Welcome to

What are we doing?

We're making three anthologies designed as gifts.

1. A Walk on the Weird Side (poems, pictures, articles, stories for adults. Submissions should fit the title theme)

2. A Walk on the Weird Side for Kids (poems, pictures and stories for children. Submissions should fit the title theme)

3. The Gift Book (poems, pictures and stories with a "gift" theme. Suitable for a family audience)

Why are we doing it?

This is an opportunity to have your work in book form as gifts for Christmas 2010 and beyond. It is also an opportunity to work with an editor to polish up a story or poem. The anthologies are open to any author or illustrator, previously published or not. Material will be edited and "about the author" pages can be included if creators wish. There are no strings and no catches. 

How much will it cost?

There is no charge to submit pieces. Editing and compiling will be done at no charge by Affordable Manuscript Assessments. Cover art will either be taken from among the submissions or else provided by Affordable Manuscript Assessments. 

Anthologies will be available at cost + postage to contributors. Individuals may purchase as many or as few as they wish, whenever they wish.  The actual cost will depend on the size of the books which, in turn, will depend on the number of *suitable submissions.

Orders will be made directly to the printer (www.lulu.com ) by the creators. The anthologies will not be available from any other source (unless a creator decides to buy several copies to resell in which case copies could be bought from that creator).

Affordable Manuscript Assessments will pay no royalties or fees and will make no profit from this project. Copyright of material (including edited versions) remains with the creators. Affordable Manuscript Assessments will not make use of any submission for any purpose other than these specific anthologies. 

Time Line

Submissions to be made by the end of April 2010. Mss must be sent in the following format. MS Word attachment, in TNR size 12, double spaced. Paragraphs of fiction must be indented, not block. Pictures must be in jpeg format and be of printable quality (300 dpi or better). All submissions to be sent via email to mail@affordablemanuscriptassessments.com with the name of the target anthology in the subject line. All submissions to be accompanied by the creators' name and/or pen name and contact details and permission for one-shot printing in the relevant anthology.

Anthologies will go ahead if ten or more suitable submissions arrive for each one and will be available by early November 2010.

*Suitable Submissions

Submissions must be suitable for the intended audience. Stories to be no longer than 2000 words, and those for the children's anthology should be suitable for readers or twelve and under. Fun, scary, exciting, sad or mysterious are all ok; offensive or gratuitously violent are not.

The stories for adults may use "adult themes", but should not be R or X-rated. 

For the "Gift" anthology, think "family entertainment".

Creators may submit as many pieces as they wish, and one will be used from each creator as long as it fits the guidelines of suitability given above.

Any questions may be directed to me at mail@affordablemanuscriptassessments.com with "Anthology query" in the subject line.

Finally...

Project Christmas 2010 is intended to be fun. If you'd like to join in, please approach it in that spirit. The anthologies will not be "official" publications. They will be designed as affordable and original gifts for friends and relatives for birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, travel, or "just because".