Alan Baxter's Blog, page 78

George Lucas Strikes Back

This is just brilliant. It's a fantastic bit of faux trailer-making in its own right, but it's also a brilliant concept. I so wish this was actually the case. It really is the only thing that would make any sense in an ideal world. Sadly, what really happened is that George Lucas disappeared up his own arsehole and has spent the last decade systematically raping the childhood memories of us all. But let's not dwell on such things and just enjoy this awesome piece of work:

Here's the thing on YouTube.

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Crowdfunding or panhandling? The new arts funding.

This is going to be one of those posts where I ramble on without any real direction and hope I discover a point along the way. "How is that different to any of your other posts?" you ask. Well, screw you. You're the one reading. In truth it's because I have a lot of thoughts on this subject, and I'm keen to discuss it, but no really firm opinion yet. And I'm not the kind of person who would usually be described as lacking in opinion. Let's start with a description of the concept.

Crowdfunding is something that's not really new, but something that's gained massive traction in the internet age. Essentially it works like this: Someone comes up with an idea that needs funding. They ask "the people" if they would support said idea by pledging cash. If enough cash is pledged to pay for the idea, the people are charged and the idea goes ahead. If not enough moolah is pledged, no one is charged and the idea sinks like a lead turd, never to be spoken of again.

It's not unlike general arts funding, except everyday folk are approached for the cash. And the internet makes it especially easy with sites like Kickstarter and Pozible streamlining the whole process. People pledging money tend to get something out of it too. They can chip in a small amount just for the warm feelings of contributing to something worthwhile, or they can pledge more and get something tangible if the idea goes ahead. For example, if it's an event being crowdfunded a pledge of a certain amount could include a ticket to the event. A higher pledge might include a VIP pass. Higher still and you get a VIP pass and a t-shirt. And so on. There are all kinds of incentives. And it's becoming de rigeur for arts funding. Which is, on the one hand, great – it helps to get arts things funded. On the other hand, it's fucked – arts things should be government funded anyway, but the sad reality is that they're not. And they get funded less and less all the time. But I'm going to avoid a political tirade here and just talk about the concept of crowdfunding.

My first direct experience of it was with a Kickstarter project where film-maker Christopher Salmon was asking for funds to make a short film of Neil Gaiman's short story, The Price. For a fully-realised animated feature he needed $150,000 of funding. Neil Gaiman himself endorsed the idea (which is how I heard about it via Twitter) and the thing went viral. The funding has hit $161,774 and the short film is being made. I kicked in and my contribution will result in me receiving a DVD of the film when it's made. The Price is one of my favourite Gaiman shorts, so I'm dead chuffed about that.

I'm now directly involved in another crowdfunded project. The Emerging Writers Festival wants to run a digital publishing event up in Brisbane and they asked me to be involved with one of the panels. I was happy to oblige, but the whole thing can only go ahead if it gets funding from the people, as the government are so tight they eat coal and shit diamonds. The project has hit its goal. Sweet – I'm going to Brisbane. Here it is.

These are examples of great ideas becoming real because the people behind the ideas asked the public if they would be interested, and the public responded by making it happen. Kinda awesome, no?

But it's gone beyond that. I've noticed several "name" authors using Kickstarter or something similar to finance a new novel. They're completely skipping the publisher and using ebook and Print On Demand technology, essentially self-publishing so they don't need a publisher. But, and this is important, they're recognising the need for professionals in editing, proofing, layout, cover design and so on. All of which costs money. Plus, they want to be paid for their efforts. I know! Authors expecting to be paid! Are they mad? Yes – mad as a hessian sack full of Hatters in Wonderland. But then again, we all know writers are mad. We wouldn't be writers if we weren't stark raving bonkers. So these authors have asked the fans to kick in if they want to see the book.

This is truly the most democratic path to publishing you can imagine, as only those people who want to read the book will contribute. Therefore, if the total requested is raised, the book will happen. (If only trad publishers had anything like that assurance when putting out a new book.)

However, and here's the real rub, those authors need a fan base in the first place. I'm quite okay with self-publishing and indie publishing, as regular readers here well know. I've had a varied path to publication myself and have dabbled like a mischievous sorcerer in a variety of methods. Any path that leads where you're going is the right path.

Yet I know that some newbies in the writing game – and other areas of the arts for that matter – see crowdfunding as a way to get a start without having to work so hard. The trouble is, someone with no real following, without any proven track record or an existing fan base, will have a hell of a job getting any cash at all through a crowdfunded project. Like those self-publishers really nailing the market, especially with ebooks, who are actually trading on their past publishing success, only established artists are likely to get any crowdfunded money. The Amanda Hockings of this world are most certainly the exceptions not the rules, as I discussed at length here. People trying to start out will still be struggling along like tiny minnows against the flooding tide of existing artists.

Of course, you're always going to get those who buck the trends and emerge out of obscurity like a lucky butterfly made of cash, but they're going to be very rare. I guess it's fair in some ways – we all need to work hard to get successful. I think there's something fundamentally damaging about success that comes too easily. Then again, I work like a son-of-a-bitch and success is a slow burn for me. So maybe I'm just bitter. But people expecting a handout without proving themselves are unlikely to get one, and that's where this is different from panhandling. After all, it's far easier to ignore a beggar on the internet who wants you to fund their desire to write than it is to ignore someone on the street who's really doing it tough and simply trying to eat. The truly destitute in society need our compassion and assistance. Would-be writers crying out online, pleading with people to pay their rent and grocery bills while they try to make a go of writing, do not. They need to do something to earn our attention, then maybe we'd be more inclined to throw a few shekels their way and see if they can climb a rung or two of the ladder.

It sounds harsh and I don't want to be accused of ignoring the struggle of emerging talent, or stepping on people trying to get a start in this game. Thor knows, I've struggled hard enough myself, and still do. But I've mentioned it before, determination and hard bloody work are as important as talent in this game. If you can wrangle a few bucks out of people without proving yourself first, more power to you. I wish anyone trying it the best of luck. But don't get shitty when you post a Kickstarter saying you want five grand to try to finish your first novel and get pretty much sweet fuck all. We'd all have loved five grand to finish our first novels, but none of us got it and we went ahead and did the work anyway. Of course, a few people do get actual arts grants for this stuff but, like the established writers making a go of crowdfunding their next books, those arts grant recipients had some history to prove themselves worthy of receiving said grant.

So I guess my opinion really is this – I see the whole new trend in crowdfunding to be an extremely exciting thing. Let the voice of the people be heard. It's a great way to finance things which might otherwise slip under the radar and never happen. But I don't think it's a way for unknown names – in any field of endeavour – to suddenly circumvent that harsh crucible of slaving away at their art like a motherfucker while also scraping a living, engaging personal relationships and generally being a human person. Which is a shame, but I guess these things aren't easy for a reason. I compare it often to my life as a martial artist, and like I often tell my students, "Kung Fu is seriously hard work. After all, if it was easy, everyone would do it."

I'm certainly interested in your comments on the subject, so do chime in below.

And maybe I'll see you in Brisbane!

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Chuck Wendig – the writer other writers need to read

How do you like that blog post title? Make sense? It should, and it's true. I came across Chuck's work from a variety of sources, mostly Twitter-related. And I'm glad I did. You'll thank me too. I take thanks in the form of alcohol and sexual favours. Or you could buy my books to express your thanks. See what I did there? What are you thanking me for, you ask? How many questions can I put into an opening paragraph? Shall I see? Don't push me, punks.

Perhaps I've had too much coffee today.

Chuck Wendig is a "novelist, screenwriter and freelance penmonkey". Here's his bio:

Chuck Wendig is equal parts novelist, screenwriter, and game designer. He currently lives in the wilds of Pennsyltucky with wife, dog, and newborn progeny. His "vampire in zombieland" novel, DOUBLE DEAD, releases in November, 2011, and he just signed a two-book deal for BLACKBIRDS and MOCKINGBIRD with Angry Robot Books. He has two e-books available: a book of profane writing advice (CONFESSIONS OF A FREELANCE PENMONKEY) and a short story collection (IRREGULAR CREATURES).

"So what do I care?" you're asking. He's just making you jealous with his success. Well, that's why you should read his blog and his books. He's the hardest working motherfucker in writing, as far as I can tell. The man's output is astounding. And he gives so much of it away.

I've got his ebook, Confessions Of A Freelance Penmonkey, and it's brilliant. Packed full of juicy tips for writers like a teenage boy's wastepaper basket is packed full of tissues, only marginally less disgusting. But you don't even have to buy his books to get his sage advice. He tells it like it is, which is another reason I'm so enamoured of the man. You know me, I don't like a pussyfooter.

He blogs at his site, Terrible Minds, and is famed far and wide for his 25 Things… lists. Here are a few of my favourite recent postings:

25 Ways To Plot, Plan and Prep Your Story

25 Things You Should Know About Queries, Synopses, Treatments

Twenty-Sided Troubadours: Why Writers Should Play Roleplaying Games

Okay, that last one isn't a 25 Things… list. Sue me. Actually, don't – I'm a starving writer and all you'd win in a lawsuit is some suspiciously stained old clothing. And no one wants that.

Yeah, I can hear the grinding of your grudging agreement from here. This bloke knows his shit inside out (don't think too hard on that expression) and he's willing to share it (or that). Get yourself over to Terrible Minds and share in the good stuff. Every writer owes it to themselves. I've got loads of good stuff out of Chuck and you should too, before the man is a hollowed-out husk, rasping in a gutter somewhere, sucked dry by his own generosity.

Go. Now. Become better.

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Winds Of Change anthology trailer

My dark fantasy/urban horror short story, Dream Shadow, is going to be in the new CSFG Publishing anthology, Winds Of Change. The antho is launching at Conflux over the October long weekend. In the meantime, here's a little teaser for it in the form of a book trailer:

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New covers now and audiobooks for Christmas

I love my publisher, Gryphonwood Press. Why? I'll damn well tell you why. Firstly, they've had new wraparound artwork commissioned for my dark fantasy thriller duology, RealmShift and MageSign. The books are contemporary dark fantasy thrillers, verging on horror, and there's a distinct vibe to that kind of book developing. If you look at book covers from people like Jim Butcher, Jon F Merz and Lev Grossman (to name just a few) you'll see what I mean. So Gryphonwood got fantastic artist Fiona Hsieh on the case. Gryphonwood  and Fiona worked very closely with me on what kind of imagery we wanted and I think Fiona absolutely nailed it.

Here are the new covers:

Pretty freaking sweet, I reckon.

Click on the images below if you want to see higher res versions of the full wraparound covers that will now grace the print editions of the books.

What do you think? I'm very interested to hear what people think of the new art, so even if you don't like it, please leave a comment and tell me why. Amazon are being a pain and not updating the pages for the print editions, even though the Kindle editions, Books In Print and every other fucker on the planet has updated the images. But I'm sure they'll get there in the end. Gryphonwood are on the case.

The other news that has me Snoopy dancing around the place is that Gryphonwood have negotiated audio rights to both books, and the audiobook edition of both will be available soon. RealmShift is slated to be ready in time for Xmas, with MageSign close behind. This is awesome news, as it marks a new stage in the life of these stories. And these are stories which really mean a lot to me.

The audiobooks will be read by Matt "Bentley" Allegre, a well versed voice actor who has done narration, character voices and impressions for radio, video and websites for the last ten years. I've heard samples and the opening pages of chapter one and I'm very excited. This guy has a great voice, with a really dark edge that suits the books perfectly. He's American, which may bother my Australian and UK readers, but we're all used to American accents anyway, right? It's also worth remembering that Gryphonwood are an American publisher and the big market for books in any format is really the US. Regardless, Matt has a brilliant voice that suits the books perfectly. I can't wait to hear the finished products.

So that's my news, and I'm right bloody chuffed about it. I'll let you know when the audiobooks are available.

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E-book pricing – a rumination

There have been numerous articles, online and off, discussing ebook pricing and I won't bother to list or link them here – I'm sure you ingenious readers can find them. So why am I chiming in again? Well, it's a fluid subject, always on the move. More and more people all the time are taking up ebooks and it will become the norm. It's impossible to put timeframes on something so variable, but it will happen.

There are several theories on how ebooks will fit into the mainstream. Firstly, it's important to remember that it's not either/or. You don't have to choose. I love all books. I love print books and ebooks. The vast majority of new books I buy these days are ebooks, but if I really like something I'll get a hard copy to go on the shelf. Or if a book is a particular piece of art, I'll get it. I love getting contributor's copies of books I have stories in, because I'm a vain fucker and like to point to the brag shelf and say to people, "Yes, I have work in all those anthologies. And those are my novels. Ahaha." Shut up, I need validation.

I see the general breakdown of production settling into something along these lines: All new titles will be ebooks, some, especially from smaller publishers, being only ebooks. Alongside that I see a lot of publishers using Print On Demand technology to make paperbacks available to those who like them. And then a short run of actual printed stock, possibly limited edition hardbacks for collectors. That makes three primary delivery systems of stories – electronic, mass-market (though probably POD) and artefact. This is my prediction, but it's not particularly relevant to this post. I'm looking here at ebook pricing based on the fact that ebooks will become mainstream and will eventually be everyone's primary method of consuming stories. Don't get upset, there's nothing you can do about it. Have you seen Star Trek? How many real books do you ever see? Yeah, it's gonna be like that. You can't hold back the future any more than you can hold back the tide with a broom.

So, how should we price ebooks? I ran this question by the straw poll that is my Twitter and Facebook tribe and got some really interesting answers. Firstly, I'll give my personal opinion.

An ebook should always be cheaper than the print book, by a fair factor. If most paperbacks are $9.99 or less, then ebooks of those titles should be $7 at most. If a book is really popular and in demand, like the new George R R Martin book, it can be more. The Kindle of that one is $17, which is fine, because the only other option is a $40 hardcover. At least, that's true for Australia. On Amazon, the book is listed at $35 but on special at $18.81. Add postage to Australia and it's close to $40 again. However, once the paperback edition comes out, that ebook puppy better drop to less than the paperback price or the publisher is taking the piss.

So, for the purposes of simplicity, let's look at standard paperback vs ebook pricing. If the print edition is $10 or less, the ebook needs to be at most two thirds of that price. There's no production cost once the e-edition is set up and ready. There's no distribution cost. And there's no physical artefact for the reader. Sure, we're buying the story and that deserves to be paid for, but the item itself is also a factor.

"What about the poor starving author?" you cry. I am one, so don't come crying to me. Of course the author needs to be paid and we need to value his or her product. But let's not get all high and mighty without the facts, ma'am. Ebooks generate a massive royalty compared to print. If the author has signed a good contract – and they should be getting a new agent if they haven't – they should be getting a royalty model on ebooks different to print.

My novels are $9.99 in paperback and $3.99 in ebook. (So reasonable I'll wait here a moment while you go and buy them… got 'em? Good. You'll love them.) I make a bigger royalty on ebooks than I do on print, even though the retail is less than half. That's because the margin on print production to retail is very slim and I get a slim cut of that. The margin on ebook to retail is far bigger, often up to 70%, and I get a far bigger slice of that pie. Mmm, virtual pie.

So authors can actually do better selling ebooks for far less than print books. Right now, if I sold 10,000 copies of RealmShift this year, I'd much prefer to shift 10,000 ebooks than print ones, as that would pay me far more handsomely. And I do like a handsome paycheque. I would also love to sell 10,000 copies of anything this year, please tell your friends.

Personally, I'm against the popular 99c price point for ebook novels. As an introduction, or a special offer, it's a good idea. But for novels I think it generally undermines the value of the product. In my experience, most avid readers will view a 99c novel with suspicion and expect it to be shit. They'll often be right in that assumption. It's important for authors and publishers to not devalue their content. As one author said, "If people think my novels are only worth 99c, I don't want them as fans." That's a bit extreme, but he has a very valid point. If people aren't prepared to pay the equivalent of a cup of coffee for your months of hard work, well, fuck 'em.

I have a novella available for 99c, which is deliberately priced low for several reasons: It's only around 30,000 words, it's available for free right here on this website and it's a teaser, to help people notice me. I also self-published it, so I keep all the royalties, such as they are. Sure, I think it's worth more than 99c, but I also think it's fair to charge that and hope to get more readers that way.

So my thinking is that the sweet spot for ebooks is the $3 to $7 price range, with exceptions made for very special items. Authors will make at least as much, if not more, than they would from paperback sales and consumers get to read more and still value the work of the people they like to read. Given that paperbacks here in Australia are usually around $20, I'm actually happy to pay anything up to $15 for an ebook, but I really stop and think twice if it's over $10.

I won't name names, because I didn't ask permission to use the comments, but here's what some of the people on my social networks had to say on the subject:

I've paid up to $9.99 for a book a really wanted, but insofar as most genre fiction the price range generally is settled between $4.99-$7.99. A lot of indies sell their books at 99 cent, but I personally think that is a mistake because all it does is get the value shoppers and it rarely builds a loyal following. At least at the $4.99 range you have wiggle room to offer periodic sales and such.

I'll pay up to $15, but only for something I really want to read. Generally $7-10. I tend to steer clear of anything at 99 cents simply because it's so ingrained in my mind that anything priced so cheap can't be good.

I'd pay up to $15 though the most I've yet paid was half of that. I love that you can get classics and foreign books, many that are not available in print here in Australia, for free or very cheap.

I think 10 bucks is reasonable.

I usually pay around the $10 mark – give or take $2-$3. Like others, I get twitchy if it's only 99c or so, unless I know the author.

$2.99. Can't borrow 'em out. Can't resell them. No physical formatting. No shipping. No distribution.

I get uncomfortable with anything over the $10 mark, but have no real basis for that limit. Will pay more for favourite authors just as I was and am willing to pay for hardcover rather than wait for paperbacks for same.

$5 its a new technology.

I generally won't pay more than $5 depending on restrictions. If it's only a license to read (a la Kindle) I pay less

up to $10 is 'buy without thinking twice' & up to $15 is 'buy at once if I *really* want it. Anything higher, I hesitate.

$6-7? Like to compensate author/editor for the work, but don't want to pay non-existent print/delivery etc costs.

So from that selection of comments it seems there are certainly a number of things people still take into consideration and DRM is a big factor. But the general consensus is ten bucks or less overall, with a couple stretching out to a maximum of $15. Interesting times, indeed.

You've read my thoughts and heard a few others. What do you think? How much will you pay? And how much or how little do you think is unreasonable?

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Who's a busy boy, then?

I realise I've been blogging a lot about myself lately and less about interesting things story- and publishing-related. I apologise for that, and can only ask you to bear with me. I guess I've just been a bit busy lately. Also, as is often the case in this game, a bunch of things have happened all at once. It's funny how a writer can spend all their time writing and collecting rejections, then a bunch of acceptances and publications all come at once. Like buses. Or perhaps that's just me. Anyway, I'll blog about interesting non-me-related things later this week, but for now here's a bit of a link salad of stuff that is largely, though not exclusively, about yours truly. Hopefully there's something for everyone in this post.

So, here goes:

Firstly, I'm sure you all know about my writer's resource ebook, Write The Fight Right. It's all about writing effective, realistic fight scenes. Recently Joanna Penn, of The Creative Penn, interviewed me on the subject and our chat is now up on YouTube. Here it is:

The page all about the book is here.

I was also interviewed about my writing by Wily Writers editor, Angel Leigh McCoy. You can read that interview here.

My latest bit of non-fiction, an opinion piece about personal responsibility and dog ownership is published now at The Punch.

And lastly for now, the last couple of episodes of ThrillerCast, the thriller and genre-writing podcast I co-host with David Wood, are up now. Episode 25 includes an interview with thriller writer Sean Ellis, who also happens to be the editor of The Game anthology, in which both David and I have a story. Episode 26 is an extra-long ep which includes an interview with thriller and fantasy author A J Hartley, where he talks about his latest project, the novelisation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. They're a great couple of episodes, even if I do say so myself. Find those here.

So that's it for now – told you it was going to be a bit of a link salad. Enjoy, and please share with anyone you think might be interested.

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Emerging Writers' Festival – Digital Writers: taking your words online

I've been invited to be a guest speaker at an Emerging Writers' Festival event in Brisbane called Digital Writers: taking your words online. It's a very exciting idea, but it needs some funding and the whole project is currently being crowdsourced. You can support the event simply by buying a ticket to attend. Here's the event explained:

On 15 October, the Emerging Writers' Festival want to run a mini-conference called Digital Writers: taking your words online. The event will equip writers with ideas and inspiration about sharing their work and words with audiences online. Panel discussions full of practical advice will explore how to write for online audiences, and where the opportunities are in the digital space. Our talented line-up of writers will share how they use new technologies to create, to market and to make money by their writing.

From blogging and tweeting to online journalism, and everything in between, Digital Writers is an event for writers wanting to use the online space to take their writing to the next level.

The line up of speakers are experts in online writing, publishing and marketing, including:

Sophie Black, Editor, Crikey.com.au

Andrew McMillen, Freelance Journalist

Jason Nelson, digital and hypermedia poet

Simon Groth, novelist & If:Book Director

Alan Baxter, spec. fiction author

Karen Pickering, commentator & editor

Christy Dena, Director, Universe Creation 101

Lisa Dempster, blogger & festival director

Daniel Donahoo, writer, blogger & geek

& more to be announced

As you can see, it's a cool idea and very useful for writers both established and emerging. I'm honoured to have been asked to be a part of it and really hope it can all go ahead. So, how do you help to make it happen? Simple. Just by paying a few dollars in support or pledging now with $45 which will buy you a ticket to attend. All the details are here: http://www.pozible.com.au/index.php/archive/index/2214/description/0/0 You'll also find a video there, and that video includes a moment of me in my garden. That alone must be worth the visit, right?

Support writing and writing events in Australia by getting involved. Just a few dollars and you're earning the good karma. For every dollar pledged, a good thing will happen to you.*

*This is not a guarantee, but it is my fervent hope.

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The One That Got Away – ToC announced

I am really excited to be announcing this one. I've got a story forthcoming in the crime/mystery anthology, The One That Got Away, from Dark Prints Press, edited by Craig Bezant. I'm excited for several reasons. Of course, it's always fantastic to sell a story, especially to a publisher like Dark Prints. It's also a great concept:

Too often our crime-solving heroes do just that – solve crimes. But what about the ones who get away – the grifters who con and don't get caught, the criminals who play cat-and-mouse games with the law only to disappear into the unknown? What goes through their minds, or the minds of their victims and pursuers? What legends do they leave behind, both inspirational and terrifying?

Pretty cool, huh? But I'm mostly excited by the other fantastic authors I'll be sharing this anthology with:

(Note: The following contributor list does not represent the final content order in the anthology.)

Lawrence Block – 'Catch and Release'

Chris Simms – 'Gaffed'

Will Elliot – 'Hungry Man'

Deborah Sheldon – 'Garland Cove'

Zane Lovitt – 'Kahraman'

Cameron Ashley – 'Whole Lotta Julio'

Vanessa Skye – 'The Piece'

Brooke Maggs – 'My Wife and I'

Alan Baxter – 'In the Name of the Father'

Brian G Ross – 'A Rhyme for the Crime'

Kathryn Hore – 'Late Night Train'

Andrew Nette – 'Two Blind Cats'

Yeah, that's right. Have another look. Check out those names. The book is due out in early 2012 and pre-orders can be made at the website from September 1st. It will be available in print and ebook simultaneously. All the details can be found here.

Excuse me while I Snoopy dance.

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Year's Best Australian Fantasy and Horror: Recommended Reading List

I'm am still bouncing around and Snoopy Dancing because I have a story reprinted in the Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror from Ticonderoga Publications. It's going to be an awesome book and is out just about any time now. As part of the release celebration, editors Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene have assembled a Recommended Reading List for stories that didn't quite make it into the collection, but are equally worthy. It's always the case with collections like this – there are so many worthy stories and only a certain amount can be edited together into a book. It's become normal now for these editors to also release a list of other stories they would have included if space, money, etc. had allowed.

So here's the Recommended Reading List for Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2010. I've read most of these and they are all excellent!

Deborah Biancotti, "Home Turf" Baggage

Jenny Blackford, "Adam" Kaleidotrope #9

Simon Brown, "Sweep" Sprawl

Mary Elizabeth Burroughs, "The Flinchfield Dance" Black Static #17

Steve Cameron, "Ghost Of The Heart" Festive Fear

Stephanie Campisi, "Seven" Scenes From The Second Storey

Matthew Chrulew, "The Nullabor Wave" World's Next Door

Bill Congreve, "The Traps of Tumut" Souls Along The Meridian

Rjurik Davidson, "The Cinema Of Coming Attractions" The Library of Forgotten Books

Stephen Dedman, "For Those In Peril On The Sea" Haunted Legends

Felicity Dowker, "From Little Things" Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #43

Felicity Dowker, "The House On Juniper Road" Worlds Next Door

Felicity Dowker, "Bread And Circuses" Scary Kisses

Will Elliott, "Dhayban" Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears

Mark Farrugia, "A Bag Full Of Arrows" Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #48

Jason Fischer, "The House Of Nameless" Writers of the Future Vol. xxvi

Bob Franklin, "Take The Free Tour" Under Stones

Christopher Green, "Jumbuck" Aurealis #44

Paul Haines, "Her Gallant Needs" Sprawl

Lisa L Hannett, "Singing Breath Into The Dead" Music For Another World

Lisa L Hannett, "Commonplace Sacrifices" On Spec

Lisa L Hannett, "Tiny Drops" Midnight Echo #4

Richard Harland, "Shakti" Tales of the Talisman

Richard Harland, "The Fear" Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears

Narrelle M Harris, "The Truth About Brains" Best New Zombie Tales: Volume 2

Robert Hood, "Wasting Matilda" The Mammoth Book Of The Zombie Apocalypse

George Ivanoff, "Trees" Short & Scary

Trent Jamieson, "The Driver's Assistant" Ticon4

Pete Kempshall, "Dead Letter Drop" Close Encounters of the Urban Kind

Pete Kempshall, "Signature Walk" Sprawl

Martin Livings, "Lollo" Close Encounters of the Urban Kind

Penelope Love, "Border Crossing" Belong

Geoffrey Maloney & Andrew Bakery, "Sleeping Dogs" Midnight Echo #4

Tracie McBride, "Lest We Forget" (audio) Spectrum Collection

Kirstyn McDermott, "Monsters Among Us" Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears

Andrew J McKiernan, "All The Clowns In Clown Town" Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears

Simon Petrie, "Running Lizard" Rare Unsigned Copy: tales of Rocketry, Ineptitude, and Giant Mutant Vegetables

Michael Radburn, "They Own The Night" Festive Fear

Janeen Samuel, "My Brother Quentin" Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #44

Angela Slatter, "A Porcelain Soul" Sourdough and other stories

Angela Slatter, "Gallowberries" Sourdough and other stories

Angela Slatter, "The Dead Ones Don't Hurt You" The Girl With No Hands and other tales

Cat Sparks, "All the Love in the World" Sprawl

Grant Stone, "Dead Air" (poem) Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #46

Lucy Sussex, "Albert & Victoria/Slow Dreams" Baggage

Anna Tambour, "Gnawer Of The Moon Seeks Summit Of Paradise" Sprawl

Kaaron Warren, "Sins Of The Ancestors" Dead Sea Fruit

Kaaron Warren, "The Coral Gatherer" Dead Sea Fruit

Kaaron Warren, "Hive Of Glass" Baggage

David Witteveen, "Perfect Skin" Cthulhu's Dark Cults

Meanwhile, here's a reminder of the stories that are in the collection:

RJ Astruc: "Johnny and Babushka"

Peter M Ball: "L'esprit de L'escalier"

Alan Baxter: "The King's Accord"

Jenny Blackford: "Mirror"

Gitte Christensen: "A Sweet Story"

Matthew Chrulew: "Schubert By Candlelight"

Bill Congreve: "Ghia Likes Food"

Rjurik Davidson: "Lovers In Caeli-Amur"

Felicity Dowker: "After the Jump"

Dale Elvy: "Night Shift"

Jason Fischer: "The School Bus"

Dirk Flinthart: "Walker"

Bob Franklin: "Children's Story"

Christopher Green: "Where We Go To Be Made Lighter"

Paul Haines: "High Tide At Hot Water Beach"

L.L. Hannett: "Soil From My Fingers"

Stephen Irwin: "Hive"

Gary Kemble: "Feast Or Famine"

Pete Kempshall: "Brave Face"

Tessa Kum: "Acception"

Martin Livings: "Home"

Maxine McArthur: "A Pearling Tale"

Kirstyn McDermott: "She Said"

Andrew McKiernan: "The Memory Of Water"

Ben Peek: "White Crocodile Jazz"

Simon Petrie: "Dark Rendezvous"

Lezli Robyn: "Anne-droid of Green Gables"

Angela Rega: "Slow Cookin' "

Angela Slatter: "The Bone Mother"

Angela Slatter & LL Hannett: "The February Dragon"

Grant Stone: "Wood"

Kaaron Warren: "That Girl"

Janeen Webb: "Manifest Destiny"

The Year's Best should be hitting the stores any day now, and can be ordered through a number of online stores (including www.indiebooksonline.com)