Call for Fantasy submissions!

After the colossal success of Sci-Fi from the Rock this past 10th Anniversary weekend, Engen Books has decided to continue the line with Fantasy from the Rock, to be available in Spring 2017 at the eleventh annual Sci-Fi on the Rock convention.

“The response from fans was enormous and overwhelming,” said Engen founder Matthew LeDrew. “We we able to publish a number of first-time authors alongside established pillars in the Newfoundland science-fiction community like Kenneth Tam and Scott Bartlett, of Iceberg Publishing and Mirth Publishing, respectfully. Engen Books has always been a fan of placing new talent alongside established talent, giving those new voices a chance to shine in a way they may have have otherwise.”

While the inaugural volume was titled Sci-Fi from the Rock, it in fact told PG-rated stories from the fantasy, science-fiction, and thriller genres. This new collection will focus more heavily on genre-specific stories, with each successive volume then showcasing different talent within the Canadian writing scene.

Editors Ellen Curtis and Erin Vance are scheduled to return to helm the project.

As Fierce as Steel author Christopher Walsh has already expressed interest in returning his fantasy series, The Gold and Steel Saga to the collection. “[Engen Books] has created a place, at least locally, that helps local writers get a foothold in that world and gives the advice and encouragement needed to convince them to try at all,” said Walsh. “If not for Engen, I’m willing to bet there’s a lot of young writers telling stories outside of the local publishers scope that would not have any platform at all to try or would have given up entirely already.”

Other authors have expressed interest, but anyone can submit to be a part of this Spring 2017 collection! Deadline is December 31, 2016 but get your stories in as quick as you can, as it gives our wonderful editors more time to work with you and make sure it is as good as it can possibly be!

 

What is the target audience?

For this specific collection, we’re going for an equivalent of PG. Rather than limit our authors creatively, we encourage them to write from the heart and allow us to work with them to fine-tune the work after the fact.

Example: for Sci-Fi from the Rock, Christopher Walsh’s story had featured a fair amount of cursing. As a compromise, we settled on switching it out for classic-comic style “#@$#” bleeps. We feel it captured the classic all-ages style we were going for while remaining true to his work, and both parties were happy with the arrangement. [image error]

What genres will be accepted?

This year we will be focusing on fantasy. Fantasy can actually be broken down into several sub categories, such as High Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Swords and Sorcery Fantasy, Modern Fantasy, Fae Stories,  and more. We hope to have an eclectic mix of the Fantasy genre represented, and encourage people submitting  to find new and exciting ways to use the genre as well as using the standard storytelling mechanisms of the genre.

Will Non-Fantasy Stories be accepted?

As a general rule, Engen Books has a policy against turning down a good, well-written story; but we will be giving clear preference to stories that fit the genre. People submitting who we do not feel fit the genre may be informed that Engen would like to hold back the story for a later collection. Regardless, for this collection, Fantasy comes first.

Who can submit?

Any Canadian author with a link to the Sci-Fi on the Rock convention, which is our partner. This link does not have to be substantive! It can be someone involved with the convention, an Engen Books author, an author from Newfoundland, an author from Atlantic Canada, or any author looking to celebrate great Canadian genre writing!

Example: In Sci-Fi from the Rock, Peter Foote wrote “The Silence Between Moons” and asked if, even though he had never been to Sci-Fi on the Rock, if he could submit. We said as long as he wanted to help celebrate the genre and the act of coming together as a community around stories we all love, he was welcome, and his tale is one of the best in the collection!

When do submissions close?

December 31, 2016 11:59 PM Newfoundland Standard Time.

Do you have questions?

Ask them below by commenting on this post, we will answer you post haste![image error]

Happy Writing!