A Magazine for Unpublished Authors
Donation protected
There are more stories in the world than will ever be told. Every year, some 75% of all manuscripts that are submitted to publishers get rejected. While many of these are rejected for good reason (numerous spelling or grammatical errors, submitting horror stories to a publisher of romance, or submitting work that just isn't any good), a great number of manuscripts are rejected simply because the author is unknown. In fact, most publishers won't even accept submissions from anyone that has not been previously published. This means that in order to be published, you have to be published! But if you can't get published because you haven’t been published, where are you supposed to start?
There are many magazines that are willing to publish short stories from unknown authors. However, these magazines usually will prefer a very good story from a known author over an excellent story from an unknown author. One of the reasons for this is the belief that previously published authors are more likely to boost sales than authors that have yet to sell anything. While this may or may not be true, it only serves to make it more difficult for an unpublished author to get a fair start.
"From the Unknown" will be a publication dedicated to helping unpublished authors get their foot in the door. It will accept submissions of short fiction ONLY from authors that have never been published (with certain exceptions being made for authors who have self-published or been published previously only in "From the Unknown" magazine). Submissions will still have to compete for space, and so will still have to be original, quality works in order to see print, but every story will be considered solely on its own merit, and not whether or not the author's name might sell more copies.
Every submission that is accepted for publication will receive compensation at the rate of US $0.03 per word, which is one half of the professional starting rate. The goal of "From the Unknown" is not to take authors from unknown to best-seller, but to provide a starting place to assist them in being able to take themselves there.
The target goal of $21,200 is intended to support publication of the magazine for one year and cover expected GoFundMe fees. The money will be used to pay authors who have their work published and to cover operating expenses related to advertising to generate sales of the magazine and electronic distribution of each issue. This figure equates to $1600 per month, 93% of which will be used for author compensation. It is hoped that, by the end of the first year, revenue generated from advertising and sales will be sufficient to fully support the magazine's continuance.
In the event that the goal is exceeded, the additional funds will be used help promote "From the Unknown" magazine, acquire additional staff for the purpose of increasing quality and efficiency and to provide additional help to currently unpublished authors. Should this campaign fail to generate enough capital, after fees, to support the publication of one issue (i.e. under $1600), all proceeds will go toward assisting a currently unpublished author.
There are many magazines that are willing to publish short stories from unknown authors. However, these magazines usually will prefer a very good story from a known author over an excellent story from an unknown author. One of the reasons for this is the belief that previously published authors are more likely to boost sales than authors that have yet to sell anything. While this may or may not be true, it only serves to make it more difficult for an unpublished author to get a fair start.
"From the Unknown" will be a publication dedicated to helping unpublished authors get their foot in the door. It will accept submissions of short fiction ONLY from authors that have never been published (with certain exceptions being made for authors who have self-published or been published previously only in "From the Unknown" magazine). Submissions will still have to compete for space, and so will still have to be original, quality works in order to see print, but every story will be considered solely on its own merit, and not whether or not the author's name might sell more copies.
Every submission that is accepted for publication will receive compensation at the rate of US $0.03 per word, which is one half of the professional starting rate. The goal of "From the Unknown" is not to take authors from unknown to best-seller, but to provide a starting place to assist them in being able to take themselves there.
The target goal of $21,200 is intended to support publication of the magazine for one year and cover expected GoFundMe fees. The money will be used to pay authors who have their work published and to cover operating expenses related to advertising to generate sales of the magazine and electronic distribution of each issue. This figure equates to $1600 per month, 93% of which will be used for author compensation. It is hoped that, by the end of the first year, revenue generated from advertising and sales will be sufficient to fully support the magazine's continuance.
In the event that the goal is exceeded, the additional funds will be used help promote "From the Unknown" magazine, acquire additional staff for the purpose of increasing quality and efficiency and to provide additional help to currently unpublished authors. Should this campaign fail to generate enough capital, after fees, to support the publication of one issue (i.e. under $1600), all proceeds will go toward assisting a currently unpublished author.
Organizer
David Ratliff III
Organizer
Lancaster, OH