Interested in writing for Hermetic Library? Now you can!
I am announcing an open and rolling call for you to pitch ideas for submissions to Hermetic Library’s blog, site, private publication for subscription Patrons, or, possibly-maybe-once-and-future, journal!
(If you want to post to the Hrmtc Underground BBS or submit something to the wild & wooly Zine instead, go ahead! There’s no formal submissions process for either of those. What I’m describing here is specifically for publishing to the blog, site, and/or journal.)
I recently created an online form which you can use to submit a pitch for your submission idea. I’d mentioned it in a couple of places, and have it linked on the website and in the sidebar of the library blog, but wanted to make sure I more formally announce it to you here.
You’re probably already familiar with the library and the blog, but if not you should be sure to get an idea of what the library is all about before making a pitch. Consider taking a gander at the submissions guidelines for the Anthology Journal for some general idea of what I thought submissions to that might have looked like. Now that I’m thinking about it, there’s also the contributors’ guidelines in the Caduceus archive you can consider as well.
But, once you’ve got an idea that you feel is right for the library audience, you’re ready to start. You should pitch your idea for a submission!
What happens next, you ask? What’s the process of moving from making a pitch, developing a submission, compensating you, and, finally, publishing your work for the public audience of the library to read? Well, I’m so excited you asked! Let me tell you!
The Pitch
When a pitch comes in, what I plan on doing is posting it to a private forum for my Patrons. I’ll do that to give them a chance to let me know what they think, and if they’re interested in reading the proposed submission. I’ll take their feedback into consideration on whether to accept or reject the pitch, and move forward with the idea as a submission.
If the pitch idea is not accepted, I’ll suggest whether or not to revise the submission for another try. Optionally, the author may consider posting the submission as topic for Discussion on the BBS.
If the pitch is accepted, then I’ll ask the author to submit the article, review or story for consideration.
The Submission
When a submission comes in, what I plan on doing is posting it to a private forum for my Patrons. I’ll do that to give them a chance to let me know what they think about the various merits of the submission. I’ll take their feedback into consideration on whether to accept or reject the pitch, and move forward with compensation for the author and then posting the submission to one of Hermetic Library’s projects.
If the submission is not accepted, I’ll suggest whether or not to revise the submission for another try. Optionally, the author may consider posting to their work as a topic for Discussion on the BBS, or submitting to the Hermetic Library Zine instead.
If the submission is accepted, I’ll move forward with compensating the author. Once I’ve successfully compensated the author for their work, I will then post the the article, review or story for the public to read one of the variety of places I publish.
Compensation
For submissions that are accepted for publication, I happily offer thanks. I’m also delighted to send you a gratis download code for any one of the released anthology albums.
For work accepted through this process, I am currently able to offer an honorarium of up to $50 per successful submission, supported by my generous Patrons.
For established reviewers, I am happy to see about getting a reviewer’s copy sent to you in advance.
Finally, if there’s something else you’ve got in mind, or an idea I’ve not mentioned, let me know!
Rights to Publish
As part of this submission process, creators affirmatively agree to non-exclusively release the information in their pitch for private sharing with those involved in the process in perpetuity.
If an eventual submission is accepted, authors and creators, of course, retain copyright on their work. They will merely affirmatively agree to release their submission non-exclusively for use by the library, granting rights to publicly present the work in perpetuity.
If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, do get in touch. Also, if the process seems daunting or there’s some aspect of it that creates difficulty for you in some way, let me know so we can find a way forward that works better for you. Finally, if you’re thinking of something that doesn’t seem to fit what I’ve described here, get in touch and let me know what you’re thinking so we can figure out whether and how we can consider your cool out-of-the-box idea. Go ahead and use the form and fill out as much as you can and I’ll get back to you, or contact me directly.
Current contact information should always be up on Hermetic Library, so you can reach me via email or post.
I look forward to hearing from you, so pitch your idea today! (Besides, you read this far, right? You might as well follow through with a pitch too!)
Updated 5jan2019: Revised to better reflect the current process, and increased available honorarium. The most current information on this will be on the actual form to pitch an idea itself.
