Writers Tricks of the Trade Volume 5, Issue 4 | Page 34

PRESS “CONTROL” THEN CLICK “BUY” TO PURCHASE THE BOOK SO YOU WANT TO WRITE FOR AND/OR PUBLISH AN ANTHOLOGY? C. L. SWINNY C. L. SWINNEY AUTHOR I splashed into the writing world like a chubby kid flopping off a high dive board. My first crime fiction novel landed on several Amazon best seller lists, as did the following two in the series. But I wanted more. I crossed lines into the true crime genre and my first novella became an Amazon number one best seller in five countries. During this time (it just happened), a passion for writing short-stories developed. With the modest success I’d had, I felt my work would be accepted with ease. Nope. I racked up tons of rejection letters. However, during this time, I learned quite a bit about anthologies. My recent first go at an anthology, Justice Shall Be Served, immediately landed on Amazon best seller lists, and below you’ll see how I did it. Small (think micro) presses and folks dabbling in the self-publishing world tend to publish anthologies. Large houses will put an anthology out, but getting 10-15 large press authors to agree on things requires too many meetings and the stroking of too many egos to make sense. There’s one other type of person who gets involved with anthologies, which includes myself--those who grow tired of getting rejected and decide to learn self-pub to get their work (and possibly others) published. Let’s start with the author who wants to publish an anthology. THE FIRST STEP— Write well. I honestly believe good writing sells itself. However, if you want to take yourself seriously, and want others to do the same, you must use an editor. Your best friend’s aunt who used to be an English teacher is probably a very nice lady, but I’m talking about a professional editor. They see things you completely miss. Those errors literally determine whether or not your work gets published. The cost for most short stories (2000-6000) is about $35-75 dollars for editing. BUY THE SECOND STEP—Decide the flavor or theme of your anthology. My recently published anthology’s flavor involved a positive vibe and behind the scenes look into law enforcement. Recent media reports, all the anger, and the loss of life inspired me to do something positive. I collected stories (I emailed short story writers and advertised on social media for stories/writers) from around the United States from cops, military personnel, and correctional officers hoping to demonstrate we’re human and want to help people. Other things to decide here are non-fiction or fiction? Size of stories (Generally 2000-6000 word stories)? How many stories will be included? Will the anthology be my stories only, or will others be included? If others are included, what is their “payment?” *The standard payment is a paperback copy of the finished product. Figure these out, and then move forward. JULY-AUGUST 2015 PAGE 24 WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE