Submissions for Zombie Book

[May Decay]

Hi everyone :-)

I've organised the Rotorua Zombie Walk in New Zealand since 2010 to raise money for our local Brain Injury Association.

This year I'm using Crowd Funding to raise money to cover logistics costs of putting on the walk and its associated events (quiz night and Halloween party).

To do that, I'm calling for all writers, photographers, graphic artists and illustrators to pledge to submit their work for a book. My idea is to collate the biggest collection of Zombie short fiction and publish it digitally. People will pay a small fee to have their works added to the book.

If you're interested, please check out my PledgeMe page. Feedback or ideas on where I best could promote this would also be very much appreciated :-)

https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/1255

[The Villain]

Call me crazy but why should I pay to have my work included? Shouldn't it be the other way around? I get that its for charity but shouldn't the proceeds come from the sales of the book and not from the contributors?

[May Decay]

That's not crazy, it's a valid question.

The charity factor is definitely high, but it's basically a way for previously unpublished authors to be included in a large project. I've seen it done before with Romance writers groups, that they'll pay a fee (way larger than I'm asking), to have their works added to a collection.

The book creates longevity for the event, so not only do the pledges fund this year's walk, but the sale of the book funds future events.

This morning I was contacted by a print publisher who is interested in working with us on getting this in hard copy, not just digital as originally intended. So that's pretty exciting.

[neverending]

You know you can do that yourself, for free, via CreateSpace, right?

[May Decay]

Of course :)

But I'm inviting people to be part of this project which, if successful, will create much more exposure for everyone involved than standard publishing channels.

[The Villain]

So then why are you charging people to be a part of it if you have the option to have it published for free?

[May Decay]

The way crowd funding works is that people donate a certain amount and get a 'reward' in return. We need immediate funds for this year's Zombie Walk hence the reason for the pledge amounts.

So people would make a relatively small donation now, to submit a piece of work later, if we're successful. :)

[neverending]

I wish you luck. I don't want to sound like I'm coming down on you. I do think you're making a few mistakes that will cost you more than neccessary, though.

Charity horror projects are becoming more and more common, so you have a good chance of making some impact.

[May Decay]

No problem at all neverending. I don't take it personally! I know it's risky, I know it's an ask. But I also know that it has a lot more longevity than throwing $20 at your nearest charity collection. it's an investment in the future of our Zombie Walk is how I guess it can be looked at.

When I started I knew it would either flop terribly if we didn't reach our goal, or succeed incredibly if we do. Crowd funding is so hot right now, most successful large target projects get a rediculous amount of publicity.

Either way, the Zombie Walk will still go ahead, it just may not have all the bells and whistles this year.

Thanks for your feedback though, much appreciated!

[The Villain]

I too don't mean to come down on you. I haven't always made the smartest decisions when it comes to getting my work published but one rule i've always followed is to never pay for it. A lot of other writers also tend to follow this rule so you might have a hard time asking people to pay to have their work submitted. Just a heads up.

[May Decay]

No worries, I don't take any of it personally. More insights from other authors is what I need! I'll let you know how it goes :)

[May Decay]

And if you don't want to submit your work, you could always make a pledge anyway, they start from $5. If we don't reach our goal, you don't get charged! ;)