# Promote Your Work with the Indie Anthology 2016 - PUBLISHED!



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

We're creating a *multi-genre indie author flash fiction anthology* to cross-promote ourselves to new readers. You're invited! Please submit stories by Aug 8, 2016 so we can publish by Sep 5, 2016.

*The Plan:*

To create a cross-promo indie author flash fiction anthology.
To introduce new readers to us - fine indie authors - so we can sell more books!
To publish it no later than Sep 5, 2016.
To publish it wide and permafree where possible (99c where it's not).
To distribute it to your mailing list free of charge.

*The Requirements:*

Any author is welcome who has at least *one indie fiction title published*, an *author website* and *mailing list* (no matter the subscriber count).
Pen names are fine as long as they meet the requirements.
Please submit *up to 3 stories per author name*. At least 1 must be never-before-published. The other two must not have been previously printed more than once - printed meaning published in an anthology or periodical.
Submissions must be *complete stories* - with a beginning, middle and end - and never excerpts.
Story length: ideally *1,000 words* or less. You can go up to 1,500 if you really need it.
You must have your story proofread and line-edited prior to submission, by you or someone else. Please don't submit messy drafts, only final work. Although I'm an editor and the editor of this project, this is unpaid volunteer work, so please pitch in (or hire me for a special flat rate of $5 per story - see below).
*Stories are due Aug 8, 2016*, which gives you about 9 weeks.
*Any genre* except erotica. (Only because we don't want the anthology getting hidden from searches and whatnot.)
Make it a new-ish story and make it a great story. This introduces not just participating authors but also the greater indie community of authors to new readers. Let's put our best feet forward.
*Submit your stories here*: http://goo.gl/forms/cPaEXPuJQ57ckl163.

*The Firmer-than-Titanium Schedule:*
Stories Due: Aug 8, 2016
Final Proofing: Aug 22, 2016 (I'll send you a draft of the anthology and ask you to proof your story and one other.)
Publish (Wide): Sep 5, 2016

*Please Help Me With:*

getting the word out to other indie authors so they can submit stories, too (most important);
messaging every person in the old thread so we can get their submissions;
the cover;
marketing; and
please suggest title ideas (save them all up for one post per person, please). Perhaps we'll run a poll at a later date.

*To hire me* to line edit and proofread your story/ies for the special flat rate of $5 each, email [email protected] with the subject line: "Edit my flash fiction story for $5 please." This is entirely optional and not in the least required. It will get you a great editing job but not any kind of preference in the anthology.

If you'd like an editor credit, email me. I'll need you to proofread 20 stories for me and to bring in at least 10 new stories, in addition to your own.

This is a community-organized project to breathe new life into the _Stories on the Go #2_ anthology that stalled. Here is the old thread. Kudos to Andrew on his work to date!

I'm open to your ideas/changes and ready to answer your questions. I'll keep this first post updated with important developments. Thanks in advance and I look forward to working with you!

*Rights:*

Here's the license I'm asking you to agree to. It's plainly visible at the end of the submission form:



> I affirm that I am the owner of the content provided herein and am granting a royalty-free, non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable license to use the content as part of the anthology "Indie Anthology 2016," (title subject to change) edited by George Donnelly. Once the anthology is published, I promise to promote it to the best of my ability through my author website, mailing list and social media account(s). (If you don't agree, please don't submit the form.)


*If using Google Docs*

If you're using Google Docs, please share the story with [email protected] or just grant access upon request to that address.

*UPDATES:*

6 Jun: 2 submissions + Andrew (the founding editor) sent me the contact information for 43 authors who previously submitted stories to him. I've emailed them.

8 Jun: 6 submissions and counting!

10 Jun: 9 submissions so far.

14 Jun: 11 submissions.

29 Jun: 17 submissions.

17 Jul: 22 submissions.

29 Jul: 24 submissions.

3 Aug: 26 submissions.

7 Aug: 28 submissions.


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

Ah. If I'm reading the requirements correctly, a mailing list is a must have for an author to qualify for inclusion?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Sam Kates said:


> Ah. If I'm reading the requirements correctly, a mailing list is a must have for an author to qualify for inclusion?


That's right, Sam, so each contributor can help promote the final work. It's easy enough to get set up with mailchimp (it's free to 2000 subscribers) and add a signup form to your site. I can walk you through the process if need be. And having a mailing list is a fundamental first step in marketing your fiction. It'll pay off for you in the future.


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## Abderian (Apr 5, 2012)

I submitted a story to the email address on the other thread a couple of months ago. Do I need to submit again?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Abderian said:


> I submitted a story to the email address on the other thread a couple of months ago. Do I need to submit again?


Yes, please. In response to multiple requests and a perceived failure to take action on the part of the previous editor, I'm offering to take over the project. But I don't have access to what was submitted before. So, yes, please submit to me and I guarantee the anthology will be published on a firm schedule (Sep 5). Thanks!


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## Abderian (Apr 5, 2012)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Yes, please. In response to multiple requests and a perceived failure to take action on the part of the previous editor, I'm offering to take over the project. But I don't have access to what was submitted before. So, yes, please submit to me and I guarantee the anthology will be published on a firm schedule (Sep 5). Thanks!


Thanks, George. You're a star for taking this on. I'm happy to help out too.


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> That's right, Sam, so each contributor can help promote the final work. It's easy enough to get set up with mailchimp (it's free to 2000 subscribers) and add a signup form to your site. I can walk you through the process if need be. And having a mailing list is a fundamental first step in marketing your fiction. It'll pay off for you in the future.


Thanks for your kind offer to help, George, but the issue is pressure of time my end. For reasons I won't bore anyone with, it's highly unlikely that I'll have a mailing list set up by the submission date. Possibly by the pub date (since it was already top of my to-do list) but I can't guarantee it. So I'll have to bow out. Best of luck with it everyone - I'll be cheering on from the sidelines.


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## Jena H (Oct 2, 2011)

Bowing out also.  I'll publish my series 'origin story' separately.  Good luck, all!


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## Marie Long (Jan 11, 2014)

I really want to build up my mailing list, so I'll try and contribute to this. Thanks for taking the reins!


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## alawston (Jun 3, 2012)

Great stuff, George. I'll have to give a bit of thought as to whether I want to resubmit my previous entry or put something new together.

My mailing list is almost negligible, but I'm taking part in a few promos between now and then. To those withdrawing over this requirement, for goodness sake, set up a mailchimp account and put your family and closest friends on it. It genuinely takes barely half an hour of your time, and even my friends+family+5 organic sign-ups list generates a sales bump on a new release.


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## UnicornEmily (Jul 2, 2011)

Great!  I think I'll put something new together.  Maybe (if I can) three something news for the anthology.  Also, George, THANK YOU for doing this.  You know you rule, right?

The mailing list requirement is fine.  I'll be happy to tell my mailing list about it as soon as it's released.  I bet they'll be excited to download it.

Quick question.  You want never-before-published short stories (which is reasonable).  I've been thinking about doing a permafree short story prequel to one of my book series for awhile.  Maybe two of them.  But I'd hate to have them locked up in only one place, and not be able to use them as (say) reader magnets to build my mailing list.

Do the short stories need to be exclusive to the anthology for a long period (such as a year), or exclusive for a short period (such as three months), or is there no exclusivity required except that they aren't published before the anthology is?

In other words, could I have a short story included in the anthology, and also publish it separately AFTER the anthology is published?  Or are there limitations on this?


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## BeMyBookBaby (Apr 18, 2016)

Me please! I'd love to send a story.


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## Marilyn Peake (Aug 8, 2011)

Awesome! Thanks so much for doing this! Not only am I delighted the anthology will be published, cross-promotions through newsletters is a very effective way to gain subscribers and readers.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Hi George

As I said in the other thread, if you would like someone to do the labour of loading to the various sites then I'm willing. And also to work on keywords if needed.

Can I ask how the order will be selected? (I always end up right at the back because of my surname and would like to avoid that if possible), also if people are submitting three stories then it would be nice to have them spread through the anthology and not back to back?

Question: Do other pen names also need to have previously published work, website, mailing list etc or can we just use our main one?

I think your editing offer for $5 is a great idea. Thanks for doing that.

I'm confused by the title thing. Are you saying don't make suggestions unless you have them all ready at once?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Thanks guys! I'm looking forward to reading your stories. 



UnicornEmily said:


> Do the short stories need to be exclusive to the anthology for a long period (such as a year), or exclusive for a short period (such as three months), or is there no exclusivity required except that they aren't published before the anthology is?
> 
> In other words, could I have a short story included in the anthology, and also publish it separately AFTER the anthology is published? Or are there limitations on this?


Great question! I'm not asking for any exclusivity period at all, just that at least 1 be never-before-published and up to the other 2 not be published more than once. So, yes, you could submit a new story to this anthology and publish it the same day as the anthology (Sep 5) if you like. There's no sense in being overly restrictive about this. It's a big marketplace.



Evenstar said:


> As I said in the other thread, if you would like someone to do the labour of loading to the various sites then I'm willing. And also to work on keywords if needed.


Would definitely love your help with keywords! By uploading, do you mean publishing? I have accounts at all the major retailers, including Google, but this is going to be a big job so thanks for that offer as well!



Evenstar said:


> Can I ask how the order will be selected? (I always end up right at the back because of my surname and would like to avoid that if possible), also if people are submitting three stories then it would be nice to have them spread through the anthology and not back to back?


I'd like to see what submissions we get first before deciding but I was thinking either by genre or just randomly based on my gut feeling of which stories go together. Definitely not in alphabetical order by author last name. And, yes, I will definitely spread out multiple contributions from the same author name. Absolutely.

If you'd like to give your input on the final ordering, I'd be grateful for your help there. I could send you the Scrivener file with all the stories loaded up mid-August and you could move them around in the order you think makes sense.



Evenstar said:


> Question: Do other pen names also need to have previously published work, website, mailing list etc or can we just use our main one?


Yes, please, at least 1 published work and a website (or even a web page on your main author site). The mailing list could be shared but I think the purpose is to send readers off to get to know the author and buy another book. So if there's no author website to form a connection with and no book to buy, then it seems we can't achieve that goal. What do you think?



Evenstar said:


> I'm confused by the title thing. Are you saying don't make suggestions unless you have them all ready at once?


Sorry! I would just hate to see someone post 30 comments with 1 title suggestion per comment instead of 1 comment with 30 title suggestions. These threads get so long. Feel free to ignore that if you don't think it makes sense.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

Mailing list? I've always used social media to reach readers but never a mailing list. I'll admit the effectiveness of social media varies from time to time. Yet, a mailing list is not a guarantee either. I was in the first anthology and had submitted to the second. I really do want to participate again. Why do I have to establish a mailing list, especially when there is so little time for it grow before publication?
(I posted this in the 2015 thread by accident instead of this one.)​


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Sapphire said:


> I really do want to participate again. Why do I have to establish a mailing list, especially when there is so little time for it grow before publication?


And I'd love to publish your story/ies! As mentioned above, the mailing list requirement is so each contributor can help promote the final work. Email marketing continues to be the most effective way to sell online, hands down. When you have a mailing list, you own direct access to your subscribers (since you have their email addresses). With social media, your ability to get through to followers is held hostage. They want you to pay to reach more than a tiny fraction of your audience.

If nothing else, the two marketing media are better together.

Setting up a mailing list is very easy. Go to mailchimp.com, open an account, create a list, get a signup form and embed it on a page of your site. (Link to that from the front and back matter of your books, too.) That's it. It's free for up to 2,000 subscribers. I'll write up an illustrated howto on this and add it to the OP within a few weeks, so you can participate without worry. I'll show you how to do this and it won't cost you anything.

There is no minimum subscriber count. I just need to know that the people I'm working with on this are aimed in the right direction. Since our goal is reach the maximum number of readers possible with the anthology, we need the best marketing channels. Hope that makes sense.


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## Jena H (Oct 2, 2011)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Setting up a mailing list is very easy. Go to mailchimp.com, open an account, create a list, get a signup form and embed it on a page of your site. (Link to that from the front and back matter of your books, too.) That's it. It's free for up to 2,000 subscribers. I'll write up an illustrated howto on this and add it to the OP within a few weeks, so you can participate without worry. I'll show you how to do this and it won't cost you anything.


I don't think _how_ and _cost_ were necessarily the question.


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## ConnieBDowell (Feb 15, 2016)

Thanks, again for spearheading this, George. I'll be working on my story[ies]. I'd be happy to help with marketing and cover and I'll be letting my writers' group know about this when we meet next week.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Looks like I'll need to do another story, since my earlier submission has been published in one of my collections in anticipation of the prior incarnation of the anthology being published (it wasn't against the rules). I have a couple of things that will work.

It's a good thing I have a baby mailing list, too! Whew. Those of you unsure about starting a mailing list, you don't have to post stuff often. Just announce new releases. As long as the recipients understand they won't be getting a lot of emails from you, it will be fine.


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## ChrisFosterWrites (Apr 25, 2016)

This sounds great 

I've only recently started writing short stories- very different to novels, but a lot of fun too! I'll go see what I can do with 1,000 words


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

2 submitted stories already!

I'm excited about this project.


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## Andrew Ashling (Nov 15, 2010)

I forwarded all stories to George.

I wish all of you success.


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## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

Glad to see this is back on for sure.  I'm in.


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## Danielle Kazemi (Apr 2, 2011)

Definitely want to so it but need to get a mailing list set up. Darn me and my procrastination for putting it off. But I have all June and July so hopefully I can coerce at least friends and family to join.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Danielle Kazemi said:


> Definitely want to so it but need to get a mailing list set up. Darn me and my procrastination for putting it off. But I have all June and July so hopefully I can coerce at least friends and family to join.


Looking forward to your story! Keep in mind you can have a list with a subscriber count of 1 (you). That's enough. I'm not asking to know your subscriber count, just that you have a list and are taking signups.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

For everyone just setting up a mailing list, remember to update your other books' files to include the link! Front and back matter. Make sure to say whether it's a regular mailing, only for new releases, or if you'll do random emails about sales, or whatever. Some folks don't like getting a lot of emails, so keep that in mind when deciding how you set it up. I think Jane Dough's thread about Mailchimp is on the first or second page still, and it might be helpful.

George, I'm working on another story for the same pen name, since the one you've gotten from Andrew was published in one of my collections (that was okay by the previous rules). I should have it done in a day or so, perhaps a little longer, since I'm working on finishing up a novel and I'm not sure how long that's going to take. Only need about three chapters, maybe less to wrap that up. Whew!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Hi guys! An update.

I've received the names of 43 authors who submitted stories to Andrew. I'm emailing them right now to see if they'd like to join us.

If someone can go through the old thread and PM all the people in it about the new thread, I think that would help a lot. Thanks in advance!



she-la-ti-da said:


> George, I'm working on another story for the same pen name, since the one you've gotten from Andrew was published in one of my collections (that was okay by the previous rules). I should have it done in a day or so, perhaps a little longer, since I'm working on finishing up a novel and I'm not sure how long that's going to take. Only need about three chapters, maybe less to wrap that up. Whew!


Looking forward to it!


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## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

I never submitted to the old one because it seemed to be dead in the water. I will have to submit now.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

J.T. Williams said:


> I never submitted to the old one because it seemed to be dead in the water. I will have to submit now.


Awesome, looking forward to your story.


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## MeganBedwell (Jun 6, 2016)

Does "one indie fiction title published" mean a novel or can it be a short story or flash fiction?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

MeganBedwell said:


> Does "one indie fiction title published" mean a novel or can it be a short story or flash fiction?


If you have an indie-published work for sale at any of the retailers or even just on your site using something like GumRoad or PayPal, that's fine. There just needs to be something for the reader to buy. It could be a novel, novella, short or another anthology you've got a story in, whether you're an editor or just a contributor. Make sense?


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Checked out the site for uploading stories, and it says one story per author name. The first post on this thread said up to three, so I'm confused. Doh! Not that I can upload anything yet, as I'll have to get everything sent to Dropbox. Which means I'll need to get my son to explain Dropbox to me again. Duh.

Anyway, George. You have the one I submitted the first time around on this thing. I guess you want it again through the system so you'll have a fresh contractual agreement? Make everything all neat and tidy.


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## A.E. Wasp (Jan 24, 2015)

Count me in, it will be a great way to introduce a new Adult Urban Fantasy series I will be starting then.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

she-la-ti-da said:


> Checked out the site for uploading stories, and it says one story per author name. The first post on this thread said up to three, so I'm confused. Doh! Not that I can upload anything yet, as I'll have to get everything sent to Dropbox. Which means I'll need to get my son to explain Dropbox to me again. Duh.
> 
> Anyway, George. You have the one I submitted the first time around on this thing. I guess you want it again through the system so you'll have a fresh contractual agreement? Make everything all neat and tidy.


Hi, it says "One entry per author name" (meaning please put all your stories in one form submission) and "One story per file" but not "one story per author name." Up to 3 is totally awesome.

You can also upload the text to your own webserver/website in a file or even a Google Doc might do it.

Thanks and yes, please. I need to keep it organized and make sure I'm publishing only the latest versions and only stories I have clear permission to publish. Thanks for your patience!


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Got it. It did seem rather confusing in the way it was worded, but I understand what you mean now:  all entries for one author name done at the same time. Thanks.

I have one up on Dropbox now, will finish the other (that hasn't been published) soon and then I'll get the form in to you.

Man, this thing is going to be awesome, am I right?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

she-la-ti-da said:


> Man, this thing is going to be awesome, am I right?


5 submissions so far. I'm psyched!


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## Kyla S (Apr 15, 2016)

Great idea. I'll get a story in asap!


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

I haven't had an email from you, George, and I submitted a story to Andrew. I was waiting to be contacted, in case there wasn't a need to fill out the form again, as I know nothing about dropboxes and clouds and whatnot, and I was hoping not to have to spend time doing the research and learning yet another new thing.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Kyla and T76, I look forward to reading your stories!



Raquel Lyon said:


> I haven't had an email from you, George, and I submitted a story to Andrew. I was waiting to be contacted, in case there wasn't a need to fill out the form again, as I know nothing about dropboxes and clouds and whatnot, and I was hoping not to have to spend time doing the research and learning yet another new thing.


Hi Raquel, your name is not among the 43 that Andrew sent me. You don't have to use Dropbox. You can upload the story file(s) to your own website. Dropbox though is very useful, if nothing else, for backing up manuscripts in progress. It's not hard to set up. The account is free indefinitely. I can walk you through it if you want. Just email me.


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## jaletac (Feb 15, 2011)

I sent in a creepy horror story for you involving baking with great-aunt ruby and her famous jam cake recipe.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

jaletac said:


> I sent in a creepy horror story for you involving baking with great-aunt ruby and her famous jam cake recipe.


Got it! Thanks. That makes 6 submissions so far.


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## jessie520 (Jul 26, 2015)

Sent in mine yesterday!


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Hi Raquel, your name is not among the 43 that Andrew sent me.


That's really strange, but there must be other authors missing too.
Here's the last list of submitted stories that Andrew posted on the old thread. As you can see, there are 50, not 43, and I'm right there at number 17. 



> Indie Anthology 2015 - Stories on the Go #2
> 
> # Author Story Genre - Keywords
> 
> ...


 My other half uses Dropbox. I'll get him to set something up.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Raquel, all I have is what Andrew forwarded to me. Perhaps he queried you on whether you wanted him to forward your story to me and perhaps he didn't hear back from you or your response was lost in the shuffle. I'm glad we're in contact here though and I look forward to your story!


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

I don't think I've heard from you, but I just ran across this thread (I'm #41 on Raquel's post of the original story list).

I have over 1,330 subscribers on my mail chimp list, and another 440 on my website subscriber list.  I'll fill out the Google form and send my story along.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Lisa Grace said:


> I don't think I've heard from you, but I just ran across this thread (I'm #41 on Raquel's post of the original story list).
> 
> I have over 1,330 subscribers on my mail chimp list, and another 440 on my website subscriber list. I'll fill out the Google form and send my story along.


Hi Lisa, I emailed you at an email address that starts with your first and last names. Maybe it went into your spam folder? Looking forward to your story!


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

Sent mine today.


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Hi Lisa, I emailed you at an email address that starts with your first and last names. Maybe it went into your spam folder? Looking forward to your story!


Thanks. Found the email from you dated June 6th.  I have teen girls over for a sleepover so I plan to get to it tomorrow. Tonight I can't concentrate.


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## Marilyn Peake (Aug 8, 2011)

Raquel Lyon said:


> That's really strange, but there must be other authors missing too.
> Here's the last list of submitted stories that Andrew posted on the old thread. As you can see, there are 50, not 43, and I'm right there at number 17.
> My other half uses Dropbox. I'll get him to set something up.


I'm #10 on Andrew's list. I'll email my story to you, George.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Marilyn Peake said:


> I'll email my story to you, George.


Please don't. I'd like to have everything in the submission system I set up so I can limit mistakes and the amount of time I have to invest in keeping things straight. Thanks.


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

Please keep mine in there. THanks. It's been edited, etc.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Caddy said:


> Please keep mine in there. THanks. It's been edited, etc.


Hi, I'd love to include your story. Please submit it using the information in the first post in this thread when you have a chance. Thanks!


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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

I am on the list and I haven't had an e-mail either (have checked my spam filters, etc.).  Do you have my story?

Edited to add:  If you typed my e-mail address in manually, then there's a risk of typos - as I have the kind of name that frequently gets mispelled!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Zelah Meyer said:


> I am on the list and I haven't had an e-mail either (have checked my spam filters, etc.). Do you have my story?


Hi Zelah, I did not receive your name, no. Here is the email I sent out to those whose names I did receive:


> Hi!
> 
> I'm George Donnelly, the new editor of the Stories on the Go #2 project.
> 
> ...


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## DanielleHardgrave (Jun 5, 2016)

In there like swimwear!


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## Marilyn Peake (Aug 8, 2011)

Marilyn Peake said:


> I'm #10 on Andrew's list. I'll email my story to you, George.





GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Please don't. I'd like to have everything in the submission system I set up so I can limit mistakes and the amount of time I have to invest in keeping things straight. Thanks.


Oooops, sorry. I was tired and didn't read the Google Doc instructions carefully enough. I've now submitted the correct way, along with a new Google Doc.


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## JamieCampbell (May 29, 2013)

Is anyone else having trouble with the submission form? The boxes won't let me type anything  

Any clues?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

I just tried it on Firefox 46 and it worked for me, FWIW.


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## George Saoulidis (Feb 2, 2016)

I got an email, but I'm not on the list Andrew gave you somehow. Anyway, my story has been published, so remove it (The Fruit Vandal). I'll see if I submit something new.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

George Saoulidis said:


> I got an email, but I'm not on the list Andrew gave you somehow. Anyway, my story has been published, so remove it (The Fruit Vandal). I'll see if I submit something new.


Yes, George, you're on the list. Only people who are on the list are getting emails. I look forward to reading your story.


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## Herc- The Reluctant Geek (Feb 10, 2010)

Hi George,

I haven't received an email, but my story no longer qualifies, so it's best removed (pen name Eric Feka). Good luck with it all.

Cheers

Herc


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> That's right, Sam, so each contributor can help promote the final work. It's easy enough to get set up with mailchimp (it's free to 2000 subscribers) and add a signup form to your site. I can walk you through the process if need be. And having a mailing list is a fundamental first step in marketing your fiction. It'll pay off for you in the future.


Too bad. I was the first to get a story in for the defunct project but I guess I can't participate since I don't do a newsletter, there'd be nobody on it if I did.


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## WriterThatWas (Feb 16, 2011)

George,

Thanks for heading this up and ABOUT FORMATTING? Andrew had requests for formatting (asterisks instead of italics). Do you still want that?

Kate


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

KHLeMoyne said:


> Thanks for heading this up and ABOUT FORMATTING? Andrew had requests for formatting (asterisks instead of italics). Do you still want that?


Hi Kate, don't worry about that. Formats like docx and rtf are fine. No need for asterisks.


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## WriterThatWas (Feb 16, 2011)

Thanks!


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## WriterThatWas (Feb 16, 2011)

Okay, last question for today. I'm filling out the form for the already submitted story. But am considering doing another story as well (which isn't done yet).

New form for the next story?  (I get using the same dropbox folder though)


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

KHLeMoyne said:


> Okay, last question for today. I'm filling out the form for the already submitted story. But am considering doing another story as well (which isn't done yet).
> 
> New form for the next story? (I get using the same dropbox folder though)


Please submit one form entry per author name. Please don't submit once per story if the author names are the same. So if you submit again, please submit all of your stories for that author name at once and I will remove the first entry. Make sense? Thanks!


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Please submit one form entry per author name. Please don't submit once per story if the author names are the same. So if you submit again, please submit all of your stories for that author name at once and I will remove the first entry. Make sense? Thanks!


So am I to assume only one story per author name


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Sapphire said:


> So am I to assume only one story per author name


Definitely not.

Please submit up to 3 stories per author name. At least 1 must be never-before-published. The other two must not have been previously printed more than once - printed meaning published in an anthology or periodical.

However many stories you submit per any given author name, pleasure ensure there is only 1 form submission per author name. This keeps things organized for me so I can meet the tight schedule. Thanks!


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## ChristineJVann (Jun 14, 2015)

Good to see this alive again!

Number 27 on that list but no email received from you George.  Do you need me to resubmit?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

ChristineJVann said:


> Good to see this alive again!
> 
> Number 27 on that list but no email received from you George. Do you need me to resubmit?


Yes, please. Please see the first post in this thread for details. Looking forward to your story!


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## Antara Mann (Nov 24, 2014)

I finally submitted the form; thanks George for putting this together! Umm, I guess the approved authors will receive an email with a notification when to send the anthology to our readership, ie. subscribers?

Thanks


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Antara Mann said:


> Umm, I guess the approved authors will receive an email with a notification when to send the anthology to our readership, ie. subscribers?


On Aug 22, I'll send you a draft of the anthology and ask you to proof your story and one other.

Thanks, got your story.


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

Just wondering, has the title of the upcoming anthology been decided? Are we going with 'Stories to Go 2"?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Hurricane John said:


> Just wondering, has the title of the upcoming anthology been decided? Are we going with 'Stories to Go 2"?


It's still up for consideration and I'd love to hear your ideas. The thing about "Stories on the Go #2" is that the previous editor owns that, intellectual-property-wise.


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

How about Stories on the Go 2.0?

Ha! I kill me.


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> It's still up for consideration and I'd love to hear your ideas. The thing about "Stories on the Go #2" is that the previous editor owns that, intellectual-property-wise.


What about this for a title?

*'I, Story: A Collection of Tall Tales and Short Stories'*


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## ChristineJVann (Jun 14, 2015)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Yes, please. Please see the first post in this thread for details. Looking forward to your story!


Great, have done!

If I can manage any others before the deadline, I'll submit again. Would like to do more than one genre if I get a chance!


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

I think I've finally managed to figure out how to submit and have done so. Thanks, George.


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## amdonehere (May 1, 2015)

Hi George, I'm interested in submitting and am currently writing it. But my fic is now closer to 3000 words. Is the 1000 words limit a strict limit?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

AlexaKang said:


> Hi George, I'm interested in submitting and am currently writing it. But my fic is now closer to 3000 words. Is the 1000 words limit a strict limit?


Hi Alexa, not super strict but definitely encouraged. Thanks and looking forward to reading your story.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

AlexaKang said:


> Hi George, I'm interested in submitting and am currently writing it. But my fic is now closer to 3000 words. Is the 1000 words limit a strict limit?





GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Hi Alexa, not super strict but definitely encouraged. Thanks and looking forward to reading your story.


I'm not one of the volunteers working on this project, and I am so happy someone has taken the helm. However, I do have an opinion as a participant. To me, not being super strict on the 1000 word limit means no one will be upset if a story is ten or forty words over. However, 3000 is triple the length the rest of us are adhering to. Please understand, I DO NOT want to create an argument, but what would you say if I wanted to submit a 6000 word story of mine? Yet, the requirement for having a mailing list for those of us who use other forms of social media is being strictly enforced. Which is more important to the integrity of the anthology: consistent length of flash fiction pieces or marketing methods of participants?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Sapphire said:


> Which is more important to the integrity of the anthology: consistent length of flash fiction pieces or marketing methods of participants?


Thanks for your question. The ability and willingness to market is more important.


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

It's interesting that only 17 of the original 43 authors who submitted stories to Andrew, have resubmitted stories to George. 
One month left to the deadline date, hopefully there well be more stories submitted.


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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

I have deleted this post as I do not consent to the new Terms of Service that Vertical Scope are attempting to retrospectively apply to our content.  I am forced to manually replace my content as, at time of editing, their representative has instructed moderators not to delete posts or accounts when users request it, and Vertical Scope have implied that they will deal with account deletion requests by anonymising accounts, which would leave personally identifying information in my posts.

I joined under the previous ownership and have posted over the years under different Terms of Service.  I do not consent to my name, content, or intellectual properties being used by Vertical Scope or any other entity that they sell or licence my data to.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

I've got my stories ready, but I'm having trouble with the needing to have a email list sign up on my site. If I'm understanding the requirements, I can't use Mail Chimp, but need a static page/widget to collect the emails myself? Honestly, that doesn't make sense. Quite a few of us use MC, and I know I don't want to deal with signing people up.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

As a separate matter, I had a couple of ideas for a title:

A Flash in the Pocket:  A Very Short Fiction Anthology

Tidbits:  Commuter Fiction


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

she-la-ti-da said:


> I've got my stories ready, but I'm having trouble with the needing to have a email list sign up on my site. If I'm understanding the requirements, I can't use Mail Chimp, but need a static page/widget to collect the emails myself? Honestly, that doesn't make sense. Quite a few of us use MC, and I know I don't want to deal with signing people up.


You can get a signup form from Mailchimp - it's a copy and paste kind of thing - and put it into a webpage on your site. It's pretty straightforward.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

We all did a pretty good job marketing the first book with everyone using their own methods. The book quickly climbed to the top of charts and, after more than a year and a half, hovers between 4,000-5,000 in free ranking and is currently #13 in free anthologies.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

Hurricane John said:


> It's interesting that only 17 of the original 43 authors who submitted stories to Andrew, have resubmitted stories to George.
> One month left to the deadline date, hopefully there well be more stories submitted.


I have no newsletter and that is a new requirement.


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## Melanie Tomlin (Nov 9, 2015)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Hi Alexa, not super strict but definitely encouraged. Thanks and looking forward to reading your story.


Darn! I had two short stories to choose from for submitting. One was around 2000 words and the other under 1000 words. As the limit was "ideally *1,000 words* or less. You can go up to 1,500 if you really need it" I opted for the shorter one, as 2000 words (give or take) is well above 1500 words.


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## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

Hi George.  I have a military SF series and have some short draft ideas.  Off shoots off the main story.
I can put together a thousand words and have it proofed and edited.  Likely by the end of July unless there are catastrophic failures in my life.


thank you for doing this!
and yes I have no problem pushing out to my mailing list and any other promotions that are necessary/work.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

tomgermann said:


> Hi George. I have a military SF series and have some short draft ideas. Off shoots off the main story.
> I can put together a thousand words and have it proofed and edited. Likely by the end of July


Awesome, Tom, thanks. I look forward to reading it.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Nicknacks said:


> I think I missed that specific bit in the rules. My page is on wp.com not .org. No way to host the signup form outside of MC. So unless I misunderstood, that disqualifies my story


Hi, as mentioned above you can get a signup form (HTML code) from mailchimp and put it into a page in your wordpress site. Why would this not work on a wordpress.com wordpress site? Have you had a chance to try it?



Nicknacks said:


> And now I'm confused because there seems to be a sliding scale with which rules are enforced and which aren't.
> Is it more effective (marketing-wise) to have over a dozen stories with random word count essays or four dozen 1k entries from authors with a combined wider reach?


I'd rather have the option of considering for publication a few extra words from an author who's willing to market the end product than dozens of awesome stories from authors who are unwilling to market. This is the conclusion I've come to after doing two anthologies, a publishing crowdfunder and a group sale.

I could have the best anthology in the world but if no one knows it exists, it won't get read and then I'll be wondering why I invested my time in it. OR I could put my all into fellow authors who are willing to also put in the work, gain some success and come back for a second anthology that will see even greater success in terms of readership and follow-on sales. And maybe it will become a community institution that helps people build careers for years to come. And maybe I'll feel really good about my participation in it.

I hope that clarifies it. Thanks.


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## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

Ouch I use MC and have a wix site.  they recently dropped the cooperation part so I cant put MC forms on my site.
I will see if I can work around that.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

tomgermann said:


> Ouch I use MC and have a wix site. they recently dropped the cooperation part so I cant put MC forms on my site.
> I will see if I can work around that.


If you can put HTML code into your page, you can still do it.

BTW the subscribe button you have there now is fine. Good enough.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Nicknacks said:


> Do you intend to publish even if there are only, say, 20 entries


I made a promise to publish on a schedule, so that's what I'm going to do.


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> I made a promise to publish on a schedule, so that's what I'm going to do.


Thanks for keeping your word.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

Are you providing a statement (as Andrew did) giving permission for use of our stories in the anthology that spells out the author retains copyright and all future publication rights as well as clarifying that this book will be priced for free with every effort made to force a price match on Amazon?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Hi guys

Here's a 1-month update. We're about halfway through the submission period. Thanks for your contributions so far!

We've got:

17 submissions

18 stories

2 of the submissions, the link to the story doesn't work. So if that is fixed, we may have 2 more stories.

(N.B. I don't guarantee to include every submitted story and haven't read any of them yet.)

Here's the genre breakdown:

Bizarro Fiction
Dystopian
Drama
Unknown x 2
Fantasy x 4
Horror
Mystery
YA Paranormal Mystery
YA Paranormal x 2
Young Adult Mystery
Literary Fiction
Science Fiction x 2

Here are the title suggestions so far (thanks and we need more, please):

'I, Story: A Collection of Tall Tales and Short Stories' (Hurricane John)

A Flash in the Pocket:  A Very Short Fiction Anthology (she-la-ti-da)

Tidbits:  Commuter Fiction (she-la-ti-da)

I'd like to get a firm commitment on who will be doing the cover at this point. Help?

To help, please:

- invite more authors;
- come up with title ideas;
- volunteer to design the cover; and
- write more stories (I'm committing to contributing between 2 and 3).

Thanks!


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

Here's another suggestion for a title.

Indie Shorts: An Anthology of Bitesize Fiction


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## Michael Barbato-Dunn (Nov 25, 2014)

George, I submitted one this morning, but didn't see any place on the form to specify genre.  Am I missing something?

Also, I used Dropbox, but can only set links to read-only.  Is that sufficient?

Thanks for doing this!

P.S. I really like "A Flash in the Pocket" suggested title.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Michael Barbato-Dunn said:


> George, I submitted one this morning, but didn't see any place on the form to specify genre. Am I missing something?


Ideally, I'd like authors to specify genre in the story submission section of the form but don't worry if you didn't.

Thanks for your submission, by the way! Looking forward to reading your story.



Michael Barbato-Dunn said:


> Also, I used Dropbox, but can only set links to read-only. Is that sufficient?


It's fine, no worries.


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## George Saoulidis (Feb 2, 2016)

I just sent mine, just one story. Think I'm ok with everything.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

George Saoulidis said:


> I just sent mine, just one story. Think I'm ok with everything.


Got it, thanks George. Looking forward to reading it.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

George, with the .com Wordpress site, AKA the free blog/site, you can't do third party embedded forms (I think that's the correct terminology), or widgets, or whatever, so only a pop up from Mail Chimp will work. I'm thinking I might be able to meet the requirements using my placeholder Weebly publisher site, so I'll look into that. Also, checking how much going paid with WP. Or paid with someone. Anyway, I've got a little time to fix it, so I'll focus on submitting the stories.

On to other business:  I'm willing to work on the cover, or do it entirely, if we have a design. I'm fairly competent with Photoshop, and do my own covers. I may not have the fonts desired (if they're expensive ones, that's for sure). Have we decided what it's going to look like? Using the same stock and concept, or going in an entirely different direction?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

she-la-ti-da said:


> George, with the .com Wordpress site, AKA the free blog/site, you can't do third party embedded forms (I think that's the correct terminology), or widgets, or whatever, so only a pop up from Mail Chimp will work. I'm thinking I might be able to meet the requirements using my placeholder Weebly publisher site, so I'll look into that. Also, checking how much going paid with WP. Or paid with someone. Anyway, I've got a little time to fix it, so I'll focus on submitting the stories.


A link to the signup form from a page on your site is fine. You don't have to go any further than that. No need to spend money. Seriously.



she-la-ti-da said:


> On to other business: I'm willing to work on the cover, or do it entirely, if we have a design. I'm fairly competent with Photoshop, and do my own covers. I may not have the fonts desired (if they're expensive ones, that's for sure). Have we decided what it's going to look like? Using the same stock and concept, or going in an entirely different direction?


Awesome! Thanks for reconfirming your commitment on that. I have zero ideas for the design and am totally open to whatever you want.

I don't think we can use the same image as from Stories on the Go #1. I haven't explicitly asked for it but I don't think we would get it even if I did.

I'm thinking generally of positioning it as an indie sampler, taking into account the wide range of genres. Beyond that, I'm at a loss. Any ideas?


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## KDMcAdams (Feb 14, 2014)

George, this is great, thanks for pulling it together. I just requested your service for line edits on one story and hope to have a second story ready this week. 

As far as titles go I like she-la-ti-da's Tidbits: Commuter Fiction


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## jckang (Jul 10, 2016)

I just joined kboards yesterday, so sorry if this is late.  I can get a 1k-word story by the deadline, either fantasy or sci-fi.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

KDMcAdams said:


> George, this is great, thanks for pulling it together. I just requested your service for line edits on one story and hope to have a second story ready this week.


Got it, thanks!



jckang said:


> I just joined kboards yesterday, so sorry if this is late. I can get a 1k-word story by the deadline, either fantasy or sci-fi.


No worries, we still have several weeks to go and I look forward to your story.


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## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

Hi George!

Story finished, I reviewed, off to editor.  Hopefully back by end week. 1,437 words.  I MAY be able to trim a little bit more.

tg


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## EvilTwinBrian (Jun 20, 2013)

Just submitted my entries! Two stories, both reworked and honed to exactly 1000 words each (not counting title/genre).


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## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

Okay.  It took forever (I hd to figure out the drop box!)

but the submission is in.  Unfortunately just under 1,500 words.  I just couldn't do it at 1,000.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Thanks guys! I'm looking forward to reading your stories.

We've got 22 submissions now, and several of those include 2 or 3 stories each.

We've got about 3 weeks to go. Thanks everyone for your participation and support!


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

I'd really like to be a part of this anthology, just as I was the first. I have two flash fiction stories ready to go. However, I don't do Drop Box and I don't have a mailing list sign-up on my website. You've waived rules for word count. Why not waive your new rules for these two issues? As it is, I'm not going to be able to participate.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

I'd like to hear some ideas for the cover. Should we do something similar in theme to what the first one was like, or go in a totally different direction? What image/images do you guys see when you think about the anthology? I can search for images, but it would be nice to have some ideas to start with, at least.

As George requested for titles, try to keep all your ideas to one post, if possible. You don't have to link to images, but you can if you have something particular in mind. So long as it doesn't cost me a fortune to get whatever image we use, I can pick up the cost if necessary.

Also, I don't know if there will be any need for banners or the like, but if so, I'll need someone to give me sizes and other details, as I don't do those for myself (yet).


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

Sapphire said:


> I'd really like to be a part of this anthology, just as I was the first. I have two flash fiction stories ready to go. However, I don't do Drop Box and I don't have a mailing list sign-up on my website. You've waived rules for word count. Why not waive your new rules for these two issues? As it is, I'm not going to be able to participate.


I agree, and I have a mailing list. I just don't understand why it's a deal breaker. In fact, I'd have preferred that we stick to word count personally, but I'm just glad we have somebody who's being hands on.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Okay, here's a quickie, _very_ rough idea I had. Image is from Can Stock (where I have an account and some credits). I've done no filters or anything, just took the comp image and played around with some text. Tell me what you think.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Sapphire said:


> I'd really like to be a part of this anthology, just as I was the first. I have two flash fiction stories ready to go. However, I don't do Drop Box and I don't have a mailing list sign-up on my website. You've waived rules for word count. Why not waive your new rules for these two issues? As it is, I'm not going to be able to participate.


Hi, I would very much like for you to participate. You're not required to have a (free) Dropbox account. You can use Google Docs (also free) or any webserver, including your website most likely.

I have to remain firm on the mailing list requirement because the ability and willingness on the part of we participating authors to market the final product is what will give this work a chance to bear fruit for us. I think I've commented on that fairly extensively before but if you have a more specific question or need assistance, let me know.

If it's just that you don't have a signup form on your site, then please just link to the signup from a specific page on your website. Another author is doing this and I find it to be totally fine.

BTW I have not waived the story length rule, at least not yet. I have simply encouraged an author to send me her longer work so I can consider it for inclusion in the anthology.



jdcore said:


> I agree, and I have a mailing list. I just don't understand why it's a deal breaker.


The author mailing list is the #1 tool for effective marketing of an author's work. It's cheap, targeted and very effective (something I posted about before with a citation).

IMHO and based on 3.5 years of indie-authoring, marketing is what makes or breaks a work. Although we're not seeking to make money directly on this anthology, we definitely want it to be read. And we need marketing for that. And the best marketing, after quality stories, cover, blurb, etc., is the mailing list.

In the past, I have worked on anthologies and group sales. Some authors work harder than others. Some authors coast along and don't do their fair share. It makes me feel icky, like I'm being used. Hence, I decided I want to work primarily with authors who are able and willing to market. I'm not talking about big Facebook ad spends. I'm talking about the free stuff like mailing lists, social media and blogging.

I made this decision because I want to succeed and I want to help other committed authors succeed. I feel this is entirely reasonable if not just common sense and I'm sticking by it.

I hope that answers your question.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

she-la-ti-da said:


> Okay, here's a quickie, _very_ rough idea I had. Image is from Can Stock (where I have an account and some credits). I've done no filters or anything, just took the comp image and played around with some text. Tell me what you think.


I like it! Maybe a filter over top of the image. Maybe a listing of the last names of the authors. I'll brainstorm title ideas and post my ideas next week. Thanks for this!


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

I don't disagree that mailing lists are the best marketing, and I don't disagree that having as many authors with mailing lists as possible will benefit the project. It's just that having as many stories as possible will ALSO benefit the project, and there are other ways to market besides mailing lists which having more and other writers on board could help with. Blogs, twitter, Facebook, interviews, WoM, also-boughts, etc ... none of which rely on a mailing list and all of which are proven marketing tools. 

Okay, end of rant. Just a thought. As I said, I'm fine with the project rules as thy are.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

jdcore said:


> It's just that having as many stories as possible will ALSO benefit the project,


I agree. But every participating author has to do their part. I've stepped up to lead it so I expect those I am working with to do a minimum share of work as well. It's not too much to ask.



jdcore said:


> and there are other ways to market besides mailing lists which having more and other writers on board could help with. Blogs, twitter, Facebook, interviews, WoM, also-boughts, etc ... none of which rely on a mailing list and all of which are proven marketing tools.


Most of that is ineffective. Asking for a mailing list to be present is a very small token piece of evidence that the author is willing to do all of that and more.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I can not change this requirement. It's too central to the goal of the project.


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## Herc- The Reluctant Geek (Feb 10, 2010)

The first anthology was an exercise in community, which is why it was so well endowed with contributors despite the one story restriction and strictly observed 1000w limit. As well as supplying stories, many people volunteered their time to help others get their stories as good as they could be, and to make a great cover and write a catchy blurb. 

This, the second project, lacks that feeling of community and therefore will not attract as many contributors. Why? Because many indie authors write for the love of the craft and don't bother with mailing lists and marketing strategies. They write good stories because they can, and any money they make in the process is a bonus. They are the folk this project is losing. A little flexibility might attract them back in but, then again, you may want to take this away from being a community project to being a marketing tool.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Herc- The Reluctant Geek said:


> you may want to take this away from being a community project to being a marketing tool.


This is both.

But if someone else wants to do the kind of project you describe, I invite them to do so and would likely even contribute a story. There is plenty of room in the marketplace for more indie anthologies. Please, one of you, step up and take the lead on the project you describe.


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## Herc- The Reluctant Geek (Feb 10, 2010)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Please, one of you, step up and take the lead on the project you describe.


Personally, I don't have the time or the skills for such a project. Nor do I think it's a bad thing to point out the biggest impediment to contributors. Many of us here _aren't_ professional writers and so haven't got time/know-how/inclination to do anything other than write stories and bang them up on Amazon for whoever wants them. Not saying that there aren't professionals here, it's just that they are heavily outnumbered by the talented amateurs. If you want more contributors, relax the email list requirement because many of the amateurs don't have such a list and feel that the project has moved away from them.

Edit: It's late here in Oz and I spell badly after dark...


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

I can't see getting to picky about the word count at this point in time. I mean if we had a hundred submissions and limited space, then okay, but we're talking about 22 submissions, maybe twenty-five by the time the due date expires. I don't see the point in eliminating stories that may have gone a bit above the word count. 

I think the quality of the story is more important than the word count. That's just my opinion, ultimately, it will be George's decision.


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## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

I would think that it only takes you an hour to create a mailchimp account and mailing list.  It could be done right now.  That mailing list may only have your email on it....
BUT it would exist.
Everyone seems to agree that a mailing list is a better tool than most of the other tools out there.  I agree.  Some of those people bought my work.  

So if you do NOT want to be involved with a mailing list but want in then create your own project.  I'll submit if I can meet the requirements.  If I can't then I won't and I won't post about it.  I'll just keep looking.

We can all make a difference.  it just isn't always easy.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Herc- The Reluctant Geek said:


> If you want more contributors, relax the email list requirement because many of the amateurs don't have such a list and feel that the project has moved away from them.


I do appreciate you sharing your thoughts with me, thank you very much.

Again, I will not waive the mailing list requirement.

And, please, stop asking. No disrespect intended.

Even if you consider yourself an amateur author or dislike marketing, you must still want to be read. Otherwise, you would write in secret and never share it with an audience. We would never hear of you. If you want to be read, people need a way to find out about your new works once they discovered you through, for example, an anthology. A mailing list is the most effective way to do this. Do you expect your readers to come and check your website or your twitter feed just to find out if you published something new? That's rude. Offer them the chance to be notified. That's what a mailing list is for.

You might be too busy but if some other non-marketing author is not, I remain interested in contributing a story to this project you described. Please, there are several of you in this thread. Step up and lead a project that follows your vision. We will all be better off for it. Just do it.

I know that a small number of stories disappoints some authors. I frankly don't care. I will produce the anthology no matter what because people asked me to do it, because I promised to do it and precisely because the previous effort stalled due to worries over the number of stories.

A 30-story anthology that is published and being marketed to a small audience is infinitely more valuable than a 101-story anthology that never happens. If the anthology gains enough traction, perhaps we will do another one. And maybe that one will have 60 stories. And perhaps by then those of you with brand-new mailing lists will have a dozen or a hundred subscribers. And that second anthology will reach an audience 2-4x larger than this one will. Et cetera. I'm in this to build something.

I appreciate very much the authors who are continuing with this project. Thanks. It's both an honor and a pleasure to work with you.


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## Michael Barbato-Dunn (Nov 25, 2014)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> I appreciate very much the authors who are continuing with this project. Thanks. It's both an honor and a pleasure to work with you.


It's a pleasure to work with you on this, and I greatly appreciate your efforts. And I'm sorry to see you forced to repeatedly defend the entirely reasonable approach you laid out in the first post.


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

Somehow I managed to _not_ post in this thread previously and sort of lost track of this project. That is unfortunate, as a fair amount of time has slipped by. I will encourage some other writers to participate, although now they won't have as much time to write and edit an entry.

Also, I know a number of photographers who might be willing to take on (for free) the challenge of creating an image specifically for this project, in case images from other sources are not quite right. To do that effectively in the time remaining, I would need to post specifics very soon and provide them with a reasonable deadline. Let me know if you want me to explore this option.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

I'm sorry George, but I am finding the direction/requirments of this totally confusing. I have a mailing list with mailchimp, I have a direct link to it at the back of my story and a direct link to it on my website. I'm not changing that or mucking about with my website as I don't remotely understand the need to do so. If I can participate as it stands then I will, and I'll be happy to send the details to everyone on my list and to tweet and facebook about it etc.  BUT if you require dropbox or google forms or other extra effort beyond my usual marketing or my usual mailing list links then please count me out.  I simply do not understand the point.  

Please don't feel the need to explain it again, I've already read the thread thoroughly and still don't see the purpose.  Just let me know if I can continue as it was or if you require me to change my sign up - and if you do then please withdraw my submission from the project.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Stella, your email sign up is fine. What the Box, Dropbox and Google stuff is for is to submit the story, rather than sending it to George via email, like we did before. I think it's just easier for him to follow the link wherever we've set it up and get the story files.



Crenel said:


> Somehow I managed to _not_ post in this thread previously and sort of lost track of this project. That is unfortunate, as a fair amount of time has slipped by. I will encourage some other writers to participate, although now they won't have as much time to write and edit an entry.
> 
> Also, I know a number of photographers who might be willing to take on (for free) the challenge of creating an image specifically for this project, in case images from other sources are not quite right. To do that effectively in the time remaining, I would need to post specifics very soon and provide them with a reasonable deadline. Let me know if you want me to explore this option.


I've submitted a rough draft of a cover a couple of pages back. I got an image from my stock photo account, did some preliminary typography. I'd like feed back from the rest of you guys, otherwise I'll put a filter or two on it, maybe a bar behind the title, something, figure out the tag line, and if George okays it, that's what we'll go with.

Here's the image again:


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

I've seen some feedback on the title suggestions, so I went with one of the two I submitted. It could be changed, pending some feedback and some agreement. Or I'll go with whatever George and I like. I don't want it to come to that, because this is a group project, so tell us what you all think.

One other thing, I could see easing up on the word count limit a little more, but not go too far. It is flash fiction, so it's gotta be short.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Crenel said:


> Also, I know a number of photographers who might be willing to take on (for free) the challenge of creating an image specifically for this project, in case images from other sources are not quite right. To do that effectively in the time remaining, I would need to post specifics very soon and provide them with a reasonable deadline. Let me know if you want me to explore this option.


Thanks for your kind offer, Stuart. I think we're on the right path for this cover but perhaps we could work together on a future project.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

she-la-ti-da said:


> Stella, your email sign up is fine. What the Box, Dropbox and Google stuff is for is to submit the story, rather than sending it to George via email, like we did before. I think it's just easier for him to follow the link wherever we've set it up and get the story files.


Exactly, yes, thanks.



she-la-ti-da said:


> I've submitted a rough draft of a cover a couple of pages back. I got an image from my stock photo account, did some preliminary typography. I'd like feed back from the rest of you guys, otherwise I'll put a filter or two on it, maybe a bar behind the title, something, figure out the tag line, and if George okays it, that's what we'll go with.


Apologies, I haven't set aside time to work on this yet as I'm deep into my WIP (and behind schedule). I will do that soon.


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

she-la-ti-da said:


> I've submitted a rough draft of a cover a couple of pages back. I got an image from my stock photo account, did some preliminary typography. I'd like feed back from the rest of you guys, otherwise I'll put a filter or two on it, maybe a bar behind the title, something, figure out the tag line, and if George okays it, that's what we'll go with.


Ah, sorry, I should have commented on your cover design too, it was late and I wasn't thinking clearly. My thought was just about using a different image source (one that wouldn't cost anything) if a different title was chosen. I do like the Tidbits title, though, the commute tie-in says a lot. My general suggestions for your cover design would be to ensure the title text stands out from the background (right now, before modifying the image, it blends a bit on the left) and to make the subtitle larger and thus more visible at smaller image sizes, even if it extends wider than "TIDBITS."


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Okay, cool. But you already have my story (forwarded by Andrew) right?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Evenstar said:


> Okay, cool. But you already have my story (forwarded by Andrew) right?


Hi, I can't publish stories unless the author grants me explicit permission. Please see the first post in this thread for the submission procedure. Thanks.


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

Got some visibility for this project on Ello via the @ellowrites community, so hopefully that will lead to another submission or two.


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

As more cover ideas were requested, and I think there should definitely be more than one option to choose from, I whipped these up _really_ quickly.

 

Disclaimer: I'm not a cover designer, and these are rough. I just wanted to give my thoughts on possible directions the cover could go. (Although, I do really like the train one and would be willing to purchase the photo and make it better if others liked it too.)


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Raquel Lyon said:


> As more cover ideas were requested, and I think there should definitely be more than one option to choose from, I whipped these up _really_ quickly.


Thank you! The train one is very attractive! What do you think, she-la-ti-da?

And thanks, Stuart, for your help!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Hi guys, I brainstormed some title ideas. Please let me know your thoughts.

I think step 1 is branding. We can't brand it as any one particular genre (because we'll likely include stories from multiple non-similar genres) so we can brand it as:

- indie
- related to where you read it; i.e., on the train
- related to the story format/length; i.e., flash fiction.

*The Titles*

Each title is a pair of title and subtitle. These are rough concepts, so please feel free to grab an idea and evolve it.

(a) I Have No Legroom and I Must Read
Flash fiction for your commute

(b) Dark with a Chance of Stormy
30 extra-short stories to read on a rainy day

(c) Unstoppable Stories
Discover your new favorite author with these short stories

(d) Bite-Sized Stories
30 extra-short stories for your commute

(e) 30 Splendid Stories
A multi-genre flash fiction anthology

(f) To the Kindles!
A multi-genre flash fiction anthology

(g) Read Me on the Train
Flash fiction for your commute

(h) Flash Forward
Bite-sized stories to read in a rush

(i) Bonfire of the Indies
30 stories so short you'll burn through them

(j) For Whom the Kindle Turns
30 dramatically short tales by indie authors

(k) Brave New Authors
30 bold tales by emerging authors

(l) Do Commuters Dream of Mobile Stories?
Dream wide awake with 30 extra short stories

(m) The Flash and the Fiction
30 extra-short stories for your commute

 Awesome Stories for your Kindle
A multi-genre flash fiction anthology

I don't need my name on the cover as editor. Let's replace it with a list of the authors OR let's do the list of authors, perhaps in columns at the bottom and then George Donnelly, Editor (or whatever) in the same size font below the author names.

Once we select a branding approach, we can then settle on a title and then I think it would be wise to look at the stock photo sites.

Let me know what you think, please!


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## EvilTwinBrian (Jun 20, 2013)

I like Flash Forward (h).


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## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

I like D.  H is not bad either.


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## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

I like D or maybe N.


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> - indie
> - related to where you read it; i.e., on the train
> - related to the story format/length; i.e., flash fiction.


Some thoughts on branding...

First, I favor focusing on the format/length as long as it's done in a catchy way. The "where you read" angle could be that catchy way.

"Indie" has been a double-edged sword for a long time but it's become dull with overuse and doesn't cut either way, pro or con, like it used to. In the 80s or 90s an indie band, artist, etc. was seen as standing out from the crowd. Now that immediate and direct-to-consumer distribution of content (YouTube, SoundCloud, Wattpad...) is considered the norm, indie _is_ the crowd. Trying to brand around that now strikes me as being like branding around us being writers, with a little negative spin for those who "don't read indie."

(Also, this comic seems apt. )

Focusing on where you read can work (see above) but the downside is that the various places where short works can work well (commute, stationary bike at the gym, bathroom, etc.) can also reasonably be used for longer works. Thick paperbacks are not a rare sight on a bus or train, or at least they weren't the last time I was commuting regularly. So, basically, I see this as a subset of focusing on the length/format, but not one that we should feel restricted to, i.e., excluding other catchy ways of communicating the flash fiction format.

For the actual title, in addition to the the Tidbits/commute one, I like H (Flash Forward) and I (Bonfire...). With the latter I could see an image of an e-reader with flames starting inside the display but escaping past the bezel at the top. I think we should avoid titles that use Kindle for trademark reasons (but I'm not a lawyer, so maybe that's not a concern).


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

Raquel Lyon said:


> As more cover ideas were requested, and I think there should definitely be more than one option to choose from, I whipped these up _really_ quickly.
> 
> 
> 
> Disclaimer: I'm not a cover designer, and these are rough. I just wanted to give my thoughts on possible directions the cover could go. (Although, I do really like the train one and would be willing to purchase the photo and make it better if others liked it too.)


I really like both of these, but I think the cover with the train is my eye catching favorite.


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## Melanie Tomlin (Nov 9, 2015)

D or H ... it's hard to make a decision when you're so spoilt for choice


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

I vote H


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

I like H, too.


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

Another vote for H  

I also like D.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

I like "Flash Forward". I'm not too excited about tying the book to one method of reading (on a train or whatever), even though I used an image of a commuter.  People read in all sorts of places, and there has been a charity anthology along the line of commuting (our own Evenstar (Stella), was behind those).

Perhaps a generic ereader with some sort of "flash" action, a la the effect of The Flash rushing away? The ereader would tie it in with the first volume. Or just a swoosh behind the title?



Crenel said:


> Ah, sorry, I should have commented on your cover design too, it was late and I wasn't thinking clearly. My thought was just about using a different image source (one that wouldn't cost anything) if a different title was chosen. I do like the Tidbits title, though, the commute tie-in says a lot. My general suggestions for your cover design would be to ensure the title text stands out from the background (right now, before modifying the image, it blends a bit on the left) and to make the subtitle larger and thus more visible at smaller image sizes, even if it extends wider than "TIDBITS."


Well, I _did_ say it was a rough draft, just made up quickly to get some response. It worked, finally!

I have no issue with paying a few credits for an image, so that's not an issue. I'd rather not have to pay for a font, so something I already have or can get for commercial use would be great.

Keep the ideas coming, folks! Maybe George should keep a list on what gets chosen most often, and then we can make a final decision on both title and image idea soon.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Another quick mock up, nothing much for layers or whatever:










All the author names should fit, I just put a few placeholder words in because lazy. 

Anything and everything can be changed, just throwing up some ideas. I'll work on some more, based on the titles people have indicated preference for.

I still think George should be credited as the editor, since he is putting all of this together. Whether he likes it, or not.


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

Hey Raquel

How about replacing Tidbits with Flash Forward and dropping the Flash Fiction in the top left and adding the authors names?

Something like this....or what fits the best.

AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR 
AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR,AUTHOR
AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR
AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR,AUTHOR, AUTHOR,AUTHOR
AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR
EDITED BY GEORGE DONNELLY


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

I don't think putting a bunch of author names on the front is a good idea. It would be too cluttered.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

I see "Flash Forward" is getting a lot of interest. Imagine though, for a moment, that all you knew about the anthology was that title. You might think it was about time travel. At the very least, I'd think science fiction. But we have a lot of stories that aren't science fiction. So I'm not sure that's our strongest title. Something to think about, at least.

I think my favorite titles so far are:

I Have No Legroom and I Must Read (comedic)
Read Me on the Train
Bonfire of the Indies
Brave New Authors

I have to confess that tidbits is not my favorite word and doesn't ring with positive connotations in my mind. It sounds closer to leftovers than anything else. And I don't think we want to market our stories as leftovers.

We should be careful with the time of our graphic design volunteers. We don't want to exhaust them early. I think we should settle on a title, then scour stock photo and CC-licensed image sources, settle on a photo and then start looking at mockups.

Thanks she-la-ti-da for another mockup btw!

Thanks everyone for voicing your feedback, too!

*Please generate more title ideas.*


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

Yeah, still H


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

Just throwing out concepts with a few more cover ideas. Can you tell I'm bored?

   

Not too sure about the last two. They're a little non-fiction-y. I think something abstract like number two would be good, though.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

I kind of like the last one with the guy blasting off. Hilarious. It stands out. I think we need something that stands out, that shows we put some extra character and creativity into it. Thanks for this!


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## George Saoulidis (Feb 2, 2016)

jdcore said:


> I don't think putting a bunch of author names on the front is a good idea. It would be too cluttered.


I second that. Don't need to put my name at the front, just inside and to the author area in the product page.


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## MarilynVix (Jun 19, 2013)

I just submitted another story for the anthology under another pen name. This won't throw off the number will it? Are we not having any more submissions? I thought the deadline was August 8. OR is the 30 an approximation?

I like Flash Forward and the guy shooting off as a rocket for the cover. 

Don't need my pen names on the front. In the author section is good, unless we have some big names. The NY Bestsellers we put on the front last time because of search reasons, like Hugh Howey. I know I'm just a prawnie striving to be midlist. But it might help to put the bigger names with more pull on the front.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

30 is just a random number. I'm looking forward to reading your submission, thanks.


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

After putting my somewhat-lengthy name on the cover in a suitably large font, there might not be room for the title. But I'm OK with that. 

But realistically, I'm also in favor of keeping the cover clean by not including all of the authors' names. If we have some bestselling authors in the group (do we?) I would be fine having their name(s) on the front, but my name being there won't "sell" any copies.

OK, now for some title brainstorming, which may or may not be serious...

ZIP - Zesty Indie Prose
Good Stories Come In Small Packages
Imagination Seeds
Flash Fiction Farrago
Compact Tales for Busy Bodies
Fair Trade Fiction: Flash Blend
Short Story Salad (or Stew ...or Gumbo, although that doesn't start with S, so maybe not)


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Thanks Stuart! "Fair Trade Fiction: Flash Blend," hmm that one sounds interesting.


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## Almost Me (May 15, 2015)

Hi George. First off, thank you so much for doing this. I'd like to submit a story, but I have a couple of questions first. I see on the submission form that there's a separate place for the author bio and another place for the website link. So now I'd just like to make sure these are both getting placed at the end of the story and not in some "About the Authors" section. Also, if you don't mind, can you give us an updated list of the genres you have so far? I'm just worried my (chick-lit) story will be really out of place in an anthology that's mostly horror or sci-fi.


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Just submitted my _Old Rat, New Trick_ by Lisa Grace comedy sci fi story.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Thanks Lisa! Looking forward to reading it.


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## hardnutt (Nov 19, 2010)

I can't remember which short I entered. I sent it when Andrew was in charge. Do I need to send it again?

Sorry, but there are so many bundles and promos going on here and elsewhere that the old brainbox is confused.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Hi Geraldine, yes, please see the first post in the thread for how to submit. Thanks and looking forward to reading your story!


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## Jennifer Lewis (Dec 12, 2013)

I just submitted the story I wrote when this antho first got going. I look forward to seeing it all come together as I loved being in the first one. I've never used google drive before so let me know if the link doesn't work


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Got it, Jennifer. Looking forward to reading it. I requested access to the file.

We're up to 24 submissions now.


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

For some reason, when I woke up this morning I had a couple of titles flash into my head---flash, ha-ha, get it? Anyway, I brainstormed a couple more while my mind was still in the mood, and I'll just drop them here:

The Reading Room
Eager Reader
Flash Picks
Flash Fiction Fusion
Short Story Soup (Just noticed this one is similar to Crenel's. Great minds think alike!)
Short Story Synergy
Motley Morsels
Tidbit Tales
Story Snacks
Lunch Break Reads
Time Out Tales
Indie Interlude

I know you don't like the word tidbit, George, and Crenel doesn't think using indie is a good idea, but hey, I like alliteration in titles--which is probably why I liked Flash Forward.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Thanks Raquel! Awesome. I like "Flash Fiction Fusion"... What about Flash Fusion? or Fusion Flash?

Victoria, if you submitted it via the link in the first post, I've got it. If not, I don't. How did you submit it?


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## archaeoroutes (Oct 12, 2014)

Yay, just put together a couple of entries. Not sure if I'll manage a third by the deadline.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Kudos. Looking forward to reading them!


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## Michael Barbato-Dunn (Nov 25, 2014)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> I like "Flash Fiction Fusion"... What about Flash Fusion? or Fusion Flash?


My two cents, George: I know you felt Flash Forward sounded too much like SF. I feel that Flash Fusion or Fusion Flash is just as science fiction-y as Flash Forward. Perhaps more.

'Forward' can make people think of time travel, certainly. But 'Fusion' can make people think of, well, a gazillion other SF tropes.

My vote is for Flash Forward.


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## archaeoroutes (Oct 12, 2014)

Well, as an SF author, I'd be pleased if the title attracted SF readers. However, independently of that I think that Flash Fusion sounds better than Flash Forward.
What about Flash Flood? Or would that make people think it was about disaster stories?


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

I like Flash Flood. I think that's clever, and it wouldn't be on a cover that says disaster so the two combined would tell the story - especially when the subtitle part (30 shorts or whatever) is added.


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

Final week to submit in your stories.


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## George Saoulidis (Feb 2, 2016)




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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

I think Flash Flood is OK as long as there is something about "short stories" (or even "very short stories") on the cover too. Flash fiction presumably makes sense to all of us, but I'm fairly sure non-writer readers have little or no clue what "flash fiction" is, and -- thanks to various interpretations of "flash" -- our intended meaning of "flash fiction" is not immediately obvious. But, everyone knows what a short story is. Without that bit that seems redundant to _us_, our target market of general readers might be put off by something that just looks like a weird title.

Oh, and... "bump."


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## alawston (Jun 3, 2012)

Flash in the Pan
Jumping Jack Flash
Flash - Ah Ahhh, He'll Save Everyone Of Us
Flash Dance

(that's enough flashes for now - Ed)


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

Crunch time. 
Four days left to submit your stories. 
According to our editor's last tally, 26 stories have been submitted....can we get to 30?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

26 submissions. Many of those include multiple stories. Also, I haven't counted mine in there. I'll be submitting three. And I believe there is one other author, at least, who hasn't yet submitted. The next thing authors can expect from me is a draft of the anthology so you can help me proofread.


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> 26 submissions. Many of those include multiple stories. Also, I haven't counted mine in there. I'll be submitting three. And I believe there is one other author, at least, who hasn't yet submitted. The next thing authors can expect from me is a draft of the anthology so you can help me proofread.


Thanks for the clarification. Looking forward to receiving the draft copy.


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## jesrphoto (Aug 7, 2012)

If you want any cover help, I'd donate some custom cover artwork to this project!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

jesrphoto said:


> If you want any cover help, I'd donate some custom cover artwork to this project!
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Ooo, where's the like button?
That's a very kind offer.


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## jckang (Jul 10, 2016)

I'm almost done editing!  Hope to get it to you by tomorrow.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

jesrphoto said:


> If you want any cover help, I'd donate some custom cover artwork to this project!


How nice of you! Thanks! How do you think you might brand the anthology, what angle might take you with it, do you think?


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## jesrphoto (Aug 7, 2012)

I'd have to play with it, but a close up image or an artsy bold colored illustration instead of a scene or action would fit the broad spectrum better.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## jesrphoto (Aug 7, 2012)

Akin to these styles























Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## George Saoulidis (Feb 2, 2016)

jesrphoto said:


> Akin to these styles


I like these styles. Give the task to her!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

she-la-ti-da was the first to volunteer to work on the cover, so she's is in charge of that. I'm going to defer to her judgment whenever possible on the question of the cover.


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## jesrphoto (Aug 7, 2012)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> she-la-ti-da was the first to volunteer to work on the cover, so she's is in charge of that. I'm going to defer to her judgment whenever possible on the question of the cover.


Ahh, sorry. Didn't realize someone else had offered to help. Just saw the thread and was intrigued.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

It's kind of a team effort and I'm definitely interested in your help and appreciative of your offer. I just want to respect the fact that she-la-ti-da has been on the cover question now for awhile. I'm sure she'll check in soon and let us know her thoughts.


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## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

I just got my submission in. I may submit two more before the deadline, but for now, at least I got one in.


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## UnicornEmily (Jul 2, 2011)

I have submitted my three short stories.

Thank you very much for taking the reins of this project, George!  It's very much appreciated by all of us.  I'm excited to see this come out, with its firmer-than-titanium publication schedule.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> she-la-ti-da was the first to volunteer to work on the cover, so she's is in charge of that. I'm going to defer to her judgment whenever possible on the question of the cover.


Thanks, George. I've been looking at all the ideas, and there are some good ones. If we can get a vote on which direction is best (what sort of general image we want that doesn't tie the book to one genre, for example) and the title, we can move on with that.

I'm not upset or worried about anyone offering help, opinions, advice about title/cover image or anything else. No toes stepped on. It's a group project, so... input accepted! 

I've got two stories ready to submit, and have a half-way decent site set up with a static email sign up link. So that part will be done today. No sure I can get anything else written to add, so that's probably going to be it for me. My next novel is in progress, so lots to do there.

Keep the stories and ideas coming, we're almost at the finish line!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Thanks J.T. and Emily! That makes 28 submissions. Plus I know of at least 3 more that should be incoming.

The first deliverable everyone can expect from me is a draft copy of the anthology via email on or before Mon, Aug 22 for proofreading purposes and so you can share your thoughts on formatting, story arrangement, etc.

Have a great rest of your weekend!


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## George Saoulidis (Feb 2, 2016)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> she-la-ti-da was the first to volunteer to work on the cover, so she's is in charge of that. I'm going to defer to her judgment whenever possible on the question of the cover.


I actually disagree on that. The cover can make or break this team effort, so it is certainly not first-come-first-served.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

George Saoulidis said:


> I actually disagree on that. The cover can make or break this team effort, so it is certainly not first-come-first-served.


It's not first-come-first-served. It's about respecting the fact that she volunteered from even before I started this new effort, and has continued with her input, encouragement and leadership on this topic since then on a consistent basis. I respect, value and am loyal to that kind of commitment. That won't change.

But instead of this topic, I wish folks would offer her their votes and further ideas on the cover they wish to see for the anthology.

What is your cover concept suggestion, George?


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## George Saoulidis (Feb 2, 2016)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> It's not first-come-first-served. It's about respecting the fact that she volunteered from even before I started this new effort, and has continued with her input, encouragement and leadership on this topic since then on a consistent basis. I respect, value and am loyal to that kind of commitment. That won't change.
> 
> But instead of this topic, I wish folks would offer her their votes and further ideas on the cover they wish to see for the anthology.
> 
> What is your cover concept suggestion, George?


I don't have one because the concept is currently all over the place. "Flash fiction" doesn't mean anything to non-writers. I believe it should be as specific as possible, like the focus on the commute we had earlier.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

So you favor a commuter concept. What title and subtitle is your favorite?


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

As a reader I wouldn't be drawn to a "commuter" themed collection because I don't have a commute. Plus there are several other short fiction collections that have that theme so it's a little hack and it's boring as heck. 

BUT

Everybody has empty time. That's why bathroom readers are so popular. So maybe we could focus on that.

Downtime Abbey
A Minute to Waste (with the word Not scrawled in with an up-carrot pointing to it)
Fiction in a Flash
Time to Lean - Time to Read
What Did I Just Read?
Short Stories for Life's Long Pauses

But honestly, my favorite is still Flash Forward.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

If someone has a moment, it would be interesting to do some market research and see how the top-selling/downloading multi-genre anthologies are branded. That would be something concrete that could help us guide our thinking process.

Thanks for your suggestions, David.


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

jdcore said:


> What Did I Just Read?
> Short Stories for Life's Long Pauses


I like the second one of these two -- it's applicable to a lot of things (waiting rooms, etc.).

I also like the one above it too, except -- on a personal note only -- that it was literally the "headline" somebody used for a very negative review on Amazon about my first self-published novel. (They seemed to have just skimmed through it, since they got multiple things wrong about the story, but still...)

I don't commute either but I'm not too worried about a commuting tie-in. As I mentioned up-thread, though, any situation where someone can read a short story is also a situation where someone can (and often will) read part of a longer one. This makes the when/where angle not something I would consider as a critical element. What is critical is communicating that this is a collection of (very) short stories... which I think is served well by the "long pauses" suggestion above. I also like the visual of a mix of small pieces, with something like Short Story Salsa (can't remember if that was one of the food titles we already touched on, and I'm too lazy to look!).


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

I think 'Short Stories for Life's Long Pauses' would make a fantastic subtitle!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Raquel Lyon said:


> I think 'Short Stories for Life's Long Pauses' would make a fantastic subtitle!


I'm liking that idea.

_30 Short Stories for Life's Long Pauses_


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## Cap&#039;n Crunch (Aug 10, 2009)

Short Stories for Life's Long Pauses makes me think it's something featuring inspirational fiction, and I would avoid it. But that could just be me. To contribute, I like Fiction in a Flash or What Did I Just Read?

Also, I'll have at least one story to you tonight, but I'm hoping for two


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## kdiem (Feb 29, 2016)

I'll be submitting one after I get it back from the editor, so it'll be tomorrow sometime. 

Is there anywhere we'd have to be 99 cents instead of free? I thought everywhere did free, Amazon just took longer to get there. If we do price it at 99 cents somewhere and it actually makes a few dollars, what will be done with that? 

As far as titles:

From a (very) quick look on Amazon, most of the titles have a SHORT TITLE : EXPLANATORY SUBTITLE. For example, something like "Flash Fix: 35 Very Short Stories" would follow the trend. 

My personal preference is for short titles, though I'm OK with the above combination provided the subtitle isn't humongous. Really long titles look like keyword stuffing to me (even if that's not the case).


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## UnicornEmily (Jul 2, 2011)

jdcore said:


> As a reader I wouldn't be drawn to a "commuter" themed collection because I don't have a commute. Plus there are several other short fiction collections that have that theme so it's a little hack and it's boring as heck.
> 
> BUT
> 
> ...


Flash Forward is great. "Short Stories for Life's Long Pauses" is also good.

PLEASE not a bathroom reader theme. I hate those. If it makes me think of toilets, it makes me think it's scatalogical, and I won't want it. I'm sure I'm not the only person who finds bathroom reader themes offputting, and we want something that won't turn off potential readers.

Actually, I think I like "Fiction in a Flash" best. That would be an awesome title.


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## George Saoulidis (Feb 2, 2016)

I actually don't have a problem with any direction this takes. I'm curious to see how much it helps, I haven't been in a multi author book before.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

I think the favorites so far are:

Flash Flood
Flash Forward
Flash Fusion

I have a new proposal:

Fugitive Fiction: 30 extra-short stories to read in a rush

Cover concept: a woman looking over her shoulder, as if chased by someone

If we do this again, we need to set the concept/branding ahead of time. For example, a holiday like Halloween or Christmas. Or a season. Or a month. Or a setting, such as a train, space, airplane, etc.


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> I have a new proposal:
> 
> Fugitive Fiction: 30 extra-short stories to read in a rush


If I bought that i would expect all of the stories to be high velocity thrillers.


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

What about?  Flash Forward: Short Stories for Life's Pauses


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

jdcore said:


> If I bought that i would expect all of the stories to be high velocity thrillers.


That was my thought also. Strong genre suggestion there.

How about: _Good Stories Come In Small Packages_, with a cover showing an e-reader amid recently-opened wrapping paper.

Or maybe I should get some coffee before offering more lame ideas, ha ha.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

jdcore said:


> If I bought that i would expect all of the stories to be high velocity thrillers.


Yes, this is the problem we have. How to brand a multi-genre anthology. Every concept we have includes some genre connotation. OR, it's not an exciting concept. If we go with a humdrum concept, fewer people will read it. If we go with a genre-connoting concept, more people will read it and some will be disappointed.

I'd rather have the latter outcome. Even if they leave bad reviews, those are still reviews. Controversy sells.

And they're getting this for free.

And now that we did one, we can do the next one better, with a strong concept from the beginning that we all write to.



Crenel said:


> How about: _Good Stories Come In Small Packages_, with a cover showing an e-reader amid recently-opened wrapping paper.


Here's the thing, and no offense intended to you Stuart, but where is the inherent tension in that title? The title has to promise conflict or else it's got nothing to hook readers with.



Hurricane John said:


> What about? Flash Forward: Short Stories for Life's Pauses


It's definitely a promising option.


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

[/quote]


Hurricane John said:


> What about? Flash Forward: Short Stories for Life's Pauses


I like it, but with one tweak. If we're going for brevity I'd scratch the word Life's and keep the word Long.

Flash Forward: Short Stories for Long Pauses

It has the duality thing going for it.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

jdcore said:


> Long Pauses


Here's the thing with that. It has the word 'long,' therefore I immediately think the book or the stories are long. People browsing these things don't take the time to process the language. They just skim. So I think we definitely don't want the word 'long' in the title or subtitle.


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## archaeoroutes (Oct 12, 2014)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> And now that we did one, we can do the next one better, with a strong concept from the beginning that we all write to.


Well said.


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

I'm beginning to wonder whether we'll ever get everyone to agree on a title. 

Any idea how we can make that happen, so we can move on to choosing a cover design?

We probable should have these things ironed out before the editing process is completed.


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## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

Any thoughts on ARCs of this collection?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Hurricane John said:


> I'm beginning to wonder whether we'll ever get everyone to agree on a title.


I suspect I'll have to make an executive decision once submissions close and I see exactly which stories in which genres we have. I'll post that info here.



J.T. Williams said:


> Any thoughts on ARCs of this collection?


I think we should distribute them liberally. Any help with that is very welcome.


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Here's the thing with that. It has the word 'long,' therefore I immediately think the book or the stories are long. People browsing these things don't take the time to process language. They just skim. So I think we definitely don't want the word 'long' in the title or subtitle.


I once read a comedy entitled, "The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul."

There's a great book called "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People " About as negative a title as ever was one.

I think you under estimate the reader.


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> ...Controversy sells....
> 
> Here's the thing, and no offense intended to you Stuart, but where is the inherent tension in that title? The title has to promise conflict or else it's got nothing to hook readers with.


For a _story_, I would (generally) agree. But this is not a story, it is a collection -- and as you've pointed out, it is a collection that lacks any binding concept, other than the length of the stories in it. Sure, conflict sells. Controversy sells. But so does sex. Are we going to have scantily clad models on the cover? I should hope not, because that would not tell the potential reader anything meaningful about the contents. I don't really want my work associated with disappointing readers unless that is the fault of my craft, not merely the result of misleading branding of a collection. The entire point of this is to gain readers, not just to have copies of the collection on as many Kindles as possible. It doesn't matter that it is free in a monetary sense, the reader still invests time & attention and that investment should be respected.

Readers have wide interests, and some will be attracted to the idea of reading our diverse sampling of very short stories because that notion itself appeals to them, just as some choose to read technical books, regional history books, books about animal health, diet books, and so on, all typically lacking conflict, controversy, sex, or other "selling points." We can't please all readers, but we can please those who choose to download and read this book, and in doing so we can gain new readers. Courting negative reviews just to get more reviews is something that should only be done with unanimous agreement of participating authors, because the negative reactions from readers resulting from that strategy can negatively affect any or all authors with works appearing in the collection, and I specifically do not agree with it. If the goal is merely maximum distribution rather than maximum reader satisfaction, then I ask that you remove my submission.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

I'm not saying we have to go an extreme and put naked ladies on the cover. I'm just saying that the title must promise conflict, otherwise it's not doing its job.



Crenel said:


> then I ask that you remove my submission.


I'm just going to be really blunt here. If someone wants to dance the line between being in or out of the anthology over some fine point, then just get the heck out already. I don't have time to engage in this kind of drama and I won't be intimidated. No offense intended, Stuart, and thanks for giving me the opportunity to be really gosh-darned clear about this.

For questions about the purpose of the anthology, please see the first post. I have nothing to add to that first post on that topic.

If there are folks who would like to trade ideas in a relaxed manner about the cover, title, blurb, formatting, etc, I'd love to continue doing that and would be very grateful for the opportunity. It's my intention to reach a consensus and make everybody as happy as possible.


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> I'm just going to be really blunt here. If someone want to dance the line between being in or out of the anthology over some fine point, then just get the heck out already.


I understand that you may be frustrated about the to-do that was made earlier about the email list requirement, but taking the risk of poisoning an author's reputation (or at least alienating readers when the stated goal is to gain more readers) is not "some fine point." It is a major issue that every contributor should look seriously at.

Nothing in your first post indicates "we're going to snare as many downloads as we can, bad reviews be damned." Nothing in your first post indicates "we must create an impression of tension, controversy or conflict." On the other hand, your first post does ask others to help you with marketing. That is exactly what I'm doing -- because marketing starts with the plan, not with the execution. Or do you now want to amend your first post to indicate that you don't want help marketing at the planning stage and only want others to help you implement what you've unilaterally decided is a good idea?


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

I will add to my comment about where marketing begins -- it really begins with understanding the product that you're trying to promote. If you think you need to express tension/conflict in the title of this collection, I think you fundamentally do not understand the product.


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## ConnieBDowell (Feb 15, 2016)

And... I just squeaked in before the 8th was over, but I've submitted my story!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

ConnieBDowell said:


> And... I just squeaked in before the 8th was over, but I've submitted my story!


Got it, Connie, thanks!


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## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

there is a way to put a survey in here correct?
Put the top 5 titles and everyone votes.
First past the post.
If two are real close then have a second vote off.

Yay democracy.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

We can have a poll for titles. I'm not sure if it's limited to a certain number of choices on the forum, but it can be done. It might be better to have it done off the boards, since this isn't of general interest. Perhaps there could be two, one for the title/subtitle and one for cover concept (which would probably need to be done after the title is chosen).

Speaking of the title, I'm not sure we need conflict so much as it needs to be intriguing while not being indicative one on particular genre. I think that's why the first anthology did so well, since it focused on the content, which was stories. That was one reason I put forward "Tidbits", as it's general enough, kind of an interesting word, and doesn't scream SF, or horror, or romance, or anything else. The blurb is where we make it clear what sort of stories will be in the volume, so I think having a title that grabs attention in a general way would be best.

I'd like to point out that while I volunteered to do the cover, it was never my intent to just decide what the final outcome was. I'm a participant just like the rest of you. I want us to discuss the issues and vote on what to name the anthology, just as we did the last time.

I made up some samples, going by titles and image ideas that were being talked about, but they were never more than something to give everyone a rough idea about how the cover _could_ look. Not what it absolutely was going to be.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Did a general web search on multi author short story anthologies just to see what came up. Here's the link: https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&biw=836&bih=494&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=multi+author+short+story+anthologies&oq=multi+author+short+story+anthologies&gs_l=img.3...11114.13110.1.13773.12.9.0.0.0.0.461.1362.2-1j2j1.4.0....0...1c.1.64.img..11.0.0.kUFntbG25AM

Ignore any sexy covers, please. For some reason, when I put the filter on, the results were more sexy, not less. I think Google is messing with me. 

From what I'm seeing -- and I didn't check them all out -- we could pretty much do whatever. Most of these anthologies are themed, though, so it makes ours a bit more tricky. Still, I think we have enough brain power to come up with something good.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

I did some research as well and, indeed, most of the results were erotica. Of the rest, all had some identifiable genre or other strong theme. The only one that didn't was the Stories on the Go anthology.

BTW, intrigue? That's conflict. 

Also, I'm not putting the burden of final decisions on you, simply respecting the fact that you offered to take a leadership role on this topic.

On the question of a poll, I'm not interested. Good decisions aren't made by committee and this isn't a democracy.

I'm still interested to hear more ideas tho! Thanks everyone!


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

Actually focus groups work pretty well.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

jdcore said:


> Actually focus groups work pretty well.


Hey, if you want to influence the title, subtitle, cover and blurb, then just do it. Speak your piece. Generate and discuss ideas.

I'll check back on the 22nd.


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

she-la-ti-da said:


> We can have a poll for titles. I'm not sure if it's limited to a certain number of choices on the forum, but it can be done. It might be better to have it done off the boards, since this isn't of general interest. Perhaps there could be two, one for the title/subtitle and one for cover concept (which would probably need to be done after the title is chosen).


I just went through the posts and isolated all of the title suggestions that any person seconded. I then stripped apart any that had a subtitle and made two distinct lists - title and subtitle.

Here's the list:

I, Story
A Flash in the Pocket
Tidbits
Flash Forward
Bite-Sized Stories
Fair Trade Fiction
Flash Picks
Flash Fiction Fusion
Flash Flood
What Did I Just Read?
Finction in a Flash

: A Collection of Tall Tales and Short Stories
: A Very Short Fiction Anthology
: Commuter Fiction
: 30 extra-short stories for your commute
: Short Stories for Life's Long Pauses
: Flash Blend
: A multi-genre flash fiction anthology
: Awesome Stories for your Kindle

I propose we set up a thread asking the forum to act as a focus group and narrow our options to two titles and two subtitles, and then George can make an executive decision from there. I think doing it on the boards is fine. Helping our fellow authors is of general interest.

If three of you say AYE I'll git'er done.


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

I'll give you an AYE    but ultimately it will be George's decision.


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

Incidentally, these were the most popular cover themes to date:


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> BTW, intrigue? That's conflict.
> 
> [...]
> 
> On the question of a poll, I'm not interested. Good decisions aren't made by committee and this isn't a democracy.


Not interested _anymore_. Your first post states "Perhaps we'll run a poll at a later date."

Also, there's a basic difference between "I'm intrigued by this collection of stories" and "I'm intrigued by the [insert-genre-here] stories in this collection." The first project, which this project is undeniably derived from (you didn't start with a blank slate), did not use conflict in the title. It is just "stories."



Crenel said:


> It is a major issue that every contributor should look seriously at.


But apparently it is an issue that does not merit an answer from the project lead who somehow thinks that people being motivated to avoid risks is an attempt at "intimidating" him.

Please remove my submission. This project has strayed so far from the original (I'll appease the moderators by not saying where I think it has strayed) that I am not interested, nor am I willing to alienate readers just to achieve a high download count. That's spammy behavior. Others can choose what they want, obviously, and hopefully they're paying attention to the direction this train is headed.

I'm out.


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## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

'Shrug'.

I think we all need to take a deep breath and relax.  Assembling this and being lead in anyway is a lot of stress and pressure.  

Thanks to everyone participating and I like:
Flash picks

30(or the final number) short stories for your commute

I liked the poll idea so that WE could vote and come out with leads on it.  There is so much to sift through and the days are short.

Thank you JDCORE.

back to work and packing and finding little wawa.


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

tomgermann said:


> I liked the poll idea so that WE could vote and come out with leads on it. There is so much to sift through and the days are short.
> 
> Thank you JDCORE


Ill count that as an "Aye."


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

Well, I thought it was a good idea, but apparently not.


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## rs.ramanujam (Aug 7, 2016)

Got couple of mine in right on the 8th. Eager to see the story-kaleidoscope come out.

/Ram

My Author Page


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## UnicornEmily (Jul 2, 2011)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Fugitive Fiction: 30 extra-short stories to read in a rush
> 
> Cover concept: a woman looking over her shoulder, as if chased by someone


That would be fantastic for a thriller anthology! (That's what that says: this is an anthology of thriller short stories.) Maybe you should put one together, George. 



GeorgeDonnelly said:


> If we do this again, we need to set the concept/branding ahead of time. For example, a holiday like Halloween or Christmas. Or a season. Or a month. Or a setting, such as a train, space, airplane, etc.


I would SO not mind contributing to a Christmas anthology. That thing would get downloaded like crazy. Halloween might be a good option, too (or even Valentine's Day).

Having a loose theme that fits all of the short stories next time is probably a good idea, but even more than that (because you want it to be *very* loose, given disparate genres): shall we choose a title ahead of time next time? That might be a good idea.

Speaking for myself, at least, I'd love for there to be a "next time." 



Crenel said:


> How about: _Good Stories Come In Small Packages_, with a cover showing an e-reader amid recently-opened wrapping paper.


I quite like that. Even if we don't use it for this anthology, we should do something like that for a Christmas anthology. We could call it "A Gift of Stories" or something.



kdiem said:


> Is there anywhere we'd have to be 99 cents instead of free? I thought everywhere did free, Amazon just took longer to get there. If we do price it at 99 cents somewhere and it actually makes a few dollars, what will be done with that?


My vote is, any money that gets made from the anthology goes into promoting it. The occasional Bknights or something. That would make it very easy.



GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Here's the thing with that. It has the word 'long,' therefore I immediately think the book or the stories are long. People browsing these things don't take the time to process the language. They just skim. So I think we definitely don't want the word 'long' in the title or subtitle.


I had the same thought. I think, given that they're very short short stories, we want to avoid anything that would give the opposite impression.

Also, "flash fiction" is a pretty well known term among short story readers, as well as writers. There are an awful lot of short story magazines and anthologies that use it. It's not jargon, just a definition that most readers will have at least passing familiarity with.



GeorgeDonnelly said:


> I think we should distribute them liberally. Any help with that is very welcome.


I have some fabulous ARC readers. I'd be happy to offer it to them.

Also, thank you for assembling that list, jdcore! It's helpful to sort through and pick through.

Of the options, I like Fiction in a Flash and Tidbits the best. Flash Flood is fun, too (though that sounds like it's adventure-themed), as is Flash Forward (though that sounds like it's science fiction-themed). Of the potential covers you uploaded, I like the first one, with the lady on an airplane, and the third one, with the ring of books.

A poll is a terrific idea. I want to see one. If we don't get one set up on the thread, someone should do a Google form with two questions: "What's your favorite title among these options?" and "What's your second favorite title?" That'd be the easiest way to assemble votes. If nobody else wants to do that, I could.


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## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

jdcore said:


> Well, I thought it was a good idea, but apparently not.


Jdcore

Why not just set up the poll and see what happens?

BTW - I gave you an aye in an earlier post.


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## kdiem (Feb 29, 2016)

Personally, I like my previous suggestion _Flash Fix_ best, but I'm biased toward puns.

_Flash Flood_ isn't bad either, and has more of the "tension" George wants.


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## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

Leaving for the boonies for almost 2 weeks.  No internet other than phone and that limited.
Be safe everyone and argue on!


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## ConnieBDowell (Feb 15, 2016)

jdcore said:


> I just went through the posts and isolated all of the title suggestions that any person seconded. I then stripped apart any that had a subtitle and made two distinct lists - title and subtitle.
> 
> Here's the list:
> 
> ...


Thanks for putting together this list, jd.

I'd have been in favor of a focus group thread, but, as it doesn't seem to have happened and this is the thread George will be checking anyway, I'll add my thoughts on the proposed titles here.

What Did I Just Read? and Fair Trade Fiction seem like nos to me. We hope our stories are memorable, and What Did I Just Read? to me implies either forgettable or indecipherable. Fair Trade Fiction, while it's an attention-getting name, could be interpreted as indicating our anthology supported a charity.

The definite nos to me on the subtitle list are Commuter Fiction (readers could think we had a transportation theme to our stories) and Awesome Stories for Your Kindle (what if they are reading on some other device?).

The winners in my book are Flash Fiction Fusion and among subtitles A Collection of Tall Tales and Short Stories, A Very Short Fiction Anthology, or A multi-genre flash fiction anthology. Basically, simple and descriptive works.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Thanks everyone for your ideas during the long interregnum.  I'm mulling them over. If you guys want to do a poll, go for it. I don't guarantee I'll take the results seriously though.

Just a warning, I may be a day or two late on the draft. But I am on it.



UnicornEmily said:


> That would be fantastic for a thriller anthology! (That's what that says: this is an anthology of thriller short stories.) Maybe you should put one together, George.
> 
> I would SO not mind contributing to a Christmas anthology. That thing would get downloaded like crazy. Halloween might be a good option, too (or even Valentine's Day).
> 
> ...


How about this? We do flash fiction anthologies around these holidays:

*Halloween*. Publish Oct 17. (We'd have to start organizing it ASAP.)

*Christmas*. Publish Dec 1.

*Valentine's Day*. Publish Feb 1. Heavy on the romance.

*May the 4th* (or Easter or something generally Spring-ish?) Space-ish OR Thriller-focused.

*July 4th*. Publish Jun 15. Summer-themed.

I'd love to hear your ideas, including on titles. I could handle doing up to 6 of these per year.


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

A few of the submissions had problems and I've emailed the respective authors about that.

We have 46 stories total so far. If some of those authors resolve the issues, we might have more.

I'll provide a genre breakdown soon, along with, of course, the draft for proofreading.


----------



## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Edited to add: I just went in and added you to edit permission on Google Docs. Hopefully that is what you needed. 

You sent me an email saying there was a problem, but listed the wrong name? I filled out the form, and sent my story through the Google Doc way back on July 29th or 30th.  Old Rat, New Trick by Lisa Grace.


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## Chris Ifill (Jun 12, 2015)

How about this? We do flash fiction anthologies around these holidays:

*Halloween*. Publish Oct 17. (We'd have to start organizing it ASAP.)

*Christmas*. Publish Dec 1.

*Valentine's Day*. Publish Feb 1. Heavy on the romance.

*May the 4th* (or Easter or something generally Spring-ish?) Space-ish OR Thriller-focused.

*July 4th*. Publish Jun 15. Summer-themed.

I'd love to hear your ideas, including on titles. I could handle doing up to 6 of these per year.
[/quote]

I missed the deadline on this project. I love this idea of seasonal anthologies. So count me in.


----------



## archaeoroutes (Oct 12, 2014)

Definitely up for a May 4th space-ish one.

I wonder with the current one if it might be worth organising them into genre sections within the book. Obviously, that would only really work if there are a several per genre.


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## Melanie Tomlin (Nov 9, 2015)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> How about this? We do flash fiction anthologies around these holidays:
> 
> *Halloween*. Publish Oct 17. (We'd have to start organizing it ASAP.)
> 
> ...


Sounds like a wonderful idea to publish around various holidays. It will be a great way to test the waters with new genres, provided my stories aren't hideous failures.


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## UnicornEmily (Jul 2, 2011)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> How about this? We do flash fiction anthologies around these holidays:
> 
> *Halloween*. Publish Oct 17. (We'd have to start organizing it ASAP.)
> 
> ...


YES. This is a fantastic idea. George, you are rocking it out of the park! Thank you for organizing all of this!

May the Fourth for space-themed is a definite yes. Star Wars Day would be the perfect day to do that.

I have a Halloween short story I can start writing right away! Assuming you do all these (yes yes), will the guidelines be the same as before? No more than 1,500 words (preferably fewer than 1,000), needs to be something new and not a reprint, up to three short stories per author?


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

> If you guys want to do a poll, go for it. I don't guarantee I'll take the results seriously though.


I think you should take it seriously. It worked pretty well for the first anthology, and there's no reason why it wouldn't for this one. We should probably hurry it along, though.

On the subject of upcoming themes, I vote for doing the next one as a Christmas/winter holiday theme. Those seem to do well, though any of the others could work also. I couldn't do a Halloween/October thing this year, as I've committed to doing a story for an anthology that's due then, and if we're having this much trouble getting going, I doubt we could do much except get this one on time.

If you meant doing these all for next year, hm. I don't know. Perhaps if you set up the title, specific requirements and chose the cover art, then it might work. Less getting opinions and more flogging people to get in by the deadlines! lol


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

archaeoroutes said:


> I wonder with the current one if it might be worth organising them into genre sections within the book. Obviously, that would only really work if there are a several per genre.


That's definitely my plan.



UnicornEmily said:


> I have a Halloween short story I can start writing right away! Assuming you do all these (yes yes), will the guidelines be the same as before? No more than 1,500 words (preferably fewer than 1,000), needs to be something new and not a reprint, up to three short stories per author?


Yes, unless someone has a different proposal, I'm thinking of doing exactly what you suggested and actually turning all of these into a series of indie flash fiction anthologies.



she-la-ti-da said:


> Perhaps if you set up the title, specific requirements and chose the cover art, then it might work. Less getting opinions and more flogging people to get in by the deadlines! lol


You read my mind. I'm thinking I'll get the cover ahead of time, set the title and take it from there.

BTW, we're up to 50 story submissions. Some won't make it in but that's pretty solid I think.

I'm going to post the Halloween anthology later today.

Thanks everyone for your support.


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Hi guys, here is the announcement for the Halloween anthology: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,240566.0.html

It's mostly the same, with a couple small changes:


I might sell it and use the funds raised to promote the Halloween anthology and the future seasonal/themed ones.
The theme, title and cover are set from day one.
The writing time is a bit shorter at 5 weeks. But feel free to bounce ideas and drafts off of me in order to make up for that.

Looking forward to this and hope you'll join me!


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Here's the schedule for the other anthologies in the series:

*Flash Flood # 3: Christmas. Dec 1*

10 weeks to write
Announce Sep 1
Stories Due Nov 10
Proofing Nov 17
Publish Dec 1

*Flash Flood # 4: Valentine's Day. Jan 31, 2017*

10 weeks to write
Announce Nov 1
Stories Due Jan 10
Proofing Jan 17
Publish Jan 31

*Flash Flood # 5: Space Opera. May 4, 2017*

9.5 weeks to write
Announce Feb 1
Stories Due Apr 10
Proofing Apr 17
Publish May 4

*Flash Flood # 6: Independence/thrillers. Jun 15, 2017*

9 weeks to write
Announce March 23
Stories Due May 25
Proofing Jun 1
Publish Jun 15


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## UnicornEmily (Jul 2, 2011)

Thanks, George!  Dates marked on my calender.


----------



## archaeoroutes (Oct 12, 2014)

Are we going with Flash Flood? No complaints here (seeing as I suggested it).
Actually, it works even better for a series title IMHO.


----------



## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

archaeoroutes said:


> Are we going with Flash Flood? No complaints here (seeing as I suggested it).
> Actually, it works even better for a series title IMHO.


Agreed.


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

I'm going with Flash Flood as the series title. Thanks for that, Alasdair!

As for the name of this volume, I'm about 95% set on "Bite-Sized Stories: A multi-genre flash fiction anthology."

As for the cover, I'm going to accept Jessica Richardson's generous offer. (http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,236937.msg3340401.html#msg3340401 ).


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## jessie520 (Jul 26, 2015)

Love the idea of seasonal anthologies. The space themed one sounds particularly clever.  

And I agree, Flash Flood works well as a series title.


----------



## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

back from the ex.  the joys of getting seriously sick.

ummm am I in?

I LOVE the May 4th(ish) idea and have some ideas.  any more details and I would love to participate if you would have me.


----------



## kdiem (Feb 29, 2016)

How's this coming? I haven't received anything to proof yet, and I checked my spam folders...


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Apologies for the delay! I am a little behind schedule. Almost done going through the stories. Then I have to format them all the same, add the bios, then create a mailing list, export the draft anthology and email you guys. I'm thinking this weekend is likely.

Thanks for your patience and, again, my apologies. I will post here as soon as I send out the email with the draft anthology.


----------



## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Apologies for the delay! I am a little behind schedule. Almost done going through the stories. Then I have to format them all the same, add the bios, then create a mailing list, export the draft anthology and email you guys. I'm thinking this weekend is likely.
> 
> Thanks for your patience and, again, my apologies. I will post here as soon as I send out the email with the draft anthology.


George - Sounds like you've got your hands full. Thanks again for doing this.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Hurricane John said:


> George - Sounds like you've got your hands full. Thanks again for doing this.


It's fun for me. It's very painful for me tho when I decide not to include a story. That's emotionally tough for me. And I regret being behind schedule. But it will be done very soon.


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## kdiem (Feb 29, 2016)

Yes, thank you for the update and your hard work.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> {snip}
> 
> As for the cover, I'm going to accept Jessica Richardson's generous offer. (http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,236937.msg3340401.html#msg3340401 ).


That's for this volume, or the Halloween one?


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

For this one.


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## ConnieBDowell (Feb 15, 2016)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Apologies for the delay! I am a little behind schedule. Almost done going through the stories. Then I have to format them all the same, add the bios, then create a mailing list, export the draft anthology and email you guys. I'm thinking this weekend is likely.
> 
> Thanks for your patience and, again, my apologies. I will post here as soon as I send out the email with the draft anthology.


Good to know I haven't missed anything. Thanks for all your hard work, George. I can't believe this is so close to coming out.


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Hi guys, again my apologies for the delay.

We have 33 stories from 25 authors. Here's the breakdown by genre.

Science Fiction 10
Fantasy 10
Horror 9
Mystery 2
Romance 1
Other 1

I decided not to include 17 stories. This was a very difficult process for me but that's the way it is.

Here are the stories I've selected, organized by genre in the same order as above, but the individual stories are in no particular order.

My Pending Story © 2016 George Donnelly (still finishing it up)
Raven9 © 2016 George Donnelly 
Doubleplusunhate © 2014 George Donnelly 
I Shouldn’t Have Eaten the Space Crab ©  2016 Phronk
The Price © 2016 Adan Ramie 
A Report To The Commissioner © 2016 Griffin Carmichael
No Rest for the Reannotated © 2016 George Saoulidis
Shutdown Triggers © 2016 K. D. McAdams
Slamming On The Brakes © 2016 Michael Barbato-Dunn
Corporate Marines © 2016 Tom Germann

The Highwayman © 2016 Jesse Thomas 
8N © 2016 Adam Hughes
Heartland Hike © 2014 Adam Hughes
Tiny Trophies © 2011 Adam Hughes
A Question of Blood  © 2016 Raquel Lyon
Afternoon Tea And Tentacles © 2016 Griffin Carmichael
All Clear © 2016 Brian Manning
Aunt Ruby's Jam Cake © 2016 Jaleta Clegg 
The Infected © 2015 Marilyn Vix

A Father's Mercy © 2016 J.T. Williams
Blood of Harrodarr © 2016 J.T. Williams
Dark Dealings, a Moonlight Dragon Series Flash Fic © 2016 Tricia Owens
Death Or Eternity © 2016 Lynda Belle
Hair of the Dog © 2016 Connie B. Dowell
Octopus © 2016 Karen Diem
Surge © 2016 Brian Manning
The Silent Princess © 2014 Emily Martha Sorensen
The Weeds within the Rulership © 2016 Emily Martha Sorensen
The First Dragon Charmer © 2016 JC Kang

FTS © 2016 J. David Core
Murder in the Neighborhood © 2015 Jamie Campbell

The Bull Rider’s Proposal aka The Longest Eight Seconds in The History of the World © 2016 Jennifer Lewis

The Poet in the Park © 2016 Andrew K. Lawston

I'm still tidying up the draft and putting together the email list of authors. I should have the draft out tomorrow. Once again, I feel horrible about the delay but don't worry, we'll just push back the publication date a little.


----------



## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

Hi George.  did I call the story Corporate Marines?  that is actually the universe it is set in.  title should be:  Problem Solving


----------



## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

Sigh      Good luck with the anthology.


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Hurricane John said:


> Sigh  Good luck with the anthology.


 I hope you'll give me another chance with the Halloween anthology.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Hi guys! The draft of the anthology is heading out right now for your email inboxes. Take a week or so and reply back to the email with any issues you discover.

We'll push the publication date back to Sep 12.

Thanks!


----------



## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

nothing received yet in any folders


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

tomgermann said:


> nothing received yet in any folders


I sent it to your gmail account. Check the spam folder perhaps?


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

I need your help with acknowledgments. Whom do we need to thank? KBoards, the cover artist, Andrew and Stories on the Go #1..

Who else? TIA!


----------



## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

I've been through all 3 email accounts all folders.  nothing in yet


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## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

cancel my last.
I found it under promo email


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Here's the Christmas anthology: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,241013.0.html


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## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

George, I just send you an email.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

J.T. Williams said:


> George, I just send you an email.


Got it, thanks. I'll be publishing direct to Amazon, Nook, iTunes, Google, Kobo, maybe Smashwords... anywhere else you guys want it published? I'm not a fan of intermediaries like D2D. Aiming for permafree everywhere and I will provide PDF, MOBI and EPUB files to all my co-authors so we can share it with our mailing lists free of charge.

Still shooting for the 12th, yes. Tho, personally, I'm skeptical. I have a ton of projects going on. It shouldn't be more than a couple days late. Thanks for your patience!


----------



## kdiem (Feb 29, 2016)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Got it, thanks. I'll be publishing direct to Amazon, *Nook*, iTunes, Google, Kobo, maybe Smashwords... anywhere else you guys want it published? I'm not a fan of intermediaries like D2D. Aiming for permafree everywhere and I will provide PDF, MOBI and EPUB files to all my co-authors so we can share it with our mailing lists free of charge.


Don't you have to go through a distributor to be free on Nook?

If you truly hate going through distributors, D2D creates lovely files with little to no prep work and you can use the same file for them as for other places. Smashwords always requires their own special file formatted their way--extra work for you--but they do sell direct as well as distribute.



GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Still shooting for the 12th, yes. Tho, personally, I'm skeptical. I have a ton of projects going on. It shouldn't be more than a couple days late. Thanks for your patience!


My newsletter is already late for September as I'm waiting on the anthology... can you let us know ASAP when you know for certain if we'll miss the 12th? If it misses that date, I'll probably have to wait to distribute the anthology until the first week of October.


----------



## lyndabelle (Feb 26, 2015)

Just proofed my story and several others, and emailed you needed changes. Let me know if you need more stories proofed. They are all so good. Some of the horror is quite creepy. The fantasy ranges from traditional Tolkien-like sieges to awesome new takes on creating worlds. Loving the several I've read so far. This is going to be better than the first anthology. Think readers are really going to be pleased, and will understand the long wait. It will be worth it!


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

kdiem said:


> Don't you have to go through a distributor to be free on Nook?


Oh, shoot. That's right. Let me think on it.

I will definitely send an email as soon as the anthology is published. Thanks!


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

lyndabelle said:


> Just proofed my story and several others, and emailed you needed changes. Let me know if you need more stories proofed. They are all so good. Some of the horror is quite creepy. The fantasy ranges from traditional Tolkien-like sieges to awesome new takes on creating worlds. Loving the several I've read so far. This is going to be better than the first anthology. Think readers are really going to be pleased, and will understand the long wait. It will be worth it!


Thanks for that! Indeed, the stories in this collection are very, very good (excluding mine). I'm seriously feeling like a lucky duck here to get to be called editor of this awesome collection just for making a few forum posts.


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## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

I read most of the fantasy ones... I didn't know I liked Urban Fantasy!   I plan to keep reading.


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## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

George, is there anything that you need help with? I know this has kept you quite busy.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

J.T. Williams said:


> George, is there anything that you need help with? I know this has kept you quite busy.


Thanks for asking!

Proofreading. I still have to go through and proofread everything myself but errors others catch are helpful.

Then the formatting shouldn't be too complex.

Anyone want to take a crack at the blurb? And keywords?

Then it's just upload, price match, send out emails. That part is not too challenging and is difficult to get help with anyway.


----------



## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

I will start proofing more stories. I've read all of the fantasy ones. I will let you know what/if I find anything.


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## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

read the whole thing.  I caught 3 errors unless the author meant to spell that way.
going to email that to you now


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## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

emailed to you know from my @ tomgermann dot ca account


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Thanks guys!


----------



## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

I read the whole thing and sent you a Word doc with my suggestions, George. Did you get it?


----------



## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

Some (random) thoughts on keywords.

Obviously, we need to target the genres of the collection but we could do this with "stuffing" in the last "keyword spot". I'm assuming most of us are familiar with the list amazon has for how to get into different categories. For the anthology itself, if anyone has been in other anthologies and can give insight on keywords commonly used for something like this, that would be best.


----------



## alawston (Jun 3, 2012)

Most of the small press anthologies I've been involved with to date have been managed pretty badly on the keyword front, so I'm keen to see how this goes, especially as it's such an eclectic collection.


----------



## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

I'm trying to compose my newsletter - which I delayed already for the release on the twelfth. Any idea when we might be releasing?


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

Any word at all?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

If someone can create a blurb I can use, I can give you an editor credit on the copyright page...


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

I also need help identifying whom to thank in the acknowledgments. So far I have:

cover artist Jes Richardson
kboards
andrew
stories on the go #1


----------



## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

I read my own and about six other stories and didn't find any issues. I thought I'd emailed you, but looking through my sent folder, it seems I didn't. Sorry about that.

I intend to read the rest, but so far I'm liking everything I've seen. Good job, everyone!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Idea: What if one of us (not me, I'm already swamped) created a web page with the covers of our books (1 book per author, linked to the amazon store page) in the same style as Patty Jansen does her promo pages (http://pattyjansen.com/promo/) and then we link to to it from the back of the anthology?

If you can create the html, I can host it permanently on my site. I can guide you through the process. Definitely let me guide you through the process in order to avoid lost time.

Right now, the only thing I want is a volunteer (email [email protected]) so don't submit books for inclusion in this yet.

The successful volunteer can have co-editor credit on the copyright page.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

she-la-ti-da said:


> I read my own and about six other stories and didn't find any issues. I thought I'd emailed you, but looking through my sent folder, it seems I didn't. Sorry about that.


I've replied to the ~15 authors who have responded to my request for proofreading so if you think you sent me something on that via email and I haven't replied, then definitely resend it, please. Thanks!


----------



## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Idea: What if one of us (not me, I'm already swamped) created a web page with the covers of our books (1 book per author, linked to the amazon store page) in the same style as Patty Jansen does her promo pages (http://pattyjansen.com/promo/) and then we link to to it from the back of the anthology?
> 
> If you can create the html, I can host it permanently on my site. I can guide you through the process. Definitely let me guide you through the process in order to avoid lost time.
> 
> ...


I like this idea, but where would the covers come from. It's a little late to ask each author to submit a cover. We could go to each author's Amazon page and randomly pick one, but that's not as good as letting the author choose the title.

As for writing the html, we could simply borrow Patty's source code and place it in an editor such as blogger, then in the compose mode we could edit the text and swap out images and the corresponding links. I just tried it as a test, and it works pretty well. Also you could add your personal affiliate code if you hadn't considered that already.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

I know how to do it, just looking for a volunteer.


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

How's this for a blurb?



> Shakespeare said that brevity is the soul of wit. The X brief stories in this collection of flash fiction aim to validate the bard's point. This collection, the first in the Flash Flood series, is a random sampling of genres and voices sure to keep you moving from tale to exciting tale.
> 
> Future installments in the series will focus on a particular theme; but in this somewhat meandering introductory volume, we hope to introduce you to at least a few new writers you've never met before, but who you'll anxiously hope to meet again.
> 
> Whether you read on your tablet, Mac, PC, or phone; on the train, at lunch, or in bed late at night; each story requires only a few minutes commitment of your time, but each also holds the promise of a lifelong introduction to several new favorite authors.


Just throwing it out there as a starting place. Everyone feel free to reconstruct it or tweak to your hearts' content.


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> I know how to do it, just looking for a volunteer.


I could do it, but I don't write html. I use the method described above.


----------



## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

Okay, I'll throw my hat into the ring on the blurb front.

In my opinion, something short, sweet, and to the point, followed by a list of the stories is probably the best idea.

Here's my quick example:



> Featuring a diverse selection of authors writing stories from horror to romance, this collection of 30 short stories makes stolen moments in busy days a delight.
> Whether you're travelling to work or grabbing a quick coffee, why not savour every spare minute and try a new genre?
> You never know, you might just find your next favourite author.


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Right on time, I just got an email from Nook saying I can now set books to free there. Those of you with deeper knowledge of the other retailers, does that solve that problem? TIA


----------



## MarilynVix (Jun 19, 2013)

Raquel Lyon said:


> Okay, I'll throw my hat into the ring on the blurb front.
> 
> In my opinion, something short, sweet, and to the point, followed by a list of the stories is probably the best idea.
> 
> Here's my quick example:


Nice. Short and to the point. ;-)


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Raquel and David, thanks. I'm going to meld those two texts into our blurb and give you both co-editor credits on the copyright page.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Here's what I've got. Your feedback and further ideas welcome:

From a creepypasta horror farm to a bullish love tale and from the bloody metal deck of the ESS Arclight to superhero octopus food trucks, you can transform your shortest stolen moments into utter delights with this diverse collection of 33 flash fiction stories.

Commuting to work? Grabbing a quick coffee? Each story tells a complete tale in but a few short minutes with the added promise of a lifelong introduction to new indie writers.

You never know, you might just find your next favorite author.

This collection, the first in the Flash Flood series, is a special selection of master works with a variety of genres and voices guaranteed to keep you engaged. Sign up now for future flash fiction anthologies themed for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, May the 4th and Independence Day.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Anyone who's in a hurry can grab the PDF, MOBI and EPUBs here. PLEASE, please, do not distribute this link to your mailing list. You will need to download the files from me then upload them as you see fit to your own servers. In any case, this link is temporary and will stop working soon. Thanks.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/g2v5ain11juvemj/AuthorCopies.zip?dl=0


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

I got the zip file, George. Will figure out a place to put it on my web site, or maybe on my own Dropbox. Are we to limit how long people on the list can have to download their preferred file? If so, what time frame are we talking about?

About the proofreading, I just read a few stories other than my own, just looking for random errors, I didn't want any sort of mention or credit. So, we're good.  And I know nothing about doing a web site like you talked about above, so no help there, I'm afraid. I barely got my drag and drop site done without bashing my brains out against the wall. I hate old, slow computers with crappy Internet access. grrrrr


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Hehe, no worries.

The anthology will be free indefinitely on the retailers so please distribute it however you see fit. I think we want this to reach the maximum number of readers. I just don't want to host the file downloads for everyone. 

BTW I hit publish at Kobo, working on Nook now.


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

The blurb is good. No need to credit me as editor.


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

I've published on Kobo, Nook, KDP, Google Play... anywhere else you guys think I should publish it? I might put it on Smashwords later but I have to figure out their formatting rules and it's not a high priority for me.

I was able to add all of the authors as contributors on Kobo and Google Play but only 5 on Nook. I added 10 on Kindle and will put a request in to add the rest. I'll try to get the rest on Nook, too.

I will request the Amazon price match as soon as the book goes live somewhere else.

I used these KDP keywords: Horror, Romance, Mystery & Detective Collections & Anthologies, Science Fiction Collections & Anthologies, flash fiction, anthology, short reads.

I will send out an email to the whole group once it is approved by the retailers.

Thanks everybody! Thanks for being a part of it. This has been fun. Apologies for my lateness. I do hope we can work together again, for example on the Halloween and Christmas anthologies.

Please get in touch with me anytime.


----------



## MarilynVix (Jun 19, 2013)

It's been a pleasure having you in charge, George. I think the whole project would have sunk if you didn't take over, and it would have been a real shame. Thank you so much for taking this on. So excited to finally see it happening. 
Going through and getting ready to launch info on all media. Making up drafts for blog and newsletter. 
So excited it's happening! Squeeeeee!


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

MarilynVix said:


> It's been a pleasure having you in charge, George. I think the whole project would have sunk if you didn't take over, and it would have been a real shame. Thank you so much for taking this on. So excited to finally see it happening.


I'm going to steal this and put it on one of my sites, you're too kind. 



MarilynVix said:


> Going through and getting ready to launch info on all media. Making up drafts for blog and newsletter.
> So excited it's happening! Squeeeeee!


Me too!


----------



## MarilynVix (Jun 19, 2013)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> I'm going to steal this and put it on one of my sites, you're too kind.
> 
> Me too!


No problem. You deserve it! I've formatted my own omnibus edition recently and know how much work this can all be. You're incredible man! Really.


----------



## Michael Barbato-Dunn (Nov 25, 2014)

George, just want to add my thanks for all your hard work on this, and I'm thrilled to be part of this.  Great stuff.

I'm new to all this, so sorry for this newb question.  Beyond giving copies away to those on my mailing list, I will promote to my FB and twitter folks (have 1K+ followers on twitter).  Here's where I'm uncertain: should I direct followers to a landing page of my own, with links to all the outlets, or tell them to sign up for my mailing list to get a free copy directly (or both)?  Or is there a landing page all the contributors are making use of?


----------



## jessie520 (Jul 26, 2015)

Thank you again for all of your hard work in putting this together! I'm excited to be a part of it


----------



## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Michael Barbato-Dunn said:


> Here's where I'm uncertain: should I direct followers to a landing page of my own, with links to all the outlets, or tell them to sign up for my mailing list to get a free copy directly (or both)? Or is there a landing page all the contributors are making use of?


It's up to you but I think the wisest move is to create your own landing page and have them sign up in order to get the anthology. Because the name of the game is to collect email addresses.



jessie520 said:


> Thank you again for all of your hard work in putting this together! I'm excited to be a part of it


----------



## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

George you did a top notch job here with this entire project.  Thank you.

I just grabbed the zip files and will upload soonish (scrambling with some other late projects at this second).  I will push the email newsletter out in a few days.  I THINK fridays are the best.  

oh are we live anywhere yet?  I'll go check it out!

and 2 halloween stories are ready!  Just need to refigure out drop box..... yet again!


----------



## jckang (Jul 10, 2016)

Thanks George, for all of your hard work in this!  Herding Authors can't be easy!


----------



## kdiem (Feb 29, 2016)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> I've published on Kobo, Nook, KDP, Google Play... anywhere else you guys think I should publish it? I might put it on Smashwords later but I have to figure out their formatting rules and it's not a high priority for me. ...


Apple?



GeorgeDonnelly said:


> I was able to add all of the authors as contributors on Kobo and Google Play but only 5 on Nook. I added 10 on Kindle and will put a request in to add the rest. I'll try to get the rest on Nook, too.
> ...


Could all the names be added to the end of the blurb?

For Amazon (alternate idea): Perhaps you could add all the authors to "From the Author" section under "Editorial Reviews"? That appears to be how the _Stories on the Go_ collection lists people? It'd be better for everyone to be up top, but this would at least get their names in it. We're live on Amazon, btw.

Thanks for all the hard work!


----------



## George Saoulidis (Feb 2, 2016)

I suggest we figure out the Smashwords listing as well, because it moves a lot of freebies.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

kdiem said:


> Apple?


Derf. Of course.

Update: OK, I've submitted it to iTunes.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Smashwords formatting is pretty simple:  a .doc, no page breaks, no font over 14 pt (text in 12 pt), no more than a couple of blank lines anywhere. Use Styles for headings. 

You can upload an epub, but they won't convert that, have to do a doc to get other file types done. Choose the formats and stores you want it to be in, and it should go through.

The cover size should be fine, and I think they want a cover in the file unlike Amazon.

It's been a while since I've done anything there, but that's how I did everything before. It's going to be weird to not have page breaks, but that's how they roll.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

I've requested that Amazon and Nook add the other authors. I've also requested the price match at Amazon.

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/bite-sized-stories
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZIUFIW
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bite-sized-stories-george-donnelly/1124651837?ean=2940157129811


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## alawston (Jun 3, 2012)

she-la-ti-da said:


> Smashwords formatting is pretty simple: a .doc, no page breaks, no font over 14 pt (text in 12 pt), no more than a couple of blank lines anywhere. Use Styles for headings.
> 
> You can upload an epub, but they won't convert that, have to do a doc to get other file types done. Choose the formats and stores you want it to be in, and it should go through.
> 
> ...


I'm not 100% as it's been a while for me too on Smashwords, but I think you can have page breaks, they're just not keen on them.

It's very exciting to see this title in the wild!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

The Smashwords version is not happening anytime soon because... God, what a PITA. I'll revisit it in a few weeks perhaps.

TBH, I'm not sure when I will make the time to write notes to the authors whose stories I did not accept. However, if I did not accept 1 or more of your stories, please email me and I will offer the "Edit my Flash Fiction for $5" service to you on 1 of your stories for *free*. Thanks/sorry.


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## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

Thanks for all of your hard work, George! 

Any word from Amazon on adding authors? I know they can take forever responding...


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

J.T. Williams said:


> Any word from Amazon on adding authors? I know they can take forever responding...


Not yet. I just messaged them perhaps 3h ago.

Nook refuses to add more than 5 contributors so I added the other authors in the description there. Kobo, Google Play, iTunes all accept the full author list.

Google Play is also live now. If anyone can find a link to it in their store, I'd appreciate that.


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## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

I've never had any title wide. Is there an easy way to make individual author pages on the other sites?


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## P.T. Phronk (Jun 6, 2014)

I just want to drop in and say THANK YOU, GEORGE! I'm so happy to see this actually happening, and I know how much hard work it is to put things like this together (and thus don't blame anyone for the delays). As soon as it's free, I'll spread the word far and wide.

Congrats, everyone.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

A big, fuzzy, non-shifting bear-huggy thanks back at all you guys for trusting me to see this through!

Once it's free on Amazon, I'll send out an email to everyone so we can start marketing this.

Hey, here's a promo opportunity for everyone who submitted stories, whether I included them or not:

Email [email protected] the ASIN, and ONLY the ASIN, (looks like this: B01C4Y7VWY) of the single (1) Amazon-distributed work you want put in front of Bite-Sized Stories readers. I will add it to a web page on my site that is linked to from the last page of the anthology.

Here's the web page: http://georgedonnelly.com/flashfloodauthors/

Let's fill it up!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Amazon said they would make a decision on the permafree request by Fri Sep 23. The rest of the authors should be added to Amazon within 24h.


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## ConnieBDowell (Feb 15, 2016)

Thanks so much for all your hard work, George. I'm so excited to see the project finally come to fruition!  I hope I can have something ready to submit by the deadline for the Halloween anthology.  Fall is just a super busy time.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

ConnieBDowell said:


> I hope I can have something ready to submit by the deadline for the Halloween anthology. Fall is just a super busy time.


Feel free to take up to an extra week.


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## Michael Barbato-Dunn (Nov 25, 2014)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Amazon said they would make a decision on the permafree request by Fri Sep 23. The rest of the authors should be added to Amazon within 24h.


There are now 25 authors listed on Amazon page, so I assume that means all have now been added.

Thanks George!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Yep, we're 25 authors tho I think there is 1 pen name in there, so 24 "real" people.


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## kdiem (Feb 29, 2016)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> I've requested that Amazon and Nook add the other authors. I've also requested the price match at Amazon.
> 
> Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/bite-sized-stories
> Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZIUFIW
> Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bite-sized-stories-george-donnelly/1124651837?ean=2940157129811


Apple has the book up, though only George is listed as an author. Sorry George, looks like another email!






Google Play's link is:

https://books.google.com/books?id=SV0ZDQAAQBAJ

Edited to add: If you want a shorter link on Nook, try: 
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940157129811


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Here's a quick screenshot to show that I actually did submit everyone's names to iTunes:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lx1jxfe5cngh2hr/Screenshot%202016-09-21%2007.34.44.png?dl=0

I saw something that suggests the multiple authors may need to be in the epub for iTunes to recognize it but if that were so, then why would they offer for you to enter the authors in iTunes Producer?

I'll look into this.

Thanks for the links btw!


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## kdiem (Feb 29, 2016)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Here's a quick screenshot to show that I actually did submit everyone's names to iTunes:
> 
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/lx1jxfe5cngh2hr/Screenshot%202016-09-21%2007.34.44.png?dl=0
> 
> ...


No problem on the links. I figured everyone would want to announce asap.

I assumed the fault was with Apple, not you, George. My comment was more sympathy that you've got another item on your to-do list.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Hehe. 

I think most of us are waiting until it goes permafree on Amazon to start promoting. I have an email prepared to send out to all the authors once that is done (fingers crossed they actually do it!).


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## kdiem (Feb 29, 2016)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Hehe.
> 
> I think most of us are waiting until it goes permafree on Amazon to start promoting. I have an email prepared to send out to all the authors once that is done (fingers crossed they actually do it!).


If something goes wrong with an expected maintenance thing here on Friday, I may not have access online until it gets fixed (possibly not until Monday)... so I figured better to announce with the caveat that Amazon's not free yet than to put it off. No worries. I'll promote again once it's free (assuming my Internet's up).


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## George Saoulidis (Feb 2, 2016)

Well, yes, waiting for the permafree. Isn't that what we said?


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)




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## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

I see it's still .99.  

I got listed as one of the authors after Amazon added the ones that could not be included but I've yet to see the book on my Amazon author page. It seems random to who has it listed and who doesn't... Hopefully, it will automatically update.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

JT, did you go into authorcentral and claim it? That will accelerate the process.

Yeah, I'm checking the price every few hours, too... Grr...


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## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

No, I didn't. I forgot about! 

Did anyone post in the "make it free" thread here on Kboards? Getting other people to report it free might help.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

J.T. Williams said:


> Did anyone post in the "make it free" thread here on Kboards? Getting other people to report it free might help.


I haven't tried it. If someone wants to go for it, that would be great but TBH I don't think it will make any difference. That's just my sense of it.


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## George Saoulidis (Feb 2, 2016)

KDP/Help/Contact us/ Amazon product page/Price matching/ and fill that form there. It always works for me.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

George Saoulidis said:


> KDP/Help/Contact us/ Amazon product page/Price matching/ and fill that form there. It always works for me.


Feel free but, as shown above, I already have a request in.


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## George Saoulidis (Feb 2, 2016)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> Feel free but, as shown above, I already have a request in.


I actually hadn't thought that I could! Yes, I sent one request too. I tell them I want to run a promotion.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Things are going great! I've shared the dropbox links already, but will do another email with the other links and the announcement it's free on Amazon.


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## alawston (Jun 3, 2012)

I see we must have had a sale on .com, as we've suddenly got a ranking. We have a reader!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

alawston said:


> I see we must have had a sale on .com, as we've suddenly got a ranking. We have a reader!


Indeed, someone was willing to spontaneously, without any prompting or inducements, spend 99c on it.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

It's on Smashwords now. Premium distribution is, of course, pending. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/667654


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## MarilynVix (Jun 19, 2013)

J.T. Williams said:


> I see it's still .99.
> 
> I got listed as one of the authors after Amazon added the ones that could not be included but I've yet to see the book on my Amazon author page. It seems random to who has it listed and who doesn't... Hopefully, it will automatically update.


You have to add it to your author's page at Author Central. Once you add it, it might take a couple days to start coming up.


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## MarilynVix (Jun 19, 2013)

MarilynVix said:


> You have to add it to your author's page at Author Central. Once you add it, it might take a couple days to start coming up.


I've already put it up on my blog. I think last time while we waited, the money earned at $0.99 was used for promotion on Freebie sites once it sets to free. 
Everything takes time. Patience young Skywalker. ;-)


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

What the heck...


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

The anthology was accepted for Smashwords Premium distribution and will be going out to Inktera, Baker & Taylor Blio, txtr, Library Direct, Baker-Taylor Axis360, OverDrive, Scribd, Gardners Extended Retail, Yuzu, Tolino, Odilo and Gardners Library.

Still working on getting all the authors on Smashwords but it seems like it might not be possible, so for now I just added the list to the description.

If you'd like to be listed as an author on Smashwords, email me the URL to your Smashwords author page, please.

I also figured out why all the authors weren't showing on iBooks and fixed it.

I've also submitted it for distribution to 24Symbols via Draft2Digital, just for kicks.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

I've gone ahead and started marketing the anthology. I don't think we should hold up a book over just 1 retailer. I've sent an email out to everyone. Let's market this thing!

http://georgedonnelly.com/bite-sized-stories-anthology/


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## archaeoroutes (Oct 12, 2014)

Congratulations.
I've knocked up a blog post to promote it. Hopefully Amazon will have price-matched by it goes out (I've put in a 'report lower price' thing to Amazon - no idea if it'll help).


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

archaeoroutes said:


> Congratulations.
> I've knocked up a blog post to promote it. Hopefully Amazon will have price-matched by it goes out (I've put in a 'report lower price' thing to Amazon - no idea if it'll help).


Thanks, much appreciated Alasdair!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Amazon finally price-matched. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZIUFIW


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

Grabbed a copy. Good luck, everyone!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

We've moved 68 free copies at Amazon so far and sold 5. More than 50 have been downloaded at Smashwords.

Right now, I really need my fellow authors to keep your side of the bargain and start marketing the anthology. So far, it seems only 1/3 of the authors are doing anything noticeable in the way of marketing.

Post an announcement on your website, mail it to your list, share it on social media. You have all the tools you need. Let's make this happen.


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## Michael Barbato-Dunn (Nov 25, 2014)

Will to, this weekend.  Thanks George.


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## P.T. Phronk (Jun 6, 2014)

I've kicked off its Canadian store ranking, and gotten the word out to my mailing list and a few Facebook groups. I'll roll it out to other places gradually, to maximize eyeballs. Looks like it's already climbing the rankings...awesome.


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## P.T. Phronk (Jun 6, 2014)

Look what's #1 in fantasy anthologies in the Canadian store:










And in the top 700 free books overall!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Phronk said:


> Look what's #1 in fantasy anthologies in the Canadian store:
> 
> And in the top 700 free books overall!


Nice work!! Thanks!


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## jckang (Jul 10, 2016)

Shared it with FB on the day it went free, twitter yesterday, mailing list today.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

170 free copies were downloaded yesterday alone.


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## alawston (Jun 3, 2012)

I see we're inside the top #1,500 on UK, as well!


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

Even though I withdrew from the project, it was always my intent to help promote it once it was released as long as the cover and title weren't misleading. I consider it important to help connect authors and readers when they can mutually benefit from doing so. So far, I've announced it in my monthly email newsletter, tweeted about it, and posted a link to it on Google+. I wish you all the best of luck with it, both in distributing copies of it and gaining new readers of your other works.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

btw those authors with works that did not make it into the anthology, feel free to email me and request the $5 editing treatment at no cost.


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## George Saoulidis (Feb 2, 2016)

I emailed on the 1st of October, and I will keep the promo block on my newsletter for a while. I see a huge bump in the ranking, don't know if someone promoted or if the algorithms picked it up. Also emailed a few book-bloggers, got some interested replies, but yet no reviews.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Wow, indeed! #1,053 Free in Kindle Store.










Thanks George!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Here are the downloads so far across platforms:

Amazon 780
Kobo 8
Nook 32
iBooks 17
Google Play 12
Smashwords 83
24Symbols 0

Flash Flood mailing list 9 subscribers


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## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

Looks like we have a review on Amazon...


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

I saw that. I have a few things I want to say about it but I'm just not going to go there. I'm seriously facepalming. It's a real water-is-wet kind of moment.


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## EvilTwinBrian (Jun 20, 2013)

My sad, tiny list had almost zero traction. I'm sharing it on Facebook and Twitter today. Also, I should really focus on building up my list.


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## Michael Barbato-Dunn (Nov 25, 2014)

GeorgeDonnelly said:


> I saw that. I have a few things I want to say about it but I'm just not going to go there. I'm seriously facepalming. It's a real water-is-wet kind of moment.


Hopefully discerning readers will see that review for what it is....


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## Michael Barbato-Dunn (Nov 25, 2014)

George, I'm now promoting the anthology on my site, my newsletter and in social media and other sites that I frequent. Sorry to take so long, but RL been busy.

Hope the other authors who haven't yet join in by promoting.


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## alawston (Jun 3, 2012)

The reviews looked a bit better last time I checked!


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

alawston said:


> The reviews looked a bit better last time I checked!


Thank the universe. I've been mashing the helpful button on those 2 new 4-star reviews. I'm about to ask my list and social media folks for some help with that again, too.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Hi guys, if anyone should feel so inclined to support my new editing enterprise, I welcome any honest comments you care to share about my editing abilities at http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,243018.0.html. If it doesn't feel right, please ignore this request.

You might also enjoy my unique pitch, though, which involves secret babies and grammar salt mines.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

Alright, who stepped on the gas? 

This book has been downloaded 117 times so far today on Amazon alone and is at #932 Free.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZIUFIW

Yay!

5PM Eastern: #770 Free!


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## P.T. Phronk (Jun 6, 2014)

Wow, #345 in free as of 8:00pm Eastern. 

I had a small Instafreebie promo go out today, but I doubt it could account for that much cross-traffic. Whatever caused it, I'm happy about it!


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

That was prob me. I was in an instafreebie promo and sent a welcome email to 1300 new new subs with the link.


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## George Donnelly (Mar 5, 2012)

jdcore said:


> That was prob me. I was in an instafreebie promo and sent a welcome email to 1300 new new subs with the link.


Kudos! We've got 160 downloads so far today, compared with 12 yesterday.


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