Now Accepting Submissions for "Pick Your Poison"
Pick Your Poison is an e-book anthology scheduled for publication in Summer 2023 that will feature brand new short stories by crime fiction, cozy, traditional mystery, and thriller authors who have already written one or more related series or who have a strong backlist of stand-alones in their genre. It is intended as a marketing tool for proven authors seeking new readers and as a useful guide for enthusiastic readers seeking new authors. There are no fees to participate and Thalia Press is donating all production costs. Royalties will be invested in marketing the anthology in order to increase the exposure of participating writers among fans of their genre. Note: We have chosen Pick Your Poison as a working title, but that may change once we select the final stories. You do not have to use poison in your short story.
Submission Criteria
The selection process will be based on your writing submission, your existing series or stand-alones, and your ability to promote on social media, in addition to other factors.
There is no charge for submission.
You are invited to submit a short story for inclusion in this anthology so long as you meet the following criteria:
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Your story cannot be longer than 7,500 words.
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All stories must be submitted for review by December 1, 2022. You will be notified by February 1, 2023 if you are selected to be part of this project.
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The story you submit must be in your primary genre and should feature one of your existing protoganists. Authors with longer series or a stronger backlist of stand-alones will be given more consideration.
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Please do not submit an excerpt from your novels. A full short story showcasing your existing characters will have the most impact on readers and encourage them to seek out your novels. Please submit a new, unpublished short story.
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You must attach at least one of your already-published books with your submission in PDF or EPUB format so that we can review the quality of your book-length writing.
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Whether your novels were originally traditionally-published or independently-published, you are welcome to submit. The series or backlist you wish to promote through the short story should be at least four books long to make this worth your while. However, you may submit with a shorter series if you can make a compelling case for inclusion.
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If selected, you will be asked to submit an author bio for inclusion in the anthology along with links to your books, website, social media, newsletter, and other relevant resources.
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If selected, you will be required to publicize the anthology via your social media platforms, blog, and email list. Thalia Press will provide graphics, covers, and any other promotional material necessary.
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This anthology is a marketing tool, intended to help individual contributors promote their existing series by leveraging the reader base of other participating authors. All royalties on book sales will be used to promote the anthology and increase its visibility. However, there will be links to each contributors’ mystery series, newsletters, social media platforms, and websites -- making it easy for readers to purchase the books of each contributor.
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If selected, during the first year of publication (June 2023-June 2024) Thalia Press retains the sole right to publish your short story. After June 1, 2024, all rights revert to you as the author with the caveat that Thalia Press may continue to keep the anthology, and your story, in print as long as it sees fit.
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We have developed a marketing plan for this anthology that concentrates on Kindle Unlimited in the beginning but then branches out to other e-book platforms. You must be published on Amazon (either in Kindle Unlimited or not, at your discretion) to participate in this project. Inclusion in this anthology may help you attract readers from other book outlets as well. If your other series are on other platforms you may link to any and all of them in the meta data.
How to Submit
Please submit your short story to thaliapress@gmail.com by December 1, 2022. Use the subject line: ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSION.
In your cover letter describe your mystery series and the short story you are submitting. Don’t forget to attach a copy of one of your series books as part of your submission.