Weird Whispers and More from Nightscape Press
Donation protected
Everybody who donates $5 or more will get a basic digital subscription to the first year of Weird Whispers.
Everybody who donates $50 or more will get a paper subscription to the first year of Weird Whispers ($80 or more if you live outside of the United States to help cover the difference in shipping charges).
When we started Nightscape Press, my wife Jennifer and I were living in poverty. During a short hiatus from late 2015 to early 2018, we pulled ourselves up from the poverty line and are now just barely scraping into middle class. Funding has always been a struggle for us BECAUSE of our personal economic situation.
But even still we have managed to create some amazingly beautiful books and raise far more money for several charities than we would have been able to without creating this company. We ask that you just imagine what we could accomplish if we had a more solid foundation to build from. It would mean the world to us to have a chance to find out.
Here is what we will do if we make our milestones, our goal, and more:
*If we raise $5,000 we'll open submissions for our brand new weird fiction digest, Weird Whispers to authors from marginalized demographics including women, people of color, LGBTQ folks, and others
*If we raise $10,000 we'll open to public submissions for the anthology Nox Pareidolia: Volume II
*If we raise $15,000 we'll open to public submissions for Weird Whispers
*If we raise $20,000 we'll open to queries year round starting in 2020 for our charitable novel and charitable collection lines
*If we raise $25,000 we'll open to public submissions for our highly coveted Charitable Chapbooks book line
*If we raise $30,000 we'll pay 8 cents per word for all Weird Whispers stories and 2020 anthology stories (this will also be retroactive)
*If we raise $35,000 we'll do signed limited color hardcover editions of all 2019 and 2020 anthologies
*And we have three jaw-dropping stretch goals in mind should we make our initial goal
Hi, I'm Robert S. Wilson, co-owner and Co-editor in Chief of Nightscape Press and the Bram Stoker Award-nominated editor of the 2018 This Is Horror Anthology of the Year, ASHES AND ENTROPY . Nightscape Press is a premier small press publisher that focuses on producing quality speculative fiction books and contributing to charity.
In 2018 we launched our Charitable Chapbooks line of high quality, signed, numbered, and color-illustrated limited chapbooks that each give the majority of its proceeds to its author and the charity of their choice.
We have been planning to launch our next phase of this new charitable model, charitable novels and short story collections in 2020 for some time. As a small press publisher that gives a lot of its proceeds to charity, we are often lucky just to break even.
I've recently received, what I'm hoping is a blessing in disguise. I learned last week that my day job employer's contract with our client is not being renewed. This means that very soon I will no longer be employed. On one hand, this is very stressful news to receive. On the other hand, this news comes at an interesting time.
Things are shifting in our household in such a way that we have decided for me to take on my role with Nightscape Press full time. This means that I will be able to focus energy on doing more with our company. Publishing more, contributing a lot more to charity, and taking us to the next level: becoming a fully independent publishing company with full distribution including books in brick and mortar stores.
Here is what we are trying to accomplish:
*Get our current books out on a reasonable schedule and not have to push back any currently scheduled releases
*Successfully kick off our first charitable event in the summer of 2020: the Nightscape Press Caribbean Cabal Writer’s Retreat with special guests Ellen Datlow, Laird Barron, Stephen Graham Jones, and John Langan
*Move to the next phase in our publishing model which has the potential to raise exponentially more money for charity
*Distribute our non-limited books in physical stores
*Start paying advances upon contract signing instead of upon publication or relative to publication
*Stay in business for the long haul
*Become fully independent
And below is a list of our previous successes, our current projects, and what (we can publicly mention that) we have on the horizon.
Some of our previous projects that have raised money for charity:
*Fantasy For Good edited by Richard Salter and Jordan Ellinger (including stories by George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, Katherine Kerr, Piers Anthony, Michael Moorcock, Carrie Vaughn, Alan Dean Foster, Nnedi Okorafor, Todd McCaffrey, and many more) Published in 2014. Contributes all net proceeds to The Colorectal Cancer Alliance. Has raised over $10,000 so far.)
*Charitable Chapbook #1 The Broker of Nightmares by Jon Padgett (Contributed $1,000 to the ACLU via the limited physical chapbook run and will continue to contribute 40% of each sale to this greatly needed charity via the eBook edition .
*Charitable Chapbook #2 If It Bleeds by Matthew M. Bartlett (Contributed $1,000 to the Dakin Humane Society via the limited physical chapbook run. Its eBook will also continue to contribute 40% of its proceeds to Matthew’s chosen charity the Dakin Humane Society with every sale.)
Here’s what's currently available and what we’re working on right now:
*Nox Pareidolia edited by Robert S. Wilson (including stories by Laird Barron, Brian Evenson, S.P. Miskowski, Michael Wehunt, Gwendolyn Kiste, Kristi DeMeester, doungjai gam, Carrie Laben, David Peak, Kurt Fawver, Christopher Ropes, and many more) is available for Kindle and in black and white trade paperback editions and the deluxe color trade paperback is available for pre-order with an expected release of late January/early February 2020
*Charitable Chapbook #3 “watch the whole goddamned thing burn” by doungjai gam is now shipping
*Charitable Chapbook #4 Origami Dreams (Expanded Edition) by Jon Padgett is currently delayed due to some artwork issues
*Charitable Chapbook #5 Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Bad Can Ever Happen Here by Michael Wehunt is currently being printed and, upon selling out, has the potential to contribute $2,500+ to The Southern Poverty Law Center
*Secret Gateways (A Leeds/Dunnstown and Beyond Limited Hardcover Box Set) by Jon Padgett and Matthew M. Bartlett is currently delayed with an expected early to mid 2020 release
*Charitable Chapbook #6 The Invention of Ghosts by Gwendolyn Kiste will start shipping on 1/27/20 and has the potential to contribute $1,000+ to the National Aviary
*Horror For RAICES edited by Jennifer Wilson and Robert S. Wilson (including stories by Poppy Z. Brite, Paul Tremblay, Laird Barron, Livia Llewellyn, Ramsey Campbell, Elizabeth Hand, Gwendolyn Kiste, Matthew M. Bartlett, Nadia Bulkin, S.P. Miskowski, Kurt Fawver, and many more) contributes all net proceeds to RAICES, the wonderful charity helping immigrants and refugees with legal services. We have a GoFundMe that gives directly to RAICES in which anybody who donates $10 or more will get an eBook edition of the book and the Kindle edition can be purchased from Amazon. The paperback edition will be available soon
*Lynne and I are currently reading stories for Best New Weird 2018 edited by Lynne Jamneck and Robert S. Wilson which is slated for an early 2020 release (Best New Weird 2019 will open for submissions soon)
And here are some of our projects planned for 2020:
*Weird Whispers is a different kind of monthly digest which will take a deeper look at each story and contributor. Weird Whispers will be published for free online, and as a monthly digest in eBook and paperback editions with bonus materials.
*The Bleeding Rainbow: A Spectrum of Weird Fiction edited by Robert S. Wilson and Maxwell Ian Gold. This will be an anthology of stories by LGBTQ+ authors themed around the colors of the Pride Flag and is slated for release during Pride Month in June of 2020.
*Charitable Chapbook #7 Do You Mind If We Dance With Your Legs? by Michael Cisco is scheduled to be released on February 18th of 2020 and has the potential to contribute $2,500+ to the Los Angeles LGBT Center
*Charitable Chapbook #8 Glorious by Livia Llewellyn is slated for a mid to late 2020 release and has the potential to contribute $2,500+ to First Book
*Our first scheduled charitable novel, The Fertile Clay by Dennis Mombaur is slated for release early to mid 2020 and will contribute one third of all proceeds (a potential total of $5,000+) to autismus Köln/Bonn e.V.
*Our first scheduled charitable collection, Chaos Engine: The Kaodraze Cycle by Gemma Files is slated for a mid to late 2020 release and will contribute one third of all proceeds (a potential total of $10,000+) to the Autism Self Advocacy Network
*Weird For Good edited by Jon Padgett, Lynne Jamneck, and Robert S. Wilson is slated for a late 2020 release and will give all net proceeds to RAICES.
Everybody who donates $50 or more will get a paper subscription to the first year of Weird Whispers ($80 or more if you live outside of the United States to help cover the difference in shipping charges).
When we started Nightscape Press, my wife Jennifer and I were living in poverty. During a short hiatus from late 2015 to early 2018, we pulled ourselves up from the poverty line and are now just barely scraping into middle class. Funding has always been a struggle for us BECAUSE of our personal economic situation.
But even still we have managed to create some amazingly beautiful books and raise far more money for several charities than we would have been able to without creating this company. We ask that you just imagine what we could accomplish if we had a more solid foundation to build from. It would mean the world to us to have a chance to find out.
Here is what we will do if we make our milestones, our goal, and more:
*If we raise $5,000 we'll open submissions for our brand new weird fiction digest, Weird Whispers to authors from marginalized demographics including women, people of color, LGBTQ folks, and others
*If we raise $10,000 we'll open to public submissions for the anthology Nox Pareidolia: Volume II
*If we raise $15,000 we'll open to public submissions for Weird Whispers
*If we raise $20,000 we'll open to queries year round starting in 2020 for our charitable novel and charitable collection lines
*If we raise $25,000 we'll open to public submissions for our highly coveted Charitable Chapbooks book line
*If we raise $30,000 we'll pay 8 cents per word for all Weird Whispers stories and 2020 anthology stories (this will also be retroactive)
*If we raise $35,000 we'll do signed limited color hardcover editions of all 2019 and 2020 anthologies
*And we have three jaw-dropping stretch goals in mind should we make our initial goal
Hi, I'm Robert S. Wilson, co-owner and Co-editor in Chief of Nightscape Press and the Bram Stoker Award-nominated editor of the 2018 This Is Horror Anthology of the Year, ASHES AND ENTROPY . Nightscape Press is a premier small press publisher that focuses on producing quality speculative fiction books and contributing to charity.
In 2018 we launched our Charitable Chapbooks line of high quality, signed, numbered, and color-illustrated limited chapbooks that each give the majority of its proceeds to its author and the charity of their choice.
We have been planning to launch our next phase of this new charitable model, charitable novels and short story collections in 2020 for some time. As a small press publisher that gives a lot of its proceeds to charity, we are often lucky just to break even.
I've recently received, what I'm hoping is a blessing in disguise. I learned last week that my day job employer's contract with our client is not being renewed. This means that very soon I will no longer be employed. On one hand, this is very stressful news to receive. On the other hand, this news comes at an interesting time.
Things are shifting in our household in such a way that we have decided for me to take on my role with Nightscape Press full time. This means that I will be able to focus energy on doing more with our company. Publishing more, contributing a lot more to charity, and taking us to the next level: becoming a fully independent publishing company with full distribution including books in brick and mortar stores.
Here is what we are trying to accomplish:
*Get our current books out on a reasonable schedule and not have to push back any currently scheduled releases
*Successfully kick off our first charitable event in the summer of 2020: the Nightscape Press Caribbean Cabal Writer’s Retreat with special guests Ellen Datlow, Laird Barron, Stephen Graham Jones, and John Langan
*Move to the next phase in our publishing model which has the potential to raise exponentially more money for charity
*Distribute our non-limited books in physical stores
*Start paying advances upon contract signing instead of upon publication or relative to publication
*Stay in business for the long haul
*Become fully independent
And below is a list of our previous successes, our current projects, and what (we can publicly mention that) we have on the horizon.
Some of our previous projects that have raised money for charity:
*Fantasy For Good edited by Richard Salter and Jordan Ellinger (including stories by George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, Katherine Kerr, Piers Anthony, Michael Moorcock, Carrie Vaughn, Alan Dean Foster, Nnedi Okorafor, Todd McCaffrey, and many more) Published in 2014. Contributes all net proceeds to The Colorectal Cancer Alliance. Has raised over $10,000 so far.)
*Charitable Chapbook #1 The Broker of Nightmares by Jon Padgett (Contributed $1,000 to the ACLU via the limited physical chapbook run and will continue to contribute 40% of each sale to this greatly needed charity via the eBook edition .
*Charitable Chapbook #2 If It Bleeds by Matthew M. Bartlett (Contributed $1,000 to the Dakin Humane Society via the limited physical chapbook run. Its eBook will also continue to contribute 40% of its proceeds to Matthew’s chosen charity the Dakin Humane Society with every sale.)
Here’s what's currently available and what we’re working on right now:
*Nox Pareidolia edited by Robert S. Wilson (including stories by Laird Barron, Brian Evenson, S.P. Miskowski, Michael Wehunt, Gwendolyn Kiste, Kristi DeMeester, doungjai gam, Carrie Laben, David Peak, Kurt Fawver, Christopher Ropes, and many more) is available for Kindle and in black and white trade paperback editions and the deluxe color trade paperback is available for pre-order with an expected release of late January/early February 2020
*Charitable Chapbook #3 “watch the whole goddamned thing burn” by doungjai gam is now shipping
*Charitable Chapbook #4 Origami Dreams (Expanded Edition) by Jon Padgett is currently delayed due to some artwork issues
*Charitable Chapbook #5 Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Bad Can Ever Happen Here by Michael Wehunt is currently being printed and, upon selling out, has the potential to contribute $2,500+ to The Southern Poverty Law Center
*Secret Gateways (A Leeds/Dunnstown and Beyond Limited Hardcover Box Set) by Jon Padgett and Matthew M. Bartlett is currently delayed with an expected early to mid 2020 release
*Charitable Chapbook #6 The Invention of Ghosts by Gwendolyn Kiste will start shipping on 1/27/20 and has the potential to contribute $1,000+ to the National Aviary
*Horror For RAICES edited by Jennifer Wilson and Robert S. Wilson (including stories by Poppy Z. Brite, Paul Tremblay, Laird Barron, Livia Llewellyn, Ramsey Campbell, Elizabeth Hand, Gwendolyn Kiste, Matthew M. Bartlett, Nadia Bulkin, S.P. Miskowski, Kurt Fawver, and many more) contributes all net proceeds to RAICES, the wonderful charity helping immigrants and refugees with legal services. We have a GoFundMe that gives directly to RAICES in which anybody who donates $10 or more will get an eBook edition of the book and the Kindle edition can be purchased from Amazon. The paperback edition will be available soon
*Lynne and I are currently reading stories for Best New Weird 2018 edited by Lynne Jamneck and Robert S. Wilson which is slated for an early 2020 release (Best New Weird 2019 will open for submissions soon)
And here are some of our projects planned for 2020:
*Weird Whispers is a different kind of monthly digest which will take a deeper look at each story and contributor. Weird Whispers will be published for free online, and as a monthly digest in eBook and paperback editions with bonus materials.
*The Bleeding Rainbow: A Spectrum of Weird Fiction edited by Robert S. Wilson and Maxwell Ian Gold. This will be an anthology of stories by LGBTQ+ authors themed around the colors of the Pride Flag and is slated for release during Pride Month in June of 2020.
*Charitable Chapbook #7 Do You Mind If We Dance With Your Legs? by Michael Cisco is scheduled to be released on February 18th of 2020 and has the potential to contribute $2,500+ to the Los Angeles LGBT Center
*Charitable Chapbook #8 Glorious by Livia Llewellyn is slated for a mid to late 2020 release and has the potential to contribute $2,500+ to First Book
*Our first scheduled charitable novel, The Fertile Clay by Dennis Mombaur is slated for release early to mid 2020 and will contribute one third of all proceeds (a potential total of $5,000+) to autismus Köln/Bonn e.V.
*Our first scheduled charitable collection, Chaos Engine: The Kaodraze Cycle by Gemma Files is slated for a mid to late 2020 release and will contribute one third of all proceeds (a potential total of $10,000+) to the Autism Self Advocacy Network
*Weird For Good edited by Jon Padgett, Lynne Jamneck, and Robert S. Wilson is slated for a late 2020 release and will give all net proceeds to RAICES.
Organizer
Dream Wilson
Organizer
Mount Juliet, TN