Ed's Head

The Ups and Downs of a Small Press

2009-07-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

I'm not even going to call Strange a "small press". It's a hobby press, pure and simple. But we've published some good stories. Sand has had a fun run (and will continue, this isn't another "we're shutting down" post). Tainted is a darn good book and Fifty-Two Stitches is always entertaining.

I don't write much, but Aaron does, and we both keep our eyes on Duotrope/Ralan listings. Small/hobby presses are dropping like flies. (Pardon the cliches. I said I didn't write much.)

Small/hobby press folks need to have realistic expectations. Most of those long-running college lit rags are supported through grant money. The biggest names in genre fiction are having fits right now with subscribers. Aaron and I never plan a project without knowing how we are going to pay for it first. Most of the time, this means we pool our cash to make it a go. The authors for all our publications have been paid out of our pockets. No Strange Publications project will get the green light before we know we can front the cash before be post the guidelines. It's that simple.

We can be better publicists and bring in a trickle of advertising revenue, sure, but nobody is making much money on short fiction right now, save for a few of the big names. And I think some of them are hurting, too.

Stephen Theaker (Theaker's Quarterly Fiction and editor for the British Fantasy Society) writes on one of his sites "keep it free and keep it going". Good strategy. We're going to say "keep it affordable and keep it going". Sand has developed into a pretty good magazine, and I want to see many more issues. We want to offer some more anthologies in the future. I'll do my best to make that happen.

Where the Heck Have I Been...

2009-05-26T18:33:00.000-07:00

Well, that'll teach me to try and put a 'zine together at the end of the school year. Sand #4 is just about finished. Aaron has the issues compiled and is putting the final touches on the covers.

We are changing format with issue #6. To save what's left of our collective sanity, Sand will only come out once a year. But each issue will have the same amount of fiction as the three we (will) put out in '09.

Contributors will be paid more (not much, but $5 plus a copy). Issues will be available in print (contributors get a copy) and various digital/ebook formats.

Why?

1. Writers like to see their work in print. That's what they tell me, anyway.

2. Electronic formats can provide more exposure for writers.

Aaron and I think this is a win-win. I hope so. He wants Sand to be around for a while, and I guess I'm along for the ride.

Cheers. Oh--submissions won't open until January 2010. Seems like a long time until then, but time has a way of flying.

Slushing Away...

2009-04-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

I've pared the Sand inbox down to 25 candidates out of close to 100 subs last month.

Whew.

I should start narrowing the list in the next few days.

Sunday Slushday

2009-03-29T13:53:00.001-07:00

Slushing today for Sand.

I've put quite a few pieces in the "Maybe" folder, and sent some rejections.

I have an important announcement to make after issue #5 is all lined up. Stay tuned.

Whew.

2009-01-18T13:05:00.000-08:00

We just finished a great Sand submission period.

The line-up for #3 (in no particular order):

"Vermilion Birdcalls" by Justin Sherman
"She" by Diane Height
"Jimmy Greenteeth" by Gregg Winkler
"Fireflies" by Naoko Awa (Translated by Toshiya Kamei)
"Crazy Lori and the Fish" by Barry Pomeroy
"Crib Death" by J.C. Tabler
"The Porcelain Boy" by Sarah Geselowitz
"In Darkness" by Nathalie Boisard-Beudin

Sand #3 should be (fingers crossed) ready to ship in mid-February.

#4 (May) is starting to shape up as well, with fiction from Catherine J. Gardner, Louise Morgan, Barry Napier, and Allison J. Littlewood already plugged in.

Slogging Through Sand Subs

2009-01-04T11:40:00.001-08:00

Well, I managed some alliteration in the title. Aren't I proud?

Sand had seventy-five subs in December, a record for us. Since we can only fit 6-8 per issue, it's been tough making some picks.

I've accepted three and narrowed the rest of the field to twelve potentials. Now the real challenge begins.

Fifty-Two Stitches launched today with "I'm Keeping it Light" by Mercedes M. Yardley. Aaron set the schedule, and I must say nice pick for first story.

School starts again tomorrow, so yeah, I'm excited. (groans)

Slushy Sunday

2008-12-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

So I suck at this blog thing.

Blogging for procrastination this time. We've received more submissions for Sand this time around than ever before.

Must be my new cologne.

First Strange Contest of 2009, Newsletter

2008-11-30T19:16:00.001-08:00

Strange Publications will start delivering a monthly newsletter to your inbox next year. The newsletter will include updates about Strange projects, contests, and more. Drop by www.strangepublications.com to sign up. IF you sign up by January 31st, 2009, you have a chance to win a copy of Sand: Strange Tales Year One. One lucky newsletter subscriber will be chosen at random to win.

Another Stitches Update, Pending Sand Opening

2008-11-24T11:08:00.000-08:00

Reading has gone well for Fifty-Two Stitches and the line up is nearly complete. At last count, we have 36 stories. Just an observation about Duotrope: our acceptance rate is much lower than the reported 77%. Duotorpe has a nice disclaimer to that end, but when you're on the inside, it can be a little suprising how big that difference can be.

Also, Sand opens for submissions next Monday. Issue #3 (February) is almost full, but we are increasing to three issues a year, so stories are needed.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Fifty-Two Stitches Update

2008-11-19T06:18:00.000-08:00

I'm a slacker at blogs. I guess I've been kind of busy.

We have half our stories for Fifty-Two Stitches selected, with more acceptances to go out today. I've been impressed with the input. We should have a tenative schedule set sometime in December, pending all contracts go smoothly, etc.

We'd like to see more dark fantasy, less necrophilia, less second-person. Just FYI.

Fifty-Two Stitches Submissions Update

2008-11-04T13:05:00.000-08:00

We've received a number of submissions for Fifty-Two Stitches since Saturday, and accepted quite a few. Reading flash subs is a heck of a lot more fun than longer pieces, and I've personally been impressed with the offerings.

So far, we've picked up some dark fantasy, sci-fi horror, straight cut-em-up horror, psychological horror, and at least one weird/surreal piece.

Keep 'em coming.

What I Like: The Editor Opens his Head

2008-10-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

This is a cheat sheet for all of you thinking about submitting to Sand: A Journal of Strange Tales .

I like weird and dark. Characters don't need to die, but they need to have some epiphany or moment of change. Irony is good... although the term "plot twist" has become a dirty word, and rightly so because a twist is rarely done well. Read I Am Legend, then you understand how a master manages to pull one off. Matheson was brilliant. Some stories to read: "House Taken Over" by Julio Cortázar, "The Book of Sand" by Jorge Luis Borges (from which Sand gets its name), "Assembly of the Dead" by Chet Williamson, works by Ramsey Campbell...grab a copy of 100 Hair-Raising Little Horror Stories, a collection of horror, science-fiction, and fantasy with a darker side. Cheap and good reading.

Other tidbits: I feel that The Twilight Zone was the greatest show ever to grace television, closely followed by The Outer Limits, Night Gallery, and Ray Bradbury Theater.

Most of all, entertain without condescension. I don't want ray guns and explosions, but I don't want four pages of meandering conversation about the meaning of rain over coffee, either. Make the plot move, but make it move well. Grab a copy of Damon Knight's Creating Short Fiction. Great lessons.

Keep trying us, don't give up, and KEEP WRITING.

I hope this helps.

Little Ol' Me...

2008-10-12T16:03:00.000-07:00

Blame this blog on Aaron Polson, my partner at Strange Publications. He figured I should have a "public face" on the web.

So...Ed Lupak is a high school social studies teacher, editor, and sometimes writer. He was last seen floating in a hot air balloon over north central Kansas with his trusty German Shepherd, Zeb. Ed enjoys a good zombie movie or Twilight Zone marathon. His short fiction can be found in a few dusty, well-worn places if you look hard enough.

I'll try to update this once in a while.