Writing For Anthology Books

Author: Alyice Edrich

What's an anthology?

An anthology is a collection of short stories, poems, and/or essays gathered together with a specific theme in mind.

How do anthology books work?

The person putting the stories together is called a "Compiler" or "Editor." The compiler sends out a request that he or she is looking for certain types of stories and what the specifications are for submitting a story.

The compiler will read through them, looking for the best submissions—often ones that are of good writing quality, tell a great—if not unique—story, and really grabs the attention of the reader.

Those stories are then sent to the publisher who reviews them for submission and makes the final decision as to which stories are included in the book.

The book then gets laid out and ready for printing. This process can take as long as two years. Once the books have been printed, they are sent out to book distributors, bookstores, online venues (i.e. Amazon), and non-traditional chain stores, such as Wal-Mart.

Should I submit a story to a compiler who doesn't have a signed contract with a publishing house?

Only you can answer this. Anthologies that do not have a signed contract with a publishing house means there is no guarantee that, once chosen, your work will ever make it to print. However, even signed contracts can be cancelled. The real question you need to ask yourself is, "Do I feel submitting a story to this publication is a good use of my time?"

Can I use a reprint or sell my submission before it's printed in an anthology?

In most cases the answer is no. The stories you submit must have never been seen in the publishing realm before. Publishers want fresh meat—they don't want to recycle old news.

Can I resell the story as soon as my submission is accepted for the anthology?

No. You must wait until the book you've been accepted in has come out in print. If you resell your story before the book is printed, and another publication prints your story, the publisher of your story WILL find out and he/she WILL PULL YOUR STORY! In other words, if your story is published before the book hits the bookstores, you breached your contract and could be held liable for damages.

How long will it take before I receive an acceptance?

That depends on the publication. While the compilers would love to say, we'll give you an acceptance or rejection letter within so many weeks after submission, publishers and editors require those letters be sent out only after all submissions have been accepted, and they've had the final veto over the stories submitted. The average time is usually between one and two years.

Does the writer get paid?

This is where anthologies can get a bad rap by more experienced and published writers.

Payment really depends on the publishing house and the author. While all writers deserve to get paid for their hard work, some anthologies simply do not pay.

However, no financial payment should not mean you skip submitting to that anthology. Anthologies are a great way for the beginning writer to break into the writing industry—especially if the anthology takes off.

Anthologies are also great for veteran writers who want to break into a new market, have a story to share that doesn't quite fit a paying market, or really believe in the cause of the book being compiled.

Anthologies can even work for those working their way up in the industry, looking to break into a niche market, or relating to a specific profession. For instance, comedians would do well to have their stories in an anthology with the sole intent to make people laugh.

And finally, Anthologies are a great way to memorialize special events, feelings, and relationships, while reaching out and touching the lives of others. Because anthologies often start with a passion to express one's self or to fulfill a need in today's society, you should never skip out on the chance to share your story. After all, you just never know when sharing your story will help heal the soul of another. If you feel it would be an "honor" to be associated with a specific book, theme, cause, publisher, or like-minded people, then by all means share your story!

On a side note, it is important that I point something out—NEVER, NEVER PAY someone a reading or inclusion fee to have your story included in his or her book or anthology! And while I would never pay a contest fee to have my story included in an anthology, contest fees are different then inclusion and reading fees. Many authors and writers enter fee-based writing contests on a daily basis and have reaped many rewards for doing so.

If the anthology you are submitting to doesn't pay, make sure that you DO NOT GIVE UP ALL RIGHTS. Asking for first rights is understandable, as no company wants to publish a book of reprints. But you should have the option to sell reprints of your story once the book has been put in print—even if it means placing a "previously published in (name) anthology" tagline with each reprint you sell.

The bottom line...

As with any book, when an anthology series first starts out, a lot of money goes into advertising, publicity, and production of said book. Costs such as:

researching competition
advertising to locate qualified submissions
preparing a website that people can visit to learn more about the anthology
the cover artist
editing, proofing, layout, design, binding, and printing of the book
distributor set-up fees
warehousing costs to store books until they are distributed
the discount you must give bookstores and distributors
the UPC code
copyright costs
the ISBN
marketing materials such as catalogs, postcards, flyers, and brochures
advertising costs to get the anthology out to the public
shipping and handling to distribute books
taxes
etc.

A major publishing house, recently made the statement that "...it costs $40,000 - $50,000 to take an idea to print." And let us not forget all the unpaid time that went into reading each and every submission that landed on the compiler's desk!

So don't be too upset if you find your submission was accepted into an anthology, but you aren't receiving monetary pay—your rewards might be far greater than you've ever imagined.

Your payment may come in the form of:

reprint fees as magazines use your story as an excerpt in their publication—if you haven't been able to get your work in a high paying market, your excerpt may be the key!
publicity
speaking engagements—that you will more than likely get paid for
paid writing assignments
fan mail that makes any monetary reward seem downright pitiful
discounts on books that you can resell for a profit during speaking engagements

An important note—Every writer has to decide what is best for his or her career.

Sometimes receiving no monetary compensation for publication in a quality book can open the doors to other markets or gain you the exposure needed to get your writing career off the ground.

Another way to look at writing for anthologies is to look at them as writing assignments. Every good writer writes and stretches his or her talents by writing for new markets―why not give it a try?

And if you really want to s-t-r-e-t-c-h things, you could say that you were paid $15.95―the cost of the book. How many times have you written an essay for as little as $15 or even sold reprint rights for $15?

Marketing benefits of anthologies are:

Every anthology has about 20 - 40 authors, plus the compiler, the editor, and the publisher promoting the book. This means that you have 42 other people promoting your name, along with theirs. The more the publishing world sees your name, the more likely you will begin to reap the rewards of "name recognition."

One writer was accepted in a non-paying anthology and made $1000 in reprint rights as her story was reprinted in several publications as excerpts from the book (after the book went to print of course)...another writer earned a nice chunk of change as a guest speaker...and another writer gained paid writing assignments due to the exposure in the anthology. So while some anthologies have a con in the form of no monetary payment, the pros can far outweigh the con if you truly MARKET yourself as an author in that particular anthology.

On a final note...

Artists, comedians, musicians, and movie stars often start out in dives where they work very hard for little to no pay—until the day their big break arrives.

Many professionals often distribute articles for free to online and print markets and charity events when they know it will benefit their careers, company, or private practice. Is an anthology any different?

And with respect to Chicken Soup for the Soul Series...true, they take all rights and only pay $300 while their marketing tactics reap the rewards for years and dollars to come. But when you write an article, on a work-for-hire basis (as a copywriter), you give up all rights for the same $300. At least with Chicken Soup for the Soul, you have your byline, which can often gain you more writing assignments elsewhere—work-for-hire assignments do not allow you a byline.