ANNOUNCING A NEW INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN!
Queer Saints II : Queer Villains is now accepting pledges, and the campaign comes to an end on 12th April 2023.
From Medusa Publishing Haus’s site:
Medusa Publishing Haus is an independent horror imprint owned and operated by Mae Murray, a writer and editor hailing from Arkansas, now living in eerie New England. She contributes essays and criticism to horror-centric websites, including Fangoria and Dread Central. She is the recipient of a 2022 Brave New Weird award for the Superior Achievement in Short Fiction, and has been published in horror fiction anthologies and nonfiction collections. The Book of Queer Saints Volume I was her editing debut. Her debut novel I’m Sorry If I Scared You is due out Spring 2024.
From the IndieGoGo Campaign:
One year ago, The Book of Queer Saints was released to much fanfare. A book centering horror stories about queer villains was timely, but the situation for queer people, especially trans people, has only become worse. While the first book was influenced by the intracommunity bullying of queer folks who write complicated—and sometimes downright evil—queer characters, Volume II comes as the world grows increasingly hostile toward queer and trans folks. The demand for us to be likable and palatable to straight cis people, the pressure to be meek, quiet, and invisible, has only grown greater over time.
But The Book of Queer Saints Volume I showed that complex queer narratives are important now more than ever, and that the queer community needs an outlet to breathe their frustration, anger, joys, fears, loves, and losses, into fiction.
In the time since its release, the excitement around the project has only grown, and fans have continued to show their love for the mission and stories. I was lucky enough to have the incomparable Hailey Piper, Eric LaRocca, and Joe Koch on board to help bolster excitement, but my greatest achievement with Volume I was providing first-time publication to burgeoning queer writers whose voices and stories might otherwise be unheard. It has been one of my greatest joys to watch them grow as writers over the course of the past year.
The thought of making a second volume never crossed my mind, but fans of the first book were adamant—and I am passionately devoted to the mission of the book and feel I am not yet finished exploring its themes of queer complexity. There are still so many more conversations to be had. I’ve learned and accomplished a lot in the year since Queer Saints I was published. I ran a successful Kickstarter for my debut novel. I’ve continued to write articles and short stories, host workshops, and be an outspoken advocate for working class and marginalized writers. I’ve been in constant communication with great publishers, and I even started my own business, Medusa Publishing Haus. Now, I am ready to take on the task of publishing Volume II under the Medusa name, and couldn’t be more thrilled that this is Medusa’s first project.
I enter this endeavor knowing a great deal more than I did in terms of demand, shipping, budgeting, fees, and taxes, and the goal of the campaign reflects that.
Some of the major changes in Volume II:
1. Volume I was about 3000 words shy of being eligible for a Stoker nomination (rookie mistake!). Volume II will be at least 60,000, so it will be eligible next year.
2. Volume I writers were paid $.03/word. Volume II writers will be paid the HWA prorate of $.05/word.
3. Volume I was exclusive to Amazon KDP, severely limiting the scope of its reach. This year, I will switch to a hybrid model utilizing both Ingram and KDP, so that it is more readily available to booksellers.
4. Due to multiple business obligations and deadlines for my novel, I will be enlisting the help of compensated first reader(s) to help with the submissions process.
5. And finally, Volume II will be released parallel to a reissue of Volume I, now published under the newly formed Medusa Publishing Haus. Volume I‘s reissue will also be sporting a gorgeous new cover by Truborn Design, which will compliment Volume II’s cover (sisters, not twins). Together, they will be collectible items.
Timeline:
IndieGoGo Launch: March 14
Submission Period: May 1-31
Acceptances/Rejections: July 3
Edits: July 17
eARCs available: August 1
Release Date: September 4
Publicity period: August 1-September 14
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-book-of-queer-saints-volume-ii–2#/
