Thursday, February 7, 2019

Indie Author Murder Mystery Anthology Call

I'm on the fence about posting this but because it's a crime fiction market...

The call is posted by Stephen Bentley and he's looking for indie authors to contribute to an anthology of "Murder Mystery Short Stories".  There is a "Good Reads Event" thingie that you need to sign up for.  He wants each author to submit three stories of 1000 to 3000 words using the theme of Murder Mysteries but also the three stories need to have another theme (your choice) that ties them together.  The deadline is May 1, 2019 and payment is a royalty split.

Now here's the catch.  Each writer will have to pay a share to have the stories edited and if they decide to do a paperback edition you'll have to pay a split for that also.  Now if you are an indie author you probably know what to expect in the way of fees for this one.

You can find the details here.

UPDATE:  As of February 8, 2019 Mr. Bentley has filled all his open slots and the call is now closed.

5 comments:

Stephen Bentley said...

Thanks for the link to my call for submissions. However, I do object to the phrase, "here's the catch."

I am not a publisher, just an indie author, so why shouldn't I stipulate the cost of editing is shared equally? After all, I'm paying for the cover.

In any event, the slots filled within two days with several authors waiting as back-up.

sandra seamans said...

Mr. Bentley I'm sorry you object to that phrase but many of the authors who consult my blog object to paying fees of any kind. I understand that this call was for indie authors and that's why I posted it as they would be aware of any costs. I hope your anthology will be successful as we do need more crime fiction stories out there. I'll post that you're closed to submissions now as you have filled all the slots.

sandra seamans said...

One other thing - When posting calls you shouldn't post a deadline in May if you're going to close submissions when the call is filled. It's a courtesy thing because you wasted both my time and the authors who were working on stories for your call.

Katherine Tomlinson said...

I'm an indie author who has put together anthologies both by myself (NIGHTFALLS) and with publishers (ONCE UPON A FACT and STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND). A lot of "boxed sets" in the indie world have "buy-ins' that cover formatting and covers and promotion but we're ALWAYS expected to turn in completely edited material. I've never heard of this and I've been in around 20 boxed set/anthologies, including the upcoming charity collection 50 SHADES OF PINK. So you were right to be wary.

sandra seamans said...

Thanks for the information, Katherine. I'm not very educated in the indie world :)