Publishing | Alex Shvartsman's Speculative Fiction

Getting Short Fiction Published & a Coffee Giveaway

December 20, 2013

I was recently interviewed at SF Signal on the subject of getting one’s short fiction published. Really, the answer is very simple and straightforward: write a good story and keep submitting it until it sells somewhere. But if you want a more elaborate version full of snark, or to learn what sort of bribes I accept, or to see me slam non-paying markets (again), then go ahead and click that link!

And speaking of getting short fiction published, I recently sold a humor flash “Bedtime Story on Christmas Eve, 1,000,000 AD” to Spark: A Creative Anthology and it will appear in the next issue., which launches on January 1 and features a foreword by Kevin J. Anderson.

A reprint of “Life at the Lake’s Shore” will appear in an upcoming “Outpouring: Typhoon Yolanda Relief Anthology,” a charity projected edited by Dean Francis Alfar. No link yet, but I will post one as soon as it’s available.

Not much else to report on the acceptances front at this time, but then things do tend to slow down around the holidays.

Meantime, I’ve been laboring away on Unidentified Funny Objects 3. I’m very happy to report that I already have three stories from three huge names in SF/F, and a fourth story in final edits. I have a really cool cover, too. Expect more information on this in January. A number of folks asked about the next submission period: we will have one in the Spring, most likely in March. I am absolutely committed to keeping each volume of the UFO series open to subs from the public alongside the stories solicited from the top pros.

Meantime, there are a few days left to enter the giveaway for a signed paperback copy of COFFEE: 14 Caffeinated Tales of the Fantastic. Over 700 people already entered this giveaway, but it’s free to enter, so why not give it a shot? Just click here to participate.

#SFWApro

Comments Off on Getting Short Fiction Published & a Coffee Giveaway | Acceptances & Publications, Craft of Writing, Publishing | Tagged: acceptances, anthology, coffee, giveaway, rejections, Submissions, UFO | Permalink
Posted by Alex Shvartsman

Your Coffee is Ready!

December 4, 2013

#SFWApro

Each time a new book is released into the world is a little bit like a birthday. Today I had the pleasure of e-mailing the COFFEE e-books to our Kickstarter backers, and folks who were kind enough to pre-order them. Tomorrow I expect to spend much of my day packing physical copies. I’m very excited about this book, and can’t wait to share the end result with the world.

For those of you who didn’t back Coffee on Kickstarter (and why not, I ask?!), you can order your very own copies at UFO Publishing Buy Our Books page. It’s only three bucks for an e-book, which is cheaper than an actual cup of coffee, if you like yours Venti or Grande.

And if you do not already own copies of UFO1 or UFO2 (and why not, I ask again?!), we have a Holiday Bundle special where you can get all three physical books for $30 or all three e-books for $12. Follow that same link to take advantage of it. The special will only last until December 9th.

And if you absolutely must get it on Amazon, here’s the link to the paperback. E-books should be popping up on Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and Smashwords by the weekend.

Remember: books make great holiday presents!

OK, I’m done with the hard sell now. Really.

2 Comments | Publishing | Tagged: anthology, coffee, fantasy, promotion, release, sale, science fiction | Permalink
Posted by Alex Shvartsman

New Publication: In the Wake of the Storm

October 22, 2013

This October is flying by faster than any month has a right to. I’ve been incredibly swamped with a variety of projects, but wanted to pop in and post a quick update.

New Publications:

“In the Wake of the Storm” is live today at BuzzyMag.com

This is a modern fantasy story about the aftermath of super-storm Sandy in NYC. The opening scene was inspired by my own experience helping my stepfather deal with the flood damage while trying to get around in the borough deprived of electricity and gasoline. This is the actual photo I took inside of his house:

Water surge flooded most basements or even ground floors in Rockaway. The high-water line in this photo is at nearly six feet.

I loved playing with the voice and tone of this story, but the best part was that publishers at Buzzy were kind enough to schedule it to go live just before the one year anniversary of Sandy! I hope it will be well-received.

#SFWApro“A Man in an Angel Costume” is live at Horror d’oeuvres.

This one is behind a pay wall but may be well worth for horror fans, as they provide lots of content including a weekly flash story. I read a handful and enjoyed most of them, even though I am not typically a horror reader.

“A Man in an Angel Costume” is one of my oldest stories that haven’t sold previously. But I never gave up on it — I love the prose poetry opening that transitions into a more traditional narrative as the story develops. Some editors really hated this format while for others it came very close, but I never gave up and kept submitting it, until the story found a right home.

New Sales

If I had to choose one signature story to represent my writing, I would definitely go with “Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma,” a humor fantasy piece about a magic pawn shop which was published at InterGalactic Medicine Show earlier this year. I’m extraordinarily pleased that IGMS also picked up its sequel, “High-Tech Fairies and the Pandora Perplexity.” It will appear in an upcoming issue, though I don’t have the exact time frame yet.

There are also a handful of reprint sales (two instances of markets taking three reprint stories each!) One is a printed magazine and another a mobile platform. I will be able to talk more about both sometime in the near future, but I’m glad to find more ways to share my stories with readers.

Conventions

I had a wonderful time at CapClave and hope to return next year. My next convention will be PhilCon in November and I will post my panel schedule once I have it.

Unidentified Funny Objects 2

The book launched on October 7 and the sales are solid. In fact, we’ve sold more copies of UFO2 so far than we did copies of UFO1 in its first month! So definitely moving in the right direction.

Coffee

I’m woefully behind on this project, but the good news is that the stories have been copy-edited and should go out to book designers for e-book and physical layout later this week. It’ll be really tough to meet the November goal, but I still expect to have them out to all Kickstarter backers before Christmas.

Dark Expanse

This project is chugging along on schedule, and the anthology should release in the first quarter of 2014.

Unidentified Funny Objects 3

I am already laying some groundwork for the third volume of the series, such as inviting headliners, lining up a cover artist, etc. So far I have two stories in already from two Big Name authors. But I won’t tell you more until I’m ready to make an official announcement, because I am mean and I like to tease people.

And that’s all the updates I have for now. Back to the pixel mines for me!

Comments Off on New Publication: In the Wake of the Storm | Acceptances & Publications, Publishing | Tagged: anthology, buzzy magazine, Hurricane Sandy, publishing, Sandy | Permalink
Posted by Alex Shvartsman

Three chances to get a free copy of UFO2!

October 8, 2013

#SFWApro

It’s been a busy, busy week.

I shipped out several hundred copies of physical UFO book to Kickstarter supporters, distributors, and pre-orders. I set up the digital book to make it available on Amazon, Smashwords, B&N. and Kobo. I hosted a launch party for UFO2 on Sunday (thanks to everyone who came by!) and attended a SFWA reception on Monday, where I got to hang out with some of our awesome contributors as well as hand out a few copies of the book.

If you haven’t attended one of these things, there are at least three separate opportunities for you to snag a free copy of UFO2:

1) GoodReads giveaway:

You can enter the GoodReads giveaway between now and October 20th to win a paperback copy signed by me.

2) Jim C. Hine’s giveaway:

Jim is giving away a signed copy of either UFO2 or Heroes in Training on his blog to one person who contributes to Eugie Foster’s fundraiser. Eugie Foster is battling cancer right now and could really use the extra help, so please consider contributing to this.

3) J.W. Alden’s giveaway:

JW Alden is also giving away a copy of the book on his blog. All you have to do is post int he comments!

And if you don’t win? You can always click here and follow the links to buy a copy of the book from your favorite e-tailer. Or, buy a copy directly from UFO Publishing. I’ll get to keep more of the money and use it on — what else? — putting together UFO3!3

And, just in case you need a little more convincing, before you fork over some hard-earned cash for a copy of this book, check out our first review, by David Kilman at Amazing Stories.

Comments Off on Three chances to get a free copy of UFO2! | Publishing | Tagged: fantasy, free books, giveaway, humor, science fiction, UFO, UFO2 | Permalink
Posted by Alex Shvartsman

Status Update: UFO2 and Coffee anthologies

August 8, 2013

#SFWAPro

Figured I’d post a quick report on how the two anthologies I’m currently editing are coming along.

UFO2 is nearly done. The digital ARC has gone out to authors. They have until the 10th to review their stories and request changes. Our proofreader is going over the text as well. There are numerous small fixes that need to be made. By mid-month, the ARC should be available to reviewers and Kickstarter supporters for whom early access was one of the rewards.

Arnie Swekel is working on the cover and should turn it in before the end of the month. Once we have it, the book is off to the printer and I’ll be able to announce the release date. The ebook files are being currently worked on as well.

Meanwhile, I’m still reading submissions for COFFEE, both originals and reprints.

As of today I have accepted 6 stories (4 reprints and 2 originals) totaling just under 15,000 words of fiction.

There are 18 more stories being held for consideration, totaling 43,000 words.

The book will total approximately 40,000 words (it will be smaller. but also cheaper, than one of the UFO anthologies). So even if we were to close to submissions today, I wouldn’t be able to accept every story I liked, and more are arriving at a clip of 5-8 per day. This is actually a very light load, compared to UFO, because the theme of this book is so narrow. I’m enjoying not getting buried under the slush pile and responding to most submissions in under 24 hours. As of right now, all submissions received prior to 6pm today have been responded to. This also means if you haven’t heard back from me, please query!

I will be out of town attending WorldCon when the submissions close, so it may take me a few days to read/catch up on everything when I get back. Still, I expect to make all final decisions in early September and have this book out in November.

And now, back to the previously scheduled reading of submissions.

Comments Off on Status Update: UFO2 and Coffee anthologies | Publishing | Tagged: coffee, slush, Submissions, UFO2 | Permalink
Posted by Alex Shvartsman

Good News Galore

July 15, 2013

So many good news to report lately, so little time to blog. I’m going to use this post to catch up:

* “A Gnomish Gift” was published in issue 361 of Weird Tales, out this week. Weird Tales has been around for approximately ever, and has published the likes of Howard and Bradbury, so appearing on their pages is a special treat for me. Having cool original artwork drawn for my story (love the angry little gnome!) and sharing the TOC with the likes of Peter S. Beagle and Tanith Lee? That’s just a bonus:

* Sold “Worldbuilding” to Daily Science Fiction.

“Worldbuilding” is a tongue-in-cheek flash story that makes fun of the common SF tropes. Daily SF is a great home for it, and it will be my sixth story appearing under the DSF rocket.

* “A Shard Glows in Brooklyn” will be reprinted two more times. In September it will appear in an e-book anthology Urban Harvest: Tales of the Paranormal in NYC edited by Donna Ansari. This is a charity project and all proceeds will be donated to City Harvest. This same story is also going to appear in the Write1Sub1 anthology, whenever that ends up getting put together.

* The Coffee anthology reached its initial funding goal on Kickstarter! There is approximately a week left in the campaign, and any additional contributions will help me buy more original fictions at professional rates. If we reach $2000, a cool final stretch goal will be unlocked!

* In related news, The Coffee anthology is open to both reprint and original submissions. I am getting a steady stream of stories and responding promptly, so send something while there isn’t a long queue 🙂

* UFO2 is off to the designer. I hope to have ARCs ready by the end of the month.

* Beyond the Sun anthology is off to the printer and should be shipping in August.

* I return to the DJ Grandpa podcast this week and we talk about Coffee, anthologies, and the challenges of crowdfunding. DJ Grandpa is one of the best–if not the best–crowdfunding podcast around. Be sure to check it out!

* There’s a new book store opening up in NYC (in Astoria, Queens to be precise), specializing in science fiction, fantasy, and mysteries. The owners want to build it up it as a cool local hangout, where people can not only buy books, but also socialize and participate in fun special events. The soft launch is this coming weekend, and while they’re still working on a web site, you can visit their Facebook page for updates. Local book stores are a rare breed these days, and local stores specializing in genre even more so. So stop by the Enigma Bookstore and help support these brave entrepreneurs!

Well, there you go. It’s been a busy week. I hope to report more good news soon, but for now — back to writing!

2 Comments | Acceptances & Publications, Publishing | Tagged: beyond the sun, City Harvest, coffee, crowdfunding, daily science fiction, DJ Grandpa, Donna Ansari, kickstarter, podcast, UFO, Weird Tales | Permalink
Posted by Alex Shvartsman

Win a copy of the COFFEE anthology!

July 7, 2013

Enter this raffle to win a signed copy of the COFFEE anthology (the book will be shipped anywhere in the world, when it releases in October).

You can accumulate multiple entries by sharing this giveaway on social media and backing the COFFEE Kickstarter campaign. You can earn an extra entry via the Twitter link each day.

#SFWApro

a Rafflecopter giveaway

6 Comments | Publishing | Tagged: anthology, coffee, contest, fiction, giveaway, raffle | Permalink
Posted by Alex Shvartsman

COFFEE Anthology Update

June 25, 2013

Click here to view the COFFEE anthology campaign on Kickstarter

We had an awesome opening 24 hours, raising 45% of the initial funding goal. Things are bound to slow down after this, but I’m very hopeful that this campaign can reach a total of $2500+ by the end of its 30-day run.

Up to 50% of the money raised between $1000-$1999 will be spent buying original stories, in addition to reprints. (The limit being only the quantity and quality of the stories I might see on submission) — at professional rates.

At $2000 I will announce the super-secret achievement (and I am pretty sure you will really like it!) which will be unlocked at $2500. For now, please spread the word of this project. There are gazillions of coffee fans out there and this book can be huge if we are able to get even a fraction of them aware/involved in th is project.

I am waiting on some contracts and hope to announce the first pair of stories contracted for COFFEE really soon.

#SFWApro

Remember, we’ll open to original story submissions the moment this campaign reaches $1000. So start thinking of a cool (or hot!) coffee story idea!

1 Comment | Publishing | Tagged: anthology, coffee, fantasy, short story, Submissions, tea | Permalink
Posted by Alex Shvartsman

The COFFEE Anthology Launches, Seeks Submissions & Funding

June 23, 2013

UFO Publishing launches COFFEE: Caffeinated Tales of the Fantastic.

We’re seeking to collect 40-50,000 words of fiction where coffee or tea is an integral part of the plot in some way. For the moment we’re considering reprint stories, but will be able to purchase some original fiction if the anthology is fully funded via Kickstarter.

The Kickstarter campaign launched tonight to help fund this anthology. We’re offering great rewards such as copies of the three released and upcoming UFO Publishing titles (UFO, UFO2, and COFFEE), posters of Maggie McFee’s “Boom” artwork (pictured below), and other cool items.

Please help us by spreading the word of this campaign via social media, and pre-ordering copies for yourself and all the coffee addicts in your life!

#SFWAPro

“Boom” by M. McFee. Get a poster as one of the Kickstarter backer rewards!

1 Comment | Publishing | Tagged: anthology, coffee, fantasy, kickstarter, science fiction, short stories, tea | Permalink
Posted by Alex Shvartsman

UFO2 Table of Contents

June 19, 2013

The following stories will appear in Unidentified Funny Objects 2, tentatively scheduled for a September release:

Mike Resnick – On Safari
Robert Silverberg – Hannibal’s Elephants
Ken Liu – The MSG Golem
Jim Hines – Stranger vs. the Malevolent Malignancy
Matt Mikalatos – A Stiff Bargain
Fran Wilde – How to Feed Your Pyrokinetic Toddler
James Beamon – Class Action Orc
Jody Lynn Nye – Insider Information
Esther Friesner – Service Charge
Tim Pratt – The Retgun
Josh Vogt – The Girl with a Dagon Tattoo
Konstantine Paradias – How You Ruined Everything
Desmond Warzel – One Thing Leads to Your Mother
MCA Hogarth – Improved Cubicle Door
Wade Albert White – The Wiggy Turpin Affair
Michelle Ann King – Congratulations on Your Apotheosis
JW Alden – Item Not As Described
K.G. Jewell – The Haunted Blender
Heather Lindsley – The Diplomat’s Holiday

There are 19 stories total (compared to 29 in UFO1) but most of them are longer, with only a few very short (flash) pieces included this time. The two books are roughly the same length.

Arnie Swekel is currently working on the cover. I hope to have a sketch to share in a few weeks.

But wait, there’s more! Nine of the stories in UFO2 will feature unique illustrations by Barry Munden (and he will draw a tenth piece to use as a header for all the stories). Here’s a preview sample, the illustration for Ken Liu’s “The MSG Golem:”

#SFWApro