So Long, And Thanks For All The Brains

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ver wonder what happens after zombies take over the world and eat all the brains? Of course you didn’t, but horror genre writers think about stuff like this all the time.  So did at least one The Zombie Feed / Apex Books reader, and this question recently won a contest staged by the publisher’s marketing manager to generate buzz about their first anthology of stories.

So once they chose a question from the dozens they received, they asked all the authors to come up with creative answers – and boy howdy did we.

The winning reader question:

“Fast or slow, flesh eaters or those who only eat brains, zombies are always pretty fun. Let’s look at them when they aren’t massing and trapping the last bastions of humanity and reducing them to red smears.
What do zombies do when there isn’t prey to motivate them? Say “World War Z” level of infestation goes ahead and wipes out humanity, do zombies establish a society? Do they take jobs? Set up daycares? Worry about 401Ks and health insurance? Or do they just sort of sit around and rot away?”

To see all the answers by going here:

http://thezombiefeed.biz/a-zombie-society-part-2/

More On The Rise of Self-Publishing

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he tsunami that toppled and transformed the music business is capsizing the traditional book publishing industry.  Each day more people buy Kindle readers or similar tablet devices.  Apple is launching a new iPad.  You can buy and read books on your smartphone.  Printed books aren’t going away, but sales of e-books are increasing rapidly.  

If you write short stories, novellas and novels, you have more choices and control, too.  Twenty years ago when I began writing and selling short fiction, genre and “literary” writers aspired to sell a novel to an established New York City publisher, bask in a decent marketing campaign, connect with readers, and sell a series of lucrative books.

Today the major print publishers are pulling back, spending less on writers and marketing, and trying to decide how to market e-books.  There’s a lot of uncertainty.  Agents are fleeing the business as it contracts.  Large booksellers are filing for bankruptcy protection.

I keep reading about writers who have decided that they can earn more by working with independent publishers – or in some cases, by publishing and marketing their own books.  And we're not talking about the seamy world of vanity publishing.  Many of these writers have worked with or are working with print publishers, but they're publishing additional titles or their backlist themselves.  And it appears that they earn a lot more net income than by selling novels to the traditional NYC publishers.  As more experienced writers go this route, a small cottage industry of copy-editors, book designers and cover artists are selling their services.  So if you’re a talented writer and you have editing skill, and you hire someone to create professional and compelling cover art, it’s possible to bypass an agent, editor and publisher (and the sales and marketing department) and self-publish a book that with work and determination could easily earn more in royalties than a traditional hardback or paperback original.

No guarantees, but it is being done.  Read this blog and others; the revolution has already begun….

http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/

Question: Why Did The Zombie Cross The Road?

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o win a free book, silly!  And maybe to eat someone's brain.  The Zombie Feed will be releasing its first anthology of new undead fiction in a month or so, and they've announced a fun little contest to give away some books and acquaint readers with the authors, including yours truly.  Readers and zombie fans are being asked to submit the one burning question they’ve always wanted to ask the warped, deranged chroniclers of the Living Dead.

There are no rules, so it’s hard to disqualify yourself.  “Make it scary or make it hilarious. Make it sophisticated or outrageous. Entertain us and you will be picked.”

I will give you one pretty solid hint.  There's one question you must at all costs avoid asking a writer: “Where do you get your ideas?”

We don't know, and we're only going to make up something stupid if you insist on asking.

Leave your question at The Zombie Feed site (link below) as a comment under the post. TZF editors will sift through all the questions and select their favorite, then post answers from all the anthology contributors.  The winner will receive an autographed copy of the book from editor Jason Sizemore.  So go ahead and ask me anything, and let’s keep it clean, people.

Actually, no matter what the winning question is, I think I'm going to answer with the opening line from Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude: 

"Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice."

The contest ends on Thursday, March the 10th at precisely 23:59 EST.

http://bit.ly/ffJhja

No Agent Required: Del Rey / Spectra Launches Contest for Novelists

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n the footsteps of Angry Robot, the editorial staff of Del Rey / Spectra (imprints of Random House) have announced the Suvudu Writing Contest for aspiring novelists of “science fiction, fantasy, horror, or paranormal romance” with a completed manuscript but no literary agent.

Most New York publishers do not accept submissions except from literary agents so they don’t have to staff for the arduous work of delving through roomfuls of slush.  The Del Rey/Spectra staff will accept submissions from now through March 18, 2011.  Entries must be previously unpublished manuscripts of 50,000 to no more than 150,000 words.  If you have self-published your novel via Smashwords or other online site, those works do not qualify.

Submissions will be judged on the basis of originality, creativity, and writing style.  Judging period is described as several months.  The winning submission will receive a full edit by Betsy Mitchell, Editor-in-Chief of Del Rey Publishing, and the novel will be considered for publication.  So not a guarantee, but it’s likely that Ms. Mitchell isn’t going to do all that work and reject the final book.  No details are given regarding advances and pay for an accepted novel, but the fine print of the rules lists the grand prize "value" at $2,250.  It is not clear whether that is the estimated value of the full edit by Ms. Mitchell or the Del Rey advance if the novel is published.  Three runners-up will be awarded sets of books from the Del Rey/Spectra line.

Submissions are to be sent electronically – see the first website link below.

Winners will be announced on May 18, 2011.

The contest is open only to legal residents of the United States (a little odd since there are lots of talented new writers in Canada and around the world), excluding Puerto Rico, who are age 18 and over as of January 18, 2011.

http://bit.ly/dMimP8

Full Contest Rules:

http://suvudu.com/edreview/rules.html

THE ZOMBIE FEED Available for Pre-Order (and a Signing Offer)

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hat would you do if a zombie plague were unleashed upon the world while you were on vacation, a passenger on one of those mammoth new mega-cruiseships James Bond would have felt at home aboard?

That was the thought I had last summer while my wife and I sailed through the Caribbean on our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.  How would the crew and passengers survive?  Could order be preserved?  What new social dynamics would emerge?  What threats?  If given a choice to remain on the ship -- a new ark of sorts -- would you stay, or disembark to take your chances?

Late last year I wrote the story, “Lifeboat,” and happily it will be appearing soon in a new anthology by Bram Stoker Award nominee and writer/editor Jason Sizemore, THE ZOMBIE FEED Volume 1.  I saw an announcement today that they are taking preorders now, and those who order early will receive a signed copy from Jason.

http://thezombiefeed.biz/

My signature’s not about to get the folks at Christie’s Auctions excited, but anyone who buys this book and would like my autograph, I will be glad to oblige (it would be my honor).  Contact me via email or Facebook, and mail me your copy.  I will sign and pay for the return shipping as a thank-you for supporting my work and Apex Books / TZF.

There are a lot of zombie novels and short story collections available right now, so the trick is coming up with new interesting settings, characters and twists.  Besides an isolated life on the high seas, I had been thinking about the source of the infection.  I decided that for this story, a runaway bloodstream nano-machine swarm coupled with a bioengineered virus intended to fight dementia and Alzheimer’s disease might be interesting.  I plugged that concept into “Lifeboat” but didn’t really delve into the details.  But I am working on a novel, “Wildfire,” where this concept is central and I delve into the science and physiological impacts pretty extensively.

When the book is completed I will hopefully find an interested publisher!

Great Sequels They'll Never Make

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