As I mentioned on the various social media sites where I hang out, I will be publishing a third volume of Sidearm & Sorcery. For those of you who already know what this is all about: Submissions will open on December 1, 2023, for two weeks.

For those who don't know, here are some more details.

What is this anthology?

This anthology series is fantasy set in modern times (modern is more or less 1940 AD+) where the protagonists do not have magical or other special powers.

I have already published two volumes in this series, which you can check out on most major retailers. Sidearm & Sorcery Volume One, Sidearm & Sorcery Volume Two

So what does "Sidearm & Sorcery" even mean?

It is a play on the genre label "Sword & Sorcery". So that type of story, only in modern times.

As Sword & Sorcery is to High Fantasy, this is to Urban Fantasy. Heroes of these stories are in direct contrast to the super-powered-vampire-wizard-werewolf-chosen-ones that are so common in fantasy with modern settings. In these stories, magic is mysterious and dangerous and powerful. Its not a recipe book where every magical element is quantified and easily understood. Antagonist sorcerers and supernatural monsters abound. Think Conan, but he’s born in Detroit instead of Cimmeria. Think Dresden files, but instead of being a powerful wizard-for-hire, Harry is just a accountant with a Beretta, desperate to save his daughter from a demon. Think baseball bats instead of halberds.

Story length?

This will be an anthology of short stories, preferably under 10,000 words. I'm not going to be a stickler about this, though. And I probably won't include anything under 5k, even though that is a totally legitimate short story length.

How will it work?

This will be published via Draft2Digital (D2D). Draft2digital distributes to all major ebook platforms, and has its own paperback POD distribution as well. To be specific, D2D currently distributes to Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo (including Kobo Plus), Tolino, OverDrive, Bibliotheca, Scribd, Baker & Taylor, Hoopla, & Vivlio.

Authors will contribute one story. For my part, I will have a story, assemble/layout the stories into one volume, and pay for cover art. I will also handle editing duties. I’d like to keep each volume to a max of 15 stories, so that contributors have a chance to actually make a buck.

Pay?

After D2D and the retailers take their share, everyone involved will split the rest. Every author will get one share. I will get 4 shares for my work and financial investment. Percentage of royalty split will be determined by total number of shares. I'll also send a physical copy to each author.

Paperback copies will be made available to authors at cost. D2D will only allow the “publisher” (me) to order paperback copies direct, but I will happily order them and have them shipped to you for whatever D2D charges me.

D2D actually handles all the accounting. You don't have to worry about me spacing out and forgetting to pay you six months after publishing.

This is not intended to be a limited time deal, this anthology is intended to be available for sale forever.

How to Submit a story

Wait until submissions actually open, and then follow the directions. December 1st.