t earn any of it back, but it’ll be worth it to provide this opportunity and have an anthology full of the best and the new and of stories that nobody can ever say didn’t earn their place.
CG: I’ve been a full time writer for twenty-five years or so—novels, short stories, screenplays, comics, video games, an animated series…you name it. I’m also an anthologist, editor, podcaster, father, husband, chocolate enthusiast, and a person who has been known to burst into song without warning. New York Times bestseller. Stoker Award winner. Nominated for yadda-yadda…you get the idea.
ALF: Where did the idea for the Twisted Book of Shadows come from?
CG: I’ve edited a ton of anthologies over the years, but I’ve always wanted to do one that was open to ANYONE. To sell one to a mainstream publisher these days, you have really curate your list of contributors. I’ve done a lot of great anthologies that way, if I do say so myself. But I know so many talented or promising writers who can’t find markets that pay pro rates, never mind royalties. So many pay a nominal fee, and many of those don’t pay royalties at all. That’s why we went with crowdfunding. We’re inspired by so many of the anthologies we read when we were young, but we wanted to take it one step further. Zero slots in this book are being reserved for marquee names. Better than that, we won’t even know who the authors are. It’s a totally level playing field. We want authors to send us their very best, the greatest horror stories they have in them, no matter who they are. We just want the best.
ALF: What are you hoping to achieve with the book?
CG: A great anthology. An open market with pro rates. A spotlight on authors who might not otherwise get that spotlight. We want people to rise to the challenge, to really give us their best, and to know that if they’re chosen, it will be because their story was among the best, and for NO other reason.
ALF: Why have you chosen to read the stories without knowing who the authors are?
CG: Jim and I—and John McIlveen, who’ll be publishing through the Twisted imprint of his Haverhill House—know so many people. We’ve all been in the horror field a long time. We don’t want to be tempted to choose stories by our friends, and we especially don’t want to be tempted to choose stories by authors whose names will help us sell more copies of the book. That’s the whole point of a level playing field.
ALF: How are you going to ensure that you have diverse contributors?
CG: Jim and John and I know that as white, straight, cisgender guys, we come to the table with a certain inherent, unconscious bias. Even TRYING to read more widely, to keep an open mind, we can’t be assured that we won’t miss something that should have gotten a second or third look. To that end, we decided to assemble an editorial committee of writers to read along with us, a group of incredibly talented people in their own right, who also happen to represent a pool of diversity that Jim, John, and I can’t lay claim to. People of color, or members of the LGBT community, yes, but first and foremost people whose work has earned them the respect of their peers. They’re going to be reading along with us, helping us choose, and God, what an incredible group. Billy Martin, Nadia Bulkin, Rachel Autumn Deering, Lee Thomas, Lamar Giles, KL Pereira, Gabino Iglesias, and this year’s HWA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Linda Addison.
ALF: How many submissions are you expecting?
CG: No idea. Hundreds, at least. Maybe far more.
ALF: Why should people submit?
CG: Fortune and glory…but more importantly, a fair shake. If your story is chosen, it’ll be the power of the story that did it.
ALF: What does this project mean to you, personally?
CG: It’s a labor of love. Jim and John and I…not only will none of us make a dime unless there are royalties, but we’re putting our own money into it. The three of us are donating a shared $1000 on top of the GoFundMe crowdsourced funding. It always costs the publisher money to produce a book, but never in my career have I put my own money into buying stories for an anthology I’m editing. There’s a solid chance I won’t earn any of it back, but it’ll be worth it to provide this opportunity and have an anthology full of the best and the new and of stories that nobody can ever say didn’t earn their place.
John McIlveen
ALF: Tell me a little bit about you.
JM: I am John McIlveen, author of the paranormal suspense novel HANNAHWHERE. I have more than fifty published short stories, many of which can be found in the collections INFLICTIONS and JERKS. A third collection is in the workings. I have five daughters, a step-daughter, and a greatly outnumbered step-son. I am owner and Editor-In-Chief of Haverhill House Publishing, though MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory owns me. I live in Haverhill, MA with Roberta Colasanti, who is very beautiful, very Italian, and very understanding.
ALF: Tell me a little bit about Haverhill House Publishing.
JM: Haverhill House Publishing is the rebirth of my original publishing Bradford House Publishing, which in 2007 was sentenced to death in a divorce. Haverhill House is the "mother ship" of the imprints Twisted Publishing, Mystical Words, and two forthcoming imprints YAP (Young Adult Publishing) and YAP jr. (childrens' titles). We are committed to bringing the best titles to their most anxious readers.
ALF: What are you hoping to achieve with the book?
JM: With Twisted Book of Shadows, we aim to present a collection compiled solely for the quality of the stories, not by the author's name attached to the story. All submissions will be read blind, and author identification will be removed by a third party.
ALF: What does this project mean to you, personally?
JM: Everything. My name will be on it!
ALF: Is this book something you'd like to see more of, as a reader and as a publisher?
JM: We are hoping TBoS will become an anthology series in tradition of Charles L. Grant's Shadows, which was landmark. Who wouldn't love something that is created solely on quality?
ALF: A lot of publishers have said that anthologies are risky. Not having any marquee names seems even riskier. What do you think about that?
JM: A lot of publishers are right, but I think the novelty of a pro-rate anthology that relies on quality alone will be appealing in many aspects. Often (in my experience) there are anthologies that tout billboard names, but disappoint the reader with either reprints, trunk stories, or stories that are simply not very good. We want to offer a top-notch collection of stories, and in the process give a few hopeful authors an even playing field and possibly a breakthrough opportunity.
You can help make this project a reality by donating to the Twisted Book of Shadows on GoFundMe!
JM: I am John McIlveen, author of the paranormal suspense novel HANNAHWHERE. I have more than fifty published short stories, many of which can be found in the collections INFLICTIONS and JERKS. A third collection is in the workings. I have five daughters, a step-daughter, and a greatly outnumbered step-son. I am owner and Editor-In-Chief of Haverhill House Publishing, though MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory owns me. I live in Haverhill, MA with Roberta Colasanti, who is very beautiful, very Italian, and very understanding.
ALF: Tell me a little bit about Haverhill House Publishing.
JM: Haverhill House Publishing is the rebirth of my original publishing Bradford House Publishing, which in 2007 was sentenced to death in a divorce. Haverhill House is the "mother ship" of the imprints Twisted Publishing, Mystical Words, and two forthcoming imprints YAP (Young Adult Publishing) and YAP jr. (childrens' titles). We are committed to bringing the best titles to their most anxious readers.
ALF: What are you hoping to achieve with the book?
JM: With Twisted Book of Shadows, we aim to present a collection compiled solely for the quality of the stories, not by the author's name attached to the story. All submissions will be read blind, and author identification will be removed by a third party.
ALF: What does this project mean to you, personally?
JM: Everything. My name will be on it!
ALF: Is this book something you'd like to see more of, as a reader and as a publisher?
JM: We are hoping TBoS will become an anthology series in tradition of Charles L. Grant's Shadows, which was landmark. Who wouldn't love something that is created solely on quality?
ALF: A lot of publishers have said that anthologies are risky. Not having any marquee names seems even riskier. What do you think about that?
JM: A lot of publishers are right, but I think the novelty of a pro-rate anthology that relies on quality alone will be appealing in many aspects. Often (in my experience) there are anthologies that tout billboard names, but disappoint the reader with either reprints, trunk stories, or stories that are simply not very good. We want to offer a top-notch collection of stories, and in the process give a few hopeful authors an even playing field and possibly a breakthrough opportunity.
You can help make this project a reality by donating to the Twisted Book of Shadows on GoFundMe!
